Project Management

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Project Management

News, articles and tips on how to plan, implement, lead and manage projects of all sizes in today’s organizations.

  • Managing Training Initiatives as a Project

    Managing Training Initiatives as a Project

    by Leslie Allan on October 7, 2022

    Improve the chances of the success of your next training program design and rollout by managing it as a project. Coordinating Program Activities Training a group of employees for a specific purpose consumes considerable amounts of the organization’s resources. Time and money is spent determining the need, designing the program (or choosing a training vendor) and purchasing materials. Managers spend time organizing schedules and training participants take time out to attend the training. It’s in everyone’s interests that the organization’s resources are not spent in vain. Savvy managers and trainers realize that successful training programs involve much more than participants…Read More »

  • Project Management Disciplines

    Project Management Disciplines

    by Leslie Allan on July 19, 2022

    Eight key practice areas are essential for effective project management. Why a Disciplined Approach Matters Along with a phased approach to delivering projects, the other important aspect of managing projects well is the various project management disciplines. Consider a racing car driver about to enter a race. They may do things in the right order. They may get in the car only after they have checked the tyres, the engine, and so on. This is good; however, if they cannot apply the right amount of pressure to the brake on entering a corner or the turn the wheel too early,…Read More »

  • Project Phases

    Project Phases

    by Leslie Allan on July 15, 2022

    Successful projects follow a disciplined process and path to prevent them from leading to oblivion. A Process Approach to Managing Projects In racing car driving, activities follow a tried and tested sequence. Any attempt to shortcut the process will most likely lead to a crashed car and a lost race. The same is true for managing projects. There is a sequence that needs to be followed if the project is to be successful. This sequence and a short description of each phase in the project management process are described here. Figure 1 – Project Management Phases Initiate In this first…

  • Project Team Management

    Project Team Management

    by Leslie Allan on July 10, 2022

    Successful projects depend on individuals and groups of people working collaboratively. Managing a Project Team In managing a project team, a Project Manager needs to possess excellent analytical and organizational skills. A technical proficiency in the specialist area of their project is also a distinct advantage. Remember, though, that projects achieve their outcomes through people – a variety of people working together in a coordinated way to produce the desired results. How are you encouraging peak performance from your project team? As with any manager getting the best out of their people, you will need to pay attention to your…Read More »

  • Managing Medium to Large Training Projects

    Managing Medium to Large Training Projects

    by Leslie Allan on July 6, 2022

    Large training projects are embedded within multifaceted change initiatives and so require more complex project management. Projects and Complex Change Some training programs impact a limited number of people and systems within an organization. Developing and delivering these kinds of programs is best treated as a small training project with a simple governance structure, streamlined processes and minimal documentation requirements. On the other hand, some training programs play a critical role in moving the organization forward. These kinds of programs are embedded within a more complex change or improvement initiative. These larger initiatives typically aim to bring about change to…Read More »

  • Managing Small Training Projects

    Managing Small Training Projects

    by Leslie Allan on July 4, 2022

    Smart training project managers adapt their project management systems, processes and tools to suit the size of the project. Applying Project Management Methods Organizations reap significant benefits when they treat the design and rollout of important training programs in a disciplined way. Whether the organization is designing and delivering a leadership development program or sourcing a vendor to deliver a course on innovation and creativity, there are a variety of interrelated tasks that need to be undertaken by key people for the program to be a success. It pays to treat the training initiative as a project, using established project…Read More »

  • Project Review

    Project Review

    by Leslie Allan on June 30, 2022

    Post-project reviews allow an organization to learn valuable lessons for future projects. Types of Project Success Measures Projects consume significant amounts of time, money and other organizational resources. No project runs perfectly with perfect outcomes. Post-project reviews are the opportunity for the organization to learn valuable lessons in how to run the next project more effectively. To do this at all well with minimal conflict between the various players (remember, many organizations are a hotbed of organizational politics), the project sponsor and steering committee will need to agree on the measures of project success before the project starts. Make sure…Read More »

  • Project Documents

    Project Documents

    by Leslie Allan on June 24, 2022

    Project documents serve essential purposes in the running of a project. Project Documents – The Benefits Not many people we speak with actually enjoy compiling and reviewing project documents. As a Project Manager, however, I hope that you appreciate that project documentation provides the core to your project. The various documents that your project produces and maintains serve a number of very useful functions. The act of writing, reviewing, authorizing and circulating project documents generally produces these important benefits: sharpens thinking through having to transform vague thoughts into written words facilitates discussion amongst the various stakeholders around important issues records…Read More »

  • Why Project Management?

    Why Project Management?

    by Leslie Allan on June 17, 2022

    Why bother with project schedules, meetings, reports and forms? Project Management Traps I am often asked, “Why is project management important in my project?” Your organization may be small or large, public or private, old or new. You may be using projects on a daily basis to deliver customized products or services to your customers. Or you may be using them once in a while, such as to design and install a new computerized accounting system or to write and implement some new procedures. Whatever your situation, your organization uses projects to get new things done. Some organizations do projects…Read More »

  • Stakeholder Management

    Stakeholder Management

    by Leslie Allan on June 9, 2022

    Who are your key stakeholders and how should you manage your relationships with them? Who Is a Stakeholder? Project stakeholder management is a key stakeholder skill – as your stakeholders can either make or break your project. Who are your project stakeholders? Your stakeholders are the people that have an interest in the project outcome or process. That interest can either be positive, wanting the benefits of the outcomes or process of your project, or negative, seeing the outcomes or process as a hindrance to them. Project stakeholders will include: project sponsors steering committee members business unit and line managers…Read More »