pmStudent

So, you have been hearing of the advantages of being a PMP and have finally decided to appear in the exam!

Great! Before you get set to prepare for this exam, you need to spend a moment verifying whether you are eligible to appear in it. Through this article, I will help you do exactly this.

So, what is it that you need to be eligible? Read more »

There is often a misconception that managing an IT project is difficult. Avoiding the common pitfalls of IT project management is not rocket science, it is simply a case of taking some sensible measures. This article identifies 5 killer mistakes of project management and their solutions. Read more »

Developers everywhere are in terrible pain. Why has it come to this? What can we do to make the world a better place for software developers and their children? This series of posts will address the pain!

The first sad, sad story….. “We’re 4 months in to a 5 month schedule and I just received the final requirements yesterday (and they’ve changed again!)” Read more »

Fellow blogger Craig Brown over at Better Projects asked “Why reverse engineer requirements?” in a recent post. Read more »

Anita Wotiz is the guest blogger this week over at the UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley Project Management blog. She published great post titled “An unrepeatable success?” Read it here.
It was great to hear about the project, specifically the lessons learned and trying to relate them to my own experience.
I wouldn’t write the first set [...] Read more »

Dave Garrett recently wrote on the concepts expressed by Aaron Shanhar in his book, Reinventing Project Management. The gist is that the common triple-constraint model of managing cost, schedule, and scope is not enough. As I like to put it and in Goldratt’s words, necessary but not sufficient.
I have not yet read Shanhar’s [...] Read more »

I recently read a new book by Curt Finch, CEO of Journyx, Inc. titled “All Your Money Won’t Another Minute Buy - Valuing Time as a Business Resource.” I have always been a student of time management, so I was delighted with the opportunity to interview Curt about the book. Please enjoy the interview. Read more »

Today I was trying to think of ways to integrate some of the methods and benefits of Critical Chain project management into the traditional PM methodology most companies use. I wanted to pick out one element of CC that would potentially yield the most benefit without much, if any, additional overhead to the project [...] Read more »

Deming claimed that the sense of having helped other people is the most significant motivator and source of job satisfaction. It is one of the biggest enablers for pride of workmanship.
Of the projects you have worked on, think about the ones you are most proud of. What is it that makes you look back [...] Read more »

This point consists of two elements as I see it. (1) Walk the talk, and (2) hold systems accountable.
Walk the Talk
Slogans are phony. The word slogan has a connotation of something that is not real. It sounds like an advertisement, and not something you can really trust in. In a project management organization, it [...] Read more »

Many processes are cross-functional. The same is true of projects. This point is about dissolving the “us versus them” scenario that so often exists in one form or another within organizations. In most projects that I work on, there are individuals from departments such as operations, central services and other support functions, MIS, IT, Service [...] Read more »

Often, projects can become battlegrounds where the project manager and team are at odds with the sponsor and other stakeholders. These conflicts can arise when the project environment is not conducive to a win-win approach.
In project planning and initiation, clearly define the WIIFM (What’s in it for me) for everyone on the project. This [...] Read more »

In Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence, Evans and Lindsay point to 5 distinct perspectives when defining quality. They are transcendent, product-based, user-based, value-based, and manufacturing-based. The authors discuss the topic in terms of defining quality within organizations and products. I see parallels to defining quality when running projects.

Transcendent Quality
This perspective makes a judgment as [...] Read more »

Finding the right balance of documentation and methodology can be challenging on small projects. Here are some tips.
I have been managing small projects for some time now. Some of my project are really tiny, I’m talking about 8 hours of work max. Others can be 2 week or month-long projects. Some [...] Read more »

I started reading Bas De Baar’s book today, “Suprise! Now You’re a Software Project Manager!” Bas is a fellow contributor over at PMLC, and after hearing his interviews on Controlling Chaos and The PM Podcast, I had to pick this one up.
In the introduction, Bas touches on many key points that I could relate [...] Read more »