Procurement management is all about bringing control to acquisition of parts and skills required for projects. But it also delivers additional benefits that you don’t often hear about: Find long-term partners. Organizations often require parts or skill-based services on an ongoing basis. Well-crafted Requests for Quotation (RFQ) or Requests for Proposal (RFP) enable vendors to […]
Project management disciplines such as risk management bring control to a project. In addition to the well-known benefits of these disciplines, they provide other benefits that aren’t often discussed or recognized. Here are a few additional benefits that risk management provides: Encourages optimism. Thinking about what could go wrong increases optimism? It seems counter-intuitive, and […]
Besides controlling the spending for a project, cost management delivers some additional benefits. Here are a few rarely discussed benefits of cost management: Filters out wannabe stakeholders. Project managers should embrace the phrase “you gotta pay to play!” In other words, if stakeholders want their requirements considered for the project, they need to provide funding […]
Besides bringing control to your project schedule, schedule management delivers additional benefits. Here are a few rarely-discussed benefits of schedule management. Defines elephant bites. The adage about eating an elephant one bite at a time works with projects, too. However, the phrase doesn’t mean much unless those bites are defined and are seen as reasonable. […]
Even the most experienced project manager will occasionally make a mistake – a flaw in the project plan, misinterpreting business directions, or overlooking an issue or risk. Here are a few tips on how to recover when you make a mistake in a project: Take ownership. The quicker you take ownership of what happened, the […]
As a project manager, you have to make decisions, resolve conflicts, manage aggressive timeframes and make the most of small budgets. It can feel like you have to deal with these responsibilities all alone. Yes, your responsibilities are monumental. You won’t feel so alone if you follow these tips: Work with your team members. Take […]
Crafting lessons learned can be tricky. Lessons learned should help future projects without criticizing anyone publicly. Here are a few guidelines for achieving those lessons learned goals. Identify recurring issues. Issues that are likely to re-occur if they aren’t addressed are significant lessons learned because they will help many future projects. Conversely, issues related to […]
I enjoy cooking — and eating – and I also believe in the benefits of a healthy eating plan. A recent conversation reminded me of the similarities between successful eating plans and project management. So grab that acai bowl (or rice cake if you insist on dieting) and have a read. The correct amount is […]
A solid team can contribute to the broad range of skills needed to complete projects successfully. However, project managers must possess several skills to ensure project success: Construct risk response plans. Although team members can identify risks, the project manager handles building and managing sound risk responses. Because the PM is the project liaison to […]
The fate of most projects is determined by how they’re launched. With a proper launch, the project has a good chance of succeeding. Botch it and the chance of delivering value is almost zero. Here are my top tips for nailing the project launch: Develop a shared understanding of the project. You and your project […]
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