Project Management Works

Author: MS

  • The Awkward Client

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      I have recently been considering some of the traits and behaviours that successful project managers exhibit. For a project to be successful it obviously needs a project manager with the experience and skills to guide the project and the team from the initiation phase right through to a successful completion all within the time…

  • My Project is Agile

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      I recently came across a few of definitions of the Agile methodology which I thought worth sharing. Of course, many people would provide different definitions and the definitive description can be found in the Agile Manifesto but if you haven’t got time to read that right now here goes:   “An iterative and incremental…

  • Project Management Glossary

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      Accountability – The obligation to report on one’s actions. Activity – Any work performed on a project. May be synonymous with task but in some cases it may be a specific level in the WBS (e.g., a phase is broken down into a set of activities, activities into a set of tasks). An activity…

  • My Project is Alive

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      I’ve really been enjoying reading the 3-part article by Larry Peterson “Living Projects” – having earned my stripes as a software development project manager I am well aware of the conflict between the theory and practise of planning and scheduling a project from start to finish and the realities of software development.   The…

  • Dealing With Conflict in Projects

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      Dealing with conflict is one of the many tasks you will have to perform in your role as a project manager if you want your project to be a success. Never underestimate the importance of resolving conflicts (even if they might seem trivial) as projects can, and will, be derailed if personality clashes and…

  • Male vs. Female Project Managers

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      I have previously written two articles about what particularly masculine attributes make men successful project managers (“Do Men Make the Best Project Managers?”) and what particularly feminine attributes make women successful project managers (“Do Women Make the Best Project Managers?”). Many of the comments and tweets that these two articles generated suggested that masculine…

  • Knowing your PERT’s from your Gantt’s

    Knowing your PERT’s from your Gantt’s

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      Someone said to me recently that they always only use Gantt charts to manage projects. And certainly there are many projects for which a detailed Gantt chart would be sufficient – projects that are simple and straightforward, or similar to other projects previously completed successfully. But when the project is highly complex or involving…

  • The Basics of Project Management

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    Many project managers are under pressure to estimate projects accurately without being given the time to gather the information required for an accurate estimate. Conversely they are also expected to meet deadlines that were imposed by market forces, such as producing a new product before the competition, which bears no relevance to the amount of…

  • Convert Your PRINCE2® Skills

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    I think it is really good news that the APM (Association for Project Management) now have a project management training course that takes into account previous PRINCE2® qualifications in a new exam to gain the APM PMQ qualification.     The only way to achieve the APM PMQ qualification up until the end of 2010…

  • APM PMQ Project Management Training from Parallel Project Training

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    Getting the right education and training is very important for those who are looking to get into a good occupation. When it comes to project management this is no different. Fortunately for those who are looking to get the best training possible for project management there are a number of options you can choose from…