Does Anyone Benefit from Your Project Management Information System (PMIS)?
Does Anyone Benefit from Your Project Management Information System (PMIS)?
By Kiron D. Bondale
A project management information system (PMIS) is not an investment which most companies would make lightly. The one time and ongoing hard costs coupled with the change management effort involved in implementing such tools can be significant so it is reasonable to expect […]
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Manage Team Performance Through an Open Dialog
Manage Team Performance Through an Open Dialog
By Patrick Smyth
Many challenges in business, team and employee performance result from inadequate communication. Leaders often make incorrect assumptions about the members of their teams. Those assumptions lead the team to believe the leader is not interested in listening to their ideas for improvements. Sometimes communication breaks down when […]
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Bringing Agile Into the Portfolio
Bringing Agile Into the Portfolio
By Nils Davis
In today’s tech infused world, many companies strive to rise above the competition and get results from their efforts and ideas as quickly as possible. It’s okay to want instant gratification – our customers seem to expect it – but as we well know, anything great takes time. But […]
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Agile Baby Steps: A Parable To Help You Get Started
Agile Baby Steps: A Parable To Help You Get Started
By Rob Kraft
We often hesitate to take the action that shows we are committed to doing something new. We read about it, analyze it, and try to understand it; but real learning requires that we go beyond reading. We must DO. The goal of this article […]
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Top 25 Web Apps Classified by Alexa Ranking
Did you know you can find around 250 collaborative web apps to manage your projects on the Web? However, less than 100 products have enough traffic to be qualified as “popular”! By enough traffic we mean having an Alexa Ranking lower than 1,000,000. Not all of them will survive in the long run, but some will. Before choosing the best cloud-based/web app that fits your needs, make sure it is used/visited by a sufficiently large user community!
What is the Alexa Ranking?
Alexa.com ranks all websites by the number of visitors they get each day: Facebook.com, Google.com and YouTube.com being ranked 1,2, and 3 are the sites the most visited on the planet.
The Top 25 as of May 2, 2016 (before was of Oct 8, 2014)
For each product, you’ll find a link to a Software Review we completed and the actual Alexa Ranking.
- Trello – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 353 (was 523)
- Zoho Projects – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 556 (was 552)
- Asana – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 672 (was 705)
- Basecamp – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 990 (was 637)
- Jira – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 2140 (was 4402)
- Smartsheet – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 3649 (was 4161)
- Wrike – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 4689 (was 5618)
- Teamwork – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 5221 (was 6886)
- Podio – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 5265 (was 2639)
- Rally – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 7540 (was 13112)
- Britrix24 – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 7666 (was 9592)
- Odoo – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 10549 (was 14131)
- Producteev – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 11834 (was 8883)
- Pivotal Tracker – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 12661 (was 7749)
- Assembla – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 12822 (was 6875)
- RescueTime – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 14317 (9963)
- Freedcamp – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 18278 (was 20330)
- Replicon – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 19236 (was 25668)
- Redbooth – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 19750 (was 6747)
- Redmine – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 22620 (was 16618)
- Insightly – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 25756 (was 9309)
- Mavenlink – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 25784 (was 19186)
- Mingle – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 26303 (was 31321)
- activeCollab – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 30067 (was 71304)
- Harvest – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 31784 (was 23976)
The following next 14 may be part of the Top 25 soon!
- LiquidPlanner – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 39359 (was 18519)
- Aconex – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 40251 (was 92909)
- Paymo – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 45703 (was 19453)
- Teamgantt – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 47043 (was 49730)
- Clarizen – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 48977 (was 32218)
- Flow – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 57396 (was 25295)
- AceProject – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 61851 (was 65259)
- OnlyOffice – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 65177 (was 20895)
- Droptask – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 65540 (was 37322)
- ProjectManager.com – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 66688 (was 66558)
- Workamajig – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 75342 (was 51999)
- ProjectPlace – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 82006 (was 93058)
- Wiggio – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 93585 (was 76420)
- Nutcache – Software Review – Alexa Ranking 82276 (was 41293)
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How to Improve Business Processes with Mind Mapping
How to Improve Business Processes with Mind Mapping
By Joel Roberts
Mind mapping is not a new technique. People have been creating visual diagrams that explain the relationship between ideas for centuries. Now new developments in mind mapping software have made this method accessible, however. Many different types of thought maps can be created easily and shared […]
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Project Management Challenges in the Construction Industry
The Project Management Institute defines project management as:
“The art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, quality, and participating objectives.”
A construction project manager combines the responsibilities of a traditional project manager with the expertise of the construction industry. The diversity of the teams and the projects are just two of the challenges a construction PM contends with.
Project Management Basics
Project management deals with principles and processes that tend to be universal across projects.
PMI (Project Management Institute) defines five phases of project management:
- Initiation
- Planning
- Execution
- Performance Monitoring
- Closure
The project manager begins by creating and evaluating a business case to determine project feasibility. Along with the stakeholder, a project charter or project initiation document is developed.
Planning includes creating a map for everyone to follow. The PM creates a formal document called a project management plan (PMP) that guides execution and control of the project. It includes the scope, cost, and schedule baselines as well as scope statement and documentation. The objectives, deliverables, and key milestones are listed within this document.
Other parts of the plan include the work breakdown structure (WBS), the communication plan, and the risk management plan.
With execution, the work begins. The project team will assign resources, execute plans and tasks, set up tracking systems, and keep the schedule up-to-date. This is where records management, contract management, and contract procurement reside.
Performance and monitoring typically occur in conjunction with execution. Progress and performance are measured to ensure the project is tracking to the plan.
Closure occurs when the project is complete. The PM may hold a post-mortem and the team creates a punchlist of items that were left undone. Out of this comes the project report.
Where It Goes Wrong
There are a number of common obstacles to project completion that the project manager is expected to work out in order to keep construction on track.
Undefined Goals
To prevent undefined goals, the project manager must be careful to ask the right questions in order to establish and communication clear goals from the start.
Scope Changes
Also known as “scope creep,” this describes the extension of the scope beyond the original objectives. Since the changes are not planned, they typically cause delays and cost money that isn’t in the budget. It is up to the PM to evaluate change requests and decide whether or how to implement them. The PM then communicates to all stakeholders the impact the change will have on the schedule and/or budget.
Inadequately Skilled Personnel
The PM determines the needed competencies and assesses the available employees. If needed, training can be recommended, as can outsourcing the job and hiring additional workers.
Lack of Accountability
If the team members aren’t taking responsibility for their goals and activities, the PM should provide the leadership to direct (or herd) the team towards the goal laid out in the plan.
Improper Risk Management
Risk tolerance is part of the make-up of a PM. To avoid risk management shortcomings, the PM learns to gather input, develop trust between team members and have a good idea which parts of the project are likely to veer off course.
Ambiguous Contingency Plans
Part of the PM’s planning includes what to do for a variety of scenarios when things aren’t going to plan. These contingencies should be identified ahead of time. A good PM learns to ask others to help identify potential problems.
Poor Communications
Poor communication is a morale killer and a project delay mechanism of the first order. It is up to the PM to keep communications and feedback open between upper management and team leaders, as well as other stakeholders.
Impossible Deadlines
Another morale killer, impossible deadlines can result in a loss of productivity. The project manager is there to respond unreasonable requests and negotiate a more realistic deadline.
Resource Deprivation
If resource needs are adequately defined by the PM and approved by management from the beginning, this should not be an issue. The PM is responsible for assigning and prioritizing resources for the duration of the project.
Lack of Stakeholder Engagement
The project manager must strive to keep communications open and encourage feedback from everyone at every step of the project.
Project managers have other ways to handle the challenges listed above, depending on the nature of the issue and its impact on the project. If the PM cannot come to an agreement with both parties involved, it may be time to try mediation, a mini-trial, or arbitration.
These actions cost time and money. It would behoove management to provide appropriate and adequate resources to avoid these types of problems.
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Project and Portfolio Management Quiz: Are You Top Down or Bottom Up?
Project and Portfolio Management Quiz: Are You Top Down or Bottom Up?
By Kristyn Medeiros
Why does it matter?
Both the top down and bottom up approaches are integral to project and portfolio success. However, it will significantly help you to know what your current approach is. With this awareness comes discussion on whether this is the approach […]
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Top Project Management Metrics Your Company Must Define and Track
Without measuring your project, you have virtually no chance of knowing whether it was a success or failure, and whether you’re headed in the right direction. Project management today relies on access to a host of data and metrics, all of which support fact-based decision-making and help managers to optimize every phase of the project. Here are top 6 project management metrics your company should define and start tracking right now in order to ensure that all your efforts aimed at successful project completion are well spent.
1. Productivity
This metric basically refers to the utilization of resources. By comparing total effort to budgeted effort, managers can check which factors have greatest impact on the bottom line. It can be staff underperformance, delays or unavoidable circumstances – all of them can significantly affect productivity. Measure the productivity of your project and you’ll know which of these factors deserves most of your attention.
2. Scope
This empiric metric should, and usually is defined right at the beginning of a project. However, as a project unfolds itself, it tends to undergo a series of changes and additions, which might easily get out of control, successfully overwhelming and distracting even the most seasoned project managers out there. Tracking change requests, you’ll ensure that they’re controlled and successfully bring the project into completion within budget and on time.
3. Quality
This is definitely the most consumer-focused metric in this set. Quality assurance helps to minimize defects throughout the project and ensures that the deliverable is of high quality at its end. Tracing this metric helps managers to catch errors early on and prevent the project from losing focus or even failing due to undetected mistakes which pile up and affect project delivery.
4. Schedule
Setting up a project schedule, managers usually agree on a specific number of milestone points established during meetings with stakeholders. The schedule metric compares target date to forecast date, effectively helping managers to see whether it’s possible to meet their goals. This metric works best if it’s measured on a weekly basis. It’s an excellent indicator of potential risks to project schedule.
5. Cost
Measuring cost management is key to every reject’s success. There are many variables which enter into this – for instance quality, scope and productivity. In an ideal situation, cost is closely monitored as the project unfolds and if it rises unexpectedly, managers have all the time to adjust other variables and ensure that the project still achieves its objectives.
6. Gross margin
Almost every project is aimed at increasing the profits of the organization. That’s when the metric of gross margin comes in. It’s basically the difference between total income achieved and total expenses involved in the project. When planning a project, managers should set up a target gross margin and measure it throughout the project to ensure that it’s on the right track. Project managers who are able to achieve or even exceed target gross margins are the ones who quickly rise in the ranks of any organization.
Conclusion
Tracking these key project management metrics, project managers can gain fuller control over the project and increase the chance of its success. Consequently, managers are able to make predictions about future projects and improve their execution with the help of average metric history achieved during previous projects. This type of historical data is very valuable to both future planning and comparison, because organizations gain plenty of insights into which strategies are successful and which ones still require some polishing.
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Projectize your Project Meetings
Projectize your Project Meetings By Amy S Hamilton All Project Managers are familiar with the triple constraint of time, cost and quality/scope. Recently, while I was waiting for a meeting to start, I began calculating the cost of man hours in the room of the staff waiting. Then, when the meeting finally started, it was disorganized and […]
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