Could You Be Murdering Your Own Project Management Plan? Could You Be Murdering Your Own Project Management Plan? We’ve all seen crime shows where we anxiously await the results of the post-mortem. The coroner comes out after some time with a grim look on his face. He now knows the answer to what killed the person that just had the autopsy conducted…and it was murder!
Of course, it’s too late for the chap that just had the autopsy conducted. He’s already dead. But, it does give the investigators some type of clues to go on that will hopefully prevent someone else from being killed the same way in the future. It’s similar with the projects we manage. The only problem with this approach is that the patient may have already died. Why not try something different with your next project management plan document? Ask “what is a project management plan that ends in catastrophe?” This may sound a lot like risk management process. Some may have unwittingly taken the pre-mortem concept too far and turned it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Basics of the Project Management Master's Degree. What Can I do with a Master in Project Management? A Master in Project Management is one of the most versatile degrees a college student could earn; it is also one of the most in-demand credentials among employers in the 21st century.
[USNews.com] Any student considering a business management degree could learn industry-relevant skills when earning a Master in Program Management. [smartharbour.com] Some people are born leaders. For these people a Master in Project Management may be just the degree to help them realize their career potential. Nobody can be taught to be a great leader, in the mind of many that is a natural instinct. However, that instinct can be enhanced with the help of a Master in Project Management degree. Graduating from one of these programs can help harness that attention to detail and ability to keep a project on track that makes a great leader what they are. Construction Construction and manufacturing based project management careers are still the most common positions in the field.
Manufacturing Engineering Sources: Project Management Major | Project Management Careers and Education. By C Nich Don't do a project [if] you don't think you'll learn something on the way. --Jim Coudal What Is Project Management? Your career advancement in 21st-century business depends on specializing in one integral function. Being a project manager is about directing the success of one particular project using a set of polished skills, practical experience and proven methodology. The need for employees with efficiency, speed, and quality provides a steady demand for qualified project management professionals in today's business world. A project management degree adds to your natural talent for organization, time management, attention to detail, persistence, interpersonal communication and ability to adapt to problems and changing priorities.
Project management is a relatively new profession, but one that is expected to be in higher demand as organizations recognize the need for this type of business specialization, which offers administrative and strategic support for key projects. Why You Shouldn’t Get a Masters Degree for Project Management. Let me explain. I receive many questions from my Project Management Career Newsletter about degrees. Should I get an MBA or a Master’s degree in Project Management? I have a BS or BA in an unrelated discipline. Should I go back to school for an advanced business or PM degree?
I just got laid off. All great questions. Education is Never Wasted If you apply yourself while learning, and apply your learning while working. Let me get this straight. But here’s the deal. The nuance comes from the ROI of a particular degree in your chosen discipline and industry, and if the degree is in line with your career goals. Too many people get a degree so they are at least “doing something” to better themselves. For the Wrong Reasons Too many times I see good people who start running down a particular path without having first decided their purpose and goals.
It would be like starting on a project without understanding why you are doing it, or what it is you hope to see as the end result. Write it Down. The Tao of Management: Adding Value and Customer Contact. How close are the people in your team, department or organization to your customer base? How much contact do they have with customers? I work in the Software Development industry where, as you might expect, software developers add a considerable amount of value to the business.
Without them, there would not be a product to release. Yet historically, software developers in many organizations have little or no regular contact with customers. I expect the same is true of many other 'value adders' in other industries and sectors. In many organizations, leaders prefer to have these people (who are often expensive to employ) sat down at their desks doing what they are best at.
Any time not doing that is often viewed as being wasted. People who understand what the business is trying to achieve are more likely to produce a product that meets internal organizational requirements. Customers who have frequent contact with an organization are more likely to offer that organization repeat business. The Tao of Management: Embracing team change. Understanding the stages of team growth will certainly assist any team manager with team dynamics. Arriving at the "performing" stage has huge rewards for both team members and managers but change is inevitable.
Changes to the members within a team can occur for a number of reasons such as staff leaving, contracts ending, redundancy, project completion and these can very easily upset team dynamics and see a team retreating into earlier stages of team growth. In order to minimize the impact on a change consider the following items. Do not hide During unsettling periods, managers need to be strong and lead. Consider the impact Sometimes changes to team structure can be sudden but do dedicate time and effort into considering the impact the change could have on the team.
Open discussions early Do not delay in engaging in discussions about the change with the team members. Provide reasoning Accommodating the change Set company expectations Respect the person who has left Individual feedback. Forget Micromanagement: 12 Team Techniques That Work. Entrepreneurs are a particular breed of people.
They see holes in the marketplace that others have never seen; they compile practical solutions that can solve their future customers’ problems. Entrepreneurs can grow an idea into a vision worth implementing, recruit team members who believe in that vision, and truly create something that’s both innovative and profitable. Despite such characteristics, entrepreneurs also feel like they can do everything themselves — and, at times, that they should. Pitching meetings and press presentations are one thing, but setting schedules and sending tweets may be another, especially if you’re already paying people to fill those roles.
There’s a difference between keeping a close eye on your employees’ productivity and breathing down their throats to make sure they meet their deadlines. “How do you keep your startup team on task without becoming a micromanager?” Here’s what YEC community members had to say: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Elevator Pitch builder (HBS) Leadership Is a Conversation. Artwork: Adam Ekberg, Arrangement #1,2009, ink-jet print The command-and-control approach to management has in recent years become less and less viable. Globalization, new technologies, and changes in how companies create value and interact with customers have sharply reduced the efficacy of a purely directive, top-down model of leadership. What will take the place of that model? Part of the answer lies in how leaders manage communication within their organizations—that is, how they handle the flow of information to, from, and among their employees.
Traditional corporate communication must give way to a process that is more dynamic and more sophisticated. Most important, that process must be conversational. We arrived at that conclusion while conducting a recent research project that focused on the state of organizational communication in the 21st century. Physical proximity between leaders and employees isn’t always feasible. Intimacy: Getting Close. Why Aren't You Delegating? - Amy Gallo - Best Practices. You have way too much to do, you’re buried in work, and it seems there’s no way out from under it all. But there is: delegation. Yes, yes, you know it’s important to do and you know it will save you time and help others develop new skills. So why aren’t you doing it? What the Experts Say Delegation is a critical skill.
“Your most important task as a leader is to teach people how to think and ask the right questions so that the world doesn’t go to hell if you take a day off,” says Jeffrey Pfeffer, the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and author of What Were They Thinking? Watch for warning signs You may not realize that you’re unnecessarily hoarding work. Understand why you’re not delegating There are plenty of reasons why managers don’t delegate. Measure how you’re doing Once you’ve recognized what’s standing in your way, the next logical step is to adjust your behavior. Principles to Remember Do: Don’t: Action Method I: Breaking Projects into Primary Elements :: Tips :: The 99 Percent. If you know anything about magic, you know that the best tricks are the ones that are the most simple to perform.
Levitation relies on pulleys, floating dollars need thread, and the disappearing coin depends on hidden pockets; all of the most remarkable tricks have the most “obvious” explanations. Similarly, the best methods for managing projects are simple and intuitive. They help you capture ideas and do something with them—no more, no less. This simple efficiency keeps you engaged and on task with as little effort as possible. The Action Method begins with a simple premise: everything is a project. This applies not only to the big presentation on Wednesday or the new campaign you’re preparing, but also to the stuff you do to advance your career (a “career development” project), or to employee development (each of your subordinates represents a single “project” in which you keep track of performance and the steps you plan to take to help him or her develop as an employee).
References. Project Management/FAQs. What is a project? [edit] The main characteristics of a project are: It is a temporary endeavorIt has fixed start and end datesIt is unique – no two projects are exactly the same, and it is not a routine operationIt is performed by a team of people - teams are temporary in nature. Will be dispersed at the end of the project.It has a defined budget.It has a sponsor - someone who wants the project done and will guide and fight for it.It has a defined objective/endpoint such that you can measure when it is complete.
What is project management? Application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements in addition. What is a program? Collection of Activities executed together in such a way that the cumulative benefit is higher than when they are executed one at a time. What is program management? Overall management of a program and is not the individual management of the constituent projects in the program. What is an operation? Who is a stakeholder? 21 Ways to Excel at Project Management | Project Smart.