The Project Perfect White Paper Collection has been put together from our
own resources, and some of our customers. We hope you find it useful. Project
Perfect express no opinion regarding the accuracy of the information, or take
responsibility for any conclusions drawn from reading the white papers. We
would however like to hear your feedback.
Scope Management |
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Defining the Scope of a Project |
A number of techniques to assist you define the scope of an IT Project. Number of ratings -
680 |
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Scope Creep Management |
Learn how to manage the inevitable (and even natural) scope creep on a project. Number of ratings -
33
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Managing Changes to Estimates |
How do you cater for the unknown in project. This White Paper talks about why there will always be "unknowns" and gives you strategies to deal with them. Number of ratings -
43 |
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Time Management |
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Managing Uncertainty in Project Planning |
Uncertainty in project planning is widely recognized in many industries and a wide variety of different tools exists to help optimize the planning process and minimize the associated risks. Read more on the topic of managing uncertainty in projects. Number of ratings -
21 |
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Reducing Time Spent on Requirements |
A review of the time spent gathering requirements, techniques available to reduce the time, and some innovative thoughts. Number of ratings -
93 |
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Resource Management |
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Managing Project Team Members |
This article discusses the unique needs of a project team member and offers some suggestions as to how a team may be managed -
34 |
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Social Architecture |
An extensive article that looks at the role of people in software development. Number of ratings -
17 |
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Key Stakeholder Support |
If the key stakeholders in a project are not supportive, you are in trouble from day one. This white paper provides a technique for mapping the importance and supportiveness of project participants. Number of ratings -
17 |
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Hiring Project Team members |
Hiring project employees is a difficult task. Look at why the customer should not come first. Number of ratings -
15 |
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Resourcing a Project Team |
When it comes to resourcing a project, you rarely have the luxury of selecting the ideal people. So how do you manage the situation? This white paper gives some guidelines for dealing with the reality of project resources. Number of ratings -
52 |
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Customer Relations with the Business |
The five top things that business have difficulty with when looking at a project. Gives advice as to how to have a better relationship with the Sponsor. Number of ratings -
17 |
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Effective People Management in Global IT Projects |
In this white paper we examine some of the human elements of projects and look at how different projects require a different approach to the people involved. Number of ratings -
10 |
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Power Developer Squads |
Power Developer Squads is a concept based around using developers in an innovative team environment. It provides a way of sharing workloads while developing team skills. Number of ratings -
27 |
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Cost Management |
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Costing Project Internal Resources |
Deciding what to do with the cost of internal resources is a dilemma for many organisation. This white paper on costing internal resources looks at how internal resources should be treated in project financials. Number of ratings -
10 |
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Setting up a Project Budget and managing project Expenditure |
Setting up a project budget can be a daunting task. Project Financial Software may assist but setting up a project chart of accounts is critical. Learn about project financial systems and see a sample set of project accounts. Number of ratings -
70 |
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Risk Management |
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Basic Risk Management
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A guide to creating a basic risk management plan. Simple guide for doing your plan. Number of ratings -
283 |
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Project Assumptions |
How do you manage assumptions in projects? Read about project assumptions, what they mean, and how to rate them. Find out the relationship between assumptions and risks. Number of ratings -
39 |
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Quality Management |
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Quality Culture |
Building a quality culture is not an easy task. This white paper talks about how to establish a quality culture in an organisation. and how to sustain a focus on quality -
29 |
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Project Quality Plan |
How many projects have a quality plan? Look at a simple pragmatic way to put together a quality plan for your project. Number of ratings -
187 |
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Quality - A Health Capsule (CMM)
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How use of the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) can improve software quality. Number of ratings -
226 |
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Function Points - An Overview |
A short article on the history, application and use of Function Points. Number of ratings -
46 |
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Measuring Project Health |
There is a simple way to answer the question "How is the project going?" This White Paper proposes an approach based on a series of traffic lights to display current project status. Number of ratings -
273 |
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Communication Mgmt. |
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Communication Planning & Change Management |
This is a PowerPoint presentation that can be downloaded. It was presented to the Australian Computer Society in August 05 covering how to set up a Communication Plan, and detailing an approach to change management. It is approximately 80 slides. |
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Communications Plan |
What are the essential things to consider when developing a communications plan, and how do you go about creating one for your project. Number of ratings -
309 |
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Procurement Mgmt |
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Project Differentiators |
Understand how to go about differentiating between organisations that may provide project services to you. Number of ratings -
4 |
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Project Review |
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The Value of Lessons Learned |
Sharing experiences from projects so that mistakes don't happen twice is common sense, but rarely undertaken. Find out the experiences of one project manager as to how he shares the lessons learned. Number of ratings -
42 |
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Governance, Planning & Tracking |
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Create a Microsoft Project Schedule or not? |
Should you develop a Microsoft Project schedule for every project – no matter how big or small – and how should you use it? This article attempts to explore project schedules and make some suggestions as to where and how they should be used. -
2 |
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Helping Business Mgrs Evaluate Potential Projects |
As a Business Manager, are you confused when faced with a new IT Project? This article sets out six questions you should ask before a project is started. Number of ratings -
30 |
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Helping Business Mgrs Evaluate Existing Projects |
This is the second of our articles to help a Senior Business Manager evaluate an existing project and gain a degree of comfort that there are no surprises. Number of ratings -
4 |
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IT & Project Governance |
Applying governance to an IT department, or within a project. Has a technique for creating governance models. Number of ratings -
255 |
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Project Governance |
With the advent of Sarbanes-Oxley, and the fairly recent corporate scandals, governance is considered risk management. Govern your organization before the authorities decide to govern it for you. Number of ratings -
25 |
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Project Status Reports |
A guide to what should and should not be in a project status report. Gives an example of a typical weekly project status report. Number of ratings -
54 |
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Microsoft Project Reporting |
Reporting from Microsoft Project using Microsoft Access. Write your own reports for Project. Download a free Access database that will show you how you can tailor reports to suit your project. Number of ratings -
72 |
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Project Initiation & Business Case |
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Why do I need a Project Manager |
Ever been asked by a business person why you need a project manager. This White Paper provides the answer. Number of ratings -
60 |
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Starting a project |
How do you go about starting a project? If a project is not initiated correctly, it is bound to struggle. Find out some of the things you need to do when setting up a project. Number of ratings -
121 |
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Project Documentation
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The typical information to include in a Business Case, Project Charter or Phase Plan. Number of ratings -
77 |
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Vision, Business Problem, Outcome, Objectives & all that stuff.... |
An outline of creating the project context before starting. It covers why we define the vision, outcome, objectives, stakeholders etc. and gives an example. Number of ratings -
58 |
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Alternative to a Business Case |
Do you always need a business case? Does a business case stifle creativity in IT? Read about another way to look at justification for an IT project. Number of ratings -
39 |
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Market Research in Projects |
Market research is used in the consumer world to identify the pros and cons of new products. Why is it not used more in IT for new projects? Number of ratings -
19 |
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Project Methodology and Process |
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Implementing a Methodology |
Some lessons from implementing a project management methodology. Covers templates versus process, project management methodology and applications development methodology. Number of ratings -
235 |
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The Project Advocate. A New Concept. |
Projects will only progress smoothly through an organisation if someone who knows the local processes and procedures is on hand to guide them. This is the concept of a Project Advocate. Number of ratings -
28 |
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Program Mgmt and Project Office |
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Setting up a Project Office
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Guidelines for setting up a Project Office. Includes a checklist to help you determine the mandate for a Project Office. Number of ratings -
140 |
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Project Portfolio Management (PPM) |
What is Project Portfolio Management? What are the underlying concepts, and what benefits does it deliver. Number of ratings -
161 |
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IT Portfolio Management Model |
IT Portfolio Management is one of the latest trends in Business Intelligence industry. The goal of this white paper is to present a conceptual IT Portfolio management model. Number of ratings -
13 |
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Benefits |
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Benefit Identification |
Identifying benefits for a project is usually more of a black art than developing the solution. In order to identify benefits, a somewhat different approach needs to be undertaken. This white paper will cover some aspects of benefit identification and realisation. Number of ratings -
22 |
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Software Selection & Purchase |
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Buying Software - Vendor Tricks
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Some of the tricks and techniques used by less then trustworthy software vendors. Some traps to be aware of when buying software. Number of ratings -
55 |
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Software Pricing |
An attempt to list all the different types of pricing that a vendor can come up with when you are buying ERP or any sort of software. Number of ratings -
35 |
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Requirements |
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"Method H" . A new technique for Business Analysis |
"Method H" is a new and simple technique for business analysis. Business Analysts can use it to improve communication with users and get requirements in a clear, comprehensive format. Number of ratings -
116 |
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Requirements Mgmt and Stakeholders |
Although requirements may be thoroughly documented, sometimes the solution is not considered a success. The product delivered at the end may not result in the solution the customer has in mind. Find out how to manage both requirements and stakeholders. Number of ratings -
18 |
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Requirements Traceability |
Keeping track of changing requirements is often forgotten. It is only when something goes wrong and the wrong specs are used that traceability becomes an issue. Learn how to manage requirements and why it is important to have traceability. Number of ratings -
50 |
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Business Process Modeling Overview |
Ever wondered what business process modeling was all about, and how it fitted with IT development? Read this article for an overview of the subject including some examples. Number of ratings -
20 |
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The role of a Facilitator in JAD |
JAD or any other Workshop approach will function far more smoothly if there is a facilitator. This paper outlines what the facilitator should contribute. Number of ratings -
68 |
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Development & Testing |
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Developing a Test Strategy |
This white paper deals with creating a user acceptance test strategy. In fact, it could be used for a test strategy for any type of testing. This is the first part of a two part white paper on testing. Number of ratings -
26 |
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Developing a Test Plan |
This is the second part of our testing series. The first covered the creation of a test strategy, and this continues on with the test plan -
19 |
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Build & Smoke Testing |
A case study of a development technique to build and test software on a weekly basis. Number of ratings -
73 |
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Agile Management and Development |
If you have heard about agile programming but never had the time to study it, this gives a good overview. Number of ratings -
39 |
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Totally RAD Dude |
How do you manage expectations in a Rapid Applications Development (RAD) project? Number of ratings -
49 |
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Lean Project Development |
By using Lean Production/Manufacturing principles not only quality concerns and other issues can be resolved, but also a continuous improvement cycle can be built in to the process. Number of ratings -
20 |
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Generic Project Management |
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Basic Microsoft Project |
Having a piece of software does not make a well managed project. Users of Microsoft Project often don't understand how to set up a basic project. How do you name Tasks? Where do you put Milestones? Learn how to create a "technically correct" project plan. -
46 |
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Why IT Projects Fail |
Why do IT Projects fail? This well researched article by Taimour Al Neimat explores some of the reasons, and what can be done to avoid failure -
26 |
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Effective Project Management |
What are the things that make up effective Project Management? In this white paper contributed by Sandeep Mehta. Sandeep is with Case Consulting Group in Mumbai and outlines some of his experiences in this article. Number of ratings -
92 |
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Running a Supply Chain project |
Running a supply chain project has it's own unique problems however most are just a variation on other Project Management problems. See what an expert has to say about running such a project. Number of ratings -
8 |
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ERP Implementation - Some Traps
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Some comments from people who have implemented an ERP system. Outlines the lessons they learned along the way. Number of ratings -
296 |
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Miscellaneous |
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Service Delivery Management |
For anyone looking for a concise explanation of what service delivery management is about, this is an excellent article. Sandeep Mehta explains the role of a Service Delivery Manager and leaves us with a diagram that sums it all up -
15 |
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Operational Change Control |
A comprehensive white paper on what is involved in operational change control. Number of ratings -
101 |
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Software Knowledge Management |
What is knowledge management and how does it apply to software development. Number of ratings -
61 |
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Data Warehouse Decision Making |
Keeping the focus on decision making when building a data
warehouse. List of questions to ask key users. Number of ratings -
17 |
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