Project Perfect - Project Management

Project Administrator Upgrade

For all those Project Administrator users, we are working on a new release which will have some significant changes. Amongst the changes to Project Administrator will be:

- New screen design to fit 1024 x 768 screen resolution
- Ability to attach documents to various issues, risks, actions, expenditure items etc.
- Your logo can now be placed on all reports
- You will now be able to create custom reports and run them from Project Administrator.

We hope to have a beta release available during June for existing users to test so let us know if you want to be part of the testing.

White Paper on Making Decisions in Projects

Any Project Manager, who has completed even a few projects, will understand the difficulty in getting people to make decisions. Making decisions in a project is potentially one of the most difficult challenges you face.

http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_making_decisions_in_projects.php

Questions when Initiating a Project

In a recent email regarding one of our white papers http://www.projectperfect.com.au/wp_index.php a reader, Leo Draca, made the following comment. It was worth reproducing as a reminder to Project Managers about how to initiate a project. Leo has kindly allowed us to reproduce his comments.

"Recently, I asked myself how to ask the right questions so that as a team we do not wander around. I did some search on the internet on "asking the right questions" and I found some excellent sources. Since our mental questions influence our behaviour, the simple act of thinking about the right questions brought up the following questions in my mind:

- How do you see your role in this exercise/task/project? (Do we have the right person on the team?)
- How could you contribute to the success of this exercise? (Can we get any commitment?)
- Where would be your main strengths? (Do we have a volunteer?)
- How important is this task on your list of tasks (A side question: How many tasks can we multi-task?)?
- Who would be the best person that you could delegate your role to? (We could delegate it in other situations, too. Risk management.)
- How large do you think your role would be? (One could not delegate forever, the other person/people would simply be busy.) "

Leo Draca
Process Engineer
The Lincoln Electric Co (Australia) Pty Ltd, Sydney

White Paper on Motivating a Project Team

We all know that a motivated team will achieve more than an unmotivated team. The difficulty is creating a motivated team. This white paper talks about some of the factors behind the art of motivation.

Notice I say “art”, not “science”. Motivation is a blend of technique, understanding and creativity. If it were a science, there would be a formula we could all use but like most endeavours requiring human interaction, it is more art than science.

In this white paper we explain the basics of motivation and how to identify what will motivate an individual within the team. The topic is as relevant to Line Managers as it is to Project Managers.

Read more at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_motivate_project_team.php

Simple Explanation of Project Management

I was asked recently by a personal friend to help them with some Project Management. They had been thrust into a project management role in a medical organisation but had no idea what it actually meant, and what they should be doing. Their prior experience had been in nursing so it was quite a leap to become a project manager.

I spent a few hours with the person and tried to do a sketch of what was involved, and it occurred to me that many people get into this situation. No experience of project management and suddenly they are in a PM role. Putting aside the rights and wrongs of such a move, the person still needs to survive.

That prompted me to put together a brief explanation covering the scope of project management. It is a bit simplistic, but will provide a new Project Manager with a map of what they need to at least be aware of. It might also be useful for a Project Manager to take to a key stakeholder to explain what this “project management thing” is all about.

Read the white paper at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_simple_project_management_explanation.php

New White Paper on Scope Tips

One of the most popular white papers we prepared is on how to set the scope of a project (http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_define_the_scope.php ). Since then, I have been asked on a number of occasions to provide some more tips and techniques for estimating scope. This white paper on scope definition will pull together a number of tips and traps around the topic of defining the scope. Read the white paper at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_scope_tips.php

Understanding the difference between Building and IT Projects

It is often hard to understand why IT projects can be so difficult. People in the Engineering/Construction project management area are shocked at how over time, and over budget IT projects can become. Perhaps it is time to compare a construction project and an IT project to understand why they are different. Read more about Project Infrastructure in our white paper at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_comparing_it_and_building_projects.php

White Paper - Effective Beta Program

An effective Beta program can provide you with valuable information, such as whether your product is truly ready to ship, what features should be in the next release and how satisfied customers will or won't be with the product. If done right, it can also set you up for critical launch and marketing deliverables that will add credibility to your story as you bring the product to market. Read our new white paper on the topic at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_beta_program.php

Rescuing a Project in Crisis White Paper Part 3

Part 3 of our white papers on rescuing a project in crisis covers the activities you undertake and the approach you use to sort out a project that is off the rails. This concludes the guide to assist a project manager who is given the task of sorting out a project that people believe is out of control.
Read more at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_project_in_crisis_3.php If you want to read the three papers, start at http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_project_in_crisis_1.php

Multitasking in Projects

There was an interesting article in Time magazine regarding multitasking. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1174696,00.html We all seem to be doing more of it and the question arises "Can we do it effectively?" The answer is basically no. The time spent switching between tasks does not fit with how our brains are wired. The time taken may be the same as doing tasks sequentially, but the quality drops.

Some research done by University of Oregon in 2005 also found the same thing. According to Choice magazine, the key findings were:
- People who are multitasking are more likely to forget key facts an may not accomplish anything as well, or as fast as if they tackled one task at a time.
- The inability or unwillingness to screen out distractions could imped memory.
- The time eaten up by deciding to switch tasks, stopping work on one and getting up to speed on the next can make people take two to four times longer.
- Doing two things at once cuts the brainpower available for either task in half - and it can increase the level of stress hormones, which can eventually harm the memory and organisation centres of the brain.

So, when you are running a project, try to make work sequential to improve efficiency and get the most out of your people with the least stress.