Monthly Archives: July 2010

How do you schedule tasks in a project?
30 July 10
6

How do you schedule tasks in a project?

How do you decide what tasks to schedule first: the complex ones or the easy ones? the short ones or the long ones? the risky ones or the sure-shot ones? Most often, this task sequence is determined by hard logic, soft logic, or some other external constraints. However, how do you decide when there are no such contraints? If we look at the risk driving the project lifecycle and scheduling, then it is natural to expect high-risk tasks being tackled at the start just so that we are systematically driving down risks in the project and achieve higher certainty levels …more

Your estimates or mine ?
23 July 10
6

Your estimates or mine ?

For decades now, the project management world is divided between top-down estimation and bottom-up estimation. While a top-down approach might have limitations, it perhaps is the only way to get some meaningful estimates at the start of a project. A bottom-up approach might be a great way to get more …more

How does manager’s proximity to team affects team dynamics and decision-making?
10 July 10
14

How does manager’s proximity to team affects team dynamics and decision-making?

Congratulations! You’ve got the long-cherished promotion that will make you manager - of your own buddies! You don’t quite know what it means for your relations with the team - are you better-off as their manager or as their buddy? One key challenge with first-line managers, especially those fairly new …more

Do you care about positive risks?
4 July 10
5

Do you care about positive risks?

Risk is generally assumed to have negative impact. However, a ‘risk’ can also have a positive impact. PMBOK 4/e talks of positive risks and calls them ‘opportunities’. Given that most project managers only have a passing knowledge of managing risks proactively (our industry still seems to reward crisis management notwithstanding …more

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