Why are dry runs are so important?
The visual of Obama’s Beast getting stuck on a speed hump recently was a hilarious sight. Here you have world’s most-secure car caught completely off-guard by a tiny speed hump! The visuals told a sad tale when the car literally came to an abrupt halt – the belly hinging on the speed hump and front and the rear wheels on either side of the hump. Is that how Murphy trumps your best-run projects?...
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 as we get close to the project. However, it seems inconceivable that someone will cherry-pick the easy tasks first and leave all high-risk ones for the end! Clearly, that is setting up the project for a grand finale of...
The 5 Goals of a Project Manager
This blog post is contributed by Jason Westland, CEO of www.projectmanager.com and author of the best seller book “The Project Management Life Cycle“. Jason has over 15 years of experience in Project Management industry, and I am sure you will find his ideas useful. As a special promotion offer from www.ProjectManager.com, 3 free licenses to “Project Management Methodology” (from www.MPMM.com) valued at US $850 are being offered for the best 3 feedback comments on Jason’s article. So, enjoy reading Jason’s article and don’t forget to leave your feedback…  As a Project Manager, you need to manage people, money, suppliers, equipment—the list is never ending. The trick is to be focused. Set yourself 5 personal goals to achieve. If you can meet these simple goals for each project, then you will achieve total success. So read on, to learn… Like this:Like...
32 Reasons Why People Don’t Plan Projects
The concept of planning has a very intuitive appeal, irrespective of the type and size of endeavor. Who wouldn’t want to undertake an activity without a little bit of upfront planning? Will you take your car and just head out for the next family weekend in the neighboring town – without first checking if your car is roadworthy for the long drive, has enough gas, or needs a visit to the garage before the long drive? Will you buy a house without first checking your cash flows and other commitments for the next couple of years? Will you get your kids admitted to the nearest school you come across, or you will do little bit of investigation and plan is based on your specific needs and child’s comfort? Still then, it comes as a great surprise when many among us disregard...
From ‘Project Immortality’ to ‘Project Moksha’
Projects are not living organisms, but they inevitably assume a life of their own. They are born from an idea, they have a lifecycle, they consume resources, they grow, they facilitate development of a social structure around it, they have a hearbeat and a rhythm…and they eventually die. While a natural death looks like the logical end for a project - for it marks successful accomplishment of the initially set objectives - many projects die an unnatural death, only to be reborn as yet another maintenance project, or a feature enhancement on a previously unfinished work! I have seen enough projects where planning for a next service pack would start even before code freeze of the mainline release! How can we ensure that “immortal” projects achieve “moksha” from this non-stop nonsensical cycle of life, pseudo-death and rebirth? Most projects die...
Why are more projects failing ?
Standish Group just came out with 2009 edition of their famous CHAOS Report: (text highlighting and underlining is mine) “Boston, Massachusetts, April 23, 2009 - New Standish Group report shows more project failing and less successful projects. The Standish Group’s just-released report, “CHAOS Summary 2009,” “This year’s results show a marked decrease in project success rates, with 32% of all projects succeeding which are delivered on time, on budget, with required features and functions” says Jim Johnson, chairman of The Standish Group, “44% were challenged which are late, over budget, and/or with less than the required features and functions and 24% failed which are cancelled prior to completion or delivered and never used.” Like this:Like Loading......