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Project Management Methodology and Windows Vista Client Request: Will MPMM Project Management Methodology be able to support Windows Vista when it is released? Support Team Response: Good question. We have built the MPMM project management methodology tool to be supported by all recent live versions of the Microsoft Windows Operating System. As soon as Windows Vista (the next new Operating System to be released by Microsoft) is released live, we will immediately release a version which is supported on this platform. We have already prepared for the release of Windows Vista, so we’re now just awaiting its live release. We are told that Windows Vista was originally planned to be released late this year, but from what we can see, it’s more likely to be released early in 2007 at best. Client Request: Can you please list the Related Topics in Alphabetical order? Support Team Response: Yes this is possible. We’ve added your request to our items for further consideration. Many users like th

Project Managment Life Cycle and Macintosh Q: Howdy, I actually have purchased your project management life cycle before. They were fantastic and got our department up and running in no time flat. I was just wondering why the new MPPM is not supported on the Mac OSX platform? A: Hi. The main reason for not currently supporting OSX is that we plan to integrate with Microsoft Project in the future, and have been told that this is difficult on any platform other than Windows. Q: I was unable to complete installation of the trial edition within the trial period assigned. When does the clock start ticking for the start of the trial period? A: The clock starts ticking from the end of a successful installation, so if you haven't managed to install it successfully yet, the trial will not have started. If your Technical Support team have any concerns or queries regarding the installation of MPMM, then feel free to give them our email address for support support@mpmm.com as we may be able t

Why MPMM Project Management Methodologies was created? MPMM® stands for the “Method123 Project Management Methodology”. It was created by the founders of www.Method123.com to solve 3 common business problems: The failure of a high percentage of projects to deliver on time. The lack of use of a suitable Project Management Methodology. The lack of available project managment methodologies in the marketplace. MPMM are project management methodologies . This methodology acts like a road map, showing Project Managers how to complete every step in the Project Lifecycle. By following this road map, project managers can deliver projects in a much more efficient and structured fashion. They will follow a repeatable structure when managing projects, so they can complete project activities faster and more effectively than ever before. MPMM gives: Project Managers a set of repeatable processes for managing projects. Project Sponsors a single Project Management Life Cycle for their orga

Project Management Templates and Managing Costs You may have heard that most projects today, fail to deliver “within budget”. As a Project Manager (using project management templates ), this is your most difficult challenge - to produce your project deliverables within the original budget specified. To do it, you really need to take these: 3 Critical Steps to Managing Project Costs To manage costs effectively for your project (as part of financial management), you will want to implement a Cost Management Process. Cost Management is the process of monitoring and controlling costs (i.e. expenses) within a project. By recording and monitoring the day-to-day costs in your project management templates , you can: Calculate the total cost of undertaking project tasks Determine the total cost of staff in the project Monitor the total actual cost vs. forecast cost Easily identify current and potential cost overruns Cost Management is comprised of a set of processes, roles and documents

Project Management Process French Translations Question: Does your project management process product exist in French? We are a Project Management consultancy company, and we think it would be interesting to represent your product in France (if the translation is done). Answer: At this stage it is currently offered in English only. However the intention is to have it translated into a number of other languages in the future. We intend to do this within the next 12 months, so that the project management process is available in French, Spanish and Arabic. This project management software and project management tools will also be translated in a number of languages in the near future. The MPMM Support Team

Latest Release Feature - Project Management Methodology When you create your own customized project management methodology using MPMM, you will in essence be building a single project management methodology which should be followed to complete your project. During this process, it’s often useful to have project management templates to hand, to help you to complete that particular process quickly and efficiently. For instance when managing project risk, you should have a set of project risk management templates available which help you to identify, categorize, mitigate and track risks within your projects. While MPMM comes with a complete set of project management methodology templates, there are always unique templates that a Project Manager has up his or her sleeve that they want to use of their own. So to allow Project Managers and teams to use their own project management methodology templates in conjunction with the MPMM methodology, we’ve designed the Methodology Manager (avai

Tip on Improving your Project Management Life Cycle Contribution Are you a Project Management Life Cycle Team Member? Regardless of your team role, you can use MPMM to improve your contribution to your project. It gives you the templates that you need to create your project deliverables quickly and easily. It also gives you the knowledge needed to perform project tasks faster than before. Within the “Tutorial for Team Members” included in the MPMM Professional Edition, you will learn how to use the methodology to help deliver projects. You’ll also read about using the project management life cycle included, as well as the case studies which give you practical examples for project implementations. As a team member or project manager , you can use this project management life cycle to improve your project knowledge and expertise. The MPMM Support Team

Navigating Project Management Methodologies Client Request: I currently use the Professional edition and I have created a load of different project managment methodologies for my projects, using MPMM. It’s pretty neat. However in each methodology, I’d like to have a button that enables me to click to the “Home” page in my project management methodologies. Can you do this? Support Team Response: Yes this is possible. Currently, the “Home” page is the page in your methodology that loads first, when you open a project management template . It’s normally used as an introduction page, where companies add their logos and describe the project management methodologies that they have created. When you add a load of pages to a project methodology, we agree that it would be nice to be able to click a “Home” button and the Home page appears in the Display panel. That way, like a website, you can navigate the project methodology to your hearts content, and then click the “Home” button to return to

Project Management Process and Microsoft Project Q: Hello, 1- How does MPMM compare to MS Project? 2- Does it allow the user to save projects? And in what file format? 3- Does it generate reports, graphs, analysis and comparisons charts? A: To answer your questions… 1) MPMM Project Management Process describes how to undertake projects from end to end. The phases, activities and tasks described in MPMM can be used by users, to create a plan in MS Project. MPMM gives the user the knowledge required to create a successful MS Project Plan . Within MPMM, there are several example MS Project Plans which describe how to undertake a project, from Initiation and Planning though to Execution and Closure. There is also a Project Planning Template and Case Study which describes in depth, how to complete a project plan. The planning documentation included within MPMM is more comprehensive than that of any product we have ever seen in the industry. 2) MPMM Project Management Process and MS Proje

How to Upgrade your Project Management Methodology You can easily upgrade to new project management methodology versions? If you have purchased MPMM as a package option and are able to upgrade for free, then upgrading to the latest edition is easy. There are 2 ways that you can currently upgrade to a new version. The first way is simply to download the latest trial edition of MPMM, install it and activate it. The second way is to go into the “Customer Downloads” area and download the latest edition from there. In time, you will only be able to download from the Customer Downloads area, so downloading the latest edition from this location is the best option. Here is a checklist of items that you should do (if you have the Professional Edition) to upgrade successfully: Backup your project management methodology, by selecting the “Backup” button Check that you have your purchased serial numbers for MPMM to hand. If you don’t, then click on the Settings button and write down your seria

Project Communications and Project Management Tools One of the most challenging tasks that a Project Manager has to face, is making sure that all of the right people are kept informed during the project, with the right project management tools , the right information, at the right time. To do this, you need to put in place a clear communications process by taking these: 6 Steps to Project Communications The Communications Management Process is the method by which formal messages are identified, created, reviewed and communicated within a project. Clear, accurate and timely communication is critical to the success of any project, as miscommunication can result in increased project risk. If you communicate properly, the right stakeholders will receive the right information at the right time. This enables them to make well-informed decisions about your project. There are a variety of project management tools that you can communicate the project status to stakeholders, such as through:

Exporting Project Management Life Cycle in a Trial Edition Question: I have trialed the standard edition and tried to export a template to see how effective that is. The trial version has not allowed me to do so, is that the norm? Also can you advise how I manage the following scenario: I export a template and personalize it to the company standard, can I then save it as a template back into the standard edition package so that it is available again as a template but now customized? Answer: The trial versions only allow the exporting of 3 templates being the Business Case, Terms of Reference and Feasibility Study . The reason is that if people could just export the templates while on trial, a lot of people would not bother to actually purchase our product. With regards to your second question, in the MPMM Professional edition you can export templates, customize them to fit your current project environment and load them back in as you wish. Download the latest trial edition of the MPMM

Latest Release Feature in your Project Management Methodology If you’re a Project Manager , PMO Manager or Senior Manager, then you will no doubt be involved with managing multiple projects within your business. It’s fair to say that every project you undertake will have slightly different requirements from the methodology that guides it. For some projects, they will require more risk management , others will require greater monitoring and control, and others will have varied reporting needs. It’s impossible for a single project management methodology to meet the needs of every project that you undertake. To cope with this variety of requirements, MPMM allows you to duplicate the existing project management methodology and customize each duplicate, so that you can have multiple project methodologies at your fingertips. The most common reason for creating a multiple project management methodology is that managers are involved with small, medium and large scale projects which have diffe

Different Project Management Methodologies for Different Sizes Client Request: Since most Project Managers manage projects of varying sizes, it would be great if there were 3 project management methodologies in MPMM rather than just one. The three project management methodologies would be for “small”, “medium” and “large” sized projects. I notice in the “Project Sizing” page in MPMM that you’ve already thought about the phases and activities that would be included in a project, depending on its size – so it would be a logical extension if you were able to turn the current methodology into 3, one for each project. Support Team Response: Yes you are right. When users download the MPMM project management methodology, the methodology included is geared towards larger projects. The theory is that users read the “Project Sizing” page and it tells them which phases, activities and tasks they should perform for small, medium and large scale projects. We are currently considering whether in t

Standard vs Professional Project Management Life Cycle Editions Q: I am looking a purchasing a copy of your project management software for my small project management consultancy firm, but am not sure whether the Standard or Professional would suit me better. Can you please summarise the additional features included in the Professional package, and advise the pricing structure for upgrading later. A: In general, the standard edition of this project management life cycle will help you to complete small to medium sized projects and the professional edition will help you to complete larger projects. However, the main difference is that the professional edition includes all of the documentation and templates required to manage the tender, supplier and procurement process. So if you only manage small to medium sized projects and you aren't involved in the outsourcing of work for clients, or the "tendering" of work for clients, then the standard edition will be suitable. Ho

Did you know that with these Project Management Methodologies you can… How the MPMM project management methodologies “Find” tab works? The Find tab is displayed on the top left hand corner of the Educational, Standard and Professional editions of MPMM. The purpose of the find tab is to display pages which contain a search string that you enter. For instance, say you want to find all content within MPMM project management methodologies which includes the words “ Business Case ”. When you enter the words “Business Case” into MPMM, it displays below each of the pages that were found. This feature works like many websites do, where it searches documents within its database that contain the search string you enter. Then when you click on a page displayed in the search results, it displays the page content within the primary Display Panel in the center. By using the Find tab, you can search for and find the right content within MPMM project management software , when you need it. The MPMM S

Project Management Templates for Supplier Management As a Project Manager, you will often use suppliers to help you to deliver projects. But managing supplier performance can be challenging at the best of times! How can you ensure that your supplier delivers the right goods, at the right time and the right quality? You can do this and get the most out of your supplier performance, by taking these: 3 Steps to Managing Suppliers To manage suppliers effectively, you need to put in place a Procurement Management process . Procurement Management is the process of managing the supplier's delivery of a scope of work within a project. By controlling the scope of work provided by suppliers from the result in your project management templates and project management software, you can: Ensure that suppliers deliver in accordance with the contract Identify and resolve supplier issues quickly and easily Get maximum performance out of your supplier relationships The Procurement Management

Your Project Management Process Question: Our company lays the concrete slabs for commercial and residential projects. I am trying to ascertain how I can implement your project management process in our company, which has no structure for its projects at this time. Answer: Lets start by outlining the very basic differences between our different project management process offerings. MPMM Education Edition is aimed at teaching and introducing the Project Management Process to people, it does however not include any of the templates used in the Project Management Process developed by Method123. While it would be a good start in an environment that maybe a bit light on experience in a structured approach to Project Management, it is not likely to meet all your needs. MPMM Standard Edition is aimed at use by companies for in-house project management. It covers the core aspects and processes of PM but does not cover outsourcing, tendering etc. ie it does not cover the company acquiring w

Latest Release Feature in Project Management Methodology In most cases, organizations have some resemblance of a project management methodology in place, for managing projects. This methodology may take the form of a suite of project documents, processes, forms, templates and / or project office checklist s. When you consider implementing a new project management methodology for your business, there will be elements of the new methodology that you wish to use and elements of your existing processes that you wish to keep. By using the Professional edition of MPMM, you can upload your existing methodology and merge it with the project management methodology provided with MPMM. That way, you get the best of both worlds. To complete this step, read the Help page: “How to upload your existing methodology”. On this page, it tells you how to create a brand new project methodology, upload elements of your existing methodology and merge them with the online project management methodology in

Tip… Are you a Senior Manager? Using the MPMM project management life cycle templates you can apply a single generic project management life cycle to your particular project environment. To ensure that your Project Manager adopt a common approach to the management of projects, you may wish to implement the MPMM project management life cycle as it is. But if your project environment has slightly unique terminology, processes or activities, then why not use MPMM professional to customize your processes so that you can use a customized version of MPMM to deliver projects. By using MPMM project management life cycle as the generic project management tool for housing your methodologies, you can implement repeatable processes for successfully delivering projects. The MPMM Support Team

Duplicating Project Management Methodologies Client Request: When I first downloaded and installed MPMM, it took a few minutes before I realized that I had to duplicate the MPMM Project Management Methodologies in order to edit it. It would have been easier if there was an MPMM duplicate all ready to use. Also, duplicating the MPMM Project Management Methodologies itself takes a full 5-10 minutes. Is there any way that you can speed it up? Support Team Response: Good ideas. We will investigate including a duplicate of MPMM (probably called “My MPMM”) within the Trial Edition of MPMM Professional. This will enable users to immediately edit the MPMM methodology, rather than having to duplicate the MPMM Project Management Methodology first. We do explain in the Help section that users need to edit a duplicate of MPMM rather than MPMM itself, due to the fact that the core MPMM online project management methodology itself is protected, but we’re aware that users don’t typically read the

Purchasing the Right Project Management Process Q: I was wondering if I could purchase the project management process templates separately from the MPMM package? A: If you just want to purchase the MPMM project management process templates and you don’t want to get the methodology , case studies or customization features, then you can buy them at www.Method123.com Q: Is your online project management process supported on the Microsoft Windows ME Home Edition? A: Yes MPMM will run properly with the home edition of Microsoft Windows ME. Q: I am currently a student at college campus and I have to do an assignment in which I calculate the Net Present Value (NPV) of three different projects. Can I do this within MPMM? A: MPMM does help you to calculate the return on investment for projects (by clarifying the benefits and costs in the Business Case), but it doesn't go to the level of calculating the NPV of a project (as it is a statistical measure). To help you out, we’ll send you

Project Management Methodology Index How the MPMM project management methodology Index Works? The Index lists each of the most popular terms that are used in the project management industry, and are relevant to the “Method123 Project Management Methodology ” (otherwise known as MPMM). This list of terms is provided within the core product and may be altered within the Professional Edition “Methodology Manager” software. When you select a term that is listed in the Methodology Manager, in the results panel directly below, it lists each of the documents which are related to the term you have selected. These documents either contain the term that you have selected, or are generally related to that document. The items that are displayed at the top of the results panel have the highest level of relevancy to the index term you have selected. When you then choose an item that is displayed in the results panel, the relevant MPMM project management methodology content page is displayed in th

Project Management Life Cycle Templates Q: Does the Educational version include the project management life cycle templates? Can we view, print and export them? Does it replace Microsoft Project? A: Firstly, with regards to your question. The Education Edition is designed for Students and Instructors of the Project Management discipline. It does not include the templates in any way, shape or form. Both the Standard and Professional versions do. The Professional edition includes more project management life cycle templates than the Standard Edition. The templates contained in the two editions are meant to be an aid to you developing the online project management documents that suit your project's unique requirements. You can view the project management life cycle in MPMM and you can both print the templates from within MPMM and export the templates to either Microsoft Word or Excel (depending on the project management template ). Once in this format you can modify them at will t

Latest Release Feature - Adding Images to your Project Management Methodologies In the latest version of MPMM, you can now insert images into all project management methodologies page that you choose. Most Project Managers upload their existing images which describe the project management life cycle for their particular organization. As long as it’s a jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp or png file, you can load the image into any project management methodology page within MPMM. By using the Professional edition, you can open the Methodology Project Manager and use the “Insert Image” button in the page editor, to insert an image into a specified location on your page. As well as adding general images from your PC or file server, you can also add images that are already included within MPMM itself. So if your image has already been loaded into MPMM but it resides in another project management methodologies, then you can select the methodology that the image resides in and insert it into your page.

Tip… Project Management Process Are you a Project Manager? The latest version of MPMM professional offers you a variety of ways that you can create and customize project management methodologies, to improve your project success rates. Firstly, you apply the MPMM project management methodology , as it is, for your project. But as a project manager if you have specific project requirements, then you may wish to customize MPMM (by creating and customizing an MPMM duplicate) to perfectly fit your project environment. You can then use the MPMM project management templates included, to build project deliverables quickly and easily. If you already have a suite of templates that you use to manage projects, then why not upload these templates into MPMM? In that way, you can create and manage a single set of online project management templates for projects. You can also link these templates to your relevant project management methodology , to create a super set of tools and templates for your