Method123

Q: Does your product have any integration capabilities with other products or is it a stand alone product? For example, any hooks into PMBOK or PRINCE2? A: At the moment, MPMM is aligned with the two worldwide standards for project management; Prince2 and PMBOK. This means that the work breakdown structure included in MPMM and the project management life cycle is generally aligned with the work breakdown structure provided within the PMBOK and Prince2 standards. MPMM is a proprietary project management software application and it is integrated closely with Microsoft Word and Excel. The MPMM Support Team

Q: will you be frequently updating MPMM with new software functions, or is what I see in the free trial all that I’m likely to get over the next 12 months? A: The current special offer allows you to receive free upgrades for the next 12 months, so it is fair to ask what that is likely to include. We have a full time software development team that are working on releasing new features to MPMM throughout the year. Each three months we will release a new major version which includes a suite of new features such as document management, workflow, business process modelling, project management template creation and even more customization features. Within the next 12 months we will double the number of features available in this project management software product. To retain our position as the most popular project management methodology worldwide, we need to continuously build and develop our methodology to be better than the rest. As far as we know, we are the only company with a f

Q: Is your free offer on maintenance extended to multiple licenses or for single licenses only? A: At the moment we have a free offer when you purchase any MPMM project management license, whether it be for the project management professional, standard or educational editions. This free offer allows you to get what we call extended maintenance for a period of 12 months for free. This means we will provide you with a userid and a password to be able to download the latest project management software editions for MPMM for the next 12 months for free. Most project management software companies usually charge at least 20% of the license price, for upgrades for a 12 month period. We have decided that for the short term we will give this away for free. This means that you will be able to download the latest project management software updates from www.mpmm.com any time over the next 12 months for free, included in your MPMM purchase. This offer does extend to multi-user licenses of

Q: What are the current limitations of the MPMM project management software ? A: At the moment MPMM allows you to implement a solid project management methodology for projects. It also allows you to put in place a common project management process and to use a single set of project management templates to create deliverables quickly and easily. In the future you will be able to more easily upload your project management templates into the software, customize those templates, auto-populate them with generic project information and then save those templates for specific projects. You will also be able to fill in the templates that you have created and generate project stores for each project, which contain all of the documentation that you have created for each project. You could say that since MPMM does not do all of these things quite yet – that they are limitations. We prefer to say that we have a lot in store for you for 2007! The MPMM Support Team

Project Management Tools for Portfolios Do you know the difference between projects, programs and portfolios? Or what Project Portfolio Management is all about? In this article , we’ll discuss the differences between each so that you have a clear understanding of the value that they bring to your organization... Project Management Tools, Projects, Programs & Portfolios Defining Projects... To understand the true difference between projects, programs and portfolios, we must first clarify what a project is. A project is a unique endeavor to produce a set of deliverables within clearly specified constraints of time, cost, and quality. Projects are different from business operations due to their: Uniqueness . Every project is different from the last, whereas operational activities typically involve repetitive (if not identical) processes. Timescale . A project has clearly specified start and end dates within which deliverables are produced to meet the customer's requirements.

Q: Can I modify the project management methodology to 'brand' it for my own internal IT shop? A: Yes you can brand this methodology as your own by creating your own Home (or Entry page) and then adding your logo and customized content to that page. You can of course add all of your own branding and terminology to the product, so that it looks and feels like your own. Over the next 6 months we will release a new version which allows you to customize this project management life cycle software even further. This new version will allow you to add your logo to a single place (as well as your generic project management information) and for the MPMM project software to automatically propagate that information throughout every page in the software. You will also be able to add your own page headers and add a customized screen which displays your company details upon startup. If you purchase MPMM now, you will get free upgrades for the next 12 months so that you can download the

Q: Can you please tell me what the technical details are for the MPMM software. Which technologies were used to build it and what is the strategy for new emerging technologies coming out in the marketplace? A: MPMM consists of two key components; the content and the software that it is wrapped in.  The content was created by the founders of Method123, after taking the learnings of thousands of projects and the feedback from tens of thousands of customers.  It was also created to be in alignment with the two worldwide standards for project management tools : Prince2 and PMBOK.  The project management software was then created to provide a means for securely delivering the content to clients.  The software was written in .NET and it has a database backend which was created in MySQL.  It uses the .NET framework to enable customers to be able to navigate content quickly and easily.  Over the next 21 months, we will revisit the architecture to make sure that we are making the most of the ne

Q: I work for a university and we are considering purchasing licenses for the MPMM educational edition. However the PC that will be used to trial the product will be different from the PC that ends up with the live product after purchase. Does that matter? A: It doesn’t matter which PC you use to trial the product or run the purchased product. For example, it is not unusual in government organisations for the IT department to trial the software first to determine whether it is compatible for their internal project management life cycle environment. The procurement department may also trial it to determine that it meets their internal procurement standards. The project management software may end up on the desk of the business manager, project manager or team member. The MPMM Support Team

Q: I am a reseller and I want to create and sell my own project management methodologies to my customers. I know that I get a reseller commission of 30% for any customer sales that I make, but what percentage of revenue do I receive for reselling my own intellectual property? A: If you create a brand new methodology in MPMM and you resell it to your clients, then you will gain 100% of the revenue from such sales. Of course you will also receive a commission from the sale of the MPMM license sales as well, making it a profitable scenario for you. Remember that any clients that you wish to sell your project management methodology to need to be running MPMM professional already. Check out our lastest Project Management Software release and our well established Project Management Kit. The MPMM Support Team

Q: We are looking to locate a project management and methodology software that we can custom design project management templates for. The software should function in single or multi-user mode but be able to replicate data via the internet back to a central consolidating server. The aim is to deploy this globally to all consultants and all customers to assist in multiple projects. The system MUST be easy to use for non-   project managers with clear description fields and methodology sections. As the system is to provide replication via the web but with offline functionality, it should not be a huge file. It must also be cheap enough to distribute to thousands of users. Can you please advise if MPMM is capable of the above? A: Although MPMM is currently distributed to each user’s PC directly in stand-alone format, we are looking into ways of releasing it to large numbers of users in a bulk fashion. We have already started the development of a shared user version. This version

Managing your Teams Performance with these Project Management Templates Using Project Management Templates , you will always be looking for new ways to get the most out of your teams performance. But it’s not an easy task. You often need to apply “every trick in the book” to get each member of your team performing their best. So to help you do this, we’ve described in this project management article: How to boost your Teams Performance There are a variety of ways that you can boost your teams performance, to help you deliver projects on time and within budget. We’ve listed here our Top 10 Tips, we hope they help... Tip 1: Show them the goal posts All too often, the objectives of the project get lost in the whirlwind of work that seem to take place. As soon as you have hired your core project team, take a moment to pause and reflect on the objectives that have been set. Get your team together and explain upfront, the objectives for the project, the timescales and major deliverables ah

Q: I am interested in your project management software product, but would prefer to have an original CD rather than downloading it from your website. This is in case I rebuild my computer. Is it possible to ship me one if I decide to buy it? A: At the moment, you can only obtain MPMM by downloading it from our website. The reason for this is that you can get access to the software immediately, as opposed to having to wait for it to come through the post. This is especially the case with non-American customers, as it can take up to 3 weeks for a CD version to be shipped overseas. In saying that, we are currently looking at ways to ship you a CD version immediately upon your payment. We are also considering offering free trial editions to be shipped on CD, similar to Adobe. Within the next 6 months, you should be able to receive your free product by CD if you wish. You could also try our Project Management Templates . The MPMM Support Team

Q: I would like to teach a course in MPMM and then provide the software to my clients. I think that MPMM is a much better solution than MS Project and very cost effective (when compared to Primavera). Perhaps I can convert clients who are focused on MS Project and Primavera over to MPMM. Please let me know what materials are available for trainers who would like to teach a course. A: Thank you for your kind comments about MPMM. We are currently creating a new Partner Program which allows Consultants and Trainers to run official MPMM Training Courses in our products. This means that they will receive the official training packs, training materials, notes and handouts to be able to run training courses in MPMM. The Partner Program is due to be released within the next 6 months. This Project Management Software and Feasibility Study can guide you while teaching project management. The MPMM Support Team

Are you a project manager and you want to get "qualified" to boost your chances of finding the next top project management job? If so, then we will soon have a new project management qualification that will suit you. We are currently partnering with PMI and Prince2 to look at creating a new project management life cycle qualification which compliments the current qualifications: PMI and Prince2 Practitioner. The qualification will enable you to become certified in the MPMM project management methodology and to show that you have a degree of proficiency which provides a potential employer with the confidence that you “know what you are doing” when it comes to implementing projects. The new MPMM project management qualification will be released at the end of 2007 and will be available for certification online. A variety of project management training courses will be made available in the MPMM methodology immediately upon release. The MPMM Support Team

If you work in a project management office (PMO) or you want to start one up, then MPOM will help you to do it. MPOM stands for the “Method123 Project management Office Methodology” and it describes how to set up and run a project management office within an organization. It takes you through the entire process for setting up a project office, from establishing the PMO structure and gaining support, to hiring staff and providing PMO services for the business. Setting up and running an efficient PMO is not a task to be taken lightly. You need to have a high level of sponsorship in the business to make it work, and a solid set of project management processes to make it happen. MPOM includes all of the processes, methods and project management templates needed to provide a suite of project manager services to your wider project management organization. MPOM will be THE most comprehensive project management office methodology in the market place. It is currently in development and

Q: What are the benefits in using a project management methodology and process for managing projects?  My projects currently have limited success, some of them are delivered on time but they are frequently over budget. How will MPMM help me? A: All truly successful project managers know that it is better to “work smart and not hard”. While delivering a project is always hard work, working smarter means less stress and pressure which is more likely to result in a successful project. To help you work smart, the key is to complete the right tasks, at the right time and in the right way. That is how MPMM helps you. It tells you what to do, when and how. Yes it does have an incredibly comprehensive list of project management templates as well, but the most significant value from it is in the project management life cycle section which describes how to compete projects in a repeatable, successful fashion. This saves you real time and effort and helps you to focus on the critical tas

Advertising a Project Management Job with Project Management Forms It’s a well known fact that great projects are run by great teams. But finding the right staff to help you build a great team is one of the greatest challenges you’ll face in Project Management . To help you with this, we’ve described in this newsletter: How to Hire the Right Staff using the Right Project Management Forms To hire the right staff for the right roles, take these 5 steps: 1. Define the Role Sounds easy, but defining the role is the most important step to take when recruiting new project staff. You need to create project management forms for the Job Description document that describes in depth the: Purpose of the role Responsibilities for every phase in the project Reporting and communication lines with other staff Skills, experience and qualifications required Team fit and performance criteria Salary, rate, commission and benefits Work environment and special conditions. 2. Find Top Candidate

Q: I know that you have previously created the project management template product advertised at Method123. But what are the benefits in upgrading to MPMM? What are the differences between the products and what real value does MPMM add to helping me to manage my projects? A: The project management templates included on Method123.com allow you to complete any phase in the online project management life cycle faster than before, by giving you a pre-completed template for each step in that phase. While this is great, it does not tell you when and how to use each template. That is where MPMM steps in. It provides you with an entire project management process for managing projects. It describes in this process every phase, activity and task that needs to be completed in order to deliver a project from start to finish. The value in using a methodology is that you will be conducting your project in a logical, repeatable fashion making your project management effort more efficient alo

Q: I understand that when I buy MPMM, I am issued with a serial number. What is the serial number, how is it issued and what should I do with it? A: When you download MPMM as a free project management software trial edition, you don’t realize it but you are actually downloading the full product. In order to continue using it after the trial period has expired and to unlock the content included in the project management tools , you need to purchase a serial number. Simply visit www.mpmm.com and select the edition you wish to purchase. Then click the “Buy” button and enter your payment details. After making your payment, you will be provided with a project management software serial number on the screen, as well as by email. Open the MPMM trial edition and click the "Settings" button. Here you can enter your serial number to license and activate your product. If you have purchased a multi-user license, then you will be able to use the same serial number for the numbe

Q: MPMM is obviously a project management methodology that allows users to follow a common project management process. It looks like you are going to add a heap of document management and project management template generation features to it which is great. But what about project status monitoring and reporting? Will you add these features as well? A: Good question. The long-term goal is to extend the project management methodology concept by allowing companies to upload and manage their project management processes and documentation using MPMM. But at this stage, we don’t want to get into project monitoring and reporting. The reason is that there are many project management software packages in the market that do this already. Why reinvent the wheel? The MPMM Support Team

Q: I currently use the MPMM project management methodology – Professional edition. I am considering upgrading to the latest edition. Can you please tell me whether I can update through the click of a single button? A: What you have asked for is a very reasonable request, however it is not as easy to implement. Software such as Microsoft Project, Adobe Professional and Word all require that you uninstall the old version before you install the new version. However in saying that, we are trialling a new technology at the moment that will allow us to do “in place upgrades”. This means that you will be able to open the MPMM project management software, click the “Settings” button and then select “Upgrade” to be able to upgrade MPMM to the latest edition, without having to do any other steps. The software would then backup your existing project management methodology data, download the latest version and install it (after uninstalling your existing project management software automat

Q: I am a junior project management consultant and I am considering going out on my own. I would like to gain a handful of good clients who need project management services, and use MPMM to deliver their projects successfully. Can you please advise me on how to do this? A: you are on the right track. To consult on your own, you need three things: 1) a small set of clients who value your services; 2) a tool set that helps you deliver their projects on time and under budget; 3) the confidence needed to manage existing relationship and to gain new clients to boost your revenues. MPMM helps you with all three of these requirements. Firstly it helps you to gain a set of clients by giving you the processes you need to show new clients that you will deliver their projects in a professional manner. Secondly it gives you a online project management tool set which includes all of the methods, processes, tools and project management templates to deliver projects successfully. And finally

Managing your Project Management Office using Project Management Templates Have you ever worked in an organization that has too many projects, which are all managed differently and all have mixed levels of success? This is exactly the kind of problem that a Project Management Office, or “PMO” is set up to address. A PMO is created to make sure that your organization has a neatly defined set of projects that are aligned with your corporate strategy and are delivered on time and under budget. Defining the Role of a PMO To help you learn more about what a PMO does, we’ve answered 5 popular PMO questions. By reading these answers, you’ll learn more about what makes a PMO tick and why it’s good to have one around. 1. What exactly is a PMO? A PMO is a department responsible for improving project management within an organization. It’s important to note that a PMO is a permanent department within an organization, it’s not a temporary function or an outsourced activity. It’s there to constantl

Q: I want to be able to have my entire team using the templates included within MPMM. Can I just purchase one user license and extract the templates so that all of my team can use them for free? A: If you would like your entire team to use the templates included within MPMM there are a variety of options for you to consider. First of all, each person who uses the intellectual property included within MPMM will need a license to be able to use the product. The cheapest option if you are only interested in the templates, is to buy the Project Management Kit from Method123.com as these are essentially the same templates as those included within the MPMM project management software tool set. The second option is to purchase a multi-user license to use MPMM Standard, as it includes the templates and the price is cheaper than the Professional edition. You could also buy a multi-user license for MPMM Professional for your team to use. Later this year, we will have a shared project m

Q: After downloading the MPMM trial edition, we reviewed it and determined that it includes a suite of online project management information and knowledge as well as all of the project management processes that you would need to run a project. However we want to be able to create and populate templates based on the project management methodology included within MPMM. Is this possible? A: Yes, what you have asked for is exactly what we plan to do in the next major version of MPMM. We intend to make it so that you can create a new project, then choose your project type, then automatically generate the list of project management templates that you need to complete your project. After that, you will be able to complete the templates (i.e. fill them in) for your project and store them in the MPMM document management system. This will be the first project management methodology that allows you to create, store and manage your project management in a central repository. The MPMM Suppor

Q: I want to use your methodology to teach project management through e-learning in my country. The market segment is very small and in our country (Chile) e-learning has only really just begun. Would this be possible? A: The MPMM project management methodology is the perfect tool for project management teaching and learning, as it includes all of the project management processes required to complete a project from end to end. If you wish to use MPMM to teach project management processes to students, then simply buy a single user license and use it during your courses. However if you want to upload the content to the internet to market and sell the intellectual property, then this is a different thing entirely. You are not able to upload the intellectual property onto the internet or use it to compete with us in any way. But using it for your training course project management solution is fine. Also see project manager and project management kit. The MPMM Support Team

Q: As a consultant, I am constantly exposed to a number of project management life cycle ERP solutions, such as SAP and Oracle Financials. Would it be possible to integrate MPMM with the common ERPs so that customers can share methodology, financial and customer related information for their projects? A: Yes we are looking at integrating MPMM with the three project management software ERPs: Oracle Projects, Microsoft Project and SAP. We are also considering integrating with Primavera. As with any software integration project, the level of integration that we achieve will really depend on the type of ERP installation that the user has and how they wish to use our tool set. The MPMM Support Team