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Showing posts from October, 2008

The Project Management Methodologies Manager

What is the Methodology Manager in MPMM Professional? The Methodology Manager is a software feature which allows you to create, store and share Project Management Methodologies with your peers. Created by Method123 Ltd, the founders of MPMM.com, the Methodology Manager is the first software tool set on the market which allows you to manage multiple project management methodologies at the same time. You can choose to use the project methodology included in MPMM out of the box, and customize it to make it your own. Or you can choose to import your own documentation to create Project Management Methodologies to fit your specific projects. And in the latest multi-user version of MPMM, you can share methodologies with your colleagues.

Latest Software for Project Managers

Method123.com, specialists in project management, today announced the release of a suite of new feasibility study tools for project management. The tools allow project managers to complete a feasibility study early in the project life cycle. The project management templates released help a project manager to determine whether the solution that their project must deliver, is feasible. A number of factors are taken into account when determining the level of feasibility of a proposed solution, including whether or not the project team have sufficient staff, equipment, time and money to deliver on time and within budget. “When investigating the feasibility process, we found that most of our customers took the same steps for each project they run” says Craig Nicholson, Technical Director for Method123 Project Management Methodology. “They first listed all of the alternative solutions that the project might deliver, to meet the goals set. They then performed a detailed analysis exercise to

Using a Post Implementation Review

What is a post implementation review and should I have one for my project? Yes, a post implementation review should always be used for a project that has already completed. After the project has been closed down and the resources have been released a post implementation review is typically undertaken a number of months later to determine weather or not the benefits of the project as specified in the project business case have actually been meet by the customer. Further more a post implementation review will determine weather or not your project was successful and this is based on weather it has meet the objectives which were specified in the project charter. Every project regardless of its size, or type should have a post implementation review completed for it within 2 to 3 months of the project completion.

Completing a Project Closure report.

Do I need to always complete a closure report for each of my projects? Yes, you certainly need to complete the report included in MPMM every time you complete the execution phase of a project. The reason is simply that the report provides management and stake holders as well as the customer with a documented outcome of the status of the project. It helps you to determine weather or not the project completion criteria have been meet and weather there are any out standing items. It also helps you to complete appropriate actions to ensure that your project is closed down quickly and efficiently.

New Communication Plan Template

The popular project management website Method123.com, today released a new set of project management templates for communication planning . While focused primarily on communication planning for medium to large scale organizations, the project management templates have broad use for communications planning in any industry. “Few managers or executives formally document a plan of their communication events” says Jason Westland, founder of Method123 Ltd. “They don’t’ have the time needed to create a proper plan, from scratch. That’s where the templates come in handy. They allow a manager to pick up an existing template and simply fill in the gaps. The templates are pre-populated with a table of contents, document structure and procedures for completion. They also contain practical examples to help managers and teams fill them in. “So the process of planning a communication event in an organization is now much easier than before, using these practical, comprehensive document templates” say

Execution phase of a project

Which steps do I take to complete a phase review for the execution of a project ? The execution phase of a project will be undoubtedly the longest phase of a project life cycle. The reason is that it includes the creation of all of the deliverables for the customer. Therefore the execution phase must have a detailed review at its completion in order to ensure that the project has satisfactorily meet all of the objectives set by the customer before the project can proceed to the following phase which is project closure. When completing a phase review for the execution phase the most important thing is to determine that all deliverables for the project have been 100% completed and that there are no outstanding risks and issues or changes in the associated risk and issues registers. If that is the case then the phase review form can be completed and the project closure phase can be initiated

Communications Register

Under what situations should I create a Communications Register for my project ? For small, medium and large projects you should always implement a Communications Register. This register will identify all of the communications events that have taken place for the project and also the communications events that are due to take place in the future. The reason for listing the communications events that are due to take place is that it provides a single place where the project manager can use and control communications to stake holders. For example the register will enable the project manager to view the status of all of the communications to date and determine whether or not the stake holders to the project are being kept in the loop and informed.

Project Management Templates for Universities

Latest News: Today, Method123 Ltd announced the release of a free 7 day trial of their project software for universities. This project management methodology software helps lecturer and students gain an increased appreciation of the topic of project management. It steps people through the entire project management life cycle , in a simple, easy to understand manner. It points out the core principles involved in managing projects, with the intention of allowing lecturers and students to gain knowledge quickly. Lecturers are able to take the materials and immediately use them to set course syllabuses, create presentation materials and run training courses in project management. The materials describe all of the steps involved in initiating, planning executing and closing projects successfully. For every step in the process, a suite of examples are provided to guide lecturers and students accordingly. The examples are based on real-life scenarios and offer educational institutions the abi

Reporting on Project Risk.

Should I regularly report on project risk to my stake holders? Definitely, every time you complete a project status report you should always include a section towards the end which lists all the risks which have been identified in the last reporting period and the likelihood of those risks occurring. If you are able to you should also identify the potential impact on the project, and at a high level list the actions that have been identified to date and for the future to resolve those risks effectively. Latest data on project management life cycle

Creating a Project Status Report and Determining Quality

When I create my Project Status Report should I mention quality at all? Yes, your Status report should include a schedule which determines whether or not a project is on track and on budget, as well as a determination if the project is resourced. You will need to list for every deliverable completed in the last reporting period that the quality levels have been meet. Any quality variances should be noted.

Project Charter Template

Project Charter Template Today, Method123.com announced their latest online tool, which helps create Project Management Charters. The Project Charter Template helps project managers and teams around the world, to complete one of the most critical tasks in any project– the creation of the Project Charter document. During this phase, the project manager sets out the vision for the project and defines the structure of the project team. It is one of the most critical phases in the project life cycle , because the Project Charter specifies the people, processes and structure needed to complete the project on time. “By offering project managers and teams a comprehensive template toolset for creating a Project Charter, we hope to positively influence the way that projects are run around the world” says Craig Nicholson, Technical Director for Method123 Ltd. “The template walks people through the process of creating a Project Charter and it includes detailed steps, hints, tips and practical ex

Using Project Effort when creating Status Reports

Other than recording expenses for a project status report what other information should I include? The project status report includes a determination of whether the project is on schedule or on budget. In addition to that it also determines whether or not the project is adequately resourced. This means that the effort expended at the last reporting period will have to be quantified, effort for the next reporting period should be recorded as well. By doing this you will help the stake holders feel comfortable that there is adequate resource available to build the deliverables agreed with the customer.

New Tools for Project Management Feasibility Studies

Method123.com, specialists in project management, today announced the release of a suite of new feasibility study tools for project management. The tools allow project managers to complete a feasibility study early in the project life cycle . The project management templates released help a project manager to determine whether the solution that their project must deliver, is feasible. A number of factors are taken into account when determining the level of feasibility of a proposed solution, including whether or not the project team have sufficient staff, equipment, time and money to deliver on time and within budget. “When investigating the feasibility process, we found that most of our customers took the same steps for each project they run” says Craig Nicholson, Technical Director for Method123 Project Management Methodology. “They first listed all of the alternative solutions that the project might deliver, to meet the goals set. They then performed a detailed analysis exercise t

Expenses and a Project Status Report

Should I include expenses within my project status report? Yes, when you create a project status report you should list all of the expenses at a high level which have been incurred in the last reporting period. In addition it should also lists the expenses which are planned to be incurred in the next reporting period and a determination as to whether or not the project is currently operating within budget. This will help the project stake holders to identify any budgetary problems early and to give them confidence that you are going to meet the projects objectives. Look up project management life cycle