Method123

Today, Method123 announced that it has just gained its 200,000'th customer and has sold to more than 250 countries worldwide. The release comes as the quarterly results in the US look poor as the recession grips America by storm. "Sales were down for the last quarter in 2008 over prior years, when the recession first hit" says Jason Westland, CEO of Method123 Ltd. However 2009 has been an extremely good year to date. It seems that customers are weary of spending tens of thousands on large implementation of project management tools sets and they are now interested in getting the maximum bang for buck with more affordable online tools like ours.” Method123 was founded in 2000 and was initially a free tools site for project managers. It released the "Project Management Template' product set in 2004 and has gained 200,000 customers in just 5 years. The company also has the largest "virtual" Project Management Community in the World, with more than 225,000 P

Since we released MPMM Project Manager Enterprise last Christmas, we've received a huge number of enquiries from customers and resellers. To ensure that you're up-to-date with the latest reseller info on this edition, I've listed here the most popular reseller FAQS. Please read them. Q: Where can I read about MPMM Enterprise? A: Visit this web page: http://www.mpmm.com/project-management-enterprise.ph Q: Do you have a video that we can watch, to see it in action? A: Yes, we have just released a new video on MPMM Enterprise. You can watch it here http://www.mpmm.com/MPMMEnterpriseVideo/MPMMEnterpriseVideo.html Q: Can I collect payments for Enterprise license sales? A: No. We will manage the payments collection and commission distribution process for you. Q: Is the Enterprise Edition price fixed? A: Like all our products, you have the right to sell them at whatever price you choose. However for the Enterprise edition, because it has an open organization license, the minimum

Template Tips: How to develop a robust “ Risk Plan ” A key document created during this phase is the Risk Plan. A Risk Plan outlines the foreseeable project risks and provides a set of actions to be taken to both prevent the risk from occurring and reduce the impact of the risk should it eventuate.  To develop a Risk Plan: List all of the foreseeable risks during the project Rate the likelihood of each risk occurring Assess the impact on the project should each risk occur Prioritise the overall importance of each risk Identify a set of preventative actions needed to reduce the likelihood of each risk occurring Create a set of contingent actions needed to reduce the impact of each risk should it eventuate Document the process for managing risks throughout the project. Project Tips: How to undertake Issue Management Issue Management is the method by which issues currently affecting the ability of the project to produce the required deliverable are formally managed. A pr

Q: How does the sales process work for MPMM Project Methodology Enterprise? A: As you know, the Project Methodology Enterprise edition includes an open user license for the customers Organization. So this sales process works slightly differently to sales of our other editions which are described in the Reseller Information Pack you should have already. For the Project Manager Enterprise edition, here are the 5 sales steps: 1. Pre-Sale: You initiate the sales process as you do normally. 2. Order: When your customer is ready to purchase, they will send you a Purchase Order for the product. The PO needs to be made out to Method123 Ltd. 3. License: You will then send the customer the Project Methodology Enterprise License Agreement attached. You need to fill-in your Reseller details at the top and get them to sign and date it. 4. Processing: You then email us the Purchase Order along with the Project Methodology Enterprise License Agreement and we will take it from there. We will review t

Customer Question What's the difference between Method 123 and Method 123 Project Management Methodology? Thanks for getting in touch. As you have pointed out, we have 2 product offerings: The Method123 "Project Management Kit" and MPMM. The differences between the Project Management Kit and MPMM Project Management Professional are as follows: Support team Response - The Project Management Kit includes the complete suite of templates needed to deliver projects. MPMM also includes the same templates, as well as an entire project management methodology. The methodology tells you how to deliver projects, step-by-step. So it takes you through the Project Management Life Cycle and describes how to complete it successfully. - In addition to providing you with a methodology for projects, MPMM also includes a complete suite of practical examples for projects. So for instance, where the Project Management Kit includes a template called a "Business Case", MPMM includes t

Template Tips: How to develop a robust “ Quality Plan ” ‘Meeting the quality expectations of the customer is critical to the success of the project. To ensure that the quality expectations are clearly defined and can reasonably be achieved, a Quality Plan is documented. The Quality Plan should: Define what quality means in terms of this project List clear and unambiguous quality targets for each deliverable. Each quality target provides a set of criteria and standards which must be achieved to meet the expectations of the customer Outline a plan of activities which will assure the customer that the quality targets will be met (i.e. a Quality Assurance Plan) Identify the techniques used to control the actual level of quality of each deliverable as it is built (i.e. a Quality Control Plan). It is important to review the quality not only of the deliverables produced by the project but also of the management processes which produce them. A summary of each of the management proces

Greetings from Customer In the methodology noticeably the project scope statement and managing the scope (Scope Management) is missing. Which process will take care of these. This is covered in the "Change Management" section. Please have a look and let me know if you have any questions. Change management comes into play once the entire requirement (Scope) is defined, and the changes will be to the original requirements. The Project Charter defines the requirements, but rather it is at high level, a detailed specification has to be done, which different people may call it different names (Project Scope Statement as per PMI, Requirement Specification, Functional Specification). Furthermore scope is one of the triple constraints therefore defining it entirely and controlling is very much essential. I could not find that in the templates provided in MPMM Project Management Process . I am sure this question would have come up in the past from other customers. As per PMI scope is

Customer Comment: I would like to request for your account details to enable me do a wire transfer to buy your Project Management Kit . I have tried using my credit card but for some reason it was declined several times, I don’t understand the reason for that. Anyway, please send the account detail as soon as you can. MPMM Project Management Methodology Response: Thank you for your question. Is your card authorized for international transactions? We are a New Zealand based company so this may be the source of the problem. You will need to check with your credit card company whether it is authorized or not, then let us know. If this is not an option then contact us and you can Wire Transfer the money. If you do a Wire Transfer then contact us three days after the transfer has been complete so that I can check and send you the product.

Project Tips: How to undertake Change Management Change Management is the process by which changes to the project's scope, deliverables, timescales or resources are formally defined, evaluated and approved prior to implementation. A core aspect of the Project Manager's role is to manage change within the project successfully. This is achieved by understanding the business and system drivers requiring the change, documenting the benefits and costs of adopting the change and formulating a structured plan for implementing the change. To formally request a change it is often necessary to complete a Change Request Form . Change Request Forms should include: Summarised project information (such as name, delivery date) A description of the proposed change to the project A list of the business / system drivers requiring the change A list of the benefits and costs of implementing the change An overview of the impact of implementing the requested change A formal approval sec

Q: I'd like to purchase a Web Project Management Software license but still cannot decide which of MPMM Standard or Professional edition would better suit to an everyday PM as a Project Manager. When looking at your comparison I can't really see the advantage of the Professional edition. Could you, please, advise? A: Thank you for your question. We can absolutely help you understand the differences between the two. The versions are limited according on their level, depending on your purpose and need for the methodology of course. If you only need the methodology for learning purposes then I suggest MPMM Education, which you don't. If you only intend to conduct small projects then I suggest MPMM Standard, however if your intentions are on seriously focusing on size projects then the most value you would get would be from MPMM Professional. The differences between the Project Management Standard and Project Management Professional edition are mainly the edit options, customi

MPMM Client Enquiry 1. How you deliver the product? MPMM Project Management Software is available for immediate download after the purchase is complete. 2. Is there a book included in this project management software ? Yes we have a free eBook available (downloadable version only) as well as a Free Project Management Templates . 3. Is the project management programme on cd, dvd, etc.? MPMM is only available for download online. 4. If I purchase for 2 users, how we can use in different places or in different country (please explain method of networking)? If you have a network that has open access then you can install our multi-user license to interact. 5. For the time being I am working abroad when I go back to my native country, can I use the project management software there? Or do I have to take my computer with me? We have a multi-user license system for this purchase which can allow you to purchase more than one license for less than half the price. Let me know if you are intereste

Template Tips: Documenting a Resource Plan The following diagram depicts the activities undertaken during the Project Planning phase: A key document created during this phase is the Resource Plan. A Resource Plan identifies the physical resources responsible for undertaking each of the activities and tasks within the project. A typical Resource Plan should: List the general types of resources to be utilised on the project Identify the number of resources and purpose of each type of resource Identify when the resources are required by completing a ‘Resource Schedule’ table Allocate the resources to project activities by completing a ‘Resource Usage’ table. Project Tips: How to Close a Project The Project Closure phase involves distributing the final deliverables to the customer, releasing project documentation to the business, terminating supplier contracts, releasing project resources and communicating the closure of the project to all stakeholders. The last remaining step i

Question We have been evaluating the trial version on MPMM Project Management Professional . We like the product but have a few questions about the functionality. We know that some features do not work properly in the trial version so are uncertain how those features will function in the full version. Would it be possible to set up a phone call to chat with someone from your team about the product and to get our questions answered? I see on your site that you have a US office. Do you operate on Pacific Time or NZ time? Answer Sure, the reason why some of the functionality is disabled throughout the trial period is due protective rights. Our headquarters are based in New Zealand. The functionalities that are disabled in the trial mode are the copy and paste out options, export and print options. Please let me know when a suitable time is to call and we will gladly call you as soon as we can.

Request from customer: I purchased the Professional Version of the software on Friday. I've started to put it through it's paces, by creating an "In House" methodolgy for Software Development (I have other ideas as well, but I am focusing on the most important tasks first). I've noticed a concept in the Project Office Checklist, that is apparently orphaned. Support team answer: Actually, the  Project Office task is heavily ingrained in the project management methodology. The setup of the Project Office is one of the critical tasks in the Project Initiatio Phase and it helps you to make sure you have all o fthe staff, contracts, suppliers, equipment and materials needed before you set out.