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Showing posts from November, 2010

A Request for Information

With a request for information being sent by a company, they are informing the recipients that they are in search of a supplier of certain goods or services. This by no means is a promise to pay for any goods or even a proposal for goods, just the need for information. The formal request for information is just as it sounds, it is a polite way of asking what is available, for what price and when can it be delivered. This type of document can be easily made with the help of a template. This template can be found in many of the project management office programs that are widely available on the market. The reason a template from this type of program is recommended is because the request for information is not the last form that will be required to obtain the necessary goods or services that all projects need during their execution phase. Along with the request for information , the other form that will be needed is the Request for Proposal. This is the one that specifically indicates

Project Management Training Tools

The project management training can be done online, at a seminar or even from one’s own book. The important component is that this process is learned. The old saying that leaders are born not made does not apply in this case. Many companies prefer that their management personal take project management training courses online. This is done for multiple reasons. With an online course the time allocated to study and learn is chosen by the attendee so as not to interfere with their regular duties within the company. It is also considerable cheaper that having to send a person to a seminar. This way hotel and airfare costs can be saved, not to mention the lost time at work. There are many different companies providing project management training that is available to business. Determine which one offers the most benefit is to first know what you need. In many cases the solution is very easy. Most companies that produce a project management office program also offer project management trai

A Statement of Work Template

A statement of work template is used to develop a formal document so communications between your business and a third party vendor can be established. This is a very necessary and important document that has no ambiguity between the exact nature of your business and what you are requesting. This statement of work template can be located in a project management office program many businesses already own. This is just one of the 52 templates that are supplied to assist the project manager with the planning and execution of a project for the company they are working for. The purpose of the statement of work template is to clearly define which category of supplier you need to locate and relay this to a vendor. In this document there are clear definitions of exactly what you need for your project. This can be raw materials, equipment or manpower. Also included in the statement of work template will be exactly what is needed to be delivered, when it is needed and where it is to be deliver

PMO

A PMO is a software program called the project management office. This is a program that assists the user in delivering a project on time and within budget. The reason it was developed is because the fact that a majority of projects in all industries fail to met one or both of the requirements in budget and time when related to a project. The most helpful part of the PMO is the project management templates. These templates assist the user in nearly every phase of a projects development, planning and implementation in saving time. This is because the creation of the necessary documents is less time consuming. The templates not only produce a professionally looking document, but are also a guide so all the necessary data is included. The project templates of the PMO not only saves time, but this can easily be translated into saving money. Since the task of document preparation is reduced, more tasks can be accomplished by the project manager than before in the same time frame. Along w

Project Plan Sample

The project plan sample is a very helpful tool when a project manager has to create this type of formal document. Just like many other tools that are used for the creation of the project’s plan, they are useful guides and not meant to be followed exactly. This is why more than one project plan sample and a project management book would be very helpful references in the creation of this document. Research is the beginning stage of any process. The more information on the subject, the better prepared the person who is going to write the document has, contributes to its thoroughness and completeness. While a project plan sample is handily to have available, one usually does not use it as part of the formal document. This is increasingly done with the aid of another useful tool. This is one of the project management templates that are readily available. With the template and the project plan sample on hand the plan itself can be started. The template makes entering the data easy becaus

Project Management Case Study

What exactly is involved in a project management case study is dependent on the desired outcome of the person or group conducting it. There are several different approaches that can be taken but the end results should be the same. These results will be in the acquisition of needed information that can be applied to your business or project for future use. In a project management case study the person conducting it should be looking for information that will assist them with their work. This can be within their company or outside of it. Both of these avenues should be used for the best possible results in the quest for information. Ideally the outside source should be one of your competitors, but this is very difficult to obtain. The reason a project management case study of your competitor is difficult is the availability or access to the required documents to perform this task. Usually this is proprietary information that is not shared to the general public which is the reason it i

Sample Communications Plan

When looking for the right sample communications plan, the goals and objectives must first be known. There are the simple plans that are needed in which nearly any sample plan would work. There are also those businesses that use what modern technology has to offer. In that case a specific type of communication plan will need to be studied. The sample communications plan that would involve the modern technologies would be harder to find since there are fewer of them available. What to look for would be ones that have utilized the different means by which collaboration work on the internet occurs. This is a very complex issue and the use of a sample would make it much easier to follow. By following a good sample communications plan that has all the components you need for your business is not the ending point of your task, but just the beginning. The next step would be to create your communications plan. Like with the average sample communications plan , a template can be used to help

Six Sigma Methodology

With the six sigma methodology, defects are removed from the process so a more efficient means of running a business or project can occur. This was the original premise behind this methodology when it was created back in 1981 and still holds true today. The six sigma methodology approach to quality is to attain as close to perfection as possible. This can be measured by statistical means when attempting to make the results 6 standard deviations from the mean and the nearest specification that it is set against. In easy to understand language this means the number of defects cannot be greater than 3.4 for every million produced. One of the main reasons the six sigma methodology was developed was to maintain customer loyalty by reducing the number of defects, the variability in the product and all possible waste so a high quality deliverable can be produced at the lowest possible cost. For all practical purposes when a company decides to deploy the six sigma methodology, they have made

Lean Methodology

The use of lean methodology has grown in the manufacturing sector since it was first implemented after World War II. As time has progressed, this methodology has been refined with the end result of creating more, faster and with less. The type of companies that can best utilize the lean methodology approach is manufacturing, because of the principles involved with it. This is to create a product with as little invested as possible in the deliverable. For a company wishing to use the lean methodology , they must first analyze their process in depth. Once the analysis has been completed in every process, the process of eliminating waste can begin on the process as a whole. Each part of the process has to contribute to the end product. The cutting of waste from each and every step in the production of a deliverable is the core essence of the lean methodology approach. This can be in the material that is added or the number of workers necessary to complete the task. The overall reductio

Quality Plan Document

The development of any quality plan document takes specific knowledge what level of quality is to be achieved. This can be located in the business plan or project charter that was written for each deliverable being produced. In most companies, a quality plan document is formulated or created by the quality assurance department. It is their task to write all the methods and procedures that will be required to ensure that the monitoring of the quality of a product can be checked properly. For a properly constructed quality plan, there must be more than one quality plan document written and in place. To do this, many quality assurance team members use a template program. This allows for the quick creation of this type of document that will have a final appearance which is consistent with all other quality plan documents. A template for a quality plan document can be found in many of the project management programs many businesses already use in their daily routines. This type of progr

Project Charter or Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference or project charter is the backbone to what has been agreed upon by the stakeholders and the company that is about to undertake a project. The purpose of this formal document is to state in clear terms what the scope and goals the project are to follow and achieve. To help guide the creators of this important document, many are using a preformatted template. This way not only is the information organized in a consistent manner with past projects, but all required information will be included. This use of a template for the project charter from a project management template program will make the complete set of all documents for that project is formatted in a similar way. This document is just the first of many necessary documents that will have to be created. Another advantage of using a template for the project charter is that when it is used for reference, the time consumed to obtain the necessary information will be reduced. This is because the scope and goa

A Project Management Book Can Be Your Guide

There are over 34 million sites in reference to a project management book on the internet. Each site is staking a claim that theirs is the best. There are both free versions and those that are charging more than $50. The project management book that will best fit your needs should be specific for your industry. This is important because the one designed for the construction industry will only be partially applicable to the software industry. In most cases, a project management book that is designed for the manufacturing industry is general in nature. This is acceptable because there are certain requirements that all projects have in common, no matter what deliverable is being produced. Inside a good project management book, there are suggested ways to conduct your project in an orderly manner that will be beneficial to your business. These are just suggestions that have worked, in many instances, in other companies. The list of areas that are covered in a project management book wil

Project Management Tools

Because of project management tools and their availability to the project managers in industry, the speed and accuracy of a project’s lifecycle has been enhanced. This type of digital assistant is there to help in all phases of a project and running a business. This expansion of their uses is being done as their effectiveness is becoming more noticeable. When the first project management tools were introduced to the industrial sectors, not too many people were aware of their full potential. As with all tools, they must be used to be discovered. The first ones to breach out of the confines of the project mode were the budgetary templates and plans. The budget and expenditures of a project are similar to that of a business. For this reason, this part of the project management tool’s inventory is very beneficial. The accounting department can run more efficiently when only one type of program is used throughout a company, when it comes to keeping track of where the money is going and for

A Specific Project Solution

To have the perfect project solution , the entire problem has to already been identified. This can only be done if there is already a process for determining what is wrong. One example of a project solution can be found in a risk management plan. This is where the problem or risk is identified, analyzed, and then prioritized so the best way to mitigate the damage it could cause can be found. Since each possible risk is different, along with the damage it can inflict on the project, each solution is unique. A project solution for one risk will be different for another risk. Another project solution can be when the quality management plan is implemented. A certain degree of quality is needed for every deliverable that a project produces. The level of quality is stipulated in the scope of the project that is included in the business plan. This is the level that the stakeholders decided would be of the greatest benefit to the company and their investment. One of the largest of all is th

A Sample Feasibility Study

Using a sample feasibility study as a guide in the creation of a properly structured report is one very good way of completing this assigned task. What should be remembered is that its quality as a guide is only as good as the content it begins with, and how it was originally created. Not every sample feasibility study was created equal. Many of them were started from scratch. When the person doing this is very knowledgeable on the subject matter, this can be a very good example. On the flip side, if the creator of the document is not very knowledgeable, then crucial components could be left out. A sample feasibility study should contain many things. First, and foremost, is an approved idea that the stakeholders are willing to financially back. Once this is secure, the investigation process can commence. The information that needs to be located can vary from project to project. Most have a few commonalities that include the proper identification of the target audience, and how well r