Method123

Four Responsibilities of Executives on Projects An executive has administrative or supervisory authority in an organization. That authority is used in a number of ways on projects. An executive is typically responsible for the Business Case of a project, which is used to determine whether the project should even be started. Once the project is approved they can impact the success of your project in four key areas. 1. Sponsorship and Funding Every project within a company starts with an idea. It’s hard for that idea to go much further without backing from the right person and some money to make it happen. An executive can provide the sponsorship and funding your project needs to get off the ground. They are responsible for signing off on the project charter, which describes the project, gives you the authority to manage and, most importantly, allocates the necessary funds to keep it alive. 2. Escalations and Resolution The second role an executive plays in your projects is to be the go

Developing Effective Work Breakdown Structures The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an often misunderstood and underappreciated tool of project management.  I would argue that it is a critical piece of the foundation of any project management methodology.  Many misconceptions exist about what a WBS is, how it is used and why it is such an important part of the project management process. A WBS is a deliverable-oriented , hierarchical grouping of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.  It organizes and defines the total scope of the project . Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work (ie decomposition). No reference to WHO is doing the work No reference to WHEN the work is being done No reference to HOW the work is being done Rules for WBS attributes: Use NOUNS and ADJECTIVES to describe the work No dependencies, durations, resource assignment

Developing Effective Work Breakdown Structures The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an often misunderstood and underappreciated tool of project management.  I would argue that it is a critical piece of the foundation of any project management methodology.  Many misconceptions exist about what a WBS is, how it is used and why it is such an important part of the project management process. A WBS is a deliverable-oriented , hierarchical grouping of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.  It organizes and defines the total scope of the project . Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work (ie decomposition). No reference to WHO is doing the work No reference to WHEN the work is being done No reference to HOW the work is being done Rules for WBS attributes: Use NOUNS and ADJECTIVES to describe the work No dependencies, durations, resource assignment

This was one of the most shocking statements I had ever heard came from the mouths of an industry renowned PMP trainer and expert in the field of project management.  It was many, many years ago and I wasn't quite sure if we were supposed to laugh or argue with her.  It turns out that what she was trying to convey to us was that the typical boring status meeting where the project manager sits in a room and goes around the table asking every individual for status is ineffective and usually pointless.  The project manager should have an up-to-date understanding of where all aspects of the project are at any point in time -- especially with today's sophisticated collaboration tools that make information sharing easy and transparent.  These meeting should be designed to address  exceptions to expected results (aka management by exception). 

Project Management Office and the PMO The key to project success is in establishing an efficient Project Office function. The Project Management Office (or PMO) is the physical premise where the administration and management staff reside and it’s usually the central core of the project operation. Read on if you would like to learn the... 4 steps to creating a successful Project Office Every project team relies on the tools, guidance and processes provided by the Project Office to undertake its project tasks quickly and easily. So setting up and running an efficient Project Office environment is critical to the success of the project. To establish a fully functional Project Office environment with all of the required tools and processes, you will need to undertake the steps depicted in the following diagram: Step 1: Define the Role of the Project Office The first step taken when creating a new Project Office environment is to define the role of the Project Office function. You need to

Tip…Are you a PMO Project Management Process Are you a PMO Project Manager ? If you are, then you can use MPMM to create and run a successful project management office (PMO). Every PMO requires a solid project management process, as a framework for executing, monitoring and controlling projects. By adopting MPMM for your PMO environment, you will gain all of the processes, project management templates and practical examples needed to deliver projects, train staff and report on progress. Within the “Tutorial for PMO Managers” included in the MPMM Professional Edition, you will learn how to customize the MPMM project management process for your particular project environment, train staff in your project management process and implement this methodology across all of your projects. The MPMM Support Team