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Manage the Schedule for Small Projects All projects need a schedule. If you have a small project perhaps the schedule is a simple checklist or Excel spreadsheet. As projects get larger they need more formal scheduling templates and tools . The processes you use to manage a schedule also vary depending on the size of the project. Large projects need a lot of schedule management rigor. Small projects can use a lighter process. The following steps can be used to mage the schedule of a small project. Review the schedule on a weekly basis. Identify activities that have been completed during the previous week and update the schedule to show they are finished. Determine whether there are activities that should be completed, but are not. Work with the individual that is assigned to the work see what is going on. Determine how much additional effort and duration are needed to complete the work and update the schedule accordingly. Evaluate the remaining work to see if the project wil...

Define the Objectives of Your Project Objectives are concrete statements that describe the things the project is trying to achieve. They are included in your Project Charter . An objective should be written in a way that it can be evaluated at the conclusion of a project to see whether it was achieved. A well-worded objective will be Specific, Measurable, Attainable / Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART). (SMART is a technique for wording the objective. An objective does not absolutely have to be SMART to be valid.) An example of an objective statement might be to " upgrade the customer service telephone system by December 31 to achieve average client wait times of no more than two minutes ". Note that the objective is specific. The objective is measurable in terms of the average client wait times the new phone system is trying to achieve. You can assume that the objective is achievable and realistic. The objective is time-bound , and should be completed...

Delivering on Time with Project Management Forms To succeed as a Project Manager, you need to deliver projects on time and within budget. But delivering “on time” is not as easy as it sounds. A survey from the Standish Group estimates that up to 84% of projects fail to deliver on schedule. So how can you put processes in place to help you to deliver your projects on schedule? We suggest, by using these project management forms and by taking these steps: 3 Steps to Project Time Management Time Management is the process of monitoring and controlling time spent within a project. By recording the actual time spent by staff on a project, you can: Calculate the time spent undertaking tasks Identify the staff cost of undertaking tasks Control the level of resources allocated to tasks Monitor the completion percentage of tasks Identify any outstanding work required to complete tasks To do all of this effectively within your project, you need to implement a structured Time Manage...

Four Steps to Show the Value of Training Many businesses struggle with whether they are getting their money’s worth in sending employees to training classes . This question can be applied to project management training as well as any other type of business training. You know the cost side of training too well. But how do you tell what the business value is? The most common way to determine value today is to ask the trainee whether he or she thinks the class was valuable. This is very touchy-feely and doesn’t give you much information to go on, but it is probably the most that most companies ask in terms of follow-up. A Rigorous Approach There is a process to more rigorously determine the value received for your training dollars. These ideas are not for the faint of heart. They take more preparation and they take more of that most precious commodity – time. But see if it makes sense, and whether the results of this process will give you a much better feel for the value that you are rece...

Four Steps to Show the Value of Training Many businesses struggle with whether they are getting their money’s worth in sending employees to training classes . This question can be applied to project management training as well as any other type of business training. You know the cost side of training too well. But how do you tell what the business value is? The most common way to determine value today is to ask the trainee whether he or she thinks the class was valuable. This is very touchy-feely and doesn’t give you much information to go on, but it is probably the most that most companies ask in terms of follow-up. A Rigorous Approach There is a process to more rigorously determine the value received for your training dollars. These ideas are not for the faint of heart. They take more preparation and they take more of that most precious commodity – time. But see if it makes sense, and whether the results of this process will give you a much better feel for the value that you are rece...

Three Techniques for Scope Change Management 1. Hold Everyone Accountable for Scope Management Many scope management processes work well at the project manager level, but get compromised by team members. If the project manager is diligent in enforcing the scope change rules, your customer may try to go directly to team members for changes. The bottom line is that everyone needs to be held accountable for the scope management process. Team members must understand the process and why it is important. Your customer  must also understand the process and its importance. Don't consider these procedures to be only of interest to the project manager and the sponsor. Make sure the procedures are communicated to the entire team. 2. Use a Change Control Board for Large Projects Sometimes on very large projects, the project sponsor does not feel comfortable making the scope change decisions alone. This may especially be the case if the effect of the change will impact other organizations. It ...

Five Steps Before Estimating Work Estimating is hard enough. It is even harder if you are not prepared. Estimating a 20 hour chunk of work is not so hard. Estimating for full projects or large chunks of work can be challenging. Templates can help , but consider the following steps before you begin the estimating process. Get a clear picture of the work that is being estimated Many problems with estimation come because the estimator is not really sure what the work entails. You should avoid estimating work that you do not understand. This should not imply that you can know every detail. The estimating contingency is a way to reflect some of this remaining uncertainty. Determine who should be involved in the estimating process The project manager may or may not know enough to make the estimates on his or her own. It is usually a good practice to look for estimating help from team members, clients, subject matter experts, etc. This will usually result in the estimates being far more accur...