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Build Teams with  Project Management Templates So you’re a Project Manager on a new project and you want to build a high performing team using  project management templates ? Excellent, this is a great goal to strive for. But it’s not easy, especially in the project environment which has its own challenges. To do it, take these tips for... Building high performing teams What exactly is a high performing team? It’s “a team that exceeds the goals you set, by working hard and smart, as a group, not individuals.” Whether you’re in IT, construction, engineering or another industry, building a high performing team is critical to success. You can do it in just 5 steps... 1) Planning Before you hire your first person, you need to document what it is that your team have to achieve and by when. You also need to create specific Job descriptions that set out your expectations for each role and how you’ll measure their performance. Don’t stop there. Think about the team culture you want to build, t...

Project Management Templates - Delivering projects on Time As a Project Manager, you are always pushed to deliver your projects on time, by using project management templates .  Not a day goes by that you don’t worry about whether you are on, behind or ahead of schedule. To help you to boost your chances of success, we’ve described here... How to Deliver Projects On Time On a project, it is easy to get bogged down with the details, and forget about the “helicopter view”.  Other than completing Project Status Reports at the end of each reporting period, many Project Managers adopt the approach that their own knowledge and experience alone will ensure that the project delivers on time. But the reality is that all project managers need to complete some basic steps throughout the project, to make sure that it is “on track”, otherwise it is easy for a project to go off the rails. So what are the steps that a Project Manager needs to complete to make sure that the project is delivered on ti...

Project Management Templates - Delivering projects on Time As a Project Manager, you are always pushed to deliver your projects on time, by using project management templates .  Not a day goes by that you don’t worry about whether you are on, behind or ahead of schedule. To help you to boost your chances of success, we’ve described here... How to Deliver Projects On Time On a project, it is easy to get bogged down with the details, and forget about the “helicopter view”.  Other than completing Project Status Reports at the end of each reporting period, many Project Managers adopt the approach that their own knowledge and experience alone will ensure that the project delivers on time. But the reality is that all project managers need to complete some basic steps throughout the project, to make sure that it is “on track”, otherwise it is easy for a project to go off the rails. So what are the steps that a Project Manager needs to complete to make sure that the project is delivered on ti...

Did you know that with a Project Management Life Cycle you can… That you can backup and restore MPMM content? This feature is provided in the MPMM Professional Edition, as it allows you to backup the project management life cycle customizations that you’ve made to your product. When you use MPMM Professional to create new project management life cycle , add your own existing project management life cycle or customize the existing MPMM project management life cycle, it stores unique data in your methodology project management software . This unique data should be backed up from time to time, so that if you ever have a problem with your MPMM installation, accidentally make changes that you didn’t plan to or replace your Pc, then you can restore your MPMM data to your new installation. To backup and restore your methodologies, select the “Settings” panel (using the Settings button on the top right hand side) and use the “Backup MPMM Data” and “Restore MPMM Data” buttons. Make sure that...

Project Management Life Cycle Change Management In this latest article, we're discussed the topic of Change Management . A  project management lifecycle is typically undertaken within changing business environments, so it's inevitable that during the life of your project, there will be some element of change required. Whether a customer requests a change to their requirements, management request a change in priority or team members request a change in roles, you will need an effective Change Management Process to minimize the resulting impact on your project. So here, we have described: How to implement a “Change Management Process” Change Management is the process of monitoring and controlling changes within a project management life cycle . By managing the implementation of change, you can: Reduce the impact of changes to the project Identify new issues and risks as a result of changes raised Ensure that changes do not affect the project's ability to achieve it...

Writing a Business Case with Project Management Templates We all know that successful Project Management is about delivering projects on time, within budget and to specification. But what many forget is that it’s also important to deliver the business benefits to the customer. If your projects do not result in the stated business benefits, then your customer will not gain the return on investment expected, thereby affecting the level of success of your project. So how do you ensure that your projects consistently deliver the stated business benefits to your customer? You can do this, by creating a “Business Case” using online project management templates for each project. Its purpose is to justify the initiation of the project and to clearly specify upfront, the business benefits to be delivered. In this newsletter, we’ll explain how to: Create a Business Case using Project Management Templates in 4 easy steps... The first step when creating a Business Case using project management t...

As you kick off new projects in the coming year, make sure you start out on the right foot. These tips will help you set up projects properly from the outset, and avoid problems down the track. Starting new projects When you start a new project, you need to follow these 8 “golden rules” to ensure its success... 1.  Sponsorship : You need to have a highly motivated sponsor who understands the criticality of the project on the business and is motivated to making it a success. They need to have the resources available to support you, and the right level of “influence”in the business. 2.  Targets : Sit down with your sponsor and agree specific targets. Make sure they are realistic. Perform a Feasibility Study to ensure that what is discussed is feasible to achieve. Only agree to the targets if there is sufficient contingency. Add an extra 20% to the budget and timeline if you can. 3.  Scope : Keep your scope to a minimum. If you can’t get the contingency you need, then try and negotiate t...