Category Archive
All articles in Other Project Management Topics category
What Is Gold-Plating in Project Management?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, March 5, 2010, 7:40 amGold plating in Project Management is giving the customer more than what he bargained for (which may or may not be something the customer actually wants). Gold plating is often done by autonomous team members and in good intentions. There are many negative consequences to gold plating such as scope inflation, increasing the overall cost of the project, increasing risks, upping the customer’s expectations. Avoiding gold plating can easily be done by enforcing a strict policy of not implementing anything outside the original scope of the project without a change request.
What Is the Difference Between Construction Project Management and Software Project Management?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, March 4, 2010, 7:38 pmThere are several differences between Construction Project Management and Software Project Management. Construction Project Management is predictable, formal, usually adopts the waterfall methodology, and thrives in traditional organizational structure. Software Project Management is unpredictable, informal, is a perfect use of the agile methodology, and thrives in a projectized environment. Communication in Construction Project Management is simple, risks and politics are high-level, and team conflicts are rare but dangerous. Communication in Software Project Management is complex, risks and political are at the project-level, and team conflicts are abundant but are rarely physical. Software Project Management is susceptible to scope inflation due to an abundance of change requests, which leads to a cost overrun and late schedule. Costs in Construction Project Management are largely affected by raw materials, which may go up in a dramatic way, leading to a huge cost overrun.
What Is the Difference Between Good Project Managers and Bad Project Managers?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, February 15, 2010, 9:13 pmGood Project Managers are good communicators, proactive, not attached to a methodology, punctual. They know how to say “No”, and they have a healthy work-life balance. Bad Project Managers are bad communicators, reactive, fanatically attached to a methodology, bad at managing stakeholders, procrastinators, and always late to meetings. Bad Project Managers always say “Yes” to requests they can’t fulfill, and they have no problem with stressing their team trying to fulfill these requests.
What Is a Hidden Agenda in Project Management?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, February 8, 2010, 5:54 pmA hidden agenda in Project Management is a secret plan or thought adopted by stakeholders that usually conflicts with the project’s interests. A hidden agenda is the result of selfishness, is easily detected, but is very hard to deal with. The smart Project Manager acknowledges hidden agendas and carefully navigates through them to make sure that his project succeeds.
Who Is the Project Champion?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, February 7, 2010, 11:36 pmThe Project Champion or project advocate is an informal role providing moral support for the Project Manager and the project team, promoting and praising the project in front of different stakeholders, and addressing problems by proposing company-wide acceptable solutions. The Project Champion is a staunch defender of the project. The ideal Project Champion is a respectable senior manager and a good communicator with skills in navigating company politics and with a comfortable level of Project Management experience.
What Is Student Syndrome in Project Management?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, February 6, 2010, 1:02 pmStudent Syndrome in Project Management, is the act of leaving all the work until the very last moment. The term was first coined by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. The main reasons behind the Student Syndrome are poor Project Management, concurrent and competing projects, and of course, our innate habit of procrastination. There are several disadvantages of the student syndrome, including (but not limited to), reduced quality and scope, as well as a stressed team. Avoiding the student syndrome is best done through Proactive Project Management and breaking down large tasks into smaller ones.
What Is “Fast, Cheap, Good: Pick Two” in Project Management?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, February 2, 2010, 3:38 pmFast, Cheap, and Good is a term in Project Management stating that Project Managers can only deliver 2 out of the 3 constraints in any Project. They can choose “fast and cheap”, “cheap and good”, and “fast and good”. “Cheap and Good” is the worst and is rarely used, “fast and cheap” is used a lot in software projects while cutting from the scope, and “fast and good” is often used in “construction projects”.
What Will Happen in Project Management in 20 Years?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, February 1, 2010, 7:42 pmProject Management will greatly advance thanks to state-of-the-art means of communication, better education, mature industries, and adoption on the government level.
What Is the 80-20 Rule in Project Management?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, January 27, 2010, 11:38 pmThe 80-20 rule (or the Pareto Principle) in Project Management means (among other things) that 80% of the time is spent doing 20% of the functionality, or 80% of the work is done by 20% of the team members.
What Are the Characteristics of a Project?
Filed in Other Project Management Topics, January 4, 2010, 3:04 pmA project is unique, temporary, goal oriented, satisfying its stakeholders, and risky.
