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Free PMP Questions - Time Management
As the CAPM and PMP are certifications that require you to pass an exam, you should take some practice questions before attempting the actual exams. This quiz focuses on the Time Management knowledge area as per version 4 of the PMBOK. The questions range from medium to high difficulty. Instructions...
Free PMP Quiz on Scope Management
As the CAPM and PMP are certifications that require you to pass an exam, you should take some practice questions before attempting the actual exams. This quiz focuses on the Scope Management processes group as per version 4 of the PMBOK. The questions range from medium to high difficulty. Instructions...
Free PMP Questions - Risk Management
As the CAPM and PMP are certifications that require you to pass an exam, you should take some practice questions before attempting the actual exams. This quiz focuses on the Risk Management processes group as per version 4 of the PMBOK. The questions range from medium to high difficulty. Instructions...
Performing a Pareto Analysis in Excel
Excel's calculation and graph abilities make it an excellent tool to use when performing a Pareto analysis. In this guide, we'll use an example that demonstrates how to carry out each step of the process starting with entering the initial data and finishing with creating a Pareto chart. What is...
Creating Pareto Charts with Microsoft Excel 2007
If you want to make a Pareto chart to use in your project presentation but don’t have access to high-powered project management software, don’t panic. With these step-by-step instructions, you can use the more commonplace Microsoft Excel to create your Pareto chart. What is a Pareto Chart? A Pareto chart...
Understanding Scrum - Sample Product Backlog
The Scrum Product Backlog is one of the most important elements of a Scrum project, but yet one of the least understood. Find out what a Product Backlog is and what one looks like in this article by Bright Hub author Ronda Levine. What is the Product Backlog? If you...
Journyx Project Management Blog
IT Projects a Go During the Recovery
CIO reports that Robert Half Technology has published the results of a study on IT project plans as the economy turns around. 1,400 CIOs were interviewed and here are some of the results: [...] 37% intend to implement software and hardware upgrades that had been deferred due to poor economic...
What are the Qualities of a PM Leader?
A recent Project Times article lists the following 10 leadership qualities as required for project managers: Inspires a Shared Vision A Good Communicator Integrity Enthusiasm Empathy Competence Ability to Delegate Tasks Cool Under Pressure Team-Building Skills Problem Solving Skills These skills enable project managers to keep their team motivated and to adapt to different situations that arise. They are necessary...
Seinfeld & Project Requirements
The Requirements Network has an excellent article out on the necessity of well-developed requirements for any project. The author likens requirements gathering today to the popular 90s sitcom, “Seinfeld,” writing: In a nutshell, we approach requirements the same way we approach any other communication or conversation. When you think about...
Managing Risk in Projects: What’s New?
A new installment of Dr. David Hillson’s “Managing Risk in Projects” series has been published at PM World Today this month. In this article, Dr. Hillson focuses on the problems that can arise to hinder effective project risk management. He groups these into 3 categories: problems with process,...
Catalytic Events: Effortless Ways to Change Behavior for the Better
Kimberly Wiefling at ProjectConnections has written a new article about “catalytic events” that can lead to permanent behavior change and improvement. She encourages readers to work to find permanent solutions to recurring problems, using the following analogy: Imagine a parking garage that installs timestamp machines at the entrance to spit...
Five Tips for Tackling a One-Time Project
Many of us will face the day when we are assigned a project that we are not equipped for. Rather than letting it ruin our careers, TechRepublic suggests a 5-step plan for taking on the project and driving it to success. 1. Make the project a priority from the start. 2....
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VyrtuNet Templates for Software Development Project Managers
The Software Development Project Manager is a miracle worker, managing complex design and developmen...
SBDi Tips Q&A: Users Refuse to Approve
Q&A From Cloning Doesn’t Work ezine. Sign up for your bi-weekly ezine of tips. Hi Pat: Sev...
So it occurred to me around midnight that I should calculate how much time I spend in various aspect...
H5N1 Avian Flu: Virulent Strain Developed in Labs
Engineered hybrids of H5N1 bird flu and H1N1 human flu strains have proven virulent in mice, raising...
Image via Wikipedia “We’d like to touch the stars,” they cried, and, after, “We’ve got to touch the...
Inspired by this brilliant picture and wee post over at the Panic Inc. blog I’ve not been able...
SantexQ - Online Project Management
Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions with Project Management Techniques
It’s mid-February already? How did this happen!? For many, by this time in the new year, New Year’s Resolutions have already lost most of their steam. Now (and often!) is a good time to review your goals for the new year, track progress and refresh your sense of ambition. New...
The SantexQ team would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and SAFE New Years Eve! Cheers. Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland...
Staying Organized During the Holidays
It’s the last few days before Christmas and while we always strive to keep things calm and under control during the holidays, the final stretch can be quite stressful. Shopping, planning, cooking, traveling - it really adds up! The best way to stay organized during the holidays is the tried...
SantexQ Online Project Management Tool: Basic Accounts vs Premium Accounts
Did you know? You can take SantexQ online project management tool for a test drive by taking advantage of our free basic account. Just sign up and you can have your first project up and running in less than 15 minutes. Once you’ve tried it, you can easily upgrade to...
6 Reasons Why You Should Use an Online Project Management Tool
Online project management tools speak for themselves. Take ten minutes with one and you’ll see how easily they can help you organize, track and report on your projects, all while keeping the important information you need right at your fingertips. Still need convincing? Here are 6 Reasons Why You Should...
Lunch Break! The Great Office War
Has this ever happened in your office?...
Project Shrink Blog
In order to have a “happy project,” a software project manager should respect the flow of the stakes… Stakeholders have stakes. Stakeholders communicate their stakes by expressing their expectations, which are more formally defined by means of requirements to the process or product. Project management should make every stakeholder a winner...
Social Markers. Here I Am, Brain The Size Of A Planet.
“Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction?” Do you know this quote? If you do, we have something in common, we both like the “Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy” enough to know some of...
What If Your Project Goal Is… Well… Uhm… Dull?
If your project has a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, one that is life changing, one that makes your existence worthwhile, one that makes you feel powered up like an energizer bunny, it’s almost difficult to be not motivated. Being part of something bigger, using the coolest, latest, state-of-the-art technology will...
Working With An Agile Offshore Team
Dave Prior talks to Thushara Wijewardena from Exilesoft on how to make sure you aren’t the cause of your Agile offshore team failing. Click here if you can’t view the video. Other people who liked this article liked these tooProject Shrink Links 11-02-2008How To Supervise Offshore Development?7 Things You Need To...
Should Transformational Leaders Tweet?
If you spent too much time using social media, don’t worry… it’s legit. You might be working on your next gen leadership skills. Social media will allow you, personally, to develop your social skills, get over fears of online expression and dealing with transparency. By developing your own personal skills, by...
You are stressed out. You are looking for a book that provides you tips on how to deal with the situation. You find two books. “For The Stressed And Overworked And Unprofessional Project Manager” and “The Relaxed PM”. Which title would you pick? Content is the same. The first title might even be...
Staying on the right T.R.A.C.C
The car is now a first-class citizen of the cloud
The ngConnect car is a concept car created to show the potential of the next-generation connected devices, in this case, a car. Connectivity is achieved via LTE, a 4G technology being developed by leading telecommunications companies such as Alcatel-Lucent.The LTE Connected Car initative is involves partners from multiple industries, and...
Leadership Principles: Reciprocal Loyalty
I am reading a book called “The 12 Leadership Principles of Dean Smith” by author David Chadwick. I found the book buried upstairs in the guest bedroom and decided to give it a read.The book is written by David Chadwick, a former student and player of basketball coach Dean Smith....
What does reactive mean to you? And by reactive I mean in the situation or person sense and not in the chemical sense :)I found this great definition for reactive over at the Business Dictionary. Being reactive means:"Behavior that is not internally motivated but manifests in response to a situation...
The future of Car Infotainment
QNX is up for an award at the Adobe Max conference under the "Mobile" category. You don't get much more mobile then a car. Unless your battery is dead that is, then it is not so mobile until you get a boost.The QNX CAR application platform in an all encompassing...
Yay me! My blog was added as a top project management blog to The Daily Reviewer."Congratulations! Your readers have submitted and voted for your blog at The Daily Reviewer. We compiled an exclusive list of the Top 100 project-management Blogs, and we are glad to let you know that your...
Rotating Scrummasters - A good practice?
In many Scrum teams a practice has emerged to have the Scrummaster role played by a different team member each sprint. The ideas behind this are many and varied:Rotating the Scrummaster allows more people to learn Scrum in-depthEach team member adds new ideas to how to run the Scrum projectBuilds...
Pawel Brodzinski on Software Project Management
Project Management Failure Stories: I Expect You to Stay Late, Headcount
The project reached its final phase. It sucked as always. Everything should be ready by Friday afternoon but it looked like the whole weekend at work was the new plan for a group of people. Megan the Eager was among people who volunteered to stay late on Friday. She stayed...
The other day we were discussing different techniques aimed at improving code quality. Continuous integration, static code analysis, unit testing with or without applying test-driven development, code review – we’ve went through them all. At some point I sensed someone could feel that once they employ all this fine practices...
Agile Central Europe Program Announced
Program of Agile Central Europe conference has been announced. The event is held April 8-9 in Krakow, Poland. Among a list of great speakers you can find my presentation on Kanban. I’m looking forward to see you there. As one of locals I’m also open to have a couple of beers on...
So you’re a manager. You even think you’re pretty damn good manager. Fine for me. Do you remember Pointy-Haired Boss? Yes, that clueless manager from Dilbert cartoon. You have this guy sitting in your head. So do I, by the way. Is that supposed to be insult? Well, not exactly. I...
Make Registration Damn Easy (or Users Will Walk Away)
I recently registered to last Krakow .Net Developer’s Group meeting. Group’s site is run on SharePoint Server. What does it mean? Well, probably administrators can use vast choice of different web parts available for share point and can configure security in details. But what’s in it for me as a user?...
This is another posting about project management tools I use triggered by feedback I gathered from you. You won’t find here any fancy software reviews I post from time to time. You should rather expect tools like sticky notes or whiteboards. And when we are at it: if I could name...
Project Management Tips || Project Management, Collaboration and Knowledge Management Blog
February 2010 PMP Survey Results
First, I want to thank all of our readers who took the February PMP certification survey. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very pleased with the number of responses and found the results interesting. Certified or not? Since this was basically a survey on PMP certification, I thought it...
Virtual Teams: Key Success Factors – Part 2
As we identified in Part 1 – seven key success factors for virtual teams are: Human resource policies Training and on-the-job education and development Standard organizational and team processes Use of electronic collaboration and communication technology Organizational culture Leadership support of virtual teams Team-leader and team-member competencies In...
Virtual Teams: Key Success Factors – Part 1
The business justification for virtual teams is strong. They increase speed and agility and leverage expertise and vertical integration between organizations to make resources readily available. Virtual teams also lessen the disruption of people’s lives because the people do not have to travel to meet. And in today’s business world that’s big. ...
If you were at PMI’s Global Congress North America in the autumn you would have had the chance to meet the PMI Founders in person at a breakfast meeting one day during the conference. They were very interesting people, and it’s amazing that something that started off so randomly –...
Ten Characteristics of Successful Project Teams – Part 6
In Part 5 of this series we examined item eight of ten characteristics of successful project teams: a positive atmosphere. Here is the full list of the ten main characteristics of successful project teams that we will be examining in this series: Clearly defined goals Clearly defined roles Open and clear communication Effective decision...
Ten Characteristics of Successful Project Teams – Part 5
In Part 4 of this series we examined items six and seven of ten characteristics ofsuccessful project teams: valued diversity and managed conflict. Here is the full list of the ten main characteristics of successful project teams that we will be examining in this series: Clearly defined goals Clearly defined roles Open and...
Project Management Resources, Templates, Books, Tools, News :: PMToolbox
Great work Nintex! This is also great opportunity for all EPM partners to start building workflow templates for managing Project Lifecycle using the Nintex solution as a platform! This also stresses the importance of getting up to speed with SharePoint 2010 as it is a powerful platform for Project...
Microsoft Project Server 2010 Presence at TechEd North America 2010
I’m exited to announce the following Microsoft Project Server 2010 presence at TechEd 2010 in New Orleans from June 7-10. It will be an exciting event since we will have released 2010 then (Project 2010 and SharePoint 2010 are on schedule and will release to manufacturing (RTM) in April) ...
One of my favorite things about the Internet is how so many random pieces of information can converge upon my life. My web browser is the window through which I view most information that comes my way. I'd like to share with you a couple of interesting people who have...
Going up? Taking a sideways step in the job market
The career path for a project manager is pretty straightforward. Start on project support and small projects, manage bigger and bigger projects, then become a programme manager. Some people would argue that programme management and project management are different skill sets and programme management is not necessarily the natural progression. ...
Last Chance to Get Project 2010 Ignited!
Dear Customers/Partners, etc… quick reminder that you have one last chance to attend the Project 2010 Ignite free training in Seattle next week: Microsoft Project 2010 Ignite US Training Location and Dates in March 2010 (register and attend!) Just got back from delivering the content last week in Reston,...
Project Management Recruitment Ideas
Each week I’m going to share some short tips and ideas that may help you in your job hunting and help you navigate the project management recruitment path. It’s often the simpliest and most common sense stuff that trips people up when looking for a new job. The Application Process When you...
Project Smart: Project Management Articles
How Can I Have Responsibility Without Authority?
By far, the question I am most often asked during "Project Management . . . by the Numbers" has always been, "How can I get my project team to actually accomplish their tasks on time, if even at all?" After a short discussion, the question translates to, "I don't have...
10 Steps to Setting SMART Objectives
Setting effective objectives to guide your team and organisation is very important for a leader to get right. Badly formulated objectives will steer an organisation in the wrong direction. I found this 10 step approach to setting SMART objectives from the National Primary and Care Trust....
How Should the Project Manager Deal with Scope Creep?
Every project has (or should have) a set of deliverables, an assigned budget, and an expected closure time. There are agreed upon requirements and tasks to complete prior to the closure of project. These constitute the scope of the project. Any amount of variation in the scope of project can...
Project Managers Need Leadership Skills
If you are a project manager you really need leadership skills! Today's project managers must have leadership skills in order to effectively perform their roles in the organisation and stand out from the crowd. Something must make you distinct from the others, especially if you are currently job searching or...
During the life cycle of a typical project, a project manager can produce up to fifty different types of documents to facilitate the planning, tracking and reporting of the project. Documents range from feasibility studies, resource plans, financial plans and project plans, to supplier contracts, post-implementation reviews, change request forms...
The activity network diagram is a method of displaying the timelines of all the various sub-tasks that are involved in any project. By doing this, the total task duration and the earliest and latest start and finish times for each task are also calculated and displayed. In addition to showing...
No Kahuna
We had a suggestion from @johnwlong awhile back to improve the task list page by taking into account newlines. Previously, the task list simply showed the first X characters of the task. Now, it shows the first X characters of the first line of the task. This seems to really simplify...
Sometimes the best thing the makers of a website can do is remove a feature. It’s certainly uncommon in this age of software bloat and it can be painful if some of your customers have grown accustomed to the feature. The pain, though, is often worth it because it helps to...
The project managers out there will certainly appreciate the improvements we’ve made to task sorting. Previously, the task sort order was based on the category *and* the user. So each user could see the order of their tasks for a particular category. Now, it’s only based on the category. This allows...
We now have the ability to filter the task list by user. This...
We now have the ability to filter the task list by user. This cuts down on the noise and helps you to only look at the stuff that really matters....
When we originally added the ability to attach files in No Kahuna, we chose to make it a separate event, it’s own thing on a task or message. We were thinking that this made things simpler. The reality is that it confused many customers because they’re accustomed to attaching files to...
A handy little feature went out last week - we now have events...
A handy little feature went out last week - we now have events for when project members become subscribed/unsubscribed to tasks and messages. It’s nice to know when folks started listening in on the conversation....
The Tao of Project Management
I was looking back at some notes on project costs and one interesting factor is the number of organisations that totally ignore the cost of their own people working on projects. “That’s not the way we do things here” they say. Yet those staff cost the business real money. If...
The Project My current project is producing “Project 2010 in easy steps”. I’ve just finished the chapter covering the new fluent user interface (ribbon) and I have to admit that I am still not keen on it (maybe it’s my age but I can’t change the way I am). It...
The ProjectLast night I finally had my much delayed leaving drink with my old colleagues from the University. Seems my old project is now firmly stuck so it’s just as well I got out when I did. None of the team has seen anything of the new project manager and...
BeginningProjects don’t start with an Initiation Stage even though that is a nice formal, well-understood process. Projects start with an idea and at that time very little is known about the project, it is just the beginning. From this beginning many things will unfold and happen, these things will make...
Chapter 81 is the last chapter in the Tao so last week’s blog was the end of the series. But it is a cyclical process so out of the ending comes a new beginning. I will be away travelling in San Francisco, New Zealand and Hong Kong over the next...
Once again I find myself at the end of the cycle. Chapter 81 is the final chapter in the Tao. How very appropriate for coincidentally this week was my last working week at the University.The ProjectI called in after lunch on Thursday (my last day) to say goodbye and clear...
ThE pM sTuDeNt
I’m putting in a lot of time and effort into learn.pmStudent.com right now, and am fortunate to have received several submissions from new and familiar guest bloggers for pmStudent.com. For the next week or so you’ll be seeing posts from guest bloggers on topcs from requirements development to the obsolescence...
5 Tips on how to present projects successfully in project management
Your ultimate goal in rendering a project is to finish on time, below budget and with a happy client. But how do you perform it? Here are five tips to assist you. Be Honest As the saying goes “Honesty is the Best Policy”.You have to be honest all the time in dealing...
Contract type: Here’s the best one…
Aren't you on the edge of your seat? Read on to find the exciting answer... Related posts:Do testers goldplate too? Power: Case inquiry ...
How to not choke your business analyst
In an ideal world, the business analyst and project manager work seamlessly together to help the business achieve the most valuable solution. The ideal world rarely happens. Related posts:Help in starting a career in Project Management Business Task Management System How To Pursue Your PM Career Path ...
Very soon you will come to pmStudent.com and see a new look. This layout has worked well for over a year now, but it’s time for some changes. A few of the key enhancements in design and functionality I’m looking towards are: Improved ability to see what’s relevant to you immediately when visiting...
entp hoth blog - Everything ENTP
3,744 — the record number of updates to a single Lighthouse ticket. Whoa!...
Naklab iPhone apps bring Tender to a new level
Good customer support and the ease of user feedback are critical to the success of any indie developer. Aral Balkan, founder of Naklab, is no stranger to this. Aral uses both Tender Support and Lighthouse to maintain a streamlined workflow, making things as easy as possible for for him...
"Everything I Learned About Open Source Development I Learned From Indie Hip Hop" http://bit.ly/9b1WJy (feat. Corey Donohoe) Corey's talk at Aloha on Rails is totally worth the Silverlight installation required to view it. Seriously, check it out!...
We just deployed a new feature to Tender Support called Filters. Filters let you automatically sort and apply actions to new discussions that come in to your Tender site. We also cleaned up the form views, improved syncing reliability with multiple Lighthouse projects, added versioned CSS to avoid conflicts with...
We just shipped a new custom email feature! This lets you define your outgoing comment notification emails to customers, one per category (or share them, one for multiple categories). Why is this useful? Keep all your support in email by not displaying the "View this online" URL link. Your customers don't...
Introducing Companies and the User Inbox
We just rolled out an update to Tender Support which includes two new features and a little bit of style polish to the supporter dashboard. So what's new? Companies User Inboxes For more details on the new features, please continue reading....
gantthead.com
Technology: A Blessing and a Curse
Thankfully the world has advanced and project managers have a host of tools and technologies at their disposal to make life easier. But we have to be careful--while it can help us become more effective and efficient, it's not a substitute for good management and isn't always the answer. Read...
Activating Workers to Support Effective Governance
Project workers must be active participants in any governance program in order for it to be effective. But how do you enliven the "boring" topic of governance? Here are some ideas that will help the project workforce feel more responsible for governance in your project....
Rejecting the Bachelor (Degree)
Who says you need a bachelor's degree? PMs are still learning on the job. While employers prefer software application developers with a bachelor's degree, they're not turning their backs on developers with an associate's degree, vocational certificate or equivalent work experience....
Central Arizona Project's OPM3 Story (Part 2)
In today's economy, businesses must continuously improve processes and the PMO needs to continue to add value by maturing with the business. How do you know that your PMO and project management processes are effective? Who sets the standards and how do you compare your PMO to those standards? As...
Haiti: A Crisis Management Nightmare (Part 2)
An absence of leadership has crippled rescue efforts. For crisis managers in all areas, this tragedy is a harsh reminder that provides some important lessons. Here, we find out how experts are evaluating the Haitian crisis--and what they anticipate over the next critical months....
Projects can be delivered without software tools, but it sure makes it easier if you have a few tools in your pocket to make project execution a little easier. Inside you'll find four key tools you can apply on everyday engagements....
Better Projects
Read BABOK on Google books (for free)
Google books has the BABOK available for free online reading.I think this is a great idea from the guys at the IIBA. Congratulations IIBA on sharing knowledge rather than restricting it to those that can afford to join the club. It highlights the altruistic nature of the organisation.BABOK 2.0 on Google books...
How much do your project stakeholders appreciate your work?
Listen to this story and think about how and why project stakeholders react to your project outcomes.Experience is only part of the story. Memory, and it's related but different perceptions of what really happened is another - even more important - part....
On Tuesday I start another semester of teaching PM to a bunch of students enrolled in a Masters of IT. I've been doing it for two years so far. This is my third.Teaching is an interesting job. It's tiring lecturing and delivering all the time. I am still working on...
Kano analysis and Bernoulli’s error
By now we should all have an idea what Kano analysis looks like. There are basic, performance and excitement classes of requirements. You generally have to work your way through the basic ones before you can start to address the other categories.I have been reading Daniel Kahneman’s work on decision...
In Jan and Derek's article I linked to yesterday there is a set of statistics from the IIBA 'Practices survey" from 2008."Whilst the most regularly used diagramming technique was flowcharting (63%), when it came to formal diagramming notations, use case led the way (55%) followed by data flow diagrams (42%),...
What is a Business Analyst, by Jan and Derek
Everyone that writes on the role of the business analyst eventually has to cover their take on what the role actually is about.One of the best articles I read when doing research for my own position was by Jan Kusiak and Derek Brown. Last year I met Jan at...
Project Management Articles - PM Hut
The Importance of the Risk Log
The Importance of the Risk Log By Kerry Wills Every project that I have ever worked on treats risk management in the following way: Create a list of possible risks early on in the project and document their impact Never look at that list again I am guilty of this as well but wanted to...
CMM and Project Management - Procurement Management
CMM and Project Management - Procurement Management By Dave Nielsen This Key Process Area (KPA) is called Software Subcontract Management by CMM/CMMI but it aligns with the Procurement Management knowledge area of the PMBOK®. The objective is to select vendors who are best able to meet the projects needs in terms of...
Brown Bag Training in Project Management
Brown Bag Training in Project Management By Bruce McGraw Project managers worry about getting tasks done to tight schedule constraints. Everyone is always busy and suggesting that you and your team take time for training that is not directly related to project tasks might not be an appealing recommendation. I understand. However,...
Information Distribution in Project Management
Information Distribution in Project Management By Gina Abudi Ensuring that the right people (such as stakeholders, project team members, project sponsors, etc.) get the right information at the right time for project status updates and to make decisions on projects requires a great deal of planning. Effective distribution of information relies on...
Project Managers, Manage Those Expectations!
Project Managers, Manage Those Expectations! (#2 in the series Brief Tips for Project Managers) By Sondre Bjørnebekk Excuse me for the use of the exclamation mark in the title. I promise not to do it again, but as this point was beaten to the #1 spot, I just had to do i…...
Six Essential Capabilities for Practicing Project Portfolio Management
Six Essential Capabilities for Practicing Project Portfolio Management By Miley W. Merkhofer The basic capabilities you will need to practice PPM are: Capability to collect, store, and access project data. You’ll need to create one or more standardized templates for collecting data for proposed projects (you might want different templates for different types...