http://pm411.org project management internet radio show, templates, and webtools Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:37:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 The pm411.org Project Management Podcast is dedicated to help you at your job as a Project Manager or Program Manager, regardless if you have years of experience, or if you are just starting on your journey in Project Management. pm411.org is a place where you can come to find the latest in PM tools, PM Templates, PM tips, and PMI (PMBOK) methodologies that have been found to help others. It is a place where discussions can be had with project managers from around the globe and in every industry where project management permeates in our Project Management discussion forums. It is a place where you can find the best Project Management links to other sites dedicated to our wonderful profession. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no Ron Holohan, MBA PMP show@pm411.org show@pm411.org (Ron Holohan, MBA PMP) 2007-2012 Ron Holohan Project management internet radio show, discussion forum, methodology, templates, and webtools project, management, pm, prepcast, management, manager, pmi, pmp, team, management, schedule, budget http://pm411.org/wp-content/uploads/pm411logo_itunes.jpg http://pm411.org/category/pm-topics/pm-methodology/ http://pm411.org/2011/04/07/now-earn-30-free-pdus-at-pm411-org/ http://pm411.org/2011/04/07/now-earn-30-free-pdus-at-pm411-org/#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:59:54 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2100 http://pm411.org/2011/04/07/now-earn-30-free-pdus-at-pm411-org/feed/ 30 http://pm411.org/2011/01/30/podcast-episode-068-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-1/ http://pm411.org/2011/01/30/podcast-episode-068-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-1/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:46:23 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1825 http://pm411.org/2011/01/30/podcast-episode-068-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-1/feed/ 5 bad multitasking,delay,multitasking,parkinson's law,PM Video,presentation,ron holohan,schedule killers,student syndrome This is the introduction of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer. The other parts will be presented in the next few episodes. This is the introduction of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer. The other parts will be presented in the next few episodes. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/01/14/podcast-episode-067-stop-playing-games/ http://pm411.org/2011/01/14/podcast-episode-067-stop-playing-games/#comments Sat, 15 Jan 2011 05:23:39 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1786 http://pm411.org/2011/01/14/podcast-episode-067-stop-playing-games/feed/ 6 Do you ever get tired of playing games? - No. I’m not talking about Scrabble or poker or even Dungeons and Dragons Online in which incidentally, I am a current fourth level paladin. No, rather I’m speaking about the games that we get to play every... Do you ever get tired of playing games? No. I’m not talking about Scrabble or poker or even Dungeons and Dragons Online in which incidentally, I am a current fourth level paladin. No, rather I’m speaking about the games that we get to play every day as project managers. What games you ask? Oh, you know the ones like “The Pricing Game,” “Guess the Truth,” and “Grapevine.” Well, lucky for us, Rick Morris, PMP, provides some strategies on how to win at these games. Rick Morris is the best-selling author of the book Stop Playing Games: A Project Manager’s Guide to Successfully Navigating Organizational Politics. This book, from the author of Project Management That Works and The Everything Project Management Book, dives deep into topics of gaining buy-in from upper management, accurately estimating timing and cost, controlling project communications, managing within a corporate culture, taking care of your team, and more. The Inspiration Behind the Book Frustration was one of the factors that inspired Rick to write Stop Playing Games. Frustration often occurs when project managers are ask to try to beat impossible deadlines with budgets and dates that they didn’t help set and without the authority to be successful.  Then, often we get to take the blame for when it all goes wrong! Luckily, Rick has worked with a lot of executives, both as a consultant and as a project manager, and has been able to help many see that their team leaders actually share the same goals that they have. In the end, we’re all people and we all want to be successful. By applying tips from Rick’s book, project managers can help their executives look so much better than they do today. In the long run, together we can stop playing these games and just have an honest relationship and become successful together. So, who's ready for a hug? The Current Status of Project Management Rick contends that the current status of project management is that a lot of people want a “quick fix” to improve corporate efficiency and they think that Project Management might be able to provide that, but they don’t want to put in the needed work to make the process changes to truly get the benefit of doing it the right way. One of the reasons we try to play “games” is because, just like when "Six Sigma" was new to organizations ten years ago, Project Management is new to a lot of organizations today. If you remember when Six Sigma became so prevalent, you had stories of Motorola and GE getting all these gains and successes from implementing Six Sigma. They had these results that suggested that if you brought a certified "Master Black Belt" in, your organization would suddenly become tremendously more efficient overnight. Although organizations are starting to recognize that Project Management does bring dividends, they still don’t know exactly how to help project managers do their jobs succesfully. What’s happening is they think “Oh, we just established a Project Managemetn Office (PMO), now we’re finally going to have better project predictability.” Unfortunately, the problem is that organizations don’t want to put in the effort to really change any of their processes. Perhaps they read some journal article that said, “Hey, if you hire a project manager, you can get results.” So, they go and hire a PMP. But they don't provide the time or budget to effectively plan and execute the project. Soon the top floor wants to know “Where are these results we were promised?” As a result, in many cases project managers simply end up being big paper pushers and additional money gets spent to bring in consultants to figure out that the organization's processes and expectations never got changed to allow projects to come in under budget, under schedule, and within scope. When I grow up, I want to be a Project Manager Most of us really didn’t plan to become a project manager. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 26:05 http://pm411.org/2010/05/31/podcast-episode-060-rats-snakes-and-complex-projects-with-geoff-crane/ http://pm411.org/2010/05/31/podcast-episode-060-rats-snakes-and-complex-projects-with-geoff-crane/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:57:28 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1444 http://pm411.org/2010/05/31/podcast-episode-060-rats-snakes-and-complex-projects-with-geoff-crane/feed/ 3 complex projects,Geoff Crane,papercut,papercut edge,papercut pm,planning,Risk Management,scope I once described Geoff Crane's Papercut Edge blog like this: "Imagine if Project Management rode the scary rollercoaster and then threw up... That's what Geoff Crane's blog is like." And Geoff just so happens to also an expert on complex projects. I once described Geoff Crane's Papercut Edge blog like this: "Imagine if Project Management rode the scary rollercoaster and then threw up... That's what Geoff Crane's blog is like." And Geoff just so happens to also an expert on complex projects. Especially those projects where the exterminator needs to be called in. And lucky for us, Geoff is willing to share some of his tips on managing complex projects. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 23:44 http://pm411.org/2009/02/24/are-you-an-artist-or-a-producer/ http://pm411.org/2009/02/24/are-you-an-artist-or-a-producer/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:17:14 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=468 http://pm411.org/2009/02/24/are-you-an-artist-or-a-producer/feed/ 0 http://pm411.org/2008/10/05/podcast-episode-037-the-role-of-the-project-manager/ http://pm411.org/2008/10/05/podcast-episode-037-the-role-of-the-project-manager/#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:06:08 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=362 http://pm411.org/2008/10/05/podcast-episode-037-the-role-of-the-project-manager/feed/ 0 cornelius fichtner,pm prepcast,pmp,project manager,roles Today we preview another one of the PM PrepCast episodes that we offer through The pm411.org Project Management Podcast!  Today's episode is on the role of the Project Manager according to the PMBOK guide. Today we preview another one of the PM PrepCast episodes that we offer through The pm411.org Project Management Podcast!  Today's episode is on the role of the Project Manager according to the PMBOK guide.  You will definitely need to know your role and understand it well in order the pass the PMP exam. During this episode, Cornelius Fichtner, of the PM Podcast, walks us through some situational questions that you may face on the PMP exam like what to do when your project does not have enough funding or what to do if you find yourself with not enough resources.  By understanding the role of the project manager, as stated by the PMBOK guide, you can better answer the questions on the PMP exam. And if you are studying for the PMP, or if you are simply interested in learning project management best practices, we offer all 89 episodes - a total of over 35 hours of material that covers the entire PMBOK section by section.  Simply go to www.pm411.org/prepcast to learn more and to start downloading all episodes today for only $49.99 $99.97 (for the 4th edition of the PMP Exam).  That is hundreds of dollars less than many other resources that help you prepare for the PMP.  I can tell you that I bought these episodes and found it to be a great way to study while commuting, walking the dog, and exercising.  The PM Prepcast made sure I had the background knowledge of all the PMBOK processes to pass the PMP exam on the first try.  So, check it out at www.pm411.org/prepcast today. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 20:08 http://pm411.org/2008/05/11/podcast-episode-030-pink-floyd-project-management/ http://pm411.org/2008/05/11/podcast-episode-030-pink-floyd-project-management/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 02:50:43 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=208 http://pm411.org/2008/05/11/podcast-episode-030-pink-floyd-project-management/feed/ 1 money,pink floyd,scope,time,triple constraint   - The British rock band Pink Floyd has held a significant place in my life.  I discovered Pink Floyd when the line "We don't need no education" from "Another Brick in the Wall" was ubiquitous on the radio waves and it definitely seemed to make a l...   The British rock band Pink Floyd has held a significant place in my life.  I discovered Pink Floyd when the line "We don't need no education" from "Another Brick in the Wall" was ubiquitous on the radio waves and it definitely seemed to make a lot of sense to me as a rebellious 10 year old. Later while I was in junior high, my rather conservative father took me to my first R-rated movie, which was "Pink Floyd:  The Wall"  This somewhat awkward outing between a man and his son had a dramatic effect on me.  It wasn't just the darkness behind the music, the visuals, and the tormented rock star who began his decent into madness.  It was mostly because I actually saw my father in a whole new light - he could actually be pretty cool. So, after having Pink Floyd shape my early adolescence, it really came to be no surprise to me when I discovered much later in life an interesting (and somewhat eerie) connection between project management and what is considered Pink Floyd's magnum opus, Dark Side of the Moon. Pink Floyd's conceptual album Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973 and spent over 14 years in Billboard's top 200 album chart.  The musical and technological experimentation found on the album, even its themes of money, time, and madness were all considered revolutionary at the time.  Even the album artwork has become iconic in pop culture. Much has been written about an effect known as "The Dark Side of the Rainbow" where apparently when The Dark Side of the Moon is played simultaneously with the classic film The Wizard of Oz, numerous images from the film appear to synchronize with the music and lyrics.  However, I have not been able to find any writings or articles on the also apparent associations between the album and the project management triple constraint of time, cost, and scope. Album Artwork The front cover artwork shows a triangular representation of a refracting prism, changing an input of pure white light into the product of all of the colors of the visible light spectrum.  The transformative "scope" of the prism allows light to be separated into its constituent parts by laws of refraction, most of which I have repressed from my high school and college physics classes.  But, what is interesting to us as project managers is that the album cover represents an equilateral triangle, similar to the equilateral triangle frequently used to represent the triple constraint of time, cost, and scope found in project management. Time It just so happens that The Dark Side of the Moon contains a track called "Time" that deals with the "refraction" of time that appears to occur as one transitions from life's beginning to end.  In other words, time has the appearance of speeding up as one gets closer to the end of one's lifetime.  Often at the end of one's life people find themselves saying, "If only I had more time."  I suggest that this even happens on projects.  How often do we "fritter and waste" upfront time in a project due to poor planning or requirement definition only to rush and try to make up the lost time later in the project lifecycle? Cost The sixth track on The Dark Side of the Moon is called "Money."  And even the line "Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash" appeals to the triple constraint's fundamental "Cost" constraint.  The more money your project is funded with, typically the more successful your project will be in meeting the other tenets of the triple constraint. Scope Wikipedia refers to scope within the context of the triple constraint as "requirements specified for the end result."  I believe that it would have been slightly too obvious if there was indeed a track on the album simply titled "Scope."  Those that know Pink Floyd know that "the obvious" is just not a theme usually found in their repertoire.  However, there is a three-and-a-half-minute instrumental jam on the album known as "Any Colour You Like, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 8:17 http://pm411.org/2008/04/28/podcast-episode-029-project-cost-budgeting/ http://pm411.org/2008/04/28/podcast-episode-029-project-cost-budgeting/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:59:02 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=204 http://pm411.org/2008/04/28/podcast-episode-029-project-cost-budgeting/feed/ 0 furniture VidenovToday, I have a special treat in store for you.  Today I am going to let you preview one of the 89 PM PrepCast episodes that we offer through The pm411.org Project Management Podcast!  Today's episode is on Project Cost Budgeting w... furniture VidenovToday, I have a special treat in store for you.  Today I am going to let you preview one of the 89 PM PrepCast episodes that we offer through The pm411.org Project Management Podcast!  Today's episode is on Project Cost Budgeting which is, of course, one of the many PM processes within PMI's Cost Management Knowledge area.  During this episode, Cornelius Fichtner, of the PM Podcast, walks us through the difference between Cost Estimating and Cost Budgeting. Then discusses using the project schedule, the WBS, parametric estimating, the cost baseline, project funding requirements and other topics you need to understand to successfully pass the PMP. Cost Budgeting is concerned with rolling the cost of individual work packages up to a total project baseline cost that can be monitored as part of the project's overall performance. Cost Budgeting Process Inputs In order to estimate the project budget needed successfully, Cost Budgeting uses several process inputs including: The Project Scope Statement The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) The WBS Dictionary Activity Cost Estimates Activity Cost Estimate Supporting Detail Project Schedule Resource Calendars Contract And the Cost Management Plan Each of these inputs are required when using the tools and techniques to estimate the overall project cost. Cost Budgeting Process Tools and Techniques Some of the tools and techniques used in Cost Budgeting include Cost Aggregation, Reserve Analysis, Parametric Estimating, and Funding Limit Reconciliation. Cost Aggregation is simply estimating the cost estimate for each of the project schedule activities and work packages.  These can then be rolled up and "aggregated" to various cost management levels by using the WBS and combining the various related work package costs.  These are then further rolled up into the various control accounts and finally the overall project cost.  Simple enough, huh? Reserve Analysis creates emergency or contingency reserves.  An example of such a reserve is the Management Contingency Reserve.  These reserves are for unplanned, but required, changes to project scope and cost.  These reserves are used for risks to the project that have been identified as "unknown unknowns".  These reserves are not part of the project cost baseline, but should be included in the overall project budget.  Since they are not considered a part of the project cost baseline, they are not used for earned value calculations.  Think of Reserve Analysis as your extra money you keep in your checking account to prevent you from accidently bouncing checks to pay for your daughters highly variable wireless phone bill.  So, BTW did or didn't Bettylou break up with her b/f?  Parametric Estimation always reminds me of using a cookbook recipe and changing it slightly to either feed more or less people.  Basically you use an actual measurement from a similar previous project to estimate the cost of the current project.  For example, perhaps a previous project had a labor rate of $40/hr for 2500 hours for a total project labor cost of $100,000 .  You estimate through Cost Aggregation that this new project will take approximately 4000 hours.  By using parametric estimation with the same labor rate, you estimate the total labor cost for the new project to be approximately $160,000.  That's a lot of pies! Funding Limit Reconciliation is about "smoothing" out project expenditures to prevent sudden periodic over expenditures from occurring.  Fund disbursement is discussed early with the customer to determine the when exactly work can be scheduled to prevent over spending during a particular period.  If it is determined that Cost expenditures are constrained, then the Project Manager needs to know what effect this has on the overall project schedule and resources. Cost Budgeting Outputs The outputs generated by the Cost Budgeting Process include the project Cost Baseline, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 28:11 http://pm411.org/2008/04/12/having-a-robust-governance-process/ http://pm411.org/2008/04/12/having-a-robust-governance-process/#comments Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:35:32 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=199 http://pm411.org/2008/04/12/having-a-robust-governance-process/feed/ 0 http://pm411.org/2008/04/12/quantum-mechanics-buddhism-and-projects/ http://pm411.org/2008/04/12/quantum-mechanics-buddhism-and-projects/#comments Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:55:33 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=198 http://pm411.org/2008/04/12/quantum-mechanics-buddhism-and-projects/feed/ 0 http://pm411.org/2008/03/16/podcast-episode-026-the-meaning-of-life-or-at-least-of-process-groups/ http://pm411.org/2008/03/16/podcast-episode-026-the-meaning-of-life-or-at-least-of-process-groups/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:18:27 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/03/16/podcast-episode-026-the-meaning-of-life%e2%80%a6-or-at-least-of-process-groups/ http://pm411.org/2008/03/16/podcast-episode-026-the-meaning-of-life-or-at-least-of-process-groups/feed/ 0 process groups,product lifecycle,project lifecycle,project phases   So, do you know what the difference is between project phases and project management process groups?  - I recently received an email from Emmanuel, and guess what?  Emmanuel wants to know what the difference is between project management phases a...   So, do you know what the difference is between project phases and project management process groups?  I recently received an email from Emmanuel, and guess what?  Emmanuel wants to know what the difference is between project management phases and project management process groups!  Wow, Good question, Emmanuel, and thank you for your email!  I like getting email, and I like getting email concerning project management topics even more.  I guess I am just kind of silly in that regard.  But, before talking about the differences between project phases and process groups, we need to first understand the difference between Project Lifecycles and Product Lifecycles. Product and Project Lifecycles  A product lifecycle includes everything from a product's first concept to the point when the product is eventually discontinued and made into that EBay collectable that you are sure your Aunt Sally would love!  And within the product lifecycle, we have the project lifecycle.  The project lifecycle is a subset of the product lifecycle, where the product or service is developed and goes from initial concept to initial production.  So, to summarize, the Project Lifecycle is the process whereby the product is created, and Product Lifecycle is the entire life of the product.Confused yet?  Well hang on to your saddle as we start down the path of project phases and process groups.  Yee Haw! Project Phases Project phases are discrete sections of the project lifecycle that are established to help projects follow a common process methodology within an organization.  Not all organizations use project phases, although there are many good reasons to use them, including: Better resource planning Better deliverable tracking Project decision points throughout the project Tighter project control and risk management Earlier identification of problems And increased process consistency from project to project Process Groups Process groups are part of every project, whether we realize it or not.  The Project Management Institute defines the five project management process groups as Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.  PMI states that "collectively, these five groups are required for any project; [they] have clear internal dependencies, and must be performed in the same sequence on each project."  A lot of folks interchange the phrase "project management process group" with "project phase" without really knowing truly what the differences are.  However, the PMBOK is quite clear that "Project management process groups are not project phases!"  Just like your brother Frank does not equal "rocket scientist".  Sorry Frank! True, some industries use project phases that resemble the naming conventions of process groups, but process groups are repeated throughout the project and even throughout a phase.    Guide to the Project management Body of Knowledge, 3rd Edition, 2004, Project Management Institute, PA, 2004, Figure 3-2 p40. Putting It All Together Let's use a simple example to demonstrate the difference between project phases and process groups.  Let's even choose an industry we are all familiar with - our lives! Consider the lifespan of a person.  Would you agree that there are different phases within a human life?  You start off your life for the first 20 or so years in the Childhood phase.  You move on and enjoy the Young Adulthood phase between the ages of 21 and 41.  Then comes the Midlife phase from 42 to 62,  Elderhood Phase between 63 and 83, and then the Late Elderhood Phase.  Each phase in your life has certain milestones and deliverables, such as learning to walk and talk, graduating from school, getting married, having children, having grandchildren, sometimes even great-grandchildren, retirement, and then the day when you get to meet the great program manager in the sky! Now, getting back to Process Groups, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 8:47 http://pm411.org/2008/02/03/podcast-episode-023-6-steps-to-successful-schedules/ http://pm411.org/2008/02/03/podcast-episode-023-6-steps-to-successful-schedules/#comments Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:03:41 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/02/03/podcast-episode-023-6-steps-to-successful-schedules/ http://pm411.org/2008/02/03/podcast-episode-023-6-steps-to-successful-schedules/feed/ 0 Creating a comprehensive schedule is one of the more difficult activities that Project Managers face.  Schedule creation is often considered more art than science - and results often support this.  What is often more frustrating is that team members ... Creating a comprehensive schedule is one of the more difficult activities that Project Managers face.  Schedule creation is often considered more art than science - and results often support this.  What is often more frustrating is that team members often find themselves on one team with a project manager that creates and manages schedules a particular way and on another team with a project manager with a different approach.  I often hear from people on teams, "why can't all project managers do things the same way?" If you have heard this on your team, perhaps it is time that you take a look at the way you and your team create your team schedules.  Perhaps you are not taking a consistent step in developing team schedules that have been shown to work time and time again. There are tons and tons of resources out there that claim the perfect answer to your scheduling problems.  But, I believe that you can improve your chances for success just by following the six simple steps below.  Step 1:  Define the schedule activities Take your WBS work packages and decompose them further into schedule activities.  If you haven’t created a WBS yet for your project, you will want to listen to Episode 4 on Work Breakdown Structures.  Take each WBS work package, and decide what activities are required to create that package.  For example, if your work package is "Configure New Computer Hardware," your schedule activities might include "set up network configuration," "install the video card," "install applications," and then "set up mail client." Step 2:  Sequence the activities Remember back in grade school where you were given a bunch of pictures and you had to figure out their order.  You had to decide which picture represented the 1st activity, the 2nd activity and so on?  Well, that is exactly what the second step is all about. In second step we sequence the schedule activities by simply placing them in the order in which they need to happen.  For example, perhaps we need to install the video card first, then set up the network configuration, install application and then finally set up the mail client. In some cases two or more activities can be done simultaneously.  Perhaps we can set up the mail client while other applications are being installed. This is step is where we look at the different types of schedule dependencies such as finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish to figure out how each of these activities relate to each other.  Step 3:  Estimate the resources needed for the activity The third step involves estimating what resources will be required to accomplish each activity.  This includes estimating needed team resources, financial resources, and equipment.  These resource needs should be selected for each activity prior to estimating the duration of each activity which is the next step. Step 4:  Estimating the duration of each of the activities This step requires you and your team to analyze how long it will take to accomplish each of the activities. These estimates can be quantified through the following tools: Expert Judgement - by conferring with someone who is familiar or experienced in what it takes to accomplish a particular activity. Analogous Estimating - a top-down estimation approach is taken by looking at similar projects within your organization for estimates on how long a particular activity should take.  Parametric Estimating – Basically this is scaling an estimate.  For example, perhaps you know it takes on average 10 minutes to install a software application.  If the “install applications” activity includes the installation of 6 applications, you can use parametric estimation to estimate that it will take approximately 6 times 10 minutes, or 60 minutes to install all the applications.  Three point estimation - Sometimes referred to as PERT analysis, is a great tool for estimating activity durations. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 8:57 http://pm411.org/2008/01/13/special-my-organizations-product-development-process-episode/ http://pm411.org/2008/01/13/special-my-organizations-product-development-process-episode/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:51:27 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/01/13/special-my-organizations-product-development-process-episode/ http://pm411.org/2008/01/13/special-my-organizations-product-development-process-episode/feed/ 0 Back in July, my friend Cornelius Fichtner from The Project Management Podcast, and I swapped podcast interviews.  Today's special podcast episode is a part of that interview, brought to you by the Project Management Podcast, Back in July, my friend Cornelius Fichtner from The Project Management Podcast, and I swapped podcast interviews.  Today's special podcast episode is a part of that interview, brought to you by the Project Management Podcast, where Cornelius and I discuss how the company in which I am employed as a Program Manager is organized, what processes it uses to develop products, and where I see opportunities for improvement. In my role as a program manager in my organization, I have five project managers that report to me and I help to plan, execute, and monitor/control the roadmap for the audio and accessory products that my project managers are responsible for.  I work in a Weak Matrix Organization, where team members directly report to a functional manager and indirectly report to one or more project managers.  This works fairly well, allowing project managers to focus on completing the project goals and the functional managers focused on insuring the product performance and fulfilling the project's resource needs.  I feel that I am fortunate that I work in an organization with a strong project management and development process.  Having a well-documented development process that loosely follows the methodology found in the PMBOK allows recently hired project managers get up to speed quickly at my organization. Our development is based on a phase-gated process, which I believe allows closer project monitoring and controlling, as well as giving the management the clear ability to kill or redirect a project at key "kill-points" for those projects not meeting its deliverables.  My company also uses a Project Review Board which tracks the planned milestones of a project through a weekly status report.  If the project milestones are missed by more than 2 weeks, it triggers the team to hold an interim phase review with the Project Review Board.  The Project Review board is composed of both program management representation and functional managers that can help to make decisions and clear roadblocks to get the team back on schedule/budget/scope.  This requires some discipline on the part of the project team to closely monitor and report their status on a weekly basis, but since instituting weekly status reporting and the Project Review Board teams have done a better job meeting their planned schedules, budget, and product requirements. My organization is always looking for ways of improving its processes.  One area that we are looking at is in developing a Project Management Office (PMO).  Product Development, the division in which I work, is only one area that my company utilizes project management.  My company also manages projects within its Operations, Facility Management, and Information System (IS) departments.  However, currently each of these areas really has its own project process and organizational assets - some more defined than others.  By developing a corporate-wide PMO, I believe that we will be able to better meet the needs of all areas of project management within our organization through common methodology, project tracking tools, and coordination. Another area that my company is investigating is using Critical Chain Project Management to help better utilize and focus resources assigned to various projects.  Focusing solely on the project Critical Path has not always provided successful product launches for us.  This is especially true for those projects with resources that were assigned on many other teams. One of the biggest challenges that I face as a Program Manager within my organization is keeping the sanctity of the triple-constraint.  Too often teams are asked to bring in dates without being allowed to change the project scope or project cost.  Often the thought is that teams should learn to "work smarter, not harder".  What is interesting is that we are learning to work smarter - through better enforcement of the triple-constraint and better scope management. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2007/12/31/podcast-episode-021-bonus-episode-how-to-create-new-year-project-resolutions-that-work/ http://pm411.org/2007/12/31/podcast-episode-021-bonus-episode-how-to-create-new-year-project-resolutions-that-work/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:04:35 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/12/31/podcast-episode-021-bonus-episode-how-to-create-new-year-project-resolutions-that-work/ http://pm411.org/2007/12/31/podcast-episode-021-bonus-episode-how-to-create-new-year-project-resolutions-that-work/feed/ 0 This is a special year-end bonus episode of the pm411.org Project Management Podcast to show my appreciation to our faithful listeners. - In this special episode I provide you with some tips on how you can make sure your project team starts off on the... This is a special year-end bonus episode of the pm411.org Project Management Podcast to show my appreciation to our faithful listeners. In this special episode I provide you with some tips on how you can make sure your project team starts off on the... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 12:00 http://pm411.org/2007/09/18/podcast-episode-013-how-i-became-a-pmp/ http://pm411.org/2007/09/18/podcast-episode-013-how-i-became-a-pmp/#comments Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:52:20 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/09/18/podcast-episode-013-how-i-became-a-pmp/ http://pm411.org/2007/09/18/podcast-episode-013-how-i-became-a-pmp/feed/ 0 Sorry - I am reposting this episode since there were some link issues with the original posting... - I am happy to announce that on September 7th, 2007 I passed the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification Exam. Sorry - I am reposting this episode since there were some link issues with the original posting... I am happy to announce that on September 7th, 2007 I passed the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification Exam.  In today's show I talk about...   Why I chose to become a PMP® What I did to prepare for the exam and how long it took me What sections of the exam I felt were especially difficult What I would do differently if I were to take the exam over again And finally, how I believe being a PMP® will help me at my current job I also created a template (PMP® Practice Exam Answer Sheet Template) that I used while taking practice exams which you can use yourself.  Also, here is the link to the PM PrepCast.  Thanks for listening!  Ron Holohan, PMP®  Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast delivered by email for free! Full Disclosure:  We are an affiliate of the PMP® PrepCast™ and earn a referral commission in exchange for actively testing and promoting this beneficial project management tool to our readers and listeners.  The commission earned helps to offset our hosting, equipment, and publishing costs and allows us to continue to provide our readers and listeners with valuable free content. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 18:08 http://pm411.org/2007/08/12/free-project-management-giveaways/ http://pm411.org/2007/08/12/free-project-management-giveaways/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:45:11 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/08/12/free-project-management-giveaways/ http://pm411.org/2007/08/12/free-project-management-giveaways/feed/ 0 http://pm411.org/2007/08/05/podcast-episode-011-critical-chain-project-management/ http://pm411.org/2007/08/05/podcast-episode-011-critical-chain-project-management/#comments Sun, 05 Aug 2007 22:50:04 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/08/05/podcast-episode-011-critical-chain-project-management/ http://pm411.org/2007/08/05/podcast-episode-011-critical-chain-project-management/feed/ 4 According to research by the Standish Group, using traditional project management approaches, only 44% of projects finish on time.  In fact, the study showed that projects on average complete at 122% over the original schedule, According to research by the Standish Group, using traditional project management approaches, only 44% of projects finish on time.  In fact, the study showed that projects on average complete at 122% over the original schedule, 89% over the original budget, 70% of projects don't meet their planned scope, and 30% are cancelled before completion (Standish 1994).   But, what if I were to tell you that there is a proven project management methodology out there that has been credited with allowing project managers to complete their projects 10% to 50% faster and cheaper than by traditional Critical Path or PERT methods alone?  What if I also told you this methodology has also been credited with up to 95% on time and on budget success when applied correctly?     Sound too good to be true?   In episode 11 we talk to Mr. Larry Leach, PMP to learn more about the Critical Chain Project Management Methodology and its keys to success.  Larry Leach is the president of Advanced Projects Incorporated.  Prior to founding API, he was a vice president in several Fortune 500 companies, managing projects up to $1 billion dollars (US). His 30-plus years of experience as a project manager involve varied projects that include software development, research and development and construction. Larry has a master’s degree in business management from the University of Idaho (USA) and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut (USA). He is certified in the Theory of Constraints, and the leading expert on Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM). He is a member of PMI and has published many papers on related topics including articles in PM Network and in the Project Management Journal. Larry is a facilitator for the University of Phoenix, an instructor for PMI Seminars, and a certified Project Management Professional.  His clients include Abbot Laboratories, American Express, Boeing, GTE, Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, Motorola, Shell, Texaco, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Air Force, and many others. His books, Critical Chain Project Management, and Lean Project Management: Eight Principles for Success, are available from Amazon.com.  Also, be sure to visit the Advanced Projects website at www.Advanced-Projects.com.  There you will find more information about CCPM and API's software that integrates with Microsoft Project called CCPM+.   We will draw the names of two lucky listeners on August 25th to win either a free ebook copy of  his book Lean Project Management, or a free copy of his Critical Chain software add-on for Microsoft Project, CCPM+.  Simply send an e-mail with your name and e-mail address to show@pm411.org with "CCPM Drawing" in the subject line before August 25th, 2007.   If you have had success using Critical Chain Project Management or have any comments or questions about using CCPM, please stop by and post on the discussion board through the pm411.org website.  The discussion board allow you to ask questions or post comments on everything from general discussions, PMBOK, team building, PM software, books, and more.  Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast delivered by email for free!  - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented.    Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 25:29 http://pm411.org/2007/06/27/review-part-2-the-project-management-prepcast/ http://pm411.org/2007/06/27/review-part-2-the-project-management-prepcast/#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:28:16 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/06/27/review-part-2-the-project-management-prepcast/ http://pm411.org/2007/06/27/review-part-2-the-project-management-prepcast/feed/ 0 http://pm411.org/2007/05/24/review-the-project-management-prepcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/24/review-the-project-management-prepcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/#comments Thu, 24 May 2007 20:22:58 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/05/24/review-the-project-management-prepcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/24/review-the-project-management-prepcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/feed/ 0 http://pm411.org/2007/03/11/27/ http://pm411.org/2007/03/11/27/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2007 06:55:33 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/03/11/27/ http://pm411.org/2007/03/11/27/feed/ 1