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 http://pm411.org/2012/01/02/podcast-episode-081-5-steps-to-create-a-successful-pmo/ http://pm411.org/2012/01/02/podcast-episode-081-5-steps-to-create-a-successful-pmo/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:20:53 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2600 http://pm411.org/2012/01/02/podcast-episode-081-5-steps-to-create-a-successful-pmo/feed/ 14 best practices,how to create a pmo,pm411,pmo,process,project management,project management office,ron holohan Today I give you 5 steps to help you create a successful Project Management Office in your organization. Today I give you 5 steps to help you create a successful Project Management Office in your organization. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 12:18 http://pm411.org/2011/11/06/podcast-080-conflict-resolution-with-margaret-meloni/ http://pm411.org/2011/11/06/podcast-080-conflict-resolution-with-margaret-meloni/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 05:12:39 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2561 http://pm411.org/2011/11/06/podcast-080-conflict-resolution-with-margaret-meloni/feed/ 11 conflict,disagreement,margaret meloni,resolution Today I speak with conflict resolution expert Margaret Meloni about conflict on projects, conflict resolution, and some of the coaching and tools she has available to help you effectively manage the conflict on your teams. Today I speak with conflict resolution expert Margaret Meloni about conflict on projects, conflict resolution, and some of the coaching and tools she has available to help you effectively manage the conflict on your teams. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 26:23 http://pm411.org/2011/10/23/podcast-episode-079-the-people-side-of-change-management/ http://pm411.org/2011/10/23/podcast-episode-079-the-people-side-of-change-management/#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2011 05:45:13 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2554 http://pm411.org/2011/10/23/podcast-episode-079-the-people-side-of-change-management/feed/ 5 brian richardson,change management,overcoming resistance,people side of change management,project change,project change requests I recently talked with change expert Brian Richardson on overcoming resistance to change on our teams by understanding the people side of change management. I recently talked with change expert Brian Richardson on overcoming resistance to change on our teams by understanding the people side of change management. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 19:11 http://pm411.org/2011/09/12/podcast-episode-078-the-value-of-your-pmo/ http://pm411.org/2011/09/12/podcast-episode-078-the-value-of-your-pmo/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:16:51 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2517 http://pm411.org/2011/09/12/podcast-episode-078-the-value-of-your-pmo/feed/ 2 create a pmo,pm network,pm solutions,pm value,pmi,pmo,pmo failure,pmo successes,project management office,project management solutions,shure,sm7b You can't just create a PMO and expect everyone to jump on board to support it. Especially when 50% of PMOs fail the first time around. So, In order to get the resources and budget necessary for the PMO to be successful, You can't just create a PMO and expect everyone to jump on board to support it. Especially when 50% of PMOs fail the first time around. So, In order to get the resources and budget necessary for the PMO to be successful, you need to show the value that a PMO will bring to your organization. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 15:23 http://pm411.org/2011/08/25/podcast-episode-077-the-dirty-little-secret-of-business/ http://pm411.org/2011/08/25/podcast-episode-077-the-dirty-little-secret-of-business/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:07:02 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2500 http://pm411.org/2011/08/25/podcast-episode-077-the-dirty-little-secret-of-business/feed/ 2 andy kaufman,behaviors,Communication,david allen,devora zack,ferrazzi,hillson,i-leadonline,networking,people and projects podcast,pm groups,pmi Recently I spoke with author, speaker, and executive coach Andy Kaufman. What I was interested in getting from Andy was what is behind what Andy calls “The Dirty Little Secret of Business” – you know, Recently I spoke with author, speaker, and executive coach Andy Kaufman. What I was interested in getting from Andy was what is behind what Andy calls “The Dirty Little Secret of Business” – you know, that one thing that can really make you or break you in your career as a project manager. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 41:24 http://pm411.org/2011/07/10/podcast-episode-076-the-pm-exam-simulator/ http://pm411.org/2011/07/10/podcast-episode-076-the-pm-exam-simulator/#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:28:50 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2450 http://pm411.org/2011/07/10/podcast-episode-076-the-pm-exam-simulator/feed/ 2 pm exam simulator,pmi,pmp,pmp prep,pmp simulator,project management professional At some point you are going to have to ask yourself: "Am I ready to take the PMP Exam?" Here is the secret to answering this question and passing the exam on your first try! At some point you are going to have to ask yourself: "Am I ready to take the PMP Exam?" Here is the secret to answering this question and passing the exam on your first try! Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 22:09 http://pm411.org/2011/05/25/podcast-episode-075-e-project-managers-schedule-training/ http://pm411.org/2011/05/25/podcast-episode-075-e-project-managers-schedule-training/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 13:16:53 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2105 http://pm411.org/2011/05/25/podcast-episode-075-e-project-managers-schedule-training/feed/ 2 dora tarver,e-project,Gantt Chart,Microsoft Project,MS Project,project,schedules,Scheduling,Scheduling Programs,training,video training Regardless if you are experienced or a beginner with Microsoft Project you will benefit from this exclusive weekly video coaching program. The secret strategies to quickly create and manage project schedules is the foundation for successful project ma... Regardless if you are experienced or a beginner with Microsoft Project you will benefit from this exclusive weekly video coaching program. The secret strategies to quickly create and manage project schedules is the foundation for successful project management, and for the first time you will receive the information you need in a clear and easy to learn system that will help you be successful. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/05/12/podcast-episode-074-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-7/ http://pm411.org/2011/05/12/podcast-episode-074-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-7/#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 04:28:47 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2118 http://pm411.org/2011/05/12/podcast-episode-074-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-7/feed/ 5 bad multitasking,delay,durations,estimation,late,multi-switching,multi-tasking,multitasking,on-time,PM experiment,PM Video,presentation This is part 7, and the final part, of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer.  In Part 7, I discuss how you can defeat the "Schedule Killers" on your next project. - So now that we have covered the three Schedule Killers ... This is part 7, and the final part, of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer.  In Part 7, I discuss how you can defeat the "Schedule Killers" on your next project. So now that we have covered the three Schedule Killers ... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/04/05/podcast-episode-073-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-6/ http://pm411.org/2011/04/05/podcast-episode-073-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-6/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:52:27 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=2088 http://pm411.org/2011/04/05/podcast-episode-073-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-6/feed/ 4 bad multitasking,delay,durations,estimation,late,multi-switching,multi-tasking,multitasking,PM experiment,PM Video,presentation,ron holohan This is part 6 of a series of video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers  last summer. - Do you think you can focus on more than one thing at a time? In this video, which I call The Holohan Multitasking Experiment, This is part 6 of a series of video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers  last summer. Do you think you can focus on more than one thing at a time? In this video, which I call The Holohan Multitasking Experiment, I let you decide whether you can multitask or not.  In this simple experiment, you get to see which is easier and faster to do - adding two columns of numbers at the same time or adding one column before adding the second column. Although the same amount of work was done in both experiments, when I do this test during presentations, I find that it typically takes the audience 2 to 3 times longer when they try to add both columns of numbers at the same time than it does when they add the first column before starting the second column.  The audience also tends to make a lot more mistakes when they try to focus on adding two columns of numbers at the same time. This experiment demonstrates what happens when we try to switch quickly (called multi-switching) between multiple tasks on projects.  Teams should be encouraged to prioritize tasks. When resources are assigned to multiple tasks, their work should be leveled to allow them to focus on the highest priority task before moving on to the next one. Leave me a comment and let me know which experiment you thought was easier to do! Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/03/31/podcast-episode-072-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-5/ http://pm411.org/2011/03/31/podcast-episode-072-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-5/#comments Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:17:53 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1895 http://pm411.org/2011/03/31/podcast-episode-072-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-5/feed/ 3 bad multitasking,delay,durations,estimation,fast food,late,mcdonald's,multi-switching,multi-tasking,multiswitching,multitasking,PM Video This is part 5 of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer. In Part 5, I discuss the third Schedule Killer, called Bad Multitasking. - Back in Episode 047, I went into great detail on Bad Multitasking, This is part 5 of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer. In Part 5, I discuss the third Schedule Killer, called Bad Multitasking. Back in Episode 047, I went into great detail on Bad Multitasking, which is a another really nasty way projects miss their deadline... Usually 1 day at a time! Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/03/21/podcast-episode-071-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-4/ http://pm411.org/2011/03/21/podcast-episode-071-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-4/#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 01:40:31 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1876 http://pm411.org/2011/03/21/podcast-episode-071-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-4/feed/ 6 delay,durations,estimation,late,parkingson,parkinson's,parkinson's law,PM Video,presentation,procrastinating,procrastination,ron holohan We tend to hold on to work until the last minute before it is due. So, what does Parkinson's Law and the Ideal Gas Law have in common? Listen and find out! We tend to hold on to work until the last minute before it is due. So, what does Parkinson's Law and the Ideal Gas Law have in common? Listen and find out! Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/03/05/podcast-episode-070-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-3/ http://pm411.org/2011/03/05/podcast-episode-070-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-3/#comments Sun, 06 Mar 2011 03:34:50 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1861 http://pm411.org/2011/03/05/podcast-episode-070-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-3/feed/ 5 delay,durations,estimation,late,PM Video,presentation,procrastinating,procrastination,ron holohan,schedule killers,schedules,student's syndrome This is part 3 of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer. In Part 3 I discuss the first real Schedule Killer, Student's Syndrome. Back in Episode 045, I went into great detail on Student Syndrome, This is part 3 of a video presentation I gave on The Schedule Killers last summer. In Part 3 I discuss the first real Schedule Killer, Student's Syndrome. Back in Episode 045, I went into great detail on Student Syndrome, which is a really nasty way projects miss their deadline... Usually 1 day at a time! The other Schedule Killers will be presented in the next few episodes. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2011/02/12/podcast-episode-069-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-2/ http://pm411.org/2011/02/12/podcast-episode-069-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-2/#comments Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:50:29 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1841 http://pm411.org/2011/02/12/podcast-episode-069-the-schedule-killers-presentation-part-2/feed/ 3 3-point,delay,durations,estimation,pert,PM Video,presentation,ron holohan,schedule killers,schedules,task Part 2 of The Schedules Killer Presentation where I demonstrate how to use 3-point estimation to better estimate the duration of tasks. Once you have your 3 points, you will be ready to better estimate the task duration by using PERT. Part 2 of The Schedules Killer Presentation where I demonstrate how to use 3-point estimation to better estimate the duration of tasks. Once you have your 3 points, you will be ready to better estimate the task duration by using PERT. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 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/2010/11/27/podcast-episode-066-5-myths-of-weekly-status-reports/ http://pm411.org/2010/11/27/podcast-episode-066-5-myths-of-weekly-status-reports/#comments Sun, 28 Nov 2010 01:31:09 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1756 http://pm411.org/2010/11/27/podcast-episode-066-5-myths-of-weekly-status-reports/feed/ 10 myths,PDU Podcast,project,status report,Templates Usually when I talk with project managers struggling with team communication, I get a litany of excuses why weekly status reports won't work on their team. - So, today I do my best to help debunk 5 of the myths around publishing weekly status reports ... Usually when I talk with project managers struggling with team communication, I get a litany of excuses why weekly status reports won't work on their team. So, today I do my best to help debunk 5 of the myths around publishing weekly status reports and provide you with some tips on how to get the most out of them. There is even a free template available to get you started! Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 15:38 http://pm411.org/2010/10/27/podcast-episode-065-extreme-project-manager-makeover/ http://pm411.org/2010/10/27/podcast-episode-065-extreme-project-manager-makeover/#comments Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:33:34 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1724 http://pm411.org/2010/10/27/podcast-episode-065-extreme-project-manager-makeover/feed/ 5 extreme project management,extreme project managers,extreme projects,leader,leadership,pattie vargas I recently talked with Pattie Vargas of The Vargas Group and author of the book, Extreme Project Manager Makeover, about what it means to be an Extreme Project Manager and how to become one. I recently talked with Pattie Vargas of The Vargas Group and author of the book, Extreme Project Manager Makeover, about what it means to be an Extreme Project Manager and how to become one. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 27:54 http://pm411.org/2010/10/12/podcast-episode-064-9-steps-to-work-less-and-do-more/ http://pm411.org/2010/10/12/podcast-episode-064-9-steps-to-work-less-and-do-more/#comments Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:18:46 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1714 http://pm411.org/2010/10/12/podcast-episode-064-9-steps-to-work-less-and-do-more/feed/ 5 do more,get-it-done,guy,podcast,stever robbins,work less I recently talked with Stever Robbins of the Get-It-Done Guy Podcast about his book Nine Steps to Work Less and Do More. Stever is a successful entrepreneur who loves productivity in the service of personal fulfillment. A veteran of nine startups, I recently talked with Stever Robbins of the Get-It-Done Guy Podcast about his book Nine Steps to Work Less and Do More. Stever is a successful entrepreneur who loves productivity in the service of personal fulfillment. A veteran of nine startups, including FTP Software, Intuit, and HEAR Music, Stever is a graduate of Harvard Business School and MIT. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 36:33 http://pm411.org/2010/09/26/podcast-episode-063-the-lazy-project-manager/ http://pm411.org/2010/09/26/podcast-episode-063-the-lazy-project-manager/#comments Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:31:53 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1703 http://pm411.org/2010/09/26/podcast-episode-063-the-lazy-project-manager/feed/ 8 80/20 rule,pareto,peter taylor,productively lazy,the lazy project manager Recently I spoke with Peter Taylor about his book The Lazy Project Manager and what it means to be Productively Lazy. Recently I spoke with Peter Taylor about his book The Lazy Project Manager and what it means to be Productively Lazy. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 17:26 http://pm411.org/2010/08/28/podcast-episode-062-mindmanager-9/ http://pm411.org/2010/08/28/podcast-episode-062-mindmanager-9/#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:29:36 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1693 http://pm411.org/2010/08/28/podcast-episode-062-mindmanager-9/feed/ 1 Communication,mindmanager,mindmapping,Organization,pm software Today I talk with Neil Mendelson, Vice President of Products at Mindjet, about their new version of MindManager, MindManager 9. Today I talk with Neil Mendelson, Vice President of Products at Mindjet, about their new version of MindManager, MindManager 9. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 16:01 http://pm411.org/2010/07/11/podcast-episode-061-tips-for-new-project-managers-2/ http://pm411.org/2010/07/11/podcast-episode-061-tips-for-new-project-managers-2/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:30:45 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1564 http://pm411.org/2010/07/11/podcast-episode-061-tips-for-new-project-managers-2/feed/ 2 e-learning,josh nankivel,learning,networking,new pm,pmstudent,project manager Well, today we welcome back to the show Josh Nankivel who shares some tips on how to network with other more experienced project managers through a new tool he has created called pmStudent e-learning. Well, today we welcome back to the show Josh Nankivel who shares some tips on how to network with other more experienced project managers through a new tool he has created called pmStudent e-learning. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 24:37 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/2010/05/14/podcast-episode-059-the-pdu-podcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/ http://pm411.org/2010/05/14/podcast-episode-059-the-pdu-podcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 05:32:39 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1413 http://pm411.org/2010/05/14/podcast-episode-059-the-pdu-podcast-with-cornelius-fichtner/feed/ 3 cornelius fichtner,pdus Today I welcome back to the show Cornelius Fichtner of the world famous PM Podcast and the PM PrepCast to unveil a new product of his available through pm411.org, called The PDU Podcast. - You can earn 15 PDUs for free by simply listening to The pm411. Today I welcome back to the show Cornelius Fichtner of the world famous PM Podcast and the PM PrepCast to unveil a new product of his available through pm411.org, called The PDU Podcast. You can earn 15 PDUs for free by simply listening to The pm411.org Project Management Podcast episodes and then learning to claim your free PDUs here.  But what if you want to earn even more PDUs to fulfill the 60 PDU requirement?  Well, now we offer The PDU Podcast! Benefits of the PDU Podcast Earn PDUs Anywhere: With The PDU Podcast there is no need to go to a classroom. You don't even have to sit at your computer. Simply download the webinars to your iPod and play them wherever you are. Earn PDUs Automatically: Your PDU Podcast puts you on autopilot for your re-certification. New webinars arrive monthly. Automatically. ORDER NOW! Earn PDUs on Your Schedule: Work the webinars into your schedule and not the other way around. Play them when you have the time. Earn as many PDUs as you like: Cornelius is a PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) and therefore the PDU Podcast offers "Category 3" PDUs. There is no limit to how many PDUs you can earn in this category. ORDER NOW! Learn from a Variety of Presenter: You'll receive presentations from a different presenter who is the expert on the topic at hand. Learn from their vast expertise and expand your own horizons. It's portable: Synchronize the webinars to your portable device and then play the webinars wherever your player goes. ORDER NOW! You can Relax: Never again worry about not having enough PDUs to maintain your PMP or PgMP certification. Your PDU Podcast delivers at least 1 PDU to you month after month. Reliably. Play. Earn PDUs. Repeat. Yes... It's as easy as that. ORDER NOW! What You can Expect Monthly, recorded PowerPoint style video webinars. (Watch our samples here...) Presentations from the experts in the field who make their years of hands-on experience available to you. Challenging concepts that will help you grow as a project manager. Worksheets (with select webinars only) that allow you to apply what you learn on your projects the very next day. And most importantly: 20.5 Category 3 PDUs to maintain your PMP or PgMP certification! ORDER NOW! Monthly Webinars You receive your first webinar as soon as you subscribe. New webinars will arrive every 30 days. It doesn't matter when you sign up, you always start with the first one: No Presenter Topic Type PDUs 01 Steve Kaye Effective Meetings for Project Managers video 1.25 02 Margaret Meloni, PMP Dealing with Difficult People video 2.25 03 Thomas Cutting, PMP High Performing PMOs video 1.50 04 Diane Altwies, PMP Managing Teams in a Virtual World video 1.00 05 Jack Ferraro, PMP The Strategic Project Leader video 2.50 06 Jack Ferraro, PMP Build your Service-based Project Leadership Skills video 3.00 07 Gene Dutz Effective Teleconferencing video 2.00 08 Stan Levanduski, PMP Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects - Part 1 video 2.00 09 Stan Levanduski, PMP Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects - Part 2 video 2.00 10 Janice Preston, PMP Managing Stakeholder Expectations video 1.00 11 Mark Perry Effective Project Dashboarding video 1.00 12 Cornelius Fichtner The 4-week PMO video 1.00 That's 20.5 Category 3 PDUs in the first year alone. ORDER NOW! PDU Category You earn Category 3 PDUs from The PDU Podcast. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider (PMI R.E.P.) and there is no limit to how many category 3 PDUs you can earn from us and then claim in your renewal cycle. PDU Certificate You receive a "Confirmation Code" with each of your monthly webinar. Use this code on our Certificate Website to print your PDU Certificate. Then claim your Category 3 PDUs on the PMI CCRS website. Subscription Options Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 19:28 http://pm411.org/2010/04/11/podcast-episode-058-virtual-team-tips-with-the-cranky-middle-manager/ http://pm411.org/2010/04/11/podcast-episode-058-virtual-team-tips-with-the-cranky-middle-manager/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:51:45 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1277 http://pm411.org/2010/04/11/podcast-episode-058-virtual-team-tips-with-the-cranky-middle-manager/feed/ 21 Communication,cranky middle manager show,monitoring and controlling,pm software,PM Video,remote team,Teams,virtual team,wayne turmel Recently I spoke with the very smart, funny, and dare I say, Cranky, Wayne Turmel about virtual teams. Wayne Turmel is the president of Greatwebmeetings.com, as well as the host of one of the world's most successful business podcasts, Recently I spoke with the very smart, funny, and dare I say, Cranky, Wayne Turmel about virtual teams. Wayne Turmel is the president of Greatwebmeetings.com, as well as the host of one of the world's most successful business podcasts, The Cranky Middle Manager Show. The BBC, ABC and BusinessWeek Online have called Cranky Middle Manager one of the best HR blogs out there. And Wayne's book 6 Weeks to a Great Webinar: Generate Leads and Tell Your Story to the World is the leading web presentation book on Amazon.com. Wayne is also a contributor to BNET. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 36:23 http://pm411.org/2010/03/28/podcast-episode-057-tom-peters-speaks-out-about-toyota-recalls/ http://pm411.org/2010/03/28/podcast-episode-057-tom-peters-speaks-out-about-toyota-recalls/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:21:41 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1117 http://pm411.org/2010/03/28/podcast-episode-057-tom-peters-speaks-out-about-toyota-recalls/feed/ 5 al dunlap,apple,authors,auto manufacturers,chevrolet,Chrysler,Ford,GM,google,Honda,ibm,in search of excellence I was recently joined by best selling author and Management guru Tom Peters to discuss his perspective on the Toyota recalls. Tom and I also talked about where other major companies such as Dell, Starbucks, Nike, Apple, Google, GM, IBM, I was recently joined by best selling author and Management guru Tom Peters to discuss his perspective on the Toyota recalls. Tom and I also talked about where other major companies such as Dell, Starbucks, Nike, Apple, Google, GM, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Honda fall on that elusive spectra known as "Excellence". By the way, if somehow you have not heard of Tom Peters: Simply put, Tom Peters is the last of the still living and truly great 20th Century management thought leaders and, incidentally, is more relevant in today's business environment than ever before. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 31:36 http://pm411.org/2010/03/22/podcast-episode-056-effective-project-landscape-management/ http://pm411.org/2010/03/22/podcast-episode-056-effective-project-landscape-management/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:26:51 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1090 http://pm411.org/2010/03/22/podcast-episode-056-effective-project-landscape-management/feed/ 3 Agile,effective project management,extreme project management,project authors,project landscape,project methodology,project quadrant,robert wysocki,traditional projective management In Episode 056, I talk with Robert Wysocki, PhD on the 5th edition of his book Effective Project Management and how to best determine the type of project methodology you should use based on your project landscape. In Episode 056, I talk with Robert Wysocki, PhD on the 5th edition of his book Effective Project Management and how to best determine the type of project methodology you should use based on your project landscape. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 22:49 http://pm411.org/2010/03/07/podcast-episode-055-the-complete-pmo-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2010/03/07/podcast-episode-055-the-complete-pmo-part-2-of-2/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:03:34 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=1026 http://pm411.org/2010/03/07/podcast-episode-055-the-complete-pmo-part-2-of-2/feed/ 1 gerard hill,pmo,project management office,the complete pmo,the complete project management office handbook In this episode, I continue my discussion on the Project Management Office with one of the world’s leading experts on PMOs, Mr. Gerard Hill, PMP.  If you have not listened to Part 1 of our discussion, you will definitely want to go back and listen t... In this episode, I continue my discussion on the Project Management Office with one of the world’s leading experts on PMOs, Mr. Gerard Hill, PMP.  If you have not listened to Part 1 of our discussion, you will definitely want to go back and listen t... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 31:01 http://pm411.org/2010/02/21/podcast-episode-054-the-complete-pmo/ http://pm411.org/2010/02/21/podcast-episode-054-the-complete-pmo/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:42:51 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=962 http://pm411.org/2010/02/21/podcast-episode-054-the-complete-pmo/feed/ 6 gerard hill,pmo,project management office,the complete pmo,the complete project management office handbook Because the Project Management Office is such an important topic, today we are digging deeper into what a PMO is with one of the world’s leading experts in PMOs, Mr. Gerard Hill, PMP. - Gerard "Jerry" Hill is an internationally-recognized consultant, Because the Project Management Office is such an important topic, today we are digging deeper into what a PMO is with one of the world’s leading experts in PMOs, Mr. Gerard Hill, PMP. Gerard "Jerry" Hill is an internationally-recognized consultant, author and speaker with professional expertise in the discipline of project management.  He brings emerging project management concepts and practices to bear for consideration by individuals and organizations; and he applies a practical approach to implementing business solutions in the project management environment.  Mr. Hill has conceived and constructed several project management methodologies and PMO solutions that have been deployed in organizations around the globe. His recent publications include: The Complete Project Management Office Handbook (Auerbach Publications, 2007, 752pp), and The Complete Project Management Methodology and Toolkit (CRC Press/Auerbach Publications, 2009, 520pp). Today, in the first of two parts, Gerard and I discuss some of the areas covered in The Complete Project Management Office Handbook. The PMO Exists at the Intersection of Business and Project Management PMOs were originally created to help support the technical function within an organization.  However since that time, the function of a PMO has grown to include more business management.  Ideally, a PMO within an organization is situated to deal with both the project management environment as well as the business environment.  On the project management side, there are the project executives, the project managers, the technical members on the team, and the PMO itself.  On the business side, you have the business units and clients or customers that the PMO helps to represent. Five Progressive Stages of the PMO Competency Continuum There are five progressive and advancing stages of maturity for a PMO's capability and responsibility. Stage 1 of PMO maturity is The Project Office.  This is a essentially the project manager and project team working as a project office.  The project team typically provides its own oversight at this stage. The Stage 2 PMO, called The Basic PMO, contains process control in addition to project oversight.  The Basic PMO provides a full-cycle and repeatable process that can be used across all projects in an organization.  The Basic PMO would most likely be led by a program manager and might have several project managers and projects involved. The Stage 3 PMO, called The Standard PMO, is the level that most organizations need and want to have.  This level includes project control, oversight, as well as support.  The Standard PMO creates the infrastructure and capabilities to support a cohesive project management environment.  The Standard PMO has multiple projects, project managers, and perhaps even program managers under its control.  The head of the Standard PMO is usually a program director or senior program manager. Stage 4 is The Advanced PMO where business processes are truly integrated with project management processes.  This stage includes dedicated staff, including a PMO director that oversees the technical and business aspects of the project management environment. The final stage, Stage 5, is The Center of Excellence.  Here is where you manage continuous improvement and project management process implementation across the organization for the purpose of achieving strategic organizational goals. PMO Functions There are 5 functional areas and 20 functions as listed below. The Practice management functional group includes the functions of Project Management Methodology, Project Tools, Standards and Metrics, and Project Knowledge Management. The Infrastructure management group includes the functions Project Governance, Assessment, Organization and Structure, and Facilities and Equipment Support. Resource integration includes Resource Management, Training and Education, Career Development. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 26:55 http://pm411.org/2010/02/07/podcast-episode-053-6-tips-for-email-in-the-new-decade/ http://pm411.org/2010/02/07/podcast-episode-053-6-tips-for-email-in-the-new-decade/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:28:43 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=933 http://pm411.org/2010/02/07/podcast-episode-053-6-tips-for-email-in-the-new-decade/feed/ 9 alec satin,decade,email,tips In today’s episode, we talk with Alec Satin of the Alec Satin on People, Projects, and Process blog, about how we can make our email more efficient, and even the future of email. - Alec is a project manager and organizational expert with a passion f... In today’s episode, we talk with Alec Satin of the Alec Satin on People, Projects, and Process blog, about how we can make our email more efficient, and even the future of email. Alec is a project manager and organizational expert with a passion for fixing workplaces. As a trained therapist, entrepreneur and Information Technology professional, he seeks to infuse environments with order, process and sanity. During this past decade there were several advances in how we get our email...  Email became easier than ever with Gmail and email became truly mobile with devices such as the Blackberry and iPhone.  And perhaps even several benevolent princes were able to find you through email so you could help them by keeping their fortunes as they were deposed. During this past decade, books like Getting Things Done by David Allen and email applications like Microsoft Outlook have tried to help us organize our email inboxes better.  But, today many of us are overloaded with work and we spend too much time reading, replying, and composing email.  But, what does 2010 and this coming decade look like and what can we do to organize our email better? Well, here are a few tips from Alec Satin on ways we can better use email starting today for the new decade. 1.)   Keep Your Inbox Empty The purpose of your email inbox should not be as an email repository or task list.  It should be treated like a physical inbox on your desk.  Your email inbox should be where you open email and determine whether it should be acted upon immediately, in cases where it would literally take less than 30 seconds to address, or whether it should be filed or tagged to be addressed at a later time outside of your inbox. 2.)  Keep Your Subject Clear Cover only one topic per email and keep your subject clear!  If you do need to cover 5 topics, then send out 5 different emails!  Alec suggests following the advice at Lifehacker.com and create “Twitter-style” emails where possible by using your subject line as the body of your email.  Use meta information at the beginning of the subject line, such as “ACTION:” “INFO:” “REMINDER:” “QUESTION:” and type a short message following the meta header followed by <EOM> for “end of message” at the end.  The body of the message can then be left blank.  So your entire subject line would look something like this: ACTION: Be sure to follow up with me on your action items from last week <EOM> That way the recipient can quickly read your email without even needing to click and open it and it is much easier to find the email later. 3.)  Don't CC: The World. Only send emails to people that absolutely need them.  By adding your boss to every one of your emails, you give the impression that you need their approval on those issues that they are expecting you to handle.  Also, by adding the bosses of others to the cc list, you come across as passive-aggressive to your recipients.  Basically you give the impression that you don’t trust your teammates to get their work completed.  In either case, it comes across as a “CYA” maneuver.  Don’t do it – it just makes you come across as a jerk and clutters people’s inboxes. Last episode we covered the RACI model.  You should only CC: those folks that need to be Consulted or Informed on the particular topic. 4.)  Just Say No to Rambling Emails Email should be no longer than 2 screens – you should only need to page down once at the most to read someone’s email.  If you are the recipient of a rambling email, rather than try to read through it, just respond with “What are you asking?”  Hopefully they will be able to succinctly summarize their email. If you were thinking about writing a rambling email – don’t do it!  As the guys over at manager-tools.com advocate, your first sentence in the email should state the “bottom-line” of the message, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 31:22 http://pm411.org/2010/01/16/podcast-episode-052-its-okay-to-be-raci/ http://pm411.org/2010/01/16/podcast-episode-052-its-okay-to-be-raci/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:19:18 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=870 http://pm411.org/2010/01/16/podcast-episode-052-its-okay-to-be-raci/feed/ 5 Accountability,consulted.ram.responsibility assignment matrix,raci,responsibilities,responsibility,roles,team If you like us, give us a 5 star review in iTunes! - In Episode 004 and Episode 051 we discussed the Work Breakdown Structure and how it can help you as a team to clearly document your project’s deliverables.  But once you have completed your WBS, If you like us, give us a 5 star review in iTunes! In Episode 004 and Episode 051 we discussed the Work Breakdown Structure and how it can help you as a team to clearly document your project’s deliverables.  But once you have completed your WBS, what’s next? Well the next step is to develop a Responsibility Assignment Matrix, or RAM, using the RACI process.  I think you are going to find this to be a valuable tool to help clarify ownership to various parts of your project.  Soon your entire team will be RACI! Define Activities Process After you identify your deliverables in your Work Breakdown Structure, you will need to define those actions and activities that need to be done to produce the lowest level deliverables.  This is the first process in the PMBOK Time Management Knowledge Area and is known as the Define Activities Process. In Episode 004 on Work Breakdown Structures we provided an example of a project of doing laundry.  A lower deliverable could be “clean dark clothes”.  Decomposing the activities under this deliverable could be “sort laundry by color,”, “select cold setting,” measure laundry detergent, add detergent to washer, add dark clothes to washer, check clothes once the cycle completes, unload washer, add washed clothes to dryer, select regular drying setting, check clothes once dryer timer goes off, fill laundry basket, sort laundry to iron, Iron laundry, Fold laundry, and Put laundry away. Note that the order of the activities doesn’t need to necessarily be in order at this point, and additional activities can be added such as “add dryer sheet to dryer.”  However, once you have your list of activities for each deliverable, you are ready to use the RACI process to assign them to folks associated with the project. Basically, RACI is a method to assign activities to resources by name or by function. RACI is an acronym that stands for four types of task assignments: Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed So, let’s talk about the four types of assignments. Responsible [R] The first type of assignment is “R” that stands for “Responsible.”  The person assigned as “responsible” for a task is the person, or role, that is responsible for actually performing the work for the task. A few guidelines to keep in mind…  When no one is assigned as responsible for the task, chances are that it won’t get done. Also, when many people are assigned to completing the work, it requires a lot of coordination and usually means further decomposition is required to make sure everyone is clear about what specifically they need to work on.  Finally, if a specific person is assigned as the “R” to multiple tasks they may become overloaded.  In this case, you may want to see if someone else can fill in as the “R” on some of the tasks. Accountable [A] The second type of assignment is “A” that stands for “Accountable.”  This is the person who is held accountable for the task getting completed.  One guideline to keep in mind for the person assigned as “Accountable,” insure only one person is assigned as accountable for each task being performed.  If you end up trying to assign multiple people to a particular task you will end up with a lot of finger pointing and confusion when issues occur. Consulted [C] The next type is Consulted – the “C’s.”  These are the people involved and consulted prior to a task being performed. Essentially, their input is sought after and factored in prior to action taking place. As the number of people consulted increases, the speed with which action can be taken decreases. Conversely, too few and improper decisions and actions may be made without those whose buy-in is required being assigned as a “C”. Informed [I] Finally are the “I’s” who are those that need to be Informed on the status and completion of a task. If necessary parties aren’t informed, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2009/12/12/podcast-episode-051-is-the-wbs-just-bs/ http://pm411.org/2009/12/12/podcast-episode-051-is-the-wbs-just-bs/#comments Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:53:57 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=842 http://pm411.org/2009/12/12/podcast-episode-051-is-the-wbs-just-bs/feed/ 2 Communication,josh nankivel,mindmapping,monitoring and controlling,planning,pmstudent,project lifecycle,training,wbs,wbs coach,work breakdown structure Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newsletter delivered by email for free! - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented. - Way back in Episode 004, Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newsletter delivered by email for free! - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented. Way back in Episode 004, I discussed one of the key building blocks of a successful project, known as the Work Breakdown Structure or WBS.  However, it is pretty evident that there is still a lot of confusion in Project Management on whether we truly need a WBS on our projects, how to structure a WBS, and how to use it throughout a project’s lifecycle.  In this episode I welcome back to the show pmstudent.com blogger and WBS expert Josh Nankivel as we dive deeper into the topic of the Work Breakdown Structure. Josh  has recently published a set of training tools called the WBS coach to help those of us that need to know how to create a WBS or those of us that just need a refresher on WBS development.  So is the WBS just…  BS?  Josh and I talk about why more PMs don’t use the WBS, we discuss whether it really helps in project planning, and finally we talk about the right and wrong ways of developing a WBS. So what the heck is a WBS? The WBS is a special kind of outline for your project.  It is deliverables-based, focused on project results, and usually includes a graphic hierarchy and a WBS dictionary.  Basically, it is a representation of your project scope. However, the WBS is not a task list, organizational chart, and it shouldn’t be time phased. Why should teams use Work Breakdown Structures? A lot of project managers don’t use a WBS as a tool on their project, or they see it as just another piece of paperwork.  But the WBS is the representation of scope on your project.  All deliverables, services, outcomes of your project should be covered by your project WBS. The WBS also provides clear definition of what the project will be producing.  It provides a common language and helps to structure reporting so that there is a common understanding with stakeholders.  It also provides a strong foundation for your project. The WBS also helps with clear change control.  The WBS provides traceability if anything changes to help team members and stakeholders understand how changes impact the project. Parts of the Work Breakdown Structure The “WBS Graphic” includes some kind visual hierarchy of the scope and how the deliverables are related.  There are a lot of tools that can create a WBS hierarchy – mindmaps, Visio, and even Microsoft Word. The “WBS Dictionary” goes into detail on each deliverable of the WBS.  The key to the WBS dictionary is to first define what is included and then create the details of what that deliverable is.  Many teams also create an “exclusions list” that specifies what is not included in the project scope in order to provide additional clarity to what the team is planning on delivering. “Deliverables” can be defined as anything that is results-oriented (e.g. a system, a sub-system, etc.) Josh differs from the PMI on the definition of “activities.”  Josh sees activities as a special kind of deliverable that are service-oriented (e.g. “project management,” “configuration management,” etc.) The “work package” is the lowest level of your WBS after decomposition.  You will later want to use your work packages to do activity definition, duration estimations, cost estimations, etc. “Control accounts” track your costs and progress on a particular piece of the WBS.  However, again, tasks are not part of the Work Breakdown Structure. So, why is there so much confusion around the WBS? One reason is because the WBS is typically understated in many PM textbooks and PM classes.  Whenever it is mentioned, it is usually just presented as a basic overview rather than providing details on how to create and manage a WBS.  Also, there is quite a bit of disagreement on how to create and use the WBS.  Unfortunately, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 50:01 http://pm411.org/2009/11/20/podcast-episode-050-wrike-and-pm-2-0/ http://pm411.org/2009/11/20/podcast-episode-050-wrike-and-pm-2-0/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:34:05 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=806 http://pm411.org/2009/11/20/podcast-episode-050-wrike-and-pm-2-0/feed/ 0 collaboration,Communication,software,Teams,wrike Today we talk with Andrew Filev.  Andrew has been managing software teams since 2001 with the help of new-generation collaboration and management applications. His best practices are based on implementation of Enterprise 2. Today we talk with Andrew Filev.  Andrew has been managing software teams since 2001 with the help of new-generation collaboration and management applications. His best practices are based on implementation of Enterprise 2.0 software in project management. Now Andrew is an expert in project management, a successful software entrepreneur and the CEO at Wrike.com, online project management software. Andrew is also the author of some influential project management articles, including works for Cutter IT Journal, Web 2.0 Journal and Agile Journal. Andrew is often invited to speak at conferences, symposiums and seminars. Andrew has given speeches on new trends in project management and on implementing Enterprise 2.0 strategies. He spoke at such events as the PMI Silicon Valley Tools and Techniques Forum, Office 2.0 Conference, Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Project Management Symposium and others. Andrew’s ideas about improving traditional project management are reflected in his popular Project Management 2.0 blog (http://www.wrike.com/projectmanagement). In today’s episode we find out more about Wrike and what Project Management 2.0 is all about.   Plus we are giving away some more freebies! Project Management 2.0 So, what is the difference between traditional project management and Project Management 2.0.  Traditional project management is focused on the project manager being the center of the team’s communication hub. It places the manager in the center of the project work, as they need to collect all the information from team members, process it, and then communicate to various project stakeholders, including upper management.  Project planning can especially be hard and time consuming since all the project information is concentrated only around a single person — the project manager.   This contributes significantly to what a project manager spends 90% of their time doing – communicating. New-generation project management tools make it possible to create a collaborative team space, and everyone involved in the project is able to contribute to the project work in this space. Project planning and communication is distributed around the whole team, and each team member has the full information on the project. Project progress is visible to everyone on the team. The project manager’s role is transformed from the traditional taskmaster to become a project visionary as they focus more on the right direction for the project development. The new-generation tools take away part of the typical traditional burden of project management and allows the project manager to focus more on leading the project team. With Project Management 2.0 collective team insight and collaboration driving a project, people and businesses are accomplishing much more than when they did with traditional project management information funneling.   With Project Management 2.0, the project management of a project is built around the work, rather than the work being forced to conform to a particular project management system.   Collective intelligence systems, such as wikis, mashups, and dekis have allowed teams to share information more easily. Now, New-generation technologies have brought collective intelligence into the project management process.   and open the way to another successful practice, emergent structures, where the one-to-many approach of conventional Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) is replaced by a many-to-many approach of work package delivery. Together, these powerful principles determine key differences between Project Management 2.0 and traditional project management: Bottom-up planning is utilized much more often and much more efficiently Tools help to communicate and reduce unnecessary burden Instead of using one work-breakdown structure that is designed before the project is started, multiple structures might be applied and they can evolve on the way. Wrike Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 29:39 http://pm411.org/2009/10/24/podcast-episode-049-event-chain-project-management/ http://pm411.org/2009/10/24/podcast-episode-049-event-chain-project-management/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:50:44 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=785 http://pm411.org/2009/10/24/podcast-episode-049-event-chain-project-management/feed/ 2 bayesian,event chain,intaver,lev virine,mitigation,monte carlo,risk,riskyproject,software Today we talk with Lev Virine, PhD. Lev is president and co-founder of Intaver Institute, a Calgary (Canada) based research, software development, and consulting company. Lev has twenty years of engineering and project management experience in informat... Today we talk with Lev Virine, PhD. Lev is president and co-founder of Intaver Institute, a Calgary (Canada) based research, software development, and consulting company. Lev has twenty years of engineering and project management experience in information technology and construction industries and is author of more than thirty scientific papers and patents. Lev's current research interests include decision and risk analysis, project management, and their applications. And much of his writing is on the topic of Project Management using Event Chain Methodology, which differs substantially from Critical Chain methodology which we have talked frequently about on the show in the past. So, we talked with Lev to find out more about what exactly is Event Chain methodology. The Intaver Institute First, a bit about Lev's company.  The Intaver Institute Inc. is a leading innovator in the field of project management software, offering their clients "unique, cost effective software solutions to their project and portfolio management challenges." Intaver Institute was founded in 2002 by respected technology executives, mathematicians, economists, and computer scientists. Intaver Institute Inc. develops commercial software, provides training and consulting services, and performs scientific research in the area of project decision and risk analysis. Event Chain Methodology According to Lev, event chain methodology is an uncertainty modeling and schedule network analysis technique that is focused on identifying and managing events and event chains that affect project schedules. Event chain methodology can help to reduce the negative impact of psychological heuristics and biases, as well as to allow for easier modeling of uncertainties in project schedules. Event Chain Methodology Objectives: There are three main objectives of utilizing Event Chain methodology. 1. To mitigate the effect of motivational and cognitive biases in estimating and scheduling. In many cases, project managers intentionally or unintentionally create project schedules that are impossible to implement. 2. To simplify the process of defining risks and uncertainties in project schedules and particularly to improve the ability to provide reality checks and visualize multiple events. 3. To perform more accurate quantitative analysis while taking into account such factors as relationship between different events and actual moment of the events. Event Chain Methodology Principles There are also several priniciples to be followed. 1.) Moment of risk and state of activity An activity (task) in most real life processes is not a continuous uniform procedure. Tasks are affected by external events, which transform an activity from one state to another. One of the important properties of an event is the moment when an event occurs during the course of an activity. This moment, when an event occurs, in most cases is probabilistic and can be defined using statistical distribution. 2.) Event Chains Events can cause other events, which will create event chains. These event chains can significantly affect the course of the project. Lev provides the example of requirement changes that can cause an activity to be delayed. To accelerate the activity, the project manager allocates a resource from another activity, which then leads to a missed deadline. Eventually, this can lead to the failure of the project. 3.) Monte Carlo Simulations Once events and event chains are defined, quantitative analysis using Monte Carlo simulation can be performed to quantify the cumulative impact of the events. Probabilities and impacts of risks are used as the input data for Monte Carlo simulation of the project schedule. In most real life projects, it is necessary to supplement the information regarding the uncertainties expressed as an event with distributions related to duration, start time, cost, and other parameters. 4. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 38:07 http://pm411.org/2009/10/05/announcing-mindjet-catalyst/ http://pm411.org/2009/10/05/announcing-mindjet-catalyst/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:01:39 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://1927122623 http://pm411.org/2009/10/05/announcing-mindjet-catalyst/feed/ 6 catalyst,mindjet,mindmanager,mindmapping,online collaboration,pm 2.0,project management 2.0,scott raskin,virtual teams Today I am extremely excited about a major product announcement from Mindjet, the makers of MindManager mindmapping software.  In today's podcast I talk with Mindjet CEO Scott Raskin about a new collaborative Project Management 2. Today I am extremely excited about a major product announcement from Mindjet, the makers of MindManager mindmapping software.  In today's podcast I talk with Mindjet CEO Scott Raskin about a new collaborative Project Management 2.0 tool from Mindjet... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 18:04 http://pm411.org/2009/09/29/podcast-episode-047-schedule-killers-bad-multitasking/ http://pm411.org/2009/09/29/podcast-episode-047-schedule-killers-bad-multitasking/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:01:48 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://2086462238 http://pm411.org/2009/09/29/podcast-episode-047-schedule-killers-bad-multitasking/feed/ 6 behaviors,schedule killers,schedules,Teams Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newsletter delivered by email for free! - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented. - Today we continue our series on Schedule Killers – those tendenci... Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newsletter delivered by email for free! - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented. Today we continue our series on Schedule Killers – those tendenci... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 22:56 http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/ http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:08:22 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=666 http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/feed/ 8 behaviors,parkinson's law,schedule killers,Teams Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newsletter delivered by email for free! - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented. - Today we continue our series on Schedule Killers – those tendenci... Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newsletter delivered by email for free! - Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented. Today we continue our series on Schedule Killers – those tendencies and traits of project teams that cause us to miss our deadlines!  Last episode we discussed “The Student Syndrome,” which is defined as “the phenomenon that many people will start to fully apply themselves to a task just at the last possible moment before a deadline.”   Today we talk about “Parkinson’s Law.” What is Parkinson’s Law? Parkinson’s Law, as it is known today, started as the first sentence of an essay that Cyril Northcote Parkinson wrote for The Economist in 1955.  Parkinson was a British naval historian, public administration scholar, and author of over sixty books.  Parkinson’s claim that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” later was expanded to include how work expands in bureaucracies in his bestselling 1957 book, Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson’s Law is also often expressed as “The demand upon a resource tends to expand to match the supply of the resource,” although the reverse is not true. I personally like to think of Parkinson’s Law as the “Ideal Gas Law” for projects.  No, I am not referring to the hot air that some project managers are famous for expelling.  But rather, if you think of the amount of work required to complete a task as a set number of gas molecules inside a sealed container, the gas would still fill the container if you were to make the container bigger.  Only the distance between the work molecules would be greater and there would be less pressure inside of the container.  However, if you were to reduce the size of the container or if someone were to apply “heat” to the system, the pressure would increase.  But if less “heat” were applied or if the container was allowed to grow, the volume of work would still expand to completely fill the container. So, what Parkinson’s Law states is that if you were to think of the size of a project task duration to be the analogy of a gas-filled container and you were able to successfully complete the work in 2 weeks, that same work would expand to fill 4 weeks if the task duration was expanded. So, if a team member finishes the required work in 2 weeks, they will typically keep the working on the task until it is absolutely required for them to turn their work deliverable over.  If they are given even more time to complete a task, they will still take the entire time allocated to them. The reason why this is a problem is because any “buffer” added to the individual task to protect the project end date is wasted by the effects of Parkinson’s Law extending individual task durations. Why Does Parkinson’s Law Occur? So why do people want to hang on to their work anyway?  You would think people would want to “get it off their desk” and start working on the next task, just like someone would with a “to do” list.  There are actually several reasons why Parkinson’s Law occurs. 1.)   People want to make their deliverable as good as possible. Unfortunately, people often equate this to improving the deliverable’s quality through adding additional features or performance even if it surpasses the task deliverable requirements.  Sometimes this is referred to “gold plating” or “polishing the apple.”  It has been shown that often times true quality is compromised.  A simple example is a presentation that someone continues to make “pretty” by adding a lot of extraneous graphics, colors, animations, and text that takes additional editing time and only serves to detract from the quality of the original presentation’s message. 2.)   People are afraid of turning in their work early.  Team members may feel that if they turn in their work early, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 21:52 http://pm411.org/2009/08/22/podcast-episode-045-schedule-killers-student-syndrome/ http://pm411.org/2009/08/22/podcast-episode-045-schedule-killers-student-syndrome/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:01:58 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=610 http://pm411.org/2009/08/22/podcast-episode-045-schedule-killers-student-syndrome/feed/ 11 8/80,behaviors,schedule killers,student syndrome,Teams Today we will be starting a series on Schedule Killers – those tendencies and traits of project teams that cause us to miss our deadlines! And the first schedule serial killer of project teams that we will be discussing is called… “The Student S... Today we will be starting a series on Schedule Killers – those tendencies and traits of project teams that cause us to miss our deadlines! And the first schedule serial killer of project teams that we will be discussing is called… “The Student Syndrome!” In this episode we cover: 1.) What is Student Syndrome? 2.) What Causes Student Syndrome? 3.) How to Cure it Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 9:50 http://pm411.org/2009/08/10/episode-044-pmp-exam-tools/ http://pm411.org/2009/08/10/episode-044-pmp-exam-tools/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:53:30 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=558 http://pm411.org/2009/08/10/episode-044-pmp-exam-tools/feed/ 0 flashcards,pm exam,pm formulas,pm prepcast,pmp We are pleased to announce that we at the pm411.org Project Management podcast now offer 3 new tools to help you pass the latest version of the PMP Exam, which covers the 4th edition of the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). We are pleased to announce that we at the pm411.org Project Management podcast now offer 3 new tools to help you pass the latest version of the PMP Exam, which covers the 4th edition of the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 16:11 http://pm411.org/2009/08/03/the-pm-podcast-pmo-roundtable/ http://pm411.org/2009/08/03/the-pm-podcast-pmo-roundtable/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:12:39 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=562 http://pm411.org/2009/08/03/the-pm-podcast-pmo-roundtable/feed/ 2 cornelius fichtner,pmo,shawn futterer Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, host of The PM Podcast, once again invited Shawn Futterer, PMP, of The ICPM website, and myself to a roundtable project management podcast discussion. In this roundtable discussion we focus on the Project Management Office (PMO). Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, host of The PM Podcast, once again invited Shawn Futterer, PMP, of The ICPM website, and myself to a roundtable project management podcast discussion. In this roundtable discussion we focus on the Project Management Office (PMO). Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 47:51 http://pm411.org/2009/07/23/podcast-episode-043-interview-with-josh-nankivel-pmp/ http://pm411.org/2009/07/23/podcast-episode-043-interview-with-josh-nankivel-pmp/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:25:12 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=538 http://pm411.org/2009/07/23/podcast-episode-043-interview-with-josh-nankivel-pmp/feed/ 1 aspiring pm,josh nankivel,new pm,pmstudent.com Josh Nankivel, PMP, recently interviewed me for his pmStudent.com website, and he was willing to return the favor and he let me interview him last weekend for this pm411.org podcast. During the interview, Josh and I discuss all kinds of great stuff in... Josh Nankivel, PMP, recently interviewed me for his pmStudent.com website, and he was willing to return the favor and he let me interview him last weekend for this pm411.org podcast. During the interview, Josh and I discuss all kinds of great stuff including his past and current projects, the pmStudent.com website, the PMP and its future for project management, and even possible ideas for a great Project Management videogame! Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 27:03 http://pm411.org/2009/02/01/podcast-episode-042-pm-opinions/ http://pm411.org/2009/02/01/podcast-episode-042-pm-opinions/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:04:36 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=443 http://pm411.org/2009/02/01/podcast-episode-042-pm-opinions/feed/ 0 cornelius fichtner,jerry manas,pm opinions,PM Reviews,rita mulcahy I am here to tell you about a great new Project Management Resource called PM Opinions (www.pmopinions.com) that allows you, as a project management consumer, to read reviews from other people on I am here to tell you about a great new Project Management Resource called PM Opinions (www.pmopinions.com) that allows you, as a project management consumer, to read reviews from other people on Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 9:32 http://pm411.org/2009/01/13/podcast-episode-041-getting-back-into-the-swing/ http://pm411.org/2009/01/13/podcast-episode-041-getting-back-into-the-swing/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:26:58 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=407 http://pm411.org/2009/01/13/podcast-episode-041-getting-back-into-the-swing/feed/ 0 holidays,Teams So the holidays are over and you are facing returning to work to continue where you and your team left off during the holidays.  For the past several few weeks you have been enjoying lounging around in your pajamas, eating holiday cookies, taking naps, So the holidays are over and you are facing returning to work to continue where you and your team left off during the holidays.  For the past several few weeks you have been enjoying lounging around in your pajamas, eating holiday cookies, taking naps... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 6:14 http://pm411.org/2008/12/28/podcast-episode-040-mindmanager-pro-8-browser-features/ http://pm411.org/2008/12/28/podcast-episode-040-mindmanager-pro-8-browser-features/#comments Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:55:18 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=381 http://pm411.org/2008/12/28/podcast-episode-040-mindmanager-pro-8-browser-features/feed/ 0 mindmanager,mindmapping,PM Video,software Today we continue our look at some of the new features of the latest version of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 mindmapping software from Mindjet.  In our second video in a series, we take a look at some of the new web integration features within Mindmanager Pro 8. Today we continue our look at some of the new features of the latest version of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 mindmapping software from Mindjet.  In our second video in a series, we take a look at some of the new web integration features within Mindmanager Pro 8.0. Project teams can now fully leverage the incredible information resources of the Internet by initiating Web searches right from a map. Real-time search results will appear whenever you view your map.  You can also build your own Web service to add information from your company's information systems. Also, in 8.0 you can view Web pages and Adobe PDF documents without leaving your map. You'll retain your train of thought by staying focused on work at hand. Check out the video below to see it at Youtube.com. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE2v62Paf5Y Free Giveaways! Finally, we have another special giveaway on the show today!  On December 31st, 2008 we will announce the name of 1 lucky winners that will receive a free downloadable copy of Mindmanager Pro 8.  Simply send an email with your name, email address, and home address to show@pm411.org with "Mindmanager Pro 8 Contest" as the subject line.  The first email we receive before December 31st, 2008 with these details will win a free downloadable copy of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 complements of Mindjet. Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newslestter 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 http://pm411.org/2008/12/07/podcast-episode-039-new-task-features-in-mindmanager-pro-8/ http://pm411.org/2008/12/07/podcast-episode-039-new-task-features-in-mindmanager-pro-8/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:26:23 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=374 http://pm411.org/2008/12/07/podcast-episode-039-new-task-features-in-mindmanager-pro-8/feed/ 0 mindmanager,mindmapping,PM Video,software Write a review of the pm411.org Podcast in iTunes! - Today we look at some of the new features of the latest version of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 mindmapping software from Mindjet.  In this episode we take a look at some of the great new schedule task feat... Write a review of the pm411.org Podcast in iTunes! Today we look at some of the new features of the latest version of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 mindmapping software from Mindjet.  In this episode we take a look at some of the great new schedule task features. Now you can get a quick overview plus ongoing progress on all project tasks—automatically. Visual cues and status indicators allow you to quickly determine the status of critical activities. View the ripple effect of any changes to a map and even run “what if” scenarios to see the resulting outcomes. With Mindmanager Pro 8.0 you can now develop your WBS as a mindmap and then easily automatically import it into Microsoft Project.  Check out the video below to find out more! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg6EwLvE8pA In Episode 40, we look at some of the new integrated web features of Mindmanager Pro 8.0. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no http://pm411.org/2008/11/16/podcast-episode-038-5-tips-to-manage-your-manager/ http://pm411.org/2008/11/16/podcast-episode-038-5-tips-to-manage-your-manager/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:40:00 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=372 http://pm411.org/2008/11/16/podcast-episode-038-5-tips-to-manage-your-manager/feed/ 3 boss,manager,managing your manager,stakeholders Write a review of the pm411.org Podcast in iTunes! - As a project manager, you are responsible for managing the efforts of your team to insure that your project deliverables are met.  But how do you manage one of your most important project stakehold... Write a review of the pm411.org Podcast in iTunes! As a project manager, you are responsible for managing the efforts of your team to insure that your project deliverables are met.  But how do you manage one of your most important project stakeholders - your own manager? I am not talking about manipulating your manager, but rather making sure you are successful in meeting her expectations.  We usually know what we need to do to get our job done as a project manager, but do we know our manager's needs?  How can we insure that we are meeting her needs? I will go through some tips on how you can improve your relationship with your manager by "managing upward." Tip #1:  Know your manager's goals Your manager has goals and you should know what they are.  You should know exactly what your manager is responsible to deliver to her boss.  Unfortunately, most of us spend a lot of time thinking about our own immediate goals and needs instead of thinking about what our manager needs to be successful.  Here are a couple things you can do to better understand her responsibilities and goals: Ask your manager what her goals are and what her manager's expectations are of her. What metrics are used to measure her performance? What is your role to help in achieving her goals? Discuss what particular metrics of your project are most important to her. You also need to be sensitive to all of your manager's goals.  Understand that she is probably responsible for goals beyond your responsibilities and that she may need to focus in other areas at times that don't concern you.  Don't just assume that she is solely focused on just your goals.  That's why you were hired for your role - so you could focus on the details that she could not manage alone. Tip #2:  Know your manager's communication style The key to having a successful relationship with your manager is to understand her communication style and and then to "mirror" it.  Does she prefer email, voicemail, or face to face meetings?  Does she often communicate outside of office hours through phone calls or emails?  Does she expect you to respond to her outside of work hours as well?  How quickly does she respond to your emails and voicemail? When does she prefer to receive your project status reports?  Know when your manager gives project updates to her manager so that you can make sure you provide her with the latest project information in advance. When discussing your project, does your manager prefer lots of detail or just the top level bulletpoints? During meetings does she tend to do most of the talking or does she mainly listen?  What is her body language telling you that perhaps her words are not?  One point of caution is with reading too much into body language - and this probably goes for email as well.  Ask for clarification before jumping to conclusions.  It is perfectly appropriate to say, "Hey, I am picking up on some vibes that our discussion about my project plan is not sitting well with you, am I correct?"  You may discover that she has been thinking about what her car's repair bill might at that moment rather than anything having to do with you or your project.  Remember that it isn't always about us! Tip #3:  Respect your manager's Time and Schedule As people go up the corporate ladder, they tend to have more and more meetings.  Be aware that your manager's free-time is probably pretty precious.  Be sensitive to the time demands of your manager.  Perhaps she is right in the middle of finishing up a slide presentation that she has to give in 30 minutes right when you decide to plop yourself down in her office. Know your manager's schedule and when she has meetings.  You can do this by paying attention to her calendar and planning meetings in advance. When is your manager the busiest - morning or in the afternoon?  Does she mind getting phone calls while she commutes? Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 12:35 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/2008/09/21/podcast-episode-036-mindmapping/ http://pm411.org/2008/09/21/podcast-episode-036-mindmapping/#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:10:02 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://876225498 http://pm411.org/2008/09/21/podcast-episode-036-mindmapping/feed/ 5 mindjet,mindmapping Today I speak with Jagdish Mirani, the Product Marketing lead for Mindjet Corporation. His professional experience spans the areas of Development, Product Management, and Marketing over a twenty-five year period. - Today I speak with Jagdish Mirani, the Product Marketing lead for Mindjet Corporation. His professional experience spans the areas of Development, Product Management, and Marketing over a twenty-five year period. Prior to Mindjet he was VP of Product Management and Marketing at Business Objects (acquired by SAP). Before that, he was responsible for positioning and marketing Oracle’s Enterprise Performance Management Applications and Oracle’s future Enterprise Applications Product Line (Project Fusion). Prior to Oracle, Jagdish held various positions at Sybase, Tandem Computers and Hewlett-Packard. Jagdish holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Santa Clara University and an MBA from UC Berkeley. A mind map is described in Wikipedia as is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing. Today Jagdish and I talk about how mindmapping can be used by project managers to help plan, execute, and monitor their projects.  We also discuss: What is mindmapping, and as a project manager what can it do for me? How is mindmapping different than flowcharting or using Visio? Is mindmapping only used for planning activities like brainstorming? What mindmapping tools does Mindjet offer and what are some of its features. Mindjet offers a new web service called Mindjet Connect.  What are some of its features? Mindjet also offers a new version of their Project Management Solution, JCVGantt 3. Listeners can findout more about mindmapping and download project management mindmapping templates at www.mindjet.com. Key Links Mindjet:  www.mindjet.com Mindmanager Pro:  http://www.mindjet.com/products/mindmanager_pro/default.aspx The Mindmanager Project Manager JetPack:  http://www.mindjet.com/products/jetpack/default.aspx JCVGantt Pro:  http://www.mindjet.com/products/jcv_Gantt/default.aspx Free Giveaways! Finally, we have a special giveaway on the show today!  On October 30th, 2008 we will pick the names of 2 lucky winners that will receive a free downloadable copy of Mindmanager 7 and the Mindjet Jetpack for Project Management.  Simply sign up through the pm411.org website for the free pm411.org Project Management Newsletter or click here before October 30th and you will be automatically entered into the contest. Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newslestter 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 23:41 http://pm411.org/2008/08/31/podcast-episode-035-managing-small-projects-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/08/31/podcast-episode-035-managing-small-projects-part-2-of-2/#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:27:53 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=352 http://pm411.org/2008/08/31/podcast-episode-035-managing-small-projects-part-2-of-2/feed/ 1 Organization,small projects Finally the Olympics are over and I can get back to producing podcasts again on a more regular schedule.  Today's episode is part 2 of a roundtable discussion held not too long ago with Cornelius Fichtner of the Project Management Podcast ( www. Finally the Olympics are over and I can get back to producing podcasts again on a more regular schedule.  Today's episode is part 2 of a roundtable discussion held not too long ago with Cornelius Fichtner of the Project Management Podcast ( www.thepmpodcast.com) and Shawn Futterer of the International Community of Project Managers (www.theicpm.com) on managing small projects.  Cornelius, Shawn, and I continue our discussion from part 1 with topics covering how to effectively use part-time or inexperienced team members, our experience using Critical Chain Project Management, or CCPM, with small projects, and which is more critical for businesses, small or large projects. Show Commentary When sharing project team members with other project managers, Cornelius would work with other project managers within his organization to share resources.  They would work together to meet both their individual project goals, but also with a focus on their company goals.  This is better than those situations when the functional manager makes the decision for you on your project priority.  Unfortunately, this prevented the project manager from being able to deliver to plan. In those situations when the functional manager can redirect team members to another project, Shawn states that it is extremely difficult to maintain a project schedule. Cornelius recommends a good relationship with resources to help reduce the effects of other projects taking resources away.  Although this is always a concern. Both small and large projects influence the success of a business.  You may have a smaller amount of large projects, you probably have a larger amount of smaller projects.  Both influence the way the strategy of the business is accomplished.  In some cases smaller projects are a way to realize revenue faster.  Shawn feels you really can't delineate between smaller projects that achieve revenue faster and larger projects that may take more time to achieve a larger amount of revenue as long as they both fit within the corporate strategy. An example of a smaller project having a great impact is the iPod for Apple versus its computers and OS systems. Shawn believes that if you give a new project manager, or even someone without a lot of project management experience, a framework or methodology to work within they will be more successful in their execution of the project.  Cornelius agrees that it is better for a new project manager to start off small.  Even occasionally seasoned project managers prefer multiple small projects over a single large project to prevent boredom of managing a single project. Shawn recommends getting your scope and your deliverables on paper upfront to get a good result.  Cornelius recommends that regardless if it is a small or large project, you need to take the necessary steps to plan your project and to execute against a formalized methodology to insure success.   And Shawn points out that regardless of the scope of the project that communication is key. Please do me a favor, if you enjoy this podcast and find it valuable please help to spread the word about it.  Leave us a review in iTunes by searching for pm411.org in the iTunes store directory.  Also be sure to signup to automatically receive The free pm411.org Project Management Podcast Monthly Newsletter which will automatically register you to receive future project management product giveaways.  As, Matter of fact we will be interviewing Jagdish Mirani, Sr. Director of Product Marketing for Mindjet, the makers of the Mindmanager Mindmapping software on the next episode and we are going to hold a drawing September 30th, 2008 for free product for just those folks that are signed up to receive our free newsletter.  So be sure to sign up today! Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newslestter 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 25:52 http://pm411.org/2008/08/10/podcast-episode-034-managing-small-projects-part-1-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/08/10/podcast-episode-034-managing-small-projects-part-1-of-2/#comments Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:07:36 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=289 http://pm411.org/2008/08/10/podcast-episode-034-managing-small-projects-part-1-of-2/feed/ 0 managing,PM Methodology,small projects Today's post is part 1 of a roundtable discussion held recently on managing small projects.  I am happy to welcome back to the show Cornelius Fichtner of the PM Podcast at www.thepmpodcast.com.  Congratulations to Cornelius who recently celebrated ... Today's post is part 1 of a roundtable discussion held recently on managing small projects.  I am happy to welcome back to the show Cornelius Fichtner of the PM Podcast at www.thepmpodcast.com.  Congratulations to Cornelius who recently celebrated ... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 31:54 http://pm411.org/2008/08/07/the-bigg-success-show-five-tips-for-more-effective-status-reports/ http://pm411.org/2008/08/07/the-bigg-success-show-five-tips-for-more-effective-status-reports/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:49:15 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=300 http://pm411.org/2008/08/07/the-bigg-success-show-five-tips-for-more-effective-status-reports/feed/ 1 Communication,PM Podcasts,status reports,stoplight reporting,Templates Recently I was interviewed on one of my favorite podcasts, The Bigg Success Show, and I provided George and Mary-Lynn with 2 Tips for More Effective Project Status Reports. - Below I provide three additional tips for a total of five tips that will hel... Recently I was interviewed on one of my favorite podcasts, The Bigg Success Show, and I provided George and Mary-Lynn with 2 Tips for More Effective Project Status Reports. Below I provide three additional tips for a total of five tips that will help you write status reports that people will actually read! Tip #1 - Know your audience! Ask yourself these questions: Who will be reading your status report?  Team members? Management? Your customer? What level of detail does your audience require?  Don't make your audience dig through lots of details to get the information they really want. How frequently does your audience need updates - Daily, Weekly, Monthly? Tip #2 - Focus only on the exceptions! Look at just those issues that have changed since your previous report.  This will give your audience just the information that has changed since last report.  This will also help keep your report short and concise. Tip #3 - Make your report easy to read! Allow your audience to easily scan and find those details that interests them the most Use "Stoplight Reporting" on bulletpoints to communicate progress: - Green means everything is going according to plan. - Yellow means this particular item needs to be watched. - Red means that action is required. - Use Blue to indicate a particular issue has been resolved since the last report. Use short bullet points instead of paragraphs of prose to communicate information. Use tables to list the status of items like milestones, budget information, or product material cost. Tip #4 - Stay consistent! This means staying consistent in how you present your information as well as when you distribute your status reports. You want to stay consistent in how you present your information so your audience knows exactly where to find the information they need each time they read your report. Keep the sections in your report consistent. - Use a table of Project milestones with Planned completion dates and actual completion dates. - Provide a bulleted list of accomplishments since last report. - Provide a bulleted list of upcoming events and goals for the coming week or month. - Provide a bulleted list of current issues or risks - Provide a a table or list of links to other project documents like previous status reports, your project charter, your project budget, and project background information. Publish your status report consistently - Send it out on the same day by the same time every time. - If you send it out on Friday's by 4pm, always send it out on Fridays by 4pm. - With many mail clients, like Microsoft Outlook, you can even schedule the exact time when your status report is sent out.  However, mail clients have not figured out how to time travel, so you can't send out a status report in the past.  So if you are going to be late publishing a status report, send out a short email to your audience letting them know when they can expect it. Tip #5 - Ask your audience for feedback! Ask how could your status reporting be improved? Are your readers satisfied with the information you are providing? Could you provide any additional information? Is the frequency in which you publish your status reports adequate? Or Is it published too frequently and your audience has added you to their spam filters? You can download a free Status Report template, along with some other great templates, from www.pm411.org/templates. And be sure to check out The Bigg Success Show - it is published daily and provides some really great motivational ideas and techniques for your personal and professional life! 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 5:38 http://pm411.org/2008/07/01/podcast-episode-033-project-management-presentation-skills-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/07/01/podcast-episode-033-project-management-presentation-skills-part-2-of-2/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:33:17 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=222 http://pm411.org/2008/07/01/podcast-episode-033-project-management-presentation-skills-part-2-of-2/feed/ 0 presentations,speeches,visual aids In today's second of two podcasts in a series on project management presentation skills, we conclude our discussion with Joe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd. - Show Commentary In Part 1 of 2, In today's second of two podcasts in a series on project management presentation skills, we conclude our discussion with Joe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd. Show Commentary In Part 1 of 2, Joe and I discussed why people tend to become anxious when it comes to public speaking, how to overcome the jitters of speaking in front of a group, and the steps to take to prepare for an informational or persuasive presentation.  In Part 2, Joe and I continue our discussion on presentation skills with discussions on visual aids, basic delivery tips, answering questions during a presentation, and being prepared when interviewed by the media.  These suggestions can help you become better at project management presentations as well as day-to-day speaking with others. Visual Aids Once you have put your content together as we discussed in Part 1, you need to determine what visual aids you want to use during your presentation.  As part of the planning process you need to determine what is the best method of getting your message across - will you be sitting, standing, using presentation handouts, or maybe a demonstration tool to help make your points during the presentation?  You also need to determine if your environment will allow you to use the method that aids you in the most effective way.  For example, if a particular room does not have the capability to allow you to demonstrate how you can blow up a car using only a match and a piece of string, you may need to find another room (or a nearby fire station). Frequently people create their visuals, especially PowerPoint slides, so that they can be "read" later by the attendees of the presentation or those folks that were unable to attend.  The problem with this approach is that the visuals now contain so much content that it is difficult to effectively present it.  The slides become too "wordy" with multiple sentences instead of bullet points, causing the audience to focus on reading your slides while you present rather than listening to your presentation.  Worse yet, presenters frequently end up reading each of the wordy bullet items to the audience, while adding redundant paraphrasing that causes monotony and overkill on points.  Can you say "Hello snooze-ville?" The solution to having overly wordy slides is to keep your visuals extremely simple.  If you need to provide supporting information, provide it as a separate appendix to your presentation rather than part of your presentation. Joe recommends the "five-by-five" rule:  use a maximum of 5 bullet points with no more than 5 words per bullet point on a slide.  Beyond Bullet Points by Cliff Atkinson also features some easy-to-apply techniques to help you clarify, visualize, and present your ideas using PowerPoint that stresses minimizing the amount of words on a slide.  By giving your audience a relevant graphic and limiting the number of words per slide you will be able to help them remember the message of your presentation better.  Also, stay away from the dancing baby graphic that eveyone seemed to love in the early '90's.  No presentation exists that can be improved by using that! Three Delivery Tips Here are three simple delivery tips to remember for your presentation in order to have the biggest impact on your audience: Stand up straight Look at one person at a time Speak loudly Once you master these three tips, you can focus on all 9 skills of presenting which focus on: Movement Stance Hands Gestures Eyes Volume Speaking pace Animation Non-words ("ums", "ahs", "errs" "like," etc.) You should practice your speech using pauses instead of non-words.  Also, practice using pauses instead of "ums" or "errs" during meetings, on voice mail messages, and with friends.  I personally would also like to recommend practicing elimination of non-words to those of you that like to talk to yourselves on the train or bus. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 32:12 http://pm411.org/2008/06/09/podcast-episode-032-project-management-presentation-skills/ http://pm411.org/2008/06/09/podcast-episode-032-project-management-presentation-skills/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:01:20 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=219 http://pm411.org/2008/06/09/podcast-episode-032-project-management-presentation-skills/feed/ 1 presentations,speeches     In today's first of two podcasts in a series on project management presentation skills, we welcome backJoe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd. Joe holds a BSBA and MBA from Ohio State University and has over 25 ...     In today's first of two podcasts in a series on project management presentation skills, we welcome backJoe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd. Joe holds a BSBA and MBA from Ohio State University and has over 25 years of sales, sales management and training / consulting experience.  With many years providing sales and management training programs at Northeastern Illinois University, First National Bank of Chicago, and The Executive Technique, a firm specializing in presentation skills training, Joe teamed up with David Zehren in 1993 to create Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd.  Their 13-person firm is entering its 18th year in business and specializes in teaching the "persuasive arts" of selling, presenting, negotiating and influencing.  Clients are in a wide variety of industries, from banking to healthcare to printing to advertising to services to manufacturing and everything in-between.  Joe is responsible for client development, program delivery, people development within the firm, and holds the title of CFO. Show Commentary People generally dislike public speaking because it tends to make us nervous; no one wants to look foolish, which creates even more us even more nervous.  With communication being 90% of a project manager's job, the ability to effectively communicate in front of an audience is a necessity. Ways of Overcoming Nervousness There are several things you can do as a speaker to help overcome nervousness. Be prepared! There is no substitution for preparation to help reduce nervousness prior to a presentation. By practicing your presentation, you will reduce the likelihood of tripping over your words and improve the chances of getting your point across to your audience. Understand that nervousness is natural and to be expected. Everyone gets nervous before a presentation to some degree. When it comes to nervousness, you actually are the one in control and you can decide whether you "use it, or whether it uses you." Try talking a little bit louder than you normally would. This will help "burn off" some of the nervousness and allow you to come across as more confident. Speaking louder than you normally would at the beginning is also a easy psychological trick to pull on your brain since if you hear yourself better, you will quickly hear the power in your voice and start to relax. Look at the entire audience one person at a time. Speak to the group, but make eye contact one person at a time just as if you were talking to each person individually. Most of us are more comfortable with one-on-one dialog than speaking in front of a group. Frequently when we are nervous, instead of focusing on conveying our presentation to each individual in the audience, we quickly scan the audience as we speak, and start wondering how our audience perceives us. Then the worry begins and we start making up stories about what the audience must be thinking about us. By not focusing on connecting with each individual, we start to spend too much time thinking about "us" rather than about conveying the content of our presentation. Then we start getting nervous. By spending 3-5 seconds "speaking to each person" in the audience we can come across as more comfortable and become less nervous at the same time. Preparing for Your Presentation Although content is the most important part of you presentation, style closely follows it.  If you don't deliver the content well, we will likely fail in persuading or informing our audience based on our content. The following are the recommended steps in preparing for a presentation: Understand the time requirements that you have been given. Once you know the amount of time you will be given for your presentation, prepare just enough to cover one-half of the time allotted. When we speak live, we are more likely to elaborate or go into side tangents than what we typically plan for up front. By cutting your content in half, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 30:03 http://pm411.org/2008/05/27/podcast-episode-031-pmos-and-portfolio-management/ http://pm411.org/2008/05/27/podcast-episode-031-pmos-and-portfolio-management/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 04:10:25 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=212 http://pm411.org/2008/05/27/podcast-episode-031-pmos-and-portfolio-management/feed/ 3 pmo,portfolio management Recently I interviewed Nayan Patel, PMP, who works as a Corporate Manager of Portfolio Management for a major Healthcare Network.  I talked to Nayan about his role in creating and supporting project management, project management reporting tools, Recently I interviewed Nayan Patel, PMP, who works as a Corporate Manager of Portfolio Management for a major Healthcare Network.  I talked to Nayan about his role in creating and supporting project management, project management reporting tools, and ... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 19:07 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/2008/04/14/episode-028-project-management-in-the-real-world-with-elizabeth-harrin/ http://pm411.org/2008/04/14/episode-028-project-management-in-the-real-world-with-elizabeth-harrin/#comments Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:40:00 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/?p=202 http://pm411.org/2008/04/14/episode-028-project-management-in-the-real-world-with-elizabeth-harrin/feed/ 4 blogs,books 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. I recently had the opportunity to speak with author and blogger, Elizabeth Harrin, 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. I recently had the opportunity to speak with author and blogger, Elizabeth Harrin, of London, England.  Elizabeth is the author of the book Project Management in the Real World and has nearly a decade of experience in managing projects. She is a PRINCE2 practitioner and is trained in the Six Sigma process improvement methodology. Elizabeth has led a variety of IT and process improvement projects including those involving e-commerce, communications, and managing business change.  In addition to writing books, Elizabeth also writes the irreverent and popular blog A Girl's Guide to Managing Projects. During our conversation Elizabeth and I chatted about her book, her blog, and lots of other great stuff...   like extreme ultraviolet imaging space mass spectrometers! Project Management in the Real World Elizabeth decided to write the book that she had wanted to read when she started in the field of project management.  There were plenty of books on theory and techniques, but not too many on real-life experiences.  Early in her career Elizabeth found that by working closely on teams with other project managers, she was able to learn the trade quickly from others sharing their experiences.  So, with the goal of writing a book by the time she was thirty, Elizabeth decided to get information and experiences out of the heads of varios PM practitioners and into a book.  In writing the book, Elizabeth found people rather willing to share their experiences openly. One particular contributor, who was responsible for managing the assembly of mass spectrometers for measuring ultraviolet light images from space, was focused on directly eliminating every risk his project faced.  When you are talking about a £30 million project, you cannot risk finding a problem once the spectrometer has been assembled and has been launched into space.  However, instead of addressing risks by using a "textbook" approach of looking at the impact and probability of each risk occurring, the team looked at any impact as being unacceptable.  They had to adapt to the need that the impact of every single risk had to be eliminated as long as the probability of its occurrence was greater than zero. Office Politics and Self Promotion Office politics, as you can guess, is not something that Elizabeth recommends getting involved in.  Rather, she suggests being "organizational aware;" be astute and understand the background and motivation of your stakeholders, since they are critical to how you manage your project. Transparency is something that is very important when it comes to projects.  When you and your stakeholders have open communication, it is far easier to get things done.  Unfortunately sometimes you will run into people that have their own hidden agendas or "play people off each other" to get things done.  Stay clear of playing these games.  These behaviors are not good for building team relationships or morale.  Since most project managers have indirect line manager roles, burning bridges now with your team or stakeholders through office politics will only make your job more difficult later on. Self-promotion is something that Elizabeth feels is tricky to get right.  Project managers are often times the "unsung heroes" of project delivery.  If a project is on time, on budget, on delivery often times the team gets the majority of the credit, or even worse, stakeholders may feel that the team could have been pushed even harder.  In cases where projects do not meet their deliverables, then the project manager is often blamed.  That is just one of the unfortunate truths of project management.  So, it is important to sometimes "blow your horn" by showing that you are a practitioner of project management best practices, you share knowledge with others, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 35:39 http://pm411.org/2008/03/31/podcast-episode-027-12-steps-to-better-team-organization/ http://pm411.org/2008/03/31/podcast-episode-027-12-steps-to-better-team-organization/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:30:26 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/03/31/podcast-episode-027-12-steps-to-better-team-organization/ http://pm411.org/2008/03/31/podcast-episode-027-12-steps-to-better-team-organization/feed/ 0 Organization,PM Podcasts,Teams In today's podcast we talk with Suzanne Babb of the Let's Talk Organizing podcast to find out how project managers and their teams can become more organized. - For over 20 years, Suzanne has been helping people organize their lives so that they can sp... In today's podcast we talk with Suzanne Babb of the Let's Talk Organizing podcast to find out how project managers and their teams can become more organized. For over 20 years, Suzanne has been helping people organize their lives so that they can sp... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 26:51 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/2008/03/02/podcast-episode-025-successful-negotiation-skills-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/03/02/podcast-episode-025-successful-negotiation-skills-part-2-of-2/#comments Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:54:01 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/03/02/podcast-episode-025-successful-negotiation-skills-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/03/02/podcast-episode-025-successful-negotiation-skills-part-2-of-2/feed/ 1 batna,getting to yes,negotiations,shopping lists In today's second of two podcasts in a series on project management negotiation skills, we continue our discussion on principled negotiation with Joe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd. - In today's second of two podcasts in a series on project management negotiation skills, we continue our discussion on principled negotiation with Joe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd. Joe holds a BSBA and MBA from ... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 27:05 http://pm411.org/2008/02/20/podcast-episode-024-successful-negotiation-skills-part-1-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/02/20/podcast-episode-024-successful-negotiation-skills-part-1-of-2/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:56:45 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/02/20/podcast-episode-024-successful-negotiation-skills-part-1-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2008/02/20/podcast-episode-024-successful-negotiation-skills-part-1-of-2/feed/ 2 In today's first of two podcasts in a series on project management negotiation skills, we discuss methods of principled negotiation with Joe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd.  - In today's first of two podcasts in a series on project management negotiation skills, we discuss methods of principled negotiation with Joe Friedman, of the consulting group Zehren-Friedman Associates, Ltd.  Joe holds a BSBA and MBA from Ohio Stat... Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 28:05 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/2008/01/20/podcast-episode-021-team-collaboration-with-central-desktop/ http://pm411.org/2008/01/20/podcast-episode-021-team-collaboration-with-central-desktop/#comments Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:26:22 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2008/01/20/podcast-episode-021-team-collaboration-with-central-desktop/ http://pm411.org/2008/01/20/podcast-episode-021-team-collaboration-with-central-desktop/feed/ 2 In episode 022 we feature our first pm411.org Project Management video podcast.  The decision to use video as the medium for this episode is to be able to show you some of the great features of a free team collaborative web application from one of our... In episode 022 we feature our first pm411.org Project Management video podcast.  The decision to use video as the medium for this episode is to be able to show you some of the great features of a free team collaborative web application from one of our sponsors called Central Desktop.  It's the collaboration tool voted “Best of The Web” by Business Week.  Organize projects, share files and meet online.  And best of all, you can set up an account and use the tool for free! The tool is free for up to 5 team members, but if you do want to add 10 or more team members, pm411.org Project Management Podcast listeners get an additional 25% for plans with additional features and team members when they upgrade!  And if you do increase the number of team members, pricing starts at just $25/month for 10 members prior to the 25% pm411.org discount. Some of the advantages of Central Desktop over other collaboration software include:    Quick Setup - No Learning Curve Central Desktop was created for business teams, not the IT department. No Technical Knowledge or Programming Experience Required Setup Workspaces in Minutes, not Months Choose From Templates To Jumpstart Your Project or Intranet Familiar Word Processor Like Toolbar (WYSIWYG Editor) Encourage the Entire Team To Contribute Achieve High Adoption Rates Enterprise Grade Search Data At Your Fingertips Search A Single Repository for Files & Documents Full Text & Document Search (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF, HTML, etc...) Searchable Conversation Threads Search Across Multiple Workspaces Simultaneously Access Workspaces From Anywhere (Office, On The Road, Home) Real-Time Collaboration Web Meetings & Audio Conferencing Single Sign-On Access Collaborate with Customers, Partners, Vendors - In Real-Time Encourage Ad-Hoc Team Collaboration Share Screens, Remote Presentations Integrated Free Audio Conferencing Outlook Calendar Integration Online Docs & Spreadsheets Track Revision History and Document Versions Store online docs & spreadsheets in a secure, password protected workspace environment Create, edit and share online spreadsheets in *real-time* Import and export online spreadsheets to and from Microsoft Excel Create more than 30 types of charts (bar charts, pie charts, etc.) Access more than 500 formulas and functions Team Accountability Get Everyone On The Same Page Version-Tracked Files & Document Revision History Document Library (Check-In /Check-Out) Workspace Audit Trails (Page Level Revision History) Track Project Status (Scorecards) Set User Permissions For Each Workspace (View Only, Modify, Add/Delete) Centralize Communication Get Out Of Your Inbox Foster Online Group Discussions View Workspace & Project Event Calendars Personlized Dashboard Overview of Workspaces, Reminders and Overdue Alerts Instant Messenger Presence Integration (Skype (Voice Supported Also), Yahoo, MSN Messenger, ICQ, AIM, Jabber) Subscribe to an Interactive Workspace Activity Digests via RSS/Atom Secure RSS Authentication Supported So, get started for free with Central Desktop today with no obligation!  You can start setting up your workspace today by clicking here or by going to http://www.pm411.org/centraldesktop . How about leaving us some comments on what you think about Central Desktop.  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 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/2007/12/28/podcast-episode-020-e-projectmanagers-website/ http://pm411.org/2007/12/28/podcast-episode-020-e-projectmanagers-website/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:11:55 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/12/28/podcast-episode-020-e-projectmanagers-website/ http://pm411.org/2007/12/28/podcast-episode-020-e-projectmanagers-website/feed/ 0 In today's episode I talk with Dora Tarver of the e-ProjectManagers website, a great website for Project Management templates. - Dora began her career as a Programmer / Analyst, soon becoming a technical leader and eventually a Project Manager. In today's episode I talk with Dora Tarver of the e-ProjectManagers website, a great website for Project Management templates. Dora began her career as a Programmer / Analyst, soon becoming a technical leader and eventually a Project Manager.  She is a member of PMI, has published papers, and has spoken across the country for PMI including at PMI Annual Seminars & Symposium.  Dora has over 17 years expereince in planning, building and buying software and hardware for medium and multimillion-dollar projects. Her experience includes infrastructure management, project procurement, change management, risk management, team development, time & cost analysis, business analysis, project plan development and maintenance following PMBOK and Corporate methodologies. Show Notes: http://www.e-projectmanagers.com/ - Dora's project management website where her free templates can be found. doratarver@e-projectmanagers.com - Where to contact Dora. http://www.dharmakaya.com/ - The Dharmakaya Meditation Center. http://www.freewebsitedesign.org/ - Where you can go to get your website created for free. http://www.enlightenedsource.org/ - Dora provides some internet business product reviews. Finally, be sure to look for the bonus year-end pm411.org podcast episode next week on the topic of things you and your team can do to make sure you get off on the right project management foot for 2008!  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 14:41 http://pm411.org/2007/12/10/podcast-episode-019-project-management-web-resources/ http://pm411.org/2007/12/10/podcast-episode-019-project-management-web-resources/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:52:46 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/12/10/podcast-episode-019-project-management-web-resources/ http://pm411.org/2007/12/10/podcast-episode-019-project-management-web-resources/feed/ 0 In Episode 19, I have the great privilege of having two of the top providers of Project Management internet content join me in a roundtable discussion on various project management web resources. - Shawn Futterer, PMP®, In Episode 19, I have the great privilege of having two of the top providers of Project Management internet content join me in a roundtable discussion on various project management web resources. Shawn Futterer, PMP®, is a certified project management professional with a broad range of experience. He started his career in 1992 managing quality control projects for a small manufacturing company and is currently working in a PMO for a Fortune 50 telecommunications company where he supervises project managers for the North region. Over the course of his career, Shawn has managed projects of all shapes and sizes. Shawn has a keen interest in the methodologies, strategy, planning and operations. He has over fifteen years of hands-on project management experience and has led, consulted on or contributed to: process development efforts, various methodologies and multiple training programs. Shawn attributes a project managers success to their ability to provide a strategic view and a demonstrated ability to interact and communicate effectively with all levels of an organization.  Shawn runs the Project Management Learning Center as part of the TenStep Global Community. Cornelius Fichtner, PMP®, is the host of The Project Management Podcast and  The Project Management PrepCast™. The Podcast is a general PM related podcast and the PrepCast prepares listeners for the PMP® exam.  Cornelius worked as a Project Manager in his native Switzerland, in Germany and in the USA for the last 16 years. He received his PMP® credential in April 2004. He has led projects for a management consulting company, a national retailer and an internet startup company.  Currently, Cornelius works as a project manager for one of the oldest financial service providers in the USA. His passions are project management methodologies and PMOs.  Cornelius is also an instructor for the PMP® Workshop for his local PMI chapter and serves as the chapter's chair until the end of this month. He currently lives in Silverado, California, USA with his wife and their two computers. Show Notes: Web resources brought up during the roundtable discussion: http://www.maxwideman.com/ http://projectmanagementlearningcenter.com/ http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups http://forums.pmhub.net/ http://www.manager-tools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10 http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/pmfwebmaster http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewforum&f=6 http://projectmanagement.ittoolbox.com/groups/career/projectmanagement-career http://groups.google.com/ http://www.kadonk.com/ (Live project free viewer) http://www.pmconnection.com/ http://podcast.amanet.org http://www.pmhut.com/ http://www.pmstudent.com/ http://www.cuttingsedge.com/ http://projectized.blogspot.com/ http://techrepublic.com http://www.chiefprojectofficer.com/ http://www.gantthead.com/ http://www.techrepublic.com/ http://tenstep.com/ http://www.managementhelp.org/ http://www.12manage.com/ http://www.controllingchaos.com http://www.mindjet.com http://freemind.sourceforge.net/ http://www.openoffice.org/ http://www.projity.org http://www.e-projectmanagers.com http://www.pm411.org 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 43:52 http://pm411.org/2007/11/26/podcast-episode-018-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/11/26/podcast-episode-018-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-2/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:37:43 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/11/26/podcast-episode-018-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/11/26/podcast-episode-018-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-2/feed/ 0 In episode 018, we bring you part 2 of Pete Goss' story on various leadership and teamwork principles that he learned from some of his most life-harrowing adventures.  In today's show, Pete Goss concludes his presentation with the outcome of his her... In episode 018, we bring you part 2 of Pete Goss' story on various leadership and teamwork principles that he learned from some of his most life-harrowing adventures.  In today's show, Pete Goss concludes his presentation with the outcome of his heroic rescue of Frenchman  Raphael Dinelli during the 1996/97 Vendee Globe and his subsequent race with Team Philips. Show Notes: Close to the Wind by Pete Goss  http://www.petegoss.com/ Leadership and teamwork takeaways from Pete Goss’ presentation: Communication is a 2-way street and it is important to encourage team members to always share their ideas. Life isn't easy - you just have to deal with things as they come along. Making the right choice is part of making tough decisions and as the leader of a team you will find yourself faced with them. You truly can do anything if you want it bad enough. If you assemble a group of individuals and they commit their mind, body, and soul to a clear and simple goal they will make it. Life truly hangs by a delicate thread. "The cancer of time is complacency" - if you want to do something, you must do it now. "Obstacles are what you see the moment you take your eye off of the goal." "Responsibility is the most powerful thing you have as a leader." Very seldom do people not rise to their responsibility - but it is your contract; this is your gift, your challenge, your opportunity. To improve internal communications, "Bad News Meetings" were held between 4 or 5 team members where they would identify the Problem, determine the solution, assign a clear budget and timeline and assign those responsible for carrying out the task. Rather than worrying about life as a glass half-full or a glass half-empty, simply make the decision to "drink the bastard anyway!" "Without trying and courage you will never get progress." "Keeping a clear eye on the goal will give you solutions in the middle of the chaos." "If you choose to drive in the fast lane, you have to accept the consequences at the beginning and sometimes you have to take them on the chin with as much dignity as you can." "If you can get your team to work in the same direction, then you can achieve anything you set your mind to."    Leave us a voice message at (206) 984-3665 and let us know some of the adventures your team has been on!  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 40:55 http://pm411.org/2007/11/12/podcast-episode-017-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-1/ http://pm411.org/2007/11/12/podcast-episode-017-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-1/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:27:37 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/11/12/podcast-episode-017-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-1/ http://pm411.org/2007/11/12/podcast-episode-017-leadership-and-teamwork-in-the-face-of-danger-part-1/feed/ 1 Last week I attended the Planview User Conference in Austin, Texas which featured Pete Goss as the keynote speaker.  Pete is a world adventurer and author of the book, Close to the Wind. - More astronauts have circled the Earth than the number of p... Last week I attended the Planview User Conference in Austin, Texas which featured Pete Goss as the keynote speaker.  Pete is a world adventurer and author of the book, Close to the Wind. More astronauts have circled the Earth than the number of people who have sailed single-handed non-stop around the world without assistance. The most recognized of Pete’s races was the 1996/7 Vendee Globe non-stop single-handed round the world yacht race in his Open 50 yacht Aqua Quorum. Aqua Quorum was the first British boat to enter the Vendee and the only new yacht to complete the course in a year which sadly claimed the lives of two sailors, with only six of the sixteen starters finishing the race.  The race turned Pete into a national hero overnight for the dramatic rescue of fellow competitor Raphael Dinelli when winds of up to 80mph pounded Frenchman Dinelli’s sinking boat. After receiving the distress call, Pete sent what may have been his last fax to his wife to explain what he was about to do and immediately turned round to rescue the Frenchman. He battled for two days to reach the near-dead Dinelli, who was extremely lucky to survive 48 hours in a freezing life raft. Pete, who scuppered his own chances of winning the race in order to save Dinelli, was awarded the MBE by HM The Queen and the Legion d'Honneur by the French President for his actions. In episode 017, we bring you part 1 of Pete Goss' story on various leadership and teamwork principles that he learned from some of his most life-harrowing adventures. Show Notes: Close to the Wind www.planview.com www.petegoss.com Leadership and teamwork takeaways from Pete Goss’ presentation: Good Leadership is all about challenging the norm. Good Management makes it more efficient. All one should look for in a team is a team full of leaders. You shouldn’t just take risks, but rather, you should embrace risks by properly preparing for them. “Knowledge dispels fear.” People often see successful teams as “lucky”, even if it required "18 hour days at 7 days a week" to be successful. Often times when you drill down into a successful team, what you will find is a group of people that is willing to create their own “luck” by putting their nose to the grindstone and having the courage to grab an opportunity when it comes past. If at particular milestones you are off course by 10%, you can always identify that 10% and polish it to improve longterm performance. During your team’s journey there will be problems and mistakes, but those mistakes can also be seen as lessons. Remember that the mistakes made on your team’s journey can turn into the cornerstones of later success. Don’t cry over the mistakes, but rather celebrate in the lessons. “All the dirty washing stays on board” – don’t air your differences with those outside of the team. Trust takes time and needs to come from the top.  Trust can only come from example – but once it does, then people on your team will feel comfortable to share their mistakes. “To win, you first have to finish.” Success comes from a clear and well-planned vision. The clearer your vision, the less likely you are to become lost. You do have to recognize that things will change as you move forward, and you need to be able to be willing to adapt your vision. But, unless your vision is clear from the start, you have no reference to make that change. “Anything new is difficult and anything that is difficult requires commitment.” “Unless you personally are absolutely committed to something, you cannot expect others to be committed with you.” Once you have lost control of a situation, all you can do is react. The key is to try not to lose control. “As you keep chipping away at life, you eventually come to a very clear and simple crossroads where you stand by your morals or principles, or you don’t.” If your values as a company, as a team, Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 31:48 http://pm411.org/2007/10/29/podcast-episode-016-recent-updates/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/29/podcast-episode-016-recent-updates/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:09:26 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/10/29/podcast-episode-016-recent-updates/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/29/podcast-episode-016-recent-updates/feed/ 0 Show Notes: - In Episode 16, I cover some updates and news concerning the pm411.org podcast and website.  Specifically, I talk about: - 1.) How the number of podcast listeners has grown over the past several months. Show Notes: In Episode 16, I cover some updates and news concerning the pm411.org podcast and website.  Specifically, I talk about: 1.) How the number of podcast listeners has grown over the past several months.  We now have listeners from all over the world, including: India Canada Poland Brazil the UK Australia Germany Finland Spain Russa Singapore France Taiwan The United Arab Emirates Japan Sweden Belgium Saudi Arabia Belarus Italy Colombia Iran Netherlands Ireland New Zealand Austria Jordan Denmark Portugal Hong Kong China Norway Argentina Turkey South Africa Malaysia Romania Bahrain Pakistan The Czech Republic Switzerland Chile Phillippines South Korea Egypt Morocco Nigeria Bulgaria Ukraine Sri Lanka Oman Qatar Macedonia Israel Mauritius (I had to look up where this country was located, since I was never great at geography) Indonesia Thailand Ghana Benin Peru Lebanon Afghanistan Uruquay Lithuania Luxembourg Puerto Rico Equador Slovakia Slovenia Tanzania Rwanda Bangladesh Vietnam Serbia Montenegro and The United states 2.) I discuss some of RSS feed and iTune difficulties I have been having over the last few weeks and request any suggestions you may have on the resolving the issues. 3.) I share with you our new message phone number from K7.net.  Our direct voicemessage line is (206) 984-3665 and is available for your comments and questions.  I am really looking forward to any feedback on the show that you might have for me as well as any project management comments or questions you would like for me to address on a future show. 4.) And finally, I tell you how you can receive for free "15 seconds of fame" by creating a personalized "show bumper" that will be heard around the world.  If you are wondering what a show bumper is, you can find out in this episode.  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 14:02 http://pm411.org/2007/10/15/podcast-episode-015-creating-effective-teams/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/15/podcast-episode-015-creating-effective-teams/#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:08:10 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/10/15/podcast-episode-015-creating-effective-teams/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/15/podcast-episode-015-creating-effective-teams/feed/ 0 Today I talk with Kent McDonald, of knowledgebridgepartners.com, about creating effective project teams.  Kent has more than a decade of experience in various aspects of business analysis and project leadership. Today I talk with Kent McDonald, of knowledgebridgepartners.com, about creating effective project teams.  Kent has more than a decade of experience in various aspects of business analysis and project leadership.  Kent has led projects and designed business solutions in a variety of industries including financial services, health insurance, performance marketing, human services, non profit, and automotive. Through his consulting business, Kent provides coaching, training, and mentoring for Business Analysts, Project Leaders, and customers of business systems projects. Kent is a sought after speaker and writer on the topics of business analysis, project leadership, and measuring and delivering value through projects. Show links: www.knowledgebridgepartners.com www.accelinnova.com www.kbpblogs.com "Picking the Right Project Team" by Kent McDonald www.projectconnections.com Scott Ambler's "Generalizing Specialist" Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams (The Agile Software Development Series) by Alistair Cockburn Bruce Tuckman's "Forming-storming-norming-performing" model of team development  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 23:48 http://pm411.org/2007/10/10/the-project-management-prepcast-pmp-interview/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/10/the-project-management-prepcast-pmp-interview/#comments Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:55:48 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/10/10/the-project-management-prepcast-pmp-interview/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/10/the-project-management-prepcast-pmp-interview/feed/ 0 I was interviewed a few weeks ago by Cornelius Fichtner, PMP®, of the Project Management PrepCast about my experience in becoming PMP certified.  He has posted the interview as one of his free PrepCast® episodes and hopefully it provides some goo... I was interviewed a few weeks ago by Cornelius Fichtner, PMP®, of the Project Management PrepCast about my experience in becoming PMP certified.  He has posted the interview as one of his free PrepCast® episodes and hopefully it provides some good tips to those of you preparing to take the PMP® examination.  Below is Cornelius' show notes and the link to the interview: All, Are you studying to take the PMP® exam? Then we have something for you. We recently did an interview with Ron Holohan (from www.pm411.org) on how he became a PMP. This interview is now available as the 89th episode of The Project Management PrepCast®. We learn how he studied, what he thinks of our PMP® Podcast and his recommendations for all PMP® Aspirants among you. Ron also wrote a review of The Premium PrepCast, which you can read here... Listen to this special Episode: http://www.pmprepcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=227&Itemid=28 Visit the Websites: http://www.pmprepcast.com Regards, Cornelius Fichtner, PMP® The Project Management PrepCast  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. 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 http://pm411.org/2007/10/01/podcast-episode-014-dotproject-collaborative-project-management-software/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/01/podcast-episode-014-dotproject-collaborative-project-management-software/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:36:32 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/10/01/podcast-episode-014-dotproject-collaborative-project-management-software/ http://pm411.org/2007/10/01/podcast-episode-014-dotproject-collaborative-project-management-software/feed/ 0 Today I talk with Karen Chisholm, from Melbourne, Australia, who serves as an admin for dotproject, an free, open source, web-based project management application designed to provide project layout and control functions. Today I talk with Karen Chisholm, from Melbourne, Australia, who serves as an admin for dotproject, an free, open source, web-based project management application designed to provide project layout and control functions.  dotProject aims to provide the project manager with a tool to manage team tasks, communication, and file sharing.  Within the application there are several core modules that allows the user to track work by company, project, task, and contact.  Additional free add-on modules allow additional functionality, such as importing Microsoft Project Tasks into dotProject. During the discussion, Karen and I discuss: The history of dotProject and Karen's background. How dotProject is different from other collaborative software. Some of the modules available in dotProject. What is typically involved in installing dotProject on any server. New features and applications being creating by Karen's group at the moment. And finally, how to convert user donations into goats for a good cause!  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 27:09 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/2007/08/21/podcast-episode-012-trends-in-project-management-performance/ http://pm411.org/2007/08/21/podcast-episode-012-trends-in-project-management-performance/#comments Wed, 22 Aug 2007 03:09:08 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/08/21/podcast-episode-012-trends-in-project-management-performance/ http://pm411.org/2007/08/21/podcast-episode-012-trends-in-project-management-performance/feed/ 0 According to data by the Standish Group, an independent consultant group focused on what makes projects either succeed or fail, since 1994 a larger percentage of projects are meeting their objectives.  Now more recent data indicates that "35% of all p... According to data by the Standish Group, an independent consultant group focused on what makes projects either succeed or fail, since 1994 a larger percentage of projects are meeting their objectives.  Now more recent data indicates that "35% of all projects succeed (meaning they are delivered on time, on budget, with required features and functions); 46% are challenged (which includes being late, over budget, and/or with less than the required features and functions); and 19% fail (meaning that they are cancelled prior to completion or delivered and never used)"  (Standish 2006). In today's show we talk with Jim Johnson of the the Standish Group to find out more about recent trends in project management performance.   Mr. Johnson is the founder and chairman of The Standish Group.  He has been professionally involved in the computer industry for over 30 years and has a long list of published papers, articles and speeches.  He has a combination of technical, marketing, and research achievements focused on mission-critical applications and technology.  He is best known for his research on transactional middleware, as well as project and system failures.  Jim is a pioneer of modern research techniques and continues to advance in the research industry through virtual focus groups and case-based analytical technology. We will draw the names of two lucky listeners on September 15th to win either a free copy of Jim Johnson's book My Life is Failure, or a free copy of The Public Execution of Miss Scarlett.  Simply send an e-mail with your name and e-mail address to show@pm411 with “Standish Group Drawing” in the subject line before September 15th, 2007 to enter!  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 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/2007/07/24/podcast-episode-10-interview-with-cornelius-fichtner/ http://pm411.org/2007/07/24/podcast-episode-10-interview-with-cornelius-fichtner/#comments Wed, 25 Jul 2007 03:05:15 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/07/24/podcast-episode-10-interview-with-cornelius-fichtner/ http://pm411.org/2007/07/24/podcast-episode-10-interview-with-cornelius-fichtner/feed/ 0 Today’s episode is an interview with the person I consider to be the "Father of the Project Management Podcast", Mr. Cornelius Fichtner.  Cornelius is the host of The PM Podcast and the Project Management Prepcast. Today’s episode is an interview with the person I consider to be the "Father of the Project Management Podcast", Mr. Cornelius Fichtner.  Cornelius is the host of The PM Podcast and the Project Management Prepcast.  During the interview we talk about project management in his native Switzerland, how his project management podcast and prepcast got started, and what new things he is currently working on for his listeners.  We even make time to talk about his ears and feet! Cornelius has graciously offered a free subscription to his Project Management PrepCast to a single lucky pm411.org listener. To enter, email us at show@pm411.org with your name, email address and “PM PrepCast Drawing” in the subject line and you will be entered into a drawing for a free subscription of the Project Management PrepCast. We will draw the name of the lucky winner on August 15th and announce that person’s name on the pm411.org website. So enter soon and good luck!  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 27:40 http://pm411.org/2007/07/02/podcast-episode-009-recent-updates/ http://pm411.org/2007/07/02/podcast-episode-009-recent-updates/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:55:40 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/07/02/podcast-episode-009-recent-updates/ http://pm411.org/2007/07/02/podcast-episode-009-recent-updates/feed/ 0 Episode 9 is basically a brief summary of what's been going on lately this summer in my life.  Specifically, Some details on the new look of the pm411.org website and new improvements coming soon to the podcast format. Episode 9 is basically a brief summary of what's been going on lately this summer in my life.  Specifically, Some details on the new look of the pm411.org website and new improvements coming soon to the podcast format. How my studies are coming along for the PMP exam. And my investigation into the Theory of Contraints and Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM).   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 9:39 http://pm411.org/2007/06/10/podcast-episode-008-developing-a-ms-project-schedule-using-process-groups/ http://pm411.org/2007/06/10/podcast-episode-008-developing-a-ms-project-schedule-using-process-groups/#comments Sun, 10 Jun 2007 07:01:47 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/06/10/podcast-episode-008-developing-a-ms-project-schedule-using-process-groups/ http://pm411.org/2007/06/10/podcast-episode-008-developing-a-ms-project-schedule-using-process-groups/feed/ 0 As you may know, the PMBOK guide does not prescribe the steps in using software for creating schedules.  But, one day I was surfing around on Microsoft's templates page and found an interesting easy-to-understand template called "Project Management Qu... As you may know, the PMBOK guide does not prescribe the steps in using software for creating schedules.  But, one day I was surfing around on Microsoft's templates page and found an interesting easy-to-understand template called "Project Management Quick Guide" that steps you through how to create a project schedule using Microsoft Project in relation to the 5 Process Groups of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. I found this to be a pretty handy little guide.  So, I thought that I would walk you through the guide. In this podcast I cover: · What the purpose and definition is of each process group. · What schedule activities should be done in conjunction with each process group. · And the steps to do those activities using Microsoft Project 2000 or later. Before listening to the podcast, you may want to download a copy of the Project Management Quick Reference Guide template from the Microsoft Office Templates website. Regards, Ron  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 23:11 http://pm411.org/2007/05/28/podcast-episode-007-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/28/podcast-episode-007-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-2-of-2/#comments Tue, 29 May 2007 02:40:12 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/05/28/podcast-episode-007-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/28/podcast-episode-007-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-2-of-2/feed/ 0 In episode 007, which will forever be known as the "James Bond Episode," I continue with part 2 of the series on Sympathetic Project Manager Leadership.  In this episode, I discuss how to be an active listener and problem solver. - Enjoy! - Ron In episode 007, which will forever be known as the "James Bond Episode," I continue with part 2 of the series on Sympathetic Project Manager Leadership.  In this episode, I discuss how to be an active listener and problem solver. Enjoy! Ron  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 18:29 http://pm411.org/2007/05/20/podcast-episode-006-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-1-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/20/podcast-episode-006-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-1-of-2/#comments Mon, 21 May 2007 00:56:33 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/05/20/podcast-episode-006-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-1-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/20/podcast-episode-006-sympathetic-project-manager-leadership-part-1-of-2/feed/ 0 A couple years ago I attended a seminar at Caltech called Assertive Management:  How to Influence Without Alienating.  It was simply the best training I have ever received in my career. - In episode 006, A couple years ago I attended a seminar at Caltech called Assertive Management:  How to Influence Without Alienating.  It was simply the best training I have ever received in my career. In episode 006, I review some of the techniques that I learned from the seminar and apply it to project management.  In this week's podcast (Part 1 of Episode 006) I discuss the different types of behavioral communication and how assertive communication can help you and your team perform better. Regards, Ron   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 15:11 http://pm411.org/2007/05/16/podcast-episode-005-engaging-china/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/16/podcast-episode-005-engaging-china/#comments Thu, 17 May 2007 03:35:07 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/05/16/podcast-episode-005-engaging-china/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/16/podcast-episode-005-engaging-china/feed/ 1   A few weeks ago I had the great fortune of traveling to Suzhou, China to provide training at one of my company's manufacturing locations.  Being my first time to Asia, it was a great experience to get a chance to see a different side of our busine...   A few weeks ago I had the great fortune of traveling to Suzhou, China to provide training at one of my company's manufacturing locations.  Being my first time to Asia, it was a great experience to get a chance to see a different side of our business and how the Chinese culture is different from that of the West. In this podcast, I offer some general tips on how to best understand and navigate the Chinese culture and how to best understand their customs in order to form long lasting business relationships with the Chinese. Some references that I would recommend: [1] Customs and Etiquette of China.  Mason, Caroline and Murray, Geoffrey. (c) 2005 Global Books Ltd.  ISBN-10: 1857333861 [2] Doing Business in the New China: A Handbook and Guide.  Zinzius, Birgit. (c) 2004 Praeger Publishers.  ISBN-10: 0275980316  Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast delivered by email for free!    Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 33:07 http://pm411.org/2007/05/06/podcast-episode-004-work-breakdown-structures/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/06/podcast-episode-004-work-breakdown-structures/#comments Mon, 07 May 2007 00:47:35 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/05/06/podcast-episode-004-work-breakdown-structures/ http://pm411.org/2007/05/06/podcast-episode-004-work-breakdown-structures/feed/ 2 My apologies for posting this podcast, which was recorded back on 4/15, so late.  I was hoping to edit and have this episode posted prior to my trip to China, but was unable to get it completed. - The work breakdown structure (WBS) is one of the bui... My apologies for posting this podcast, which was recorded back on 4/15, so late.  I was hoping to edit and have this episode posted prior to my trip to China, but was unable to get it completed. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is one of the building blocks of a successful project and it is one of the most important tools that a project manager can use.  In this podcast, I explain what is a WBS, why it is important, and some best practices in creating your own project WBS. Below are some great resources that were used in the creation of this podcast.. Enjoy! Ron  [1] Project Management Institute Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures (c) 2001 Project Management Institute, Inc. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania USA.  ISBN-10: 1880410818. [2] Earned Value Project Management, Second Edition, Fleming, Quentin W. and Koppelman, Joel M. (c) 2005 Project Management Institute.  ISBN-10: 1930699891. [3] Effective Project Management, Third Edition.  Wysocki, Robert K. and McGary, Rudd.  (c) 2003 John WWiley & Sons.  ISBN-10: 0471432210. [4] Fundamentals of Project Management, Third Edition.  Lewis, James P.  (c) 2007 AMACOM.  ISBN-10: 0814408796. [5] Managing Information Technology Projects:  Applying Project Management Strategies to Software, Hardware, and Integration Initiatives.  James Taylor.  (C) 2004 AMACOM.  ISBN-10: 0814408117. [6] Managing Projects Large and Small: The Fundamental Skills for Delivering on Budget and on Time.  Harvard Business School Publishing.  (c) 2004 Harvard Business School Publishing.  ISBN-10: 1591393213. [7] Project Management JumpStart.  Heldman, Kim.  (c) 2005 Sybex.  ISBN-10: 0782136001. [8] The Project Management Tool Kit:  100 Tips and Techniques for Getting the Job Done Right.  Kendrick, Tom.  (c) 2004 AMACON.  ISBN-10: 0814408109. [9] Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, Eighth Edition.  Kerzner, Harold.  (c) 2003 John Wiley & Sons.  ISBN-10: 0471741876 [10] Project Planning and Scheduling.  Haugan, Gregory T.  (c) Management Concepts.  ISBN-10: 1567261442  Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast delivered by email for free!    Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 50:09 http://pm411.org/2007/04/08/podcast-episode-003-managing-effective-meetings-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/04/08/podcast-episode-003-managing-effective-meetings-part-2-of-2/#comments Sun, 08 Apr 2007 22:33:10 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/04/08/podcast-episode-003-managing-effective-meetings-part-2-of-2/ http://pm411.org/2007/04/08/podcast-episode-003-managing-effective-meetings-part-2-of-2/feed/ 2 In this week's podcast (part 2 of 2 on managing effective meetings) I discuss the practice of using standup meetings for your project teams.  Those involved in software development may be aware of standup meetings as part of the scrum process of agile... In this week's podcast (part 2 of 2 on managing effective meetings) I discuss the practice of using standup meetings for your project teams.  Those involved in software development may be aware of standup meetings as part of the scrum process of agile software development.  But, standup meetings can offer a variety of advantages in almost any setting over the standard "weekly team meeting" by providing: Shorter, but more frequent meetings to insure issues are addressed quickly.  Focus on short term (usually daily) goals of team members. Elimination of the need to publish meeting agendas and minutes. This podcast will also cover, What standup meetings are and whether they can work with your project team. How to effectively run a standup meeting. I recommend using either flipchart or adhesive-backed paper for capturing the four information buckets (Action Items, Decisions Made, Discussion Points, and Open Issues) during standup meetings.   I personally use 3m's Post-it Self-stick Easel Pads during my meetings where they can be easily put on a wall and moved. Enjoy! Ron   Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast delivered by email for free!    Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 19:05 http://pm411.org/2007/04/01/podcast-episode-002-managing-effective-meetings/ http://pm411.org/2007/04/01/podcast-episode-002-managing-effective-meetings/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:25:49 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/04/01/podcast-episode-002-managing-effective-meetings/ http://pm411.org/2007/04/01/podcast-episode-002-managing-effective-meetings/feed/ 0 When creating meetings for your team it is important that you: Determine if you need a meeting Determine the goal of the meeting Prepare for the meeting in advance Run the meeting effectively and follow up after the meeting - When creating meetings for your team it is important that you: Determine if you need a meeting Determine the goal of the meeting Prepare for the meeting in advance Run the meeting effectively and follow up after the meeting Although most of us already have way too many meetings, effectively managed meeting can mean the difference between success and failure for a project team.  In this podcast (Part 1 or 2 on Effective Meetings) I describe some techniques that I use in my own team meetings to insure success.  I have also provided an effective meeting minute template that allows minutes to be captured easily into 4 critical Key Information Buckets:  Action Items, Decisions Made, Discussion Points, and Open Issues.  Next week's podcast will continue on the topic of effective meetings and I will discuss the use of standup meetings. Enjoy, Ron Meeting Minute Template (Right Click and choose "Save Target As" to download .xls file)   Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast delivered by email for free!    Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 14:36 http://pm411.org/2007/03/24/43/ http://pm411.org/2007/03/24/43/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2007 07:33:15 +0000 Ron Holohan, MBA PMP http://pm411.org/2007/03/24/43/ http://pm411.org/2007/03/24/43/feed/ 1 pm,pmo,project management,tools,topics Finally, our first episode of the pm411.org podcast is complete and available.  In this first episode, we cover the following topics: A little about me, your host, Ron Holohan What the pm411.org podcast and website hopes to achieve Finally, our first episode of the pm411.org podcast is complete and available.  In this first episode, we cover the following topics: A little about me, your host, Ron Holohan What the pm411.org podcast and website hopes to achieve An overview of some of the tools planned to be available on pm411.org. My hope is that The pm411.org Project Management Podcast and website will provide a beneficial tool for those of you in the project management profession. About Your Host My name is Ron Holohan and I have a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana as well as a MBA with an emphasis in Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. I have been managing projects for over 13 years. I started out my career doing something other than project management, as is the case with most project managers. After graduating from the University of Illinois, I started my career as an electrical engineer developing electronic room thermostats and residential furnace safety controls for a company in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry. About 18 months into my career, while taking MBA classes at night, I got the opportunity to lead my first project team on a gas ignition control for European boilers and gas clothes dryers. In this role I led the product development team into initial production and also provided customer technical support. I grew through the ranks at my company and later managed a few engineering functional groups while still leading the design and development of particular products. In 2000, my wife and I decided to make a life-change and we moved to the Chicago area where I began working as a project manager for a company that produces professional audio equipment. This job was doubly exciting to me since not only did I get to manage projects, I got to be involved in developing audio products, which is the reason I originally decided to go into engineering.  I had been a musician and guitar hobbyist for years and now I got the opportunity to develop products that I was truly passionate about. Later I got the opportunity to manage a group of talented project managers as I transitioned into more of the program management side of developing products. Although I have a lot of experience under my belt in project management, I still find myself learning new ways of getting projects done quicker, cheaper, and better. I learn quite a bit from the successes and failures of other project managers I work with, and I enjoy providing insight to my own experiences in project management as well. I am married with two young daughters.  I’ve still managed to find time to play guitar for a Chicago-based rock band. As a musician, I’ve owned a small home-recording studio for many years and now plan to also use it to create these podcasts. How did The pm411.org Project Management Podcast came to be? I started listening to various management podcasts from iTunes in late 2006. One of the first podcasts I listened to was the lively and humorous Manager-Tools Podcast.  I also started listening to Cornelius Fichtner’s PM Podcast and Mark Perry’s PMO Podcast, which if you haven’t yet checked out, you definitely should! So in the course of listening to several of these podcasts, I decided that I might be able to also share some of the experience that I have gained over the years by hosting a project management podcast to help project managers become better at their jobs. One of my other objectives is to create a forum for shared knowledge with the global PM community, so we can learn from each other’s experiences. So topics that I hope to cover on The pm411.org Project Management Podcast include project management methodology, software and book reviews, PM best practices and tricks of the trade, the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), team building, and other general project management topics. Ron Holohan, MBA PMP no 13:00