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/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/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/2009/10/05/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/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/2008/09/21/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