Archive for the ‘Project Management Articles’ Category

Guide to Project Management Qualifications

Guide to Project Management Qualifications

When you are looking to improve your project management skills or to get qualified, which route should you choose ?

This article describes the main courses and qualification routes

A – Introduction Courses

1-day Introduction Courses

Cover an overview of the basic principles of project management e.g. The Key Stages of a Project

Suitable for: – Suitable for both newcomers to project management and those who have worked on projects but have not received any formal training

2 & 3 day Introduction Courses

Cover the principles of a structured approach to project management in detail

A typical course can include Defining a Project, Producing a Product Breakdown Structures, Understanding Critical Path Analysis, Defining Project Control and understanding the role of the Project Manager

Suitable for:-Newcomers to project management who will working in detail in a project team

B -PRINCE2? Qualifications

-PRINCE2? is the UK’s most popular project management method

-It can be applied to all kinds of projects

-It is used by the UK Government, NHS, Police, Local Government bodies and the private sector.

-Many employers now require a Prince2 qualification for project management posts.

PRINCE2? Foundation Certificate (3 Days)

-Teaches the principles and terminology of PRINCE2 so that attendees can be an informed member of a PRINCE2? team

-Provides a recognised qualification

Suitable for individuals with a background of working in projects

PRINCE2? Combined Foundation & Practitioner Certificate (5 Days)

-Aimed at staff who will be taking a key role in a PRINCE2? project

-Gives a complete and practical understanding of the PRINCE 2 project management method and providing a recognised qualification

-Is taken over 5 days , either in one week, or split over 2 weeks

Suitable for – Individuals with a background of working in projects who wish to manage Prince2 projects

Suitable for – Experienced project managers looking for a recognized qualification

C-Association of Project Management Qualifications

APM Introductory Certificate in Project Management (2 days)

-The APM Introductory Certificate is designed for anyone, regardless of their experience or background, interested in starting on a successful career in project management or those wanting to understand the principles of project management excellence.

-It covers the principles of project management, including: Planning and scheduling , Communications, Quality management , Teamwork, Resource management, Risk management, Handover , Review

-Successful candidates will be able to understand the language of project management and the structure of a successful project. They will be able to take an active part in a project team and make a positive contribution to any project environment.

Suitable for:- Suitable for newcomers to project management and those who have worked on projects but have not received any formal training, and who wish to receive a formal qualification

APMP Qualification (5 days)

APMP is a knowledge-based qualification and candidates with this award will be able to demonstrate an understanding of all elements of project management, how these elements interact. They will also be able to understand how their project fits into their strategic and commercial environment

Suitable for:-Anyone who has worked within projects, or who has recently taken on project management responsibilities as part of their job.

Suitable for:- Experienced project managers looking for a recognized qualification

D-Project Management Institute Qualifications

The American based PMI group has an internationally recognized qualification which is particularly suitable for multi-national organisations and projects

Project Management Professional (5 days)

-This course satisfies the 35 hour formal project management training requirement and prepares you for the computer-based multiple-choice PMP exam, which is available globally in 10 languages.

-The educational requirements include 4,500 – 7,500 hours in a position of responsibility leading and directing specific tasks and 60 months of project management experience

Suitable for – Experienced project managers who want an internationally-recognized project management qualification

E-IT Project Management Qualifications

ISEB Foundation Certificate in IS Project Management (3 days)

The Foundation Certificate provides visible evidence that the individual concerned understands the basics of IT project management

Suitable for – Anyone involved in an IT project and individuals who are new to the project management discipline.

ISEB Certificate in IS Project Management (10 days)

-This qualification, which includes a 5-day Prince2 Practitioner course, teaches the well established techniques of managing highly technical and often complex projects, related to the particular problems experienced within IS developments.

-It includes Managing Plans, Resources , Development , Documentation, Quality and Managing Change

Suitable for – Those who have experience in management and want to acquire formal project management training focused on IS project management, and including PRINCE2.

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Building Project Management Capability & Maturity

Building Project Management Capability and Maturity must be a priority for any organisation involved in delivering multiple projects and programmes. Having mature project management will have a direct impact on an organisations capability to consistently delivery successful projects and programmes. The alternative leads to projects going over budget and failing to deliver on promises made. For some organisations, these project failures can have a devastating impact on the success of the entire business. It can lead to products and services being late to market, other projects being cancelled or postponed due to tied in resources, and problems due to poor quality outputs.

Many organisations take the decision to adopt ‘best practice’ project management principles in order to improve their project management capabilities. In the UK and many other countries around the globe, this usually means Prince2 – ‘Projects in a Controlled Environment’. Prince2 was developed in the UK by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and launched in 1996. It is used in many countries throughout the world both in the public and private sectors as the standard for project management best practice. It is comparable to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) as often used in the USA and elsewhere.

Although PRINCE2 sets out a framework for how individual projects should be managed, it doesn’t address how an organisation should be set up to use it. This takes a great deal of planning and time. In fact, the implementation of methodologies such as Prince2 within an organisation is a project in its own right and needs to be run as such. Some might even argue that the implementation of Prince 2 requires a Programme of work to implement it successfully. When Prince2 has been implemented correctly it has been embedded into the organisation in such a way that all projects are managed in the same way, taking into consideration the size and purpose of the individual project. A test of this would be a measure of the ease at which employees could move between projects without incurring prolonged period of acclimatisation. When the methodology has been embedded properly within the organisation, you would see the same repeatable processes and techniques used by all projects. When these processes are being continuously reviewed and improved this is called a mature process. The Prince2 Maturity Model (P2MM) defines such a scenario and allows organisations to gauge, by assessment their own level of maturity as well as identifying where improvements need to be made. The Prince2 Maturity Model should be the aspiration of all organisations seeking to implement a new Prince2 methodology or to improve an existing methodology.

Of course, the Prince Maturity Model was developed because so many organisations were failing to grasp the concept that Prince2 implementation affects the whole organisation and the way they manage projects. This basic fact is often overlooked by organisations that mistakenly believe Prince2 training is all that is required to achieve success in project management. If you train your workforce they become better at their job right? As logic goes, it looks a sound approach and is why many organisations have embarked on Prince training as a means to ensure that projects are properly managed. Of course, no one is suggesting that Prince2 training is a bad thing; but it is only one aspect of improving the success of projects within the organisation. Successful project management requires a three-strand approach: Knowledge, Expertise and an Embedded Methodology.

Knowledge refers to Prince2 training and certification. In many ways this is the easy bit. You pay your money and your project managers get trained.  Of course for the individuals it’s not really easy at all but you get the point. The projects managers return with an understanding about the project management methodology to play their part in the Prince2 organisation. However, whilst having an understanding of the Prince2 methodology and project management in general will be a big step forward, to become an excellent project manager requires the second strand; experience.

It mustn’t be overlooked that project management is first and foremost a management discipline. Project Managers are managers first and project managers second. This may feel unpalatable for many but it is true. The best project managers are not the ones who have the most project management qualifications but the ones with the most management experience; not necessarily in project management but in management per se. If you think about it, project management shares many of the generic management disciplines such as setting objectives, motivating staff, planning events, leading teams, enforcing ways of working, communication, negotiation, reporting, monitoring and control. Experience in these disciplines is far more important and hard to obtain that passing a Prince2 examination. I don’t say this to denigrate the Prince2 methodology or the training that is provided, which is usually excellent. I say this because if organisations wish to build a strong project management capability within their organisations, they can’t rely on rookie project managers with little or no prior exposure and experience in management. They can’t teach you experience, you have to acquire it over a period and usually by making mistakes. The lessons for organisations aiming to increase project management capability, is to ensure a mix of experience as well as qualifications.

The third and in many ways the most overlooked strand to building project management capability is that the Prince2 methodology (or any methodology for that matter) must be embedded within the organisation. I remember turning up at a large Local Authority in the UK to carry out an assessment of a failing project and to recommend a recovery plan. The Local Authority went to great lengths to explain to me that they were ‘a Prince2 House’. They had trained 13 of their project managers in Prince2 and told me that all of their projects were run according to Prince2. As I spoke to the project managers and interviewed various other stakeholders it became clear that the organisation was Prince 2 in name only. It had no repeatable Prince2 systems and processes into which the project managers could engage. I would expect to have seen a centre of excellence or programme office issuing templates, guidance documents, route maps, lifecycle models, tools, quality procedures etc. but found none. Instead, each project manager had designed their own way of working, together with their own document formats, planning methods etc. In short, there were no commonly understood processes, techniques and components, as one would expect from the Prince2 methodology. Further more, Prince2 training had not been extended beyond the project managers and therefore, key roles such as Senior User were simply not being fulfilled adequately. Attempts to set up project boards were hampered by stakeholder confusion about their role. As a result, they either didn’t attend project boards or sent a deputy without the appropriate decision making authority; which defeats the entire purpose.

To conclude then, if you want to enable your organisation to deliver successful projects and programmes, by all means select a good methodology or life cycle model. However, don’t rely entirely in training alone. Experience and cultural acceptance of the chosen methodology is just as important. Why not set up a project specifically aimed at implementing your chosen methodology. What better way to implement your new methodology throughout the organisation?

To see the article source please follow this link: Building Project Management Capability & Maturity

Related project management video:

About Rita Mulcahy, PMP – An expert in advanced project management, the PMP® Exam and risk management – A gifted instructor and author of the books PMP ®Exam Prep and Risk Management Tricks of the Trade – President of RMC Project Management, the Innovators in Project Management Training and Products since 1991.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Getting Project Management ?Out of the Box’

Introduction

What is a project manager, or put it another way, what are you? What do you do between 9am and 5pm each working day (and that is on a very good working day)?

The web has a number of definitions of what a project manager is:

A project manager is a professional in the field of project management.
The person with authority to manage a project.
The person responsible for the project.
Individual or body with authority, accountability and responsibility for managing a project to achieve specific objectives.
The individual in charge of the progress and performance of the project on behalf of the Project Owner.
The individual accountable for all aspects of a project.

Ask someone that question and demand a fast answer in return then the chances are that they will reply as follows:

“What is a project manager?”

“Someone who manages projects”

So not a great deal of enlightenment there then; but to be fair it is hard isn’t it? How do we describe to other people, people outside our closed world, exactly what we do and why what we do is so important? And how do we make it all sound exciting (unlike the above definitions), because it is exciting isn’t it?

But it is important
How important?

‘Withone-fifth of the world’s GDP being spent on projects this year clearly business isn’t just about operations anymore. Competitiveness, innovation, talent these are the things you’re worrying about every day’. www.pmi-projectimpact.org/

That is about Trillion!

That is really important.

How important?

The whole world is challenged that is for sure!

On one hand we faced the Global Recession, with all the impact that this had on people and business, and on the other hand we are a dynamic, resourceful and ever evolving world that demands change as part of its survival. And change demands projects and projects demand project managers.

On one hand we have a history littered with significant project failure, although there have been spectacular successes as well  The Standish Report 2009 clearly shows that history may well be repeated in many cases.

Now is the time that it is even more critical to succeed, and succeed with a higher level of certainty than seen before since those projects that will be commissioned in the future, as well as the ones that are allowed to continue in the current climate, will be expected to deliver higher business impact, be under closer scrutiny from senior management and be under far more pressure to succeed.

And guess what, who will be the one that is under the most pressure, the project manager!

Very important?

So it seems we, the project managers of the world, are pretty important in the scheme of things. Mostly not “life or death” important but still important enough.

So why does it remain so difficult to explain to ‘outsiders’ what we do?

A good statement to remember here is perhaps this one “Project management is a verb; not a noun”

Getting ‘Out of the Box’
Can you name three famous project managers?

If you were asked this question you may well lean towards a number of areas:

Science and Art: Leonardo da Vinci
Engineering: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Manufacturing: Henry Ford
Military: Attila the Hun
Cultural: Nelson Mandela

On the other hand you might not.

Brunel stated “I am opposed to the laying down of rules or conditions to be observed in the construction of bridges lest the progress of improvement tomorrow might be embarrassed or shackled by recording or registering as law the prejudices or errors of today.” So he was no fan of rigid discipline but rather allowing for innovation and development.

Da Vinci said “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” So not exactly in line with our project closure theory.

Ford declared “I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can’t be done.” Again a very open and flexible approach is desired.

Attila the Hun probably came up with some great quotes but we don’t have those recorded for posterity (probably stuff around attack and kill mostly).

But why even try to name three famous project managers? Well to demonstrate that most names that you will come up will be famous for other matters and not project management pure and simple.

I know we could probably name three names; I would perhaps suggest Dr Harold Kerzner (IIL), Dr David Hillson (Risk Doctor), and Rita Mulcahy (PMP Prep). I could certainly add to that list, as I am sure you could as well, but the point is that outside of project management these people are unknown.

No one, within our project world, has yet been universally recognized in this day and age. It is all about the project and not the project manager.

Even The Lazy Project Manager (www.thelazyprojectmanager.com ) has not yet reached that level of fame.

When will I be famous?
It’s magic

A project manager asks his administrator what two plus two equals. The administrator states in absolute that two plus two equals four.

The project manager then asks his accountant what two plus two equals. The accountant states in relative terms that two plus two equals four plus or minus.

Finally the project manager asks his project controller what two plus two equals. The project controller turns off the lights, walks over and closes the blinds, and sits down by the project manager to say in a whisper, “What do you want it to equal?”

Give a project to a good project manager (supported in all the right ways with sponsorship and resources etc) then “magic happens”.

So then why can’t the skills of the project manager been appreciated by the general public? We should all be famous (if not rich) by now.

Others do it

There is a growing trend in the UK, originating from the US I believe, where children are encouraged to take their parents in to school and get the parents to talk about their jobs.

I have never been asked to go in to my children’s school!

They have had a policeman in who no doubt talked about road safety and not talking to strangers, they have had a nurse in who talked about healthcare issues and how to look after yourself, and they have had a fireman in to explain about the dangers of fires and what to do if you are in such danger. These are all important and seemingly (to children) exciting jobs. But project management is neither apparently exciting nor does it have a uniform (something I note that the people who have gone in to school have in common).

Should we perhaps design a uniform for project managers? We know we are exciting already.

But consider this; we can easily state that ‘doctors make people better’, that ‘policemen catch bad people’, that ‘builders make homes’, that ‘authors write books’, that ‘movie stars make films’ and so on. But we can’t say ‘project managers manage projects’ because that doesn’t tell people anything. We all know what it means but my children don’t, and my friends don’t, and ‘Joe Public’ doesn’t know either.

So this is where we are
The current situation

This can be summarised as follows:

We are generally good at what we do
We are generally successful in our endeavours
We are getting better all the time
We do deliver “exciting things”
(We are mostly nice people I’m sure)

So how can we get “out of that box” and into the spot light so that the world in general can understand us and what we do?

It is better than you may think

Take this easy test – the numbers no doubt will change all the time but these are the results I got when I tried it (03/12/10).

Google ‘Project Failures’ – I got 33 million hits

Now Google ‘Project Success’ – I got 85 million hits

Encouraging wouldn’t you say?

Google ‘Sad Project Manager’ – I got 1.9 million hits

Now Google ‘Happy Project Manager’ – I got 41 million hits

Nice.

And if you happen to Google ‘Nurse’ and then ‘Fireman’ and then ‘Policemen’ and add the hits together I got 96 million hits but Google ‘Project Manager’ and I got 205 million hits.

Very nice.

Be proud and be happy

So all in all we have a lot to be both proud and happy about; so let’s be proud and happy about it!

Being a project manager is a great job, whether you intend on pursuing a project management career or whether you intend to move in to a business role within a project based business. Projects should never bore you, they are all different and each day will bring new challenges and interest. You will never stop learning those lessons.

Finally reach out with what you do

Consider doing some or all of the following in order to help yourself (and project management in general) out of the box:

Tell people you are a project manager. Don’t be shy; be brave and come clean about your job, you are not doing anything that you shouldn’t be loud and proud of.
Have that ‘elevator’ speech ready when people ask you what you do. But whatever you say don’t say “I’m a project manager, I manage projects”. I recently asked the question “How would you explain project management to an Alien from outer space” and one of my favourite answers came from Penny Pullman “Getting something new and exciting done with a group of people!”
Speak at non-Project Management events. In my role as The Lazy Project Manager I have more and more begun to speak to groups of people outside project management and you know what? They like what they hear about projects and project management (and project managers).
Network with a broad group of people, again outside project management.
Start some LinkedIn discussions such as my “Alien” one; you get some great interaction with people from all over the world.
Twitter and Blog and Facebook and any and every social networking mechanism that works for you.
Offer your services outside of your work, you will find that many volunteer organisations are crying out for your projects skills – even if they don’t know what they are.
And finally why not scare your kids and go to that school or college day and talk about your exciting role of being a project manager.
You are a ‘PM Superstar’

I still want to shout to the world about project management and tell about all the great work that we do and I want you to join me in that ‘shouting’ – be loud and very proud of what you do. It is both essential and exciting.

Taking project management “out of the box” will spread the word outside our community about what a great bunch of people we are and how project management is a valuable to skill to pretty much everybody.

You are a PM Superstar (definition ‘someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field’) so not only get “out of that box” but climb up and stand on it whilst you let everyone know just what you do and what you are.

You are a project manager.

“Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand” Chinese Proverb

Selecting the Project Manager: an executive decision from POME by Gautam Koppala

Selecting the Project Manager: an executive decision

Probably the most difficult decision facing upper-level management is the selection of project managers. Some managers work best on long-duration projects where decision making can be slow; others may thrive on short-duration projects that can result in a constant-pressure environment. A director was asked whom he would choose for a key project manager position—an individual who had been a project manager on previous programs in which there were severe problems and cost overruns, or a new aggressive individual who might have the capability to be a good project manager but had never had the opportunity. The director responded that he would go with the seasoned veteran assuming that the previous mistakes would not be made again. The argument here is that the project manager must learn from his own mistakes so they will not be made again. The new individual is apt to make the same mistakes the veteran made. However, this may limit career path opportunities for younger personnel. George Gautam has commented on the importance of experience:

Though the project manager’s previous experience is apt to have been confined to a single functional area of business, he must be able to function on the project as a kind of general manager in miniature. He must not only keep track of what is happening but also play the crucial role of advocate for the project. Even for a seasoned manager, this task is not likely to be easy. Hence, it is important to assign an individual whose administrative abilities and skills in personal relations have been convincingly demonstrated under fire.

The selection process for project managers is not easy. Five basic questions must be considered:

What are the internal and external sources?
How do we select?
How do we provide career development in project management?
How can we develop project management skills?
How do we evaluate project management performance?

Project management cannot succeed unless a good project manager is at the controls. It is far more likely that project managers will succeed if it is obvious to the subordinates that the general manager has appointed them. Usually, a brief memo to the line managers will suffice. The major responsibilities of the project manager include:

To produce the end-item with the available resources and within the constraints of time, cost, and performance/technology
To meet contractual profit objectives
To make all required decisions whether they be for alternatives or termination
To act as the customer (external) and upper-level and functional management (internal) communications focal point
To “negotiate” with all functional disciplines for accomplishment of the necessary work packages within the constraints of time, cost, and performance/technology
To resolve all conflicts

So far we have discussed the personal characteristics of the project manager. There are also job-related questions to consider, such as:

Are feasibility and economic analyses necessary?
Is complex technical expertise required? If so, is it within the individual’s capabilities?
If the individual is lacking expertise, will there be sufficient backup strength in the line organizations?
Is this the company’s or the individual’s first exposure to this type of project and/or client? If so, what are the risks to be considered?
What is the priority for this project, and what are the risks?
With whom must the project manager interface, both inside and outside the organization?

Most good project managers know how to perform feasibility studies and cost-benefit analyses. Sometimes these studies create organizational conflict. A major utility company begins each computer project with a feasibility study in which a cost-benefit analysis is performed. The project managers, all of whom report to a project management division, perform the study themselves without any direct functional support. The functional managers argue that the results are grossly inaccurate because the functional experts are not involved. The project managers, on the other hand, argue that they never have sufficient time or money to perform a complete analysis. Some companies resolve this by having a special group perform these studies.

If these responsibilities were applied to the total organization, they might reflect the job description of the general manager. This analogy between project and general managers is one of the reasons why future general managers are asked to perform functions that are implied, rather than spelled out, in the job description. As an example, you are the project manager on a high-technology project. As the project winds down, an executive asks you to write a paper so that he can present it at a technical meeting in Tokyo. His name will appear first on the paper. Should this be a part of your job? As this author sees it, you really don’t have much of a choice.

In order for project managers to fulfill their responsibilities successfully, they are constantly required to demonstrate their skills in interface, resource, and planning and control management. These implicit responsibilities are shown below:

Interface Management Product interfaces Performance of parts or subsections
Physical connection of parts or subsections
Project interfaces
Customer
Management (functional and upper-level)
Change of responsibilities
Information flow
Material interfaces (inventory control)

Resource Management Time (schedule)
Manpower
Money
Facilities
Equipment
Material
Information/technology

Planning and Control Management Increased equipment utilization
Increased performance efficiency
Reduced risks
Identification of alternatives to problems
Identification of alternative resolutions to conflicts

Most companies would prefer to find project managers from within. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The following remarks by Robert Fluor illustrate this point:

On-the-job training is probably the most important aspect in the development of a project manager. This includes assignments to progressively more responsible positions in engineering and construction management and project management. It also includes rotational assignments in several engineering department disciplines, in technical, procurement, cost and scheduling, contract administration, and others… . We find there are great advantages to developing our project managers from within the company. There are good reasons for this:

They know the corporate organization, policies, procedures, and the key people. This allows them to give us quality performance quicker.
They have an established performance record which allows us to place them at the maximum level of responsibility and authority.
Clients prefer a proven track record within the project manager’s present organization.

There are also good reasons for recruiting from outside the company. A new project manager hired from the outside would be less likely to have strong informal ties to any one line organization and thus could be impartial. Some companies further require that the individual spend an apprenticeship period of twelve to eighteen months in a line organization to find out how the company functions, to become acquainted with the people, and to understand the company’s policies and procedures.

One of the most important but often least understood characteristics of good project managers is the ability to know their own strengths and weaknesses and those of their employees. Managers must understand that in order for employees to perform efficiently:

They must know what they are supposed to do.
They must have a clear understanding of authority and its limits.
They must know what their relationship with other people is.
They should know what constitutes a job well done in terms of specific results.
They should know where and when they are falling short.
They must be made aware of what can and should be done to correct unsatisfactory results.
They must feel that their superior has an interest in them as individuals.
They must feel that their superior believes in them and wants them to succeed.

POME Case Study:

Handling the Selection Interview — Case Problem: ‘‘Apply Here if You Dare”

Overview

After ten years as a field sales rep selling magazine advertising space for a mid-size publishing company, Larry Williams has been promoted to regional sales manager. One of his first responsibilities is to hire six sales reps to develop important new territories for the company.

This morning, Larry has his first job interview. The receptionist sends the candidate over to Larry’s office at the appointed time. As the candidate enters Larry’s office, Larry is on the phone and signals the man to come in and take a seat. With the candidate sitting in his office, Larry swings his chair away, facing the window. For fifteen minutes, he caustically reprimands a sales rep over the phone for not yet closing a new account, threatening the employee with a transfer to a smaller territory.

Hanging up the phone, Larry turns back to the man in his office, putting his feet up on his desk and his hands behind his head. He curtly introduces himself. ‘‘I’m Larry Williams, the regional sales manager, and you’re Howard Corva. Is that right?”

The candidate nervously agrees.

‘‘So, Mr. Corva,” Larry continues, ‘‘what makes you so qualified to believe that you can handle a selling job with this company?”

‘‘As you can see from my resume . . . ,” the candidate responds. But Larry cuts him off gruffly.

‘‘Mr. Corva, I don’t have the time to study your resume and am asking you a direct question. Don’t you know the answer without having to refer to your resume?”

The candidate is becoming very nervous and upset as Larry proceeds.

‘‘Well, sir, let me ask you an easier question,” says Larry. ‘‘You can travel, can’t you?”

The candidate claims he can.

‘‘Are you computer literate?” Larry asks. Howard Corva tries to answer by describing his computer knowledge and systems experience, but Larry cuts him off.

‘‘Sir, understand something: I don’t like talkative people,” Larry says. ‘‘Just answer my question with a yes or no!”

‘‘Yes!” responds the candidate, who is becoming increasingly irritated.

‘‘I do remember seeing something on your application about your being involved in various community and professional associations,” Larry reflects aloud, ‘‘Is that right?” The candidate nods affirmatively.

‘‘Well, Mr. Corva, our sales people don’t have time for such wasteful activities. Since you seem to have such outside interests, I just don’t see how you’ll have any time to do your work. Do you?”

Feeling highly defensive at this point, Howard Corva tries to answer the question. But at that moment, Larry’s phone starts ringing. As Larry picks up the phone, he turns to the candidate and tells him he will have to go back to the reception area while he takes this call.

In response to Larry’s direction, Howard Corva stands up to leave the office.

‘‘Mr. Williams,” Howard says, ‘‘I won’t be waiting around any longer. You can take your bad attitude and give this lousy job to some loser who’s willing to put up with your antics.”

As the candidate leaves his office, Larry picks up the phone, realizing his national sales manager is on the other end.

‘‘Hey, Larry, I forgot to mention something,” says the sales manager. ‘‘You’ll be interviewing a Howard Corva for a rep’s position. I met him recently at a professional meeting. This guy’s a real talent and can bring a lot of business to our company. I hope he joins us.”

Case Analysis

In this case, a highly stressful job interview is conducted by a new manager who antagonizes and humiliates a talented candidate. As a result of Larry’s sarcastic words, condescending attitude and rude behavior, Howard Corva becomes very upset and decides to cut his interview short.

Right from the beginning, everything seems to go wrong, convincing Howard that Larry is clearly the wrong manager to have and the company the wrong place to work. From Larry’s fifteen-minute tirade to his superioristic body language to his harsh criticism and personal attack of Howard, we observe a job interview quickly disintegrating.

Solution:

The selection interview is a critical opportunity for identifying qualified job candidates as well as a unique public relations opportunity for projecting an attractive picture of the job and company to prospective employees. To conduct an effective selection interview, consider the following action tools:

Plan the selection interview by identifying key aspects or achievements of applicants about which you would like additional information and insights. Then, in the interviews, encourage applicants to discuss and develop these areas of interest. This can be done by using the following two-step approach:
Begin with a general open-ended question, such as, ‘‘Tell me about your last job” or ‘‘Please discuss your experience in developing that new process.”
Then, follow up with a series of probing questions to elicit greater elaboration by the applicant. Such questions begin with words, such as what, where, when, why, who, and how.
From the start, create a comfortable and cordial atmosphere that seeks to reduce anxiety and defensiveness rather than build unnecessary stress.
Avoid directing or influencing an applicant’s responses by asking ‘‘leading” questions that suggest the desired answers. Instead, keep questions objective. Allow the applicant to respond freely without feeling obligated to follow any suggested lead. For example, don’t ask, ‘‘You do like XYZ computers, don’t you?” Instead, ask, ‘‘What brand of computer do you like?”
Avoid squelching an applicant’s free expression of thoughts by making him or her feel defensive, guilty, or angry because of critical or judgmental statements, such as, ‘‘You are absolutely wrong and should be embarrassed to say such a thing,” or ‘‘I can’t imagine where you got such ridiculous ideas,” or ‘‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Ask ‘‘open-ended” questions that require detailed responses. Avoid ‘‘close-ended” questions that result in yes/no answers and thereby discourage further responses.
Encourage job applicants to do most of the talking during job interviews. Remember, the main objective of the interview is to gather sufficient knowledge of job candidates to allow you to make intelligent hiring decisions.
Always act with courtesy and respect. The selection interview should send a clear message to all candidates that your company is a positive, friendly, and professional place to work.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

Related project management video:

A full product overview of Axosoft’s OnTime Project Management system. Covers bug tracking, feature management, product backlogs, scrum, XP, adhoc and how software development teams use OnTime to do project management and ship their software on-time.
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Building an informational website need to be managed well. Installing a script, slapping some design and adding the content as they were is project management gone bad. You need to carefully manage each step in the project management process, as the information presented is not only 3 or 5 page-long, but 100s or 1000s page-long. Doing the wrong thing early will jeopardize the whole project which results in a delay and a possibility of an angry boss or client.

Let’s take health information site for an example. Suppose you are managing a glycemic index resources site. You might want to know where to present the glycemic index food list and south beach diet phase 1 the right way. You don’t want to pile up content in a single section – you need to break information down into sections or categories, and place the content accordingly.

Since this type of site requires you to add new content along the way, you need to devise an action plan that is closely checked with your project timeline, in such a way that any additional info can be placed accordingly, with rewinding the project to start all over again. Again, devising a plan early before setting up any project timeline is a good project management practice.

Project Management: The Discipline from POME by Gautam KOppala

Project Management: The Discipline

The word discipline has more than one definition, according to dictionary. The two definitions are: 1) the “rules used to maintain control,” and 2) “a branch of learning supported by mental, moral, or physical training.” Project management, therefore, is a discipline (definition 2) which requires discipline (definition 1). In other words, project management is a unique branch of learning that deals with the planning, monitoring, and controlling of one-time endeavors.

Some Characteristics of Project Management

Project management is a unique career and profession. Its origins can be traced back to efforts such as U.S. Department of Defense major weapons systems development, NASA space missions, and major construction and maintenance efforts, as well as comparable efforts in Europe. The magnitude and complexity of these efforts were the driving force in the search for tools that could aid management in the planning, decision making, and control of the multitude of activities involved in the project and especially those going on simultaneously.
Project management is not just scheduling software. There is a misconception that project management is no more than scheduling using PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) or CPM (Critical Path Method) to be found on a piece of software. A more realistic view is that scheduling software is a small part of project management. Software has permitted time scheduling, resource allocation, and cost management to be done much more efficiently and therefore in less time, in more detail, or both. Thus, a project can be planned and executed more precisely, leaving more time to perform the other aspects of project management.
Project management is different than operations and technical management. Operations management can be characterized as managing the steady state. As soon as the operation is established, the concern is more with maintaining the operation in a production mode for as long as possible. Technical management tends to focus on the theory, technology, and practice in a technical field concerning itself with questions of policy on strength of materials, safety factors in design, and checking procedures. However, executives tend to be concerned about setting up a new operation (via a project) in order to implement organizational strategy. Project management, then, is the interface between general management, operations management, and technical management, which integrates all aspects of the project and causes the project to happen.
Project management Focuses on Integration. If there is a single word that characterizes project management, it is integration—to integrate this discipline with other driving factors within every organization. Below is a sampling of those driving factors which influence project management and equally as important, which project management the discipline influences.
Strategic Planning: The Directive. Decisions from the strategic planning process become the directive from which projects are initiated. Project practitioners need to see the connection between the Strategic Plan and the project. Strategic Planning converted into an ongoing Strategic Management Process continues to review strategic objectives and filter down any changes so that the project manager can redirect his/her efforts appropriately.
Project Resource Allocation: The Critical Success Factor. The project manager must ensure that the allocation of specific resources is adequate but not overcommitted and that the right resources are assigned to the right tasks. This is not a simple procedure because of the number of activities that can be in process simultaneously. Fortunately, project management software provides assistance by identifying overloading or underloading of any one resource or pool of resources. Having identified any problems, human judgment is still required to evaluate and make the final decisions. This essential process both determines the cost of the project (budget) and provides oversight.
Change Management: The Differentiator. Typically change of scope and change of baseline plans come to mind when we say Change Management in the context of project management. However, every project creates significant changes in the culture of the business. Additional focus needs to be paid to planning and managing cultural change generated by projects.
Quality: Win/Win or Lose/Lose. A Quality initiative begins at the same time as the project management discipline. Quality management in the form of Six Sigma and other approaches combines project management techniques with the quality improvement techniques in order to ensure verifiable success.
Mentorship: Transfer from One Generation to the Next. Every person who leaves a company/agency or a division/department takes with him/her the “history,” the “networking,” and the “knowledge” of past projects. Cultures survive by passing knowledge from the elders to the young. To keep the information needed to perpetuate the project management culture in house, proactive mentorship programs are established to orchestrate the passing of “culture” onto new project practitioners.
Metrics and Close-out: Inspect What You Expect. Originally, metrics were the data collected after a project was completed to be used to plan for the next project(s). As project management has evolved, we’ve learned that we can’t wait until the end of a project to set thresholds and collect the data. Management wants measurement metrics throughout in the project that can be managed using Executive Scorecards or Dashboards. Control procedures need to in place before the project proceeds so that the records can be complete from the beginning. If not, valuable effort can be consumed in retracing the records after the fact, and control can be lost before the project really gets started. Furthermore, legal tests of prudence, common in the utility industry, are better dealt with when accurate and complete records of the project are available.
Productivity: Doing More with Less. The drive to do more with less money and fewer resources, to do it faster, and to produce the highest quality deliverable will never go away. In order to accomplish this mandate, the biggest bang for the buck comes from increasing productivity. Project practitioners use new and creative techniques (automated and non-automated) to facilitate greater productivity.
Maturity Tracking: Managing the Evolution of the PM Discipline. With increased visibility, project management is being asked to account for what it has contributed lately and more importantly for what it plans to contribute tomorrow. In order to answer these questions, a reasonable maturity growth plan specifically designed for the project management discipline is constructed, which evaluates today’s environment to ensure planned rather than chaotic growth.
Teams: Even More Distant. Remote or distant teams face the challenge of geography and diversity. Project management needs to address variables such as multi-functional, multi-cultural, multi-generational, multi-gender, and multi-personality project environment
Risk: The Defeating Factor. Risks are the holes in the dike. Too much vulnerability in the dike can make it crumble. If risks are isolated and the potential holes they present are plugged up, the dike will remain sound and solid. The sub-discipline of Risk Management is a major area of focus; one emerging approach is to use the techniques for controlling negative risks (threats) to capture positive risks (opportunities).
Competencies: Today and Tomorrow. Initially, project practitioners focus on their subject matter expertise, such as financial analysis, telecommunications design, or marketing creativity. Those who became involved in projects transition to competencies, such as scheduling, status reporting, and risk management. The next movement is to add general business awareness skills/competencies; such as financial knowledge, facilitation, leadership, problem solving/decision making, and creating/innovation. Each of you must ask what’s next in your world.

Behind these integrations exists a superstructure in the form of processes, procedures, and/or methodologies.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

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The project manager?line manager interface from POME by Gautam Koppala

The project manager–line manager interface

We have stated that the project manager must control company resources within time, cost, and performance. Most companies have six resources:

Money
Manpower
Equipment
Facilities
Materials
Information/technology

Actually, the project manager does not control any of these resources directly, except perhaps money (i.e., the project budget). Resources are controlled by the line managers, functional managers, or, as they are often called, resources managers. Project managers must, therefore, negotiate with line managers for all project resources. When we say that project managers control project resources, we really mean that they control those resources (which are temporarily loaned to them) through line managers.

It should become obvious at this point that successful project management is strongly dependent on:

A good daily working relationship between the project manager and those line managers who directly assign resources to projects
The ability of functional employees to report vertically to line managers at the same time that they report horizontally to one or more project managers

These two items become critical. In the first item, functional employees who are assigned to a project manager still take technical direction from their line managers. Second, employees who report to multiple managers will always favor the manager who controls their purse strings. Thus, most project managers appear always to be at the mercy of the line managers.

Classical management has often been defined as a process in which the manager does not necessarily perform things for himself, but accomplishes objectives through others in a group situation. This basic definition also applies to the project manager. In addition, a project manager must help himself. There is nobody else to help him.

If we take a close look at project management, we will see that the project manager actually works for the line managers, not vice versa. Many executives do not realize this. They have a tendency to put a halo around the head of the project manager and give him a bonus at project termination, when, in fact, the credit should go to the line managers, who are continually pressured to make better use of their resources. The project manager is simply the agent through whom this is accomplished. So why do some companies glorify the project management position?

To illustrate the role of the project manager, consider the time, cost, and performance constraints. Many functional managers, if left alone, would recognize only the performance constraint: “Just give me another ,000 and two more months, and I’ll give you the ideal technology.”

The project manager, as part of these communicating, coordinating, and integrating responsibilities, reminds the line managers that there are also time and cost constraints on the project. This is the starting point for better resource control.

Project managers depend on line managers. When the project manager gets in trouble, the only place he can go is to the line manager because additional resources are almost always required to alleviate the problems. When a line manager gets in trouble, he usually goes first to the project manager and requests either additional funding or some type of authorization for scope changes.

To illustrate this working relationship between the project and line managers, consider the following situation:

Project Manager (addressing the line manager): “I have a serious problem. I’m looking at a 0,000 cost overrun on my project and I need your help. I’d like you to do the same amount of work that you are currently scheduled for but in 3,000 fewer man-hours. Since your organization is burdened at /hour, this would more than compensate for the cost overrun.”

Line Manager: “Even if I could, why should I? You know that good line managers can always make work expand to meet budget. I’ll look over my manpower curves and let you know tomorrow.”

The following day …

Line Manager: “I’ve looked over my manpower curves and I have enough work to keep my people employed. I’ll give you back the 3,000 hours you need, but remember, you owe me one!”

Several months later …

Line Manager: “I’ve just seen the planning for your new project that’s supposed to start two months from now. You’ll need two people from my department. There are two employees that I’d like to use on your project. Unfortunately, these two people are available now. If I don’t pick these people up on your charge number right now, some other project might pick them up in the interim period, and they won’t be available when your project starts.”

Project Manager: “What you’re saying is that you want me to let you sandbag against one of my charge numbers, knowing that I really don’t need them.”

Line Manager: “That’s right. I’ll try to find other jobs (and charge numbers) for them to work on temporarily so that your project won’t be completely burdened. Remember, you owe me one.”

Project Manager: “O.K. I know that I owe you one, so I’ll do this for you. Does this make us even?”

Line Manager: “Not at all! But you’re going in the right direction.”

When the project management–line management relationship begins to deteriorate, the project almost always suffers. Executives must promote a good working relationship between line and project management. One of the most common ways of destroying this relationship is by asking, “Who contributes to profits—the line or project manager?” Project managers feel that they control all project profits because they control the budget. The line managers, on the other hand, argue that they must staff with appropriately budgeted-for personnel, supply the resources at the desired time, and supervise performance. Actually, both the vertical and horizontal lines contribute to profits. These types of conflicts can destroy the entire project management system.

The previous examples should indicate that project management is more behavioral than quantitative. Effective project management requires an understanding of:

Quantitative tools and techniques
Organizational structures
Organizational behavior

Most people understand the quantitative tools for planning, scheduling, and controlling work. It is imperative that project managers understand totally the operations of each line organization. In addition, project managers must understand their own job description, especially where their authority begins and ends. During an in-house seminar on engineering project management, the author asked one of the project engineers to provide a description of his job as a project engineer. During the discussion that followed, several project managers and line managers said that there was a great deal of overlap between their job descriptions and that of the project engineer.

Organizational behavior is important because the functional employees at the interface position find themselves reporting to more than one boss—a line manager and one project manager for each project they are assigned to. Executives must provide proper training so functional employees can report effectively to multiple managers.

POME Case Study

Considering the Nontechnical Social Factors in Hiring — Case Problem: ‘‘The Shining Star”

Overview

Upset about the unexpected meeting that had just occurred in his office, Tom, director of new product development, walked over to the office of Eric, a senior research engineer in the department.

‘‘You won’t believe what just happened,” he said. ‘‘Sam, the newest member of our department, just up and quit.”

‘‘Well,” replied Eric, ‘‘I’ve got to be honest. Bets were out he wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

‘‘What are you talking about?” asked Tom.

‘‘Admit it, Tom,” said Eric, ‘‘the guy was discontented from the very beginning. I didn’t get the impression he was ready to work with characters like Ernie and Max. And besides, you knew he was single, and this is a very settled area with almost no social activities for single people.”

‘‘Look, Eric, we need good people here,” Tom said defensively. ‘‘Sam was very competent and eager to come on board.”

‘‘I don’t like to say I told you so,” said Eric, ‘‘but remember we’d agreed to get department input on hiring to ‘feel out’ the different candidates because we’ve had the same type of problems in the past.”

‘‘Maybe I should have gotten some input,” admitted Tom. ‘‘I was just so enthusiastic about Sam’s technical background that I didn’t want to wait.”

‘‘By the way, what were his reasons for leaving?” asked Eric.

‘‘Well,” replied Tom, ‘‘he said that while he liked the work and the people he worked with, he felt frustrated because his family and friends lived so far away. And as a single person in this town, he had no opportunity to meet other singles.”

‘‘Did he say anything about the rural location of our plant?” asked Eric. ‘‘You know, Tom, the fellow lived in Philadelphia all his life, and I had wondered if that transition would be hard to make.”

‘‘Yes,” replied Tom, ‘‘he did mention that hardship but felt that a good social situation might have compensated for it. There was just nothing I could say, Eric. He had his mind made up. I guess I was just too shortsighted and too quick in making up my mind.”

Case Analysis

Sam’s grievances should not have surfaced in the form of a resignation. This situation might have been prevented in the hiring process. As the senior research engineer pointed out to his boss, participation by other staff members in the selection process might have revealed the new employee’s concerns about his social life. In addition, the director of new product development should have openly shared as much information as possible about the company, its community and lifestyle.

In a hiring situation, it is tempting to focus attention on—and overly emphasize—technical credentials, while paying too little attention to the candidate’s personal and social concerns.

Solution:

Consider the following action tools in the hiring process:

As a buyer of talent for the department, the manager must screen each candidate on a number of important factors. In addition to exhibiting the necessary technical capabilities, a job candidate must possess interests and preferences in line with the company’s geographic location, community lifestyle, and other social-related matters.
During the interviewing process, the manager should control any impulse to make quick judgments on ‘‘shining star” candidates—seemingly outstanding applicants—and be certain to fully discuss and assess all aspects of each individual.
The manager can gain valuable information by assembling a staff selection team to assist in the selection effort. Such a team can provide invaluable information and contribute many different helpful insights to create a total profile of the candidate.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

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Selecting the wrong project manager for Projects from POME by Gautam Koppala

Selecting the wrong project manager

Even though executives know the personal characteristics and traits that project managers should possess, and even though job descriptions are often clearly defined, management may still select the wrong person because they base their decision on the following criteria.

Maturity

Some executives consider gray hair to be a sure indication of maturity, but this is not the type of maturity needed for project management. Maturity in project management generally comes from exposure to several types of projects in a variety of project office positions. In aerospace and defense, it is possible for a project manager to manage the same type of project for ten years or more. When placed on a new project, the individual may try to force personnel and project requirements to adhere to the same policies and procedures that existed on the ten-year project. The project manager may know only one way of managing projects.

Hard-Nosed Tactics

Applying hard-nosed tactics to subordinates can be very demoralizing. Project managers must give people sufficient freedom to get the job done, without providing continuous supervision and direction. A line employee who is given “freedom” by his line manager but suddenly finds himself closely supervised by the project manager will be very unhappy.

Line managers, because of their ability to control an employee’s salary, need only one leadership style and can force the employees to adapt. The project manager, on the other hand, cannot control salaries and must have a wide variety of leadership styles. The project manager must adapt a leadership style to the project employees, whereas the reverse is true in the line organization.

Availability

Executives should not assign individuals as project managers simply because of availability. People have a tendency to cringe when you suggest that project managers be switched halfway through a project. For example, manager X is halfway through his project. Manager Y is waiting for an assignment. A new project comes up, and the executive switches managers X and Y. There are several reasons for this. The most important phase of a project is planning, and, if it is accomplished correctly, the project could conceivably run itself. Therefore, manager Y should be able to handle manager X’s project.

There are several other reasons why this switch may be necessary. The new project may have a higher priority and require a more experienced manager. Second, not all project managers are equal, especially when it comes to planning. When an executive finds a project manager who demonstrates extraordinary talents at planning, there is a natural tendency for the executive to want this project manager to plan all projects.

Technical Expertise

Executives quite often promote technical line managers without realizing the consequences. Technical specialists may not be able to divorce themselves from the technical side of the house and become project managers rather than project doers. There are also strong reasons to promote technical specialists to project managers. These people often:

Have better relationships with fellow researchers
Can prevent duplication of effort
Can foster teamwork
Have progressed up through the technical ranks
Are knowledgeable in many technical fields
Understand the meaning of profitability and general management philosophy
Are interested in training and teaching
Understand how to work with perfectionists

As described by Taylor and Watling:

It is often the case, therefore, that the Project Manager is more noted for his management technique expertise, his ability to “get on with people” than for his sheer technical prowess. However, it can be dangerous to minimize this latter talent when choosing Project Managers dependent upon project type and size. The Project Manager should preferably be an expert either in the field of the project task or a subject allied to it.

Promoting an employee to project management because of his technical expertise may be acceptable if, and only if, the project requires this expertise and technical direction, as in R&D efforts. For projects in which a “generalist” is acceptable as a project manager, there may be a great danger in assigning highly technical personnel. According to Wilemon and Cicero:

The greater the project manager’s technical expertise, the higher the propensity that he will overly involve himself in the technical details of the project.
The greater the project manager’s difficulty in delegating technical task responsibilities, the more likely it is that he will overinvolve himself in the technical details of the project. (Depending upon his expertise to do so.)
The greater the project manager’s interest in the technical details of the project, the more likely it is that he will defend the project manager’s role as one of a technical specialist.
The lower the project manager’s technical expertise, the more likely it is that he will overstress the non technical project functions (administrative functions).

Customer Orientation

Executives quite often place individuals as project managers simply to satisfy a customer request. Being able to communicate with the customer does not guarantee project success, however. If the choice of project manager is simply a concession to the customer, then the executive must insist on providing a strong supporting team.

New Exposure

Executives run the risk of project failure if an individual is appointed project manager simply to gain exposure to project management. An executive of a utility company wanted to rotate his line personnel into project management for twelve to eighteen months and then return them to the line organization where they would be more well-rounded individuals and better understand the working relationship between project management and line management. There are two major problems with this. First, the individual may become technically obsolete after eighteen months in project management. Second, and more important, individuals who get a taste of project management will generally not want to return to the line organization.

Company Exposure

The mere fact that individuals have worked in a variety of divisions does not guarantee that they will make good project managers. Their working in a variety of divisions may indicate that they couldn’t hold any one job. In that case, they have reached their true level of incompetency, and putting them into project management will only maximize the damage they can do to the company. Some executives contend that the best way to train a project manager is by rotation through the various functional disciplines for two weeks to a month in each organization. Other executives maintain that this is useless because the individual cannot learn anything in so short a period of time.

Finally, there are three special points to consider:

Individuals should not be promoted to project management simply because they are at the top of their pay grade.
Project managers should be promoted and paid based on performance, not on the number of people supervised.
It is not necessary for the project manager to be the highest ranking or salaried individual on the project team with the rationale that sufficient “clout” is needed.

POME Case- Study

Setting High Departmental Standards as a New Manager — Case Problem: ‘‘The Bitter Beginning”

Overview

While having lunch in the company cafeteria, Jack, the general credit manager and a twelve-year veteran, couldn’t wait to tell his friend, Marv, a sales representative, about the new controller’s first divisional management meeting.

‘‘You wouldn’t believe what the new guy said,” Jack said angrily. ‘‘Let me see if I can recall some of his ‘pearls of wisdom.’

‘‘The new boss said, ‘Okay, you guys, now that I’m in charge, let’s get one thing clear. I’ve checked you out, and just by looking at you, I can tell my sources weren’t too far off. So you won’t be pulling the wool over my eyes like you did with my predecessor—who, by the way, is a good friend of mine. I want to tell you about yourselves.

‘‘ ‘Your past record is a disgrace, demonstrating indifference to the company’s needs, as well as a lack of interest in our division. In fact, it seems to me that all you’ve been demonstrating around here has been laziness, avoidance of work and, in some cases, just plain stupidity.’ ”

‘‘Jack, you’ve got to be kidding,” Marv interrupted. ‘‘You’re putting me on!”

‘‘No, I’m not, Marv,” Jack replied. ‘‘But wait, it gets better. The new controller also said, ‘I’ve been brought in to whip this group into shape. This is how I’m going to do it.

‘‘ ‘First, although I don’t expect good performance from any of you, I’d better get it, or else. Second, if you don’t perform satisfactorily, you’re going to be in for some big trouble. And, third, if, by some stroke of luck, you manage to succeed in improving this division’s performance, don’t look to me for any ‘‘thank you’s”—you’ll only be doing what you’re getting paid for.’ ”

‘‘Well, Jack,” said Marv, ‘‘it seems as though hard times are ahead for you and the rest of your division. Tolerate this guy as long as you have to; but if I were you, I’d start looking around for a new opportunity. I just don’t see how you can come out winning.”

Case Analysis

It is difficult to imagine any employee winning with a manager like the new controller. Even if Jack and his colleagues try to improve the division’s performance, they probably won’t make much headway with their new boss, since he already is convinced that they are losers and has no confidence in their ability to turn the division around.

In addition, he has refused to offer his management staff any incentive for working harder, informing them that they will receive no recognition for improved performance.

Solution:

The initial expectations and attitudes communicated by a new manager to a department can be extremely important in setting the direction for the staff. To help start off your new relationship with employees in a positive and productive manner, consider the following action tools:

During your initial staff meeting, create a positive mood and share your vision for teamwork and top results.
Explain your goals for the department and share preliminary guidelines for successful operations.
Explain your high standards and expectations of top performance and dedication to quality.
Inform your staff that top efforts and significant contributions to the department will be recognized.
Let your staff know that you are there to support and encourage them.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

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How to Use a Marketing Events Calendar in Your Project Management

How To Use a Marketing Events Calendar In Your Project Management
by Kristin Hilton
Copyright © 2009

How To Use a Marketing Events Calendar In Your Project Management

How many times have you lost track of your launch or promotion dates, only to start working on them at the last possible moment?

If you’ve tried just about every method of organization, and still can’t seem to keep track of your company’s marketing events, a marketing calendar may be the perfect solution.

What is a Marketing Events Calendar?

A marketing calendar is a helpful tool you can use to help chart your company’s marketing efforts and results.

You can design your marketing calendar to your specific criteria. You can prepare your promotions a couple of months, six months, or even up to a year in advance. But what exactly should be outlined on your marketing calendar?

• Individual promotions and events, so you can stay focused on your marketing efforts instead of being distracted with routine tasks

• The cost for each event, so you can clearly see which campaigns are profiting the most

• Results and profits gained by each promotion

A marketing events calendar is absolutely indispensable when organizing your minor (yet important) day-to-day marketing efforts around major company events, such as website launches. It can also be helpful in effective company budgeting.

Why Use a Marketing Events Calendar?

There are many great reasons why you should keep a marketing events calendar. One is that it’s never too early to start preparing your marketing campaigns. Beginning a promotion or advertising an event at the last minute could lose considerable impact, which would be reflected by your sales.

Also, it is nearly impossible for a growing business to keep track of every detail of the marketing month. Your marketing calendar could prevent important tasks falling to the wayside by spreading your company’s attention evenly. As a result, no detail goes unnoticed—and you implement consistency and stability into your marketing plans.

Because a marketing calendar also allows you to assess the worth of your marketing program, you can cut unnecessary costs by eliminating any unsuccessful projects early.

By using your marketing events calendar, you can also adjust your promotions around any holiday. You can set aside ample time to position your company’s product or service as the perfect “must-have” for the occasion.

Additionally, marketing calendars are excellent tools for measuring your company’s productivity. At a glance, you will be able to observe where your marketing efforts are required the most. This can be helpful in preventing marketing lapses that bring about the “feast or famine” effect plaguing many online businesses today.

I bet you’re wondering, “Why should I use a marketing calendar? What if I just used a list?”

Actually, a marketing calendar eliminates the monotony of a to-do list, which could make each promotion or event seem more like a daunting task instead of a challenging goal.

Your marketing calendar can quickly boost the overall morale of your company, and encourages much more focus from your staff. In turn, this will be interpreted by your customers, who will gladly continue to do business with your company.

How to Implement a Marketing Events Calendar

Marketing events calendars are best established through team effort. Include your staff in the planning of your events. Make it a ritual to meet with them, and schedule all phases and angles of your future promotions together.

Your marketing calendar may be a giant dry-erase calendar that you and your staff can quickly reference or even an elaborate chart with designated columns for certain data.

There is no wrong way to make a marketing calendar—it doesn’t have to be flashy, just straightforward. As long as you and your staff can easily draw information from it, it is successful.

Use Your Marketing Calendar as a Primary Tool in Your Marketing Efforts

A marketing events calendar is a great tool to organize and map your marketing events. It is effective at keeping track of each important detail, and is an excellent way to plan seasonal campaigns in advance. After all, the old adage is true—failing to plan is planning to fail!

Building Skills For Business Recovery Through Project Management Training

Often when a recession strikes training budgets are unfortunately one of the first to be slashed, according to research that looks at previous recessions this is a fatal error! Trends show that companies who carry on investing in training are then in the healthiest position to gain competitive advantage when during recession recovery. Research from the OGC (Office of Government Commerce) also highlights one of the top reasons for project failure is poorly trained Project Managers when businesses often rely on successful projects & programmes to pull them through downturns and business change.

This view on training was recently hailed by an alliance consisting of some of the UK’s most senior business people including Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT group and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. The alliance took the first-time move to issue a joint call via an open letter to employers advising them to invest in training during the downturn and to make it a top priority.
 
The letter stated “the skills of our people are our best guarantee of future prosperity – and the best investment a business can make in challenging times. We must not pay the price of failing to invest in the very talent on which our future will be built.”
 
This view was also supported by a recent report Nurturing Talent by Cranfield University which stated development of internal talent was a cost effective way to boost business performance during any period especially a downturn. The report also found that successful organisations were those that had invested in long-term focus on employee development.
 
A good example of this philosophy was demonstrated by an American based airline that trained its way out of the 2001 recession whilst still managing to make a profit.
 
By now the importance of well run projects should be obvious. It is critical that projects are delivered within time, cost and quality constraints. There is very little tolerance for delays or overruns. Customised project management training that caters for the exact needs of an organisation and its projects provides much better ROI over generic public courses. During the recession is the time to invest in your internal talent to ensure you come through strong.

Related project management video: