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Blog 7

Agile project management has become essential in our tech-driven world. The traditional “waterfall” methods make the assumption that all conditions are in place form the get go and any changes are rare, this is not the case in reality as customers don’t always what they need, the markets shift quickly and products have rapid and constant evolution. Agile project management is built for this rapid environment it is more accepting of change as a normal occurrence, promotes rapid feedback and focuses on giving small usable pieces of value instead of   one large final piece. Scrum is one of the most popular used Agile frameworks. The work is organised divvied up into short parts called sprints, they can usually last around two to four weeks, in the beginning of each sprints teams will pick the priority tasks to complete, and at the end will present a updates to stakeholders, after each sprint the team reviews what worked and what did not then plans are adjusted for the next round. It...
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Blog 6

  What risk management boils down to is a way to ask, “what can possibly go wrong and how is it fixable?” Risk management tries to spot these problems early as opposed to having them catch people off guard during a project, once potential problems are identified it is then time to figure out which ones actually matter and to crate contingency plans for them. Whilst it doesn’t remove fear and uncertainty altogether it offers a level of comfort and gives less chance that a project can sent into a tailspin from one unexpected event. The first steps in addressing risk management is to identify the potential risks, have your team seek out trouble or pain points before they show up unexpectedly. Teams need to be thorough and search through multiple areas in their project to find possible risks, areas such as project scope, budget and schedule. This provides a team with list of possible areas that may become problems down the line, fixing these issues is a later step. Jotting down the...
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Blog 5

 Blog 5 Before a project can kick on, plans for the project need to be put in place to see how all the work and tasks will come and fit in together. This step is where your preliminary network schedule comes into play, used as a guide or roadmap for, it breaks down the tasks showing what needs to be completed immediately, what tasks can take place side by side and where some possible delays may occur. The diagram comes from the information drawn up in the project’s infancy, a lot of the information comes from the work breakdown structure the tasks are used in the diagrams and are given key details like the estimated duration, the key needs. The estimates are typically coming from staff that are closely linked to the project, whether that is current team members, hired experts or even tips and lessons learned from previous projects. The next step comes in placing how it all links together, there are tasks that must be completed before the remaining can begin, some can run in tan...
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Blog 4

 Blog 4 In project management getting estimates right is on of the most important steps. In planning a project before any work is begins, project managers must figure out some key issues before beginning such as, how long tasks will take, what the costs will be and what resources are needed. These key issues build the spine of the schedule, the budget and also deliverables Accurate estimating starts with a clear understanding the work. Project managers shouldn't be making any assumptions alone. It is important to have the people who are going to be actually doing the work involved as they are likely to have first hand knowledge of the work-load and will be able to provide realistic estimates on time, materials and effort needed. These inputs from multiple team members helps to avoid overly optimistic estimates for projects. Basing estimates on typical working conditions and realistic productivity is another key step. Whist it may be tempting to only plan for ideal circumstances, ...
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Blog 3

 Blog 3 The project definition phase is where an initial idea starts to take shape into a real, structured project. It’s comes from laying the groundwork first and setting a clear plan of action before any real detailed planning or execution Begins. At this stage, the project team begins working to understand exactly what the project is to achieve, why it’s being done, who it’s for, and what resources and barriers exist. This process should be done first as it is not yet about doing the work, but instead making sure everyone involved is on the same page in order to make the project a success The main activities include outlining the project’s scope, objectives, and deliverables. Teams focus on outlining what will be included in the project and what won’t, which helps prevent confusion later on. This is also when stakeholders’ needs and expectations are gathered and clarified, since misunderstanding these early on is one of the biggest causes of failure. The team also begins to look...
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Blog 2

Blog 2   The Work Breakdown Structure, (WBS) is a method of planning projects and how the work should be completed. By splitting up the workload into more manageable parts, a WBS gives the groundwork for clear scheduling, budgeting, teamwork, and risk management. It plays such a central role in modern project management. The main thing to keep in mind is at the top of the structure, most important deliverable is the final complete product, or result the project expects to produce that is they be all and end all. After this, the work is divided up into smaller, more manageable work pieces. The purpose is to define the project as a whole in a complete scope that eliminates doubt and allows for greater control. Creating a WBS follows a detailed process. It begins with knowing the end goal, which is typically outlined in the project brief or scope statements. Once it is clear what you are trying to achieve then you can move on to splitting the work up to m=ensure nothing is left...
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Blog 1

 Blog 1 Each organisation, regardless of the size, will face the same challenge when deciding on which projects to pursue when resources are limited. So choosing the right projects becomes a critical step when resources such as time money and talent become limited. This is where the project screening process comes into effect. It’s a straight forward and structured way for companies to review potential projects, and weigh their value, picking those that align best with their goals The process typically starts by collecting and reviewing project proposals. These might come from inside the organisation maybe from different departments or teams with new ideas or from external partners and vendors. The goal at this stage is spot which ideas are deserving of closer attention. When that is decided the proposals are analysed to see how well they align with the company's mission and goals. In order to keep things fair and objective, organisations will us a portfolio management system ...
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