PMcrunch

The “PM Lessons Learned” group has just passed 600 members! This is a friendly New Jersey based virtual project management group with the theme “project managers helping project managers”.

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Modes of communication are important for a project manager to understand.  This post, part of our continuing series on [tag-tec]modes of communication[tag-tec], presents some thoughts about the cell phone.
A cellular phone was once the largest communication device on the planet. It was bulky, with a long, conspicuous antenna that made the user look like an […]

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We all know the definition of a project is an undertaking that produces a product by a target date and within an agreed cost. This triple constraint (product, time and cost) is what the project manager must plan for and track progress against. But are the three dimensions equal in priority?

The answer is no – some projects are cost constrained; some have an immovable end date while others may place a priority on the product quality. Understanding the priorities on your project (and agreeing with your project sponsor on the priorities) is critical.

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Since 2000, we have seen a bit of a smoldering of the red hot ambers from pre-2000 IT, and only gradually are things coming to a new order. But there are some emerging themes. They revolve around the idea that Business Process Improvement is hotter than ever, and is alive WITHIN information technology in addition to applying info tech to other parts of the organization.

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As project managers, we are at the center of one of the biggest things life has to offer – time. So often, the push is on getting more and more out of our time – personally and as groups. Patient leaders tend to delegate better and operate more effectively - because they take the long view.

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Web sociologists and philosophers have both overestimated and underestimated the power of blogs. Blogs, or online diaries, as some people have mistakenly labeled them, are now all over the Internet. Blogs indeed have so many possibilities for projects, that in each case it needs to be considered carefully.

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Engineering and Management, as disciplines, were ‘married’ a long time ago! It only makes sense, as every engineering effort must be managed. There are some key differences between managing the engieering work and manageing the engineering project.

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Business process modeling is closely related to project management. While projects are one time events – with a well-defined beginning and end – processes are continuous. However, even with these definitions, the world is not so black and white. We have processes for projects, and repetitive processes often are projects. Through the use of examples, here are some ideas on thinking aobut projects and processes to drive efficiency.

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There are many project management templates out there in the marketplace. Project Management consulting firms, training companies, large government organizations, and educational institutions are among those who produce and often sell project management tools and templates. These are generally geared toward implementing particular methodology and addressing a particular common problem space. There also are template providers – firms who produce many templates to service the open market. Some of these might be free, but generally the best cost some money. Here is a list of the more notable template providers I have found. The list gives a flavor for what is out there to support project management processes.

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Do you know who your project stakeholders are? Effective communications and expectation management starts with understanding the needs of various project stakeholders. To aid in identifying project stakeholders, eight categories are described.

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