PMcrunch

As leaders, Project Managers and Program Managers need to communicate clearly. Communication is a tricky thing, and among other things, it is influenced greatly but what we see in the world, and what we see is shaped by what I call the “color or your glasses”.

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In today’s fast-paced environment, human resources and talent management are of prime importance and concern in virtually all organizations.  The pace of change makes matching job skills with assignments very challenging.  Many organizations have responded with a "learning function" within the organization.  Let’s look at how this trend and how you can ensure the strong project [...]

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As leaders and project managers or program managers, we are subject to the ups and downs of what we could call the “project or program work cycle”. While sometimes things seems to be flowing forward and progressing well, like a well-oiled machine, at other times it seems that no matter what we do, progress is slow and difficult. I leadership positions, this experience is inevitable, as everything is not “black and white”. How can we handle these situations?

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It is actually very easy for serious professionals to earn PDUs and maintain PMP and PgMP certification. The PMI provides many opportunities to earn the required 60 PDUs every 3 years, such that it really can be accomplished fairly easily doing many of the things a project management or program management professional would be doing regardless of the requirement! Here is a short summary of the key points related to PMP and PgMP credential maintenance and earning PDUs.

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The Certified Assoicate in Project Management (CAPM) certification credential from the Project Management Institute (PMI) does not require ongoing education to earn PDUs, but it does not last forever. Reviewing the renewal requirements, however, one would think that any candidate who is working in the project management field should strongly consider going for the PMP certification, and renew the CAPM as a second resort.

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As Project Managers, it is our charge to maintain high ethical standards. Strong ethical standards are a key ingredient of great leadership. The responsibility of ethics leads me to think about 2 immediate dilemmas or challenges:

Do we ask ourselves whether or not we are doing the right thing?
Do our team members and stakeholders ask themselves that same eithical question?
These 2 questions cover the basics of ethics, but there is a broader organization challenge we must consider to ensure these ethical questions are being handled.

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The business analysis function is one that needs to be managed with care and the wisdom of experience. Business analysts handle requirements management, systems analysis, business analysis, requirements analysis, or consulting. The various activities around these functions take place throughout the project and require continuous monitoring, starting at a high level near the beginning of the project. This post explores key business analysis activities throughout the project lifecycle.

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Many executives, project portfolio managers, and program managers make good choices about investing in new projects and ideas. Yet it’s also critical to set up a measurement, preferably from the start, for when to potentially stop investing resources in each project. This would be a sort of “stop standard” for any given project.

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There are many ways to earn the 60 PDUs required to maintain PMP certification. Many PMPs consider this to be a challenge. However, with proper planning (remember, we are PMPs!), earning those PDUs can become a part of your regular professional life and can be a breeze. Here’s how.

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Project Portfolio Management, like Investment Portfolio Management, is a balancing act that requires constant monitoring and adjustment over time. Whereas an individual may have the right balance of risk, return, income, growth and others represented in an investment portfolio, a project portfolio is similar in many ways. Risks, returns, resources required, and alignment with overall strategy are just a few of the factors that must be kept in balance over time.

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