PMcrunch

“Performance metrics” is an especially popular topic in management today. The idea is to try to measure everything by some sort of metric that gives a true picture of our degree of success or effectiveness. But like many management techniques, it is subject to misuse. Here are my suggestions for identifying relevant metrics and using them effectively.

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“Performance metrics” is an especially popular topic in management today. The idea is to try to measure everything by some sort of metric that gives a true picture of our degree of success or effectiveness. But like many management techniques, it is subject to misuse. Here are my suggestions for identifying relevant metrics and using them effectively.

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Managing becomes so much easier when you build a foundation for what you are managing. In essence, this means getting intimate with the requirements, as well as the needs of the stakeholders. Stakeholder management and familiarity with requirements rank about as high as it gets as determinants of project success. The reason is simple: they form the basis upon which everything else is built. Building a strong foundation in these areas makes it easy to take any next steps toward managing the project.

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Earning your PMP certification can help you to better ‘lead the charge’. And, conversely, learning to ‘lead the charge’ will definitely help you to become a more effective project manager – whether you are a PMP, CAPM, or neither. But what comes first, the chicken or the egg?

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What do you do when hopelessness seems on the horizon? What do you do when it appears you have tried everything and nothing is working? What do you do when it appears that you are at the end of the road?

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One of the most important things we can do to kick off a successful project is to clearly define the vision for the end state that will exist upon completion of the project. This end state is the vision for the way things are to be upon successful completion of the project. This [tag-tec]end vision[/tag-tec] should appeal to all aspects of the purpose for the project.

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[tag-tec]Gold plating[/tag-tec], or the idea of delivering more or better than requested is generally not accepted in [tag-dir]project management[/tag-dir] doctrine. However, I think we need to take this with a grain of salt and consider how to discern when and how we might over deliver.

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Most good managers in project and program management know the importance of maintaining relationships with team members and stakeholders. Basic human relations can go a long way in improving overall program and project quality. However, I have learned that there is a community beyond our immediate team members and stakeholders that are worth considering in everything we do.

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Technology is advancing as fast as ever and we are constantly asking questions as to how to adapt to these technology changes.  Isn’t it more important for us to ask how these new technologies can be used as tools to enhance project performance?  Let’s explore this a little bit in regards to the Web 2.0 [...]

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There is no better dose of reality, than the power of pushback.  It occurs in every walk of life and, utilized properly, can be our friend in the project management process.  It comes in most handy when dealing with uncertainty.  It also keeps us honest about our prospects.

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