by Tom on January 8, 2010
There are a variety of open source project management tools available for free online. Despite being developed and distributed for free, these programs are high quality software, and many are used for massive important projects done by various government and private agencies. We will look at these different tools and their strengths and weaknesses in a series of blog posts.
For hunting down bugs in a larger group of developers, Trac is the right solution. It is a web based project management tool specifically designed for linking with a programming bug database, viki content, and the revision control information. Trac allows a group to collaborate on finding and fixing glitches and bugs in any type of software.
Collabtive is a web based software that is a great open source alternative to BaseCamp. It allows all the members of a group working on a project to chart and track their goals, publish regular progress reports, share documents and other files securely, and has a built in private messaging system. It’s flexible and powerful enough to work for any project, and allows unlimited user accounts on one project.
eGroupWare is another program that allows group project workers to collaborate and connect. eGroupWare is mainly web based, but can also be used with certain compatible clients, such as Microsoft Outlook. It allows all of the users on one project to share and manage contacts, to-do lists and progress reports, track dates and timelines, and share project information.
For editing and presenting information and documents over the internet, Feng Office is a great choice. Not only does it allow for document and data management within the software, it keeps your team on top of time management with it’s built in tools. It’s also one of the few open source product management programs to allow online editing and multi-user presentations, eliminating the needs for regular video or in person meetings. No matter what the project is you need to manage, there is a perfect open source software solution for your team.
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by Tom on October 24, 2009
If you use PM standards such as the PMBOK standard of the Project Management Institute (PMI), does this warrant that your project will be successful? Unfortunately, the answer is no. For me, the PMBOK is a toolbox, and depending on the requirements of the project, I use some tools, and some tools stay in the toolbox. It is comparable to the real toolbox that you might have in your house: You carry this toolbox with you if you have to repair the water tap and if you have to repair the car, but you will most probably not use the same tools out of the toolbox in both situations.
Now, using this picture, if someone does not possess the PMI toolbox, does it mean he does not have the tools to work on a project successfully? No. Actually, some of the PMI approaches are common ground with respect to other disciplines, even if they are labeled differently. Using a project log, for example, is not a PMI-exclusive approach, and it may be called differently in other domains. Managing stakeholders may also be the outcome of common sense. In other word, you can be successful in project management if you don’t have any knowledge of the standards. However, having the knowledge will not hurt you; in fact, your work might be easier if you are aware of best practices and available tools; if not, everything may look like a nail because you just know the hammer.
On the contrary, if you can be successful without the PM standards knowledge, this does not mean you will always be successful just by using PM standards. Just because you know that there is such a concept of managing stakeholders, this does not mean that you will do this successfully. Your communication strategy may be suboptimal, politically-based actions from others may ruin your project plan: There is more than just the PM standard that should be followed, and this is the non-reproducable part of project management success: The project manager and his soft skills that are not standardizable. Still, an untalented project manager may be more likely to be successful with a PM standard since he is using best practices, but it will not be a guaranty.
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Earlier this year, I had reported that the new version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the fourth edition, could not be opened on Macintosh computers. I had written an email to the local PMI EMEA office in order to ask when this would be solved but never got an answer. This is probably not the behaviour you would expect from the PMI 
Nevertheless, in May I received an official mail by the PMI that these issues should be resolved. I had not time by now to test this in detail, but at least I managed to open the new download. I guess some stakeholders had been forgotten at the beginning of the project…
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The times, they have become tough, and more and more companies are required to reduce the number of employees in order to survive or to keep the figures nice. Often enough, these means that less people are required to manage the same amount of work as before the reorganisation. In other words, resources need to be used more efficiently.
If there is one vital advantage of project management, then it is the effective use of resources. By managing scope and planning the resources that are needed in order to get the work done, project managers make a attractive promise to senior management: For budget “x”, you will get “y”, and provided that the project manager has been involved in ROI calculations during project initiation, the project manager can make sure that the scope of the project will reflect the needed means in order to deliver the ROI.
However, project managers are not always positioned to “sell” this advantage. Now, even more than in other times, it is important for project managers to evangalize organisations about the value of organisations, not because the project manager wants to survive but because project management does add value to an organisations bottomline if resources are used more efficiently.
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As a project manager you have probably encountered a few projects that you just don’t like working on. Perhaps it’s the nature of the impending project or it could be your mood or maybe even the time of year. When faced with a project you just don’t find interesting, it’s easy to put things off by making excuses, but procrastination is not the answer.
The more the tasks before us are delayed, the more difficult and daunting they become. In addition, these delays can create much more work in the long run. So the question is, how does a project manager get past this tendency to procrastinate?
One way is to set up a reward for yourself once the project is complete. Make a list of tasks that need to be accomplished then assign an appropriate reward for each one. Just be sure to actually reward yourself once the task has been finished.
It also helps to psyche yourself up to start working. Avoid postponing tasks and take action immediately when a new job arises. There may not be a right time to do it, so you sometimes have to create that right time in your own mind.
Once a task has been completed it’s important to quickly move on to the next one. Small breaks help with refocusing but they can also be a distraction. If you are easily distracted, it might pay to move on to the next job quickly.
In project management it is easy to over-commit yourself, compounding the problem. It’s not an easy thing to do, but sometimes you just have to say “no”. It is much easier to disappoint someone by not committing than to disappoint them by not delivering.
So if you find yourself putting off work that needs to be done, try some of these techniques and the next project you manage is sure to be more productive.
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Leadership skills are the key to becoming an effective project manager. One part of leadership is the ability to delegate work to the people on your project management team. However, unless a certain amount of respect is not present, delegation can be a difficult task to accomplish.
There are several ways to earn the respect of those working for you. First of all you must demonstrate an ability and willingness to do the task at hand yourself. It shouldn’t appear that you are just dumping work that you don’t want to do onto someone else.
Next, let the person know what the overall plan is and explain its importance to the project as a whole. If they understand the task is important to the completion of the project, it is likely they will have a better perspective and will take the job more seriously. The work, however, should assist them in meeting their own goals. Base your delegation on what is important to them, not on what is important to you.
The task should present a challenge and it should be offered in that way. No one likes to have busy work thrown at them, especially if they believe you don’t think they have the ability necessary to take on challenging tasks.
Communicate expectations clearly and solicit feedback.
A project manager should also be likeable. By getting to know the other people on the team it becomes easier to be sincerely interested and sensitive to each individual’s unique qualities. In addition, really knowing those who work for you helps to utilize their strengths and avoid assigning tasks where they might not excel.
Finally, you should be willing to give public credit to project management team members once tasks have been completed successfully. A little praise can go a long way, but be sure you are sincere in what you say.
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The old saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” does not always ring true when it comes to project management. It is important to know that you can’t do everything yourself and delegation is an essential part of being an effective project manager.
As a project manager it can be difficult to delegate because you may feel a loss of control and power. After all it is your responsibility to make sure the goals of the project are met. Remember, however, that power must be used appropriately and poor delegation can lead to resistance or even resentment from project members. Maintaining a balance between delegation and control can be very tricky.
First of all, you should use the least amount of power needed to reach the desired outcome. Start out with a small use of power and increase that amount if you feel it isn’t working. It’s also important that you don’t abuse the power you have. Never use power for personal gain especially if you have no authorization to do so.
When delegating duties and power, try giving people a choice but make sure the choices are ones you can live with. For example you could give these two choices: “Would it be possible to do this by tomorrow or do you need until the end of the week?” Don’t however ask: “Do you want to do this?” The answer to that question might not be what you want to hear and it also takes away from the project manager’s power.
Be involved in project members’ tasks, but don’t become over-involved. Frequent checking of progress is important so that you can spot problems early, but too much checking can be interpreted to mean you don’t trust their abilities.
Once you become comfortable using these strategies, you can move on to letting others make decisions and set agendas while you, as project manager, control the environment.
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by Tom on February 18, 2009
Project management meetings can be a helpful tool to keep all team members on the same page, however, holding too many meetings can actually lead to a decrease in productivity as well as resentment for having to attend meetings when people could be working.
The first question that should be asked when considering a meeting is whether it is really necessary. Meetings held that do little more than get everyone together for a gab session are unnecessary and wasteful, taking away from the work that needs to be completed. On the other hand, when group action is needed to exchange information, deal with conflict, or develop ideas a meeting can be useful. The duty of the project manager is to determine whether the meeting is essential to the project or not.
Some project managers hold status meetings which can be inefficient and eat up loads of time and money. Instead, consider meeting one-on-one with individuals or small teams to get updates on progress. Email can also be an effective tool for measuring the progress of different sectors of the project.
One way to determine whether meetings are becoming detrimental to the project is to estimate the cost per minute of meeting time. Determine how much each member attending the meeting is being paid per hour and break that down into minutes. Multiply that by the number of meeting minutes and decide whether the cost/benefit ratio is worth it. Also keep in mind that negative morale caused by sitting in unnecessary project management meetings can offset any minor accomplishments that might have been made in the meeting.
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by Tom on February 3, 2009
Have you ever had a project management team member deliberately refuse to obey a reasonable order relating to his/her job? Dealing with such behavior can be difficult and if left unchecked can balloon into a problem that reaches other areas of the project.
Once others on the team see such insubordination they become more likely to behave in the same manner which could be the downfall of the entire project. Productivity and morale can drop if the project manager doesn’t act quickly.
Fortunately there are some early warning signs that, if recognized and dealt with immediately, can stop insubordination in its tracks. These signs include:
- dishonesty (white lies that escalate into major lies)
- incompetence (frequent mistakes and inability to follow directions)
- reluctance to change (negativity and overreaction to problems)
- lack of dependability (failure to complete assigned duties)
- apathy (mentally disconnected from the job)
Once a team member begins exhibiting any or all of these signs, it is important for the project manager to take immediate action. Begin with progressive discipline and give that person every opportunity to improve. Document the process and give continuous feedback, letting them know you want them to improve. Be honest and communicate that you want them on the team, but that their behavior is creating problems that might cause the project to fail.
If progressive discipline doesn’t work, it may be time to ask the team member to look for a different project for the sake of the entire project. So watch closely for the warning signs and address problems before they wreck an otherwise successful project.
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by Tom on January 11, 2009
The PMI has released the 4th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge, and while the members only-PDF cannot be opened by Mac computers due to an obscure plugin (which was also difficult to install on my Windows computer), this update to the third edition of the PMBOK can be regarded as an important milestone.
Some of the changes focus on removing incoherence between the different chapters, others remove conflicts with other PMI standards. The overall number of processes has been decreased from 44 to 42, and a standard approach for discussing changes and corrective actions etc has been introduced.
As a result of these changes, also the PMBOK glossary has been changed. Somme definitions have been added, others have been removed. In order to provide transparency, we will add the new definitions to our project management glossary but not delete the ones that have been removed from the PMBOK. Instead, we will add to each definition in which PMBOK editions the term has been used. We hope that this accommodates your needs.
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