The New Rules of Online Job Hunting – ABC News

The power and transformation of LinkedIn on the market place for job seekers and recruiters. The New Rules of Online Job Hunting – ABC News.

Risk Types from Auditing (via TAPUniversity’s Blog)

Don't start from scratch.  Reuse and recycle.   Learn from others.  Those three quick statements for learning  apply to risk management.  Identifying potential risks, good and bad, can be a cumbersome process.  To hasten  the process, discover what risk are common for your industry, whether that's construction, information technology, product development or public power.  Use those… [Read more…]

Software Risk List (via TAPUniversity’s Blog)

Steve McConnell, famous Borland and Microsoft developer and author of the renowned "Code Complete (1993)" and "Rapid System Development (1996)", captured the following risks for software development in "Rapid System Development", page 86.  Though this list is 15 years old, I still use it as a starting point (not much has changed, has it?). Feature… [Read more…]

Welcome to the new Technology As Promised, LLC (TAP) home page

Five years of hit and miss Frontpage updates had their appeal and disdain for us.  The appeal was the Web 1.0 updating tool of choice – Frontpage.  The disdain was its static nature.  We’ve rehosted to bring the blog ‘vibe’ of our TAPUniversity blog here – to TAP.  The focus of TAP is consulting services. … [Read more…]

RFP’s – Vendor Selection – Scoring

In a Request For Proposal selection process or project a flexibility, well defined rubric  is critical.  That rubric is  more commonly known as score sheets, scales and weights.  The best practice is to define that rubric prior to issuing the RFP – the selection committee needs to know 1) what they are selected and 2)… [Read more…]

Request For Quotation (RFQ)

A Request For Quotation is a seller selection process where the buyer knows what they need and specifies quantity, terms, even target price.  It is a companion, complimentary seller/vendor selection tool to the Request For Proposal.  You might use a RFQ at your work place and not even realize it.  For example purchasing 100 copies… [Read more…]

Request For Proposal

A Request For Proposal (RFP)  is a common way to select for a vendor based solution or product.  They are used when what is needed can be identified and described, but a detailed step by step method may not be known.  RFP’s may result in a fixed bid or cost plus performance contract awarded to… [Read more…]

Acculturation in Organizations

“Welcome to the company, Kaite!” says Kenneth. “Thanks, I just finished the 3-day orientation session” says Kaite. “Did they talk about the Kentucky Derby taboo?” whispered Kenneth. “Uhh…no.” said Kaite confused. “Don’t ever mention it! The CEO lost all his savings betting on Trippi ten years ago. Actually, it’s best never to mention the names… [Read more…]

Constructive Dismissal

Barney always smelled bad, nobody could read his writing, and his team members found it creepy how he stared at their cell phones. Peter is the project manager whose team includes Barney and ten other people. Peter wants to get rid of Barney, but doesn’t want to fire him. Instead, Peter decides to enlist the… [Read more…]

Q1 + Q2 = H1

Project managers that work with cost management and budgeting are probably already very familiar with their organization’s fiscal year (FY). The fiscal year is broken into quarters (which are time periods of three months each since there are twelve months in a year). The first quarter is abbreviated Q1, the second Q2, and so on.… [Read more…]

Conflict Management

Managing conflict is part of managing projects and people. Conflict Management is a tool of the Manage Project Team process listed in the fourth edition PMBOK®. Also see the earlier posting of Manage Project Team Process (posted May 5, 2009). Conflict Management is an important skill not only project management, but for any situation in… [Read more…]

Distribute Information Process

Distribute Information is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the five Communications knowledge area processes, and one of the eight Executing processes. The primary purpose of this process is to distribute relevant information to stakeholders. This is a relatively simple, straightforward process. The Project Management… [Read more…]

Manage Stakeholders Expectations Process

Manage Stakeholders Expectations is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the five Communications knowledge area processes, and one of the eight Executing processes. The primary purpose of this process is to work with stakeholders to meet their needs and resolve issues. The Stakeholder Register provides… [Read more…]

Virtual Teams

Becoming increasingly popular, Virtual Teams is one of the tools of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Acquire Project Team process. A virtual team is a team who has some or all members that spend little or no time face-to-face. With advances in communications technology, the advantages of virtual teams are becoming leveraged more frequently in today’s… [Read more…]

Alternatives Identification

This tool of Alternatives Identification is part of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Define Scope process. The purpose of this tool is to generate ideas on different ways to accomplish the project. The desired work is already known, but there may be preferred ways to accomplish the work. Clearly, this should preferably be performed at the… [Read more…]

Project Scope Statement

The Project Scope Statement is a major project document that is produced through the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Define Scope process. The Project Scope Statement contains the project’s deliverables and required work in detailed statements. It includes the Product Scope Description, Product Acceptance Criteria, Project Deliverables, Project Exclusions, and Project Constraints. For example, Katy’s project is… [Read more…]

Conduct Procurements Process

Conduct Procurements is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the four Procurement knowledge area processes, and one of the eight Executing processes. The purpose of this process is to obtain responses from sellers, select among those sellers, and award a contract to the selected seller.… [Read more…]

Monitor and Control Project Work Process

The Monitor and Control Project Work process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Integration knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to track, review and regulate progress on the project.… [Read more…]

PMP Exam Studying with WEMSHA

When studying for your PMP® Exam, if you deeply interact with project management tools and standards, rather than simply read about them, you’ll not only be better prepared for your exam, but you’ll learn more that you can utilize in your project management career. At TAPUniversity, for our PMP exam preparation courses we use our… [Read more…]

Statement of Work

A Statement of Work (SOW) is a narrative description of the products, services or results to be supplied by a project. The SOW is considered a Project Document—not part of the Project Management Plan. The SOW is written by the project’s sponsor, and then used as an input to the fourth-edition PMBOK®’s Develop Project Charter… [Read more…]

Resource Breakdown Structure

A Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) is a Project Document utilized by project managers. It is one of the documents created by the fourth-edition PMBOK®’s Estimate Activity Resources process. A RBS is a heirarchical structure of a project’s resources by category and type, including human resources. This provides an illustration of the overall materials, people, equipment,… [Read more…]

Perform Integrated Change Control Process

The Perform Integrated Change Control process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Integration knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to review change requests, determine whether to approve them, and… [Read more…]

Control Scope

The Control Scope process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the five Scope knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to watch the product and project scope as well as manage any… [Read more…]

Verify Scope Process

The Verify Scope process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the five Scope knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to formalize acceptance of the completed project deliverables. The most obvious input… [Read more…]

Control Schedule

The Control Schedule process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Time knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to update progress and manage any changes to the project schedule. The… [Read more…]

Statistical Sampling

There is much to know about selecting a good sample and it should be done carefully by someone knowledgeable. A good sample can accurately describe the whole population with a fraction of the cost and time it would take to measure the entire population. Project managers may use statistical sampling as part of performing the… [Read more…]

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Psychological and sociological theories explaining how individuals and groups behave, such as this theory, is listed as the tool of Organizational Theories in the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Develop Human Resource Plan process. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivation theory that explains how people are differentially motivated depending on their state of needs. The most… [Read more…]

Control Costs Process

The Control Costs process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the three Cost knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to monitor the budget and manage any changes made to the cost… [Read more…]

Quality Management Plan

The Quality Management Plan outlines how selected quality policies will be implemented for a certain project. It’s part of the Project Management Plan. The Plan Quality process described in the fourth edition PMBOK® decides which quality requirements and standards should apply to the project and then develops the Quality Management Plan to assure compliance with… [Read more…]

Resource Calendars

The documentation of the time individuals on the project team are able to work on the project is called Resource Calendars. They must take into consideration vacation time and holidays as well as time dedicated to other work in the organization. A composite Resource Calendar may also indicate the skills of the resources. Interestingly, the… [Read more…]

Acheivement Theory

Psychological and sociological theories explaining how individuals and groups behave, such as this theory, are listed as the tool of Organizational Theories in the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Develop Human Resource Plan process. David McClelland, an American psychologist, is the author of Achievement Theory. This theory postulates that humans are motivated by three general needs—achievement, affiliation,… [Read more…]

Perform Quality Control Process

The Perform Quality Control process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the three Quality knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to monitor the results of the quality activities so that any… [Read more…]

Stakeholder Management Strategy

A Stakeholder Management Strategy is a document used by project managers to outline a plan to increase support and minimize obstruction from the project stakeholders. This document is created through the Identify Stakeholders process, which is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. The Stakeholder Management Strategy is then… [Read more…]

Activity Dependencies

A project is composed of many smaller activities. Although some activities are independent of each other, others have dependencies that must be accounted for when making the project schedule. Using the Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM), there are four types of dependencies that two activities can have with each other. These four types of dependencies are:… [Read more…]

Pairwise Chart

A Pairwise Chart is a tool used by a group of people to rank a set of alternatives. In project management, it is used to decide among a set of potential projects, among other decisions. The charts may vary somewhat in appearance, but the purpose is the same—to reach a decision by systematically comparing two… [Read more…]

Product Analysis

For projects that have a product as a deliverable (as opposed to a service or result), product analysis may be performed. Product analysis is a tool and technique of the Define Scope process described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It means gaining a deep understanding of the product. Because there are so many different types… [Read more…]

Expert Judgment

An expert is someone who has specialized education, knowledge, skill, experience or training in a certain area. A project manager should obtain the opinions of experts throughout the course of managing a project. Expert Judgment is a common tool and technique of the processes found in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It is a general tool,… [Read more…]

Communications Management Plan

The Communications Management Plan as outlined in the fourth edition PMBOK® describes how communications will be accomplished throughout a project. It is a subsidiary of the Project Management Plan and is developed through the Plan Communications process. It is specifically listed as an input to the Plan Risk Management process. The Communications Management Plan is… [Read more…]

Project Schedule Network Diagrams

A Project Schedule Network Diagram is any display of the relationships among project activities which is then used to develop the project schedule. A subnetwork is simply a section of the overall Project Schedule Network Diagram. Project Schedule Network Diagrams are an output of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Sequence Activities process and an input to… [Read more…]

Business Case

The Business Case document presents the reasoning for performing a project or activity from a business standpoint. The content, formality, and length will vary across situations and organizations. For external projects, the customer may be the author of this document. The Business Case is an input into the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Develop Project Charter process,… [Read more…]

Report Performance Process

The Report Performance process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the five Communications knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to collect and distribute information about project performance. First of all, to… [Read more…]

Variance Analysis

If projects went exactly as planned, this tool would be unnecessary. Variance Analysis is the comparison of planned results and actual results. The planned results may be found in the Project Management Plan and compared to work performance information. The project manager should be certain that the data itself is trustworthy, and then examine how… [Read more…]

Monitor and Control Risks Process

The Monitor and Control Risk process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Risk knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to implement risk plans, watch already identified risks and residual… [Read more…]

Administer Procurements Process

The Administer Procurements process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the four Procurement knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to manage procurement relationships, monitor contract performance, and make any needed changes.… [Read more…]

Inspection

The technique of inspection is an examination to assure that work meets the required standards. In project management, this is most closely related to quality inspections, procurement inspections, and the final inspection of deliverables. Inspection is a technique of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Perform Quality Control process. Although prevention is preferred over inspection, inspection is… [Read more…]

Organizational Process Assets

The fourth edition PMBOK® defines Organizational Process Assets as “any or all process related assets, from any or all of the organizations involved in the project that can be used to influence the project’s success.” Examples include: plans, procedures, lessons learned, historical information, schedules, risk data and earned value data. Organizational Process Assets fall into… [Read more…]

Stakeholder Register

The Stakeholder Registry is a project management document that contains the list of stakeholders and relevant information about them. It is developed through the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Identify Stakeholders process which first discovers the people and organizations that are impacted by the project, and secondly, documents relevant information about them. This information can be placed… [Read more…]

Close Project or Phase Process

The Close Project or Phase process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Integration knowledge area processes, and one of the two Closing processes. The primary purpose of this process is to finalize activities in order to complete the project or phase of… [Read more…]

Close Procurements Process

The Close Procurements process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the four Procurement knowledge area processes, and one of the two Closing processes. The primary purpose of this process is to complete all the project’s procurements. It is closely tied with the Close Project… [Read more…]

CBAP and PMP Certification Exam Changes this Summer

The summer of 2009 brings changes to two certification exams for which TAPUniversity provides preparation. Both the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam and the International Institute of Business Analysis’s (IIBA) Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) have version changes this summer. As of July 1, the PMP exam is based on the… [Read more…]

Risk Management Plan

The Risk Management Plan is a document used by project managers to provide guidance on handling risk throughout a project, and because this includes early risks, it should be created early in the project’s planning phase. It is the only output of the Plan Risk Management process, which is one of the 42 project management… [Read more…]

Questionnaire

The questionnaire is a commonly used tool utilized across many fields, including project management and business analysis. It is listed as a technique both of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process and as a technique of the BABOK® 2.0. It can be a cost-effective way to gather large amounts of data from individuals. Questionnaires… [Read more…]

Interviews

An interview is a straightforward method of gaining information and opinions from others in a verbal manner by the interviewer asking an interviewee a set of questions. It is listed as a technique both of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process and as a technique of the BABOK® 2.0. In the fields of project… [Read more…]

Proposal Evaluation Techniques

When selecting among multiple potential sellers, Proposal Evaluation Techniques can assist in choosing the best seller. Proposal Evaluation Techniques is a technique of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Conduct Procurements process. It involves an evaluation committee comparing seller proposals against pre-defined criteria. The evaluation committee is the group of people who examine the information provided by… [Read more…]

WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)

A WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) is a project document that displays a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the project work. At the first level of decomposition, the major branches of the WBS could represent phases, major deliverables, or subprojects. At each lower level, the work is broken down into more detail. This process of breaking down… [Read more…]

WBS Dictionary

The WBS dictionary is the document that accompanies the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) which further elaborates upon the individual components of the WBS. The WBS Dictionary is an output of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Create Work Breakdown Structure process. Together with the WBS and Scope Statement, it composes the project’s Scope Baseline which becomes part… [Read more…]

Resource Leveling

The project management technique of Resource Leveling examines the possible need for adjustments to a schedule already constructed using the Critical Path Method based on the availability of resources. The fourth edition PMBOK® defines it as “any form of schedule network analysis in which scheduling decisions (start and finish dates) are driven by resource constraints.”… [Read more…]

Issue Log

The Issue Log is a project document (not part of the Project Management Plan) described in the fourth edition PMBOK® whose purpose is to record and monitor issues. It is a tool of the PMBOK’s Manage Project Team process and an input to the Manage Stakeholder Expectations process. Note that one is a Human Resource… [Read more…]

Bidder Conferences

A Bidder Conference is a project management technique used for procurements. It is a technique of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Conduct Procurements process. They may also be called contractor conferences, vendor conferences, and pre-bid conferences. A Bidder Conferences is a meeting for potential bidders to all fairly understand the buyer’s requirements. If the buyer were… [Read more…]

The Delphi Technique

Although listed as a Group Creativity Technique for the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process, this technique is versatile and used beyond the boundaries of project management. The Delphi Technique consists of rounds of gathering opinions from a select group of experts. For example, Kent wants to buy a car, but he wants to make… [Read more…]

Cost Performance Baseline

The Cost Performance Baseline is an “authorized time-phased budget-at-completion (BAC) used to measure, monitor, and control overall cost performance on the project” (PMI’s fourth edition PMBOK®). All the minor budgets are added together to create the overall Cost Performance Baseline, which is displayed as a graph of cumulative funds to be spent over time. The… [Read more…]

Requirements Management Plan

The Requirements Management Plan, a subsidiary of the Project Management Plan, describes how requirements will be “analyzed, documented, and managed throughout the project” (Project Management Institute’s fourth edition PMBOK®). This document is created through the Collect Requirements process, which has just been introduced in the fourth edition PMBOK. This process concerns business analysis activities, and… [Read more…]

Affinity Diagram

Although listed as a Group Creativity Technique for the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process, this technique is versatile and used beyond the boundaries of project management. The purpose of this technique is to sort a large number of ideas into smaller groups. First, each idea is written on its own piece of paper. Then,… [Read more…]

Critical Path Method Explained with Cookies

The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a scheduling technique that demonstrates the time periods for which it’s possible to perform a project activity. This is accomplished through calculating for each activity the early start, late start, early finish, and late finish. Individual activities also have float, which is the amount of flexible time for the… [Read more…]

Critical Chain Method

The Critical Chain Method, developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, is a schedule analysis technique that is listed in the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Develop Schedule process. Although similar to the Critical Path Method, this method emphasizes resource limitations and buffers. After building a project schedule network diagram, any necessary changes are made to the schedule based… [Read more…]

Qualitative Risk Analysis

A Qualitative Risk Analysis prioritizes risks based on their probability of occurring and the potential impact if they do occur. It is performed as the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis process. First, decide which risks will be included in the Qualitative Risk Analysis. The listing of project risks can be found in the… [Read more…]

Reserve Analysis for a Vacation

Katy and her family are planning to take a one-week vacation that they believe will cost $2000. However, Katy and her husband decide to set aside 10% more, for a total of $2200, since they guess there could be some unknowns that will end up making the vacation cost more as has happened the last… [Read more…]

Stakeholder Analysis

The tool of Stakeholder Analysis examines the interests, expectations, and influences of a project’s stakeholders. It is a tool and technique of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Identify Stakeholders process and it is the purpose of the BABOK®’s Conduct Stakeholder Analysis process. First, the stakeholders need to be identified and important information about the documented, such… [Read more…]

Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory

Psychologist Frederick Herzberg studied the characteristics of one’s job that lead to the work being satisfying or dissatisfying. He found that there are a set of characteristics, such as having responsibility, making achievements, and advancing, that lead to job satisfaction. He called these characteristics “motivators.” Interestingly, it isn’t the absence of these characteristics that lead… [Read more…]

Facilitated Workshops

A Facilitated Workshop is one of the most effective methods of requirements elicitation. Key stakeholders meet together in a focused session, usually lasting one to several days, to define the requirements for a product. They may be originating new ideas for requirements, reviewing existing requirements, or trying to reach agreement on conflicting requirements. Bringing together… [Read more…]

Nominal Group Technique

The Nominal Group Technique is a group decision-making technique that strives to obtain input from all group members. Before having everyone share their ideas, it can be helpful to have tem first write their ideas on pieces of paper. While people are taking turns sharing their ideas, it may inspire group members to have even… [Read more…]

Mind Mapping

The Mind Map is a diagram that illustrates brainstorming around a central word or idea.  This method encourages creativity and can be applied to numerous situations, such as generating ideas, classifying them, and visualizing them. It is less constraining than the traditional outline-form of documenting ideas. It can be used to consolidate the brainstorming of… [Read more…]

Earned Value Management – CV and SV (posted August 19, 2009)

Cost Variance (CV) and Schedule Variance (SV) are indicators of how closely accomplished work is on budget and on schedule. The formula for CV = EV – AC and the formula for SV = EV – PV. Both of these formulas begin with Earned Value (EV), which is the value of the work already accomplished.… [Read more…]

Earned Value Management – CPI and SPI (posted August 20, 2009)

Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) are indicators of how closely accomplished work is on budget and on schedule. CPI shows how many dollars (or other type of currency) worth of work is being accomplished for every dollar spent. SPI shows how the work is progressing compared to the original schedule.  … [Read more…]

Estimate at Completion – Bottom-Up Method

The Budget at Completion (BAC) is how much the project is supposed to cost when finished. However, during the project it may become clear that the project will not end up costing what it is supposed to cost. The Estimate at Completion (EAC) replaces the BAC for the amount that the project is now believed… [Read more…]

Estimate at Completion – Budgeted Rate Method

The Budget at Completion (BAC) is how much the project is supposed to cost when finished. However, during the project it may become clear that the project will not end up costing what it is supposed to cost. The Estimate at Completion (EAC) replaces the BAC for the amount that the project is now believed… [Read more…]

Estimate at Completion – Present CPI Method

The Budget at Completion (BAC) is how much the project is supposed to cost when finished. However, during the project it may become clear that the project will not end up costing what it is supposed to cost. The Estimate at Completion (EAC) replaces the BAC for the amount that the project is now believed… [Read more…]

Estimate at Completion – Using CPI and SPI Method

The Budget at Completion (BAC) is how much the project is supposed to cost when finished. However, during the project it may become clear that the project will not end up costing what it is supposed to cost. The Estimate at Completion (EAC) replaces the BAC for the amount that the project is now believed… [Read more…]

To-Complete Performance Index

The To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI) estimates the cost performance necessary in order for the project to meet the original project’s budget goal (Budget At Completion (BAC)) or the new estimate of how much the project will cost (Estimate At Completion (EAC)). This is accomplished by calculating how much work is remaining on the project divided… [Read more…]

Requirements Traceability Matrix

The Requirements Traceability Matrix is a tool that organizes a project’s requirements by linking them to their origins and tracing them throughout the project. It is the purpose of the Manage Requirements Traceability process in the BABOK® 2.0 and it is an output of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process. Tracing illustrates how a… [Read more…]

Brainstorming

This general technique used throughout different fields as well as in everyday life. It is a way to creatively generate ideas such as solutions or risks. It is listed as a Group Creativity Technique under the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process, as Alternatives Identification for the Define Scope process, as an Additional Quality Planning… [Read more…]

McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y describe two different management attitudes towards their subordinates. These ideas were developed by Douglas McGregor and can be found in his 1960 book “The Human Side of Enterprise.” Theory X suggests that employees are lazy and dislike work and responsibility. Because of this, managers must coerce them to work and… [Read more…]

Professional Ethics for Project Managers

Members of the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and those who simply hold a certification from PMI have agreed to follow the profession’s code of ethics. For those seeking their Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, ethics questions will be a significant section of their exam. The ethics code has four values at its foundation that were… [Read more…]

Net Present Value (NPV) for Project Managers

Projects have a starting date and an ending date—but that does not mean they are short! When comparing potential long-term projects, Net Present Value (NPV) is a financial valuation technique to help indicate which project may represent the best financial investment. If a 1-week project is expected to have a $10,000 profit, it may be… [Read more…]

Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

There are many things to consider when making the decision whether or not to invest in a particular project. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is a financial valuation technique that can be applied to a potential project. The IRR examines the percentage rate of return on an investment. So all things being equal, a return… [Read more…]

Requirements Documentation

Understanding the individual requirements for a project and how they each support the business need is the purpose of Requirements Documentation—an output of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Collect Requirements process. According to the PMBOK, this documentation can include many things, such as business need for the project, traceability requirements, functional requirements, non-functional requirements, quality requirements,… [Read more…]

Projects, Programs, and Portfolios

A project is a “temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” (fourth edition PMBOK®). Projects are often not single, isolated endeavors, but rather part of a larger undertaking. For example, Carl’s project may be to restore an old Mustang. But he and his team of siblings also have projects to restore… [Read more…]

TAPUniversity Fall Subscription Offer and More Ways to Connect!

David Kohrell will be sharing about Effective Virtual Teams at the PMI Minnesota Chapter during their PDD on Friday, October 2, 2009 and about Professional and Social Networking for Results at the PMI North American Leadership Conference in Orlando on Thursday, October 8, 2009.  If you’re at either event please stop by and say hello. … [Read more…]

Organizational Structures

For a Project Manager, and many other professionals, the organizational structure of one’s job environment affects how they perform their daily tasks. There are three major categories of organizational structure—Functional, Matrix, and Projectized.  When there exists more than one organizational structure within a single organization (for example one department could be projectized and all other… [Read more…]

Anniversary of TAPUniversity’s Blog

It was one year ago today that TAPUniversity’s blog was launched. Thank you to all those who have followed, read, and commented on our postings. Readership has grown steadily every month, and as of today we have 175 total postings. As we begin our second year of postings, we’ll be increasing the number of postings… [Read more…]

Project Management Office (PMO)

An organization’s Project Management Office (PMO) centralizes and coordinates the organization’s projects. It is considered a project stakeholder. Not all organizations with projects and project managers have PMOs, and some organizations may even have a department-level PMO and an organizational-wide PMO. The role of the PMO can vary dramatically. A PMO with little power may… [Read more…]

The Project Manager’s Role and Interpersonal Skills

A project manager’s goal is to meet the objectives of their projects. The PMBOK® describes three characteristics of an effective project manager—knowledge, performance, and personal. Knowledge refers specifically to knowledge about project management. For example, can the individual develop a project schedule and write a project management plan? Performance refers to what the individual is… [Read more…]

Enterprise Environmental Factors

A very common input into the PMBOK®’s project management processes, Enterprise Environmental Factors are “internal and external environmental factors that surround or influence a project’s success” (PMBOK, p. 14). Unlike the other very common input of Organizational Process Assets, which are truly assets that are of benefit to the project manager, Enterprise Environmental Factors may… [Read more…]

Process Group and Knowledge Area Descriptions

The PMBOK® describes 42 processes, with each process belonging to one of the nine knowledge areas (Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Human Resource, Communications, Risk or Procurement) and one of the five process groups (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing). Here is a description of each of these knowledge areas and process groups.… [Read more…]

What is the PMBOK®, PMI®, and PMP®?

PMI® (Project Management Institute) describes itself as the world’s leading non-profit project management association with over half a million members. PMI awards several certifications relating to project management, with the PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification for project managers being the most common. Those who contribute to projects, but do not lead them, may earn their… [Read more…]

Project Life Cycle

Although projects vary dramatically, according to the PMBOK®, all projects go through the same life cycle structure. Accordingly, this is a very broad, big-picture view of a project life cycle. There are four components to this structure—Starting the Project, Organizing and Preparing, Carrying out the Project Work, and Closing the Project. The Starting the Project… [Read more…]

Phase-to-Phase Relationships

A large project may be broken into specific phases, with each of these phases having specific deliverables. At the end of a phase, a Phase-End Review may occur, which formally concludes that phase, and if the project is deemed worthwhile to continue, authorizes the next phase to begin. There are three major phase-to-phase relationships described… [Read more…]

Configuration Management

It can be assumed that there will be some changes, however minor, made to a project’s original plans. The PMBOK®’s Perform Integrated Change Control process handles change requests throughout a project. The Configuration Management System is a set of formal procedures that is indirectly an input into this process, but listed as a tool in… [Read more…]

Histogram

The histogram is graphical representation of data. It is a tool of the PMBOK®’s Perform Quality Control process, but can be used in any field where this type of data is to be displayed. The example here is from Carl’s Car Restoration business. For marketing purposes, he wanted to see what ages his customers were.… [Read more…]

Communication Methods and Models

Communication Methods is a tool of the Plan Communications, Distribute Information, Report Performance, and Manage Stakeholders Expectations processes. (Which means that Communication Methods is a tool for all Communications processes except for the Identify Stakeholders process). Communication Methods fall into three broad categories: Interactive, Push, and Pull. Interactive Communication is the most effective form of… [Read more…]

Checklist Analysis and Assumptions Analysis for Risk

Checklist Analysis and Assumptions Analysis are tools and techniques of the PMBOK®’s Identify Risk process. A Checklist Analysis can provide ideas for risks on a current project. These lists of risks can be from previous, similar projects; the lowest level of the Risk Breakdown Structure; or other sources. Care should be taken to also explore… [Read more…]

Expected Monetary Value

When dealing with risk, probabilities of different scenarios and the associated financial loss or gain can be calculated mathematically. An example of analyzing Expected Monetary Values is the decision tree, which is part of the PMBOK®’s Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis process. This can be applied to wide variety of project situations. For example, Carl is… [Read more…]

Onion Diagram

The Onion Diagram is a type of stakeholder map. At a glance, it shows stakeholders in the layers of their closeness to a project. In this example, the innermost layer includes the project team, followed by those whose work is directly affected by the project, the organization as a whole, and then external stakeholders such… [Read more…]

Internal and External Failures

Despite the best of efforts, some portion of products will be created with defects. The point in time that this defect is discovered determines whether it is an internal failure or an external failure. If the defective product is discovered while still in the control of the organization that created it, it is an internal… [Read more…]

PMBOK Knowledge Area Poll

Poll for Project Managers

Earned Schedule

The project manager’s tool of Earned Value Management (EVM) is extended through Earned Schedule which draws a distinction between schedule performance measured in terms of currency and schedule performance measured in terms of time. EVM typically uses units of currency as a means of tracking schedule performance. For example, in EVM, Schedule Variance (SV) is… [Read more…]

Hammock Activity

A Hammock Activity describes an activity type in project management scheduling. It is an activity (or an aggregate of activities summarized as one activity) that spans between two points in a schedule. Having no set duration of its own, its duration is derived from the difference in time between these two points in the schedule.… [Read more…]

Getting Projects Done On Time and Faster

Completing a project on-schedule (or even before schedule) is a fundamental goal of project management. Unexpected delays, poor planning, and scope creep are just some of the enemies of a project’s timely completion. According to a survey by the Project Management Institute®, about 55% of projects are completed on-time, which is an improvement from the… [Read more…]

Program Management Professional

The PgMP® (Program Management Professional) certification from the Project Management Institute recognizes those who are responsible for managing multiple, related projects. There are several steps to achieving this certification. Candidates must have at least four years of experience managing projects. If the candidate has a Bachelor’s degree, they also must have at least four years… [Read more…]

Project Management Jobs in Today’s Economy

Project managers, how has today’s economy affected your career? Towards the end of 2008, we noticed a trend of less interest in employers paying for training for their employees as training budgets were reduced. However, there was also increased interest from project managers in earning their Project Management Professional (PMP) who believed that it was more critical… [Read more…]

If Santa Thinks Chimneys Qualify He Calls “Reindeer Pause!”

A frequent reason people visit our blog is to find mnemonic devices for learning the nine project management knowledge areas listed in the PMBOK®. The nine knowledge areas are: Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, HR, Communication, Risk, and Procurement. A couple examples were posted on January 28, 2009. Here are some more starting with some… [Read more…]

Cloud Computing for Project Managers

More and more, people are discussing and using Cloud Computing—services and applications hosted through the Internet (which is the “cloud”) rather than one’s own computer. CNN reports that Cloud Computing will be one of the top web trends next year (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/03/cashmore.web.trends.2010/index.html). This fast-growing trend is especially salient for project managers who work on virtual teams.… [Read more…]

Earning PDUs to Keep Your PMP

Congratulations–you’ve earned your PMP® (Project Management Professional certification)! Now you must earn PDUs (Professional Development Units) in order to keep your PMP. One PDU represents about one hour of experience or activity. From the time you earned your PMP, you have three years to earn 60 PDUs. After earning PDUs, they must be reported to… [Read more…]

What’s Your PMP Certification Status?

A PMP® (Project Management Professional certification) status is either Active, Suspended, or Retired. As soon as someone has earned their PMP, their status is Active. If they maintain their Continuing Certification Requirements by earning and reporting 60 PDUs (Professional Development Units) during each three-year cycle, they continue to have Active status. If they do not… [Read more…]

Project Managers’ Knowledge of their Project Field

How much knowledge of their project field should a Project Manager have? I enjoy asking people this question and have received a wide variety of responses. I have had colleagues tell me that they are true project managers and because the tools of project management are the same across different fields they are comfortable managing… [Read more…]

Consulting Pulse: Time Management – Covey's 4 quadrants

Great conversation Friday with a long term colleague regarding process improvements, Lean Six Sigma, etc. He reminded me of one of Stephen Covey’s (7 Habit’s Fame) key time management principles of the quadrant theory – that is four places we spend time on arranged by Urgency and Importance.  Consulting services in 2009 found a good… [Read more…]

Span of Control

The Span of Control is the number of people for whom a supervisor is responsible. This metric is most relevant in hierarchical organizations, and in fact was originally a military concept. Simply put, if a manager has five people reporting to her, her Span of Control is five. What is the optimum Span of Control?… [Read more…]

The Influence of Professional Ethics Codes

Project Managers, does the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct matter? Individuals who are certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) have all agreed to abide by this code. What influence does the code actually have? I have often thought of professional codes as primarily a means for a profession to rid itself of… [Read more…]

The Cost of Multi-Tasking

If your goal is to maximize productivity, then multi-tasking could actually be a culprit. Although some simple tasks may be performed simultaneously, such as carrying on an idle conversation while washing dishes after dinner, without noticeably detrimental effects, the complex multi-tasking and frequent task-switching that we subject our minds to may actually decrease efficiency overall.… [Read more…]

Project Management in the Home

It is always an added bonus when the skills of your profession can benefit your personal life as well. For example, being in the medical field can be helpful when you have a sick child and having a plumbing background can be useful when the kitchen sink starts to leak. Project Managers, how have your… [Read more…]

I’m Studying for my PMP Exam… and I Have Been for Two Years

This week we are bidding adieu to 2009 and greeting the arrival of 2010. Traditionally the New Year has been a time for people to make resolutions to meet personal goals such as losing weight, paying off debt, quit smoking, and volunteering. Making career and educational goals are also common New Year’s resolutions (http://www.newyearfestival.com/popular-new-year-resolutions.html). I… [Read more…]

Motivating Your Project Team Members

How does a Project Manager motivate their team to do their best, and therefore increase the likelihood of project success? The most important thing to remember is that because team members are individuals they each have a unique set of motivators. I have talked to salespeople who were rewarded by being given a vacation day… [Read more…]

The Perfect Project Manager

Do perfectionists make good Project Managers? Surely there are perfectionists out there who are good project managers and there are perfectionists out there who are bad project managers. But does the trait of perfectionism naturally mesh well with the demands of managing projects? I am a perfectionist, and I’ve been told in the workplace that… [Read more…]

Change Requests in the Fourth Edition PMBOK®

In many ways, the fourth edition PMBOK has simplified its project management processes. In the third edition, processes could have preventive actions, defect repairs, corrective actions, and requested changes. Now these are all considered simply Change Requests. It is a generic term indicating that some type of course alteration is being called for. They can… [Read more…]

Project Charter Changes in the Fourth Edition PMBOK®

The Project Charter is one of the most important documents in project management. In addition to other purposes, this document officially authorizes the project so that resources may be assigned. The Project Management Institute has streamlined the Project Charter from the third edition PMBOK to the fourth edition PMBOK. Of course, individual organizations and PMO’s… [Read more…]

Contract Changes in the Fourth Edition PMBOK®

Contract categorization has changed from the Project Management Institute’s third edition PMBOK to the fourth edition. The formerly simple Fixed Price has been split into three types. The old Cost Plus Fee and Cost Plus Fixed Fee are now both considered Cost Plus Fixed Fee. Cost Plus Incentive Fee has remained the same, except that… [Read more…]

Reading, Writing, and ‘Rithmetic in Cost Estimation

Cost estimating is a project management task that can involve an especially high number of “unknowns.” Although as more is known and the scope is refined, the cost estimates can be more accurately reported. The “Neandertals Guide to Cost Estimating,” which is a Naval Air booklet that can be accessed at http://www.navair.navy.mil/toc/initiative/NeandertalsGuide.pdf, contains a listing… [Read more…]

Skunk Works®

A Skunk Works team is an everyday business term that describes a team who has quite a bit of free rein as they are outside of the normal organizational hierarchy. This can be advantageous if there is a highly-skilled set of people who are being slowed down or burdened by traditional bureaucracy in the organization.… [Read more…]

Burst Node

Here’s a scheduling term that’s not heard everyday—Burst Node. In a network diagram, which illustrates the sequence of a project’s activities, a Burst Node is a node where two or more activities start after it has been completed. So once a certain activity is complete, it initiates a “burst” of new activities. Here’s an example.… [Read more…]

Capability Survey

A buyer may be interested in a certain product or service, but wants to know the general capabilities of the seller. In this case, the buyer may prepare a set of questions known as a Capability Survey in order to better understand the seller. For example, Ben is questioning several potential babysitters on their past… [Read more…]

Hard Project, Soft Project

A hard project may be easy! A hard project is one whose outcome is a clearly defined physical product, whereas a soft project’s outcome is not. If Kathy’s project is to make her father a batch of brownies, it is a hard project since it has a clearly defined physical deliverable. However if Kathy’s project… [Read more…]

Management by Walking Around (MBWA)

Project Managers employing this style of management spend time walking around where their team members are working. They see firsthand how things are going and engage in informal communication with their team. When workers have better access to their boss and feel comfortable talking to him or her, they can share perspectives, problems, and suggestions… [Read more…]

Micro-Scheduling

The activities that Project Managers arrange in their project schedules have various durations, of course. If activities have durations of less than a day, the scheduling of them is called micro-scheduling. Some distinct activities may be small and simply take less than a day. If a project is exceptionally short, say several weeks, one may… [Read more…]

Life or Death Project Management

Recent headlines have portrayed the absolute devastation in Haiti due to Tuesday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake. Countries and aid groups are scrambling to get aid and supplies to the victims. Most people killed in an earthquake die within 72 hours of the quake, so time is of the essence. A project to provide aid as quickly as… [Read more…]

New Core Values for Project Managers

The Project Management Institute has unveiled its new core values. According to the January 2010 edition of PMI Today, the Core Values Review Task Team obtained feedback from stakeholders which led to 45 candidate values. The definition of core values are “essential and enduring principles guiding PMI.” From these 45 candidates, the 5 values deemed… [Read more…]

Newly Released Standard for Risk Management

Risk is an important topic for project managers. The Project Management Institute (PMI) awards a Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) certification and within PMI there is a Risk Management Special Interest Group (SIG). The Project Management Institute has released its official Practice Standard for Project Risk Management. It can be purchased at http://www.pmi.org/Marketplace/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101169201 for $55.95 for… [Read more…]

Horse Blanket Project Schedule

I first saw the term Horse Blanket in reference to project scheduling in the Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Scheduling. There in a flowchart for the Select Scheduling Method step, Horse Blanket is mentioned alongside Critical Path Method and Critical Chain. The term was undefined in the book’s glossary and a search on information… [Read more…]

Inverted Matrix

Project Managers are usually familiar with the Project Management Institute’s categorization of organizations as outlined in the PMBOK®. There are functional, strong matrix, balanced matrix, weak matrix, projectized, and composite organizations. Another organizational structure term is the Inverted Matrix. This is actually more of a projectized type of organization that has specialists permanently employed to support… [Read more…]

Splittable and Non-Splittable Activities

A project schedule contains sequences of activities. Individual activities may be considered either splittable or non-splittable. A splittable activity may be easily interrupted and resumed later. However, a non-spittable activity needs to be finished once it has begun without any interruptions. For example, a teacher may have a stack of papers to grade. Part of… [Read more…]

The 100% Rule of the WBS

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project. So if your project is to write a paper on puffins, “Puffin Paper” would be the highest level of the hierarchy, and below it could be “Puffin Research,” “Paper Outline,” “Draft Paper,” and “Proofed Paper.”  These activities… [Read more…]

Avoiding Verbs in the WBS

I naturally want to use verbs in my Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), but it’s wrong! A WBS is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project. The Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures states that the WBS elements are to be defined using adjectives and nouns, but not… [Read more…]

A Coding Scheme for Your WBS

Building on the last two days’ postings, we have more today on Work Breakdown Structures (WBS). As a reminder, a WBS is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project. According to the Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, the WBS should have a coding scheme that makes… [Read more…]

Making a WBS – The Top-Down Method

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project, can be created through several methods. According to the Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, common methods include: Top-Down, Bottom-Up, WBS Standards, and WBS Templates. The Top-Down method begins with the final product… [Read more…]

Making a WBS – The Bottom-Up Method

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project, can be created through several methods. According to the Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, common methods include: Top-Down, Bottom-Up, WBS Standards, and WBS Templates. To apply the Bottom-Up method, all the project’s… [Read more…]

Making a WBS – WBS Standards Method

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project, can be created through several methods. According to the Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, common methods include: Top-Down, Bottom-Up, WBS Standards, and WBS Templates. Organizations possessing project management maturity are most likely… [Read more…]

Making a WBS – WBS Templates Method

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project, can be created through several methods. According to the Project Management Institute’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, common methods include: Top-Down, Bottom-Up, WBS Standards, and WBS Templates. The WBS Template method begins with a generic… [Read more…]

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Component Tips

One of the most key project management documents is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of the work to be done on a project. In fact, there is an entire standard from the Project Management Institute devoted to this document (Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures). This standard contains some useful… [Read more…]

Professional Responsibility on the PMP Exam

As project managers study for their PMP exam, they often read their PMBOK® repeatedly and memorize key aspects of it. However, too often people pay little or no attention to PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) upon which 9% of their exam questions will be based. This is unfortunate as the Code of… [Read more…]

Understanding Ethics Complaints Questions on the PMP Exam

As stated in the last posting, even though 9% of the PMP exam is based upon the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) it is often not given enough attention. A question I frequently hear about the Code of Ethics concerns when it is appropriate to report ethics violations to… [Read more…]

Mandatory Honesty Standards in the PMI Code of Ethics

Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, and Honesty are the four pillars of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf). Each of these four pillars contains both aspirational and mandatory standards. There are two mandatory standards for honesty in the Code of Ethics. The first statement is: “5.3.1 We do not engage in… [Read more…]

The First Aspirational Honesty Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Honesty is one of the four major values of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf). The honesty standards are divided into aspirational and mandatory standards, and there are five aspirational honesty standards. The first standard is “5.2.1 We earnestly seek to understand the truth.” At first blush, this seems… [Read more…]

The Third Aspirational Honesty Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Honesty is one of the four major values of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf). Like all four values, the honesty standards are divided into aspirational and mandatory standards. The third out of five aspirational honesty standards is “5.2.3 We provide accurate information in a timely manner.” In order… [Read more…]

The Fifth Aspirational Honesty Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

We’re continuing our discussion on Honesty in Project Management, which is one of the four major values of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf). Just like the other values of Responsibility, Respect, and Fairness, the Honesty standards are divided into aspirational and mandatory standards. The third out of five… [Read more…]

The Fourth Aspirational Respect Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

This last week we’ve discussed much on the Honesty section of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf), but now we switch attention to the Respect section. The Respect standards are divided into aspirational and mandatory standards. The fourth aspirational Respect standard is: “3.2.4 We conduct ourselves in a professional… [Read more…]

The Third Aspirational Responsibility Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Responsibility is one of the four major values in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf). There are six aspirational Responsibility standards, with the third one being: “2.2.3 We fulfill the commitments that we undertake – we do what we say we will do.” Although this is categorized as a… [Read more…]

The Second Aspirational Responsibility Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

“I wish I could, but you need someone better qualified than I for the job.” Sometimes we are asked to do things that we simply are not qualified to do. This could be for many reasons. In my case, sometimes people have misunderstood my background. I am not a clinical psychologist, yet people have asked… [Read more…]

The First Aspirational Responsibility Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

It’s not all about money. An organization could select projects primarily based on financial selection techniques (which indicate the projects with the highest ROI), but there is more that should be considered by those who are responsible. The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) contains six aspirational Responsibility standards, with… [Read more…]

The Third Mandatory Respect Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Thirty-seven percent of workers have been bullied, 45% of targets suffer stress-related health problems, and 62% of employers ignore the problem (Workplace Bullying Institute survey at http://www.workplacebullying.org/research/WBI-Zogby2007Survey.html). The poor psychological treatment of workers is a prevalent and serious problem. The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) contains four mandatory Respect… [Read more…]

The Second Aspirational Honesty Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Happy birthday to George Washington! One of the most enduring folklore stories about the first President of the United States is that as a boy he chopped down his father’s cherry tree, and when his father discovered the ruined tree, George said that he could not tell a lie and so confessed his misdeed. “5.2.2… [Read more…]

The Fifth Aspirational Responsibility Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

In the course of your work, you may deal with proprietary or confidential information. This could be your organization’s information or that of a client or business partner. We are now living in the Information Age and certain knowledge can be extremely valuable. A small bit of knowledge may be all that separates one organization… [Read more…]

Whistleblowing—The Second Mandatory Responsibility Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

“Isn’t it enough that I don’t do anything unethical or illegal at work?” In a word—no. An earlier posting described how we are also to make it easier for others to behave ethically (standard 5.2.5 “We strive to create an environment in which others feel safe to tell the truth”). Now we go even beyond… [Read more…]

Transparency–The First Aspirational Fairness Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Transparency—the light shines through so that everything is revealed and nothing is hidden. The first aspirational Fairness standard from the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) is “4.2.1 We demonstrate transparency in our decision-making process.” In our TAPUniversity Values, which is prominently displayed at our headquarters, our first value is… [Read more…]

Conflict of Interest–The Second Aspirational Fairness Standard in the PMI Code of Ethics

Conflict of interest situations can be commonplace, and have been regarded as one the biggest problems in the field of project management. The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) contains comments on some standards, and the second aspirational Fairness standard includes the comment “the subject of conflicts of interest is… [Read more…]

Conflict of Interest and the PMI Code of Ethics

Conflict of interest was discussed in the last posting on the second aspirational fairness standard in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf). The first and second mandatory fairness standards in the code of ethics address conflict of interest more directly. A conflict of interest situation occurs when we have… [Read more…]

Errors and the PMI Code of Ethics

Uh, oh. You found a mistake in your report that was already sent out to key stakeholders. People can have a range of reactions at this moment of realization. Some will shrug it off and tell themselves that everyone makes mistakes. Others may feel devastated over the error and obsess about it. As hard as… [Read more…]

Information Access and the PMI Code of Ethics

Knowledge is power. Individuals who serve as gatekeepers of knowledge are in a position of power, and that power can be abused by unfairly exercising control over who knows what. The third aspirational Fairness standard in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) is “4.2.3 We provide equal access to… [Read more…]

Opportunity Fairness and the PMI Code of Ethics

Who will get that great, new opportunity within your organization? Perhaps the daughter of the top salesman, or the young lady that was in the same sorority as the CEO? The fourth aspirational Fairness standard in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) is “4.2.4 We make opportunities equally available… [Read more…]

Listening and the PMI Code of Ethics

Listening carefully in order to understand someone is a practical skill for everyday life, but it’s also considered a matter of respect, and is so listed as the second aspirational Respect standard in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) as “3.2.2 We listen to others’ points of view, seeking… [Read more…]

Upholding the PMI Code of Ethics

In order to be a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) one must agree to abide by the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. It establishes expectations for behavior and serves as guidance for members as they make decisions in their profession. The sixth aspirational Responsibility standard in the PMI Code of Ethics… [Read more…]

Rules, Regulations and the PMI Code of Ethics

“Ignorantia juris non excusat”—ignorance of the law is no excuse! This well-known legal principle states that we are held liable for laws even though we may not be aware of them. This suggests that it’s a good idea to be aware of the laws and other rules that directly pertain to our work. As a… [Read more…]

Retaliation and the PMI Code of Ethics

Your boss announces his plan for cutting some project costs during a team meeting. You realize that this planned activity cheats the client and is illegal, so you cheerfully point that out for that group. Right? Unfortunately it’s usually not so easy to raise ethical concerns. If you’re dealing with an ethical individual who would… [Read more…]

Being Informed about Norms and the PMI Code of Ethics

Norms and customs don’t just vary from country to country, they can vary across neighborhoods and even across departments within an organization. I was told once by a kid from the town next to mine that she could tell which kids were from my town because they liked to wear socks under their sandals. This… [Read more…]

Negotiating and the PMI Code of Ethics

When looking at homes to purchase, we made a couple an offer on their house. It was almost what they were asking for, and we told them it would be our only offer. Apparently they did not believe us as they rejected our offer and asked for just a little more. We said “no” and… [Read more…]

Power Abuse and the PMI Code of Ethics

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men” is a popular quote originating from Lord Acton. This saying reveals the frightening lure of using one’s acquired power to benefit one’s self at the expense of others. The second mandatory Respect standard in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI)… [Read more…]

Favoritism, Nepotism, Bribery and the PMI Code of Ethics

Why is it a problem to hire or award someone based on the fact that they are your friend, relative, or have offered you a little “gift” in return? The problem is what you are not doing—making decisions based on people’s merits to the best interest of your organization. The third mandatory Fairness standard in… [Read more…]

Discrimination and the PMI Code of Ethics

Discrimination is behavior towards a member of a certain group based on their membership of that group rather than their individual qualities. Hiring only people of a certain race, giving certain assignments more often to either men or women, and recruiting just younger individuals are all examples of discrimination. The fourth mandatory Fairness standard in… [Read more…]

Application of Rules and the PMI Code of Ethics

“Listen up, team! I’m tired of tardiness—we haven’t been able to start these morning meetings on time. Next person late to our morning meeting will be written up and reported to HR!” says the Project Manager. Just then, the meeting room door creaks open and the Project Manager’s favorite team member, with whom he plays… [Read more…]

Promises and the PMI Code of Ethics

“I know Jack will get that report to me by Friday. He said I’ll have it by Friday, so I’ll have it by Friday—Jack never lets me down. When he says something will get done, I don’t worry about it because I can trust he’ll take care of it” says the project sponsor. “You’re fortunate… [Read more…]

PMI’s Ethics Complaints Process

In an earlier posting (Understanding Ethics Complaints Questions on the PMP Exam, February 8, 2010), we discussed our duty as members (or certification holders) of the Project Management Institute (PMI) to report ethics violations to PMI and when we are obligated to carry out this duty. Section 2.3.3 of the Code of Ethics (http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf) states… [Read more…]

Cone of Uncertainty in Project Management

A common piece of trivia those studying for their PMP® often encounter is “When is risk and uncertainty at its highest, and when is it easiest to make changes?” The answer is “at the beginning of the project.” As we work on a project, we learn more and more. As activities are completed, we no… [Read more…]

The Basics of PRINCE2®

PRINCE2 stands for Projects IN Controlled Environments. This project management methodology emerged from the United Kingdom. The earlier version, PRINCE, began in 1989 and PRINCE2 was published in 1996. There have been some revisions in 2009. Originally the methodology focused on IT projects, but it is now more widely applied. Seven principles form the foundation… [Read more…]

Event Chain Methodology

Event Chain Methodology Event Chain Methodology is a project scheduling technique which accounts for the uncertainty and risk in project schedules. First, a best-case scenario schedule is developed. Then events and Event Chains are taken into account by determining their probability and impact. Events can directly affect schedule activities as well as trigger other events.… [Read more…]

Feasibility Study

A Feasibility Study investigates whether a potential project is feasible. It asks questions such as whether the project can be accomplished (is it technically feasible), whether it will be successful and profitable, and how much it will cost. The fourth edition PMBOK® (Project Management Body of Knowledge) has little to say on Feasibility Studies. It… [Read more…]

Monte Carlo Analysis

“What is that Monte thing in the PMBOK®?” is probably one of the most common questions I receive from those studying for their PMP® exam. Monte Carlo Analysis is not explicitly listed as a tool and technique in the PMBOK, but it is mentioned as being part of two tools and techniques. The What-If Scenario… [Read more…]

Four Fields Mapping (FFM)

Four Fields Mapping (FMM) is a Japanese approach to project management. There is greater focus upon teamwork and quality and less emphasis on the individual activities. The four fields are: Team Members, Phases, Tasks, and Standards. First, the cross-functional team for the project is identified and then the project is broken into a set of… [Read more…]

PESTLE Analysis

A PESTLE Analysis is an examination of an organization’s external environment. PESTLE is an acronym for: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. There are many variations of this analysis such as PEST, STEP, ETPS, PESTLEE, SLEPT, STEEPLE, and PEST-G. Here are just some of the questions that could be asked relating to these factors:… [Read more…]

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)

The Mean Time Between Failure is the average time between system failures. It’s an index of reliability, usually expressed in hours, so it pertains to the quality of a product. The larger the number of hours, the more reliable the system. When used to predict (rather than describe) reliability, this relatively simple concept can involve… [Read more…]

ISO10006:2003

The ISO10006:2003 is the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) quality management guidelines for projects. The ISO (www.iso.org) has published over 18,000 standards on a wide variety of topics such as paint ingredients (ISO 87.060.01), the determination of cocoa butter equivalents in milk chocolate (ISO 11053:2009), and jewelry ring sizes (ISO 8653:1986). The ISO states that… [Read more…]

HERMES

This doesn’t refer to the Greek messenger god, although communication is indeed critical in project management. Rather, HERMES is the project management method developed by the Swiss Government. Development began in 1970 and the first version was complete in 1975. Revisions were subsequently published and in 2007 certifications became available for project managers and project… [Read more…]

Scope Creep

What do you call a stakeholder who makes a project manager’s life miserable by adding requirements while expecting the budget, deadline, and resources to remain unchanged? A Scope Creep!  Alright, enough project management jokes—the actual standard definition of Scope Creep is uncontrolled changes to a project’s scope. Are these changes bad? Not necessarily—in fact they… [Read more…]

Vertical Slice

A Vertical Slice is a milestone that demonstrates progress across all the components of a project. Imagine each component of your project in a layered pile like a stack of pancakes. Imagine a knife slicing from the top of the pancake stack all the way to the plate they are on. This cut represents the… [Read more…]

Wideband Delphi

The Wideband Delphi technique estimates effort based on a consensus. Its origins can be traced to the Delphi Method (see “The Delphi Technique” posted 07.30.09). This technique is not specifically listed in the PMBOK®, but its use belongs in the Estimate Activity Durations process  along with analogous, parametric, and three-point estimating techniques. Both the Wideband… [Read more…]

Fordism

The term Fordism comes from the name Henry Ford who was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford was able to mass produce the Model-T efficiently enough that common people across America could afford their own automobile. He accomplished this productivity through means that include standardization, assembly lines, and decomposing complex tasks into… [Read more…]

PROBE

There are a variety of methods that project managers can incorporate to estimate how much effort is needed to complete project activities in order to develop the project schedule. PROxy-Based Estimating (PROBE) is a software estimation technique used by software engineers that was developed by Watts Humphrey as a component of the Personal Software Process… [Read more…]

COCOMO

The Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) is a software project cost estimation technique created by Barry Boehm and published in his book “Software Engineering Economics.” Project Managers may use information based on these estimates to create their project schedules. The original model is often called COCOCO 81 and the revised version is called COCOMO II. The… [Read more…]

Award Letter

Paul and Paula have four children. Their youngest child is turning five years old and they don’t have time to put together a birthday party. They decide to see if any of their three teen-aged children (Peter, Patty, and Patricia) would be interested in organizing a party. Paul gives each of the three teenagers a… [Read more…]

Putnam Model

Earlier postings described PROBE and COCOMO (“PROBE” posted April 14, 2010 and “COCOMO” posted April 15, 2010) which are two techniques for making software project estimates. The Putnam Model is yet another technique that can be employed in the project planning stages to estimate the time and effort of a proposed software project. It is… [Read more…]

Blanket Order

No, this does not mean that you just saw the commercial for the increasingly-popular SnuggieTM, (the blanket with sleeves) and called the number at the bottom of the screen to purchase some for your friends and family. A Blanket Order is a procurement term that project managers on longer-term projects are especially likely to see.… [Read more…]

Responsive, Responsible Bidders

Project managers who deal with procurements may be familiar with terms such as “Lowest Responsible Vendor,” “Responsive Bidder,” and “Responsive, Responsible Bidder.” These concepts are part of the fourth-edition PMBOK®’s Conduct Procurements process in which the buyer selects a seller. The basic process is that a buyer issues an Invitation for Bid (IFB) (or Invitation… [Read more…]

Excusable and Non-Excusable Delays

Larry has hired a local carpenter named Peter to build a barn for his herd of llamas. Peter told Larry that he’ll have the project completed in three months. However, some delays occurred and it appears that the barn will now take longer than three months. Delays can be either Excusable or Non-Excusable. Non-Excusable may… [Read more…]

Compensable and Non-compensable Delays

Larry has hired a local carpenter named Peter to build a barn for his herd of llamas. Although Peter told Larry that he’d have the project completed in three months, when the barn was almost complete a tornado came near and ripped off the roof. Because he has to put on a new roof, Peter… [Read more…]

Concurrent Delays

“Your llama barn is almost finished—the last thing I have to do is paint and I’ll start that tomorrow” says Peter as he walks towards the barn. “Great! So you had no trouble getting the lavender-colored Llamalike brand llama-friendly paint?” asks Larry. Peter groans. “I forgot about the special paint… I’ll order it today but… [Read more…]

Financial Sourcing

Actually getting the funding needed for a particular project is termed “financial sourcing.” This could be accomplished in many ways—explaining the need for the project to the organization’s executives, finding investors who are interested in sharing the profits, or even finding buried pirate treasure! Whatever the means, getting the funding is what this term is… [Read more…]

Float

“How long can I put off starting this activity and not be in trouble?” When managing a project schedule, each activity in the schedule network diagram should have its float indicated. Float (also called slack) is how much time a certain project activity’s start can be delayed without delaying the finish date of the entire… [Read more…]

Float Trend Chart

“We’ve had to start some of these project activities a little later than we had hoped—how has our wiggle-room for starting these remaining activities changed?” Float (also called slack) is how much time a certain project activity’s start can be delayed without delaying the finish date of the entire project. Please see the earlier posting… [Read more…]

Hanging Activity

This is what happens in old Western movies when the good cowboys apprehend the bad guys and justice is served. It’s also a scheduling term used in project management. Imagine a project schedule network diagram. For all but the smallest projects, there will be various paths of activities. These paths represent logical sequences of activities… [Read more…]

NIH Syndrome

The Not Invented Here (NIH) Syndrome is observed across many realms—not just project management. NIH Syndrome manifests itself as an avoidance to use certain products or ideas because of their origin (with this origin being something other than one’s own). Now if an individual or organization is truly the best at something, than it makes… [Read more…]

Risk Treatment

Selecting how to respond to specific risks is called Risk Treatment. This may also include writing a plan and actually implementing these responses. Risk Treatment is not a term found in the fourth-edition PMBOK® but the concept is there nonetheless. The PMBOK’s Plan Risk Responses process is where one selects how to respond to individual… [Read more…]

Professional Services Project

Projects can be classified in different ways, and one common distinction is a Professional Services Project. These projects do not have traditional, physical products as their primary deliverable. Rather, the deliverable is intellectual in nature such as a scientific article, process documentation, or software. The PMBOK® (4th Ed.) defines a project as “a temporary endeavor… [Read more…]

Progress Payment

For large, long-term projects especially, rather than pay the contractor the full payment when the project is complete, partial payments may be made throughout the duration of the project. These partial payments are called Progress Payments. They typically are tied to certain stages of progress or milestones. For example, for a construction project to build… [Read more…]

Who Are the Project Makers?

There’s Project Managers and then there are Project Makers. These are people who do more than manage a project that has been assigned to them. A Project Maker has even more responsibility from beginning to end for the successful outcome of a project than does a Project Manager. Wideman’s Comparative Glossary states that a Project… [Read more…]

Organization Structure on the PMP Exam

One of the most common questions I receive from those studying for their PMP® Exam is how to distinguish between the different types of organizational structures. There are three main types of organizations—Functional, Matrix, and Projectized. An organization that has more than one of these types (perhaps across different departments, locations, or teams) is called… [Read more…]

Design to Cost

A product development term, Design to Cost (DTC) is an approach that places cost constraints on the product’s design in order to create a product that is affordable for consumers. Much of what the final product will cost is tied into the design at its inception. Although the concept is simple, there can be much… [Read more…]

Higher Value Placed on Certifications

Good news for project managers who have earned their PMP®! It’s also an incentive for project managers who are considering becoming certified. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article indicating that increasing value is being placed upon having earned a certification such as the PMP (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304739104575154014179882070.html?mod=googlenews_wsj). The article quotes the Project Management Institute (PMI)… [Read more…]

New Knowledge Assessments at PMI

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has recently made three knowledge assessments available through Prometric. These assessments are based on PMI’s standards, but PMI claims that they are not meant to predict performance on their certification exams (such as the Project Management Professional (PMP®)). The three assessment areas are Project Management, Program Management, and Portfolio Management.… [Read more…]

Triple Bottom Line

The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) expands the concept that an organization’s success should be measured solely in terms of monetary profit. In addition to the bottom line of financial performance, two more bottom lines are added—that of social and environmental.  The phrase originated from British environmentalist John Elkington, who is an active advocate of corporate… [Read more…]

PMPs Make More Pay

The Project Management Institute has made available its PMI® Project Management Salary Survey – Sixth Edition. One may purchase the survey results at www.pmi.org/Resources/Pages/Project-Management-Salary-Survey.aspx for $150 for non-members of PMI. PMI’s publication, PMI Today, provides an overview of the survey results. It includes the statement that “in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, France,… [Read more…]