Schedule Management Plan – Ideas and Examples
Imagine the following scenarios: A phone call or meeting with the client smooths over late delivery of a report. A subcontractor completes his task late and offers a financial discount that improves the project's economics. These are not uncommon scenarios, and they appear to render the current schedule meaningless. Does....
Developing a Schedule in 5 Easy Steps
In order to meet the completion dates on your projects, it is wise to develop a project schedule. Whether you're managing the construction of the new Oakland Bay bridge or building a new shed in your back yard, adequate planning can ensure any project is completed on time, on budget,....
5 Ways to Make Your Project Manage Itself Effortlessly
I'll admit that project management can seem like paperwork at times, particularly the schedule part. Creating, managing, and controlling the schedule can seem like a whole bunch of needless number crunching when the project success seems to depend on strange, hard to control metrics such as unexpected delays, or relationships....
Project Time Management According to the PMBOK
Managing the project schedule can be one of the most formidable parts of project management. I've seen more damaged client relationships through this area of project management than any other. Time management is essential to attaining successful projects. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) developed by the Project Management Institute....
Do you need a Requirements Traceability Matrix?
A Requirements Traceability Matrix is a project management tool that provides a formal way to track project requirements. It links project (or product) requirements from their origins to the deliverables that satisfy them. At the outset of each project, prior to even the scope statement, the requirements should be identified....
Listen to the Voice of the Customer
Of all the voices in my head, the ones that makes me lose sleep at night sound something like this: You've sold me a bad product. or This is not worth the money! or I'm never using this company again! The sum of your customer's complaints, needs, and wants is....
Rolling Wave Planning in 4 Easy Steps
Rolling wave planning is a project management technique that involves more detailed planning for short term than long term work items. As each item is gets closer, it is planned in greater and greater detail. Kind of like surfers who are far more interested in the current wave than the next one....
Make Sure your Change Requests are Legit
As an engineer, I've seen my share of change requests. Some have been fair, some marginal, and some just amount to petty attempts to get some more money. Project scope changes are not to be taken lightly. They represent a change in the project as envisioned, and almost always result....
25 Project Performance Metrics
How do you define the success of a project? Let's say you're the project manager for a new building which was constructed in record time and the owner is happy to be moving in quicker than expected. However there was a spill during construction and the environmental cleanup will be a....
Project Management Disaster: The Arena de Sao Paulo
City: Sao Paulo, Brazil. Capacity: 61,606. Cost: R965 million (US$430 million) Over budget: 15% Google Maps location: here The Arena de Sao Paulo has become the poster child for the construction scheduling problems that the stadium projects in this world cup have experienced. Built from the ground up, it will....
