Project Hero Blog - Weekly Best Practices and Tips

A project charter is a document that initiates a project.  While some project management standards suggest specific formats and topics, real projects often use other documents in place of a project charter.  These may be contracts, statements of work, memoranda of understanding, or other similar documents.

The best project charters provide the most salient details, allowing the project manager an...

Managing any construction project can be time-consuming and stressful.  There are a lot of disciplines and people involved, even in smaller projects, and there is always pressure to finish on time.  So here are five tips specifically aimed at those new to construction projects.

Solve one problem at a time.  There will always be issues but be sure to tackle them one at a time.  This strategy will ...

Your project management career is a journey, not a destination. If you treat it as such, you are more likely to succeed. So rather than rush to get a certification, take the time to learn and absorb the knowledge. Here are some reasons why you should look at it this way.

Project Management Takes a Lot of Knowledge

Just as human knowledge doubles daily, project management knowledge expands expone...

To start reserve planning requires a completed risk analysis  (for details on how to complete a risk analysis, see our publication, Risk Assessment Framework: Successfully Navigating Uncertainty) . First, estimate the financial impact for each risk, then compute the estimated monetary value (EMV). The EMV is the product of the likelihood and the impact in dollars or your local currency.

While it ...

Mainly during project execution, the project manager must track the work accomplished.  Tracking may be essential if a project is large and complex, has many tasks that span more than a week, or is time-critical. 

As with all project management tools and solutions, the method employed should be scaled to the project.  For example, there is no need for a $20k software solution for a small, six-mon...

As you probably know from the Risk Assessment Framework, we firmly believe that having categories and prompt lists can help with brainstorming. While some budget estimates can be computed, a big part of the job is to ensure all costs are included. Therefore, it is critical to consider all the charges, including taxes, fees, and economic conditions. In addition, one or more of these categories may ...

Over the years since the first PMBOK® Guide appeared, the project management body of knowledge has grown exponentially.  More than a thousand pages are currently in two PMBOK editions needed to understand project management.  In addition, these editions are supplemented by online information, textbooks, and more.  This amount of information can be daunting to an aspiring, new, or accidental projec...

A statement of work (SoW) is an important document that usually accompanies a contract.  It provides some high-level detail about the work to be performed and the associated roles and responsibilities.  Having a good SoW is always essential to get the best outcomes, and it is crucial for fixed contracts.  Here are five tips to improve your SoWs.

Define success.  After a general introduction to th...

Mind maps are visual diagrams that arrange information, documents, images, and other digital artifacts around more central ideas.  Creating mind maps help people think through problems and issues by allowing them to generate ideas by association. 

Mind maps are easy to create.  Here are some basic steps:

• Decide on the central idea and place it in the middle of the map.  This can include things
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Project management can be stressful at times.  Meeting the competing demands of sponsors, stakeholders, and teams can be challenging.  Many mistakes are caused by spending too little time on a task, being distracted, or lacking full attention.

Many project management mistakes are caused by one or more of these issues, which are very common.  So let's make 2022 the year that we all try to eliminat...