Project Hero Blog - Weekly Best Practices and Tips

The working environment can be as important as having a good plan and will improve planning and other outcomes. Support creativity, innovation, and some risk-taking with these five tips:

1. Have a clear vision for the project and communicate it clearly to all stakeholders
2. Encourage open, honest,...

It’s been a year since the launch of the Accidental Project Manager book. PPC Group, LLC wants to help as many new, aspiring, and “accidental” project managers as possible during the next month. On 12 August 2019, we are launching Accidental Project Manager: The Online...

Project managers often have a tendency to "jump in" and do project work. Here are six reasons why you need to resist and delegate more:

1. Your full-time job is managing the project - don't let other tasks get in the way
2. Delegation is an opportunity for face-to-face communication with team members
...

For the last two weeks, we looked at two different ways to evaluate project selections to determine which to work on. This type of activity is often carried out by senior management and not the project manager. The project manager is usually involved once the project charter has been developed. A...

These tips are from Pursuing Project Excellence: Six Ideas to Improve Your Projects by Bob Jewell, PMP (with permission).

1. Define the word "scope" carefully. It is "the ... work to accomplish the ... deliverables (product, service, or other results) to the agreed-upon requirements."
2. Get clear...

Last week we looked at the BCR -- Benefit-Cost Ratio as a way of evaluating a project. This week I'd like to look at a related technique -- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The purpose of many projects is to introduce a new product or service. Often this new product or service has a later ongoing...

Fire fighting and herding cats is not project management. To bring your project back to a stable environment, pause and consider the following:

1. Are there unidentified, poorly prioritized, or unmitigated risks that need attention?
2. Is there a sound problem solving and decision-making process in...

For the next few weeks, I'd like to take a closer look at initiating projects, with special attention to costs. This is an area of weakness for many who jump in to do work before looking at the consequences or rewards. Rather than use a microscope, you need a telescope to see to the far and of...

In general, I recommend checking in on project status no less than once a week. If you wait longer, say two weeks, by the time you find out an issue, get it solved, confirm the solution, and make sure things are on track, you can lose up to six weeks. Serious issues may require more frequent...

Projects that are off track may require corrective action or re-planning. Before deciding what to do, make sure the team is aware of the problem. Make them knowledgeable about the issue and empower them to be responsible and a part of the solution. This will:

• improve buy-in,
• grow team...

This week someone questioned the wisdom of having a weekly project status meeting where all project team members participated to discuss issues and potential requirements changes. "Wouldn't that be an expensive meeting?" he asked. "Sure", I replied, "but imagine the expense without it."

It's...

Problem-solving is a skill needed for all project phases and knowledge areas.  Here are seven steps to take to improve your problem solving:

1. Understand the problem. Remember, Einstein recommended 55 minutes to understand an hour-to-solve problem.
2. Identify 3-5 of the best alternatives. These...