allPM Today February/March 2009, Issue 107, Judy Umlas and Frank P. Saladis, Co-Publishers

February/March 2009, Issue 107, Judy Umlas and Frank P. Saladis, Co-Publishers

In this Issue:

*allPM Co-publisher's Letter, Judy Umlas

*From the Co-publisher's Desk, Frank P. Saladis, PMP

*allPM December/January Poll Results and New Poll Question

*Theme of the Month: Aligning Project Management —
How to Align Project Management with Organizational Strategic Objectives
By George Bridges, PMP

*Aligning Project Management with Organizational Strategic Objectives
By Giancarlo Duranti, PMP

*Ask Harry! Business Process Management: The Key to Strategic Project Alignment
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma, IIL

*Critical Chain Project Management — Estimating and Scheduling
By Greta Blash, PMP

*Seven Fallacies That Delay Project Management Maturity
By Harold Kerzner, PhD

*Positive Leadership in Project Management –
The Leader and Conflict Management
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

*The Microsoft EPM Solution: Blending Tools to Create an Automated Project Management Environment
By John White, PMP

*Three Reasons Why a PMO Should Love the Recession
By Karen Quagliata, PMP

*Risk Doctor: Non-Rational Factors Affecting Risk Perception
By Dr. David Hillson, PMP, FAPM

*PM Crossword Connections™: What’s The Plan? — The Art of Strategic Planning
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Past Issues- Archives

Support Our Sponsors:

From the Co-publisher's Desk— Judy Umlas

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

There is no good or “right way” to say good bye, even when it is for good reasons. I have been with allPM.com for seven years, since IIL acquired the fledgling PM portal known then and still known now as “the project manager’s home page.” I have seen it grow, I have seen members tentatively submit a piece for possible inclusion in the newsletter and become regular contributors. I have had interactions with members that were human, humane, precious and irreplaceable.

Read more >>

From the Co-publisher's Desk— Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Generally this letter would be specifically about the allPM topic of the month but the first thing that came to mind as I started writing this letter is recognition. A better word would be acknowledgment. allPM has always been about providing useful information to project managers and our goal, or more specifically, our vision, has been to be the project manager’s first choice for knowledge, practical tools and applications, and common sense project management.

Read more >>

December/January Poll Results

The strategy in negotiation of focusing on interests, not positions, really does work in practice.

a) Strongly Disagree - 4.40 %
b) Disagree - 5.49 %
c) Somewhat Disagree - 4.40 %
d) Somewhat Agree - 19.78 %
e) Agree - 46.15 %
f) Strongly Agree - 19.78 %

The February/March poll question is:

In your organization, how often is your company’s strategic plan updated and/or reviewed?

a) Never
b) Every 2 - 5 years
c) Once a year
d) Twice a year
e) We haven’t developed one yet

If you have not already done so, please stop by allPM.com and add your opinion today.

Theme of the Month: Aligning Project Management —
How to Align Project Management with Organizational Strategic Objectives
By George Bridges, PMP

Introduction

“Strategic planning for a business environment is the process of formulating and implementing decisions about an organization’s future direction. (See figure xxx) This process is vital to every organization’s survival because it is the process which an organization adapts to its ever-changing environment and is applicable to all levels and types of organization.”

Aligning Project Management with Organizational Strategic Objectives
By Giancarlo Duranti, PMP

Just getting the job done is no longer enough!

Traditional project managers focus on efficiency which means getting the job done successfully according to the triple constraint: on time, on budget, and to specifications. But what about the business results for which the project was created?

Ask Harry! Business Process Management: The Key to Strategic Project Alignment
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma, IIL

Most often in the planning phases of a project, the project requirements and product requirements have not been completely defined. The varying stakeholders all have a vested interest in the results and wants to see certain items included in the project scope.

© 2009 allPM.com

Critical Chain Project Management — Estimating and Scheduling
By Greta Blash, PMP

Perhaps the most arduous task that afflicts project managers involves keeping today’s aggressive project schedules on track. Because resources are continually restricted more and more and the highly skilled, high-priced resources are often required for multiple projects, resource constraints become one of the highest risks to the project schedule.

© 2008 International Institute for Learning, Inc.
© Microsoft® Corporation

Read more >>

Seven Fallacies That Delay Project Management Maturity
By Harold Kerzner, PhD

All too often, companies embark upon a journey to implement project management only to discover that the path they thought was clear and straightforward is actually filled with obstacles and fallacies. Without sufficient understanding of the looming roadblocks and how to overcome them, an organization may never reach a high level of project management maturity.

© 2008 International Institute for Learning, Inc.
© Microsoft® Corporation

Read more >>

Positive Leadership in Project Management –
The Leader and Conflict Management
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

I recently read an article about conflict management that included the following quote; “Managing conflict is like riding a bicycle, all you need is balance and practice, practice, practice.”

The Microsoft EPM Solution: Blending Tools to Create an Automated Project Management Environment
By John White, PMP

The enterprise project management business process encompasses project, program, and portfolio management. Program and project managers concentrate on doing the work correctly, while portfolio managers concentrate on doing the correct work.

Three Reasons Why a PMO Should Love the Recession
By Karen Quagliata, PMP

Loving a recession is a lot like loving a cockroach – you have to look long and hard past the obvious to make it happen. The fact is that you have to have a strong stomach to read the economic news today. And much like a cockroach, the latest figures are not pretty.

Risk Doctor: Non-Rational Factors Affecting Risk Perception
By Dr. David Hillson, PMP, FAPM

Dr Paul Slovic from Decision Research Inc (US) is a leading researcher in the field of risk psychology, and has produced some valuable insights to help us understand how and why we feel the way we do towards risk.

PM Crossword Connections™: What’s The Plan? — The Art of Strategic Planning
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

(Click here or the image above for a crossword in a new window. )

© 1998-2009 International Institute for Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. 110 E. 59th Street, New York, NY 10022. Please do NOT reprint or host on your Web site without explicit permission. However, if you found this newsletter helpful, we grant you permission, and strongly encourage you, to e-mail it to a business associate or a friend. "allPM", "allPM.com", "ALL Project Management", and "The Project Manager's Homepage" are trademarks of International Institute for Learning, Inc. PMI, PMP, and PMBOK are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc., registered in the United States and other nations.