Topic: Project Management Tips & Techniques

The new items published under this topic are as follows.

Tips: Knowledge that an organization values must be kept current...

Published on Friday, July 30, 2004 - 02:19 PM

Knowledge that an organization values must be kept current. Since information changes so rapidly, organizations need to include regular updating and deleting of “stale�? information. If this isn’t done, eventually the users of the knowledge will no longer attempt to find relevant information in the organization’s repository.

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Tips: Accomplishing knowledge transfer from key resources...

Published on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 12:56 PM

Accomplishing knowledge transfer from key resources early in a project can avoid some of the dysfunctional behavioral dynamics that can occur around this issue. A practical approach involves using that resource to lead a group in developing plans and designs for knowledge transfer.

These designs would include sharing and documenting of that knowledge, and delegation of responsibilities through that resource to others, which enhances and supports those resources’ positions, but also transfer knowledge from them to the organization.

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Tips: It is a mistake to believe that a project will fail if a key resource is lost...

Published on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 12:09 PM

It is a mistake to believe that a project will fail if a key resource is lost based on that resource being the sole retainer of specific knowledge about the project and or the products and services involved, unless there is no viable way to transfer that knowledge. Often the effort to transfer knowledge is perceived as being either too great, or likely to encounter significant resistance.

Knowledge transfer can and should be done as a normal part of initiating, planning, controlling, executing, and controlling a project.

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Tips: Tools like Microsoft Project Server...

Published on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 12:21 PM

Tools like Microsoft Project Server with repositories for issues, risks, status reports, document attachments, and analysis tools make it much easier to centralize the useful knowledge from projects, but if that information is not well structured and organized, it becomes far less useful.

It is common for organizations to do some documentation but often it is not stored in a way that allows efficient searching and retrieval.

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Tips: A process that analyzes and documents project parameters early should...

Published on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 12:28 PM

A process that analyzes and documents project parameters early should be a normal part of project documentation, and those categories should be pre-defined by the organization. If projects are categorized well (often at the point of charter creation), then documented throughout the life of that projects, getting useful information from them is much easier.

Tips: There can be a general reluctance to attend lessons learned meetings...

Published on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 12:59 PM

There can be a general reluctance to attend lessons learned meetings. People are uncomfortable if there is an atmosphere of finger pointing and blame, so skillful facilitation is needed. One approach that can help to avoid that is to include asking four simple questions.
• What did we do well?
• What did we not do well?
• What do we want to continue doing, and improve?
• What do we want to avoid doing in the future?

Tips: Getting buy-in from people impacted by implementation of...

Published on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 11:33 AM

Getting buy-in from people impacted by implementation of new processes is easier if the practical application of the process result is understood and agreed upon. From beginning to end projects require appropriate levels of documentation which if well designed meet the organization’s needs for knowledge. Large amounts of standardized processes and templates are readily available both publicly and for purchase which provide a starting place for any organization to begin development of their own. Evaluating those templates and processes from the perspective of how the organization will use the data should be one of the first steps identified in the plan.

Tips: All project information is not knowledge or lessons learned...

Published on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 11:52 AM

All project information is not knowledge or lessons learned; it is information that meets a business objective that an organization values. A strategy that includes identifying what information is most useful, and how it might be applied before the development of processes is more likely to succeed.

Tips: A study of what questions a user of the knowledge transfer system would ask...

Published on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 11:34 AM

A study of what questions a user of the knowledge transfer system would ask could be used to develop categories of data that need to be searchable. The easier questions include project cost, duration, and scope or deliverables, and any general business categories that the organization engages in, such as website development. Without a good plan and resulting design the information contained in any repository is not likely to be used effectively.

Tips: Lessons learned should be collected, organized and stored in readily...

Published on Friday, July 16, 2004 - 11:18 AM

Lessons learned should be collected, organized and stored in readily searchable repositories; just documenting and filing them is insufficient. Developing processes for gathering lessons learned is a relatively straightforward activity, with well-documented methods in project management literature on how to proceed. The creation of a repository that provides the parameters required to retrieve the relevant information is less easily achieved. The effort can be considerable, so starting with a good plan is critical, just as required for any project to be successful.

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Topic: Project Management Tips & Techniques

How well does management support newly assigned project managers?