Managing

Reversing the management view of project costs

The simple fact ignored by most project managers is that cost is an output from the management process, and pretending cost is a manageable input is a recipe for disaster. Pat Weaver on the negative effects of traditional cost-cutting and how to really trim costs.

October 30, 2012

Cost

Value management and value engineering for any project

There is generally confusion between the terms ‘value management’ and ‘value engineering’; Paul Sancandi attempts to clarify the distinction between the two concepts and offers advice on how to apply both to your project.

October 23, 2012

Cost
Quality

Reporting earned value on IT projects

Throughout the project management discipline, earned value has become synonymous with progress reporting. Guy Wilmington suggests, however, that it is impractical for use in IT projects and proposes alternative means for gauging and reporting progress of tasks/deliverables for IT projects.

October 18, 2012

Scope

The true cost of quality in project communication

Expert Joseph Juran defined quality as fit for purpose, an elegant definition that applies equally to the quality of your management processes and information as it does to your production processes and project deliverables. Lynda Bourne sets out how to calculate the cost of quality in your project communications.

October 17, 2012

Rescuing the troubled project

You are not impervious to having troubled projects in your portfolio. Any project can fail. Even the most seasoned and skilled project manager may, at one time or another, find themselves at the helm of a troubled project. PM Oracles gives advice on how to spot a troubled project and suggests some lifesaving suggestions.

October 9, 2012

Risk

Resource management to avoid project conflicts

Because projects are temporary endeavours undertaken to create unique products, services or results, organisations have temporary resource requirements that need to be accommodated. But how can organisations avoid resource conflicts between operations and projects and among multiple projects? Guy Wilmington provides the answer.

October 3, 2012

Effective knowledge transfer on a construction project

What happens when a key project team member is about to leave the project, right in a critical stage? This whitepaper by Russell Dunn analyses his mixed experiences with various knowledge management techniques.

September 27, 2012

Knowledge

Post-construction safety for project managers

When the project manager hands over the facility/structure to the client this stage will usually involve a defects liability period that will involve working in occupied premises and may include commissioning of plant and management equipment into service. Here are some safety considerations for this part of the project lifecycle, suggests Paul Sancandi.

September 24, 2012

The truth about project controls

Much of we call ‘project controls’ is actually a process of communication that we can use to influence the direction of our project, writes Dr Lynda Bourne. How did we manage to confuse communication with control?

September 18, 2012