PMP Exam Tip: Read the PMI Credentials Handbook.
The PMI has published a Credentials Handbook, which you can find at the following URL: http://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_PMPHandbook.pdf. The Credentials Handbook explains everything that you want to know about the process of taking the PMP® exam and becoming PMP® certified. It discusses the following topics and questions:
So What?
It Was An Itsy Bitsy, Teeny Weeny......
I have been managing small projects for some time now. Some of my project are really tiny, I'm talking about 8 hours of work max. Others can be 2 week or month-long projects. Some span several months, and then you get up into the 6 month and year plus undertakings.
Changing to keep pace with today's fast moving environment
I say: That's an very interesting question. Without giving it too much thought, I can see the following trends taking place:
Are You A Master?
The article is mostly based off a study done by Gartner Inc., in Stamford CT, USA. One sad but true statistic stated that 20-30% of IT executives "have a 'dismissive attitude' toward project management". Those are the same execs that suffer "from poor quality, late delivery and unrealistic project costs." I can related to this information from my personal experience, and would venture a guess that when you move into executives in operational areas, the dismissive attitude towards proper project management increases. The majority of IT execs seem to have seen the light and made the realization that there really is value to be delivered by well run projects by individuals who have the right skills to do so in a formal manner.
SeaGull Management - How your PMO can be affected
Management guru Ken Blanchard popularized the term 'seagull management' in his bestseller, The One Minute Manager. Seagull managers are not exactly known for contributing positively to an operation. One popular definition is 'The seagull manager flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything then flies off again leaving a big mess behind'. And guess who gets to clean up? According to Scott Clark author if 'the Miracle of Morale-Building' notes, "When operating in (seagull) mode, leaders focus on finding people to criticise but never balance their efforts with finding an equal number of employees to praise.
Avoiding Hindsight Management
Band-Aids and Merry-go-Rounds
Covey's Critical Chain Multi-Tasking Blender
Bad multi-tasking is working on two things simultaneously, or switching between things because something else is suddenly urgent, but not important enough to justify dropping everything you are working on. Many of us never stop to think about it though, we automatically equate urgency to priority. Just because something seems urgent doesn't mean you should drop everything. Remember Mr. Covey's 4 quadrants:
Calling All Team Members
One week after the very bumpy implementation of the new sales management system, all implementation team members were invited to a lessons learned session. In the invitation from the Director of Project Management was an assurance that the purpose of the meeting was truly to capture lessons learned for future implementations. In spite of this, most attendees were apprehensive.