ICPM

I always thought that writing a good spec before programming is mandatory.

I like short but frequent discussions where a project spec is being written. I found out that having a spec (Agile, or not) is something mandatory. Ever since I understood I have to demand a spec from the customer, even if I have to sit down with him and write it together (frequently), programming became a much faster and easier task to commit.

Creating a Checklist or To-Do List in Microsoft Project

Ok…so you’ve got a VERY small project, or simply a collection of tasks that you need to complete. Call it a checklist or a To-Do list if you will. You know MS Project is a powerful tool and can be used to manage very complex projects. But you don’t really need a full blown dynamic schedule, so you are thinking of creating your list in Excel…WAIT!!!

This article will show you how to “dumb down” Microsoft Project for the purposes of creating a simple To-Do list. You’ll learn some easy, yet powerful features that will make creating and maintaining a To-Do list easier in Microsoft Project than Excel.

This article is Part 2 of a series of articles that describes a process used to develop a project schedule.

Using the PERT feature of MS Project and collecting three duration estimates allowed us to develop a schedule that lacked most of the “padding” that was generally incorporated into previous task duration estimates. 

Ever have a Manager in your PMO who wants to give you the authority and autonomy to do your job, but can't resist checking in on you and commenting on what could be better or done differently?

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.