Ask people what they think about the role of the PMO Manager and you’ll get lots of different responses. In some companies, the PMO function is purely administrative. In others, it’s the heart and soul of how projects are done and companies don’t know how they would function without it. For most, it’s somewhere in […]
Using Microsoft Project Custom Fields
Why Use Microsoft Project Custom Fields? Once you have all your project schedule tasks defined, management may request reports from you displaying all the tasks associated with a particular phase, construction site location, and/or type of work. Providing these reports is not hard, but requires you to know the basics of using Microsoft Project’s custom […]
5 Reasons To Have a Project Management Office
Setting up a Project Management Office (PMO) is a pretty big task. It involves restructuring your company, or at least some of it, in order to take advantage of the benefits of bringing together the project management professionals in your business. So you need to go into it with open eyes, and cognizant of the […]
Managing Resources by Labor Category Or Individual?
Have you been asked the question whether to manage resources by labor category or individual? Let me open this by saying resource management is an integral part of a successful program management system, especially one that incorporates Earned Value (EV). Knowing who is working on what is extremely important for the Program Manager and the […]
Cost vs Schedule Risk Analysis for Proposals
The good folks at Barbecana shared this great article on cost vs schedule risk analysis highlighting their differences as well as the pros and cons of each. Risk plays a critical role in improving project success and ultimately profitability. Project Risk Analysis There are two important outcomes for most projects beyond the obvious scope and […]
Free Webinar – Earned Value with Primavera P6 & Deltek
Join our webinar Earned Value with Primavera P6 & Deltek Today’s enterprise tools come with so many capabilities and it’s often challenging to understand which tool is best to use to solve specific business problems. Enterprise project management and earned value management tools are no different. With the choice of products and seemingly overlapping functionality, […]
What is a CAM Notebook?
It’s not uncommon when organizations are starting to implement an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) for folks to be introduced to the term, CAM notebook. It’s something you might hear a lot during Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) training and during the first couple of months of a new project is to prepare a CAM (Control […]
Microsoft Project and Finish No Earlier Than Constraints
It is usually the case that as the project nears completion the project manager presses hard to make certain the project completes on schedule. It may, however, be prudent to put the brakes on to ensure the project comes to a successful end. Applying the brakes on a near completion project is exactly what the […]
To Shorten The Critical Path
Project Managers are typically under great pressure to complete the project in as little time as possible. It is therefore imperative that project managers become familiar with the basic techniques to shorten the critical path and the many different ways to do this. One of the primary benefits of Gantt charts is that they tell […]
Microsoft Project 2013 & Start No Earlier Than Constraints
If the goal is to complete the project in as little time as possible, the question is why would a scheduler want to use a “Start No Earlier Than” (SNET) constraint on a project task? Let’s explore this paradox. Constraints describe external dependencies on the project schedule or tasks along the project schedule. Scheduling guidelines […]