This is part 1 of a 3 part series. It mirrors a lot of what Mersino talks about in his book - communication, negotiation, and optimism - traits that complement Emotional Intelligence.
Cost overruns on a new Veterans Affairs hospital on the Fitzsimons campus seem to indicate fundamental blunders in oversight. Mismanagement leads to a 67% cost overrun and project not near completion.
Great software to use for organizing projects- manage projects, manage task lists, schedule milestones, add milestones, time tracking, upload files, manage people, e-mail integration, multi-language support
This site offers a nice succinct, streamlined, one page PM process break down; summarized in a flow chart with links to each individual stage of the process. It also has additional links for PM books, services, and templates. A useful link for getting people started in PM.
Wow, John, what a find! I wish I had this a few months ago when we started this course. I've been looking for a simple visual that still manages to encompass most of the detail that goes into the project process. I love the printable color-coded version (http://www.consulting.ky/files/project_management_process_diagram_large.jpg). I plan on hanging that up in my office. I could also print a copy for each project, and use it as a sort of checklist. The other things I love about the site is that it lists specific deliverables for each stage. Love it! It's definitely more usable than the visuals in our Carroll book, since it's more detailed.
I think this FB page has a good value as I found this social media site has a huge influence and is adding users constantly. The site provides news, videos, resources, galleries, and other ways to engage with the area of PM in an easy and accurate way.
Basecamp has been around for 15 years. It has become the world's #1 project management tool. It is easy to use and reliable. Basecamp is free for 60 days. Here is the website: https://basecamp.com. Basecamp's at home on Safari (Mac, iPhone/iPad), Chrome (Mac, PC, iPhone/iPad, Android), Firefox (Mac, PC), and IE 9+ (PC, Surface). Basecamp also integrates effortlessly with email.
I am currently working with BaseCamp sites that two of my vendors use. I really like it! Easy to use, intuitive, you can include both internal and external team members, keep a history of communications, dates, prototypes and resources!
Simple and powerful, Agilefant is the most advanced open source web based tool for agile management today, with a rapidly growing user base and a dedicated community behind it.
Unlike most tools, Agilefant scales from personal todo-lists to large-scale multi-team development projects and all the way to long-term product and portfolio management needed for true organization-wide agility.
OneNote is a great product from Microsoft, and it's basically a digital series of binders that you can create and customize. You can create and label binders, sections, and individual pages. You can add notes, checklists, links to web pages, embed documents...almost anything you find can be placed there. The two most beneficial features: everything you put there can be made searchable, and your binders are sharable via SkyDrive (Microsoft's cloud) and by emailed link. A project manager could use this for anything from their own simple notes to an official file of collaborative information about a project! View a demo at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote-help/demo-what-is-onenote-HA010168634.aspx.
I use OneNote all the time and wonder how I managed without it! I tried Evernote, but the bugs finally drove me away and then I discovered OneNote. I don't know why Microsoft doesn't promote it better... it's a great tool!
I posted this in our class discussion, but it occurred to me that it is really a great project management resource for those people who might feel daunted by difficult conversations. It it a resource that will help improve your EQ. In short, the book talks about how to identify when a crucial conversation needs to take place, how to plan for it and how to execute it. There is also a two day course that you can attend or maybe even lobby to bring into your office for PMs. The website for that is here: http://www.vitalsmarts.com/products-solutions/crucial-conversations/ You'll also find that Vital Smarts, the company that produces this training, has a lot of other EQ related resources.
Many people I worked with at the Colorado Department of health use this approach. The state has invested in offering the course to employees. While I never had a chance to take this course, I've heard really great things about it. One thing that has made a difference for people I know who have done this, they did with a staff team. That way everyone is using a common approach. That seems to really support implementing what they learned.
This handbook is a product of Caltrans, a department in the California state government. By the title, you can see that this resource is focused on project communication. It provides an easy to follow process and guidance on developing a communication plan. It also includes tips on how to identify stakeholder, gather input and how to communicate with stakeholders.
Audience response system that uses mobile phones, twitter, and the web. Responses are displayed in real-time on gorgeous charts in PowerPoint, Keynote, or web browser. I saw this in a professional development course I was in this summer. I think it could be a useful way to engage people in the process --- especially if you are working virtually and are on a webinar. Results show almost instantly.
That's very cool Jean. Of course, my immediate thought is to use it in the classroom. However, I could see a project manager using Poll Everywhere to poll a team for feedback.
Corporate Education Group (CEG) offers exceptional courses, training, and certificate programs in the areas of project management, business analysis, business process management, and management and leadership.