The Project Plan Blog
The Importance of Meeting About Your Software Development Plan
May 6, 2013
“I hope that meeting was worth it,” said the Director a bit condescendingly to the Project Manager. “You had eight people in the room for nearly two hours”, she continued. “Do you have any idea how expensive that meeting was?”
“I absolutely HATE project status meetings,” said the team member lividly to their functional manager. “It’s such a waste of time sitting there listening to everyone drone on about the same thing week after week.”
“Well, that’s another hour of my life I’ll never get back,” the Subject Matter Expert resignedly uttered under his breath a... 
What Is Project Planning Without Some Drama on Your Project Team?
April 22, 2013
A number of years ago I served as the Program Chair for a large project management conference. This was going to be the conference of all conferences.
There were going to be guest speakers, multiple tracks of customized learning opportunities, prizes, giveaways, and three days of outstanding networking. What could be better than planning a project with a group of project managers? This was going to be a walk in the park.
How could anything go wrong with so many project managers working together? Well, that was exactly the problem. There were SO many project managers involved in the project pl...
Understanding the Root Causes of a Project Management Plan Delay
April 8, 2013
A lady was complaining of a pain in her elbow. She put up with the pain for weeks before she finally decided to go see a doctor. She walked into the doctor’s office and said “Doc, it hurts when I do this”, bending her arm up and down in front of the doctor. The doctor promptly replied “Well then, don’t do that!”
OK that joke has been around for some time now yet it does illustrate something we come across time and again in our jobs as project managers. You need to treat more than just the symptoms if you want to solve the problem. There are times when you may come up with “wor...
How to Plan a Software Project Utilizing Lessons Learned
March 25, 2013
When do your best ideas come to you?
Most people seem to have flashes of brilliance and insight when they are driving, lying awake in bed at night, or in the shower. A great idea comes to you and it’s so colossal and important that you’re sure you will have no problem remembering it.
What typically happens to these ideas? They are most often forgotten, even the ideas you were positive would have made you rich! You promise yourself this will never happen again. You buy a small recorder to keep with you in your car, put a pen and paper on your nightstand, you never want to miss one of the...
Project Peformance Rewards in Software Resource Planning
March 11, 2013
Grammys, Oscars, Emmys. Such awards shows are an interesting cultural phenomenon, a bunch of actors, singers, and other various artists publicly patting each other on the back.
A global stage on which in front of their peers, colleagues and millions of viewers they appear dressed to impress and to tell each other what a great job they did. All these accolades for the rich and famous...why don't we do this for each other when it comes to our jobs as project managers?
Project Performance Awards for Software Resource Planning
Let’s say you're the Project Manager at a software development com...
5 Reasons Why a Project Plan Can Fall Victim to Scope Creep
February 25, 2013
Kudzu is a freak of nature. This vine, weed, or whatever you would call it can grow up to 12 inches every day! Prevalent in the southern parts of the United States this twisting, turning, and choking vine can quickly overtake healthy plants that dare stand in its way. There have been many different methods tried to try to control this rampant vine…some more effective than others. Regardless, this ground cover is here to stay and something that people need to consider when it comes to landscaping challenges.
Scope creep on projects can be compared to Kudzu. Scope creep is the gradual expansi...
Determining the Total Cost of Ownership of Project Planning Software
February 11, 2013
Determining the total cost of ownership of Project Planning Software reminds me of a time, many years ago, when I decided to purchase my first car.
I looked in the paper and went by local dealerships to see what they had on their lot. I stopped and looked at the cars that were for sale on the side of the road and kept my ears open for any deals that could come my way.
After many weeks I finally found the car that I wanted. It was at a dealership about 30 minutes from the house. I could afford the payments and the gas mileage was pretty decent. I made the arrangements for financing with the dea...
Project Planning Templates: A Project Managers Recipe for Success
January 28, 2013
Project planning templates are a project managers recipes for success.
Much like your favourite tried and true family recipes they contain: a list of ingredients, how much of each ingredient you should include, what you need to do with each ingredient, and ideally pictures and a description of what the finished creation looks like.You can even include slight variances on the theme, adding flavors to suit your taste, but ultimately you know that if you follow the recipe the results will be favorable.
The same goes for a project planning template. Why start any project without your recip...
Overcoming IT Project Planning Challenges
January 14, 2013
Everybody loves a challenge... some more so than others. Take Mt. Everest for example. The peak of Mt. Everest is over 29,000 feet above sea level! Despite this fact, thousands of people have attempted to make it to the summit of this majestic mountain. Many have been successful. Some have not been as successful with an average of 4 out of every 100 attempts ending in death.
You may feel as if the project that you are managing is as challenging as climbing Mt. Everest. You can feel your head pounding as you listen to your heart beat and you breathe rapidly. You feel as if you are all alone ...
Running a Project: Project Plan Free
December 31, 2012
Did you know that there are people in your company right now that are ordering up their next project…project plan free?
That’s right, like sugar free, gluten free or carbohydrate free diet plans, people are looking to slim down the administrative weight of their next project, which has been deemed either too big, too small, too easy, or too complicated to need a project plan. Who are these people that want to achieve projects objectives sans a project plan? What are some of the reasons that someone would want a project done without a project plan? Below are a few reasons for your consid...
