Project management: Difference between revisions
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If you're interested in Project Management as a career, have a look at the ''Occupational Outlook Handbook'' of the '''US Bureau of Labor Statistics''' for [https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/project-management-specialists.htm Project Management Specialists]. | If you're interested in Project Management as a career, have a look at the ''Occupational Outlook Handbook'' of the '''US Bureau of Labor Statistics''' for [https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/project-management-specialists.htm Project Management Specialists]. | ||
If you have decades of experience working on real-life projects, then you know that there are some basic fundamentals like the '''3 C's''' that define Project | == What makes a good project manager? == | ||
If you have decades of experience working on real-life projects, then you know that there are some basic fundamentals like the '''3 C's''' that define how to be a good Project Manager. '''Communication, Coordination and Collaboration''' are pillars of project management, crucial for successful project delivery. | |||
=== Communication === | === Communication === | ||
Effective communication ensures everyone on the project team and stakeholders are informed and aligned. This includes clear and timely updates on project progress, issues, and changes. | Effective communication ensures everyone on the project team and stakeholders are informed and aligned. This includes clear and timely updates on project progress, issues, and changes. | ||
* | * For example, you could be sure to create a weekly summary in your project to describe work accomplished, and plans for the next week<ref>If Friday is your day for communicating weekly progress and plans for the upcoming week, then Thursday must be the cutoff for the week. It should be a way for people to go into the weekend with a sense of where things are at, and mentally prepare for the next cycle - '''not''' a final sprint to check boxes and do a hasty sloppy job working late. | ||
There's a lot that can be said about cycle planning but one maxim that holds true in the tech sector is "never ship on Friday". Shipping code on a Friday is like going for it on 4th and 5 from your own 30 yard line in Football.</ref>. | |||
=== Coordination === | === Coordination === | ||
Coordination involves aligning the various aspects of a project, including resources, tasks, and timelines. It ensures that all project activities are synchronized and work together effectively. | Coordination involves aligning the various aspects of a project, including resources, tasks, and timelines. It ensures that all project activities are synchronized and work together effectively. In construction, you have to have foundation work completed before you can begin framing. You need to have electrical inspections done before you can do drywall. Coordinating things, and making adjustments for everyday variables like weather are what keep you moving toward your milestones. | ||
=== Collaboration === | === Collaboration === | ||
Collaboration emphasizes teamwork and working together to achieve project goals. It involves sharing knowledge, expertise, and ideas to develop innovative solutions and address challenges. | Collaboration emphasizes teamwork and working together to achieve project goals. It involves sharing knowledge, expertise, and ideas to develop innovative solutions and address challenges. Default to collaboration mode. Don't be a secrets, power and control type. Be like the Wikimedia Foundation and [[MediaWiki]] software which is the '''open source''' collaborative knowledge system behind [https://en.Wikipedia.org Wikipedia]. | ||
Like the 3 legs of a stool, the three C's are interconnected and work together to foster a productive and successful project environment. A good project manager will focus on communication, coordination, and collaboration. | |||
== | == Is your company doing project management right? == | ||
[[File:Power point hell meme.png|thumb]] | |||
At the organizational level, you can assess your Project Management capabilities by looking at PPT - which does '''not''' stand for PowerPoint. Here is refers to '''Process, People and Tools'''. | |||
=== Process === | === Process === | ||
Try to be as nimble and responsive as possible. What that usually means is using a so-called [[Agile]] development methodology. | Try to be as nimble and responsive as possible. What that usually means is using a so-called [[Agile]] development methodology. Prefer shorter deployment cycles and use an iterative process to incrementally build and improve upon the existing. A good [[process]] is facilitated by clear and open communication emphasizing transparency - especially when something doesn't work or takes extra time. | ||
Investing time up-front in prototyping, mapping, planning, describing, questioning can pay off by making actual results much easier to do and easier to accept. | Investing time up-front in prototyping, mapping, planning, describing, questioning can pay off by making actual results much easier to do and easier to accept. | ||
Estimates are hard. If you want an estimate for something that's been done thousands of times, then | Estimates are hard. If you want an estimate for something that's been done thousands of times, then you can expect a fairly good estimate. The problem with software, or for anything novel is that the uniqueness of the challenge means that estimating (the breakthrough) is a SWAG or more intuition and feeling than a mathematical method. | ||
=== People === | === People === | ||
Like | Like football, project delivery is a team effort. I tend to think like an owner - the big picture - success for the organization, the whole team. When you zoom out, it's obvious you '''need''' to rely on specialists to get certain skills and functions that comprise the project. Working successfully with all the 'players' in the organization - from finance and administration to engineering and development to sales and marketing - is the key to delivering on projects again and again. | ||
As a project leader, you need to partition the project into milestones, phases, and/or types of activity. This is similar to how building a house has many trades that must be coordinated and phased. | As a project leader, you need to partition the project into milestones, phases, and/or types of activity. This is similar to how [[Special:BookSources/9780618001910|building a house]] has many trades that must be coordinated and phased. | ||
Some aspects - like testing, quality control, customer acceptance are cross-cutting processes that need to happen for each item. | Some aspects - like testing, quality control, customer acceptance are cross-cutting processes that need to happen for each item. | ||
=== Tools === | === Tools === | ||
There are both simple [[:Category:Tools|tools]] and elaborate, complex tools for Project Management. Choose the right tool for the job. A sticky list will suffice for | There are both simple [[:Category:Tools|tools]] and elaborate, complex tools for Project Management. Choose the right tool for the job. A sticky list will suffice for grocery shopping. A carefully selected, configured (and integrated) suite of tools is the norm for projects within companies of any significant size. | ||
If you're producing software, then you will need a 'forge' - [[GitHub]], GitLab, Tuleapp, Launchpad, Sourceforge, Phabricator. And someone on your team should be deeply familiar with forges. {{CompanyName}} has spent years selecting them, hosting these services, customizing them and making integrations with other applications. | |||
Our Project Management software includes MS Project or [[TaskJuggler]] + Issue tracking + Wiki + Mind Mapping and diagrams + reporting. | |||
We will integrate your tools like we did [[Eventum to TaskJuggler]] for OASIS. | |||
[[XMind|Mind Mapping]] is similar in some ways to sketching. As an artist, you sketch something lightly in pencil, and as the composition takes shape, you not only refine the lines, but make them darker and more solid. | [[XMind|Mind Mapping]] is similar in some ways to sketching. As an artist, you sketch something lightly in pencil, and as the composition takes shape, you not only refine the lines, but make them darker and more solid. You can use a Mind Mapping tool to much more effectively gather and communicate the consensus for the the vision of a project than trying to diagram something with tools that just aren't meant for diagramming. Even better, they can be collaboratively edited so you can make it that much easier to gather input. | ||
== Misc resources == | == Misc resources == | ||
Latest revision as of 09:13, 27 May 2025
What is Project Management? You could go to the Project Management Institute for the answer - but they are an industry association which sells the training and certification for PMP, which may be a good thing or slightly biased depending on your point of view.
If you're interested in Project Management as a career, have a look at the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for Project Management Specialists.
What makes a good project manager?[edit]
If you have decades of experience working on real-life projects, then you know that there are some basic fundamentals like the 3 C's that define how to be a good Project Manager. Communication, Coordination and Collaboration are pillars of project management, crucial for successful project delivery.
Communication[edit]
Effective communication ensures everyone on the project team and stakeholders are informed and aligned. This includes clear and timely updates on project progress, issues, and changes.
- For example, you could be sure to create a weekly summary in your project to describe work accomplished, and plans for the next week[1].
Coordination[edit]
Coordination involves aligning the various aspects of a project, including resources, tasks, and timelines. It ensures that all project activities are synchronized and work together effectively. In construction, you have to have foundation work completed before you can begin framing. You need to have electrical inspections done before you can do drywall. Coordinating things, and making adjustments for everyday variables like weather are what keep you moving toward your milestones.
Collaboration[edit]
Collaboration emphasizes teamwork and working together to achieve project goals. It involves sharing knowledge, expertise, and ideas to develop innovative solutions and address challenges. Default to collaboration mode. Don't be a secrets, power and control type. Be like the Wikimedia Foundation and MediaWiki software which is the open source collaborative knowledge system behind Wikipedia.
Like the 3 legs of a stool, the three C's are interconnected and work together to foster a productive and successful project environment. A good project manager will focus on communication, coordination, and collaboration.
Is your company doing project management right?[edit]
At the organizational level, you can assess your Project Management capabilities by looking at PPT - which does not stand for PowerPoint. Here is refers to Process, People and Tools.
Process[edit]
Try to be as nimble and responsive as possible. What that usually means is using a so-called Agile development methodology. Prefer shorter deployment cycles and use an iterative process to incrementally build and improve upon the existing. A good process is facilitated by clear and open communication emphasizing transparency - especially when something doesn't work or takes extra time.
Investing time up-front in prototyping, mapping, planning, describing, questioning can pay off by making actual results much easier to do and easier to accept.
Estimates are hard. If you want an estimate for something that's been done thousands of times, then you can expect a fairly good estimate. The problem with software, or for anything novel is that the uniqueness of the challenge means that estimating (the breakthrough) is a SWAG or more intuition and feeling than a mathematical method.
People[edit]
Like football, project delivery is a team effort. I tend to think like an owner - the big picture - success for the organization, the whole team. When you zoom out, it's obvious you need to rely on specialists to get certain skills and functions that comprise the project. Working successfully with all the 'players' in the organization - from finance and administration to engineering and development to sales and marketing - is the key to delivering on projects again and again.
As a project leader, you need to partition the project into milestones, phases, and/or types of activity. This is similar to how building a house has many trades that must be coordinated and phased.
Some aspects - like testing, quality control, customer acceptance are cross-cutting processes that need to happen for each item.
Tools[edit]
There are both simple tools and elaborate, complex tools for Project Management. Choose the right tool for the job. A sticky list will suffice for grocery shopping. A carefully selected, configured (and integrated) suite of tools is the norm for projects within companies of any significant size.
If you're producing software, then you will need a 'forge' - GitHub, GitLab, Tuleapp, Launchpad, Sourceforge, Phabricator. And someone on your team should be deeply familiar with forges. eQuality Technology has spent years selecting them, hosting these services, customizing them and making integrations with other applications.
Our Project Management software includes MS Project or TaskJuggler + Issue tracking + Wiki + Mind Mapping and diagrams + reporting.
We will integrate your tools like we did Eventum to TaskJuggler for OASIS.
Mind Mapping is similar in some ways to sketching. As an artist, you sketch something lightly in pencil, and as the composition takes shape, you not only refine the lines, but make them darker and more solid. You can use a Mind Mapping tool to much more effectively gather and communicate the consensus for the the vision of a project than trying to diagram something with tools that just aren't meant for diagramming. Even better, they can be collaboratively edited so you can make it that much easier to gather input.
Misc resources[edit]
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-cs-success-collaborate-coordinate-communicate-paes-cleto-pmp
- https://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/322957/the-three-cs-of-success--collaborate--coordinate---communicate
- https://www.pdma.org/page/review_triple_c_mode
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-cs-great-project-management-daniel-charles-arnold-pmp-mm39e
- https://quire.io/blog/p/building-effective-teams.html
- https://www.mastt.com/glossary/project-coordinator
- https://flashcards.world/flashcards/sets/6daa92f2-9954-4648-95e5-cbe63c224283/
- https://crestcom.com/blog/webinars/the-three-cs-of-change-management-communication-collaboration-and-commitment/
- https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/what-do-you-youre-facing-tight-project-deadlines-depgc
- https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/what-best-ways-ensure-successful-project-closeout-znzue
- https://www.hellobonsai.com/blog/project-communication-plan
- https://www.profit.co/blog/project-management/the-ultimate-guide-to-crafting-engaging-project-status-reports/
- https://www.iseoblue.com/post/executing-a-project
- https://www.wrike.com/collaborative-work-guide/glossary/
- https://www.eqengineered.com/insights/the-three-cs-of-project-management
- https://medium.com/globant/centers-of-excellence-258f87ff9bf7
- ↑ If Friday is your day for communicating weekly progress and plans for the upcoming week, then Thursday must be the cutoff for the week. It should be a way for people to go into the weekend with a sense of where things are at, and mentally prepare for the next cycle - not a final sprint to check boxes and do a hasty sloppy job working late. There's a lot that can be said about cycle planning but one maxim that holds true in the tech sector is "never ship on Friday". Shipping code on a Friday is like going for it on 4th and 5 from your own 30 yard line in Football.
