How to Master the 5 Phases of the Project Management Life Cycle
The Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) outlines five phases of the project management life cycle. We’re breaking down this model (and its importance) with diagrams and examples, as well as how you and your team can maximize each phase for a killer project.
Projects: A New Way to Organize!
We built Wrike to be extremely flexible so it fits the way you organize, manage, and report on work without forcing you to change the way you work. For years, the basic building blocks of Wrike have been Folders, Tasks, and Subtasks. Now we’ve added Projects, making it easier to track larger initiatives in Wrike. Manage Your Largest Goals Use Projects to manage a group of tasks that are part of a larger goal. With Projects, you can track the status and due dates of the project separately from individual tasks and can store files and notes that need to be accessible to the project team. Simplify your workspace by separating Projects from Folders Store project files and notes in a central place instead of inside tasks Easily report on status across all your projects in one view (Enterprise plan) Working With Projects is Easy Projects and Folders both appear in the left-hand panel and projects are identified by a clipboard icon. If you have existing folders that are already being used for projects you can convert them by right clicking the folder and selecting "Turn into Project." Create new projects from the + button next to the Projects (formerly labeled Folders). Projects Makes Reporting Easier When reporting to executives, sometimes tasks provide too much detail. With Wrike’s Enterprise edition, you can build custom client status reports just for Projects, so it’s easy to provide a birds-eye view of the project status with a push of the button. Best Practices for Using Projects, Folders, Tasks, & Subtasks Use Folders to categorize work. For example, folders can be used to group projects and tasks by team, by client, by stage of work, or however fits your team best. Folders can contain subfolders, projects, and tasks. Use Projects to manage a group of tasks that are part of a larger goal. With Projects, you can track the status and due dates of the project separately from its individual tasks, and can store files and notes that need to be accessible to the project team. Tasks are the activities you need to complete. They can be standalone activities or part of a larger project. Finally, Subtasks are the steps you need to take to complete a task. Subtasks are particularly useful if different people are responsible for each step. Need more info? Check out the Projects page in our Help Center or leave a comment on this post.
Lessons Learned from Project Failure at Denver International Airport: Why Checking Bags is Still a Pain
We regularly review major projects to extract valuable lessons and pass on the knowledge so that everyone can benefit. One failed project we recently took an interest in is Denver International Airport's luggage handling system. I was compelled to study this project because checking bags at the airport is still one of my biggest fears. My eye twitches just thinking about it. You can never predict how long check-in lines will be, suitcases are lost daily, and human baggage handlers have a tendency to manhandle their wards. We have probably all wondered why airports haven't come up with a better system by now. The Failed Project of Denver International Airport It's not that airports haven't tried to fix the baggage system. When construction started on the new Denver International Airport, it was supposed to come with a brand-new automated system for handling luggage travel and transfers. The goal was to replace the standard reliance on manual labor with a fully-automated baggage system that would also integrate all three terminals. It would reduce aircraft turn-around time for faster service to travelers. But the project went 16 months past its hard deadline, cost the city $560 million over budget, and performed just a fraction of its original automation goals. Instead of integrating the three concourses and all airlines, it was only used at one concourse, for one airline, for outbound flights only. The project team had to resort to building a second, manual labor system for all other baggage operations. And after valiantly attempting to use the system for 10 years, the only airline that actually adopted the system finally bowed out due to high maintenance costs. The project ended in spectacular failure — and from their mistakes, we stand to learn a lot about project communication, scope creep, and poor project definition. Want a tool to improve your project management? Start your free Wrike trial today! 3 Lessons We Should Learn from Denver 1. Listen when people say, "This isn't going to work." Warning #1: After airport construction started, the City of Denver hired Breier Neidle Patrone Associates to evaluate if the proposed baggage system project was feasible. The company flat-out stated that the plan was too complex. The city decided to pursue the possibility anyway. Warning #2: A similar, simpler project in Munich took a full two years to be completed, followed by six months of 24/7 testing prior to the actual launch. The larger, much more complex Denver International Airport system was due to open in a little over two years. Which means that Denver International Airport was trying to cram a very complicated project into a very short timeline. The Munich airport advised that it was a project set up to fail. Despite the worrying outlook, the City of Denver decided to proceed without altering their schedule. Warning #3: When the airport began accepting bids on the new luggage system project, only three companies submitted proposals. Of those proposals, none of them predicted they'd be able to finish the project within the allotted timeframe. The city rejected all three bids, and instead approached a fourth company, BAE Systems, to convince them to take on the superhuman project; again, without changing the proposed timeline. Warning #4: Senior managers at BAE Systems expressed initial misgivings about the project's complexity. They estimated a 4-year timeline instead of 2 years, but the concern was ignored and the project went on with its 2-year deadline still in place. Four ignored warnings later, nothing had changed. If the City of Denver or the project team had heeded any of these caution flares regarding project complexity and tight deadlines, they would have changed their timeline or scaled back their goals. Instead they barreled ahead, and as a result their project went far past deadline, cost millions of extra dollars, with the final product a disappointing shadow of its original design. If the project failure of Denver International Airport teaches you only one thing, it's this: pay attention to the flashing red lights. Listening to project advice keeps us from dedicating ourselves to impossible projects. 2. Don't wait to involve all parties affected by the project While BAE Systems and the airport's larger project management team were the steamrollers on the project, they were ultimately not the parties affected by the outcome. Airlines renting space in the airport would be most impacted by the outcome of the automated baggage system. Yet they were not brought into the planning discussions. These key stakeholders were excluded from the initial decision-making — an open invitation for failure. Once the airlines were finally asked for their opinions, they required major changes from the project team: adding ski equipment racks, different handling for oversized luggage, and separate maintenance tracks for broken carts. The requests required major redesign on portions of the project — some of which had already been "completed." But these requests were not optional features for the airlines, and the project team was forced to redo their work. By waiting to approach stakeholders, the project team wasted time and money. Had they approached the airlines right away, they would have been able to incorporate these requests into early project plans. They would have shaved off months of extra labor if they didn't have to redo completed work; not overshooting their deadline by 16 months would have saved them a good chunk of the extra $560 million spent. It is essential that we include stakeholders from Day 1 to avoid wasting time and money. Don't make the same mistake of waiting until halfway through a project to collect vital requirements. 3. Beware of "Big Bang" projects meant to change the world Another project complication was the decision to go with an all-at-once "Big Bang" rollout to all three concourses, as opposed to slower, incremental rollout. In an article dissecting the problems with Denver International Airport's baggage system project plan, Webster & Associates LLC, an IT consulting company, said that this was one of the biggest project flaws. BAE Systems should have tested the new automated system in sections to make sure it would work before implementing it throughout the rest of the airport. This project was the first attempt at an automated system of this size and complexity, and was meant to change the way that airports handled baggage. They wanted instant, large-scale success. Instead, the final product fell short of everyone's expectations. The best way to get big results is to first ensure you can create a successful minimal viable product. Once your MVP works well, repeat the process on a larger playing ground, slowly scaling efforts until you reach the end goal. Project Failure is Not Fatal Although the automated baggage system failed, today the Denver International Airport is fully functional. I've even taken my skis through their airport without issue. And as long as we learn valuable lessons from their mistakes, we shouldn't consider this project a complete failure — just a painful boo-boo. Next time you're working on a project, remember these three lessons and avoid facing the same fate as Denver International Airport: 1. Watch for red flags, and heed the warnings of experts.2. Involve all project stakeholders from Day 1.3. Take small steps to successfully reach the end goal. Good luck on your next projects and next flights! Related Articles: • 10 Reasons Projects Fail: Lessons from the Death Star• 3 Kinds of Data to Help Avoid Project Management Failure Sources:http://calleam.com/WTPF/?page_id=2086, http://calleam.com/WTPF/content/uploads/articles/DIABaggage.pdf, http://www.computerworld.com/article/2556725/it-project-management/united-axes-troubled-baggage-system-at-denver-airport.html, http://archive.gao.gov/t2pbat1/154219.pdf, http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/SFC/Reports/TR2002-01.pdf
6 Tips for Becoming a Successful Freelance Project Manager
Freelancing has its perks: be your own boss, enjoy work flexibility, work in a private space with everything from the tilt of your desk to the room temperature and lighting exactly how you like it. What we can often overlook are the immense challenges that come with going it alone, especially as a freelance project manager. Finding work is only the beginning. There are numerous different types of project managers. How much do project managers make? How much does an IT project manager make? Or, for a more specific role, how much does a construction project manager make? There are so many other factors to consider: the ebb and flow of your income, managing multiple deadlines that don’t inform each other, and making a mistake means fully owning your actions. You alone are accountable. It can be both scary and liberating! If you’re thinking of stepping into the life of a freelance project manager, here are 6 things you need to know to succeed. 1. Keep Your Skills Sharp Even if you’ve been in the industry for years, you are now looking to re-enter on your own terms. The problem is, rapid advancements in technology, changes in company structure, and new management approaches make keeping up-to-date a constant battle. Staying attuned to new ideas (and ways of thinking) is absolutely crucial. This doesn’t mean you have to read a pile of academic journals every morning; it can be as simple as reading project management blogs or enrolling in a leadership and management course. Ongoing learning (and up-to-date certifications) is what will set you apart as a forward-thinking, innovative professional — the exact traits that companies look for in project management consultancy. 2. Get Your Name Out There A freelance professional with minimal experience and limited connections is unlikely to be a front-runner candidate in the eyes of an employer. This doesn’t mean your case is hopeless! Although it is always better to begin freelancing as an established professional, there are other ways to set yourself apart from the crowd. Expand your network by attending conferences, connecting with industry leaders on social media, and joining established online project management communities. Promote your name and work online, and most importantly, always take a confident stance — even if you don’t feel that way. Chances are someone will repost your social content, your LinkedIn request will be accepted, and that phone call could put you on the right track to a job. 3. Build Your Portfolio That being said, if you don’t have the work to back up your statements then you may not be taken seriously as a project management consultant. It is imperative in this field that you have proven experience in: leading both short- and long-term projects, risk and crisis points, team management, and effective communication skills. This is where case studies, personal references, and hard data are your best friends. Whether you’ve been in the industry for a year or a decade, you should be adding to your personal portfolio from the moment you’re hired on a new job, and should continue until you walk out the door. 4. Set Remote Work Hours Freelancers inevitably spend long periods of time working remotely; it is part and parcel of the job, and remote work has its own challenges. Set clear, consistent working hours from the get-go to save yourself from stressful, late-night sessions. Any experienced project manager will tell you that delays are probable, problems likely, and mistakes inevitable. Running yourself ragged by working long hours will not only make these roadblocks more likely, but diminish your ability to handle a situation deftly when the time comes. Be sure to keep track of the hours you are working, and compare them to the average billable hours for consultants in your field — and when the project becomes too large, communicate this to your contact. 5. Keep Communications Clear Good communication is the best tool a freelance project manager has. Making the effort to maintain an open dialogue with stakeholders across all aspects of a project is a must. Anything from a daily wrap-up email to a weekly status update meeting will save you headaches later on, and demonstrate your confidence and reliability as a freelancing professional. An extra tip; be upfront in sharing your challenges and setbacks. It will make your successes all the greater in the eyes of your stakeholders. 6. Understand Who You’re Working With The only way to understand what a project needs to deliver is to have a clear grasp of the organization's goals and principles. (It's also crucial in knowing whether the project is a good fit for your skills and freelance portfolio.) This means being able to identify whether their needs align with your own professional ambitions and values. A good working relationship is based on mutual trust and understanding, and freelancing is no different. If you don’t thoroughly understand your client, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage before you even start. Set Yourself Up for Freelance Project Management Success It can be easy for freelance project managers to buckle under the pressure of working remotely, especially when the role is so closely tied to teamwork and communication. But with these steps on how to become a project manager and how to start a project management business, you can equip yourself to hit the ground running and build a successful consulting career that will take you places you never thought you'd go. Author Bio Helen Sabell works for the College for Adult Learning, and is passionate about lifelong learning. She has designed, developed, and authored many workplace leadership and training programs, both in Australia and overseas.
4 Keys to Getting Successful Project Sponsorship
Good sponsorship is the #1 driver of project success.[1] Yet fewer than 2 in 3 projects have actively engaged project sponsors.[2] With fewer than 40% of all projects successfully being completed on time, within budget, and to specification/requirements,[3] good project sponsors are needed more than ever. How to Get Effective Project Sponsor Support 1. Make sure project sponsors understand how critical they are to project success. Project failure is costing businesses $109 million for every $1 billion invested.[2] So show execs and sponsors the stats, broken down into dollars and cents, to convince them that they need to be an active part of project leadership — not just a passive observer of the project manager’s efforts and results. 2. Clarify the project sponsor's role & responsibilities. Especially if they're new to the role, your project sponsor may not fully realize what’s expected of them, or what their relationship is to you as the project manager. And if they don't understand their role, there's no way they can fill it successfully. As Ron Rosenhead explains, the project sponsor's job is to monitor progress, help resolve issues, and champion the project to other executives — in general, to be the link between the project manager and higher-ups. A good sponsor smooths the way for timely decisions and access to resources so that the project manager can run the day-to-day without hitting a wall at every turn. But sponsors also maintain objectivity, keeping in mind the big picture of how the project fits into larger business goals and the overall direction of the company. 3. Meet regularly and establish good communication habits early on. Effective project sponsor-to-project manager relationships are like any other: good communication is the key. Whether it's weekly, biweekly, or monthly, set a regular meeting schedule at the start of the project. At the very first meeting, discuss your goals for the project and what each of you will need from the other in order to meet those goals. Use this Project Sponsorship Checklist to guide your discussions and clarify exactly what each of you is expecting from the other. 4. Help garner organizational support for project sponsors. 85% of organizations that responded to Peter Taylor's management survey said they have project sponsors, but then 83% admitted they do nothing to support, train, or guide those sponsors.[4] The result is project sponsors in name only — sponsors who are unclear about how important they are to project success and how they can best contribute to that success. Unlike project managers, there are very few outside resources to help new project sponsors learn the best practices of their new role. Good project sponsorship needs to be a priority across the entire organization, including ongoing training and a proactive approach to sharing best practices and lessons learned. So highlight your project sponsor's contributions when reporting on project success and emphasize how further developing good project sponsors is in the entire organization's best interest. Tips for Dealing with a Difficult Project Sponsor: Whether your project sponsor has too many demands on her time, is having issues navigating shifting business objectives, or simply doesn't make your project a priority, here are a few tips you can use to engage a difficult project sponsor. Communicate the effect on project success. Tell them, "This action (or inaction) is impacting the project in this way; these are our options for resolving it." Approach the conversation from the point of view that you both want the project to succeed and focus on how you can work together to achieve your shared goal. Help sponsors understand that they're the ones either hindering or enabling your access to executive support, sufficient resources, etc., and therefore are just as accountable for the project's success as you are. Look to the higher-ups. Knowing what your sponsor’s boss ultimately wants is the secret to keeping sponsors engaged and on your side. Remind your sponsor that your joint efforts will help keep their boss happy and reflect well on them. What's your advice for working with project sponsors? Share your experiences with fellow project managers in the comments below. Then check out the collective wisdom of the #PMChat community on keys to effective stakeholder management. Learn More About Project Management If you're looking for more resources around project management, then check out The Project Management Guide for Beginners. It's an online guide that takes you through the fundamentals of PM in layman's terms and it's totally free to browse, and bookmark. Sources: 1. PMI, Executive Sponsor Engagement: Top Driver of Project and Program Success. 2014 2. PMI, The High Cost of Low Performance. 2014 3. The Standish Group, CHAOS Manifesto. 2013 4. Peter Taylor, Project Sponsors are from Venus. LinkedIn Pulse 2014. 5. Strategies4Sponsors.com 6. Quickbase.Intuit.com 7. SensiblePM.com, Strategies for Project Sponsorship – #PMHangout21
Top-down and Bottom-up Project Management: Leveraging the Advantages of the Two Approaches
Bottom-up project management is a new strategy by which some of the world's largest companies are democratizing their business goals. And yet, there are still beneficial elements in a top-down approach.
Take the Leap: Become a Project Management Consultant in 7 Steps
To a project manager entrenched in corporate politics and organizational red tape, the idea of striking out on your own as an independent project management consultant might sound like a dream. You choose your own clients, you set your own pay, and you can stop jumping through so many hoops. But how do you know if you're ready, or if you have what it takes to be successful? Do you know how to start a project management business? And how do you go from wanting to be a consultant to actually being one? Are you ready to be a Project Management Consultant? Here are three signs you're ready to take the plunge: 1. You're experienced enough to have developed reliable expertise and finely-honed skill sets. You've not only mastered project management techniques, but also adept leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. 2. You have a well-established, wide-ranging network of clients, colleagues, and peers you can draw on to help you find new work and endorse your skills. 3. You're stable enough financially to take on a risky professional move. (Or you’re retired with a reliable income, but want to keep working here and there.) 7 Steps to Success as a PM Consultant: So you've got the skills necessary for project management consultancy. But how do you actually get started? Step 1: Pinpoint your strengths. How are you going to position yourself as an expert? What specialized skills and knowledge do you have to offer potential clients? Back it up with demonstrated experience and references. Step 2: Figure out how to market yourself. Now that you've determined the unique skills you have to offer, you need to spread the word and convince potential clients you have what it takes to deliver their project successfully. Decide exactly who you're going to target. Build a website (it doesn't have to be too flashy, just functional). Consider offering a promotional rate to land your first few projects. Step 3: Keep building your network. Put in the effort to maintain solid relationships with colleagues and clients you already know, and keep expanding your circle. Make sure you tell everyone in your network about your new venture as a consultant so they can help spread the word. You never know who will help you snag your first gig! Step 4: Lay the groundwork for your business. Being a successful consultant takes more than just being great at what you do: it takes good business sense as well. How will you handle billing and expenses (perhaps with a consulting billable hours template)? Will you charge by the hour? By project? Do you need office space? What's the best way to keep records? How will you cover health insurance for yourself and your family? Is there a sales tax on professional services in your region? The time to answer these questions is now, not when you're staring down a pile of urgent notice letters. Step 5: Create a financial lifeline. Because it's common for project management consultants to be paid monthly, you’ll need a reserve of savings to last you those first several months while you’re lining up work and still in the midst of completing your first projects. 8-12 months of living expenses is a good savings guideline. Step 6: Nail down the logistics. Figure out the nuts and bolts of how you’re going to organize all your work. What tools will you use to track your current clients, potential clients, ongoing and completed projects? How will you stay connected with your project team and stakeholders, especially when you're not on-site? Find a cloud project management software that you like and compliments the way you work — just make sure it’s easy to invite outside partners to access certain projects while keeping your other information private. Step 7: Take care of yourself! 9-5? Sick days? Vacation time? What’s that? When you’re working for yourself, it’s all too easy to push yourself too hard. You need to be just as dedicated to your "off" time as you are to your work. When you're harried and overworked, you're more likely to make mistakes. And as an independent consultant, mistakes are one thing your reputation can't afford. Block off "me time" in advance — and stick to the plan! Do you have the confidence? Ultimately, you need more than experience, networking skills, and a solid business plan. You need confidence in yourself and in your decisions. After all, you’ll be the expert everyone will look to, clients and project team alike. If you're a project management consultant, we'd love to hear your perspective! What advice would you give other PM consultants just starting out?
What is the Difference Between Project and Portfolio Management?
PM, PPM, PgM. What is the difference between portfolio management and project management, exactly? And where does program management fit in? Here's a quick explanation of each in plain English to help you distinguish the differences. What is Portfolio Management? A portfolio is a high-level view of all the projects an organization is running in order to meet the business's main strategic objectives. It could be every project across the entire company, a division, or a department. Portfolio management involves setting priorities based on the business leadership’s agreed-on objectives, and then choosing programs and projects to undertake based on what will provide optimal business value, the level of risk involved, and available resources. According to project manager Bob Buttrick, while project management is about executing projects right, portfolio management is about executing the right projects. In Agile portfolio management, it's all about leaning into Agile principles and values to organize and plan for programs and projects within the portfolio. Project portfolio managers look at a company’s projects and evaluate whether they're are being executed well, how they could be improved, and whether the organization is experiencing the expected benefits. What is Program Management? A program is a group of related projects that all contribute to the same business objective or benefit. The program as a whole has a clear, defined goal, and each project within the program assists in meeting those goals. Program managers look at cross-project dependencies, risks, issues, requirements, and solutions, and may coordinate with individual project managers to achieve these insights and keep the overall program healthy. They’re less concerned with the success of every single individual project, and more focused on the success of the overall initiative and achieving the larger benefit. Program managers are also concerned with making sure the right projects are chosen or prioritized in order to achieve the most business value. Successful programs work towards improvements that will have a long-term impact on the organization, and unlike projects that have a specific end date, programs may be ongoing initiatives. Organizations manage projects as a larger program because doing so gives you greater control and benefits than you may see by managing them separately. It’s also easier to coordinate and prioritize resources across projects, and oversee progress and outcomes when you look at a group of related projects. What is Project Management? While portfolios and programs focus on a higher-level view of an organization's activities, a project is a single undertaking: a series of tasks that aims to produce a specific product, service, or benefit within a defined timeline. Project managers oversee individual projects, leading teams and making sure projects are completed on time, within budget, and meet the established requirements. They determine best practices, examine processes to improve efficiency, and work with stakeholders to make sure expected benefits are realized, among other responsibilities. Good project management means teams and team members are constantly developing and improving, giving the business a competitive advantage. Learn More About Project Management If you're a new project manager and still struggling to comprehend the vocabulary as well as the processes, then we've prepared a resource that you will find useful. It's called The Project Management Guide for Beginners, and it's online and totally free to browse. Bookmark it for easy reference. Sources: PMfiles.com, Wikipedia.org, ProjectSmart.co.uk
20 Questions for Project Governance Success (Infographic)
Whether you manage projects, programs, portfolios, project management offices (PMOs), or centers of excellence, you want to do all you can to ensure your projects are successful. You need not only good, but great project governance, which encompasses all of the processes, activities, and checks and balances necessary to ensure successful projects, programs, and portfolios. Check out our webinar From Good Governance to Great: How To Turbo-Charge the Success of Your PMO here Industry-leading global professional organizations, numerous research studies, and the stats of millions of failed projects every year point to an indisputable fact: governance is the #1 critical success factor for projects, programs, and portfolios. Avoiding project failure comes down to establishing effective project governance — but how can your team get there? How to get to project governance success Great project governance comes from asking the right questions to ensure best practices are followed. By asking these 20 questions, you will ensure you have the right foundational building blocks for project success. Discover why teams across industries and the world choose Wrike as their preferred platform to ensure project success. Sign up for a free trial and get started today. And don't forget to take a look at our dedicated webinar, From Good Governance to Great: How To Turbo-Charge the Success of Your PMO, to discover why governance is critical to project and program success and the questions you should be asking about proper governance.
How to Handle a Project Management Crisis (Infographic)
With every new project comes the risk of a new project crisis (or two or three). As a project manager, you can't be scared to start just because you're worried about what might go wrong. Instead, it's better to fully prepare yourself for any possibility, and then calmly deal with whatever comes your way. In every project management crisis, there are three stages: 1. Pre-Crisis 2. During Crisis 3. Post-Crisis This infographic prepares you with the knowledge you need to handle every stage with a steady hand, so you can guide your team to a successful project completion no matter what obstacles may come your way. Read this quick and easy project management crisis guide before every new project to make sure you're prepared. And when projects feel like they're spiraling out of control, remember that as project manager you have the right skills and resources available to handle the problem: Like this infographic? Share it with your colleagues on social media, or embed it on your blog: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Community Project Management Crisis Tips What's your best advice for dealing with a project management crisis? How have you dealt with failure? Share your wisdom with everyone in the comments below.
The Ultimate Guide to Project Management
If you're learning about project management for the first time and you've come across our Wrike blog, you'll realize we've written quite a lot of articles on IT project management, methodologies, and leadership strategies over the years. We collected the best of the best into one ultimate guide to help you understand and learn all about project management. Great for knowing where to study project management as a beginner. It's organized here by general topic, so it's easy to find what you need. Project Management Fundamentals: Learning the Basics There is much to learn in the art of managing a project. For beginners to the field, (and for those willing to review the basics) here's a list of common methodologies, terms, and tips on where to study project management as a beginner. These will also be helpful for learning how to teach project management and introduce the basics to your team! Project Management Basics: A Review of PM Methodologies (Part 1) Project Management Basics: A Quick-Start Guide to PM Methodologies (Part 2) Fundamentals of the Scrum Methodology Project Management Basics: A Quickstart Glossary for Newbies (Part 1) Project Management Basics: A Quickstart Glossary for Newbies (Part 2) Project Management Basics: Beginner's Guide to Gantt Charts What Can I Do With a Project Management Certification? What is a Gantt Chart? [INFOGRAPHIC] What is Lean Project Management? Startups Should Lean on Lean Project Management 5 Lessons in Lean Product Development from the Wright Brothers [INFOGRAPHIC] Things a CEO can learn from a project manager: Part 1 Things a CEO can learn from a project manager: Part 2 Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 1: Risk Assessment Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 2: Risk Management Management: Leading Your Team to Project Success Leadership is a skill that is in need of constant pruning. If we cease to learn new things, we set ourselves up for failure. Here are strategies and lessons for honing your management skills and refine your project management approach. How Neuroscience Can Make You a Better Project Manager 4 Lessons Hockey Has Taught Me About Project Management 5 Project Management Ideas that Should be Extinct 10 Phrases That Can Ruin Your Project Kickoff Meeting Is your team self-organizing? Who Works More? The Secrets of Male and Female Working Habits in Wrike's New Infographic How to Stay Motivated at Work: The Science of Productive Breaks [INFOGRAPHIC] 8 Attitudes Guaranteed to Sink Your Agile Projects 5 Project Management Lessons to Superheroes [VIDEO] 15 Books Every Manager Should Read Productivity: Tools and Tips for More Efficient Work There are many tools out there that can help you streamline your day, mitigate distractions, and get things done more efficiently. Here's a list of tools and strategies for helping you crank it out. 10 Free Productivity Apps for Getting Things Done How to Increase Productivity at Work: 6 Mind-Switching Hacks How to Set Up GTD Using Wrike Creating GTD Folders in Wrike [VIDEO] 8 Lessons in Increased Productivity from Wrike Customers 10 Encouraging Productivity Proverbs for Your Office Wall (Part 1) 10 Encouraging Productivity Proverbs for Your Office Wall (Part 2) How to Stay Motivated at Work: The Science of Productive Breaks [INFOGRAPHIC] Productivity Lovers, Build Better Habits for Your Project Team What Doesn't Kill You Makes You More Productive [EBOOK] 5 Strategies for Forming Team Productivity Habits [WEBINAR] Proven Techniques to Fight Productivity Killers [WEBINAR] Project Management Software vs. Cloud File Storage: What's the Difference? Professional service contract template Teams and Remote Collaboration: Unifying Your People Nothing is more important than getting the right team in place and forging a collaborative unit dedicated to project success. Here are some tips and strategies for growing your team. 5 Tips for Forming Productivity Habits in Your Team (PMI Presentation Recap) 5 Tips for Embracing Cross-Cultural Differences on Project Teams Top 5 Tips for Remote Collaboration with Wrike 4 Problems with Virtual Meetings that You Can Fix 4 Tips to Improve Your Next Meeting Easy and Effective Remote Collaboration [SLIDESHARE] The Past, Present and Future of Remote Collaboration: Where Does Your Team Stand? 10 Benefits of Cloud-Based Project Management Software The Art of Staying Productive Even Across Distance [EBOOK] Teamwork Across Borders. Secrets to Remote Collaboration [WEBINAR] Wrike for Content Marketing Teams: Collaboration and Copyediting [VIDEO] Top 3 Trends Shaping Project Collaboration Using Wrike for High Performance Marketing Teams Technology: Using the Right Project Management Tools There are many tools used for project management, managing people, increasing productivity, and getting things done. Here are a few of them. 10 Free Productivity Apps for Getting Things Done 25 Online Tools to Run Your Startup How I Use Online Collaboration Tools to Run a Marketing Team Top 9 Project Management Tool Features on the SMB Wishlist Wrike Integrates with Zapier for a World of Automation Wrike and Github: Collaborative Coding Gets Much Easier with Wrike’s API Social Media Resources: Connect with PM Experts Social media is a fantastic tool to connect and learn from experts in project management all over the globe. Here's how to find project managers and thought leaders on major social networks. 20 #ProjectManagement Gurus to Follow on Twitter 5 Project Management Groups to Join on LinkedIn 12 Useful Project Management Boards on Pinterest 11 Ways To Use Social Media To Find Project Management Resources (or just about anything!) Will Your Company's Social Media Marketing Efforts Pay Off? [INFOGRAPHIC] Educational Resources: Learn More about Project Management Sometimes you just need a little more motivation. Or a source of ideas for improving your management skills. These articles list the best reading and learning materials on management and productivity. 20 Online Training Resources for Project Managers 5 Best Project Management Books for Beginners and Accidental Project Managers 15 Books Every Manager Should Read 15 Project Management Quotes to Live By [INFOGRAPHIC] What is a Gantt Chart? [INFOGRAPHIC] Making the Most of Project Management Courses Why (and How) Small Businesses Choose Project Management Software Hope you enjoyed this ultimate guide to project management. Would you add other helpful articles to help people learn? Please share any of your suggestions in the comments. Share this guide with your friends and colleagues to spread the wealth of knowledge!
Your Guide to Project Management Best Practices
Planning and overseeing a project so that it’s completed on time, within budget, and meets expectations is not an easy feat. The best project managers know how to balance stakeholder communications with preventing scope creep, watch out for risk, and clarify roles, responsibilities, and priorities within their team, all while upholding the principles of project management. Steal some of the secrets to their success by using these 10 best practices in project management. 1. Communicate with stakeholders early and often This includes everyone who has an interest in the project’s outcome: team members, sponsors, and end users. Meet in person, if possible, to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the project’s success, set clear expectations, including each stakeholder’s role. Also, provide consistent updates, with real numbers and results, to keep stakeholders engaged. 2. Engage project sponsors Having good project sponsors is the #1 predictor of project success, and yet fewer than 2 out of 3 projects have actively engaged sponsors. A project sponsor’s job is to monitor progress, help resolve issues, and champion the project to other executives — as well as understand the big picture of how the project fits into larger business goals. Essentially, they’re the link between the project manager and higher-ups. Hold regular check-ins with your sponsor to discuss project goals and required resources, and use this Project Sponsorship Checklist to guide discussions and clarify expectations. 3. Manage both risk and opportunity Spend some time imagining worst-case scenarios and their solutions, as well as how you might prevent them from happening. Then talk with your team to get their input, and become aware of any known issues that will definitely affect your project. Just remember that not all uncertainties are bad: don't forget to keep an eye out for opportunities as well, so you can deliver value beyond what's expected. (Learn how to conduct a thorough risk assessment here, and create your own risk management response plan here) 4. Create a detailed work plan, including scope, schedule, and budget Write your project plan in terms of goals and problems being addressed (and what isn’t being addressed), instead of just listing tasks to be completed. This will help focus your work and protect against scope creep. Then prioritize project goals, identify deliverables, and estimate task duration to define your schedule and dependencies. 5. Host a project kickoff meeting Your project kickoff meeting sets the tone for your entire project. Do it right, and your team hits the ground motivated, energized, and focused. So take the opportunity to establish a common goal, clarify roles and responsibilities, define how you’ll measure success, review risks, decide how you’ll communicate, and choose your project management methodology and tools. Be thorough, but try to keep the kickoff meeting as short and straightforward as possible. 6. Document everything Documenting every step of your project is the key to ensuring you not only stay on top of what’s happening, but that you have all the data you need to analyze performance, make better decisions, and learn from your experiences. If a deadline slips, you’ll be able to determine why it happened, and how to improve your work process to prevent it from happening again. 7. Schedule regular check ins with your team When you're managing a project, staying in sync with your team is a must. A short weekly or even daily standup with your project team is a sure-fire way to align on top priorities, get fast feedback, and help clear any roadblocks or bottlenecks holding your team back. The key is to keep things short and focused: what got done yesterday? What’s everyone working on today? Who’s stuck and what can we do about it? 8. Ask for feedback As Cornelius Fichtner says, the P in PM stands just as much for People as for Projects. Good leaders understand that nobody’s perfect, and that we all have areas where we can improve. Asking for feedback from your team is one of the most powerful ways you can grow as a project manager and increase your chance for success. 9. Manage scope creep When new requests start coming in, communicate the impact of those requests on the project’s schedule and budget and know how to calculate earned value. If different stakeholders have competing or conflicting requests, bring everyone together to discuss and clarify goals so you can move forward with everyone on board. This concept can be confused with gold plating. However, gold plating and scope creep in project management can both have a detrimental impact on performance. 10. Hold a project retrospective Even once the final deliverable is submitted, your project isn’t complete until you’ve held a retrospective and recorded lessons learned. Take the time to review what went well and identify best practices for future use, as well as discuss what could have gone better to determine how to help work get done more smoothly the next time around. With these project management principles in hand, you’ll be able to deliver successful projects in any industry — from marketing to IT to construction and beyond. Additional Best Practices for Project Managers: Portfolio Project Management Best Practices IT Project Management Best Practices IT Resource Management Best Practices Get More Project Management Best Practices, Tools, & Advice Check out our Ultimate Guide to Project Management for a crash course on all things PM. You'll find everything from glossaries of terms and implementation tips for popular methodologies, to useful templates and step-by-step tutorials to develop your project management approach.
Free Online Project Management Guide for New Project Managers
If you're taking your first steps as a project manager and feel like you're in way over your head with all the terms, acronyms, and best practices, we've put together something that can help. Today we launch our online Project Management Guide for Beginners. It's a complete guide that tackles project management fundamentals and addresses it in easy-to-understand, layman's terms. In the guide, we break down the basics of project management into different sections: a basic glossary of terms; a discussion on project management methodologies; tips on team management, collaboration, risk, stakeholders, and more; even a section on the PMI and PMBOK. The guide also features a sizable collection of frequently asked questions to introduce you to basic project management concepts. We've arranged the guide to allow you to browse by the topic you're interested in, but you can also read through it sequentially for a full overview. So instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the various processes necessary to bring a project to completion, refer to our Project Management Guide for Beginners, and get a clearer picture of best practices and processes for delivering projects on time, within budget, and to exact specifications. Here's a sneak peak at the sections of the Project Management Guide. Go check it out:
Convergent Thinking vs. Divergent Thinking: Why Planning Isn’t Always the Right Thing to Do
It’s time for project management professionals to not only think of themselves as the keepers of plans, but also the ones responsible for pulling the very best out of teams. To do so, they need to encourage and enable both pieces of the creative problem solving process: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
3 Tips to Improve Project Management for Creative Teams
When everybody has ideas to contribute, managing a creative team requires you to assume the role of a funnel. Your team pours their ideas out and you need to combine all of them into something that makes sense. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to improve your project management for creative teams.
Interview with Project Shrink
I was interviewed by Bas de Bar recently. Bas has a great blog called Project Shrink. It is a valuable source of tips, ideas and other important information for project managers. Bas is also the author of "Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager." Those of you who are in software development might want to have a look at it. We had a conversation about the nature of Project Management 2.0, emergent structures, collective intelligence, project management software and my work on Wrike. It was a pretty long dialog, so Bas decided to publish it in parts. I will be glad to get your feedback on what I said there.