project management

Prince2 is being used all across the world

Did you know that PRINCE2 has spread across the globe? Okay, so it's owned by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the UK - but it's travelled a long way since its introduction in 1996.

You may be aware also that PRINCE2 is huge in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

But did you know it is also used as the Method of Choice in:

* Poland
* Scandinavia
* Denmark
* Switzerland
* North America
* South America
* Hong Kong
* Hungary
* Singapore
* China
* Indonesia
* Italy
* Bulgaria
* ....and probably other places I don't know yet!
 

Essential Project Management eBooks for just $1

Here is a fantastic digital product: an exclusive ZIP file containing PDF eBook on Project Management.

This is a collection of digital eBooks in PDF format that cover a broad swathe of Project Management focused areas. From hints & tips through to solid PM principles it's a collection that everyone should have to hand. Can be easily printed, read on the screen or copied onto your PDA or smart phone (for reading on the train)

$1.00

An introduction it ITIL

ITIL is the acronym for the "IT Infrastructure Library" guidelines developed by the CCTA (now OGC) in Norwich, England, for the British government.

Today, ITIL is the de-facto global standard in the area of service management. It contains comprehensive publicly accessible specialist documentation on the planning, provision and support of IT services. ITIL provides the basis for improvement of the use and effect of an operationally deployed IT infrastructure.

Simple Steps towards Achieving SMART Goals

Setting goals is easy but achieving them isn't.

That's why setting "SMART" goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely - is the first step in making your goal a reality.

Make your goal as Specific as possible and express it in positive terms. Do you want to stop losing money or do you want to start making money? How much money do you want to make?

How do you Measure success? You'll need a way to evaluate your progress and determine if you're moving towards your goal. For example, if you want to improve your finances, then you should have a way of keeping track of income and expenses.

Is your goal Achievable? Consider whether you have the resources necessary to achieve your goal. If not, you need to determine if you can assemble everything required to streamline your process. Remove any obstacles before you get started!

Realistic goals are achievable goals, unrealistic goals are just dreams. It's not necessary to be negative but take time to honestly evaluate whether you're being realistic. Losing 30 pounds in 2 weeks is not impossible but it's not very likely and certainly not healthy.

Make your goal Timely by stating a due date for your goal AND the action steps involved in achieving it.

 

Align your goals with your values.

If your goal doesn't reflect your beliefs and character then you'll have difficulty achieving it. And even if you do manage to get what you want, you won't be very happy.

Set a goal which is meaningful to you and be clear about the consequences of your outcome.

 

The Eight Project Management Skills

Back in my early twenties I joined a company called JBA. Based in Chertsey they were a software house specializing on the IBM System 38 (later to become the AS400 or iSeries). As an IT Consultant, my role was as diverse as plugging in printers, designing core software changes to affect hundreds of customers, writing specifications for application change and redevelopment through to meeting customers for project kickoff, planning and signoff. I w

The Project Team

Applying Real-World Business Management By Exception

One of the key principles for project management success is ensuring that the PM responsibility must be matched by equivalent authority. The PM can’t be made responsible if they don’t have the ‘clout’ to make things happen.

Each individual on the project, and that includes the project manager, must be provided with a clear understanding of the Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability given to them so that their work can be accomplished.

Things to remember - how to be a good Project Manager

Project managers are there to plan and manage the work – NOT to do it!

 

As a PM you will need to be a Leader And A Manager: Leaders share and communicate a common vision (of some future state); they gain agreement and establish the forward direction. They motivate others. Managers are results driven and focus on getting work done against agreed requirements. A good project manager will constantly switch from a leader to a manager as situations require.

As a PM you will need to be a Team Builder And A Team Leader: Because projects are often cross-functional in that they use people who may not have worked together before. It is up to the project manager to set the ‘tone’ of the team, and to lead them through the various team development phases to the point where they perform as a team. Often, the team individuals have their own line manager, and so the PM has no implied authority – yet still needs to motivate the individual. This is particularly true in a ‘Matrix’ organisation.

The project management plan

The Project Management Plan establishes project management's interpretation of the why, what, how, who, how much, and when of the project. It's the Bible, Quran, Tanakh (select your religious text of choice) for all aspects of the project.

What is PMP?

The project management Institute (PMI), is one of the largest project management organisations in the world. They sponsor the PMP exam which is fast becoming the worldwide standard for project management skills.

One of the most valued credentials in project management, the PMP credential assures employers that you are committed to project management. Earning and maintaining this credential demonstrates a solid foundation of experience in effectively managing projects. PMI was founded in 1969, was first examined in 1984 and now has over 150,000 members worldwide.

An Introduction to Prince2

PRINCE stands for PROjects IN Controlled Environments.

Prince2 is a structured method for effective project management. It is a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored and scalable method the management of all types of projects. The method is the de-facto standard for project management in the UK and is practiced worldwide.

A Potted History of Prince

The method was established by the central computer and telecommunications agency in 1989, originally developed from a project management method created by Simpact Systems in 1975 this was originally known as PROMPTII. Four years later in 1979 it was adopted by the CCTA (know known as the Office of Government Commerce) as the standard used for all government information projects.

Ten year later, 1989 arrives and PRINCE is born out of the earlier path of Prompt. Prince Development continued and was further refined over the following years. Prince2, as we know it, was born in 1996 with improved guidance on project management aimed at all types of projects, not just information systems.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of project teams have contributed to the organic growth of Prince as the methodology of choice Project Management Teams everywhere: Building on mistakes made, improvements discovered and fine tuning the methodology behind Prince2 has made PRINCE2 the de-facto standard used extensively by the UK government and is widely recognized and used in the private sector, both in the UK and worldwide.

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