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Its been a cherished dream. Dream became vision. Systematic and methodic identification and breakdown of tasks resulted in a platform for PM professionals and authors.

 

No wonder, ‘Project Management is about converting vision into reality‘

 

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The focus is on information and content for the PM community.

 

I am planning to collect articles, tools and techniques related to project and project quality management. There is enough knowledge available on the internet, and currently I am searching, reviewing and collecting the articles related to PM & QM topics (tools, techniques, certifications etc).

 

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PMP Certification – A lot of Free Stuff to Help You Pass

By Dionte Terry

The PMP does have trick questions. They are designed specifically to catch people who are coming in with little formal process experience, those who have thumbed through the PMBOK a few times and are now going to rake me exam. These people try to rely on their work experience, which often does not line up with PMI’s prescribed method for doing things. As a result, they typically don’t even come close to passing the exam. At times, however, these trick questions can also fool a seasoned pro! Listed below are some techniques you can use so mat you will not fall into these traps:

Follow the Process

This is always the right answer. There will be questions on your exam that give you "common sense" scenarios that will give you a seemingly innocent way to skip the formal process and save time, or perhaps avoid some conflict by not following procedure. This is almost certainly a trap. The right answer is to follow PMI’s process! Do not give in to pressure from irate customers, stakeholders, or even your boss to do otherwise.

Don’t Take the Easy Way Out

There will often be choices that allow you to pose one a difficult decision, dodge a thorny issue, or ignore a problem. This is almost never the right thing to do for questions on the exam.

Study the Roles

By the time you take the exam, you should be confident about the roles of stakeholders, sponsors, customers, team members, functional managers, the project office, and most importantly, the project manager. Expect several ‘who should perform this activity’ type questions. If you have absolutely no clue, guessing the "project manager" is a good idea.
Additionally, understand the difference between the different types of organizations (projectized, matrix, and functional). Most of your questions will pertain to matrix organizations, so focus your study on that one.

Hours of audio and video + 1000’s of sample questions + 2 Guarantees in 1 PMP test prep package. Super affordable, less than cost to fill up your gas tank. http://www.pmtestprep.com

Practice as many pmp exam questions as possible in various formats to ensure you can pass the exam successfully.

Article By: Dionte Terry

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dionte_Terry

Project Management Consulting

By Thomas Morva

Projects management consulting has amassed such popularity because of all the benefits it provides to those who seek the successful implementation of projects. This is despite the lack of the proper knowledge and skills in coming up with an effective and realistic project management plan. Basically, deciding to hire project management consultants makes the arduous task of coming up with project management plans easier. Aside from the planning process, project management consultants provide links to more industries related to the supposed trade for a more comprehensive approach on the project. Users are also assured of having the most recent information vital to the success of the project within their reach. Finding a credible project management consultancy firm ensures proper coaching and support depending on the consumer’s needs.

There have been questions regarding the efficiency of project management consultants, based on their costs. However, if you consider what these firms may offer that smaller individual project managers may deem unthinkable, it would be best to think again. Aside from the usual offerings, project management consultancy firms also offer extensive documentation of the entire planning process and ma offer valuable resources about similar planning processes. They also develop appropriate training needed for the proper implementation of the plans, and more importantly run actual tests and even simulations to test the resources and also the feasibility of the plans. As an added benefit, consultancy services may also provide software surveys and training as well as online support. And even after the implementation of the project, consultants may also offer project evaluation and a refresher course to provide an executive overview of the project.

Project management consultants maximize efficiency basically because they work with their clients’ needs in mind. These needs are figured out, understood, analyzed then addressed in a management plan that would distinctly meet the user’s expectations. They also incorporate the existing resources the users already have in their plans and establish realistic goals for them.

Project Management provides detailed information on Project Management, Project Management Software, Project Management Training, Project Management Consulting and more. Project Management is affiliated with Service Management Software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva
http://EzineArticles.com/?Project-Management-Consulting&id=277699

Break Your PMP Studies Into Small Pieces

Cornelius Fichtner

Taking the PMP examination is one of the biggest steps you’ll take in your career as a Project Manager and one of the most daunting. There seems to be an endless parade of information to stuff into your brain but don’t be discouraged! By careful planning and structure, you can pass the exam with a minimum of stress and absorb more of the information you need to be a success in your chosen career. 

The very first thing you need is a study plan. Assess your daily obligations; many people devote months to their studies and ignore the other things they need to do every day. Distraction sets in; catch-up becomes tedious and interferes with studies. List your normal schedule and then assign a daily time for study, usually 90-120 minutes. By establishing a routine, you have study time allotted and everything else that can distract you has already been taken care of. 

Why assign a time limit for study? There are only so many hoops you can make your brain jump through before it tires and begins to stumble. Just like pushing yourself physically, after awhile pushing yourself mentally becomes redundant and you start to lose the progress you’ve made. By limiting your study time, you actually increase your retention and the amount of knowledge you can absorb! 

If your goal is to be the best Project Manager you can be this may be one of the most important things you can do for your future. You’ll only need sixty one percent to pass the exam but if you want to enjoy being the very best at what you’ve chosen to do, aim a lot higher. 

Setting weekly goals and keeping track of your progress will not only encourage you as you study, you’ll be able to make the most of your time and study more effectively. Instead of skipping around and perhaps missing an important area of study, you’ll cover everything thoroughly. 

It would be a good idea before you begin to make a chart of your objectives, week by week. This will help you to focus on daily goals but be sure not to cram too much into each session. You will retain much more by concentrating on one subject at a time. Since you need to learn so many things about so many subjects, it may be best to divide the subjects into categories that make sense to you. If there is something of particular interest to you that you really enjoy, you might place it in such a way that it “rewards” you after an especially difficult section of study. 

Repetition is another good technique for solidifying your new knowledge. Believe it or not, repeating a fact to yourself creates a neural pathway that your memory can travel again. Rather than “burning” it into your memory, you’re clearing a trail through the undergrowth with the important knowledge at the end of the path. By repeating something to yourself or writing it on paper, you’re walking it home where it will stay as long as you visit it occasionally. 

It’s best to practice repetition every day for at least a month and ideally for two months. If possible, you should do your repetitive mental calisthenics when you first get up, as the brain is at its most receptive immediately upon awakening. Plus, relaxing in bed for ten minutes while you mentally repeat what you want to remember can be very pleasant and reinforce a positive outlook toward your PMP test! 

You have undoubtedly heard of PMP boot camps, 2-5 day cram courses for the exam that can cost thousands of dollars and claim a 95% pass rate. Most boot camps base most of their class time on the PMBOK, which is available for much less than the cost of a boot camp. By reading through and highlighting the most important passages, you’ll probably learn nearly as much for a fraction of the price of a boot camp. You would be better advised to make your plan, establish a routine, break your learning into small chunks and reinforce your learning through repetition. 

A very important last suggestion–everyone needs a break. Even if you’re enjoying your studies, you should take at least one full day a week to get completely away from it and do other things. It doesn’t have to be a big production or cost a lot of money; a morning walk, reading, a movie, a play, or anything that truly relaxes and refreshes you is just as important as the work you do the rest of the week.

Article Source: 
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com 
http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com 

About the Author:
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP is a noted PMP expert. He is the host of The PM Podcast at www.thepmpodcast.com where you can hear his free interviews with PM experts from around the world. His PM PrepCast at www.pm-prepcast.com has also helped over 2,000 project managers to prepare for the PMP exam.

PMP Certification Study Help

Jacquelyn Donner

A good PMP simulation program should be the next step in studying for a candidate for the PMP examination. Next, consider studying more using a pmp exam simulation program to practice in the same environment as the actual test. The questions developed for the PMP simulation program are based on the official pmp questions and answers developed by PMI. Remember, there will also be situational questions which put you in the role of a project manager at work and ask you what you would be in certain situations. The values, professionalism, tools and procedures of the project management institute is the core of the questioning of the project management professional examination. 

It is great to evaluate your study progress and how well you have been preparing using the process you have now. Some candidates analyze the value of the books, seminars and other programs effect on their actual performance on a real exam. The project plans entire point is to communicate essentials to the project members. Proper documentation and maintenance of the project plan and all communication related to it can aid if disputes arise between vendors, stakeholders and management. 

As a project manager you spend a great deal of your time communicating with project members, management and stakeholders. You need to take cultural differences, communication errors and walls and the message from the receivers point of view all into account when trying to get your point across. Develop a communication plan with which you can successfully relate information to everyone involved in the project. The plan will have a schedule of when the needs for the project will be met and who is assigned to them. How do you as a project manager, obtain materials needed for project completion? You should have a plan in place to select and process only the appropriate quality materials to be used in the project. 

How are you soliciting bids from contractors and selecting them, is it based on recommendations, availability of resources or proximity to workplace. The project plan must be maintained and watched carefully by the project manager, the plan can be continually elaborated until the project is eventually finalized. Constraints and requirements must be factored in to the plan in the beginning because it is better to beware of issues before they happened rather than be surprised. Additional planning outputs, stakeholder changes, regulations and concepts, technical decisions and quality and other standards must be held for future planning, inspection and reference.

Article Source: 
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com 
http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com 

About the Author:
Special pmp certification offer to help you pass the PMP exam on your first try. http://www.pmsimulation.com Jacquelyn Donner, PMP

A PMP Simulator Can Help you Assess Your Readiness for the PMP Certification

Jacquelyn Donner

A PMP simulator can help you assess your readiness for the project management professional examination. Candidates for the exam can now maximize their study efforts and time. The interface of an actual exam simulation that is similar to that of the actual test given by PMI is more dynamic than just using a book or questions on paper. 

With its flexible usage and wireless programming, you can use the program on the go or at work. The questions themselves are developed by Project management experts and often come endorsed by authoritative professionals. The questioning, answers and structure is similar to that of the actual exam administered by the project management institute that accredits project managers. The timer functions of most PMP simulation programs allow you to simulate similar conditions to that of on test day. Let us analyze the work breakdown structure which is a reoccurring theme on the pmp exam. What are the functional requirements and design plan for the overall project. The WBS begins at the start of the project and continues to guide the project throughout. It defines the type of organization structure that the project manager must work in. 

The organizational structure can be matrix, projectized or functional structures. The schedule of the project estimates how long the project will take and takes into account available resources and constraints. Individual deadlines are set for specific project attributes to make sure the project stays on track. The project manager should be able to make a prediction as to when the project will be completed. What is the base-line or basis for the project completion date. Project managers should use lessons learned, personal experience and project tools to estimate when the project will most likely be completed. 

The demands of the stakeholders, management, cost and project members must also be accounted for by the project manager. The formal, documented plan must be approved by management before the project can start the first step and continue. The project scope document is a higher level statement that will be a reference throughout the project. The scope gives reasons for deliverable in the project and detailed project objectives. 

The plan must contain budget estimations, project schedule estimations, project dates for set beginning and end and the responsibility of each person involved in the project. The baseline and lessons learned should also be completed for the project scope. The experience will be useful in future projects and helpful to the Project management knowledge base.

Article Source: 
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com 
http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com 

About the Author:
Special pmp exam simulation offer to help you pass the PMP exam on your first try. http://www.pmsimulation.com Jacquelyn Donner, PMP

PMP Practice for Project Management Professional Certification

Jacquelyn Donner

If you are considering taking the PMP exam for project management professional certification, consider using a pmp simulation program. By preparing in the exact environment that you will be exposed to on test day you are maximizing your study efforts. Candidates become accustomed to the official PMP exam through taking as many tests as possible, with timers, review options and everything included. Many people simply use the official PMBOK guide to study for the PMP exam. This is a good guide to PMI fundamentals and considered the standard for project managers. The problem is, many people have trouble understanding the material in the PMBOK because of its complex and scientific approach to project management concepts. Also many project managers do not use the PMI approaches in their own workplace. This can be very difficult and almost seem like culture shock because definitions, terms , formulas and approaches are taught from the PMI point of view. 

The pmp exam will have some questions concerning what to document and when It should be documented. Project assumptions are issues that should be documented by the project manager. Assumptions can include estimating, schedule issues and project plan issues. Assumptions often include various levels of risk and can effect the entire project. Each person has an individual effect on the project and each person has their own role and responsibility in contributing to the project. The project manager is the leader and aids in the organization of the project and members. The manager uses expert judgment to guide the project from beginning to end including planning, execution and closure. The project manager must have the foresight to see and take risk of the project into account as early as in the planning stages. The project managers approach to the project plan can be based on a checklist and tackle simple or complex requirements. 

The final customer or stakeholders give their requirements and objectives to the project and should work directly with the project manager to ensure their requirements are clearly established and met. Stakeholders have a direct and concrete involvement in the project creation and execution. The end product or project results should be in line with stakeholder requirements and rules. Project managers should carefully interview stakeholders and analyze answers to project questions to get a clear picture of what stakeholders truly need. 

Experience at a number of companies reveals some best practices or standards against which we should benchmark our own approach to project deployment. Our deployment may differ from standard practice. In some cases we may find that we should adjust our approaches to align our deployment plan with standard practice. In other cases, we may need to deploy project management differently in a given area to reflect important differences in the organization, its industry, and its state of capability. In other words, while there is no one method for deploying project management, there are some good practices we should understand and use wherever it make sense (keeping in mind that often we “won’t know what we don’t know” about deployment and, therefore, need to understand well the lessons learned at other companies). The material outlined in this section is meant to spark thinking each Group needs to produce a detailed deployment manual of its own.

Article Source: 
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com 
http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com 

About the Author:
Special pmp exam simulation offer to help you pass the PMP exam on your first try. http://www.pmsimulation.com Jacquelyn Donner, PMP

Public Speaking is a Vital Part of Project Management

John Mce

For many of us the notion of speaking to a large crowd is very daunting and not something we would choose to do for fun, however public speaking is an essential skill for any project manager and therefore to lead a successful team it is a fear that must be conquered.  

It doesn’t matter whether you’re addressing thousands of people at a public assembly or simply discussing project plans with your team at work; if you can’t express yourself clearly and confidently the content of what you say will be lost entirely. 

This brings us on to the first point and the main factor in delivering a successful speech – your confidence. If you are not confident in what you are saying then how do you expect your listeners to be? This heavily depends on the content of your speech, but for arguments sake let’s say that you believe in what you’re saying; now you need to convey this in your tone of voice. Be passionate and enthusiastic, this will transpire over to your piers and hopefully make them feel the same. There are a myriad of things you can do to give yourself confidence, such as presenting yourself well, preparing thoroughly before hand and knowing your audience. 

Simple social techniques can be employed between you as the speaker and your audience. Eye contact is a vital and often overlooked aspect which will quickly and easily bridge the gap between you and your listeners; remember all their eyes are on you so simply returning this gesture can maintain their attention. If you are nervous at the beginning concentrate on a familiar face before moving on to others. Interaction such as asking questions, or opening up a dialogue between you and your audience will also help to get them involved and make them invest in what you have to say. 

Everyone tends to talk extremely fast when they are nervous during public speaking in order to get the ordeal over and done with as soon as possible however you must refrain from this common mistake. You need to pace yourself, take deep breaths before you begin and control your breathing while you are speaking. A calmly delivered speech will be listened to, whereas a rushed one will soon be forgotten, so pausing to gather your thoughts is a good idea. 

Props, visuals and other peripherals are excellent to maintain your audience’s attention and should augment what you are saying but not over shadow it. PowerPoint presentations are a good aid to illustrate key points in your speech and can provide brief relief from constant spiel but limit your usage of extras such as these because you do not want to detract from the power of the spoken word. 

These points are a good foundation for positive public speaking, there are of course hundreds of other aspects that can be taken into consideration.

Article Source: 
http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com 

About the Author:
John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including project management training and other courses. For more about this see P M Professional.

Is Project Management Software The Way Forward?

Shaun Parker

There has never been a time where a foot forward in business has been more vital. Efficiency is most certainly the key to maintaining a successful business, and through the use of IT solutions, project management, a key component in business, can be made easy. 

It is cost-effective and hassle free to have Project Management software designed specifically for your business, and it will make a significant difference to your business needs. 

Off the shelf Project Management software is, of course a cheaper alternative but may not fit every single need for your company and that is why bespoke software, made to fit your business is an option that many companies have been investing in. 

Project Accounting packages help eliminate those processing repetitions that waste resources and slow down business operations. Conversely, some processes can be lost through inefficient management systems, so Project Management software aims to improve efficiency throughout the entire business, synching all departments. 

Poor performing companies almost always communicate poorly from department to department, and this is largely due to having to use so many different software packages. Data either gets lost or forgotten about. 

But with a single software system that allows you to time record, plan and invoice, this eliminates the need to duplicate data, which saves time and also safeguards information. 

Tight integration within your accounts department will eliminate the possibility of over spending, thus improving the performance of your company. Also electronic data is more environmentally friendly and saves on paper costs. This may sound trivial from a financial point of view but a reduction in such sundries as paper over time can make a difference, especially during a time of economic downturn. 

Integrated systems allow a project plan to have its own task lists, calendar and messaging service which simplifies the organisation of a project, so employees understand their role on a particular project and everything is recorded, through a simple to use system. 
These systems can be integrated through an existing intranet also which will aid a company’s transition from existing software packages. There really are many ways that Project Management software can benefit your business. 

Companies may not be willing to splash out on such an expense given the current recession, but if it is clear that business is stalling and not running as smooth as you would like, then more efficient IT solutions would be able to improve business efficiency almost instantaneously, which in the long term would benefit the key areas of your business. 

Software development has moved at a frantic pace. It seems only a short while ago that companies would save vital information onto floppy disks that would be couriered over to other departments. We are now in an age where we have the technology to implement quick, efficient and safe methods of information transfer, so why complicate matters? 

Unify your database, accounts and diary into one, easy to use package and watch the performance of your company improve. By all means, search for off the shelf software packages that will suit your business, but for the best way to improve performance, Project Management software built to your business’s specification will make an immediate impact, ask any manager or CEO using an integrated system and they will echo this. The technology is there, so why not embrace it?

Article Source: 
http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com 

About the Author:
Shaun Parker is a leading business expert with many years of experience in the IT industry. Find out more about project management software at http://www.e1business.com

Managing Negativity in the Workplace

By Craig Price

There are a lot of various programs and books out there that claim they can eliminate all negativity. And while they are all well intentioned, they cannot deliver on that promise because negativity is a natural, ingrained thought process. You can’t get rid of it. Not completely, anyway. Even if you are able to miraculously suppress all your negative thoughts, negative things will still happen to you. It would be like claiming they can eliminate all sickness, war, and death from the world. It’s just not possible. But you can manage the negativity in your life. To manage negativity you need to admit that it exists and that it’s a part of life. Stuff happens. How we deal with that stuff is the key. Life isn’t always going to go as planned, so we need to learn how to play the cards we’re dealt, not hope and wish we had different cards. So how can we manage negativity?

1. Find the value. Everything has value. Everything. If you have fears, worries and doubts, it’s your brain telling you “Hey! This could be trouble!” Take a look at why you have those fears or worries. Understanding the cause can often neutralize it. Fear is not always a bad thing. Fear tells you to run out of a burning building. Fear tells you to put on your seat belt. Fear tells you to double check your work. Being cautious and avoid problems before they happen is a good thing. You need a few negative thoughts to keep yourself balanced, protected and prepared so if things don’t go as planned, you’re not blindside. Jumping into a situation without a backup plan can be catastrophic just as getting bogged down with too many horrible scenarios is ineffective too. A positive attitude combined with some negative thinking can lead to success. Isn’t that why people say “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst”?

2. Take action. And I certainly don’t mean taking action for action sake. That’s just silly and usually leads to wasted time and effort. But take action when negativity comes into play. It is when fear and negativity gets out of our control, stops us from taking action that it becomes an issue. Remember, side-stepping a problem, is still action. It may not have been “moving forward” (a mantra used much too often. Sometimes when you’re moving forward you step off cliffs), but a lateral move can sometimes be more effective. Why spend extra time and extra effort trying to correct mistakes we could have avoided with just a little foresight. Risk assessment is a huge part of our world. Taking a moment to think what could be the drawbacks of an idea is just as valuable as thinking of the rewards. It’s better to take a moment to think an idea through than rush a flawed idea into a major mistake.

3. Allow yourself the opportunity to fail. We can’t be all things to all people and we can’t accomplish every task we set out to do. Too many people strive for perfection when most tasks only require completion. By accepting the occasional failure, you won’t be as afraid to try. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but allowing yourself a chance to fail opens up unexpected results. While directing his mega-hit Jaws, Steven Spielberg discovered, a bit too late, that his mechanical shark wouldn’t work very well in the open water. It also looked obviously fake. Because of that failure, he had to shoot the film in an entirely different style. Instead of great shots of a ferocious monster throughout the film, the way he wanted, Steven (Yes, we’re on a first name basis, even if he doesn’t know it yet) had to completely change the style and feel of the movie since he couldn’t show you the shark. This breakdown of equipment made the movie more suspenseful and an instant classic!

Negative thinking can be a huge advantage to those who manage it properly. By finding the value in it, taking action and accepting the possibility of failure, negative thinking can have some very positive results. It can increase productivity, prevent problems and open up new, unexpected pursuits. Life is constantly about balance. And if you’re only allowing one side of your natural self to be used, while constantly trying to eliminate another, you’ll always be out of whack.

©Craig Price 2008

Craig Price is a speaker, trainer, and consultant. He specializes in taking your natural thought processes and turning them into productivity. Visit his website at Price Points
or his blog at
http://www.thepowerofnegativeblogging.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Price
http://EzineArticles.com/?Managing-Negativity-in-the-Workplace&id=1699415