Project Management World Today Featured Papers
July/August 2005
Editorial | Viewpoints | Papers | Case Studies | Community | Scene | Publications
- What CEOs Must Demand To Compete and Collaborate in 2005 – Part 3 by Russ Archibald
- The Value Proposition of Outsourcing PMO Activities within Project Driven Organisations by Laurence Nicholson
- New PMP Exam Scoring, Eligibility Criteria, and Credentialing Process Announced by PMI by Walter Wawruck
- PMP ASAP! by Abby Herriman
- Maria and the Asp - A Study in Risk Management by Rob Zanfardino
- Five Facets of Successful Business Analysis by Elizabeth Larson and Richard Larson
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What CEOs Must Demand To Compete and Collaborate in 2005 – Part 3 by Russell D. Archibald, PMP, PMI Fellow
This paper is intended to provide chief executive officers (CEOs) and other senior executives with the understanding of what they must demand regarding project management within their organizations, today and in coming years, to compete and collaborate effectively within the realities of the Internet Age. It is also intended for use by project management professionals at all levels to communicate with their senior managers and convey to them the direction that the development of the project management discipline should be headed. The need is explored to simultaneously compete and collaborate in response to the challenges posed by the phenomena of the Internet and World Wide Web, together with ways that are open to the CEO to unleash the full power of project management to satisfy that need. The important linkage is illustrated between the organization’s mission, its business strategies, and the execution of those strategies through effective management of both the project portfolios and individual programs and projects. The underlying principles and practices of modern, integrated project management are presented in a manner that hopefully makes sense to CEOs and other senior executives, and the performance level that can be demanded for each of these principles and practices is presented as bench marks for the CEO to measure against.
This insightful paper by Russ Archibald is being published in three parts. Part 1 was published in the March-April edition of PM World Today: What CEOs Must Demand To Compete and Collaborate in 2005 – Part 1 Part 2 was published in the March-April edition of PM World Today: What CEOs Must Demand to Compete and Collaborate in 2005 – Part 2
Read the full text of Part 3 at: What CEOs Must Demand to Compete and Collaborate in 2005 – Part 3
About the Author:
Russell
D. Archibald , PMP, Fellow PMI and APM/IPMA, M.Sc. has held engineering
and executive positions in the defense, aerospace, refinery construction
and operations, automotive manufacturing and telecommunications industries.
He has consulted in project management to companies and agencies in twelve
countries on four continents, and has taught project management principles
and practices to thousands of managers and specialists around the world.
Russell is one of five founding PMI Trustees, PMI member number 6; author
of Managing High-Technology Programs and Projects, 3rd ed, Wiley 2003
(to be published in Russian, Italian and Chinese in 2004); co-author of
Network-Based Management Systems (PERT/CPM), Wiley 1967. Contact:
russell_archibald@yahoo.com or http://www.russarchibald.com
The Value Proposition of Outsourcing PMO Activities within Project Driven Organisations by Laurence Nicholson
One of the primary drivers for outsourcing any activity within an organisation is to reduce costs. Areas such as Finance, IT and procurement have been the usual targets for outsourcing in the past.
The core of a project management offering is the PMO or Project/Program Management Office. This can take typically one of four forms depending on the level of responsibility and accountability placed upon it by the business. At one end of the scale it can be a supporting service collecting and reporting data, or at the other end it can control the methodologies used as well as defining the standard templates and processes to be adhered to and be accountable for the project management community within the organisation.
There are three options when it comes to project management: keep it in-house, outsource it or use temporary employees as needed. Each company is different in terms of their needs, risk tolerance, standards and policies. Understanding your strategic direction and weighing the benefits of outsourcing should lead to the right decision for your company.
What is evolving is a complete ‘out of the box’ outsourced PMO, providing the number of Project resources required by the Project Portfolio operating within the organisation, from the coordinator to the program manager. The benefits are easy to see, including the use of consistent, standardised, best practice processes and templates and certified professional project management personnel.
Read the full text at The Value Proposition of Outsourcing PMO Activities within Project Driven Organisations
About the Author:
Laurence
Nicholson is a PMP and a Fellow of the Association of International Professional
Managers (FPMA). He has been leading international technology projects
for over 18 years at all levels, and 5 years ago was the first employee
of ‘Xoomworks’, a start-up Consultancy, where he now heads
the Project Management Practice as a Senior Manager.
New PMP® Exam Scoring, Eligibility Criteria, and Credentialing Process Announced by PMI®
On March 25, 2005, PMI announced the timing details for the transition to the updated Project Management Professional (PMP®) examination (referred to as the "2005 Examination") The new exam will deploy globally at 14.00 GMT on Friday, 30 September 2005. Five days prior, a "blackout" period (beginning on Sunday, 25 September 2005) will commence during which the PMP credential examination will be unavailable.
Candidates who do not receive a passing score on the current (2004) Examination, 68.5% of the questions correct, will be permitted to re-take the 2004 examination for a period of one year from the date of their last attempt. Those taking rewrites will be the only candidates allowed to write the 2004 exam after September 24, 2005.
It was further announced on May 17, 2005, that there will be a substantially higher passing score on the new exam: 81.7% of the questions correct. By July 18, 2005, the new passing score was amended down to 81.1 % of the questions correct. I have made an analysis, using historical data on exam performance, which suggests that out of a sample of 152 PMP's who passed the current version of the exam since March, 2002, 79 (52%) would have failed if the new passing score, 81.1% of the questions correct, had been in effect!.
Read the full text at New PMP® Exam Scoring, Eligibility Criteria, and Credentialing Process Announced by PMI®
PMP ASAP! by Abby Herriman
If you have considered getting PMP-certified but have been putting it off, the time to act is now. The clock is ticking down the final moments for the old exam based on the PMBOK 2000 Edition, and PMI has just announced some significant changes to the application and testing process that will make these certifications harder to get after September 30 of this year.
August 29 is the final day to submit your application to take the existing exam. You must test by September 24. Anyone failing the exam at that time will have one year to retake and pass the exam in the old format. All others taking the exam for the first time after September 30 will experience the new test.
As project managers, we always have other things to do. Existing projects can’t be abandoned, new projects have to get started and critical issues requiring your attention happen everywhere in between. Manage your certification like any other project. Plan the work, work the plan and finish before September 24. Find a PMP prep course, form a study group and just get it done. You – and your organization - will be glad you did.
Read the full text at PMP ASAP!
About the author:
Abby Herriman is the Director of Praxis Learning Networks. She is a
PMP-certified project manager as well as a Registered Education Provider
for the Project Management Institute. She teaches project managers at
all levels - primarily advanced project managers working toward PMP certification
and beyond. She has helped more than 150 project managers achieve certification
since she created the PMP Boot Camp and PMP Personal Coach programs.
Her application of Human Performance Technology and project management
maturity models have helped senior executives develop and grow project
management competency within their organizations to improve both project
outcomes for the organization and professional growth for the project
managers.
Maria and the Asp - A Study in Risk Management by Rob Zanfardino
There is an old fable about a peasant girl named Maria, who was asked to go collect fire wood along the mountain side in order for her family to be able to heat the farm house for the night. As she left to go out she was warned by her mother to be aware of the mountain asp that inhabits the hillside where the wood was to be collected. While Maria was collecting the firewood, she came across the asp. Being advised of the perils regarding the asp and heeding the warnings, Maria made sure she gave the asp enough room to avoid being bitten. As she passed by the asp and keeping a close eye on it, the asp turned to her and spoke out, ”Please help me” it is very cold and if you do not keep me warm I will surely die.” Maria hesitated and again heeding the warning of her mother said to the asp “If I pick you up you will surely bite me and I will die.” “No, No”, said the asp,”someone as kind as you does not deserve to be bitten by me and therefore I will not harm you.” Maria looking down upon the asp, saw how beautiful it was and believing something that pretty could not harm her she bent down to pick up the asp and went on her way. As Maria proceeded to pick up her wood for the evening fire she felt a sharp pain on her side. As she fell to the ground she realizes she was bitten by the mountain asp. Once on the ground the asp slithers from Maria’s pocket. With her last gasp of air Maria called out to the asp, “Why did you bite me after I have befriended you as I did?” The coiling asp turns around to Maria hissing and said, “You knew what I was when you picked me up, so why should my biting you be a surprise.”
Old fables have a way of resurfacing with each generation and are used to demonstrate new life experiences and this one is no exception. But how does it apply to the project manager and the team? One of the most important tasks you will have on each project is the mitigation of risks. Some you will know by having made them in the past and from the wisdom of past mistakes know how to plan for them. Others will be new and a total surprise. Unfortunately like Maria and the mountain asp fable, some of you will minimize or trivialize some of the risks and those will be the ones that will bite you.
Read the full text at Maria and the Asp - A Study in Risk Management
About the Author:
Robert
J. Zanfardino, Senior Project / Program Manager, has worked with multi
billion dollar corporations such as IBM, Gentiva Health Services, CompuCom,
and Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as smaller midsize companies while
managing his own consulting company. This deep range of experiences over
the years developed Rob into a Senior Advisor playing pivotal roles by
identifying new strategies and methodologies within corporations as they
effect the project life cycle. His ability to envision long term solutions
combined with structuring sensible implementation plans have made Rob
a valued asset and "Go To" resource. As an Adjunct Professor
focusing on Business Process Management methodologies, Rob has devised
quality strategies used to streamline processes that focus on the customer's
needs. Rob is currently consulting with corporations enhancing their
IT/IS projects, project management offices, and business process methodologies.
Rob can be contacted at: 845-226-6074 or email: zanfardino4@earthlink.net.
The Five Facets of Business Analysis by Elizabeth Larson & Richard Larson
Gathering and managing client requirements is one of the most difficult and critical aspects for any project. For a project to be successful, the needs and goals for the product being built must be understood and translated into complete specifications from which the product can be built. You can build anything with quality and sophistication – whether it is software, a house, or a car, etc. – but if the needs of the client aren’t met, the product will either be reworked or scrapped, and the project called a failure.
This 5-part article presents the critical factors for quickly nailing requirements. It will focus on how effective business analysis can supply the missing ingredients to reduce or eliminate challenged projects, capture vital functionality, and produce happier clients. The article covers what the authors call the 5 essential “Ts” of requirements.
1. Time
2. Technique
3. Talent
4. Traceability
5. Trust
Requirements are not easy things to understand and capture. They take time to discover and understand, especially when only one or two techniques are used. Multiple, proven methods that complement each other can help accelerate the discovery process and contribute to more complete requirements at the same time.
Read the full text at The Five Facets of Business Analysis
About the Authors
Elizabeth
Larson and Richard Larson, co-principals of Edina-based Watermark Learning,
have over 25 years each of experience in business, project management,
business analysis, and training/consulting. They have presented numerous
workshops, seminars, and presentations to over 10,000 participants on
project management, requirements analysis, and related subjects.
Contact Elizabeth Larson at
elarson@watermarklearning.com
Contact Rich Larson at
rlarson@watermarklearning.com
or (952) 921-0900 ext. 203.
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