Author: Lisa
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Writing the Work Breakdown Structure
The WBS is a mythic document in Project Management. Every text reminds us that the WBS is the foundation of the project plan. But what the heck is it? Perhaps appropriately, I’ve found a lot of mythology on this topic. So let’s talk about what it is and how to build it. I should begin…
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Involve Your Customers
First and foremost, this means listening to your customers. Early on in the project, your team must spend time with customers and end users. Make sure the project team understands the requirements from the users’ point of view. As you move from planning into project development, try to create prototypes of the end product. If…
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Inspirational Thoughts on Leadership
My friend, Jack Perron, sent me this excerpt from a sweet book called The Willows and Beyond by William Horwood. The book is a sequel to Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. For best comic effect, take a moment to read these inspirational words on leadership out loud. In this scene, Toad (who has…
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Project Risk and Task Estimation
It’s common knowledge that I love Liquid Planner. In my opinion, it allows me to to do magic and foresee the future. ::geek mode on:: Liquid Planner allows you to use probabalistic modeling for any or every task in your schedule. This means that instead of saying that a task will take 5 days, you…
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Having a Vision
Your team has a good project, one you believe in and which will help your organization to achieve its goals. The next step is to write a good vision statement. You may think that everyone understands where the project is going, but folks are probably more confused than you think. Here’s Scott Berkun on the…
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On Being a Change Agent
When I introduce project management to my students, I always tell them that my goal in the course is not just to teach them how to do project management. My goal is to change their lives. In part, this is because learning project management is about becoming empowered. No longer will you feel that you…