Agile Beyond IT: Lean Thinking
1 year 36 weeks agoAgile is a mindset described by a set of values and principles. It traces its roots to Lean, which is also foundational to other modern management theories. Lean’s primary focus is delivering value quickly and eliminating waste.
Toyota was a Lean pioneer. Out of
The Conundrum of Three Point Estimation and PERT
1 year 38 weeks agoIs an estimate based on multiple points more accurate than a single estimate?
If we go with conventional wisdom then it certainly would seem so. A mean of more than one estimate is likely to give us better result.
In project management, there is a three-point estimation technique. It calculates the expected duration based on three different estimates. It calculates the mean of
Pick Your Battles Wisely
1 year 41 weeks agoConflict exists. It is a natural part of being human. It occurs at home and at work.
We disagree. We have different perspectives and opinions. We get upset by things that were said, or not said. These events arouse our emotions. We become angry or afraid.
When there is conflict, we cannot control the other
Gantt 101: Building a Better Project Schedule
1 year 45 weeks agoThe Gantt Chart is the most widely used project scheduling tool. It visually depicts the project’s activities, when they will occur, and their interdependencies. When used correctly, it is powerful. Unfortunately, most Gantts are poorly constructed,
How to remove suffixes from dates and display both dates for milestones in Primavera P6
1 year 51 weeks agoIf you came into Primavera P6 from a Microsoft Project background, you would have noticed that actual dates have the suffix “A” appended to them, and constrained dates also have an asterisk appended. And milestones have a blank date field depending on the type of milestone.
In this YouTube video, I will show you a trick you can use to
How to create a Lookahead Filter in Microsoft Project
2 years 1 week agoHow would you like to create a rolling date lookahead filter in Microsoft Project instead of using the default Date Range filter? Users of Primavera P6 are used to defining the criteria for lookahead filters using Data Date or Current Date and we can also do same in Microsoft Project using Status Date or Current Date rather
Economics 101 for Project Managers
2 years 2 weeks agoEconomics is the social science that studies making choices subject to constraints. Project, program, and portfolio managers make economic decisions daily. We try to maximize value delivery subject to the constraints of time, cost, quality, risk, and resource availability.
Economics can help project managers make more informed decisions. It
Quick Tip: How to trace out of sequence activities in Primavera P6
2 years 8 weeks agoIf your Primavera P6 schedule is set to use the Retained Logic for out of sequence activities and you notice that despite all the predecessors of an activity being 100% complete, the activity’s Start Date is not on the Data Date as one would expect or the Finish Date is much later than the
Improve Your Project Schedule
2 years 10 weeks agoLet’s be honest, most project schedules disappoint. They are unrealistic, complicated, and do not help guide execution. For decades, Gantt charts, network diagrams, and the critical path method have been the standard practices. Even with these powerful tools, only about half of all projects are completed on time, as reported in the
Making Ethical Project Decisions
2 years 15 weeks agoProject managers rarely face ethical dilemmas. We generally do not make life-or-death decisions or need to choose between “right” and “wrong.” However, we need to be prepared and have a framework for confronting these circumstances when they arise.
My career is probably more colorful than most:
I managed the United States Treasury securities’ auctions when the
