Project management - RTConfidence

What is the Limit to Project Risk Absorption? (Part 1)

Part 1 of 2: Individual Task Risk Tolerance (Part 2 of 2 is on Overall Project Risk Limits)! I believe that almost any Project Plan can be “balanced” if you ignore the Risks. Think about it – you can balance almost any Project’s Quality, Scope, Schedule, Resources and Costs if you absorb an unlimited amount… Continue reading What is the Limit to Project Risk Absorption? (Part 1)

What is the Limit to Project Risk Absorption? (Part 2)

Part 2 of 2: Overall Project Risk Limits (Part 1 of 2 is on Individual Task Risk Tolerance)! As mentioned in my original post (Part 1, regarding Individual Task Risks), I believe that almost any Project Plan can be “balanced” if you ignore the Risks. But most high-risk plans would not make sense if team… Continue reading What is the Limit to Project Risk Absorption? (Part 2)

Enable Success in Your Projects by Embracing Project Risk Management!

Participants in this session will learn how to identify, assess, and manage individual (i.e., task-level) and overall project risks then determine overall project risks. We will review relevant Tools & Techniques and provide examples of exercises. The primary learning objectives are: Knowing how to properly Plan, Identity, Assess, Respond, and Control individual task risks Being… Continue reading Enable Success in Your Projects by Embracing Project Risk Management!

Basic Tips for Building a Schedule

Building a credible project schedule can be challenging, even for experienced professionals. This essay explains a process I’ve refined and used with success for almost 30 years. Start with a well-defined project goal – There should be a clear written definition of the project that includes deliverables and success criteria before investing much time in… Continue reading Basic Tips for Building a Schedule

The Emptiness of Single Point Estimates

In freshman Physics, students learn not to report more precision in their answers than can be justified by the facts of the problem. Why are project managers still expected to report bogus completion dates that imply estimating precision that we don’t really have? How long does it take you to go from your front door to… Continue reading The Emptiness of Single Point Estimates

Unrealistic Schedules: It doesn’t have to be this way!

I’ve been beaten up in the “project management” business for over 25 years – and I discovered that there was no good reason for it! I’ve worked on technology development projects my entire career. It didn’t matter if the projects were large or small. Invariably, mid-way through the effort, it became obvious to everyone that we were driving toward unrealistic schedule goals. The options to recover a slipped schedule in the middle are always limited. In most cases, either the schedule… Continue reading Unrealistic Schedules: It doesn’t have to be this way!

Are your Projects employing “Best Practices”?

Project Postmortems which delve into the Technical issues (e.g., estimation errors, scope omissions, validation or qualification test gaps, test methodology issues, development process gaps, omitted or by-passed design rules, flawed analyses, etc.) are relatively easy to accept and implement – many of the necessary systemic changes are developed and implemented as the issues come up.… Continue reading Are your Projects employing “Best Practices”?

The Importance of Quality to project risk management.

Organizational Quality Systems cover many aspects of compliance. Many industries have established standards, and most companies establish their own. From a project life cycle standpoint, product quality includes meeting technical performance requirements and specifications, some of which are directed by industry compliance codes. Project teams are basically commissioned to establish objective criteria (via tests, analyses,… Continue reading The Importance of Quality to project risk management.

Why Supplier Management is so important to project risk management.

Project scope performed by suppliers can very likely be the riskiest activity on the project. There is a good chance that if your organization conducts very complex, risky development projects which require a multitude of technical subject matter expertise, some key aspect of the projects’ scope will need to be out-sourced. There is a tendency… Continue reading Why Supplier Management is so important to project risk management.

Why Good Communication is so important to project risk management.

There is a very good reason why PMs need to be good communicators – communication is vital to project success, especially on the more complex projects where team performance is highly scrutinized. Previous postings discussed some of the more critical communication items already – Priorities, Assumptions, Estimating and Planning, Change Management, and Risk Management. To… Continue reading Why Good Communication is so important to project risk management.