Change Management Process

By Nick Jenkins

The basis of change management is to have a clear process which everyone understands. It need not be bureaucratic or cumbersome but it should be applied universally and without fear of favour.

The basic elements of a change process are:

• What is under change control and what is excluded ?
• How are changes requested ?
• Who has the authority to approve or reject changes ?
• How are decisions upon approval or rejection are documented and disseminated ?
• How changes are implemented and their implementation recorded ?

The process should be widely understood and accepted and should be effective without being bureaucratic or prescriptive. It is important for the project team to be seen to be responsive to client needs and nothing can hurt this more than an overly-officious change control process. Change is inevitable in a project and while you need to control it you do not want to stifle it.

A typical process might be as minimal as the following:

1. Once a project document has been signed-off by stakeholders, a change to it requires a mandatory change request to be logged via email. The request will include the nature of the change, the reason for the change and an assessment of the urgency of the change.
2. A “change control board” consisting of the development manager, test lead and a product manager will assess the issue and approve or reject each request for change. Should more information be required a member of the change control board will be assigned to research the request and report back.
3. No change request should be outstanding for more than a week.
4. Important or urgent requests should be escalated through the nearest member of the change control board.
5. Each change which is accepted will be discussed at the weekly development meeting and a course of action decided by the group. Members of the development team will then be assigned to implement changes in their respective areas of responsibility.

If you have a flexible change request process team members can be encouraged to use it to seek additional information or clarification where they feel it would be useful to communicate issues to the whole project team.

Change Management - Introduction

By Nick Jenkins

A project of any significant length will necessarily deviate from its original plan in response to circumstances. This is fine as long as the change is understood. If the change is not managed but is happens at a whim, it is no longer a project, it’s anarchy!

Change management is a way of assessing the implications of potential changes and managing the impact on your project. For example a change in client requirements might mean a minor fix or it might mean a complete re-write of the design. Change management gives you a process to evaluate this and introduce the change in a controlled fashion.

Since change is inevitable you need a fluid way to handle the inputs to your project. It is important that the inputs to your project, your requirements and your design, are able to handle change and evolve over time. If your inputs are static, unchangeable documents then you are going to be hamstrung by their inability to keep pace with changing circumstances in your project.

The most important aspect of change control is to actually be able to know what has changed. On one product I worked with 30 or more programmers and there was no real change control. Every day the programmers would check in changes to the software and every night we used to run mammoth automated tests, processing 1.5 million data files and producing about 500 lines of test reports.

One day we’d come in and find that our results had improved 10-20% overnight. The next day we’d come back to find the product had crashed after the first thirty minutes and was unusable. The problem was we didn’t know who or what was responsible, there was no change control. Eventually we implemented a system and were able to make solid progress towards our goals.

Change Management - Tracking Change

By Nick Jenkins

To make change management easy you need a simple method of tracking, evaluating and recording changes. This can be a simple database or log but in large projects it has evolved into an customised information system in its own right.

As such the system needs to be able to handle:

• Logging requests for changes against products and documentation
• Recording and managing the priority of a particular change
• Logging the decision of a change management authority
• Recording the method and implementation of change
• Tracking implemented changes against a particular version of the product or document

The more structured a system the more secure the change control process, but obviously the more overhead. A balance must be struck between the enforcement of proper procedure and responsiveness of the system.

Change management systems are useful for managing everyone’s expectations too. Often decisions are requested by stakeholders or clients and if proper consultation is not entered into they can sometimes assume they will automatically be included (just because they asked for it). If the volume of change requests is particularly high (as it often is) communicating what’s in and what’s out manually can be difficult. A simple, well understood change management system can often be directly used by stakeholders to log, track and review changes and their approval. This is particularly true for projects that span disparate geographical locations where meetings may not be possible.

In many projects the change management system can be linked to (or is part of) a defect tracking system. Since resolution of a defect is, in effect, a request for change both can often be handled by he same system. The change and defect tracking system can also be linked with version control software to form what is commonly known as a Software Configuration Management (SCM) system. This integrated system directly references changes in the software against specific versions of the product or system as contained in its version control system. The direct one-to-one reference cuts down on management overhead and maintenance and allows the enforcement of strict security on allowable

Procurement Management in Project Management

By Joseph Phillips

I know lots of people who like to go shopping. One person (who shall remain nameless, but her initials are LISA) plans her vacations based on the shopping malls in the vicinity of her hotel. She buys an extra seat for the flight home, just to carry all of her new shoes and fancy outfits.

As a project manager, you can’t go project shopping just because shoes are on sale. While sales are good, they don’t always help the project to acquire the things it needs to reach project closure.

There’s nothing better than finding a sale on the hardware or software that your project needs, but you and I know that’s just not the way technology and procurement usually works. We have to shop, compare, evaluate, and eventually cough up the cash to get what our projects need.

But here’s some Econ 101 for you: Prices are affected by supply and demand, pending changes, and other factors, from government regulations to the economy as a whole.

Generally, three specific conditions affect how much you pay for the things your project needs:

• Sole source. In this condition, you’ll likely pay big bucks. Sole source means there is only one qualified seller in the market. This is supply and demand at its finest. If your project needs a Cisco CCIE-certified consultant who must also know how to program in COBOL, speak Spanish, and cook spaghetti for up to forty people, and must live local to your firm, those are some high requirements—you’ll likely have to pay a higher dollar for this expert than for your average spaghetti-cooking hack.

• Single source. You’re in love. When there’s a single source provider, your organization prefers to work with this provider even though other providers may be less costly or more qualified. The danger is that your single source provider may know your attachment and take advantage of the situation. Or get lax in their commitment to quality. Or go out of business.

• Oligopoly. This market condition means that there are so few providers of the particular good or service that the events, actions, or circumstances of one seller affect the events, actions, or circumstances of the other sellers. Examples: Airline fares; oil prices; hardware costs; or possibly availability of spaghetti-cooking, COBOL-programming CCIEs who live in your neighborhood. 

Parents' income, education affect kids' health

It’s no surprise that children born to poor and uneducated parents are more likely to be in bad health and die as infants than children of the wealthy and educated. But a new study released Tuesday (Oct. 7) says parents’ income and education are so linked to their children’s health that there’s even a significant difference between the health of middle-class children versus that of their wealthier counterparts.

“The public should not be shocked that children in poor families have worse health than children in better-off families…However, it will be startling to most people to learn that children in middle-class families have worse health than children in wealthier families,” said Paula Braveman, one of the authors of the report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America.

 

“It vividly illustrates how much parents’ income and education levels matter when it comes to children’s health,” she said. “They matter a lot.”

 

The health of American children is a matter of concern, made worse by the disparities that exist between poor kids and rich kids, the report found.

 

The authors warned that the sources of health disparities are so entrenched that a major expansion of health care alone would not close the gap. They said in a conference call to discuss the findings that although policymakers, including the presidential candidates, are focused on improving health care, the problem needs to be tackled by changing underlying social conditions.

 

“Even if we had equal access to health care, we’d still have disparities and shortfalls in health,” said David Williams, the commission's staff director. “It’s not just access to health care, it’s where you live, learn, work, play and worship.”

 

For example, the report authors said, children in unsafe neighborhoods have less access to parks and other recreational centers, and grocery stories in poor neighborhoods probably don’t sell healthy foods like fresh fruit. Children born to less-educated parents also are more likely to be pick up unhealthy habits and be exposed to secondhand smoke.

 

The report looked at infant mortality and children’s health. Nationwide, 6.5 out of 1,000 infants die before their first birthdays, a problem that is worst in Mississippi, which has the highest overall infant mortality rates: 9.9 deaths every 1,000 live births. Massachusetts has the lowest level, 4.6 deaths per 1,000 infants.  

 

The report also correlated these rates to how many years of schooling the mother completed. In Tennessee, for example, the infant mortality rate for mothers with less than a high school education was 11.7 deaths per 1,000 infants; that rate fell to 4.9 deaths for mothers who at least had a bachelor’s degree.

 

The report also compared numbers of children with “optimal” health — based on parents’ assessment of whether their children’s health ranged from “excellent” to “poor” — with family incomes ranging from the federal poverty level to those making more than four times as much. (The report authors said using parents’ assessments highly correlates with more objective measures of health.)

 

Nationwide, 15.9 percent of children aren’t at optimal health. Among the states, Texas has the biggest percentage of children with less-than-optimal health — 22.8 percent — followed closely by California (22.5 percent) and Nevada (20.4 percent).  

 

Once income is considered, the three states also have the largest percentages of poor kids with less than good health: 44.1 percent of poor Texan children, 43.5 percent of Nevadans and 41 percent of poor Californian kids have less-than-perfect health.

 

This results in some of the biggest “health gaps” between the percentage of poor and rich children with imperfect health, according to the report. In Texas, 44.1 percent of poor children have less-than-optimal health, while only 6.7 percent of children in high-income families are at that level.

 

The states with the biggest health gaps comprise a wide swath of the South and Southwest. States in the upper Midwest, northern Great Plains and Northeast have the smallest gaps between poor and rich kids when it comes to health.

 

In Vermont, only 6.9 percent of children are considered not healthy, followed by New Hampshire (8.3 percent), Maine (9.1 percent) and North Dakota (9.2 percent).

Celebrating higher education day

State officials are offering Wisconsin students several events outlining the benefits of higher education, how to save money for college and what is important about financial aid programs throughout today.

This is the third annual “Higher Education Day,” declared by State Treasurer Dawn Sass who said in a statement this day would encourage students of all ages to take advantage of the higher education opportunities available throughout Wisconsin.

Secretary of State Doug La Follete will visit three Madison high schools to discuss the significance of higher education and how students can best access resources to help overcome challenges posed in today’s competitive world.

Megan Perkins, director of EdVest, Wisconsin’s college savings plan, said state officials are in a “lucky position” because they can bring things that are “important in our state” to the attention of citizens.

“They sign the proclamation every year. … They have a voice that people really listen to, so it’s sort of their obligation to help show the amazing programs that already exist and bring awareness to the things we need to work on,” Perkins said.

Events will also be held throughout the University of Wisconsin System, outlining how receiving an upper-level education is a benefit, as well as how it profits the community as a whole, Perkins added.

Conrad Clifton, professor of higher education and educational leadership at UW, said due to higher education, Wisconsin is a much “richer state” and citizens are more committed to the common good rather than solely the good of the marketplace. People are more invested in their civic responsibilities and, in turn, are less likely to cause trouble in society, Clifton said.

“We underestimate the societal benefits of having more educated citizenry and overlook the invisible benefits to the individuals who clearly lead richer and more robust lives due to their higher education,” Clifton said.

The program will draw more attention to benefits beyond being caught up in the corporate aspect of the university, he added.

Clifton said creating a designated “Higher Education Day” draws attention to how community members are able to contribute to the quality of life in Wisconsin. The events aim to highlight how a post-secondary education will help shape students into future leaders and successful workers in society.

A higher level of education provides students with essential learning skills that lay the foundation for a future successful career, and receiving an upper-level education provides students with access to more and better jobs, Clifton said.

“Our universities do some very special things, and this whole project is aimed at helping parents, teachers, students and business leaders understand that our students come out of their university education with the skills they need to be effective in the real world,” said Elaine Klein, assistant dean at the UW College of Letters and Science.

The UW Financial Aid office will host an all-day open house in the office lobby and a table at fountain plaza to distribute candy and discuss financial aid programs.

A Financial Aid 101 program will be held at the Financial Aid Education Center at 2300 S. Park St. to talk about different types of financial aid, how to apply and the value of student loans.

Project Management - How to Avoid Dead Projects

I visit many different organizations over the course of the year. As I begin working with a client, inevitably someone whispers to me, “Can you help kill my project?” I don’t normally kill projects, but some folks are so desperate to stop working on already-dead projects, they think a consultant can help. These people can see the misalignment in their organization — between the projects the organization requires and the funded projects — but they think they need outside help to stop working on hopeless projects.

You can identify the already-dead projects yourself, by asking some questions.

1. When is this project due? Can I ship this project in time to meet its release date?

   If you haven’t started a project in time to meet its release date, you are creating a dead project. If you can’t meet a project’s release date, don’t start it. At least, don’t start it under no-win conditions. Make sure the project environment (staffing, tools, and other resources) will support the release date.

   If you can’t release this project in time to meet its due date, have you explained when you can release the project, given its current state? Come to think of it, have you explained what it will take to release the project at all?

   If you can’t figure out a way to make the project succeed, it will become an already-dead project.

2. Is the project feasible? Does anyone have the technical knowledge to do the project?

   If you haven’t done all the necessary investigation, you don’t really know whether the project is do-able. It’s a good idea to go back and look at when the project was funded and under what circumstances. You may want to talk to those people and ask what made them fund the project. It may be that your project goal should be to do more research, not to release a usable product.

   If the project is not feasible (an “otherworld” project), see if you can figure out how to bring it back down to earth, to what is feasible. This is also a good time to ask for help. Chances are good no one else in your organization knows what to do either. If you don’t ask for help, you will continue to work on a dead project.

3. Will the final project meet the needs of the customers?

   If you don’t know who your customers are, or you haven’t talked to them in six months, you will not deliver what your customers want. This is a slow, but sure, way to create a dead project.

   Find out who your customers are, and keep talking to them. Involve them in the user interface development, in the attributes of the system (how fast, how much load the system can sustain, how reliable it needs to be, and so on), and what the system will provide.

To avoid creating or working on dead projects, make sure you

1. can accomplish your project in the allotted time,
2. can perform the project work (or know someone who can), and
3. know who your customer is and what she or he wants.

Managing an Outsourced Project - what are the issues?

Outsourcing of project work is more common today than ever. However, even though you outsource the work, you cannot completely outsource your obligation to make sure the project is progressing smoothly. If all goes well with the outsourcer, you do not have much work to do. Unfortunately, in many instances, the outsourcing vendor does not perform against expectations. If that happens, you want to know about it as soon as possible. For the purposes of this discussion, let us assume that your company has outsourced a project, or a portion of a project. Your company has also asked you to manage the relationship to ensure the vendor performs as expected.

Many people are not sure what they should be doing when they are asked to manage an outsourcing relationship. Part of the uncertainty is because some of the project roles are reversed when you outsource work to a third-party. On a normal internal project, the project manager assigns the work and manages issues, scope, risk, quality, etc. The project manager makes sure work is done on time and the project is progressing as it should. He is held accountable for the success of the project. Other people perform a quality assurance role to make sure things are progressing as they should.

With an outsourced project, the vendor takes on the direct management of the outsourced work. The client project manager is now the one that has to ask the quality assurance questions to make sure the vendor project is progressing as it should. Some of the up-front questions to ask include:

*

Is there a contractual agreement that spells out the expectations of both parties in terms of deliverables to be produced, deadlines, payment schedule, completeness and correctness criteria, etc?
*

Has a comprehensive project schedule been created?
*

What is the Project Management Plan the vendor will use to control the project?
*

Has the vendor been clear on what resources will be needed from your company and when they will be needed?
*

Have a number of agreed-upon milestones been established to review progress so far and validate that the project is on-track for completion?

Ongoing Questions

As the project is progressing, you must continue to ask questions to determine the current state of the work. You may have status meetings weekly, but there should be a formal quality assurance check at the end of every agreed-upon milestone. The types of questions you would ask at every milestone include:

*

Have the deliverables specified in the Project Charter been completed up to this point?
*

Have the appropriate deliverables been agreed to and approved by the company?
*

If the vendor has met expectations up to this point, have any interim payments been released?
*

Can the vendor clearly explain where the project is vs. where it should be at this time?
*

Will all the future deliverables specified in the Project Charter be completed?
*

Are issues, scope, and risks being managed as stated in the Project Management Plan?
*

Should the contract or Project Charter be updated to reflect any major changes to the project?

Once you understand your role on the project, it is easier to ask the right questions to make sure that everything is progressing as it should.



From: www.TenStepGlobalPartners.com

Muslims were using Nano-Technology 400 years ago

In medieval times, crusading Christian knights cut a swathe through the Middle East in an attempt to reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims. The Muslims in turn cut through the invaders using a very special type of sword, which quickly gained a mythical reputation among the Europeans. These 'Damascus blades' were extraordinarily strong, but still flexible enough to bend from hilt to tip. And they were reputedly so sharp that they could cleave a silk scarf floating to the ground, just as readily as a knight's body.

They were superlative weapons that gave the Muslims a great advantage, and their blacksmiths carefully guarded the secret to their manufacture. The secret eventually died out in the eighteenth century and no European smith was able to fully reproduce their method.

Two years ago, Marianne Reibold and colleagues from the University of Dresden uncovered the extraordinary secret of Damascus steel - carbon nanotubes. The smiths of old were inadvertently using nanotechnology.

Damascus blades were forged from small cakes of steel from India called 'wootz'. All steel is made by allowing iron with carbon to harden the resulting metal. The problem with steel manufacture is that high carbon contents of 1-2% certainly make the material harder, but also render it brittle. This is useless for sword steel since the blade would shatter upon impact with a shield or another sword. Wootz, with its especially high carbon content of about 1.5%, should have been useless for sword-making. Nonetheless, the resulting sabres showed a seemingly impossible combination of hardness and malleability.

Reibold's team solved this paradox by analysing a Damascus sabre created by the famous blacksmith Assad Ullah in the seventeenth century, and graciously donated by the Berne Historical Museum in Switzerland. They dissolved part of the weapon in hydrochloric acid and studied it under an electron microscope. Amazingly, they found that the steel contained carbon nanotubes, each one just slightly larger than half a nanometre. Ten million could fit side by side on the head of a thumbtack.

Carbon nanotubes are cylinders made of hexagonally-arranged carbon atoms. They are among the strongest materials known and have great elasticity and tensile strength. In Reibold's analysis, the nanotubes were protecting nanowires of cementite (Fe₃C), a hard and brittle compound formed by the iron and carbon of the steel. That is the answer to the steel's special properties - it is a composite material at a nanometre level. The malleability of the carbon nanotubes makes up for the brittle nature of the cementite formed by the high-carbon wootz cakes.

It isn't clear how ancient blacksmiths produced these nanotubes, but the researchers believe that the key to this process lay with small traces of metals in the wootz including vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt and nickel. Alternating hot and cold phases during manufacture caused these impurities to segregate out into planes. From there, they would have acted as catalysts for the formation of the carbon nanotubes, which in turn would have promoted the formation of the cementite nanowires. These structures formed along the planes set out by the impurities, explaining the characteristic wavy bands, or damask (see image at top), that patterns Damascus blades.

By gradually refining their blade-making skills, these blacksmiths of centuries past were using nanotechnology at least 400 years before it became the scientific buzzword of the twenty-first century. The ore used to produce wootz came from Indian mines that were depleted in the eighteenth century. As the particular combination of metal impurities became unavailable, the ability to manufacture Damascus swords was lost. Now, thanks to modern science, we may eventually be able how to replicate these superb weapons and more importantly, the unique steel they were shaped from. 

Via

Project Management For Dummies

For Dummies » PDF » English » 5.91 MB » 411 Pages

More than two thirds of American companies use teams to execute their most important projects, making project management a highly valuable skill for advancing your career. Project Management For Dummies, Second Edition introduces you to the principles of successful project management and shows you how to motivate any team to gain maximum productivity. You’ll find out how to:

* Define your project and what you intend to accomplish
* Identify project stakeholders and their expectations
* Develop a project plan
* Establish project schedules and timetables
* Determine which skill sets and resources the project requires
* Choose team members and define their roles
* Launch you project and track its progress
* Encourage peak performance
* Conclude your project successfully

Complete with helpful tips on delegating, shortening schedules, and optimizing your own performance Project Management for Dummies, help you get your project, and your career, off the ground in no time

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Part I: Understanding Expectations (The Who, What, and Why of Your Project).

Chapter 1: Project Management: The Key to Achieving Results.
Chapter 2: Clarifying What You’re Trying to Accomplish — and Why.
Chapter 3: Knowing Your Project’s Audience: Involving the Right People.
Chapter 4: Developing Your Game Plan: Getting from Here to There.

Part II: Determining When and How Much.
Chapter 5: You Want This Project Done When?
Chapter 6: Establishing Whom You Need, How Much, and When.
Chapter 7: Planning for Other Resources and Developing the Budget.
Chapter 8: Dealing with Risk and Uncertainty.

Part III: Putting Your Team Together.
Chapter 9: Aligning the Key Players for Your Project.
Chapter 10: Defining Team Members’ Roles and Responsibilities.
Chapter 11: Starting Your Team Off on the Right Foot.

Part IV: Steering the Ship: ManagingYour Project to Success.
Chapter 12: Tracking Progress and Maintaining Control.
Chapter 13: Keeping Everyone Informed.
Chapter 14: Encouraging Peak Performance by Providing Effective Leadership.
Chapter 15: Bringing Your Project to Closure.

Part V: Taking Your Project Management to the Next Level.
Chapter 16: Managing Multiple Projects.
Chapter 17: Using Technology to Up Your Game.
Chapter 18: Improving Individual and Organizational Skills and Practices.
Chapter 19: Monitoring Project Performance with Earned Value Management.

Part VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Help You Plan Your Project.
Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Being a Better Project Manager.

Appendix A: Glossary.

Appendix B: Combining the Techniques into Smooth Flowing Processes.

Index.

Download the Free Ebook Project Management For Dummies 

Management lessons

Management lessons learned from the US presidential campaign

What is the first thing comes to mind when the current US presidential camping is mentioned? I think most readers will agree with me that the first thing come to mind is the personal attacks that each candidate is waging and the time each candidate is spending on finding the faults of his opponent. What benefits the voters will gain from this?

If I were to vote, I don’t know yet which candidate to vote for, I cant tell which candidate is better for the country. Both candidates spend considerable amount of time on attacking each rather then spending time on telling the voters about their plans to lead the country for the next four years.

If your company were in the process to change the management team, what would you want to hear from the new (potential) managers? Would you want to waste your time listening to each candidate for the job talk about how bad the other applicants are or would you want all the applicants talk about how they will provide better management plans than the previous management team?

In the last few months, I have been working with one of our major contractors, our contract with them was up and it come to a renew, the renewal process included a bid that we had to submit (with other bidders) to win another year with them.

Throughout the bidding process, all bidders were submitting their proposals that showed their ability to do the job, no bidder wasted their time telling the customer how bad the other bidders were, they all focused on showing the customer that they were fit for the job.

Don’t waste my time telling me how bad the other guy is, tell me how good you are.

Six Common Reasons IT Projects Fail

Many outsourcing companies have created beneficial outsourcing relationships with vendors. Unfortunately, there are the occasional projects that fail to meet deadlines or criteria set forth by the outsourcers. When a project does fail, there are usually numerous reasons and not just one underlying cause.

Lack of outsourcing strategy
The outsourcing company must take the time to formulate a strategy for handling outsourced projects. Working with vendors in other countries can create even more complications, which just shows the importance of having a plan. Managers must consider how the process will be managed and must set expectations for the projects. Sometimes outsourcing companies do not adequately prepare for the administration of projects. Management should clarify how global sourcing will be implemented and effectively communicate the strategy to the internal IT department and the vendor.

Miscalculated time involved
Outsourcing companies often do not realize the amount of time it will take to get a project in operation with a vendor. Some outsourcers take a "hands off" approach, meaning they do not feel that they have to be involved once the project is sent to the vendor. That thought process can be damaging to the project. It takes time and effort to transfer technical and business knowledge to the vendor. Once the transfer is made, hours will be spent maintaining the business relationship. The outsourcing company and the vendor will also have to coordinate between the team members to ensure that everyone understands project specifications and deadlines.

Cost-reduction expectation was not realistic
One of the most common reasons that companies look to outsourcing is to reduce costs. Although outsourcing does provide cost reduction, outsourcing companies frequently have unrealistic expectations regarding the initial savings. Even though labor costs may be lower, there are other hidden costs that can cause a project to go over budget. The longer the outsourcing relationship continues, the higher the savings. However, most outsourcers do not realize this fact. Consequently, a project can be unsuccessful if an accurate budget was not put in place.

Communication barriers
Communication is more than just language. Global sourcing can be complex as outsourcers and vendors face issues of time zones and locations. These challenges can make it very difficult to communicate crucial information in a timely manner. Communication barriers are frequently to blame when it comes to a project 's failure. If team members can not effectively communicate the project status, concerns or ask questions, it can negatively impact an IT project. A communication plan can overcome this obstacle.

The vendor was incompetent
Various criteria should be considered when choosing a vendor. If price is the main motivating factor, there is a risk of choosing the wrong one. A low-cost vendor most likely will not provide the same quality of work as another vendor who may charge more. That is why cost should not be the only consideration when choosing a service provider. A vendor should be evaluated on multiple areas, such as trained personnel, technology and processes. A thorough analysis of the vendor will allow the outsourcer to have a good sense of what to expect.

Differences in culture
Cultural differences can impact a project. If the outsourcer is unfamiliar with the culture of the vendor, potential problems and miscommunication can occur. Cultural differences include religion, mode of dress, social activities and work ethic. Even the way a question is answered can differ depending on the culture. Cultural obstacles can be overcome by taking measures to clearly outline project specifications and encourage feedback from the vendor.

A project can fail for a combination of reasons. However, by understanding why projects fail, outsourcers can plan ahead to avoid potential problems.

What type of Project Management tool is appropriate?

 by Peter Campbell

It seems like every month or two, I happen across a forum thread about project management tools. What works? Can you do it with a wiki? Are they necessary at all? Often, there are a slew of recommendations (Basecamp, Central Desktop, MS Project) accompanied by some heartfelt recommendations to stay away from all of them. All of these recommendations are correct, and incorrect.

Project software naysayers make a very apt point: Tools won't plan a project for you. If you think that buying and setting up the tool is all that you need to do to successfully complete a complex project, you're probably doomed to fail. So what are the things that will truly facilitate a project-oriented approach, regardless of tools?

• Healthy Communication. The team on the project has to be comfortably and consistently engaged in project status and decisions
  


• Accountability. Team members need to know what their roles are, what deliverables they're accountable for and when, and deliver them.
  


• Clarity, Oversight and Buy-In. Executives, Boards, Backers all have to be completely behind the project and the implementation team.
  

With that in place, Project Management tools can facilitate and streamline things, and the proper tools will be the ones that best address the complexity of the project, the make-up of the team, and the culture of the team and organization.

Traditional Project Management applications, exemplified by MS Project, tie your project schedule and resources together, applying resource percentages to timeline tasks. So, if your CEO is involved in promoting the plan and acting as a high level sponsor, then she will
be assigned, perhaps, as five percent of the project's total resources, and her five percent will be sub-allocated to the tasks that she is assigned to. They track dependencies, and allow you to shift a whole schedule based on the delay of one piece of the plan. If task 37 is
"order widget" and that order is delayed, then all actions that depend on deployment of the widget can be rescheduled with a drag and drop action. This is all very powerful, but there is a significant cost to defiing the plan, initially inputting it, and then maintaining the information. There's a simple rule of thumb to apply: If your project requires this level of
tracking, then it requires a full-time Project Manager to track it. If your budget doesn't support that, as is often the case, then you shouldn't even try to use a tool this complex. It will only waste your time.

Without a dedicated Project Manager, the goal is to find tools that will enhance communication; keep team members aware of deadlines and milestones; report clearly on project status; and provide graphical and summary reporting to stakeholders. If your team is spread out geographically, or comprised of people both inside and outside of your organization, such as consultants and vendors, all the better if the tool is web-based. Centralized plan, calendar, and contacts are a given. Online forums can be useful if your culture supports it. Most people aren't big on online discussions outside of email, so you shouldn't put up a forum if it won't be used by all members. The key is to provide a big schedule that drills down to task lists, and maintain a constant record of task status and potential impacts on the overall plan. Gantt Charts allow you to note key dependencies - actions that must be completed before other actions can begin -- and provide a visual reporting tool that is clear and readable for your constituents, from the project sponsors to the public. Basecamp, Central Desktop, and a slue of web-based options provide these components.

If this is still overkill - the project isn't that complex, or the team is too small and constricted to learn and manage the tools, then scale down even further. Make good use of the task list and calendar functions that your email system provides, and put up a wiki to facilitate project-related communication.

What makes this topic so popular is that there is no such thing as a one size fits all answer, and the quick answer ("Use Project") can be deadly for all but the most complex projects. Understand your goals, understand your team, and choose tools that support them.