Project Management Practitioner

Project Management Practitioner is a non-profit organization that aims to foster PM community spirit with the objective of guiding project managers to obatin PMP certification, provide tips and tricks to face the PMP examination, promote Project Management tools and techniques, and learn about PM processes and methodologies.

Our site focuses on existing PMP credentials as well, by providing easier methods and tips to earn PMP credentials.

We also furnish a Message board and knowledge base on Project Management principles,tools,techniques and detail definition and description of important PM terminologies by posting them regularly.

We are expanding our site soon with a PM discussion forum for all project managers across the globe to discuss on any project management topics.You will have access to post topics,communicate between the PM practitioner forum members and upload content and access many other special feautures.

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We often heard the term whenever deal most of the global IT vendors. Some of us may wonder what the hell is this???

Here you can find a dummies for CMMI… This will give a brief idea about CMMI… but you must do your own homework to know the complete picture of CMMI.

Do we really need these processes?

I  hate to follow these troublesome processes! !

We often hear these statements in the cooler talks. Lets take peep into this.

Who says No..
1. I know what to do
2. Processes are time consuming and delays my delivery
3. It requires documentation, I will better use time for my project
4. Its too complex and I’m confused
5. My boss need this by yesterday

Who say Yes…
1. Process framework provides guidelines for the activities
2. Approval mechanism allows the management stakeholder to aware of this initiative
3. Gives accountability and ownership
4. Provides history and trail for the future
5. Gives greater visibility to the higher management

Most of the organization have processes and some of them give greater emphosis on processes. Are they yield any benefits to the organizations?

Yes, is the answer if they have simple, constantly updated and easy to follow processes and management support to ensure the processes. In my 15 yrs of experience, I saw the benefits of following the processes and i favours to follow the processes for the guaranted success.

- Dhanasekaran

Knowledge is wealth in this digital era and we should pay more attention to update at good intervals. This is one of my favorite hobby and I used to upgrade myself with various enrichment classes, courses and book reading. But all these are in small scale efforts and now its time to go for a major upgrade.

Yeaph.. I decided to pursue EMBA at one of prestigious business school, Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland. This course contains 18 module spread across 24 months. And hope this will keep me busy for the next two years.

This means, I may have more to share in this blog.

- Dhanasekaran, Sivaraj

Sorry guys,

I was bit busy for the past couple of month due to my various commitments and this has forced me to take some break from the continous blogging.

But I assure you guys to expect more frequent and interesting posts from me now onwards…

Stay tunned…

-Dhanasekaran, Sivaraj

Delivering a project is not an easy task, a PM faces lot of hurtles, issues, overcome several roller-coaster rides during the entire course of project. During this period he may need to handle countless tasks, follow-ups and so on.

How can he/she manages all these and yet to be productive? Is there any solutions available?

Yes..Technology is one of the easiest solution a PM can depend on tracking/handling all his/her project related tasks.

We can use one of very known software program as a very efficient Project Management tool with very minimal effort. I am using Microsoft Outlook as my base productivity tool. I would like to share how I use Outlook for my day-to-day project management.

I classify my usage into the following major categories.

1. Tasks
   a. Create your WBS items as task lists with enough advance reminder setup. Once you have done, it will automatically prompt to remind your upcoming  milestones, pending tasks and etc.
   b. Input all you project related tasks and activities.
   c. Assign tasks to your resource from Outlook and track

2. Contacts
   a. Distribution List(DL)
   Create local distribution list for each project for specific purpose. Eg. Project Status Report DL with all Project Stake Holders and team members. Escalation DL with Senior/Higher management. This will ensure that your project communications reaches all intended recipients every time and no one was missed.
   b. Store your project team members, stake holders as personal contacts. Update these contacts with additional or more contact details such as IM, Mobile, Mailing Address and supplement with some key notes…This will be handy while you need additional avenues to reach somebody.

3. Calendar
   a. Always schedule your meetings with Calendar.
   b. Encourage your team members to update their leave plans in calendar
   c. If you are busy with some meeting activities and don’t want to be disturbed by meeting request from others, better mark those timings as busy in your calendar.

4. Mail
   a. Personal  Folders
   Use project wise personal folders and housekeep all projects mails
   b. Follow-up option
   Use follow-up tag in the email and setup the target date time for the important mails which requires follow-up. This will prompt and remind you and other parties on time.
   c. Keep only a or two weeks mails in the Inbox and Sent Items folders. This will ensure sufficient storage to receive and send new mails
   d. Large Mails - Always move the larger mails into personal folders
   e. Outlook Web Access - If available, setup & test this feature to access your mailbox from home
   f. Out-Of-Office - Encourage the entire project team including yourself to enable the O-O-O while on leave with sufficient informations including backup persons, absence period and so on.
   c. Macros
   If you VBA programming, use to automate some of the regular house keeping jobs

Remember these are additional utilities for productivity and final output is depends on you.

-Posted by Dhana

I am expanding my network connections in LinkedIn and I will accept all invitations.

Please view my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/dhanasekaran and add me to your network.

-Posted by Dhana

Estimation plays a very important role in the success of any projects.

Project estimation focuses mainly on the following aspects.

1. Cost
2. Schedule
3. Resource

An accurate estimation greatly helps the PM to deliver the project on time & budget with little deviation.

Too generous estimation will translate into cost & schedule wider under-run and stingy estimation lead to cost & schedule wider over-run, both are the indicators of the poor estimation and dent your PM credentials.

How to do proper or more accurate estimation?

A detailed WBS will help the PM. Put on more efforts in creating a very detailed WBS which covers each and every aspects of the project. Discuss with all project team members, stakeholders and ensure everything is captured. Revisit couple of time and validate. Add a reasonable buffer for the unknowns and surprise elements.

Prepare the Project Scope with the list of all project deliverables. Again ensure with the stakeholders to confirm the deliverable list.

Prepare Level-1 estimation with the help of the WBS & the list of project deliverables.

If required, get the quotation from the external vendors for the procurement of services/products. Ensure all quotations are inclusive of various taxes, delivery charges, service charges if any. Revise the Level-1 estimation and prepare the most accurate Level-2 estimation.

Make sure the Level-2 estimation covers all the aspects and some buffers.

This homework will certainly help to prepare more accurate estimation.

-Posted by Dhana

Yeaph guys..I have started twittering..

You can find my updates at www.twitter.com/sekard and follow me..

I will share my experience and keep you posted something which I feel interesting.

-Posted by Dhana

Which role you are performing more as a PM?

Is it Project Management or People Management?

If your answer is Project Management then probably you may face more challenges, fire-fighting, and etc in your project.

But if your answer is People Management, most probably you are on track to complete your project with less or manageable issues. The project team may loves you, respect you and stakeholders admire your ability.

Are you surprised? Its true that “PM” can be interpreted as People Management apart from Project Management.

A PM has to deal, communicate, connect with lots of people during the entire project tenure and get them involved for the project activities. The Project Success lies in the hands of these people, how they execute/carry out their respective project activities.

Only a good People Management skill will help to establish good rapport with all people and ensure they are up to the mark and going beyond their means to deliver the project tasks. A good People Manager always stands for his/her team, will win their hearts and makes them to follow him/her. Undoubtedly, the People Management is the key factor in the Project Management and please start paying more attention to the People Management.

But don’t forget about the Project Management also. A good blend of Project Management with People Management is the secret of a successful project.

-Posted by Dhana

Err…”I would prefer to use that time meaningfully by doing some other project activities”…

“Lets do it after completing all project activities”…

“I am bothered/focused about delivering the project! ! ! lets give low priority for documentation”…

“I will complete one more project instead of doing documentation”

Sounds familiar! ! !… You may heard any/all the above quotes from lot of PMs including yourself. These are the common words used by lousy PMs. If you ushered any of these, then its time to raise a Change Request to change yourself.

Project Documentation is one of the less interested area as it required numerous efforts but not much loudly applauded. But actually this is a key subject of Planning Process Group and spreads across few knowledge areas.

Lets look into some key points related to project documentation.

Why Documentation?

Project Documentations are established as multi purpose tool which can be used very effectively for the successful project delivery.

1. To define the project scope and agree by all project stakeholders and project teams. Thus everybody involved in the project shares the same expectations on what to expect, what to do, when to do, when to receive and so on.

2. Referred to clear disputes between various project stakeholders if arises

3. Historical reference which provides detailed insider information

Benefits of doing documentation

Apart from the above benefits, it offers some additional fringe but valuable benefits.

1. Helps to create very detailed WBS and result in drafting a realistic achievable schedule

2. Reduces un-necessary surprises and risks

3. Helps to predict the project progress during project execution and take pro-active measures to tackle challenges

4. It will project your image as a “No non-sense PM” who has the clear understanding of the project requirements to all the stakeholders from Project Sponsor to team member

5. Your Portfolio Manager loves and relies you to assign more mission critical/sensitive projects to you.

Change your perception about the project documentation and start focus more on this area. You will start see the hidden benefits and starts ripping them.

-Posted by Dhana