project planning

Spare tire on an off-roading vehicle Making (and Keeping) Project Risk Visible

Project managers recommend how much should be invested to address various risks based on their understanding of project context, but the final decision about what to do and when those efforts are sufficient belongs to the sponsor. Risk management requires executive input, so sponsors need to see all risk data you have.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Project managers planning a project Planning Strategies for Successful Project Management

One of the central responsibilities of a project manager is to establish the most suitable strategy for project delivery. That means creating a plan for success and predicting potential issues that could affect the project. These strategies can help assess the amount of time and effort for each facet of the project.

Daniela  McVicker's picture
Daniela McVicker
Sparkly "2020" sign Plan for the Year the Agile Way

The start of a new year always comes with new resolutions, goals, and a set of plans to grow in the future. The excitement and energy that a new start brings can rejuvenate a team. However, if you’re not careful, that same ambition can lead to failure. This year, adjust your strategy and plan in a more agile manner.

Alan Crouch's picture
Alan Crouch
Requirements document The Curse of Rushed Requirements

When development is outsourced, a documented baseline of expected functionality sets expectations for both the client and developer. Acknowledging that agile practices are flexible, beware the trap of rushing requirements just because you know they are going to change. It's still essential to be as accurate as you can.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Firefighters putting out a fire Stop Fanning the Flames of Constant Firefighting

Continually having to address unexpected problems interrupts your original sprint activities, causing stress on the team members and fanning the flames for future firefights. But with due diligence, you can lessen the need to constantly put out fires. Here are some steps that can break the cycle of work and rework.

Richard Estra's picture
Richard Estra
Man looking skeptical Beware of Success Stories

The tendency to look back and think you know what contributed to a success is called survivorship bias. It occurs when you make a decision or take some action based on past successes while ignoring past failures. That's why it's important to approach reports of successful projects with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Person browsing at a bookstore Are You Forgetting a Stakeholder?

Technology allows amazing innovations to optimize business and deliver new and better services, but if you don’t carefully consider your entire user community, innovations may cost you business. When designing for stakeholders, don't stop at the obvious cases—or else you may find that you forgot an important customer.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Software project estimation Deception and Estimation: How We Fool Ourselves

Research suggests that humans are biased, not-very-rational decision-makers. We believe we see things clearly when the evidence shows otherwise. Throw in a big dose of optimism, and it's easy to see how estimating software projects can be problematic. Our best hope is to construct diverse groups with varied viewpoints.

Linda Rising's picture
Linda Rising