Author: Cindy M. Lewis

Cindy Lewis is an awarded Microsoft Project MVP and an expert in scheduling with a long history in project management. She holds numerous credentials in the field including: PMP, PMI-SP, MS, MOS, and MCT. She serves on the board of the MPUG Detroit chapter and is a frequent speaker at conferences and events across the country . Cindy’s personal passion is sharing knowledge with others and helping them grow and achieve personal success. Her training philosophy is known as the 4 Pillars of Success® which is also the name of her company. Feel free to connect with Cindy on social media or contact her directly through her website www.4pillarsofsuccess.com.

What is Agile Project Management?

A Getting Started Guide According to the 15th State of Agile Report, 94% of companies are practicing Agile. This statistic is somewhat misleading as it does not mean that all of these companies are receiving benefits or even successful with their Agile approach. That said, many companies are trying to find ways to incorporate Agile methods. When I work with customers, often the biggest challenge they face is trying to explain their Agile needs in a simple way. They tend to have trouble locating resources to help them head in the right direction to take on or improve their Agile methods. My goal with this article is to enable you to have the discussions needed in your organization to move ahead with this approach.    When there is a reference to Agile, you may think of the Oxford dictionary definition, which describes the term as the ability to move quickly and easily. When this concept is applied to project management, you are taking a traditional approach to delivery and modifying it to include techniques, which produce some immediate results in a shorter period of time. In an Agile approach, you do not want to wait a long period of time to deliver something to the customer or sponsor. Your goal is to deliver something as soon as you can, so you get immediate feedback, and can modify your approach as needed.  The Agile approach does not work well when the customer is not willing to participate in ongoing discussions about the project, when the customer is not willing to prioritize their requests, or when the customer does not support flexibility in the evolution of the solution. Those customers might be better suited for a traditional waterfall project. Customers who support a flexible delivery date, who are anxious to jump in, who provide feedback, and who answer questions very quickly are well suited for an Agile approach. Agile methodology works well when team members who are subject matter experts are able to take a concept and figure out the best approach to work through that concept, when team members are willing to adjust to new customer requirements and changing information about a project, and when team members support each other during challenging periods. Team members who need detailed directions or are not able to develop solutions themselves may be better suited for a traditional waterfall project where tasks are assigned to them directly. In my opinion, the Agile approach is about managing the known information you have available at a point in time and regularly evolving the solution as more knowledge becomes available. There are always unknown factors in a project, but in the Agile approach, you regularly meet to address those factors and plan an approach for moving forward. Organizations may also choose to adopt various methodologies to begin managing in an Agile way. For example, Scrum is a methodology which emphasizes delivery in short increments and frequent meetings. Scrum was originally used in software development projects. Kanban is another popular Agile methodology, which uses boards or cards to group work into columns or categories. The Kanban approach typically provides a very visual way to illustrate progress. Kanban was originally used in manufacturing projects. I have a great way to explain Agile to a customer or someone who doesn’t understand it. Imagine an Agile project is a hair cut given by a hair dresser in training at a school. For illustration purposes, we will assume that this hair dresser in training is cutting my hair, and I am the customer sitting in the chair receiving the hair cut. There are two approaches to this hair cut. In the waterfall approach, the hair dresser gathers all of my requirements and delivers the final hair cut for approval. In the Agile approach, the hair dresser regularly solicits feedback from me and makes incremental changes throughout the haircut. In the Agile approach, as the customer, I have the option to modify a straight cut to an angled cut or to modify the length of any side of my hair. In a real-life experience years ago, I was horrified to have experienced a waterfall approach to a haircut! I discovered that a hair dresser had cut off too much of my hair only when I was turned back around to face the mirror. This made me an unsatisfied customer because I had no way to provide feedback throughout the process. I now explain to my hair dressers that I want the Agile approach where they do a minor hair cut and I can request more if I am not satisfied.    To summarize, working in an Agile way continues to be a trend in organizations where customers want a flexible delivery approach. Becoming familiar with general Agile concepts, key trends, and Agile methods is a great way to start or continue Agile discussions at your organization.   As a call to action, I recommend you review the 15th Annual State of Agile Report to be informed about all the benefits and challenges with Agile methods. I also suggest you review my MPUG articles and webinars to gain more insight on implementing Agile project management. I have also provided the below resource list on Agile that you may find useful. Comments welcome below! Additional Agile Resources To see a demonstration of Agile features available in Microsoft Project Online desktop client, register now for my upcoming MPUG webinar, Use Agile Project Management with MS Project. Recording available at the same link. To learn more about general Agile concepts, refer to my MPUG webinar available as part of your member package: Key Agile Concepts Illustrated. Individuals who prefer to self-study the Agile features in Microsoft Project should refer to relevant chapter in one of my books: Users of Project Online desktop client: Microsoft Project Step by Step (covering Project Online Desktop Client) | Microsoft Press Store (Published April 2022) Users of Project 2013 – Project 2019: Microsoft Project 2019 Step by Step | Microsoft Press Store Other outside resources to help you learn more about Agile methodologies and certification options are:   15th Annual State Of Agile Report | Digital.ai Agile Institute APMG International (apmg-international.com) ICAgile | International Consortium for Agile Manifesto for Agile Software Development (Agilemanifesto.org) ProjectManagement.com – Home Project Management Institute | PMI SAFe 5 for Lean Enterprises (scaledAgileframework.com) Scrum Alliance Certification | Transform your workplace‎ Home | Scrum.org

Top Agile Project Management Activities

Are you a user of Project Online desktop client (subscription version) and wondering how to best manage an Agile project in Microsoft Project? I’ve written an entire chapter on Agile features in my latest Microsoft Project Step by Step book (just published in April) and spent months testing and evaluating various features for this purpose. I’ve shared feedback (both good and bad) through multiple channels at Microsoft, and have boiled it down to my top takeaways, which address the following activities of managing an Agile project: Apply the features of the Sprints Project template Use Excel for specific Agile needs Create the product backlog Build and assign an Agile team Plan a sprint Configure task boards Record progress from daily scrum meetings Implement the scrum framework and Agile best practices of priorities and acceptance criteria I’d like to share my methods for addressing these Agile project management activities with you in my upcoming session covering both how to use all the built-in features and how to adapt key features to address what an Agile practitioner really needs. Please join my colleague, James Mills, Jr., and I as we present this and more in our webinar, Use Agile Project Management with MS.

PMP Training

Earn Your PMI-SP®, Part 1: Explore the Credential

Want to begin or enhance a career in project management or complement your Microsoft Project certification? Earning the Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)® certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® could be the direction to head. This new credential, introduced in May 2008, offers a professional-level certification for anyone who specifically wants to demonstrate knowledge in the skill of scheduling.

Scheduling Professional Certification from PMI (PMI-SP)®: Considerations in Making This a Career Goal

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Strategic category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: Certifications prove your expertise in a particular specialty. One certification that is often misunderstood is the PMI-SP® credential, the purpose for candidates, and how it can add to your resume. In this webinar, you will learn all the details about the qualifications, application process, materials required, and exam costs. If your application gets audited or if you need to take the exam a second time, you will have some practical tips to be ready. The day of the exam can be stressful, but there are clear guidelines that you can use to make sure everything goes smoothly and your stress is kept to a minimum. Comparisons with both the PMP® certification and the Microsoft Specialist certification in Project with be offered so you can make the best decision for your career. This webinar is being delivered by popular request as an update to the three-part article Earn Your PMI-SP written by your webinar leader. Presenter Info: Cindy Lewis is an awarded Microsoft Project MVP and an expert in scheduling with a long history in project management. She holds numerous credentials in the field including: PMP, PMI-SP, MS, MOS, and MCT. She serves on the board of the MPUG Detroit chapter and is a frequent speaker at conferences and events across the country . Cindy’s personal passion is sharing knowledge with others and helping them grow and achieve personal success. Her training philosophy is known as the 4 Pillars of Success® which is also the name of her company. Feel free to connect with Cindy on social media or contact her directly through her website www.4pillarsofsuccess.com. Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Is the PMI-SP for you?

Have you been looking to begin or enhance a career in project management, or perhaps complement your Microsoft Project certification? Certifications prove your expertise in a particular specialty, and earning the Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)® certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® could be the direction to head. In the project management field, we find that this certification can be overwhelming when one first starts to looking into it. In fact, as far as certifications go, it is one that is often misunderstood. Specifically, you might be wondering about the purpose for you as a candidate and exactly how it can add to your resume. Let’s dig in, shall we? The Project Management Institute – Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) credential is best suited for individuals who want a credential that is not tied to a software tool and offers the opportunity to have a certification that can be maintained for years to come without a lot of additional effort. This credential requires 5,000 hours of scheduling experience in a five year period for holders of a high school diploma, or 3,500 hours of experience for those already holding a Bachelor’s degree. For MPUG members, this credential could add value to experience that might not be fully recognized with a Microsoft Project certification. For example, some individuals do not qualify for the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential if they have not lead a team and the PMI-SP is a great alternative to gain a professionally recognized credential. One of the best things about this credential is that it is backed by a job analysis of schedulers around the world and information from that analysis can be shared with your boss or human resources personnel to show the value of the credential to the employer. This analysis was conducted by a third-party (not PMI), which adds validity to the data. In my upcoming webinar, I will talk more about the PMI-SP and cover the following topics: Considerations before deciding to pursue the PMI-SP The application process Costs associated with the certification and exam Comparison with alternative credentials The testing process Materials you may want to use as resources Tips to get through the exam smoothly PMI is connected to 2.9 million professionals around the world and their guides and credentials are recognized by other professional organizations, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). If you are considering earning the PMI-SP credential or just want to know more about it, I would encourage you to watch Scheduling Professional Certification from PMI (PMI-SP)®: Considerations in Making This a Career Goal, now available on-demand, to get your questions answered. Related Content Webinars (watch for free now!): What Every PMP Needs to Know About the New PMI® Certification Requirements Microsoft Project 2013 Certification: What You Need To Know Articles: 5 Reasons Not to Attend a PMP Exam Boot Camp PMP Prep: Resource Leveling and Resource Smoothing How to Pass Your PMP Exam in 30 Days

Book review: Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella

Cindy Lewis and Erik van Hurck join forces to bring you this book review. Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone Cindy Lewis (North America) and Erik van Hurck (Europe) are half a world away, but they have actually been working together for many years solving customer problems and sharing ideas. After a casual conversation recently, they decided to collaborate on this book review knowing they’d make the review more thorough by combining their thoughts into one piece. A Brief Summary of the Book “Microsoft’s CEO tells the inside story of the company’s continuing transformation, tracing his own personal journey from a childhood in India to leading some of the most significant technological changes in the digital era. As much a humanist as an engineer and executive, Nadella concludes with his vision for the coming wave of intelligent technologies and a distinct call to action for leaders everywhere.” Erik chose to read the book version while Cindy selected the Audible version. The Review by Erik In terms of selecting the actual hard copy book to read, I wish I would also have chosen to listen to the Audible version. I’m Dutch, and Satya Nadella’s writing style is sophisticated for a non-English speaking native like myself. That made reading it in English a bit of an added challenge, but that doesn’t in any way mean that I disliked reading ir. In some ways, it was even refreshing and an achievement to read through the book. There’s a lot that can be said about the content of the book itself. I will divide it into three parts: (Very) Personal I was highly surprised (astounded, as Satya would probably say) and touched by the first part of the book, wherein Satya gives the reader a glimpse into the hardships, challenges, and achievements of his personal life. I found there to be some paragraphs in the book that one could not read without having warm feelings for the man. And then there is Cricket. I have never seen a match, either on TV or on the field, but it’s funny to read how much impact the sport has had for Satya. That is, impact on his aspirations and leadership methods. In one section, he draws parallels between coaching and leadership that will first make you laugh and then immediately make you think. Empathy, culture, mutual respect, and love for what you do and who you are with—such are the concepts that Satya clearly wishes to convey to the reader. Leadership and Microsoft At some point halfway through the book, I started to grab a pen and underline sentences. It’s a habit I picked up after reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Hit Refresh contains actionable leadership advice, as well as a great story on how it came to be that Microsoft is changing its culture. Satya is a wonderful storyteller. The book includes details about his role in leadership as CEO of Microsoft, and along the way, we learn a lot about him as a leader. The Future As we all know, there are a lot of technological advancements happening at a very fast pace today. In an attempt to look into a crystal ball, Satya Nadella picks three trends that are getting a lot of focus today. These include quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality. The subjects are clearly close to Satya’s heart because his passion is clear as he talks about Microsoft’s (artificially) Intelligent Assistant, Cortana, and the Microsoft Mixed Reality headset, HoloLens. Hit Refresh takes a look into the future, past the PC and servers. I would argue that this is a very interesting book to pick up, not only because of the great content and in depth knowledge of Microsoft’s management, but also because of the fact that it’s written as a biography. Even more impressive is that the author (the CEO of one of the biggest companies around) is still in his prime. I believe that rarely happens. The Review by Cindy After my November 2017 visit to Microsoft’s Redmond campus, I learned everyone was talking about the book. I even heard ideas from the book coming out in many presentations from Microsoft employees, so it was very helpful for me to have finished it. A positive for the Audible version is that listeners get to listen to Satya Nadella himself during one part of the book. For the remainder, producers selected a narrator with a similar accent as Satya. The information shared within this book helped me understand several tough decisions made by Satya as an individual and by Microsoft as a corporation. Many of those decisions shocked me, given Satya’s position at Microsoft. Stories Helped Illustrate I appreciated the stories that illustrated how not everything will go right in business, and how often one has no choice, but to deliver the truth about poor performance. I also saw illustrated firsthand the need to sometimes eliminate portions of business in order to move forward. The book helped me understand technology news topics that were hotly debated and the stand that Microsoft had to take and why. For example, when Edward Snowden leaked information from the National Security Agency about government surveillance programs of individuals, the public immediately assumed that access to Microsoft customer data was included, as well. At the time, Microsoft was questioned about joining forces with their competitor, Google, to petition for new laws. In reality, this partnership was best for all because it helped promote legislation to protect customer data while also cooperating with law enforcement. New Ideas, New Thinking Satya made me think about the cloud in new and interesting ways. He stretched my brain beyond traditional cloud benefits that people talk about. I’m now thinking about the cloud and how it relates to the three trends that Erik mentioned earlier. I liked Satya’s humble approach. The book was not about how great he is as a leader, but more about his journey (that is not over) and how he continues to do uncomfortable things to grow. He shared stories from both his personal and work life to illustrate this concept. A clear takeaway from this book is that vision and culture can’t fight each other if your business wants to succeed. My final recommendation is to add this book to your reading list, you will not be disappointed. If you would like to obtain the book yourself, below are some links to help you find it or you may check your local bookstore. Hit Refresh Hardcopy or Downloadable Book Version Hit Refresh Audible Version Written by Cindy Lewis Cindy Lewis is a Microsoft Project MVP and an expert in scheduling with a long history in project management. Cindy believes in helping customers jump start their knowledge in a topic and continue to grow on their own after she departs. Her training philosophy is known as the 4 Pillars of Success which is also the name of her company: www.4pillarsofsuccess.com. View all posts by: Cindy Lewis

Microsoft Project

2 Ways to Postpone Your Microsoft Project Schedule

When I observe individuals using Microsoft Project, I sometimes see them using techniques that don’t optimize the features available. An example of such a technique is when someone changes the start date of the first task when he or she really wanted to move the entire project. This typically leads to adding a task constraint and locking in a date instead of letting the software calculate the date. As you may know, locking in a task limits the ability to flexible adjustments later on in the software. What I recommend as an alternative is choosing between one of the two built-in options to postpone a project. Before I explain these options, let’s explore a few reasons why you might postpone a project. There’s been a funding delay. If an internal approval is delayed or if a business has failed to raise enough funds to start the project, a delay may be needed. The decision has been delayed. If a key sponsor or stakeholder on the project hasn’t made a critical decision, this may delay the project. The agency has created the delay. If the organization is in an industry with regulation — construction, health care, finance, movies — there are often certifications that must be obtained to authorize work. If the individuals, businesses, equipment or facilities can’t obtain these certifications, this may delay the project. Available in the last few versions of Microsoft Project, you have two ways to postpone a schedule. Both of these options are available on the Project tab of the Ribbon. You may choose to move the scheduled start date only or move the scheduled start date and incrementally move deadlines and constraints. Move the Scheduled Start Date Only This option shifts the start date of all tasks scheduled to begin the day the project starts. It also dynamically shifts any tasks that are linked together. Deadlines and locked-in constraints on the schedule don’t change. Move the Scheduled Start Date and Incrementally Move Deadlines and Constraints This option shifts the start date of all tasks scheduled to begin the day the project starts. Deadlines and locked-in constraints on the schedule move the same distance. If the project start date moves 30 days, all deadlines and constraints on the project also move 30 days. The dialog box doesn’t specify that constraints are moving, but they definitely do. You may want to test this yourself. While many of us hope our projects start on time, it’s good to know that we have options available when they can’t. Which option do you prefer to use? Share your reasons why in the comments below. A version of this article originally appeared on Cindy Lewis’ blog, “4 Pillars of Success“. Image Source

Project Management Team

10 Quick Tips for Project Managers

As a project manager, it’s important to be aware of tips and tricks that can help you work more efficiently and effectively. Whether you’re managing a remote team, dealing with difficult situations, or simply looking for project shortcuts, there are a variety of quick tips you can use to streamline your work. Here are 11 quick tips for project managers: If you’re managing a remote team, it can be difficult to build personal relationships with team members. One way to overcome this is to have everyone submit a photo that shows something they’re passionate about. Then, have one team member talk about their photo in an upcoming meeting. This is a great way to get to know team members on a personal level, even if you can’t meet them in person. In a remote work environment, it’s easy to lose the casual conversations that happen naturally in an office setting. To combat this, schedule a virtual lunch or coffee break time for team members to discuss the weather, news, sports, or any other casual topics. When you reach a major project milestone or complete a project, it’s important to celebrate your team’s hard work. Invite everyone to a virtual celebration, and encourage them to bring their favorite drink from their location. This is a fun way to celebrate as a team, even if you can’t do it in person. At the start of a meeting, share a personal story about a time when you failed and what you learned from it. Alternatively, you can read a story about someone famous who faced a similar situation. This is a great way to build trust with your team and show that you’re not afraid to be vulnerable. When dealing with difficult situations, starting with something funny can help to lighten the mood. Consider sharing a humorous video or story at the start of a meeting to help everyone relax and focus on the task at hand. To encourage participation in a meeting or brainstorming session, consider using gamification. For example, you can hand out Monopoly money for anyone who comes up with an idea and offer a prize for anyone who earns a certain amount. This can help to make meetings more fun and engaging. Project Professional 2013 and 2016 have a variety of keyboard shortcuts that can help you work more efficiently. For example, you can hold Ctrl and roll your mouse wheel to adjust the zoom on the timescale. You can also right-click on any icon on the Ribbon to quickly add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. If you need to track information that isn’t included in the default columns, you can create custom columns in Project. To create a new custom column, simply start typing where it says “Add New Column.” Project will automatically assign a friendly name to the custom field Text1. If you’ve customized a table in Project and want to restore it to its original layout, you can do so by going to the View tab, picking the Tables drop-down, and choosing Reset to Default. This is a quick way to get back to the default layout if you’ve made a lot of changes. To focus on the tasks driving your end date, consider turning off calculated Summary tasks. You can do this by going to the Format tab, checking Critical Tasks, and clearing (unchecking) Summary Task Have your own favorite tips? Share them with the MPUG community in the comments below.

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