A few years ago, I was hired as a Project Management Office (PMO) consultant for a software products company. My assignment was to setup their PMO, implement best practices, and oversee projects for twelve months before handing over the setup to the client. My assignment ended up lasting thirteen months. Some would say it’s an…

How would you feel about someone else doing a job for you and not charging you a penny? I am sure we’ve all had moments when this would sound pretty good, but what if this person botched up the job or did something that you just couldn’t understand? Well, then you would likely be pretty…

A person inexperienced in project management may think that resource leveling is a method of making use of resources having the same height. Most experienced project managers know that it is a resource optimization technique which tries to make the best use of available resources to create a workable project schedule. Resource leveling is often…

What would you think if you were steering your car right, but it turned left, as if it had a mind of its own? You would probably curse the machine and say it is not meant for you. You might also think that there is Artificial Intelligence working in the background. MS Project (MSP) is…

I’m sure you know that a good schedule is critical for the project success. However, did you know that network diagrams are extremely important for creating a good project schedule? In my experience, many senior project managers and project planners shun network diagrams. They just don’t see any value in creating or analyzing them. In…

Having been a project manager for all of my working life and now a teacher of project management skills for more than a decade, I always tell my students to follow sound project management principles and to manage risks proactively. Proactive project risk management is integral part of project management. In fact, I think good…

Frederick P. Brooks Jr., in his famous book, The Mythical Man-Month, wrote, “Adding human resources to a late software project makes it later.” His statement is popularly known as Brooks’ law. Even before the book was published, project managers and other project stakeholders knew that project duration cannot always be shortened by adding more resources….

One of the most frequently asked questions when someone is about to start a new task is likely, “how much time will it take?” Time is limited. Our lives are limited, and unfortunately, we just cannot wish away time limitations. That is why duration estimation is one of the most important aspects of project management….

Jason’s face was totally blank and his eyes were still. He looked completely disinterested in the proceedings. Jason (name changed) is a senior project manager with a small IT services company based in Canada. Jason was a well-respected figure in his company. His subordinates loved him, and his seniors had a very high regard for…

Do you understand how to use Visual Reports in Microsoft Project? In my experience, seldom do project managers use any kind of Project reports — let alone the visual ones — even when they understand how to. To help PMs cross this chasm, I’m going to provide a quick and painless introduction to Visual Reports…