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…

I’m a software engineer by education. In 1997 I was working for a software development company, managing small software projects with the help of a small team. In the same year, I was introduced to Microsoft Project. In 1997 Project wasn’t particularly popular, even though it had been around for a few years. It had…

Which tool would you use for project scheduling — Microsoft Project or Microsoft Excel? I’m guessing your answer (like mine) would be Project. It has many inherent advantages over Excel. (If you’re not convinced, then consider reading this MPUG classic in which author Keith Wilson provides compelling reasons why Project is better at scheduling projects.)…

If I were to ask you what your project management risk strategy was, would you respond something like this? “Duh! We will deal with the problem when it comes.” In my experience, that is the most common approach to project risk management or response strategy. However, that doesn’t make it a good strategy. I believe…