Tag Archive for: business leadership

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Portfolio Management Best Practice 1 – Indentify Interrelationships

September 4, 2008/in Portfolio Management, Premium/by StrategyDriven

The interaction between projects, programs, and processes within a portfolio can be many and varied; contributing significantly to the challenge of effective portfolio management. Faulted transitioning of resources and/or outputs from one portfolio component to another can greatly delay the progress of these and other components; diminishing the overall portfolio value potential.

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StrategyDriven Project Management Forum

August 19, 2008/in Project Management/by Nathan Ives

“A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

Project Management Body of Knowledge
Third Edition
Project Management Institute

To many, project management represents their worst nightmare. The mere mention of the term conjures images of bloated bureaucracies, large consultant-laden teams, and endless meetings where decisions are seldom made and status is often reported as being behind. Executed properly, project management can be an effective tool for aligning the organization to the successful implementation of simple and complex initiatives.

An art and a science, project management is most effective when implemented with a rigor correlated to the scope and complexity of the work to be performed. Regardless of intensity, the management of projects consists of five phases:

Initiate – initial, high-level project definition and authorization
Plan – project scope refinement and approval; task identification and sequencing; resource to task allocation; schedule development; project cost estimation and budget development; project plan creation and baselining
Execute – project plan execution
Evaluate and Control – project plan execution performance monitoring and reporting; project scope and plan change control; project risk management
Close – final project activity documentation; financial closeout; overall project performance assessment and lessons learned development; product evaluation; project administrative closure

Focus of the Project Management Forum

Materials in the Project Management Forum are dedicated to discussing the leading practices of companies effectively managing projects for the efficient achievement of mission goals. Additionally, all project management information presented will be aligned with, compliment, and expound on the project management processes described by the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. The following articles, podcasts, documents, and resources cover those topics critical to the effective management of consequential projects.

Articles

Principles

Post Implementation Productivity [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
What is Critical Chain? [StrategyDriven Premium Content]

Best Practices

Best Practice – The Project Management Intensity Continuum [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Define What is Not In Scope [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Line Management Project Ownership [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Team Calendar [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Define Success First [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – A+ Players [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Use of Administrative Support [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Roles and Responsibilities Matrix [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Identify the Gatekeepers [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Best Practice – Communication Plans [StrategyDriven Premium Content]

Warning Flags

Warning Flag – Unfunded Activities [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Warning Flag – Breaking-up a Project to Avoid Approval Thresholds [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Warning Flag – Frequent Re-baselining [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Warning Flag – Too Much Time, Too Few People [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
Warning Flag – Fast Tracking Everything [StrategyDriven Premium Content]

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor Articles

Adaptive Project Framework is not Your Father’s Project Management by Robert Wysocki
Managing Your Virtual Team by Elmer Thomas

StrategyDriven Podcasts

StrategyDriven Podcast – Special Edition

Documents

Whitepapers

Project Size Determination [StrategyDriven Premium Content]

Resources

Books

To supplement the project management information found on the StrategyDriven website, our contributors recommend the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides). This book is a complete process reference covering all aspects of project management including:

Project Integration Management
Project Scope Management
Project Time Management
Project Cost Management
Project Quality Management
Project Human Resource Management
Project Communications Management
Project Risk Management
Project Procurement management

Organizational Accountability Best Practice 1 – Fact-Based Management

June 12, 2008/in Organizational Accountability, Premium/by StrategyDriven

To say the accountable organization manages by fact may seem to suggest that a utopia exists, one in which all circumstances can be defined by ones and zeros. Within this utopian organization, executives and managers act to harvest the ones and discard the zeros.

While this is clearly not the case, managing by fact does imply that executives and managers leading accountable organizations strive to eliminate the subjectivity and raw opinion that is sometimes injected into the decision-making process; grounding decisions on a more tangible, objective foundation.

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Leadership Lessons from the United States Naval Academy – The Honor Concept

May 20, 2008/in Leadership Lessons from the United States Naval Academy, Premium/by StrategyDriven

“Midshipmen will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will they mislead or deceive anyone as to known facts. A midshipman will be truthful, trustworthy, honest and forthright at all times and under all circumstances.

Midshipmen are presumed to be honorable at all times and to possess moral integrity in the fullest sense and will be treated accordingly, unless they prove otherwise by their words or actions.

Midshipmen should neither permit nor accept anything which is not just, right, and true. They should do the right thing because it is right, not because of fear of punishment.”

The Honor Concept
United States Naval Academy

It is the privilege of professional executives and managers to lead the men and women of their organizations toward the achievement of its mission goals. As such, these leaders are responsible for acting with the utmost integrity; leading in both a moral and ethical manner. Doing so promotes trust, accountability, and group cohesion; forming the foundation of high team effectiveness.

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Forum

March 20, 2008/in Tactical Execution/by StrategyDriven

“Execution is where the rubber meets the road.”

StrategyDriven Contributors

Strategy without execution is nothing more than wishful thinking pursued with hope. No organization achieves true success unless it is able to effectively execute its initiatives. It is only through execution that leadership’s strategic vision is married to reality.

Tactical execution refers to the collection of actions taken and decisions made at all levels of the organization in the here and now; actions and decisions that ultimately shape the company’s future. Effective execution occurs when the right things get done efficiently. In organizations that execute effectively, leaders continually focus their workforce on accomplishing the priority activities defined by the strategic plan while workers strive to perform those activities in the most efficient manner possible.

Focus of the Tactical Execution Forum

Execution is the life blood of successful organizations. Materials in the Tactical Execution Forum are dedicated to discussing the leading practices of companies that effectively execute their business initiatives and operations to the fulfillment of the organization’s strategic vision. The following articles, podcasts, documents, and resources cover those topics critical to a effective day-to-day work execution: