Tools
5 W’s and H
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Here is a simple memory mnemonic that will help you ask questions and probe until you thoroughly understand a particular topic. W Who W What W Why W When W Where H How About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 2o years experience planning and managing technology projects. Contact Ray... »
Cause and Effect Analysis: Fishbone Diagram
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The Fishbone Diagram identifies many possibilities for an effect or a problem. It is an established problem solving tool that is well suited for group analysis because it visually assists with understanding of a problem’s roots cause. Dr. Ishikawa developed the fishbone diagram as an analysis tool that provides a... »
Quality Improvement Tool: PDCA
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP PDCA is short for Plan, Do, Check, Act. PDCA was the brainchild of Dr. Edwards Deming who is considered by many to be the father of modern quality control. It is typically used as a repeating process to improve project quality. The PDCA cycle is a 4 stage process that is... »
Idea Generation: Brainstorming
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The American Heritage Dictionary defines Brainstorming as a noun that is a, “method of shared problem solving in which all members of a group spontaneously contribute ideas” Brainstorming is usually a group activity undertaken to rapidly generate a variety of ideas or solutions to a problem. It’s a quick exercise that... »
Affinity Diagrams
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Affinity Diagrams are a decision-making technique that helps to organize and sort a large number of ideas, process variables, or concepts into groupings into naturally related groups. Affinity is frequently used to organize the ideas, opinions, or issues generated by brainstorming. Diagraming is a group activity that uses paper such as... »
Open Source Project Management Software Saves Money
By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Open source project management applications provide a cost effective alternative to expensive commercial applications. What does cost effective mean? How about free, in most cases. The open source applications can be downloaded, installed, tested, and used for commercial purposes without having to buy any licenses. That’s right, for free, and... »
Force Field Analysis
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Force Field Analysis provides a useful framework to look at the driving and resisting forces of a decision or proposed change. To implement a change, it is helpful to understand these forces. Decisions are framed in terms of forces and factors. Forces that help achieve the desired change are called driving... »
Creative Dispute Solver
By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Here is a simple and creative dispute solver: Initiate a discussion between the parties Use appropriate timing Be private Choose a conducive environment Respect individual differences Empathize with all parties Separate facts from feelings Define central issue Agree on common solution Resolving a dispute isn’t easy. Patience and perseverance are essential ingredients. About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP... »
PMP Examination Question Distribution
The Project Management Institute’s handbook for the PMP credential provides some insight into how exam questions are distributed between the 5 project management processes. The following represents the percentage of questions in each process that are included in the exam: 11% Initiation 23% Planning 27% Executing 21% Monitoring and Controlling 9% Closing 9% Professional and Social Responsibility »
Problem Solving Tips
Here are a few thoughts on problem solving. Can you add to this list of tips? The right solution at the wrong time is just as unacceptable as the wrong solution at the right time Move slowly on non-reversible decisions Don’t make decisions that are not yours to make Choices are not always right or wrong Use paper Make notes Document... »
