By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The Project Management Book of Knowledge is commonly referred to as the PMBOK.  It is a collection of processes and knowledge areas generally accepted as best practice within the project management discipline as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI.)  The PMBOK is an internationally recognized standard (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2008)...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Here is a basic list of a project manager’s roles and responsibilities: Project Manager’s Role Facilitator Communicator Team building Leadership and guidance Planning Customer relations Resource management Scheduling Technical leadership Stakeholder liaison Project Manager Responsibilities Project planning Resource acquisition People management Funding Materials Equipment Project execution Project control Problem...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP  A project manager can control 4 things: Resources People Equipment Materials Time Schedule Delay / reschedule milestones Product Scope Requirements Risk Risk identification Risk mitigation About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 2o years experience planning and managing technology projects.   Contact Ray...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP  There are many reasons projects are successful.  Here are 9 critical project management success factors: Executive support Client involvement End user involvement Well defined and limited scope Clear objectives Firm basic requirements Standardized procedures Formal methodologies Reliable estimates About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The PMBOK, PMI’s Project Management Book of Knowledge, discusses several forms of organizational structures.  As a project manager, you should be able to recognize the common organizational structures and their characteristics because: The project manager’s level of authority and budget control will vary between structures The organizational structure often...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The PMBOK, Fourth Edition, lists 6 competing project constraints: scope, quality, schedule, budget, resources, and risk.  This adds 2 new components to the traditional project triangle that was also called the project triple constraints.  The original project triangle was composed of scope, budget, and schedule.  Quality was added to...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP People frequently ask, “What does a project manager do?”  The answer may surprise you and it depends on the structure of the organization where the project manager is functioning.  First, let’s see what the Project Management Institute (PMI) has to say about what a project manager does. According to...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The Project Management Institute released the 4th Edition of the PMBOK in December 2009.  The PMP certification exam was updated in July 2009 to reflect the changes in the new edition.  This article gives an overview of the changes introduced in the 4th Edition of PMBOK. The 4th Edition...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Commercial project management software is expensive.  So expensive in fact, that it is out of the reach of many freelance project managers and small businesses on limited budgets.  Fortunately, there are many low cost or free alternatives to Microsoft Project that are readily available on the Internet if you...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP There are many ways to price a contract, the most common being Firm Fixed Price and T&M.  Selecting the right contract type for your project shouldn’t be a big deal; each one has its own advantages and disadvantages.  The Project Manager should have a firm understanding and working knowledge...
Read More »