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	<title>PMServicesNW</title>
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	<description>Free project management information and downloads</description>
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		<title>Understanding Your Project</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/05/understanding-your-project/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/05/understanding-your-project/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 May 2011 02:22:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Initiation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[w5h2 questions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2785</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Here are 7 questions that will help you understand your project.  These questions are sometimes referred to as the W5H2 questions. Consider answering these questions in your Project Charter. Why is this project needed? What work will the project produce? When will the work be completed? Who is responsible for the project? Where they are organizationally located? How will the project work be accomplished? How much of each resource (people, hardware, software, materials) is required to accomplish the project work?   About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience planning and managing technology projects.  Contact Ray at www.pmservicesnw.com Article source: www.pmservicesnw.com &#169;2012 PMServicesNW. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Simplify Weekly Project Status Reports</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/simplify-weekly-project-status-reports/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/simplify-weekly-project-status-reports/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:27:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project status reports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weekly Status Reports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2755</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Weekly project status reports don’t need to be a chore.  Here is an easy way to provide relevant information to the project stakeholders without a lot of work on your part. Outline for a Simple Weekly Report: Describe the work that was accomplished since the previous report Discuss any issues you run into Describe what you did to resolve the issues Describe the work that is scheduled to be done next week Use these headings for an easy 4 slide PowerPoint presentation: Work Accomplished Issues Issue Resolution Planned Work   About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience planning and managing technology projects.  Contact Ray at www.pmservicesnw.com Article source: www.pmservicesnw.com &#169;2012 PMServicesNW. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Residual vs. Secondary Risks</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/residual-vs-secondary-risks/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/residual-vs-secondary-risks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:33:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Risk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Residual Risks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[risk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Secondary Risks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2763</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP We know that risks are unknown future events that may have positive or negative influence on our projects.  It is also important to identify and understand residual and secondary risks. Residual Risks Risks that remain after all of the response strategies have been implemented Secondary Risks Risks that are a direct result of implementing a risk response About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience planning and managing technology projects.  Contact Ray at www.pmservicesnw.com Article source: www.pmservicesnw.com &#169;2012 PMServicesNW. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>9 Ways to Influence Your Project Team</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/9-ways-to-influence-your-project-team/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/9-ways-to-influence-your-project-team/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:20:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Teams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2759</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Authors Thamhain and Wilmon presented 9 ways to influence project teams (Information Technology Project Management, Fourth Edition”.  Here’s a brief summary: Authority The legitimate hierarchical right to issue orders Assignment The project manager&#8217;s perceived ability to influence a worker&#8217;s later work assignments Budget The project manager&#8217;s perceived ability to authorize others&#8217; use of discretionary funds Promotion The ability to improve a worker&#8217;s position Money The ability to increase a worker&#8217;s pay and benefits Penalty The project manager&#8217;s ability to cause punishment Work Challenge The ability to assign work that capitalizes on a worker&#8217;s enjoyment of doing a particular task Expertise The project manager&#8217;s perceived special knowledge that others deem important Friendship The ability to establish friendly personal relationships between the project manager and others   About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience planning and managing technology projects.  Contact Ray at www.pmservicesnw.com Article source: www.pmservicesnw.com &#169;2012 PMServicesNW. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>The Purpose of Scope Management</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/the-purpose-of-scope-management/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/04/the-purpose-of-scope-management/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:16:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Scope]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scope control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scope managment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2781</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The PMBOK says that Scope Management is primarily concerned with defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project.  But what does that really mean? The purpose of Scope Management is to: Define and document the product or service to be produced by the project Ensure that the project focuses ONLY on the work required to complete the project Enforce rigorous management control of the scope and adherence to strict scope change procedures Document what is IN-SCOPE and perhaps more importantly, what is OUT-OF-SCOPE Also note that only the project sponsor can approve Scope changes. About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience planning and managing technology projects.  Contact Ray at www.pmservicesnw.com Article source: www.pmservicesnw.com &#169;2012 PMServicesNW. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>7 Hour Rule of Project Management</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/7-hour-rule-of-project-management/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/7-hour-rule-of-project-management/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:43:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Project Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2559</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How many productive hours do you expect your people to work in a day? Rather, how many required hours do the person has to work? This depends on the labor law of the country but for my insight I will use the standard 8 hours we have from where I come from. While productive hours and required hours should ideally be the same, there are lots of factors that could hinder the person from rendering a full 8 hours of productivity and these includes restroom breaks, small chats with superiors, brainstorming, phone calls, etc. which hit the total productive hours the person can accomplish for the day without overtimes. On with the 7 hour rule Having said that, managers or team leads drafting timelines should always create work plan and timelines based on the 7 hour rule, meaning their tasks could be accomplished within a 7 hour a day workload. By keeping this rule you ensure your project have a one hour buffer for stuffs that could eat up timelines outside personal matters (as mentioned above) like getting stuck in problem solving situations, miscommunication or misunderstanding, etc. While it may seem that clients or employers are being shortchanged because they have [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Schedule Dependencies</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/schedule-dependencies/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/schedule-dependencies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:55:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Schedule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finish Finish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finish Start]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[schedule dependencies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Start Finish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Start Start]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2789</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Here is a short review of scheduling dependencies. FS &#8211; Finish to Start (most common) A FS B The first task (A) finishes before the second task (B) can start The &#8216;from&#8217; activity must finish before the &#8216;to&#8217; activity can start Sweep floor FS Mop floor FF &#8211; Finish to Finish A FF B The first task (A) must finish before the second tasks (B) can finish The &#8216;from&#8217; activity must finish before the &#8216;to&#8217; activity can finish Insert letter into envelop FF Seal envelop SS &#8211; Start to Start A SS B The second task (B) cannot start until the first task (A) starts The &#8216;from&#8217; activity must start before the &#8216;to&#8217; activity can start The project is funded SS Begin project planning SF &#8211; Start to Finish A SF B The second task (B) cannot finish before the first task (A) has started Once the first task (A) has started the second task (B) is allowed to finish The &#8216;from&#8217; activity must start before the &#8216;to&#8217; activity can finish The first shift worker (B) cannot go home until the second shift worker (A) arrives   About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>A New Take on Project Leadership</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/a-new-take-on-project-leadership/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/a-new-take-on-project-leadership/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:58:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Project Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business lead]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technical lead]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2798</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP PMI emphasizes the role of the project manager as the key figure in project leadership.  It is true that the project manager leads the work effort and manages the all of the project relationships from the project sponsors and stakeholders, to the project team, and including any vendor relationships for the duration of the project.  But I saw something tonight that caused me to consider two additional roles that are also key to project success. Surfing the internet I found a presentation by Peter P. Yim, San Jose State University dated October 19, 2002 and November 9, 2002:  http://wrrf.cim3.org/files/workshops/Project_Management/wrrf_project_management_v1-3_20021109.ppt In his presentation, Mr. Yim proposes that project leadership is typically composed of 3 important roles.  They are: Business Lead – Knows Why The owner of the purpose of the project The business lead crafts the idea and builds the vision From my perspective, the business lead may not be the project sponsor Perhaps the business lead is the Sales Person responsible to sell the project idea to the project sponsor Technical Lead – Knows How The technical lead is the subject matter expert The technical lead understands the solution, the technology, the system internals Responsible [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tips for Managing Your Vendors</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/tips-for-managing-your-vendors/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/tips-for-managing-your-vendors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:57:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Project Vendor Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2793</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Frequently project managers need to reach outside their organization to acquire equipment, materials, or services to fulfill the needs of their projects.  Engaging outside vendors is a complex process and is sometimes managed as a sub-project in itself.  Even after successfully navigating the complexities of the RFP and contracts, the project manager must manage the vendor and the procurement contract until all deliveries are complete and the contract is closed. Here, in no particular order, are some recommended best practices for managing your project’s vendors or suppliers. Insist on a single point of contact Define in writing the required product or services requirements or performance specifications Include the RFP and vendor proposal as part of the contract Define a change management plan Include delivery milestones Base payment on completed and accepted milestones Define quality standards Define warranty, maintenance and/or services standards and service level agreements (SLA) Include a Statement of Work in the contract  Schedule regular management and/or program reviews Require written vendor reports Build in “decision point” into your project plan, and Have contingency plans in place   About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>EVA Rules of Thumb</title>
		<link>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/eva-rules-of-thumb/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pmservicesnw.com/2011/03/eva-rules-of-thumb/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Earned Value]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EVM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EVM rules of thumb]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pmservicesnw.com/?p=2737</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Here are some basic rules to interpret the results of Earned Value calculations. Negative numbers for cost and schedule variance are bad Positive numbers are good CPI and SPI less than 100% are bad If you are studying for the PMP examination you may also find the following information useful. If the question is a variance, the formula is EV – something If the question is an index, the formula is EV / something If the question relates to cost, use AC If the question relates to time, use PV, and Almost all formulas start out with EV   About the Author: Ray Myers, Jr. is a PMP certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience planning and managing technology projects.  Contact Ray at www.pmservicesnw.com Article source: www.pmservicesnw.com &#169;2012 PMServicesNW. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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