Certification Updates Recent updates have driven some changes to two of the project management certification courses run by the PM-Partners group. Details of these changes are outlined below:PMP® The Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential examination was updated 31 August 2011 and is based on updates to the professional role of a PMP® recently found in PMI’s Role Delineation Study (RDS). As a result of the RDS, certain areas of the examination will be tested in a different way because... Read more... Project Management and Business Analysis Learning Pathways For the most successful organisations, training is viewed as a journey towards implementing best practices and not as a one-off event. The optimum approach to staff learning and industry certification takes a three pronged approach; structured training sessions, coaching and mentoring. All tailored to the organisation’s business objectives. The latest event in our popular ‘On Target’ seminar series focuses on ‘learning pathways for project managers and business analysts’. In this... Read more... Uncovering the Business Value of Enterprise Project & Portfolio Management If you’re a CEO or General Manager you need visibility over your business in order to make decisions and prioritise projects. Chances are your business has multiple projects on the go. But how do you get a top level view on cost control, use of resources and performance of the various projects across your business?Introducing Enterprise Project & Portfolio Management Project management tools have been available for many years and most enable project planning from the bottom up. In... Read more... AIPM World Congress Oct 2011 Brisbane Project Management – Delivering the Promise The AIPM is proud to have been chosen to host the 25th IPMA World Congress 2011 in Brisbane, Australia. With the International Project Management Association representing the national Project Management associations of some 50 countries, this Congress promises be the global conference of the year. Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Queensland, Australia | 9 - 12 October 2011 See you at PMOZ in August PM-Partners are proud to support the PMOZ key industry event once again. PMOz is the leading Project Management Conference in Australia.  Now in its eighth year PMOz will once again offer a range of dynamic and exciting presentations encompassing all aspects of “creating success" from the high level concepts of translating strategy into action through the tools and techniques employed at the coalface to make individual projects a success. We will be exhibiting at the show, so please... Read more... Business Analysis Tool Kit Implementing the best possible business strategy depends on implementing the best solution possible. Without proper skills and training in business analysis – choosing the best strategy could be guess work. Business Analysis, much like its focus, is an ever evolving field yet there are certain tools everyone investigating their business procedures and programs. Quantifying your businesses current state of affairs- presenting a visual on how your company is being able to perform is... Read more... Taking a big picture look at business strategy Having an effective business strategy is tantamount for a successful project. Taking a holistic approach to business strategy could make or break a project you're managing. PM-Partners Group is dedicated to developing well devised business strategies and analysing how these can improve project management results. Through our project management research into business strategy we have devised a range of courses to improve business stragety- to elegantly define your overall vision and sculpting... Read more... Strategy Execution Global research shows that less than 40% of strategies are effectively executed. Organisations that successfully execute even run-of-the-mill strategies outperform those that fail to execute the most brilliant plans. Alignment of strategy and execution is deceptively difficult.  The linchpin to success is the effective dissemination of strategic intent through clearly articulated expected outcomes, economic benefits and project deliverables. PM-Partners group can support your... Read more... Applying ‘Intelligence’ to Projects Approximately two-thirds (66%) of all projects surveyed over the past decade have failed or were challenged. Most troublesome were larger projects. Only 19% of large- projects costing US$750,000 to US$3 million were successful in 2009 (The Standish Group 2009). The major causes of project failure are well documented.  The causes highest on the list are not process related, as maybe expected, but are directly driven by the people dynamics of the project.  PM-Partners group refers to... Read more... Goals of Business Analysis Having a constructive look at your business can really give your project management and overall company management a real boost. Effective business analysis tools are outcomes based- with each aspect has well defined goals. While measuring return on investment is the ultimate goal for companies- business analysis will also allow you to observe and translate finer victories that have come out of a project. These include:Fine-tuning project lifecyclesAnalysing problems within... Read more...

Why it's important to have well trained Project Managers Project management is an often overlooked aspect of business. With a third of all projects finished behind schedule and just over 20% reportedly not being finished at all, trained project managers are able to turn schedule lag around, using a range of project management strategies. Recently, we conducted a survey into attitudes towards Project Management; the majority of respondents said project management staff should have industry recognised qualifications. An industry trained... Read more... Jetstar and PM-Partners Working Together Jetstar Extends it's Project Management Outsourcing with PM Partners group In January last year ITNews.com.au did a story on the outsourcing arrangement between ourselves and Jetstar read the article. The article details Jetstar's CIO Stephen Tame's praise for PM-Partners group and our management of Jetstar's Project Management Office (PMO). "PM Partners runs not just the PMO, but the project management itself. So my small team is 95 per cent focused on running the business," said... Read more... How to Incorporate a Project Rationale Learn how to justify your projects according to a rationale. Choose the appropriate valuation scheme for your project when presenting your case to stakeholders. Just like when you write a thesis or have to hand in a business case study, a case defending your choices for your project management model is essential to demonstrate the value of your work to the company, clients and all other stakeholders involved. When backed by a suitable rationale, the project plan acquires weight and evidence... Read more... Managing Relationships – Part II A key component of creating sustainable and trusting client relationships is the demonstration of reliability. A reliability reputation is a direct reflection of the project manager’s actions. Customers and team members prefer to have a project manager who is dependable--that is, consistent in performing project management duties. A project manager can undo their credibility quite quickly if he or she is not reliable and consistent. Providing status reports with updates of the... Read more... Managing Relationships - Part I It is important for project managers to develop a competency in maintaining trustworthy relationships with key stakeholders. These relationships can entail a certain amount of risk, and often consume a lot of time and energy. In their seminal text, “The Trusted Advisor”, Maister, Green & Galford argue that an effective account manager must demonstrate, "credibility, reliability, intimacy and a low concern for self." These relationships develop over time, not only requiring a... Read more... Calculating Utilization It is important for managers to understand how productive their consulting staff is. Here are a few tips on how to set a standard according to total available hours for each consultant and work achieved. Some points to take into consideration include the difference in total available hours from country to country regarding holidays and work policies and standard working weeks for consultants. 1.    Total Available Hours Standard number of working hours available This figure... Read more... Project Management Checklist – Part II Project Management Checklist – Part II Deliverables Define how the final product will be used and implemented. 1. Is the product to be cross-platform compatible (eg. Mac and PC)? 2. Is the product to be cross-browser compatible (eg. Explorer, Safari and Mozilla)? 3. Is it necessary to develop a prototype or proof-of-concept by a particular date? 4. Will the assets involve graphics, animations, audio, video creation? How much time will the creation of these assets require? 5. Is the subject... Read more... Project Management Checklist – Part 1 Project Management Checklist for design and production of a multi-media platform This article suggests a set of considerations to be addressed when planning, initiating and determining the specifications phases of a multi-media IT-based project. Title, Project Details and Funding 1. What is the name of the project? Write down and communicate a succinct overview of the nature and scope of the project with the team that will be involved with the project. Discuss the major aims and... Read more... Why do Projects Fail? The top 10 reasons for the failure of projects in small organisations • Project sponsors and project managers with little know-how and/or experience. • Poor human resource management. • Poor management of expectations between stakeholders. • Inability to adequately identify, document and track deliverables. • Limited definition of pre-decessor tasks and stage deadlines inlcuding a poor assessment of time and effort required to complete each task. • Insufficient communication... Read more... International Project Management – Part II Risk Management Planning When taking on an international project, risk management planning becomes an imperative consideration to mitigate possible extra costs or loss of control of the project. Investigate the differences in the legal system. How does this affect the ability to own the rights of the finished product? If labour and materials are insufficient at any time to complete the project, what are the workaround alternatives? Create a backup plan, including possible companies for... Read more...

More Articles... International Project Management – Part I What are the key traits of a Good Project Manager? What are Project Delivery Services and How can they Help? Melbourne Project Management Courses

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