Episode 110: The Advantage of Leadership

Everywhere you turn these days project management experts are talking about the need for us all to move from project management to project leadership. Here at The PM Podcast we have tackled this subject a number of times in the past and today we will continue this journey by taking a look at The Advantage of Leadership.

http://theadvantageofleadershipnow.com/



Episode link
http://www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=219&Itemid=9

Episode 115: Leadership Challenges of Complex Projects

One major factor that is making a larger project more difficult to manage than a smaller project is complexity. On a larger project you will have a larger product scope, a more extensive budget, a more intricate project schedule and not least of it all also a lot more people. All of these add to your project’s complexity.

Montcarlo simulation

A Monte Carlo method is a technique that involves using random numbers and probability to solve problems. The term Monte Carlo Method was coined by S. Ulam and Nicholas Metropolis in reference to games of chance, a popular attraction in Monte Carlo, Monaco (Hoffman, 1998; Metropolis and Ulam, 1949).

Computer simulation has to do with using computer models to imitate real life or make predictions. When you create a model with a spreadsheet like Excel, you have a certain number of input parameters and a few equations that use those inputs to give you a set of outputs (or response variables). This type of model is usually deterministic, meaning that you get the same results no matter how many times you re-calculate. [ Example 1: A Deterministic Model for Compound Interest ]

Figure 1: A parametric deterministic model maps a set of input variables to a set of output variables.

Monte Carlo simulation is a method for iteratively evaluating a deterministic model using sets of random numbers as inputs. This method is often used when the model is complex, nonlinear, or involves more than just a couple uncertain parameters. A simulation can typically involve over 10,000 evaluations of the model, a task which in the past was only practical using super computers.

Read more

http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelArticles/mc/MonteCarloSimulation.html

Episode 120: Sustainability... Why Bother?!

Companies and project managers have believed for years that their only responsibility was mainly a financial one – maximizing value for shareholders and finish your projects on time and on budget. Sustainability is a new idea, where the corporate sector incorporates social and environmental concerns in its strategies and plays a more responsible role in the world.



PM board game
http://www.successfulprojects.com/Products/ProjectRiskBoardGame/tabid/68/Default.aspx

Visualizing Agile Projects using Kanban Boards

Three viewpoints and Kanban Board as a mapping of Task to Time

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Project Management Software Preview

OnTime is a project management suite used by 7,000+ software dev teams. It takes care of bug tracking, scrum process automation, requirements management, the dev wiki, your support help desk, and more.
Free For Single User


© 2002 - 2009, Axosoft, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Plan. Track. Deliver.
Agile Project Management for Agile Development

VersionOne Supports Scrum XP DSDM AgileUP Custom/Hybrid Methodologies

VersionOne's web-based software can be quickly deployed to a single team or across distributed organizations - with either on-demand (Saas) or on-site (local install) delivery methods. VersionOne's configurable, methodology-specific products for Scrum, Extreme Programming, DSDM and Agile UP also allow companies to easily select which product best aligns with their own internal development process. VersionOne easily scales to support multiple projects, releases and teams and incorporates all key agile and iterative management practices such as release planning, iteration planning and tracking, burndown reporting, velocity and user story (or backlog item) and task management.

Contact us today and let us show you how VersionOne's Scrum, Extreme Programming, DSDM and Agile UP products have helped agile development teams all over the world minimize project risk and maximize project visibility, predictability and adaptability.

Copyright © 2009 , VersionOne, Inc. All Rights Reserved An Agile Project Management Company

Episode 118: Cultural Awareness and Cultural Intelligence

Many aspects of culture are invisible, yet culture has an enormous impact on our projects. If ignored, these aspects can lead to misunderstanding, stress and conflict. Alternatively, if attention is given to the invisible aspects, it can enhance productivity, improve project teamwork and create more joy on the job.



Second Edition The Invisible Elephant - Exploring Cultural Awareness (Paperback)

Episode 118 PREMIUM: The Cultural Mirror

The Cultural Mirror. An absolutely fabulous tool to visually display cultural differences between people and cultural groups.
Talks about how to use it on your project, how to interpret it’s results and translate them onto your project, and the importance of understanding your corporate culture for your project.

Premium!!! :(

Can anybody tell us whats in it?

The PMBOK® Guide—Fourth Edition

The PMBOK® Guide—Fourth Edition continues the tradition of excellence in project management with a standard that is easy to understand and implement.
The major differences between the Third Edition and the Fourth Edition are summarized below:
• All process names are in a verb-noun format
• Enterprise Environmental Factors were more clearly defined to avoid confusion with Organizational Process Assets.
• A standard approach for discussing requested changes, preventive actions, corrective actions and defect repairs was employed.
• The processes decreased from 44 to 42. Two processes were deleted, two processes were added and 6 processes were reconfigured into 4 processes in the procurement Knowledge Area.
• To provide clarity a distinction was made between the project management plan and project documents used to manage the project.
• The distinction between the information in the Project Charter and the Project Scope Statement was clarified.
• The process flow diagrams at the beginning of chapters 4-12 have been deleted and replaced with data flow diagrams.
• A data flow diagram for each process has been created.
• A new appendix was added that addresses key interpersonal skills that a project manager utilizes when managing a project.



Source: www.pmi.org

A complete list of changes can be found in Appendix A of the Fourth Edition.

Episode 119: SharePoint for Project Management

Have you ever seen Microsoft SharePoint? And after you saw it, did you feel like this was a tool that you’d like to use in order to manage your projects? If the answer is no then you are like most companies who don’t understand MS SharePoint’s power and use it simply to share documents or spreadsheets. That is where the book “SharePoint for Project Management” comes into play. It demonstrates how SharePoint can also help you organize and manage complex projects.



SharePoint for Project Management: How to Create a Project Management Information System (PMIS) with SharePoint (Paperback

Episode 121: Everything a Project Manager should know about Social Media

The number of social media websites is sheer overwhelming. There are Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Myspace, Skype, Google Chat, Plurk, Bebo, Xing, Hi5, Orkut, Pownce and LinkedIn. And these are just the more popular ones. But why should you as a project manager care about this?

Bas de Baar (http://blog.softwareprojects.org/)

http://www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=249&Itemid=44

Episode 123: The Lazy Project Manager

Would you like to be twice as productive on your projects and still leave the office early? Peter Taylor, PMP (www.thelazyprojectmanager.com) has a suggestion for you: Become a "lazy" project manager. In his book The Lazy Project Manager he reveals how adopting a more focused approach to life, projects and work can make you twice as productive.

Read more and listen at
http://www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=253&Itemid=9

Amazon link:

The Lazy Project Manager: How to be Twice as Productive and Still Leave the Office Early
by Peter Taylor (Author)

Episode 122: Business Driven PMO Setup

Are you working in a Project Management Office (PMO) or are you currently trying to set one up? Wouldn’t it be great if you could read the lessons learned files of over 20 PMO executives and subject matter experts and learn from their experience? We can help you.

Listen to the podcast at
http://www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=251&Itemid=9

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