Project Mangement...
Understanding its Potential

Good project managers are not born that way. They have learned to use methods that have been successful for other project managers, from lessons learned of previous projects, and how to adapt each in new situations. ActioNet has deployed an internal Project Management Training program that focuses on developing our next generation of Project Managers. The program is geared toward the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, considered the premier industry credential for Project Managers.

Many companies, large and small, continue to believe that using project management techniques to control a project is an additional burden that they cannot afford to shoulder. Properly applied, these techniques allow a manager to manage the expectations of the stakeholder(s) with greater accuracy saving time and money in the long term. Project tools free workers to focus on building new things - new products, new services and improved organizations. Good project management techniques build and foster improved practices with the information technology field acting as a proving ground for many of these best practices.

Leveraging Tools Such As Microsoft Project Server

A company can leverage IT resources by using various tools. One very successful tool is the Microsoft^® Project ServerT family of products, which provides the ability to manage and communicate information for large numbers of complex projects.

A customer first attitude. Keeping stakeholders in the loop is always a priority for a good project manager. Stakeholders have a vested interest in the projects that they sponsor and they need timely, efficient, high-level status reports. Using the Executive view in Project Server, the project manager can create a custom report for a specific stakeholder or provide a broader report to many.

Enthusiasm for the project. OK, so a tool can't generate enthusiasm, but the great benefits below can sure help keep momentum going!

Ability to effectively manage change. Scheduling tools in MS Project are a great way to help manage change. A manager can set up a project to update itself when certain key things are changed by authorized users. If a change is made by someone with different authorization the PM gets notification, looks at the task, and can either accept or reject the change. In addition, if a customer needs more information about a possible change, the PM has the ability to save a snapshot of the existing project, make updates to reflect the change, and share the results helping the customer to decide whether or not to make the change.

Team building & negotiating skills. When using the Microsoft Project Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution, project managers can maximize resources without compromising the project. The Resource Center in Project Server allows you to look across the organization and pick staff based on skills while also viewing their availability to work on the project. All with a click of the mouse! So a project manager can potentially staff a project in a few minutes instead of taking days or weeks.

Adherence to priorities. When an assigned task is completed by a resource, an email can be automatically generated to let the manager know that it has been completed. Although not designed to take the place of regularly scheduled status meetings, issues can be addressed ahead of time reducing a normally 2-hour status meeting to 1 hour or less.

Industry knowledge. Although industry knowledge is not a feature of MS Project Server, a manager using it is often involved in user groups, such as the Microsoft Project Association (MPA) or the Microsoft Project discussion group. Both help PMs keep abreast of industry trends and knowledge.

Conclusion