Best Tips To Manage Multiple Projects At Once!

As understood in project management certification– let’s take a look at these pointers for successfully managing many projects at once. 

Each project should be broken down into one hour of work every day. You have one hour to be productive, to accomplish a task, to assign responsibilities, to have a meeting...whatever it is, you have one hour to complete it. Is this something you've heard before? You know what I'm talking about if you've ever handled many projects at once. There are a lot of things you can do in an hour on a daily basis, but managing a project isn't generally one of them. But that's exactly what a lot of us are doing. To "successfully" manage a project in one-hour increments, we must be able to:

•        Stubborn

•        Ritualistic – maintain a good weekly schedule so we know where we are in terms of tasks and planned work at any given time of the week

•        An efficient and effective communicator

•        Well-organized

•        Focused on what is in front of us at that moment on a specific project's tasks in the project management software schedule, not the next project on our list

To keep everyone on the same page and on the same page, send out at least one team / client communication of a highlight or status. As understood in project management certification - the finest project managers are excellent communicators, and the most successful projects are those in which everyone is on the same page throughout the duration of the project. The PM and project team make sure this happens by sending out at least a daily project status update to everyone on the front lines of project management, including the project client. To gain the maximum collaboration and success, I believe in being as upfront with the client as possible.

Spend a portion of the hour every day allotted for the weekly status report on the weekly status report and ensure that all tasks are operating well. You, your team, and the client will be ill-prepared for a meaningful weekly project status call if the status project report is thrown together at the last minute. Make sure it's a good report - one of the best ways to achieve that is to spend a few minutes each day making sure it's ready for the status call on Thursday, for example. If it's every Thursday, have a thorough conversation with your whole project team the day before to ensure the status report is as current and accurate as possible. Then, every week, have a status call with the customer based on the project status report. Easy.

Check the project's finances on a regular basis. Most project managers, especially those who are young or inexperienced, find the financial aspect to be the most difficult. It should be rather straightforward to stay inside 10% of budget all the way to the conclusion of the engagement if you are closely controlling the budget. If you don't keep track of your project budget on a regular basis, it's all too simple for it to spiral out of control – especially if you're managing 4-5 projects. A 50% overage is nearly hard to correct, and the project is doomed to fail.

Want to learn more about the same? Take on a project manager or business analyst course today!

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Implementing performance metrics into business strategy

Executive managers need reports that indicate performance measurements, as I learnt when studying for the project management certification. Dashboards and scorecards are frequently used to present technical or key performance indicators in order to assess the strategy plan's health. The issue raised in this article is that most businesses have a gap between corporate strategy and day-to-day operations. As a result, businesses may evaluate performance but not control it.

Poor definition, non-tangible, not properly articulated, and measurement not focused on key drivers, according to Breakthrough Business Performance, are some of the factors that lead to strategy execution failure. Organizations are encouraged to establish a discipline that connects strategy implementation to key business activities by managing:

1)      Objectives

2)      Initiatives

3)      Resources

4)      Risks

5)      Incentives

Organizations may manage performance by aligning performance indicators, projects, resources, and risks to strategic goals, according to the notion.

Some projects are required to employ Earned Value Management (EVM) to oversee performance on large-scale, high-risk endeavours, as I learnt when studying for the project management certification. EVM is an approach that employs objective performance measurements to track progress and integrates scope, schedule, and budget. Level of effort and discrete effort are the two categories of effort that may be quantified. Administrative support, such as general project management and other overhead duties, is frequently the highest level of work. Discrete effort refers to the more concrete major drivers or objectives that must be met before the conclusion of the project.

The relevant control account managers must clearly identify the initiatives by portraying the specific goals in a work breakdown structure dictionary in a well-designed earned value management system. Some of the high-level hazards or assumptions that might affect the outcome will be stored in the dictionary. The resources are given in a foundation of estimation artefact that explains why the expenditures associated with the efforts are so high. As the basis for performance, all of the required scope, schedule, and cost artefacts are documented in a single project management plan and performance assessment baseline.

The relevant control account managers must clearly identify the initiatives by portraying the specific goals in a work breakdown structure dictionary in a well-designed earned value management system. Some of the high-level hazards or assumptions that might affect the outcome will be stored in the dictionary. The resources are given in a foundation of estimation artefact that explains why the expenditures associated with the efforts are so high. As the basis for performance, all of the required scope, schedule, and cost artefacts are documented in a single project management plan and performance assessment baseline.

Want to learn more about the same? Take on a project manager or business analyst course today!

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Project Manager Whys: Bring your inner child to work!

As I discovered when studying for the project management certification, most toddlers do something that is good business practise. 'Why?' they enquire. They question why to just about everything at some point. This is arguably preferable than the period where they refuse to accept anything. However, I can see how this may become tiresome. We appear to lose our sense of curiosity no matter how patient our parents were with us during our 'Why' era. Curiosity may be really useful in guiding us. The tool I'm referring about here is known as 'The Five Whys.'

Use 'The Five Whys' for root cause analysis and to truly comprehend the motivation behind your project. Let's have a look at some examples:

You and your team are aware that there is a problem, but it could be caused by a number of factors. This is an excellent opportunity to start with what you already know and work your way backward to the source of the problem.

1.       Despite the fact that we produced the product on time and on budget, our customer has decided not to engage us again.

WHY won’t they hire us again?

2.       The product we delivered did not meet their expectations.

WHY didn’t the product meet their expectations?

3.       The customer states that functionality is missing.

WHY does the customer state functionality is missing?

4.       The customer has a requirements list that does not match the list we used.

WHY does the customer have a requirements list that differs from ours?

5.       When our first project manager left, there was no smooth transfer to the new project manager. The new project manager believed he had all of the necessary documentation.

WHY did a change in project manager lead us to use the wrong version of a document?

I'll stop here because I'm confident you can figure out how to use this tool. You can also see that it takes more than five whys at times and less than five whys at other times. It's critical to keep continuing until you discover the true causes of the problem you're investigating. Of course, there's a chance you'll come up with multiple reasons to take action.

'And why are we doing this?' you're probably already getting looks from your team. That's a wonderful thing because they can assist you in getting started. Don't be put off by why inquiries. You are not required to respond to every why. This is a collaborative effort. You can make why inquiries enjoyable and ingrained in your team's culture. Invite your staff to act like children and ask "why?

Need more insights on the same? Enrol in a project management or business analyst course today!

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3 Tips to boost your career as a project manager!

I was recently requested to come up with three ideas to assist project management certification practitioners like you in moving forward in their professions. The idea was to gather advice from a variety of sources and compile it into a single document. Obviously, you want to learn how to manage projects and what project managers do. Beyond that, it's often a question of who you are as a person and how you act. With a little imagined drum roll, I'll end on that note. There you have it: three pointers to help you enhance your PM career!

1.    Be Flexible 

It is not always a straight path to the top. You travel sideways and then up at intervals. Others who are more open minded are moving ahead while you remain in the same place waiting for that promotion. Consider what you stand to gain before dismissing an opportunity. Is it allowing you to gain new knowledge about your company or sector, add new talents to your portfolio, increase your network, or strengthen working relationships? You will be judged against those who have demonstrated that they are not frightened to try new things.

2.    Be Likeable 

It takes a certain set of talents to be likeable. You have the capacity to gain popularity. Ability is something you can cultivate, not an all-or-nothing attribute, as I learned while studying for the project management certification. People are responsible for completing project work. When all other factors are equal, people prefer to be surrounded by people they enjoy. People are more eager to go the additional mile for you when they enjoy working with you, and you have a better pick of the best competent resources. How? Consider what you're saying before you say it. Be truthful and considerate. Respect everyone in your vicinity. Be a leader who others look up to.

3.    Be Low-maintenance 

Do I make life easier for those I work with, or do I make life more difficult for them? Am I high-maintenance or highly valued? Ask someone you can trust if you don't know the answer. "It is literally true that the best and quickest way to succeed is to help others succeed," Napoleon Hill said. You are serving people, regardless of how significant your title is or how much money you make. When you arrive to work, your goal is to help people. Others will notice your acts if they reflect service.

Need more insights on the same? Enrol in a project manager or business analyst course today!

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Boosting Morale: Leadership in Project Management

What makes you feel better when your spirits are low? Hopefully, you know at least one person who makes you feel better when you're down in the dumps. By achieving a project management certification, you’ll know that go-to person who always manages to clear the air and leave you feeling energised. They get a boost whenever they assist you. The act of assisting others makes you feel better, and the more you assist in raising morale, the more you will want to raise morale. That's what you'd call a win-win situation.

Consider morale-boosting to be a mental and emotional workout. You will become stronger the more you do it. This is healthy for your heart, as the introductory quote suggests. Perhaps not your heart as a muscle, but certainly your spirit's heart. However, when your morale is good, your stress level is low, which is beneficial to both your physical and mental health.

What is your workout plans for this week? Will you attend a yoga or Pilates class? Have a personal trainer assisted you with weight training? I hope you have time to go for a stroll, work out at the gym, or run. Physical activity aids in the clearing of the mind, the discharge of tension, and the reconnection with creativity.

By achieving a project management certification, you’ll include another sort of heart-healthy activities in your routine. The kind that entails assisting others. YOU have the potential to reach out and raise others up with your hand. It is beneficial to both them and you. You'll find opportunities to accomplish this type of lifting all around you.

·         Encourage a co-worker who is experiencing a career setback or disappointment.

·         Encourage the staff that is working nonstop to accomplish an impossibly tight deadline.

·         When layoffs or budget cuts are announced, boost employee morale.

·         When a favourite colleague departs the team or the firm, boost morale.

·         Raise your spirits when "Murphy's Law" kicks in and everything that can go wrong does.

·         When a presentation goes wrong or a prototype is rejected, boost morale.

These are just a few examples of situations where you can help folks. When people's spirits are low, YOU are the one who lifts them up. They'll feel better, and you'll feel better, too!

It takes a combination of mind, body, and soul to be a good leader. You can't offer what you don't have, as one of my teachers often reminds me. Build your strength and your spirit. Don't put your own mind, body, and spirit on hold for the sake of others. Include encouraging and uplifting others in your strategy. Everyone benefits when you do so.

Need more insights on the same? Enrol in a project management or business analyst course today!

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