Braintrust Knowledge Managment Conference Information

The Braintrust 2009 conference documentation is now available online.

Check out the brand new website here:
http://www.iirusa.com/braintrust/welcome.xml



At Braintrust 2009 you will learn directly from KM leaders and corporate practitioners how to:

• Create a powerful network for collaboration and problem solving
• Inspire innovation
• Minimize the risk of losing critical knowledge
• Drive growth through challenging times.

New Format
Based on industry requests, each event session will be 90 min in length and will incorporate a facilitated interactive activity to develop a story-line that builds on previous topics. From these discussions we will summarize the activities and provide to attendees post-conference.

Register today!

The history of project management

I came across the ProjectNation.net video blog by Bill Raymond. His first video covers the history of project management. Watch the video here:

What Software Does a Business Analyst Need?

Recently ran across a blog post that outlines the software that's imperative for Business Analysts to use or forget when going for a job or trying to keep the job that they currently hold. Kingsley Tagbo writes, he core business analyst skill sets does not really include software skills. However, in the current job market, IT Managers are cutting costs by hiring business analysts with specific software skills. Traditionally, business analysts have had to learn the specific software used by a business after they get hired. Tagbo also outlines what the current environment is like for Business Analysts. Check out the blog post here. What software is a must have for Business Analysts? Do you agree with Tagbo?

Where to start in project management

Sharon Slayton at the Examiner's latest article discusses where to start your project management. She looks in depth at creating a project schedule. Read the full article here.

What’s a project schedule? Well, it’s part of your overall Project Plan, and it contains the things that, when put together, create the actions and the goals that make up your project. It is important to understand that the reason you embark on a project is to create something.

Project management forum

Are you looking for a place to collaborate for your project management online? Making Project Management Better has recently posted a list of free websites you can utilize for your management. Find out more about these at the MPMB web site.

1. allPM.com
2. gantthead.com
3. Project Management Knowledge Base
4. Professional Project Managers Networking Group
5. Tek-Tips Project Management Forum
6. ICPM Project Manager’s Forum

Tools on the web for project management

Are you looking to utilize cost-effective tools to keep your project management going? Here's a great slide show about all of the Web 2.0 tools available on the internet.

Web 2.0 Tools For Project Management

View more presentations from Douglas Tokuno.

Recession is Perfect For Project Management Apps

Nestor E. Arellano at Networkworld.com, analyzes how the recession is a perfect time for project management applications. Writing from ITWorldCanada.com, Arellano looks specifically at Canadian firms and the processes that are being adapted during these tough financial times. He writes, EPM software products typically help organizations collect and make sense of data to facilitate governance and assessment of the status of projects in the enterprise. These products can also assist a company's project management office (PMO) not only to plan and track existing sets of projects but also create a portfolio of existing and future projects categorized by such criteria as budget size, schedule, or business line. Read more about the products he describes and thoughts from industry gurus on his original article.

Project Management 2.0

Are you, as a project manager, spending more time sifting through email upon email before you can truly begin to manage your projects? ZD Net Asia recently looked at how many PMs spend time going through email to collect the details of their new projects, often times missing key factors, due to reminders being lost in the email or if you don't get the email.

According to the article, PM 2.0 has three benefits:

• Reducing routine work
• Providing multiple project views
• Giving the complete picture of all projects

For an in-depth look at the benefits of PM 2.0, read the article here.

Getting the Right Business Analysts

CIO.com has a great article on getting and keeping great business analysts for your company. Spending valuable company resources looking for the perfect fit can be curbed if you follow their simple guidelines. For example, companies that want to have the right people in the right roles need to address four main stages; defining the BA’s roles in the project, attracting the best talent, matching the BA to the project and finally, making the selection and continuing to support. Check out the rest of their post here. Any other ideas for getting great business analysts?

Build relationships in side your project management team

In a recent article at ProjectSmart, they discuss how it's just as vital to build solid relationships within your project management team as it is to develop the relationships with those you're working with outside your team. Read the article for an in-depth look.

Dr. Firas Abouzaki talks about project management

In a recent interview at Business Today, Dr. Firas Abouzaki talks about his role in project management and how it has grown. He also looks at how it has changed over the years. For the complete article, read here.

When asked what was the future in project management, he responded:
I envisage a growth in demand. There will probably be such a great demand that as a standard requirement - every professional in the industry will be required to be certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), or similar.

DeskAway: Project managment for small businesses

At the PC Mag, they talk about the software DeskAway. This simple project management software is set up specifically for small businesses, and gives them a way to manage their projects. Some of the problems that are resolved by using this software are: e-mail spam, multiple file versions, lost files, task accountability issues, lack of clarity, and work transparency.

What do you think? Have you had a chance to use DeskAway to manage your projects?