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?

PW&WCBA Braintrust LinkedIn February Newsletter

The February edition of the PW&WCBA Braintrust LinkedIn Newsletter arrived in mailboxes this morning! You can also read the newsletter here. If you're not a member of our Project World LinkedIn group, join us to network with other project management professionals and receive the newsletter monthly!

This month, we issued this challenge to all members. We look forward to your thoughts!

Challenge:
The recent wildfires in Australia have proven difficult to overcome, as destruction continues and the fires once again flare up. Moving forward, Australia has decided to push forward to create a national fire warning system to try and prevent a similar situation in the future.

Stakeholders:
Attorney General Robert McClelland, David Quilty, managing director of public policy for Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra Corp., Bruce Esplin, head of Victorian Emergency Services, fire and police services.

Overview:
Since 2004, there have been numerous proposals to the Australian government for a nationwide warning fire warning system, however there have it has been held up because of issues relating to funding and privacy laws. Another obstacle standing in the way of this system is the current communication system used by emergency services – the size of this system has a threat of crashing the means of communication. After this month's devastating fires, a new urgency has formed for the national warning system.

New PM Masters at Washington University

Starting Fall Semester 2009, students at Washington University of St. Louis will be able to obtain a Masters Degree in Project Management.

Tom Browdy, Ph.D, director of masters of information management had this to say about the new program:

"Project management has become a challenge for industry over the past decade or so, and we've seen the need for a master's degree program for some time. Historically, most people who ended up managing projects were pushed into it. But there's more to project management than learning things on the fly. Our organizations live and die on projects now. This is a master's degree program that concentrates on how to plan, organize and execute a project as well as how to deal with people on a project."

For more information, read the article here.

How to manage creative people

Recently at Stepping Into Project Management, they shared the eBook How To Manage Creative People.

It focuses on:

• Understand how motivation affects creativity
• Get better work out of creative people - without a bottomless budget
• Avoid (inadvertently) crushing people’s motivation
• Use rewards effectively
• Understand and influence many different types of people
• Facilitate creative collaboration

Have you already had a chance to read it? What do you think?

5 Ways to Profit from Project Management Passion

Michelle LaBrosse reports on ITWorld,

Top Five Ways to Profit from your PM Passion

1. Create goals with gusto.
2. Track time and dollars spent with exacting enthusiasm.
3. Get that deadline buzz.
4. Become a project archaeologist.
5. Create a consistent and standardized approach to Project Management.

Do you have any more to add? How about a 6th, Stay Focused.

Tips for better project management

CIO recently took a look at how important project management is to a company. It's critical projects are in order, especially in times now when it is hard to make revenue. Project management can contribute to achieving the goals of the organization and keeping the organization proactive. Read the complete article here.

What software do you use for project management?

Over at the Web Designer Depot, they recently listed some of the best software online to help project managers. Just a few examples are Project Pier, Collabtive, Liferay, OpenGoo, and Clocking IT. What software do you use? Do you use another software on the list that got let out?

Project Manager Podcast

Stumbled upon this great site that provides free and paid podcasts for budding project managers or those looking to spruce up their skills. The PM Podcast offers free, regular episodes in the format of a traditional radio program that can be delivered to your iPod or computer.

Have you checked it out? What other digital resources are out there for project managers looking to sharpen their skills? Ideas appreciated!

Are you doing a project pre-check?

Projects@Work recently suggested incorporating a project pre-check during the expression of interest stage in project management.

Steven Hawald, Robbins-Gioia's Process Refinement and Optimization Practice had this to say about the way pre-check is used in his company:

"Programs in which key business changes are implemented have been, and will continue to be, medium- to high-risk adventures. This is because they involve getting large organizations ready for large change. Project Pre-Check is an approach that helps you understand the deeper internal and external components of a proposed project before work begins."

The process uses 100 to 150 questions to look at what a new project will be for a company, including an evaluation of the complexity and risk of the new or ongoing project.

Project Management 2.0

Andrew Filev writes, E-mail is still the most popular project communication tool. An employee on an average project gets between 30 and 100 e-mails per day. The majority of these e-mails contain tasks, change requests and discussions, so it’s hard to overestimate the knowledge buried in e-mail inboxes every day. This knowledge often bypasses project management tools like Microsoft Project. Filev offers insight into a new way that project managers can do their job, more efficiently by integrating Project 2.0 which relies upon the same processes at Enterprise 2.0. Filev goes on to say that Project Management 2.0 practices and supportive tools eliminate the need for extra meetings, phone calls, and e-mails, thus saving you time and letting you focus on getting things done. To find out more about Project 2.0, check out Filev's post here.

Organization could help project management

At the Voices on Project Management blog, Kelley Hunsberger talks about how organization could improve during this financially difficult time. The blog shares a white paper called Driving High-Performance Projects Despite Shrinking Budgets: Three Keys to Increasing Productivity and Reducing Costs Across the Enterprise. Take a look at it here.

The blog highlights the three main objectives to improving your organization:

1. Make sure your organization has access to accurate information.
2. Focus on bottom-line activities.
3. Make the organization's vision accessible to everyone.

Networking Project Management

Greg Schaffer's piece in networkworld.com, outlines the processes that networking project managers must face for successful implementation of the project. According to Schaffer, managing network projects does not have to be an exercise in fortune telling. When digested down to the core components, network projects are just like any other project, IT or otherwise: There is an objective, a time line, a budget and expectations of those who will benefit from the network once it is completed. Also illustrated in Schaffer's article, the so-called "triple constraints" rule: projects are subject to cost, schedule and performance parameters. Changing one will affect at least one of the remaining two.

What do you think of Schaffer's thoughts on this arena of project management?