In this latest roundup of news from the world of project, program and portfolio management we highlight news and articles which have caught our eye recently.
Project management company Daptiv sells to Changepoint
Blair Hanley Frank reports that Daptiv Solutions, a Seattle-based project portfolio management company, has been acquired by Changepoint, a Toronto company that builds professional services automation software.
Fine-tuning your project management style: 4 tips on how to successfully blend Agile, Waterfall methodologies
Eric Morgan argues that organisations with successful development cycles appear to employ a mix of agile and waterfall. He offers 4 tips for harmonisation without sacrificing visibility or productivity:
- Transition slowly
- Provide professional training
- Allow teams to communicate across methodologies
- Speak a language everyone understands
Agility in project management requires a fully functioning eye
Henk-Jan van der Klis looks at how to breakdown the 46 IPMA PM competence elements into 3 groups – behavioural, technical and contextual and focus on leadership.
Five Project Management Blunders (and How to Avoid Them)
Sean Crafts shares 5 common mistakes and suggests what to do to avoid them in your projects:
- No clearly defined scope of work
- Project delays
- Team member roles not clearly defined
- Lack of communication
- Project managers are unprepared to face challenges
Updatey v2 Goes Live
With Updatey version 2, you’ll see improved performance, design changes, and most excitingly, the Workspace and a new Dashboard.
The Purpose Of Guiding Principles in Project Management
Glen Alleman explains that these 5 guiding principles define the key criteria for making decisions about the application of a project’s Practices and Processes:
- Goal
- Plans
- Resources
- Risk
- Measures
Why Every Employee Needs to be a Project Manager
Eric Morgan from AtTask argues that in the aftermath of the global recession all employees are now required to act and think as PMs. This means embedding PM skills at every level and preparing the workforce for decentralised project management.
Managing Agile Teams with Project Managers
Ben Linders offers his views and those of 3 bloggers on this often controversial subject.
Reenergizing Project Managers
PMI observe that organisations go to great lengths and considerable cost to find the right project practitioners. However many can slide into mediocrity if interest in the work wanes. A disengaged project manager can lower team morale, blow budgets, delay schedules and eat up a supervisor’s time and attention. By noticing and addressing the problem early, organisations can refresh a practitioner’s engagement levels — and keep performance on track. Their suggestions:
- Recognise red flags,
- Confront the issue head on,
- Assess skills,
- Assign a mentor, and
- Follow-up.
Project and Task-Management Tool Trello Hits 5 Million Users
Trello, the web-based visual task-management system, announced recently that it now has more than 5 million users.
Project Risk Management – 10 Golden Rules
International Business Times suggests 10 golden rules for ensuring that risks are adequately managed in projects:
- Make risk management part of your project
- Identify risks early in your project
- Communicate about risks
- Consider both threats and opportunities
- Clarify ownership issues
- Prioritise risks
- Analyse risks
- Plan and implement risk responses
- Register project risks
- Track Risks and Associated Tasks
Wellingtone and APM partner on career service for profession
Dayner Proudfoot announces that Wellingtone and APM have formed a unique alliance to provide a career development service to the project management profession.
5 Project Portfolio Management Apps That Give You ‘The Big Picture’
GetApp suggest 5 portfolio management applications:
- AtTask
- Mavenlink
- EPM Live
- Clarizen
- Wrike
5 Best Project Management Tools for Small Businesses
Kathleen Olson recommends the 5 best PM tools for small businesses:
- Asana
- Casual
- Basecamp
- Apollo HQ
- Flow
Movidiam: New Networking & Project Management Platform for Filmmakers
Ethan Vincent reports that there is a new online platform called Movidiam which aims to be a creative network that allows brands, agencies and filmmakers to connect, collaborate and work together on films and projects.
Projectmates V13.0 Raises the Bar for Construction Project Management Software
Systemates, Inc. recently announced the upgrade of Projectmates version 13.0, its best and most innovative version of Projectmates construction project management software to date. Enterprise ad hoc reports and dashboards were added to give clients unprecedented control over project data.