Here is our latest summary of what is new and what is in the news for the world of Project Management.   In this digest we’ve attempted to group around subjects of interest to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.  Feel free to share whether this is helpful, or not.

— Project Portfolio Management —

George Lawton of Search SOA has shared 2 excellent articles on Project Portfolio Management, and much of the advice is non-specific to the world of Service Oriented Architecture:

Project Portfolio Management Best Practices in the SOA Landscape

Search SOA

Why Portfolio Assessment Beats Project Focus for Development Projects

Search SOA

— The Project Management Industry —

Project Management Generates Real Business Value

GlobalLegalPost

It seems Europe’s Legal Eagles have recognised that “Project management is one of the most important capabilities in an organisation for generating real business value, according to new research”.  The research by Mannaz points to the all important need for KPIs, objectives and roles & responsibilities.

Why PMI Should No Longer be an Authority on Project Management

PM Hut

An anonymous contributor to PM Hut challenges whether PMI should be (or indeed whether it ever was) an independent authority on Project Management.  This certainly stimulates the thought process as to what is behind the PMI current legal challenge to APM gaining the Royal Charter.

— Project Management Knowledge —

How Timelines Help Project Managers Track Progress

Edge of Chaos Blog

This article looks at the value of timelines in the world of a agile, SCRUM, Kanban, SAFe, lean, XP or some mix of them.

A Project Manager’s Guide to Smiling

ProjectManager

Heading off to work with a smile on your face will create a chain of positivity for you and your project according to this intriguing post by Michelle LaBosse and Kristen Medina.  They argue convincingly that a smile and some humour can:

• Reduce stress,
• Encourage creativity,
• Create authenticity,
• Build mutual trust, and
• Increase productivity.

Worth a try?

Keys to Building a Project Management Team

Hartford Business

Jim Pawlak reviews A Team of Leaders and the suggested 5 stages to team development.

7 Personal Qualities a Good PM Just Can’t Do Without

PM Hut

Michelle Symonds looks at the essential qualities identified in an ESI research paper:

• The ability to inspire a shared vision,
• Excellent communication,
• Integrity,
• Enthusiasm,
• Empathy,
• Competence, and
• The ability to delegate.

Our favourite is communication as it encompasses the others.  What do you think is most important to succeed as a PM?

4 Options for Building your Project Plan

PM Tips

Elizabeth from PM Tips looks at the pros and cons of 4 different options for building a project plan:

1. Spreadsheets,
2. MindMaps,
3. Documents, and
4. PM Software.

10 Basics of Project Management

PMHut

Olga Sa shares 10 basic tips for project managers:

1. Always keep the constraints of your project at the top of your mind,
2. Always know the details of deliverables, milestones, budget and dependencies,
3. Be nice but firm,
4. Always document the project requirements,
5. Organise the file repository,
6. Communicate often and the right way,
7. Trust, but double check,
8. Update your financial forecasts weekly,
9. Feedback frequency controls stability, and
10. Share your experience with other project managers.

— Project Management Careers —

7 Ways to Advance Your Project Management Career

CIO

Jennifer Lonoff Schiff summarises advice from dozens of experts, executives and recruiters into 7 excellent tips for advancing your project management career:

1. Get certified,
2. Remember that experience matters,
3. Speak the language of business, not just project management,
4. Don’t be a PM zealot,
5. Don’t shy away from ‘hard’ projects (or give up when the going gets tough),
6. Be clear about your career goals, and
7. Play nicely with others.

— Project Management Tools —

As always there are numerous developments in Project Management Tools.  Here are some that have caught our eye at PM Advisor recently.

Comindware Project Extends Professional Project Management to iPad Platform

Comindware

Comindware Project Edition is one of the first professional PPM Tools to extend its full project planning, execution and collaboration capabilities to mobile platforms.

Updatey v2 Coming Soon

Updatey

The guys over at Updatey have kept their feet on the gas since launching Updatey earlier this year.  They’ve recently announced the forthcoming release of version 2 which is expected to bring 3 new sections:

• Project Management View,
• Global Dashboard, and
• Clien Report.

Podio Re-Design – Citrix Dumbing Down?

SmallBizTrends

Shawn Hessinger looks at whether the newly announced changes to Citrix Podio makes project management simpler for non-Project Managers.  Of course that in turn begs the question – should non-Project Managers be managing projects, let alone setting up project collaboration tools.  We’d love to understand your views.  Please share your thought below.

Tom’s Planner Gets a New Look & Feel

Tom’s Planner

Hot on the heels of their ability to import Basecamp projects, Trello Boards and Google Calendars, which came from their purchase of Gantiffy, the team over at Tom’s Planner have freshened up the look and feel of their increasingly popular tool.