IT Project Mechanic

Welcome to IT Project Mechanic and the weblog that started my quest to figure out how IT PMs could be more effective and to talk about real, nitty gritty, subjects that are real to PMs. Now that you’re here, pull up a seat and tell me what you think – your best idea is only so until you find another to replace it.

In the series, Finding the right PM software package, I set about trying to find the few ’shining stars’ out of the hundreds of applications that I am aware of. I’m not limiting this search to commercial, off the shelf software or to desktop applications – the sector is getting incredibly large and spans well beyond these bounds.

I had heard good things about GANTTproject (http://www.ganttproject.biz) and decided to download and install the Windows version of the app (v2.0.6). The install was very straightforward and didn’t require me to jump through any hoops. GanttProject is also available for the Linux and MAC OSX. For the Windows version, you do need a version of JRE (Java Runtime Environment) loaded as well as GanttProject. Read the rest of this entry »

WBS – wasn’t that some quaint little idea that you had to memorize for the PMP certification and then promptly packed away for “future” use? Maybe you’re one of the many guilty practicing PMs who don’t use a work breakdown structure as a cornerstone of your planning activities. Maybe you don’t need a WBS – or perhaps that’s the thought you repeat as you start another project without this tool.

I’m guilty too – but I’m a reformer. I learned my lesson the hard way – Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know how your project’s performing? Are you sure???

Measuring project results occurs in every project – task completion, performance to schedule, etc. Many PMs, managers and leaders believe that the efforts they are making toward measuring project results are “good enough”. There are, however, potentially fatal mistakes (figuratively) that can be made in managing the data collection and analysis of project measurement results. You can’t manage what you can’t measure is almost a cliché – but this saying has never been more appropriate.

So how do you avoid the 7 deadly sins of measuring project results? Knowing what to avoid or stop doing is half the battle. If any of these sound familiar – stop it! Set out at the beginning of your projects to define a data collection & measurement plan and strategically develop your method to measure your project’s success.

Here they are: Read the rest of this entry »