Spring 2008
Project Managers, Inc.
www.projectmgrs.com 704.332.6611                          
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Know the Lingo?
 
Do you speak project management? See if you can define the following term and then check below to see if you are correct.
 
- Change Management

Words of Wisdom
"Fast, cheap, good. You can have any two."
 
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Only One Goal Can Be #1
      By Currin Cooper, PMP - Senior Project Manager

We're all familiar with projects that keep piling on functionality or gold plating features, but scope creep becomes irrelevant if no one really knows how the project is aligned to the company's overall strategy. In addition to well-formed boundaries or scope, a project needs a clearly defined primary driver. The project team may define success differently than the sponsor or business, and everyone working on a project should share the same goal. Only one goal can be #1.
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Fact or Fiction? 
Man on Mountain

A "methodology" and "project management practices" are the same thing and can be used interchangeably.

Fiction! Think of it in terms of a road trip from Charlotte, NC to Washington, DC. The "project management practices" are the phases of the trip itself: initiating, planning, controlling, executing and closing. Simply put, the trip budget, timeline, target destination (scope), contingency plan for traffic delays, availability of necessary resources (fuel, food, lodging), risk planning (how fast do we get there and the consequences) and the driving (who is behind the wheel) - these all relate easily to the practices of project management.

The "methodology" is generally a life cycle standard that typically does not change, except with periodic updates. Think of the methodology as the roadmap that you leverage to get to your destination. You've got to have the roadmap not only to help you with your trip planning and execution, but also to know where you are (how far/close you are to destination).
Answer: Know the Lingo 

Change Management is an agreed upon process for whom change will be handled and evaluated. The process should reflect all levels of review from project team to sponsor and steering committee. Changes in a project are inevitable, but controlling change is the responsibility of the project manager. Here are some Change Management tips: capture all requests for change in writing, have a process for approving/rejecting change requests, understand what the change(s) will impact and make sure you have the right people review the change.