The ISO10006:2003 is the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) quality management guidelines for projects. The ISO (www.iso.org) has published over 18,000 standards on a wide variety of topics such as paint ingredients (ISO 87.060.01), the determination of cocoa butter equivalents in milk chocolate (ISO 11053:2009), and jewelry ring sizes (ISO 8653:1986). The ISO states that… [Read more…]
March 29, 2010 by tapuniversity
A Feasibility Study investigates whether a potential project is feasible. It asks questions such as whether the project can be accomplished (is it technically feasible), whether it will be successful and profitable, and how much it will cost. The fourth edition PMBOK® (Project Management Body of Knowledge) has little to say on Feasibility Studies. It… [Read more…]
January 22, 2010 by tapuniversity
Project Managers are usually familiar with the Project Management Institute’s categorization of organizations as outlined in the PMBOK®. There are functional, strong matrix, balanced matrix, weak matrix, projectized, and composite organizations. Another organizational structure term is the Inverted Matrix. This is actually more of a projectized type of organization that has specialists permanently employed to support… [Read more…]
January 14, 2010 by tapuniversity
A hard project may be easy! A hard project is one whose outcome is a clearly defined physical product, whereas a soft project’s outcome is not. If Sam’s project is to make his father a batch of brownies, it is a hard project since it has a clearly defined physical deliverable. However if Sam’s project… [Read more…]
January 7, 2010 by tapuniversity
Contract categorization has changed from the Project Management Institute’s third edition PMBOK to the fourth edition. The formerly simple Fixed Price has been split into three types. The old Cost Plus Fee and Cost Plus Fixed Fee are now both considered Cost Plus Fixed Fee. Cost Plus Incentive Fee has remained the same, except that… [Read more…]
January 6, 2010 by tapuniversity
The Project Charter is one of the most important documents in project management. In addition to other purposes, this document officially authorizes the project so that resources may be assigned. The Project Management Institute has streamlined the Project Charter from the third edition PMBOK to the fourth edition PMBOK. Of course, individual organizations and PMO’s… [Read more…]
January 5, 2010 by tapuniversity
In many ways, the fourth edition PMBOK has simplified its project management processes. In the third edition, processes could have preventive actions, defect repairs, corrective actions, and requested changes. Now these are all considered simply Change Requests. It is a generic term indicating that some type of course alteration is being called for. They can… [Read more…]
November 2, 2009 by tapuniversity
September 18, 2009 by tapuniversity
PMI® (Project Management Institute) describes itself as the world’s leading non-profit project management association with over half a million members. PMI awards several certifications relating to project management, with the PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification for project managers being the most common. Those who contribute to projects, but do not lead them, may earn their… [Read more…]
September 16, 2009 by tapuniversity
A very common input into the PMBOK®’s project management processes, Enterprise Environmental Factors are “internal and external environmental factors that surround or influence a project’s success” (PMBOK, p. 14). Unlike the other very common input of Organizational Process Assets, which are truly assets that are of benefit to the project manager, Enterprise Environmental Factors may… [Read more…]
July 14, 2009 by tapuniversity
The summer of 2009 brings changes to two certification exams for which TAPUniversity provides preparation. Both the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam and the International Institute of Business Analysis’s (IIBA) Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) have version changes this summer. As of July 1, the PMP exam is based on the… [Read more…]
July 1, 2009 by tapuniversity
The Administer Procurements process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the four Procurement knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to manage procurement relationships, monitor contract performance, and make any needed changes.… [Read more…]
June 30, 2009 by tapuniversity
The Monitor and Control Risk process is one of the 42 project management processes described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It’s one of the six Risk knowledge area processes, and one of the ten Monitoring and Controlling processes. The primary purpose of this process is to implement risk plans, watch already identified risks and residual… [Read more…]
June 24, 2009 by tapuniversity
A Project Schedule Network Diagram is any display of the relationships among project activities which is then used to develop the project schedule. A subnetwork is simply a section of the overall Project Schedule Network Diagram. Project Schedule Network Diagrams are an output of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Sequence Activities process and an input to… [Read more…]
June 23, 2009 by tapuniversity
The Communications Management Plan as outlined in the fourth edition PMBOK® describes how communications will be accomplished throughout a project. It is a subsidiary of the Project Management Plan and is developed through the Plan Communications process. It is specifically listed as an input to the Plan Risk Management process. The Communications Management Plan is… [Read more…]
June 22, 2009 by tapuniversity
An expert is someone who has specialized education, knowledge, skill, experience or training in a certain area. A project manager should obtain the opinions of experts throughout the course of managing a project. Expert Judgment is a common tool and technique of the processes found in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It is a general tool,… [Read more…]
June 19, 2009 by tapuniversity
For projects that have a product as a deliverable (as opposed to a service or result), product analysis may be performed. Product analysis is a tool and technique of the Define Scope process described in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It means gaining a deep understanding of the product. Because there are so many different types… [Read more…]
June 18, 2009 by tapuniversity
A Pairwise Chart is a tool used by a group of people to rank a set of alternatives. In project management, it is used to decide among a set of potential projects, among other decisions. The charts may vary somewhat in appearance, but the purpose is the same—to reach a decision by systematically comparing two… [Read more…]
 | Olu Olufowobi on Make-or-Buy Analysis |
 | Arun on Organizational Process As… |
 | Liz F on TAPUniversity’s Online L… |
 | uzair on PERT Sample Questions |
 | Kuan Xin Hen on Green Project Management … |
| 5 Tips for Effective… on Virtual Teams – Swift… | |
| theprojectmanifesto on Green Project Management … |
April 6, 2010 by tapuniversity
0