40 posts from: Atlantic Global: Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
Atlantic Global Release Version 4.1
(Indexed 2010-05-18):
Atlantic Global Solution Version 4.1Release Date: 13/05/2010Atlantic Global are pleased to announce the release of the Atlantic Global Solution v4.1. This interim release focuses on enhancements to the existing modules, User Interface Improvements, Reporting Improvements and simplification of the Risk and Issues Management functionality. SaaS customers will automatically be upgraded to the latest [...]
Atlantic Global OnDemand Release 3.1
(Indexed 2009-11-20):
Atlantic Global arepleased to announce the release of Atlantic Global OnDemand v3.1. The latest version seesimprovements to the software, including the following:New Reporting ImprovementsImproved Resource Availability Search Improved Cost & Charge Rates Improvements to Project ProfilingNew ‘Quick Start Wizard’ (Timesheet Configuration Guide)Use the hyperlinks above to access additional details. Alternatively, download a full guide here:Atlantic [...]
11 Tips To Reduce Project Failure
(Indexed 2009-10-19):
Following on from our last set of articles on why IT projects fail I would like to share with you 11tipsfrom Ravens Brain on how to reduce them.1) Make sure to plan before starting the development or implementation.2) Pay attention to tasks in the critical path.3) Set up the necessary processes to calculate and inform [...]
Corporate Visibility and Environment
(Indexed 2008-05-29):
Managing PPM as a Change ProjectThe only constant in business today is continuous change. A META Group study showed that half of Global 2000 companies adopt some form of project portfolio management but less than 10% of these increased the portfolio value by 30% or more. Each of the other attempts became yet another failed [...]
Kick Start The PPM Process Part 9 of 9
(Indexed 2008-05-12):
Building a Risk Management FrameworkThe ultimate success of your project will depend on resolving the issues and risks associated with implementing a PPM process and solution in your organisation as well as quantifying benefits and savings. You need to be sure that the chosen solution is fit for purpose and will solve business issues - [...]
Kick Start the PPM Process Part 7 of 9
(Indexed 2008-02-22):
Measuring ROI and ROOROI/ROO AnalysisThe rationale behind any project carried out by a commercial organisation should be either to deliver cost savings, or an improvement in revenues, or both. However, it is only effectively managed projects that retain a link to strategic initiatives that can deliver on the above. Cost savings can either be delivered [...]
Kick Start the PPM Process Part 6 of 9
(Indexed 2008-02-14):
The Health CheckThe health check is conducted in cojunction with the selected vendor, is the first step in assessing the needs and requirements of the business, and is designed to be a low risk engagement model. The health check allows the business to analyse key processes underpinning the delivery of projects within the organisation in [...]
Kick start the PPM Process Part 5 of 9
(Indexed 2008-01-10):
Business case considerationsIdentifying the need for PPM comes from understanding how the business operates, its projects management maturity level, and the processes used.The overall objective of any PPM process is to balance project investment and expenditure across the business so that the enterprise can quickly make decisions around trusted information, aiding the change of direction [...]
Kick start the PPM Process Part 2 of 9
(Indexed 2007-11-30):
Readiness AssessmentWhen implementing a PPM process it is best to keep in mind the following key questions:Executive sponsorship: Are we going to get executive support to implement a Project Portfolio Management process? Will we get adequate funding, people and time to implement this?Culture and organisation structure: How flexible are the staff, can they change their [...]
Kick start the PPM Process Part 1 of 9
(Indexed 2007-11-12):
Where to deploy PPMHaving understood the relevant issues that need to be addressed in order to start organising the business for PPM, we now need to translate this into reality.Determining the location of the business’s ‘domain’, or in other words, where to deploy the initial PPM process, is critical. Depending on your level of project [...]
Project Portfolio Management Framework Part 5 of 6
(Indexed 2007-11-02):
Portfolio, Execution & MonitoringNot all projects make the grade and many need to be eliminated even after the portfolio has been approved, because:a) The projects concerned do not provide sufficient value and are no longer aligned with the business’s objectives.b) Projects with a higher urgency have been proposed, resulting in a delay to or termination [...]
Project Portfolio Management Framework Part 4 of 6
(Indexed 2007-10-24):
Portfolio selection, prioritisation and authorisationOne of the most significant challenges of PPM is to understand how the portfolio of projects is selected, prioritised and approved. The primary objectives are twofold:a) to select and prioritise projects to deliver the highest valueb) to ensure that there is balance in the mix of projectsIt is essential that priorities [...]
Project Portfolio Management Framework Part 3 of 6
(Indexed 2007-09-03):
Resource and Business Capability Analysis Many portfolio management methods do a poor job of resource balancing. Projects are evaluated, Go decisions are made, but resource implications are often not adequately but more important realistically addressed. Many organisations simply consider individual projects one-at-at-time and on their own merits, with little regard for the impact [...]
Project Portfolio Management Framework Part 2 of 6
(Indexed 2007-08-27):
Portfolio Definition, Strategy Alignment and Ideas ManagementThe portfolio definition process is where you define the terms, scope, domain and definition of your portfolio, and gain agreement on your basic portfolio model. It is essential to keep in mind that the portfolio framework is a collection of projects and resources that you are managing as [...]
Project Portfolio Management Framework Part 1 of 6
(Indexed 2007-08-20):
What is the Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Process FrameworkWhere do we start and what is the make-up of the PPM Process? With in this chapter we will take a high level view of the PPM framework and discuss its various component areas. The framework discussed below takes into account that that [...]
Introduction to Risk Management
(Indexed 2007-08-11):
Dear Readers,This month I will be posting a my thoughts on risk management and why it should be thoroughly understood by both project managers and the business. To start with I found a nice summary article on the basics of Risk Management from the Professional PM Blog Site.Risk Management: The goal of risk management is [...]
A Conversation with Dr. Harry Markowitz
(Indexed 2007-08-06):
Dear Readers,I came across an old article on Gantt Head dataing back to 2002. The article is an interview between the project and programme management web portal Gantt Head and Dr. Harry Markowitz titled “A Conversation with Dr. Harry Markowitz“. Dr. Harry Markowitz, of the Harry Markowitz Company and a professor at the [...]
The role of a PMO within PPM process - Part 3/3
(Indexed 2007-08-01):
Therefore PMO therefore assumes two key roles, depending on which needs of the organisation are being served: Tactical: The PMO provides direct support to projects in several areas such as scope management, baseline change management, project scheduling, resource management, cost management and project reviews. The PMO provides the information required for decision making and ensures [...]
The role of a PMO within PPM process - Part 2/3
(Indexed 2007-07-23):
Programme management is the process of managing multiple, ongoing, interdependent projects. The Programme Management Office (PMO) provides a layer above the project management process, focusing on selecting the best group of programmes, defining them in terms of their constituentprojects and providing an infrastructure whereby projects can be run successfully while leaving the job of delivery [...]
10 Undeniable Truths of Project Management
(Indexed 2007-07-17):
Dear Reader,While reading Raven’s Brain blog I came across an excellent article about 10 Undeniable Truths of Project Management Barnett sourced from Gantt Head.1. Project Scope Is Not Defined On PowerPoint Slides2. Project Schedules Do Not a Project Plan Make3. Projects Are Not Managed From Behind a SpreadsheetSome project managers secretly want to be statisticians. [...]
The role of a PMO within PPM process - Part 1/3
(Indexed 2007-07-16):
What is the role of the PMO? What is its relationship with the Project Portfolio Management Process and Project Portfolio Management Team (PPMT) as well as the project management process? How can the true potential of the PMO be realised? A project manager is a very different animal to the programme manager. However, the relationship [...]
The Value of a Programme Management Office
(Indexed 2007-07-09):
Dear Readers, I found an excellent article on the Value of a PMO from Project Steps. For your convenience I have summerised the article below. What Value can a PMO (Programme Management Office) Offer?Establish and deploy a common set of project management process and templates. These reusable components save time by allowing projects to [...]
The World of Modern Portfolio Theory
(Indexed 2007-07-04):
Dear Readers,You may be surprised to find out that PPM derives its beginnings from the world of financial investing. PPM leverages the work of a Nobel Prize-winning economist to bring balance to an organization’s project activities.Below is a short article from the project and programme web portal Gantt Head about Dr Harry Markowitz who created [...]
Key questions to ask when choosing SaaS
(Indexed 2007-07-02):
The key questions to ask when choosing a Software as a Sevice (SaaS) model are: Who owns the data? What are the levels of support? How do users access the software application? How are service issues resolved? How are questions and/or problems concerning the software resolved, and what happens next? Is training provided? How secure [...]
The advantages of using SaaS
(Indexed 2007-06-25):
The key advantages of using the SaaS (Software as a Service) model are that: It provides a low cost of entry to build a business case and gain executive-level buy-in. It allows the business to build a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) process and embed competency without being bogged down in protracted software installation cycles. It [...]
Understanding your businesses capability to deliver…?
(Indexed 2007-05-31):
Here are three typical key questions about your business: Do you have a complete picture of the demands being made on the business? Do projects come from nowhere and do you have the capability to deliver on them? Are you able to quickly reprioritise resources?Project driven organisations are often caught in a situation where project [...]
5 Traits of a Successful Project
(Indexed 2007-05-29):
Baseline has an interesting article on the 5 Traits of a Successful ProjectFor your convenience I have summarised the article below:Why do some companies, I.T. teams, or project leaders always seem to complete difficult implementations successfully while others struggle? The reason is that there are similar actions taken on most, if not all, successful [...]
Sponsorship Participation in the Planning Process
(Indexed 2007-05-04):
I have found an interesting video post from 4 PM wesbite about the challenges of persuading a sponsor that project planning is worthwhileThe post says…”One of the very difficult barriers to doing projects the right way is the reluctance of sponsors and stakeholders to participate in the planning process. Its much easier for them to [...]
PPM - Best Practice Considerations
(Indexed 2007-05-04):
Dear Readers, below is a quick summary of the most important best practice considerations when deploying a PPM solution. Who: engaging the right peopleIn order to organise the business for PPM, senior management and executive buy-in is absolutely critical without this, PPM will fail. Executive sponsorship is essential to create awareness, provide support, build [...]
Executive Apathy and Project Failure
(Indexed 2007-04-02):
This month we continue our theam about executive sponsorship. I have found an excellent post from ProjectSteps about execuitive apathy. Ever had a project that begins with strong executive/senior management support and over time that support fades?The symptoms are:1) Executives/senior management remain silent during status meetings2) Executives/senior management stop coming to status meetings [...]
Implementing PPM - Building Executive Sponsorship
(Indexed 2007-03-23):
Part 3 of 4: Excerpts from the forthcoming PPM book - Project Portfolio Management: Leading The Coporate Vision by Shan Rajegopal, Philip McGuin and James WallerExecutives are more accountable today for answering these questions than ever before, and are under the critical eye of the shareholders and the board to deliver value, maximising ROI while [...]
Getting the project requirements right!
(Indexed 2007-03-13):
Dear Reader, Lets start the week with a bit of fun. Found this cartoon that I would like to share with you from Raven’s Brain called Project Management Humor: Getting the requirements right!. Anyone that has ever worked on a “project” will quickly chuckle at the relevance. It’s quite humorous and one to consider [...]
Leonardo da Vinci
(Indexed 2007-02-27):
While all brilliant innovators are PMs in their own right, they pale in comparison with Leonardo da Vinci. Heres a summary of an excellent article by GanttHead on what you can learn from the master and how it can benefit you role has a project manager.1. Be curious. Da Vinci was so curious, he wouldnt [...]
Is the tail wagging the dog?
(Indexed 2007-02-13):
Who runs the business - executives or the project management stream?The Project Centric approach certainly empowers the project manager but does it really empower the business. One of the biggest drawbacks of David Hofferberths Project Centric argument is the fact that project managers and executives do not always speak the same language nor do they [...]
Challenging the Project-Centric Approach
(Indexed 2007-02-02):
Let me start by quoting Harvey Levine. Where Six Sigma propelled us closer to zero defects. The PPM process will move us closer to zero project failure.There is a very powerful counter argument against R. David Hofferberth Project-Centric Approach - click here to read his article.This argument is the case for Project Portfolio Management.The project [...]
Why Implement PPM?
(Indexed 2007-02-01):
Part2 of 4: Excerpts from the forthcoming PPM book -Project Portfolio Management: Leading The Coporate Vision by ShanRajegopal,Philip McGuin and James WallerIs there a business today, no matter how large or small, that can afford to invest in non-performing or non-strategic projects? The importance of investing in the right projects, the need for compliance and [...]
Project Manager Today Software Review
(Indexed 2007-01-23):
Atlantic Globals’s Corporate Vision began its life when its developer discovered that his business was losing one and a half day’s billable income for each employee per month, because it wasn’t being recoreded. He developed a timesheet system to gather up this missed time and it’s that system that’s evolved into Corporate Vision.They pursue a [...]
Project Management Quotes
(Indexed 2007-01-19):
Dear Readers, how many of these quotes ring true- A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected - a well planned project only twice as long as expected.- A change freeze is like the abominable snowman: it is a myth and would anyway melt when heat is applied.- A little risk management [...]
All About OPM3
(Indexed 2007-01-19):
PMIs Organization Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) is not without controversy, and things are heating up more than ever. Some tout its ability to help organizations navigate a growth path and others claim its too focused on academia and doesnt hit on real world issues facing project managers.Click here to read recent articles from the [...]
Project Roles and Responsibilities
(Indexed 2007-01-09):
The Project Steps web blog has a good overview of the roles and responsibilities within a typical project team. For your convenience, we have listed these roles below.However one role is missing - the role of the Project Portfolio Manager.Project Portfolio Manager is responsible for spearheading PPM within the business and has one of the [...]