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Techniques and Methodologies

"Its a bad plan that admits of no modification"
Publillius Syrus, 1st Century BC

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Techniques and Methodologies


Some techniques are harder
than others!

5-STEPS (Five Steps To Ensure Project Success)
Earned Value
Organisational Project Management Maturity Model - OPM3
- OPM3 ProductSuite
- OPM3 and OPM3 ProductSuite Training and Consultancy
Stakeholder Circle
Tools - Software Packages
ACOS Plus 1
FleetOPS
Microsoft Project
Open Plan
Pertmaster Risk Analysis
Primavera
Stakeholder Circle
VIPER
Planning and Scheduling Home Page

(All listings are alphabetical)

Techniques and Methodologies


The Stakeholder Circle™ a stakeholder mapping & visualisation tool

www.stakeholder-management.com
Description

The Stakeholder Circle™ is based on the premise that a project can only exist with the informed consent of its stakeholder community. This community comprises individuals and groups, each with a different potential to influence the project’s outcome. The Stakeholder Circle™ has been devised to offer a mechanism for mapping a project's unique stakeholder community, assessing the relative influence of each of the key stakeholders and planning ways to engage with and manage their expectations/contributions. The benefit of using this tool is derived in part from the analysis process itself as well as from the ease with which the influence of key stakeholder’s on the project can be judged once the ‘Stakeholder Circle’ diagram is complete.

The tool facilitates the regular updating of this assessment as the stakeholder community changes to reflect the dynamic nature of the project and its relationships. Changes and trends are tracked over time to help the team identify which engagement strategies are working and which need reviewing.

To develop the 'circle', Stakeholders are weighted according to the three characteristics.

Stakeholder Management Power
Some stakeholders (either alone or operating as a group) can kill the project using their own power, other stakeholders have the power to change or damage the project but cannot on their own cause it to be cancelled or fail – this is the power axis in the stakeholder circle.

Proximity
This aspect considers how closely a stakeholder is associated with the day-to-day running of the project. The small circle in the centre of the
diagram represents the project. The space between the two circles represents the sphere of influence of the project on its whole stakeholder
community. The proximity of a stakeholder to the project is represented by how close their segment is to the project in the centre.

Urgency / Importance
The width of the arc represents the amount of urgency or importance attributed to a stakeholder from the teams perspective (ie, how likely the
stakeholder is to use its power), the wider the segment, the greater the urgency.

Stakeholder Circle Development
Stakeholder Management Pty Ltd (SHM) is focused on improving project success rates by developing innovative and effective ways to help project teams: identify, prioritize, visualize, engage with, and monitor their unique stakeholder community. Working with Dr. Lynda Bourne, SHM has developed the Stakeholder Circle™ tool set and methodology to achieve these aims, supported by a range of workshops and training courses to introduce organisations to the methodology. For additional information email: lyndab@stakeholder-management.com

Lynda has published a number of papers discussing aspects of the Stakeholder Circle™ (including her Doctoral thesis). These may be down loaded from the 'Published Papers' section of this site [go to Stakeholder Circle™ papers]

Stakeholder Management Pty Ltd

For world-wide Stakeholder Circle™ software sales and support - see www.stakeholder-management.com

Download a free version of the Stakeholder Circle™ software from
[ www.stakeholder-management.com ]




Organisational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3)
- OPM3
- OPM3 ProductSuite
- OPM3 and OPM3 ProductSuite: Assessment, Consultancy, Training and Support



OPM 3  -v-  OPM3 ProductSuite

OPM3 Online Self-Assessment Module OPM3 ProductSuite Assessment
Generally conducted by the organisation Conducted under the direction of a PMI certified OPM3 Assessor or Consultant licensed to use the software
Indication of maturity - no verification required for the answers given Evidenced based. Measures actual maturity
Best practice level of assessment Capability level of assessment, fully automated
Binary scoring - Yes/No answers Graduated or partial scoring supported in addition to binary
Fixed number of questions Questions selected based on scope of assessment
Manual compilation of multiple assessments. Benchmarking available Automated compilation of merged assessments. Benchmarking planned.
Manual improvement planning Automated improvement planning tool
Manual application of assessment to strategic goals Strategic relationship designed into the tool
Pay for software, anyone can use Pay for certification, certified people have access to tools
See more on OPM3 See more on OPM3 ProductSuite

[ Download the Comparison Sheet ]


OPM3 – PMI’s Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
 

OPM3 Product

Released in December 2003, the OPM3 – Single-User Version has quickly become a PMI Bookstore best seller. OPM3 products now available include:

* OPM3 Single-User Version (Web based tool)

* OPM3 Multi-User, Network Version (Web based tool)

To order either tool, please log on to www.pmibookstore.org.

* OPM3 Knowledge Foundation (book - AU$99)

* OPM3 Overview (booklet - AU$27.50)

To order either of the books, in Australia email: OPM3@mosaicprojects.com.au
or
log on to www.pmibookstore.org.

Free publications include:-

* Executive's Guide to OPM3 (six pages) [Download PDF]

* OPM3 Highlights (one page) [Download PDF]

* OPM3 Case Study

  • Pinellas County IT Turns Around Performance and Customer confidence [Download PDF]

OPM3 was developed by an international team of PMI volunteers that included Mosaic's Director of Training, Lynda Bourne. Both Lynda Bourne and Patrick Weaver are members of the current OPM3 update team. Some of the key benefits of using OPM3 include:

Mosaic's OPM3 Papers, Briefings and Training:-

OPM3 ... Translate Strategy into Success … Drive Business Improvement … Gain a Competitive Advantage!

All organisations will benefit from achieving organizational project management maturity. To assist with this process, Mosaic is working to develop a range of OPM3 training packages for certification by PMI later this year and will be publishing a number of papers.

OPM3 is a standard unlike other contemporary maturity models:

OPM3 was developed under the stewardship of PMI by hundreds of volunteers worldwide with a keen interest in advancing the project management profession. The CD-ROM and book combination offers a comprehensive approach helping organizations to assess and develop their ability to deliver projects successfully, consistently and predictably. The package includes customisable templates, best practice process descriptions, questionnaires, methodologies and check lists that allow organisations to assess their current level of 'Organizational Project Management Maturity', identify areas for improvement, develop and implement improvement plans and measure their overall effectiveness.

OPM3 offers the key to organizational project management maturity with three interlocking elements:

  • KNOWLEDGE element which drives Assessment

  • ASSESSMENT element which in turn drives Improvement

  • IMPROVEMENT element.

The KNOWLEDGE element, found on the CD-ROM and in the accompanying OPM3 Knowledge Foundation book, lets organizations uncover hundreds of Best Practices and shows them how to use the information available in OPM3.

The ASSESSMENT element is an interactive database tool accessible on the CD-ROM that lets organizations evaluate their current situation and identify their areas in need of improvement should an organization decided to embark on the path to higher maturity.

The IMPROVEMENT element, also accessible on the CD-ROM as a database, will help map out the steps needed to achieve their goals.

Just as no project management practitioner should be without A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), no organization can afford to be without this valuable resource. OPM3 will help organizations align their strategic goals to the successful completion of projects and understand their organizational project management maturity. More importantly, for organizations, which desire to improve their organizational project management maturity, OPM3 provides guidance to help plan projects to improve maturity while conserving resources.

An Executive’s Guide to OPM3 is now available! This five-page, easy-to-read summary about PMI’s newest standard was designed and written with the busy executive in mind. It encapsulates OPM3 at a high level but includes enough detail for the interested reader to understand OPM3’s potential benefits to an organisation. PMI's one page OPM3 Highlights is ideal for distribution.


OPM3 is an evolving Standard.

PMI has commenced a two year project to review and update the OPM3 Standard to incorporate the new Program and Portfolio Management Standards as well as the changes in the PMBOK Guide. When released at the end of 2008, OPM3 will align with the PMBOK 4th Edition, the 2nd edition of the Program and Portfolio Management Standards and the Combined Standards Glossary.




OPM3 ProductSuite

Download Brochure

OPM3 ProductSuite supports PMI's Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) with a full set of ancillary products and services that expand the assessment and improvement capabilities of OPM3 to give organizations the ability to measure the maturity of project management processes being applied to multiple projects organization-wide.

OPM3 ProductSuite has been developed by DNV as part of a strategic alliance with PMI to provide a faster, more comprehensive approach to service a growing global market. DNV will serve as the exclusive administrator of global training, certification and registration of PMI Certified OPM3 Assessors™ and PMI Certified OPM3 Consultants™. OPM3 ProductSuite has been designed to enable a higher level of OPM3 application by providing certified Assessors and Consultants with the training, tools, and services that increase their ability to help organizations achieve even greater value from their projects, programs and portfolios.

The OPM3 ProductSuite has three main elements: certifications, tools, and services.

  • Certifications provides the project management community with the skills it needed to achieve the status of PMI Certified OPM3 Assessor or PMI Certified OPM3 Consultant.

  • Tools provide robust Assessment and Improvement methodology and tools. The tools allow rigorous inspection of the organization’s total project management maturity to a degree that has never before been available, including the ability to tailor assessments based on an organization’s strategic and business priorities, and the capability to compile multiple inputs for a single assessment. Additionally, tools element enables assessment data to be input into an improvement tool that delivers planning guidance based on key performance measures and priorities defined by the organization.

  • Services currently consists of a comprehensive Assessment database, an OPM3 ProductSuite Provider Registry, and a Registered OPM3 Consultancy status. Benchmarking is also being considered as a future of OPM3 ProductSuite Services.

The OPM3 ProductSuite methodology together with the Assessment and Improvement Tools enable certified Assessors to analyse the project, program and/or portfolio maturity of any organization or division, at a detailed level of granularity. The Improvement tool allows qualified Consultants to build comprehensive improvement plans that match business needs of the organisation.

"I have been an IT Project Manager for twenty years and have to say that ProductSuite is by far the best tool I have ever used. It is easy to use but clearly sophisticated; the [DNV] development team has worked wonders in rendering a complex set of user-friendly requirements."
Lynda Bourne, DPM, PMP, Director of Training, Mosaic Project Services Pty Ltd

Additional OPM3 ProductSuite information:


OPM3 and OPM3 ProductSuite Training and Support from Mosaic


5-STEPS, Five Steps To Ensure Project Success

The ‘5 Steps To Ensure Project Success’ methodology is a proven process designed to focus the thinking of the key Stakeholders onto the parameters required to achieve a successful project outcome. It uses the development of the schedule as a central plank in its approach to developing an effective project team and fostering positive stakeholder involvement.

The process is designed as a logical sequence of activities (and importantly, agreements) but recognises iterative passes through some of the key steps may be required to achieve agreement.

The five sequential steps are:

The 5–STEPS methodology requires each step to be completed, validated and "signed off" before moving onto the next.

5-STEPS is supportive of, and recognises the overall structure of the PMBOK, but focuses on activities in the key Planning and Controlling ‘process groups’ to develop a realistic schedule and then managing it through to a successful conclusion.

  • Mosaic's 5-STEPS training is a well established course [View Training Details]
    For additional information, visit our [ Scheduling home page ]



    Earned Value

    Earned Value Management (EVM) has proven itself to be one of the most effective performance measurement and feedback tools for managing projects. Timely and targeted feedback can enable project managers to identify problems early and make adjustments that can keep a project on time and on budget. It enables managers to close the loop in the classic business formula, “Plan, Do, Check, Act.” EVM uses the fundamental principle that patterns and trends in the past can be good predictors of the future.

    EVM provides organizations with the methodology needed to integrate the management of project scope, schedule, and cost. It can play a crucial role in answering management questions that are critical to the success of every project, such as:

    • Are we ahead of or behind schedule?
    • How efficiently are we using our time?
    • When is the project likely to be completed?
    • Are we under or over our budget?
    • What is the remaining work likely to cost?
    • What is the entire project likely to cost?
    • How much will we be under or over budget?

    The project manager can use the EVM methodology to help identify:

    • Where problems are occurring;
    • Whether the problems are critical or not;
    • What it will take to get the project back on track.

    Effective use of EVM requires the principles of good project management, as outlined in the PMBOK® Guide, to be used and requires the foundations of a well defined WBS and schedule (Refer 5-STEPS Technique). EVM adds a number of effective practices in the areas of project planning and control that are related to the goal of measuring, analysing, forecasting, and reporting cost and schedule performance data for evaluation and action by the project team, managers and other key stakeholders.

    Earned Value Forums & Links


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