A Project Backlog is a tool that gives a single view of all projects in the business. It is a prioritized list of tasks that teams need to work on. Learn more about the value of a Project Backlog in this short article.
Business are constantly changing, evolving and growing. However, too often we focus on the details of our processes, trying to change individual aspects to improve efficiency. Each aspect of operations is looked at close-up, and we forget that the change needs to be broader than the activity: efficient management should focus on the sum of all of these activities and how they come together into complete business processes.
Business process management (BPM) takes a systematic approach to these changes, optimising an organisation’s workflow and flexibility.
Many organisations, when they green-light a project, have an idea of how the project will affect the business, but few fully consider the changes that might occur within a business as a result of the project. Operational readiness provides a structured approach to the transition from project to operations, ensuring that the transition is managed in a structured, orderly fashion so that the asset can provide maximum value for the investment.
by Guy Jelley
As the management framework within which project decisions are made, project governance differs vastly from corporate governance, and unlike the King III legislation that presides over South African businesses, it needs to be fit for purpose per project and organisation.
It is widely accepted that project governance is fundamental to ensuring project success and control. Nevertheless, there is a delicate boundary between too much and too little governance. Too many processes being inflicted on a project team can be just as harmful to project delivery as putting too few processes in place.
How many times have you said, “I wish I knew then what I know now”? Many a project manager has had the same thought. We asked the managers behind big ventures, including the development of the battery for General Motors’ Chevy Volt, Facebook’s home page redesigns, and Method’s growing line of green cleaning products, for the most important lesson they’ve learned for launching projects with maximum success.
According to PMI PMBOK 4th edition, a project is “a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result”. Essentially, says Barend Cronje, CEO of CoLAB, this means that a project refers to the introduction of a new or changed capability into a working environment for improved benefit. “This means that project management has to introduce change effectively in order to realise the value intended with the successful delivery of projects.”
