Delivering IT Projects

Welcome to the Blog

The articles here will help you to manage your IT projects effectively. Please feel free to comment and come back regularly for more.

If you have an RSS reader, there is a feed available here

---

First Day

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , add a comment

Freelance Project Managers are expected to come onto a project and be ready to get into the driver’s seat immediately. They join a project midstream, at any stage in the project lifecycle and with the project in any state from well-run to completely out of control. It can be like getting on a moving bus at the back, and trying to get to the drivers seat before it all crashes.

(more…)

Playing Poker

Posted by Cathryn in : Planning, Project Management , 2 comments

For some time now, I’ve done estimating with developers using a technique called Wideband Delphi. It’s fairly simple and is an excellent way of making sure that a good range of developers are involved in the estimates. (more…)

Certified ScrumMaster

Posted by Cathryn in : Miscellaneous, Project Management , add a comment

I spent six months this year as Project Manager for a major website upgrade, working with a team of developers and web staff using the Agile methodology, Scrum. For a fairly traditional project manager, this was something of an eye-opener. (more…)

Do you need a Project Manager?

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , add a comment

One of the things I love about freelancing is that every few months, my work at a client comes to a natural close, and its time to look for something else. I’ve handed over my latest project to the permanent staff member who has been working towards being ready to take on the role for the last few months and, apart from a few days over the rest of the year to support him, I’m now looking for more work. (more…)

Chucking it over the wall

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , add a comment

Through the life of the project, you involve the people in IT Operations who will be supporting it.  They’re keen to help, and everyone says all the right things.  If things go very well, the right documentation is produced, perhaps someone from the service desk or a service manager is seconded onto the project team for a while, training is timely and thorough, and Operational Acceptance Testing is a wonderful collaborative effort between IT Operations and the Project Team.
Or is it more like this? (more…)

What do project managers do?

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , add a comment

You’re a Project Manager. Its been years since you cut any code, your chances of configuring a router or installing a complex piece of software are pretty low and the last time you actually built something it was using an antediluvian version of Oracle and C. Not C#, just plain old C. What on earth use are you to the project? (more…)

Finding out about PRINCE2

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , 1 comment so far

I, like most freelance IT project managers in the UK, am a certified PRINCE2 Practitioner.  That means that I passed two exams, and have a reasonable grasp on the methodology.  Although I’ve never actually worked in a company that used PRINCE2 formally, I’ve found it helpful to use elements of the method, and it’s good for project managers, customers and teams to have a common language for many of the ideas and documents used around project management.

This morning, a friend who is a Business Analyst asked how she could find out about it as she’s looking at some work in a company that uses it.  (more…)

Agile Project Management using Scrum, by Ken Schwaber

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , add a comment

On Monday, I start a new contract on a project that’s run using the Scrum methodology.  That’s new for me, although many elements of it are familiar, so I picked up this book to help me prepare.
The book itself is clear, well written, and full of anecdotes that explain what can go wrong as well as what happens when it goes well, so its a good learning tool.  I’d happily recommend it to anyone contemplating Scrum, or taking on a project that’s using it.
In Scrum team members, along with a ‘product owner’, similar to a Key User or Sponsor, agree the requirements which will be delivered in a single iteration of work or ‘Sprint’.  That is kept short, to 3-4 weeks, so that there is a chance for everyone to review plans regularly.  At the end of each Sprint, a full unit of work is delivered, ready to go live. The team works out how it will deliver each Sprint, with input but not formal control from the ScrumMaster, or project manager / team leader.  Every day, the ScrumMaster holds a Daily Scrum, a quick meeting where everyone says what they’ve done yesterday, what they’re doing today and what the problems are.  This is intended to bind the team together, make sure that everyone knows what’s going on and help is given to those who need it.
(more…)

Effective Project Team Meetings

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , add a comment

Run well, Project Team meetings are a powerful tool for making sure everyone, including the project manager, understands where the project is and where its heading. Run badly, and they waste everyone’s time.
(more…)

Can the Team Really Give 110%?

Posted by Cathryn in : Project Management , 2 comments

One of the major reasons projects fail and teams become frustrated with their project manager is planning for staff to spend 100% (or more!) of their time on the project.
(more…)