Effective Communication for Project Managers

Effective Communication is vital for Project Management

effective communication is vital as a Project Manager - learn how

One of the most important strengths of a Project Manager is effective communication. Not just verbally but also written. If someone does not communicate well verbally, there is a strong chance that their written form (i.e. project reports) will not be clear and concise either.

In communicating, it’s crucial to understand your personality so that you balance your preferences with the wants of those you come across who may be a different personality type.

The four Personality types of this day and age are:

Melancholy – analytic
Choleric – likes to be in charge
Phlegmatic – nurturer
Sanguine – wants to have fun

This eBook goes into the more important details about these four personality types. Each personality has its strengths and failings. Each one of us is a combination of all the four personalities, but we all have a dominant personality type.

It is a good idea to look at your communication manner in your personal life, business communication, and network marketing life and ask, “What is in it for each of the different personalities?”

Learn how to create compelling communication techniques by understanding personality types and how they operate.

Your project team and Stakeholders will thank you for it.

Scrum checklist

PM chit-chat / By GKS Team

Scrum Checklist

This covers the essential facets of Scrum. With this checklist, you’ll focus on ideas central to Scrum, recommend values, scaling, and positive indicators.

If you follow this, you can be sure that you’re creating software and applications that deliver more value.

Download it now and have a copy to hand for your next project.

Performance-Driven Project Management with PLM Analytics

Latest PM news, PM chit-chat / By GKS Team

Performance Driven Project Management with PLM Analytics

If you are faced with the lack of useful analysis and forward-looking capabilities to predict and ensure project and related business success, project managers , then choose a Dassault Systèmes PLM Analytics based solution. It helps you make better and more informed decisions by gaining valuable intelligence from evaluating data.

Dassault Systèmes PLM Analytics helps you by:

Making insights visually contextual
Offering self-service and exploration to aid creative problem-solving
Retaining security and access control in PLM Analytics

Check out this useful dashboard.

Common myths about PRINCE2 based projects

PM chit-chat / By GKS Team

Common myths about PRINCE2

Myth: PRINCE2 is just “waterfall” by any other name

While a PRINCE2 project may be using a waterfall-based plan, that does not mean the whole project is running as waterfall. PRINCE2 is a framework for putting in place a series of processes to manage and deliver a project successfully. The answer is in the name “PRINCE2” (PRojects IN Controlled Environments). PRINCE2 is a de facto standard implemented by the UK Government and is widely recognised throughout the world. This standard of project delivery is practised in the private sector around the globe, not just the UK.

Myth: PRINCE2 is a document-driven, inflexible and bureaucratic project management framework

PRINCE2 is a framework that allows you to take the core governance pieces and still manage a project. It is only document-driven or paper-heavy if the project team make it so. For example, a simple in-scope/out-out document written in bullet fashion is easier to understand, follow and track than reams of waffle. The critical point to understand is that structured project management gives direction to a project setting distinct steps making it logical and organised; PRINCE2 is the written description of this approach.

Myth: PRINCE2 is for IT projects, generally within the UK Government

This myth or rather, misconception, is assumed to have arisen from the method’s original manifestation as a framework developed by the UK Government’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency during the late 1980s. This was called ‘Projects in Controlled Environments’ (PRINCE) and yes was started to support the UK government’s IT projects, but the current version, PRINCE2 can do so much more than just IT. Globally PRINCE2 is acknowledged as a ‘best practice’ project management method, having helped an incredibly varied range of businesses and organisations to manage their projects successfully. In 2017 the latest revision of the PRINCE2 manual was released, that provides additional guidance for tailoring PRINCE2 to suit different environments.

Myth: You can't mix the best bits of PRINCE2 and run Agile at the same time

The short answer to this is “yes you can!” This is one reason why AXELOS developed PRINCE2 Agile^® – see here for more information.

Myth: PRINCE2 is a piece of software

There is no software solution called “PRINCE2”. It is a standardised PM methodology and framework to assist with delivering projects successfully.

Of course, you can use project management software like Microsoft Project, to aid you with areas as planning, a facet of any project. By the way, the latest version on Microsoft Project does more than Gantt charts, take a look you will be surprised what it can do regardless of what method you are using.

Myth: Agile is better, PRINCE2 is old fashioned

There is no one programme/project methodology that is superior to another. They all have their own strength and weakness. The key is knowing which one is going to best suit a particular piece of delivery and give the best outcome.

The comment that it is old-fashioned could be attributed to the fact that it has been around a long time, a testament to its strength! The PRINCE2 framework has been updated to take into account more agile ways of delivery while maintaining the core of this robust methodology – see PRINCE2 Agile^®

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