What actually is a milestone?

‘Milestones’ are a much used ingredient in a lot of projects – for good reasons. Milestones are important points on the project’s timeline. One could also call them checkpoints.

Generally speaking a milestone can be an event or a point in time, where

  • something is finished
  • something is started
  • a decision has to be made, as in how to proceed.

Most of the time, milestones occur at the end of a project phase. But there can be additional milestones in between.
Milestones never define a stretch of time, but always a point on the timeline.

Look at the following example: Continue reading →

The duties of the project manager – an open list

Being a project manager isn’t always an easy job. Besides the technical responsibilities many of you have, an awful lot of duties line up to be taken care of.

As we started writing these down, we realised the list keeps growing and growing the more time you spend thinking about it. We organised those duties into three phases: start, execution and closure. We are not following any formally strict scheme here, but are merely simplifying things with these three rough categories. Also, consider it an open list, an inspiration. It is by no means complete and not all kinds of projects will require exactly the same duties and tasks. Feel free to comment and add your own ideas and experiences. Continue reading →

Project proposals in smaller organisations: That moment when…

‘… can you just write us a little proposal about this …? – The moment your project really starts!

You might know this moment: You’re working in a small organisation (one without rigid structures or well-defined processes in project management) and you have come up with a good idea. You started developing it slightly, you’ve chatted with some others about it, and finally you have presented it as an idea to your seniors.

And guess what, because your idea is really good and you have presented your idea well, you now casually get tasked with developing it: ‘… just write me a little project proposal’… and then you realise your project has the potential to become reality!

For many of us this is the moment of great excitement but also of some level of heart-sinking. How on earth can I communicate this idea and all its add-ons clearly? How do I write about it knowing the very different requirements and goals within the wider team?

Continue reading →

Dirty Reality: When resources play hard to get

This article is part 1 of 1 of the series Dirty Reality
This article is part 1 of 1 of the series Dirty Reality

avatar-biberOnce in a while we will answer questions from project managers out in the field. Reality is not always following the textbook and the job can be tough. Our current topic:

It is always other projects getting the scarce resources, never mine.
In the company I work for there are many important projects. I am really having a hard time to advance my own project as some of those others always block the most important resources. I really need those guys from manufacturing to help, but they never have time for me!

Continue reading →