Introduction to Software Project Management (with ChatGPT inputs!)
ChatGPT is the rage nowadays. I had it provide an introduction to software project management. This article incorporates several inputs from the ChatGPT response, with some edits done by me. An Introduction Software project management is the process of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling...
Templates in Atlassian Confluence
If your organization uses Atlassian products, then you might have already used templates in Confluence. Why Confluence? Confluence provides version control and can act as a project documentation repository. It is an easy-to-use collaboration tool and instead of sharing documents via email or chat, one...
Scrumban: An Overview
Scrumban is a hybrid agile development methodology which was originally developed to help projects transition from Scrum to Kanban. The term was coined by Corey Ladas; author of “Scrumban: Essays on Kanban Systems for Lean Software Development”. Scrumban combines the structure of Scrum with the...
Scope Creep: What is it, and how to avoid it?
The PMBOK® Guide describes scope creep as “adding features and functionality (project scope) without addressing the effects on time, costs, and resources, or without customer approval”. Even if the project finally gets completed after all the creep, one might be surprised that it looks nothing like what...
6 Questions to Ask When Starting a New Project
So you’re going to be the Project Manager for a new client. You want to be successful at it and in order to do that, you would want to plan your project well. This articles provides 6 questions to ask when starting a new project....
What is Critical Path Method?
Critical Path Method (CPM) is a resource utilization algorithm for scheduling your project tasks. The objective in CPM is to: List all the tasks in the project with the dependencies defined between all the tasks List the time required (estimate) to complete each task With...
Project Status Reports
A project status report summarizes a project’s overall progress. A status report is an important communication tool that should be published to key stakeholders on a regular basis. The stakeholders to publish this to can be identified using frameworks like the Power Interest Grid and...
Stakeholder analysis using RACI charts
A RACI chart or matrix identifies the key roles and responsibilities against major tasks within a project. It serves as a visual of the role each person on a team is playing. Creating the chart is also an excellent exercise in balancing workload and establishing...
Introduction to Agile
Agile is the ability to respond and adapt to change. Software development is done iteratively, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing and cross-functional teams. Agile development enables teams to deliver value faster, with greater focus on quality and predictability. Scrum and Kanban...
The Waterfall Development Methodology
The Waterfall Development Methodology is a sequential-order life cycle model. The project moves from one phase to the next phase sequentially. It can be considered as the “traditional” development model. It follows a logical pattern – Plan, Build, Test, and Release in sequence. Benefits It...
Changes to Project Management post-COVID
Do you see any changes to Project Management post-COVID? Would it remain the same? Would it change? This article captures some of my ramblings related to this. Short Answer: Project Management will change from what it was pre-COVID! As captured in this article, the only...
Project Sponsor: Roles & Responsibilities
PMI defines a Project Sponsor as an individual (often a manager or executive) with overall accountability for the project. He or she is primarily concerned with ensuring that the project delivers the agreed upon business benefits and acts as the representative of the organization, playing...
Stakeholder Analysis
Who is a Stakeholder? Stakeholders are individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be affected as a result of project execution or project completion. It’s a good idea to practice good stakeholder management and constantly communicate with them...
What is Project Management?
A simple definition for Project Management would be Getting Things Done! If you look up Wikipedia, It is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time....