Category: Project+

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5 Project Management Trends & Forecasts for 2020

Our 2020 hindsight vision for project management is seeing project leads focusing not on the projects themselves, but rather the people who make up the team. In 2020 we’re predicting that: 

  • Project teams will have a more varied makeup
  • Project leads will work on developing soft skills
  • Getting a better idea of the strengths and weakness of your team
  • Working with unrelated projects and fields
  • Flexibility in your managerial philosophy

The upcoming decade will usher in a new age because it’s going to focus on the personal development of everyone involved in the projects you work on. By focusing on the people and building them up, you’ll be able to provide clients with a better product, and that will instill pride in your team.

Project Teams Will be More Diverse

Society is changing in big ways, more often than not for the better! We’re seeing more representation from various groups that historically are known as visible minorities in a variety of fields.

It doesn’t matter what age you enter the workplace, your degree level, if you’re apart of the LGBTQ+, a racial minority, or someone with a disability, these differences will be more commonplace. Rather than head for the hills, sort of speak embrace these differences.

Each person on your team will have different life experiences, due to a variety of factors, which means that you now how fresh and varying perspectives when it comes to tackling a variety of issues.

Besides personal traits, the workforce is changing in terms of employee makeup. The days of office workers being either salary or hourly are long behind us. This is partial because, with jobs and tasks shifting towards a heavy technological aspect, some companies are taking advantage of freelancers and remote workers.

Freelancers are great for short term needs and projects, and if they impress, they receive another project brief. Remote workers are taking traditional office jobs and allowing people to work from a home office, which reduces stress and boosts productivity and happiness. You could find freelancers on the portals like WriteScout and Subjecto.

Fostering Collaboration Between Unrelated Field and Projects 

We’re also predicting that previously related fields and projects will begin working together to save companies not only time, but also money when researching creative solutions, and developing products.

One instance of unrelated related fields coming together was Sociology and Myrmecology, a branch of Entomology focused on the study of ants.

Project Managers Will Need More Refined Skill Sets

Besides the technical skills a manager has, they’ll also need solid soft skills because colleges do a great job at teaching people industry knowledge, but don’t develop skills that businesses are looking for. Soft skills are the interpersonal skills that make people love or hate their manager.

A couple of examples of soft skills that managers need are the ability to accept feedback, creative and critical thinking, being flexible, and being a good communicator. A quick note on communicating, it’s more than talking, it’s also dependent on listening.

In 2020 we also think that tech will continue to trend as it has, and AI will become more important to businesses in 2020. Skills related to fields like robotics, computer science, and data analytics will be more important to companies.

Analyzing Not Only the Results But also Your Team

One thing that should be apparent to all project leads is that not all team members share the same skill sets. Each person has different skills that they offer, and as the manager, it’s your job to set up the team for success. However, the challenge lies in figuring out how to distribute tasks.

Managers Becoming Less Dogmatic With Their Management Philosophies

This is important because as the world changes around us, it forces management styles to be more flexible. By being able to alternate between different management styles, you can control things like decision making, job allocation, and you’ll have a defined leadership structure.

Conclusion

We hope you’re just as excited as we are for the dawn of a new decade. The future looks bright! Whether your a manager, a seasoned employee or a trainee, we’re all going to gain new skills. By developing people and setting them up for success, you’ll create a better product, and help shape the future.

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How to Write a Proper Project Management Plan?

You have a big project and you know that the basis of successfully executing lies in the project management plan. The pressure is rising. But there is no need for you to get overwhelmed because all you need is some guidance on how to write the project management plan.

Writing a project management plan will help you present important elements such as goals, objectives, timelines, and so on. If you know how to put those ideas and plans in writing effectively, you’ll be able to have everyone on your side in no time. To speed things up, these tips on how to write a proper project management plan will save you from stressing about how your plan will turn out. Let’s get started!

How to Write a Proper Project Management Plan?

Identify Clients’ Needs and Expectations

Clients are the ones who need to accept your plan and see potential in it. Instead of writing and rewriting the plan numerous times, talk to the clients at the very beginning.

Discuss with them their goals, ideas, the value of the project, expectations, budget, timeline, etc. Ask anything that will help you determine what they want. 

Having this information clearly defined from the very start will instantly give you pointers on what you need to focus on and in which direction your planning should go. 

Write everything they say and prepare a basis for your plan. Use a Scope Statement Document to ensure that everyone is on the same page. 

Set Out Goals

Based on research, the executive leaders claim that a lack of clear goals accounts for 37% of project failure.

Clear goals help you plan out deadlines, requirements, and tasks that need to be fulfilled. 

There is an organizational goal-setting tool used by Google and Intel. It is called Objective & Key Results (OKRs). This goal setting technique can help you identify and set your goals.

You can create a project plan board for your goals to have an overview of your ideas and how the process should go to meet the planned goals. 

Scrum_vs_Kanban_Board_Building_Project_Plan_1.jpg

Source: Wrike

What is important during the goal-setting phase is that you also prioritize them. If you don’t prioritize the goals it will affect the project process. 

Discuss Your Plan with Your Team

Every project consists of a team of people who will be designated to execute that plan. Those people are just as important as the project manager.

Get in touch with your team and express your ideas and goals. Ask them about the timeline, whether they find it manageable. Consider their ideas and suggestion.

In this way, you’ll look at your plan more objectively. If your team agrees with your ideas, you’ll know that you can look forward to successful cooperation. 

“Clear communication is essential for writing a good project management plan. Your team is the one who will turn your ideas to life, and they can give you a different perspective on some of your ideas,” advises George Harned, a project manager at TopWritersReview.

Create a Schedule

A project schedule can sometimes be the toughest for project managers to determine. The reason why is that you need to calculate how much time each task demands in order to determine the final deadline.

You need to think about deadlines within the project as well as the final deadline. Setting just the final deadline will give you too much space to improvise during the project execution and that is not advisable.

Creating a clear schedule will also make the project more manageable and give the team a better structure and organization.

If you want to visualize your schedule, try out the Gantt chart tool. Those who are visual learners can have a better understanding of the project’s organization if they can see and follow up on the timeline.  

Резултат слика за gantt chart

Source: TemplateLab

Set Milestones

Firm milestones are a must for a successful project. They need to be in line with the timeline.

Every team member should know their timeline and milestone because the work they do affects whether the project will be developed according to plan. 

Stating milestones in advance will help you show the clients that you have a specific plan in mind. It will also help your team members understand their duties and obligations. 

These project planning steps will help you meet the goals as well as meet the set deadlines. 

Not to mention that milestones make it easier for the project manager to keep track of the project process. 

Identify Potential Risks

As much as we would all like that everything goes according to plan, you should still understand that no plan is risk-free.

Write down all potential risks and issues that can affect the project execution. For example, an employee getting sick and not being able to work.

Why is identifying risk so important? Because it gives you the time to think about solutions in advance and prepare yourself for some other options. 

You need to think about steps that help you to prevent those risks as well as to manage them if they do happen. 

Outline the Project

Before you start writing the final plan, it is better that you write the outline first. Having all this information about the planning process can be confusing, so it is normal that you go back and forth and make some changes.

However, it is better that you correct the outline than the final plan.

It is very helpful to have some guidelines before you start with THE plan.  For a fast, quality writing and research service, take a look at https://essayshark.com/

Write and Present the Plan

Once you’ve finished all the previous steps it is time to get to writing. You’ll realize how setting out all the important elements of the project and outlining the plan will help you to write the plan easily. 

When you’re all done with the writing and you feel confident about your planning and writing skills, it is time to present the plan and get that approval that you deserve! Good luck!

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Why Does Your Company Need to Be Familiar With Project Management Software Today?

Do you believe that project management software is just an annoying business buzzword? Well, in fact, it’s not just a buzzword.

In today’s competitive business environment, project management software helps companies to engage employees, boost overall performance, and keep the project on time and under budget. If you want to learn more about why your company needs to be familiar with this type of advanced software, just keep reading.

Why Does Your Company Need to Be Familiar With Project Management Software Today?

1. Connect People In Your Workplace

To complete the project successfully, you should ensure that your team is connected. Why it’s so important? Because if no one in the team knows what others are doing, it’s impossible to deliver quality work on time and budget.

The project management platform works as the main hub of socializing and exchanging information. The platform shows team members what their colleagues are currently doing and on what tasks they will work next.

2. Improve Employee Performance

Project management software helps not only to enhance collaboration but also to delegate tasks in a more effective manner. It makes it easier for managers to track the progress of every team member and distribute workload evenly.

“Project management tools help to motivate employees to work harder. Since team members are aware of monitoring and tracking, they try to complete their tasks faster and better,” explains Rita Miller, a project manager at Studicus.

3. Complete Work On-time

Project management and time management go hand in hand. That is why project management software was primarily designed to solve time management issues and keep delays out of the way.

To prevent overdue and to keep every team member on board, this software allows sending real-time notifications and reminders. It helps to ensure that every single task, subtask, and individual assignment will be completed on time.

4. Stay Within A Given Budget

If a company can control the time spent on the project, it can also calculate billable hours and figure out how much exactly the project will cost.

“Using project management software, it’s easy to monitor the earned value, return on investment, and other indicators. It’s also easy to assess project health and prevent any issues before they happen,” says Joshua Ashton, a financial manager at BestEssayEducation.

5. Adjust To Changes Faster

Today, both small companies and big corporations face issues while adapting to change in the business environment. But fortunately, modern project management software can solve most of these issues and help the company to keep up with industry trends.

Using project management tools, you can determine which portion of the project carries the highest risk and define where you might need to allocate more time in the schedule. Besides, you can apply these tools to systemize knowledge in order to boost your efforts and overcome uncertainty.

Now you know why your company should use project management software. So don’t hesitate to take the next step! Chose software that suits your business and train your employees on how to use it, to check out more check hsslive.

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Steve Francis Owes His Success In Certification Exam To uCertify

Steve Francis has 17+ years experience in the Information Technology Domain and is currently working as an ERP Analyst at Hydroprocessing Associates. He has also worked as a technology instructor at University of Phoenix, APT College and, Community College of the Air Force. He also holds his expertise in Microsoft Office suite, SharePoint, Visio, Moodle, Blackboard, as well as a wide range of cloud technologies, social media, and web conferencing platforms. He recently passed his CompTIA Network+ N10-007 and Project+ PK0-004 certification exam and owe his success to uCertify.

Steve Francis Owes His Success In Certification Exam To uCertify

He also provided his valuable feedback for the course which we are very happy to share with you:

“I am happy to share that I have passed CompTIA Project+ and Network+ exams. Thanks, uCertify for the embedded multimedia content, innovative labs, and dynamic practice exam tools embedded throughout your product. These interactive items are based on real exam objectives and provide a hands-on learning experience in the subject. I recommend this learning platform for those who are preparing for the IT certification exam.”

We are working on all the areas of improvement mentioned by him to provide a better user experience. You can check out the complete post here. To know more about Mr. Steve, you can contact via his Linkedin profile.

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Prepare For CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 Exam With uCertify Cert Guide

Project management is needed in almost all the fields and includes both commercial and non-commercial projects. You will find a lot of job opportunities in this field in leading companies. But what if you want to prove your proficiency in project management? There are many popular project management certifications that you can obtain like CompTIA Project+, PMI CAPM, and PMI PMP. Of the three certifications, CompTIA Project+ certification is probably the easiest to take. We offer CompTIA Project+ study guide for the CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 exam. The course covers all the objectives of the PK0-004 exam that includes project basics, project constraints, communication and change management, project tools and documentation, and much more. This cert is intended for business professionals who manage small-to-medium-size projects, both inside and outside of IT.

Prepare For CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 Exam With uCertify Cert Guide

The study guide covers the following exam topics in the course:

  • Initiating the Project
  • Communicating the Plan
  • Creating the Project Charter
  • Creating the Project Schedule
  • Resource Planning and Management
  • Creating the Work Breakdown Structure
  • Project Team Roles and Responsibilities
  • Defining Project Budgets and Risk Plans
  • Processing Change Requests and Procurement Documents

Here are the resources added to the cert guide:

  • 10+ Lessons
  • 200+ Quizzes
  • 127+ Flashcards
  • 4+ Full-length Tests
  • 70+ Pre-assessments
  • 70+ Post Assessments
  • 127+ Glossary of Terms

About The Exam

CompTIA Project+ certification is a vendor-neutral certification exam designed to ensure classic project management skills and knowledge for business professionals to initiate, plan, monitor/control, execute, and close a project. Project+ certification is not only for the IT technician, it is designed for any individual who wants to validate project management experience. CompTIA Project+ exam objectives are as follows:

  • Project Closure
  • Project Planning
  • Pre-project Setup/Initiating
  • Project Execution and Delivery
  • Change Control and Communication

If you still have a second thought whether project management certifications are the right way to go or not, consider this fact: According to a recent survey, the median expected salary for a typical project manager in the United States is USD 107,056. I don’t think that you need any other evidence that this is the right certification for you. So, start preparing for the CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 exam with the uCertify interactive and engaging course.