project scope Archives - Project Management Works

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Your 2024 IT Project management mantra: start with the end user in mind

Project Management Advice / David Cotgreave

It was Steven Covey who coined the phrase “begin with the end in mind” in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’ve always loved that simple idea – have clarity about what the outcome must look like before beginning any endeavour.

In IT Project Management, as tech advances exponentially, it’s important that we take a leaf out of Covey’s book – and start every IT project with the END USER in mind.

Over the years, I have seen project teams asked to do it the other way around, to crowbar a new technology into their organisation’s operations, to be “of the moment”, ahead of the curve, cutting edge. It rarely ended well.

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The trouble with Project Schedules

Project Scope / MS

Why is it that one of the most difficult aspects of managing a project is maintaining the schedule. And why is it that many project managers will move heaven and earth to keep their project in line with the project schedule. That rather suggests that there is a problem with the way we use a

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WARNING! Don’t ignore the IT project warning signs

Insights, Project Management Advice, Project Scope, Risk Management / David Cotgreave

I was sitting on the M1 in traffic the other day, the gantry lights above were displaying a huge red X above the inside lane, signifying that it was closed due to an accident. Most cars got over into another lane as soon as it was safe for them to do so. However, three lorries

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Project Scoping: Steps For The Most Accurate Approach

Project Management Basics / Guest

Managing a project’s scope can be one of the most daunting and complicated tasks faced in today’s businesses. Project scope simply defines the functions or the features that are to be included in a service or product. Managing what to include and what to take out when perfecting a product or service can be exhausting

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6 Golden Rules of Project Management

Project Management Basics, Project Scope / Guest

A project manager’s position carries a lot of responsibilities, and for those who find themselves in this position for the first time in their career, there are many challenges that lie ahead. However, you will gradually get used to it, and become more efficient with every subsequent project. Since project management is a very important

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Managing Project Scope and Scope Creep

Project Management Advice, Project Management Basics, Project Scope / Guest

When working on a project of significant scope, it’s highly likely that the end result will look different from the initial plans. This is, in many ways, a good thing: insight from new data into what works and what doesn’t, the emergence of new technology, and changing consumer needs can all influence a project’s direction

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Controlling Scope Creep

Project Scope / Guest

It is quite normal that the business requirements for a project will change after the project has started – requirements become clearer once tasks start to be completed, market conditions change, budgets, priorities and resources are altered. So changes to the scope of a project shouldn’t be unexpected and should be embraced as a means

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Defining Project Scope: Problems and Solutions

Project Scope / Guest

Anyone involved in projects knows the importance of accurately defining the project scope – this is one of the project management fundamentals. It defines what will be included and, importantly, what will not included in the final product, how it can be expected to look, feel, function. And anyone involved in projects at any level

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5 Things Every Business Analyst Should Know

Business Analysis / Guest

Techniques for Gathering Requirements There are a variety of techniques that can be used successfully to gather business requirements and which one(s) you use will depend on the type of projects and the types of people involved in the project. The most common are brainstorming, story-boarding/story-telling, interviewing and prototyping. Brainstorming tends to be used

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What’s the Point of Business Analysis?

Business Analysis / Guest

With so many proponents of an agile approach to project management where projects are started with a rough idea of the requirements and then the objectives are refined as the project progresses in short bursts, you could be forgiven for thinking that detailed business analysis and the preparation of detailed requirements was a thing of

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