Archive for August, 2009

Tips to write project documentation

In: Project Management

28 Aug 2009

As a Project Manager, you often have to write lengthy documents that are critical to the success of the project. So it’s important that you do a good job.

Take these top tips to improve your writing skills:

Keep it simple

Great writers can cover whole topics in just a few short paragraphs. To do this, you need to remove any surplus content, clutter and jargon and write in simple, plain terms that everyone understands. That way, your documents will be quick and easy to read.

Make it focused

To create a powerful project document, you need to focus purely on the topic. This will make your document more persuasive and inspiring to read. So think carefully about the content that your readers expect you to cover. Then list your topics and stick to them. Never write off the topic. If you need to go off topic, then put the content in an Appendix at the end and refer to it.

Have a clear structure

You also need to think carefully about your Table of Contents. Your readers need to be able to scan the Table of Contents to get a quick feel for what your document contains. The Table of Contents should be simple and easy to understand. In your document, you should also:

  • Use tables to make it easier to read.
  • Insert diagrams to explain difficult topics.
  • Use short paragraphs to accentuate points.
  • Make use of bolding, italics and underlining.
  • Use bullets, as they are easily scanned.

Always tell a story

Everyone loves a good story. So write each document as though it was the best story in town. Start with the beginning by introducing your topic and telling them what they are going to learn by reading your document. Then write the main body of the document and end with a conclusion.

Make it flow

Write your document so that each of the sections flow from one topic to the next. This way, the user never has to pause to work out where they are. So before you finish each section, introduce the next section.

Just the right amount

Give your readers “just the right amount of information” needed. Keep it short, but informative and helpful.

Be inspiring

Great writers are passionate about what they are writing. If you are positive and inspirational about your documents, then your reader will catch the excitement and your document will be enjoyable to read.

I will say welcome if you want me to help you in your project documentation. So please contact me.

Improve Your Project Meetings

In: Project Management

25 Aug 2009

Everyone dislikes meetings that drag on. So your job is to make it focused, highly driven and to add a sense of purpose. If you do this, then you’ll boost team motivation and morale. Here are 5 tips to help you…

Tip 1: Plan wisely

To make sure you get the most out of your meetings, you need to plan them wisely. Prior to each meeting, write down 3 goals that you want from the meeting. Here are some examples:

  • “I want the team to know we’re on track”
  • “I want any issues or risks to be raised”
  • “I want them to feel valued and motivated”

Then you need to work out how you’re going to achieve your goals. The next few tips will help you with this…

Tip 2: Open and close carefully

Like in theatre, people most remember the opening and the closure the most. So open and close your meetings carefully. When you open the meeting, tell them what the purpose of the meeting is, what you want to get out of it and why it’s important. This gets their attention and sets the scene. When you close the meeting, tell them what has been agreed / achieved in the meeting and the next steps going forward.

Tip 3: Control the conversation

You need to be in complete control of the meeting at all times, to ensure that:

  • The meeting follows the agenda
  • You never get stuck on a single issue
  • One person doesn’t dominate it
  • Everyone has their say

Start by standing or sitting in a prominent place in the room. Raise your voice a little to add presence. Jump in frequently when people talk too long. Be polite but strong. Control the meeting as a coach would control a football team – by constantly watching, listening and directing the team. If possible, ask someone else to record the minutes. This gives you the time needed to control the conversation so that the agenda and your 3 goals are met.

Tip 4: Park it and move on

Often in meetings, a single issue can consume the majority of the meeting time. If the issue is not related to your specific meeting goals, then tell the team to “park it and move on”. Record the issue on a whiteboard or paper and address it with the relevant team members separately after the meeting. This keeps your meetings short and focused.

Tip 5: Keep it action orientated

Projects are all about “getting things done”. So make sure that where possible, every discussion results in an action to be completed. Focusing on the actions that are needed, is a great way of reducing the length of meetings.

Project Closure

In: Project Management

20 Aug 2009

Following the completion of all project deliverable and acceptance by the customer, a successful project will have met its objectives and be ready for formal closure. Project Closure is the last phase in the project and must be conducted formally so that the business benefits delivered by the project are fully realized by the customer.

project-closure

Perform Project Closure

Project Closure involves undertaking a series of activities to wind up the project, including:

  • Identifying any outstanding items (activities, risks or issues)
  • Producing a hand-over plan to transfer the deliverable to the customer environment
  • Listing the activities required to hand over documentation, cancel supplier contracts and release project resources to the business
  • Communicating closure to all stakeholders and
    interested parties.

A Project Closure Report is submitted to the Customer and/or Project Sponsor for approval. The Project Manager is then responsible for undertaking each of the activities identified within the Project Closure Report on time and according to budget. The project is closed only when all activities identified in the Project Closure Report have been completed.

Review Project Completion

The final activity undertaken on any project is a review of its overall success by an independent resource. Success is determined by how well it performed against the defined objectives and conformed to the management processes outlined in the planning phase. To determine performance, a number of questions are posed. For example:

  • Did it result in the benefits defined in the Business Case?
  • Did it achieve the objectives outlined in the Terms of Reference?
  • Did it operate within the scope of the Terms of Reference?
  • Did the deliverable meet the criteria defined in the Quality Plan
  • Was it delivered within the schedule outlined in the Project Plan?
  • Was it delivered within the budget outlined in the Financial Plan?

To determine conformance, a review is undertaken of the level of conformity of the project activities to the management processes outlined in the Quality Plan. The above results, key achievements and lessons learned are documented within a Post Implementation Review report and presented to the Project Sponsor for approval.

Boost Your Confidence

In: Personal Waves|Project Management

13 Aug 2009

For some people, confidence comes naturally and to others, they need to work at it. So follow these Golden Rules, if you want to improve your level of personal confidence:

1. Look after yourself
Confident people look and feel great. The first step towards boosting confidence is to start with your physical and mental state. Try and eat healthy foods, reduce junk food and drink plenty of water during the day. Do a little exercise every day. It will work wonders. Go to the gym or take up a sport. Then get a new haircut, buy some new clothes and shout yourself a gift that you’ll value. If you look and feel fantastic, then you’ll start each day feeling wonderful.

2. Set Simple Goals
When you get to work, set simple and achievable weekly goals. So on Friday night when you leave work for the weekend, you’ll feel great that you’ve done what you set out to achieve. This will give your confidence a great boost. Make sure you tell people about the goals you’ve set, and when you achieve them. Never make your goals too hard or too easy to reach. And each week, stretch yourself a little more so that you’re constantly performing at higher levels.

3. Get a Mentor
Find someone who is honest, wise and that you can trust—and ask them to be your mentor. It might be a family member, friend or colleague. Meet with them monthly to talk about the goals you’ve set and what you’ve achieved. Get their feedback and advice on any problem you’re experiencing. Their feedback and support will boost your confidence even further.

4. Work Life Balance
To be at the top of your game, you need to have a great work / life balance. This means juggling your work and personal time evenly. Be aware that if you overwork, then tiredness and stress will knock your confidence. So limit your work hours and make the most of your personal time by doing things you enjoy. If you get the most out of life, then your confidence will grow each day.

5. Get back into learning
When you started your career, everything was new and exciting. But now, you probably don’t learn as much as you used to, and this will take some of the excitement away from the job. So get back into learning new things through reading, online research and meeting people to learn from them. Try and learn something new each day. This will not only improve your performance at work but it will give your confidence a great boost because of the extra knowledge you’re gaining.

Avoid Indecent SMS and Emails

In: Information on Internet

12 Aug 2009

Recently the government announced that sending indecent, abused or ill-motivated stories and text messages through emails and sms was an offense under the Cyber Crime Act (CCA) and its violators could take you behind rods for 14 years.

An official announcement by the interior ministry said that the government was launching the campaign against circulation of what it called ill-motivated and concocted stories through emails and text messages against civilian leadership and security forces.

The announcement did not elaborate what was meant by ill-motivated e-messaged, but it is believed that the civilial leadership meant president, prime minister, interior minister and other politician.

According to a Dawn report, a senior official of the ministry was quoted as saying, “Sending indeent message is a crime under the cybercrime act and liable to punishment.”

The givernment has tasked the federal investigation agency’c cyber crime cell to block or tace such emails and mobile phones and text messages. under the cyber crime act, violators confiscation of prperly. similarly, any Pakistani living abroad and violating provisions of the act may be charged and will be liable to deportation or Pakistan.

Under the campaign, all internet service providers would be checked by the FIA on a regular basis. The checked said the campaign would also target proscribed organiations which had been using the internet for mailcious propaganda against security forces.

The Director General of FIA, Tariq Khosa, has been instructed to monitor and check stories and messaged and take necessary action under the CCA. The government effort to regulate electronic communication comes less than a month after the announcement of a 20 paisa tax on the sending of each SMS, a move that was retracted soon afterward following public uproar.


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