Summary

Given the natural speed and dynamism of the world, agility and sense of urgency has become preponderant in all projects. Challenging deadlines and budget make the management of these projects a risky activity. The more time and cost become challenging, the need for a more meticulous and detailed planning becomes fundamental. On the other hand, the urgency in the planning of these activities often directly affects the quality of the developed plans.
This article aims to discuss the costs and benefits of speed in developing a project plan and proposes a basic process that consists of 10 steps to plan and 10 steps to track a project in a short time. The process aims to simplify and prioritize critical documents to be developed in order to ensure the purpose, scope, deadlines and budgets, as well as direct restrictions of the project to be developed.
Finally, the article presents a list of success factors to be observed to handle and quickly develop effective project plans.

Urgency: The Costs and Benefits of Speed

A project is carried out to produce a beneficial change in the environment and it has three features (TURNER & MÜLLER, 2003):

1. It is unique: there are not equal previous projects.
2. It is new: previous projects did not use the same approach.
3. It is temporary: it has a beginning and an end. .

These features produce certain pressures, like the sense of urgency, the uncertainty and the need of integration. The urgency is directly related to the production of results within the shortest time.

According to Betty Sue Flowers (MARCUS, 1998), people must have a sense of urgency even when they are facing a good situation. The sense of urgency doesn’t come only from an emerging crisis, but also from the need to be ready for any situation, including opportunities.
Given this scenario, it is essential that the project manager respond immediately to requests from customers and from other interested with a legitimate sense of urgency (KERNION, 1999). Thus, the challenge becomes balancing the sense of urgency and pressure with time for reflection, experimentation and innovation that a unique product or service will require to be developed (EPPLER & SUKOWSKI, 2000).

Simplified Flow for the Development of the Project Plan

In order to directly attend the need, we need to simplify the management process. Simplification occurs through careful analysis of the processes that may be deemed fundamental and essential. Importantly, only the processes considered crucial must be carried on, since we consider the speed of development as a priority, but it does not mean that other processes that are not listed cannot bring results in project planning.
The proposed flow is based on the PMBOK ® Guide (PMI, 2008), highlighting the sequence of activities that make up the process, starting from a assumption that there is already an assigned project manager. From the detailed processes in the guide, we set up a flow with 10 processes, as highlighted in Exhibit 01 and detailed below.

1. Develop Project Charter – This process aims to develop the Project Charter that documents the business needs that will be attended by the projects, in addition to obtaining the commitment of areas / people involved and disseminate the official birth of the project to all interested. The Project Charter should be kept unchanged throughout the project. Its update is done in case of extreme change in the project, for example, changing the sponsor or the project manager, or a substantial change in the budget or schedule. The “urgent” Project Charter should also incorporate some elements that traditionally should be in the Scope Statement. In this case, what is proposed is the development of a single document that brings together the main points of the Statement of Scope to the Project Charter.
2. Create the Work Breakdown Structure – Process that aims to develop the main tool of design of the project scope. The project WBS is a hierarchical structure that presents a visual decomposition of the project into smaller, more manageable parts, called “work packages”. It must be constructed as “top-down” and detailed initially up into approximately 3 levels. The other levels will be updated and detailed with the development of projects through rolling waves planning models (GITHENS, 1998).




Exhibit 03 – Rolling Wave Planning (GITHENS, 1998)
3. Develop Schedule – Process that assigns durations to work packages (lower level of WBS) and the precedence relationship between these packages, resulting in the project Network Diagram and Gantt chart. At this stage, the estimated duration of the project is determined.
4. Determine Budget – The objective of this process is developing the estimated cost of the project works that will consolidate the project budget and the baseline costs. The project budget should be developed at the level of detail that is compatible with the actual details of the work and can / should be refined with project updates.
5. Develop Responsibility Assignment Matrix – Process that aims to develop the spreadsheet that defines the responsibilities within the project. It lists the supplies and / or large blocks of WBS with the human resources responsible for implementation and approval of work, as well as the stakeholders to be informed and consulted. It is also known as RACI matrix (ARMSHAW, 2005).
6. Develop Communication Plan – Process that aims to develop a simplified spreadsheet highlighting who will receive the information (identified stakeholders), what is going to be informed, when communication is made, where the information will be collected, the reason why the communication is being performed, who is responsible for communication and how it is done and the cost of production of the information (5W and 2H).
7. Develop Preliminary Risk Plan – The objective of this process is to identify potential project risks using a structured approach to collect and document the identified risks, such as the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), Delphi and Brainstorming (ADAMS & MEANS, 2006). It is suggested that only threats are identified, ruling out opportunities for the process to be developed faster. Then, the identified risks are analyzed in terms of probability, impact and urgency, allowing that action plans can be developed in response to major risks. The risk plan will be updated throughout the work.
8. Consolidate Project Plan – Process that groups the documents previously produced in the Project Plan. Any presentations and supporting documents can also be consolidated into the plan to facilitate the process of presenting the project for approval.
9. Approve Project Plan – The objective of this process is to ensure that the responsible for the approval can review the documents and the analysis developed in the project plan, ensuring that all deliveries are planned in accordance with the stated objectives. The approval authorizes the commencement of work and turns the project plan approved at the baseline assessment of performance.
10. Hold Project Kick-off Meeting – The Project kick-off meeting is an extremely important event because it aims to promote the start of project activities and how it should contribute to achieving the Organization’s strategic objectives. In addition to constitute itself as an opportunity that seeks to ensure the Organization’s commitment to the project, it is considered the first work meeting of the core project team, in which the plan is presented, always seeking the involvement of the stakeholders.

Simplified Flow for the Project Monitoring and Control

The update of the project plan developed according to the previous process can also be presented by 10 (ten) simplified procedures, including the approval process and implementation of changes. The simplified procedure for updating the plan is carried out repeatedly for each monitoring cycle.
The cycle time is determined by a function of the duration of the project and organizational planning parameters (ROSENHEAD, 2008). Usually, a project must have its monitoring cycle every 10% of the projected length; the minimum interval between cycles is 1 day and the maximum interval between cycles is 30 days. As an example, a project of 10 weeks suggests a break between cycles of 1 week as a project of 20 weeks suggests a break between cycles of 2 weeks.
The simplified flow for project monitoring and control is shown in Exhibit 04.

1. Collect Performance Information – The goal of this process is to obtain information on the performance of the project with the team, the suppliers, etc. The collection can be done in a structured way or through adaptations and simplifications of agile models, such as parts of the dynamics model for the collection and exchange of information taken at meetings of Daily Scrum of the Scrum model, for example (SCHWABER, 2010). It is important to emphasize that the goal of the process is the collection of information and not decision making.
2. Update WBS –The objective of this process is to update the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) so that it continues to reflect all deliveries made in the cycle. The remaining work should be evaluated, and the drawing of future deliveries should be performed if necessary. We must pay important attention to the difference between detailing future deliveries and creating new deliveries. The creation of new deliveries that are not expected is a classic case of a sprawl of scope (scope creep) (KUPRENAS & NASR, 2003). .
3. Update Schedule – Process that aims to identify the work already done and their deadlines, as well as updates on the WBS, seeking to update the schedule and determine the project deadline. The new timing and deadline will be compared with the approved schedule (baseline) to assess the performance of the project. .
4. Update Budget – The objective of this process is to assess the outlay for carrying out the work cycle and update the remaining budget. The new budget will be compared with the approved budget (baseline) to evaluate the performance of the project. .
5. Revise Responsibility Assignment Matrix and Communication Plan – The objective of this process is to update the Responsibility Assignment Matrix and Communication Plan. During the implementation of the project changes beyond the responsibilities inherent to the project, there are often roles exchanging and refinements in responsibilities, that causes changes in the Responsibility Matrix. The communication results are evaluated in this process to check if any element of communication needs to be created, deleted or amended in accordance with the behavior of the stakeholders. It aims to ensure that only valid information that supports the decision and the need for information will be produced, avoiding unnecessary stress on the production of useless information. .
6. Update Risk Plan and Risk Response Plan – The objective of this process is to update the Risk Plan by identifying new risks and reviewing the already identified risks. The status of existing action plans and the evaluation of their effectiveness are also performed in this process. .
7. Develop Project Status Report – The objective of this process is to consolidate all executive information in a simple and straightforward report. The target audience of the report is defined in the Communication Plan and its contents present summary information about the performance of the project cycle and recommendations for change. .
8. Hold Change Control Meeting – The objective of this process is to communicate the status of the project cycle, analyze the proposed change requests and decide on their incorporation (or not) to the projects. .
9. Implement Approved Changes – Process that aims to incorporate the approved changes to the project plan, including quick review of the documents already developed and appropriated communications about the implemented changes to the stakeholders.
10. Document Lessons Learned – Process that aims to consolidate the lessons learned collected during the last cycle of the project. The lessons contain the record of positive experiences, such as improvements in processes and good management decisions, in addition to the negative experiences that have occurred and the points that should be improved identified during the project. .

Assumptions and Success Factors

Developing project plans quickly requires a different environment from the conventional planning. It is crucial to understand some assumption and success factors to proper understand not only the process but also the results.
Initially, it is important to note that the results obtained with this model are less detailed than those of conventional planning based on the PMBOK ® Guide. This model assumes a reduction in the existing procedures in order to accelerate the development process, and areas of knowledge related to the scope, time, cost, risk and communications were prioritized. This does not mean that other areas are less important.
The documents produced must be simple and straightforward, if there are document templates in the Organization, only their essential fields should be used. It is important to advice that essential is different from important. Essential fields and information are the kind of information that can make the planning not viable if they are not provided. Another advice is to produce the documents using the usual market software such as spreadsheets and texts processors. Integrated and interrelated complex systems increase the ability to control and have many benefits; however, they may not provide the mobility and flexibility required for the accelerated development of the plan.
It is suggested that project planning is performed using the concept of rolling waves (GITHENS, 1998), in order to detail with precision the immediate work and with less accuracy the medium and long term work. These works of medium and long term will be detailed in future update cycles.
Also, quick planning requires a degree of tolerance to risks bigger than the required by the conventional planning (HILSON & MURRAY-WEBSTER, 2005). We can observe, in Exhibit 05, that profiles that have a high degree of discomfort with the uncertainty (Paranoid and Averse) present more difficult to plan, execute and decide on a scenario of urgency due to the high degree of discomfort found in these occasions. Therefore, the proposed process might not fit for all organizations in all cases.




Exhibit 05 – Response to Uncertainty (HILSON & MURRAY-WEBSTER, 2005)

Finally, it is suggested that planning work should be done as a team, following classical models of co-location ( or war room), in which the project team works most of the time in the same physical space and keeps in touch face to face (MEARMAN, 2004). This type of work allows a better communication, a reduction in business “silos”, an increase in capacity and knowledge sharing in an emergency scenario, and makes the decision process more responsive and effective.

Conclusions

Quick planning aiming to attend the continuous need and the sense of urgency of the organizations is a clear trend in working with projects. In order to satisfy this critical sense of urgency, many projects are implemented without any planning because planning takes time and affects the sense of urgency required.
The proposed model aims to attend this specific scenario, it is a simplification of the planning reality and it does not intended to replace the conventional model of project planning, in which concepts, methods and market standards must be evaluated and structured in the project planning.
When there is a minimum acceptable time for the development of a structured plan, this plan becomes essential and should address in greater detail the knowledge areas outlined in PMBOK ® Guide (PMI, 2008), as well as other concepts and market standards. The use of the proposed model is only recommended when there is no possibility of building a structured plan for the project.

References

ADAMS, T & MEANS, J. (2006). The Project Meeting Facilitator. Seattle: PMI Global Congress North America.
ARMSHAW, D. (2005). There has to be a Better way than this! How to get big benefits from Project management basics. Edimburg: PMI Global Congress EMEA.
EPPLER, M. J. & SUKOWSKI, O. (2000). Managing Team Knowledge: Core Processes, Tools and Enabling Factors. London: European Management Journal Vol. 18, No. 3
GITHENS, G D. (1998). Rolling Wave Project Planning. Long Beach: PMI Annual Symposium and Congress.
HILSON, D. & MURRAY-WEBSTER, R. (2005). Understanding and Managing Risk Attitude, Burlington: Gower.
KERNION, D. M. The Project Manager—A Key Player in the Consulting Engineering Firm’s Marketing Plan. Long Beach: PMI Annual Congress and Symposium.
KUPRENAS, J. A. & NASR, E. B. (2003). Controlling Design-Phase Scope Creep. Morgantown: AACE Transactions.
MARCUS, G. (1998). Corporate Futures, Vol. V. Late Editions Series. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
MEARMAN, M. (2004). Implementation Project Management: Now that You Bought it What Do You Do? Anaheim: PMI Annual Symposium and Congress.
PMI (2008). PMBOK: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: Forth Edition. Newtown Square: Project Management Institute.
ROSENHEAD, R. (2008). Let’s Make Those Project Meetings More Effective. Available at
http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/pdf/make-those-project-meetings-more-effective.pdf

SCHWABER, K. (2010). Agile Project Management with Scrum. Redmond: Microsoft Press.
TURNER, J. R. & MÜLLER, R. (2003). On the nature of the project as a temporary organization. Amsterdam: International Journal of Project Management.

Access the flow on the link below:
http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/ricardo_vargas_urgency_flow_en.pdf

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/articles/urgency-critical-factor/feed/ 3 http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/crisis_denial/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/crisis_denial/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:10:33 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=4016 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about crisis management. He explains that the first reaction in crisis management is the denial and that this is the worst option. Ricardo also explains that the crisis is caused by a “trigger” that is triggered by some event that will generate a chain reaction and can cause an uncontrolled situation in the project.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/crisis_denial/feed/ 3 5:50 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about crisis management. He explains that the first reaction in crisis management is the denial and that this is the worst option. Ricardo also explains that the crisis is caused by a "trigger" that is triggered by some event that will generate a chain reaction and can cause an uncontrolled situation in the project. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/stevejobs/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/stevejobs/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:59:38 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=4013 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about Steve Jobs, he says that after reading many biographies, articles and news about Steve Jobs, there were many doubts about the DNA that generated so much success for Apple – it was the genius, innovation or the ability to manage projects from Steve Jobs? He notes that the way Apple manages its business is totally different from what is taught in administration books where collaboration and customer are essential for the growth of the organization.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/stevejobs/feed/ 15 6:02 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about Steve Jobs, he says that after reading many biographies, articles and news about Steve Jobs, there were many doubts about the DNA that generated so much success for Apple - it was the genius, innovation or the ability to manage projects from Steve Jobs? He notes that the way Apple manages its business is totally different from what is taught in administration books where collaboration and customer are essential for the growth of the organization. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/howmanyprojects/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/howmanyprojects/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:10:03 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3985 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the number of projects that one person can manage at the same time. He says that there is no a specific number, but explains that the most important is the focus that the project manager must have. Ricardo also says that for very large projects does not justify a project manager to share the work with other projects, but in small projects that have some similarity, the project manager could manage multiple projects simultaneously.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/howmanyprojects/feed/ 34 7:01 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the number of projects that one person can manage at the same time. He says that there is no a specific number, but explains that the most important is the focus that the project manager must have. Ricardo also says that for very large projects does not justify a project manager to share the work with other projects, but in small projects that have some similarity, the project manager could manage multiple projects simultaneously. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/positive_feedback/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/positive_feedback/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:10:16 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3967 In this podcast Ricardo talks about the strength of a positive feedback. He says that we have  a culture of giving negative feedback and that we usually do not remember to praise when a good work is done. Ricardo explains that just an email or a comment about the good work  is usually enough to motivate anybody, thus leading her/him to make less mistakes in the execution of his/her work. He also explains that a positive feedback must always be honest.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/positive_feedback/feed/ 21 5:14 In this podcast Ricardo talks about the strength of a positive feedback. He says that we have  a culture of giving negative feedback and that we usually do not remember to praise when a good work is done. Ricardo explains that just an email or a comment about the good work  is usually enough to motivate anybody, thus leading her/him to make less mistakes in the execution of his/her work. He also explains that a positive feedback must always be honest. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/change_sponsor/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/change_sponsor/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:26:52 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3965 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the actions that the project manager should have when the sponsor of the project changes. He explains that although the sponsor is the great supporter of the project, this is a natural fact, he also gives 4 tips on how the project manager should act when it happens.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/change_sponsor/feed/ 3 7:05 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the actions that the project manager should have when the sponsor of the project changes. He explains that although the sponsor is the great supporter of the project, this is a natural fact, he also gives 4 tips on how the project manager should act when it happens. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/smart_objective/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/smart_objective/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:04:49 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3961 In this podcast Ricardo talks about the project objective, he explains that many people think that only the name is enough to understand the project, but the objective is important to write and explain “what is” the project, within time and estimated costs. Ricardo also says that the objective should be a sentence that explains exactly what you want to do. The objective is not a justification, but is related to the work to be done, unlike the justification that is “why” the project will be done.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/smart_objective/feed/ 12 7:16 In this podcast Ricardo talks about the project objective, he explains that many people think that only the name is enough to understand the project, but the objective is important to write and explain "what is" the project, within time and estimated costs. Ricardo also says that the objective should be a sentence that explains exactly what you want to do. The objective is not a justification, but is related to the work to be done, unlike the justification that is "why" the project will be done. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/bossxpm/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/bossxpm/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:17:45 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3959 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the relationship between the project manager and his boss in the organization. He explains that different opinions are part of the work and when the project manager suggests a direction to a superior, he must have grounding through data and facts, so hardly he will be challenged.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/bossxpm/feed/ 10 6:02 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the relationship between the project manager and his boss in the organization. He explains that different opinions are part of the work and when the project manager suggests a direction to a superior, he must have grounding through data and facts, so hardly he will be challenged. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/doing_project_business_intl/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/doing_project_business_intl/#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:10:17 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3930 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about working in projects of different cultures. He explains that to work in an international project is necessary to know the way of life, how people in the country were educated, how the minds of these people work and respect each culture. Ricardo also talks that even in Brazil, to develop a project in the South is different to developing a project in the North, as there is a difference in culture and values.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/doing_project_business_intl/feed/ 13 6:43 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about working in projects of different cultures. He explains that to work in an international project is necessary to know the way of life, how people in the country were educated, how the minds of these people work and respect each culture. Ricardo also talks that even in Brazil, to develop a project in the South is different to developing a project in the North, as there is a difference in culture and values. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/quality_req_crit/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/quality_req_crit/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:10:26 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3917 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the criteria for quality requirements, he explains that the criterion is the object on which the quality requirement is being measured. Ricardo also talks about why the conditions to meet a quality criteria have a thresholds which is how long this condition meets the criteria and when it does not meet.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/quality_req_crit/feed/ 9 5:47 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the criteria for quality requirements, he explains that the criterion is the object on which the quality requirement is being measured. Ricardo also talks about why the conditions to meet a quality criteria have a thresholds which is how long this condition meets the criteria and when it does not meet. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/project-quality-requirements/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/project-quality-requirements/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:27:45 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3914 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the project quality requirements, he explains that sometimes the quality requirements are set when the project is near the end, and sometimes the project manager does not involve the customer early in the project and the requirements are made in the light of their understanding. Ricardo also explains that the quality requirements need to be tangible and relevant.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/project-quality-requirements/feed/ 12 6:54 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the project quality requirements, he explains that sometimes the quality requirements are set when the project is near the end, and sometimes the project manager does not involve the customer early in the project and the requirements are made in the light of their understanding. Ricardo also explains that the quality requirements need to be tangible and relevant. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/tribute-salles/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/tribute-salles/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:29:10 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3902 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about professor Salles who unfortunately left us a few days ago. He says that Salles was an extremely correct person, who was specialist in Project Management and much beloved by his students and colleagues. Ricardo also talks about the importance of the proximity between the PMI and the PM community in Brazil that Salles was ahead.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/tribute-salles/feed/ 22 3:12 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about professor Salles who unfortunately left us a few days ago. He says that Salles was an extremely correct person, who was specialist in Project Management and much beloved by his students and colleagues. Ricardo also talks about the importance of the proximity between the PMI and the PM community in Brazil that Salles was ahead. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/projectindicatorxpmindicator/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/projectindicatorxpmindicator/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:10:26 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3874 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the difference between the project indicators and indicators of project management. He explains that the project indicators measure the expected benefits and these usually appear after the project ended, but the indicators of project management are related to control during project execution, where planned deliveries are compared with performed deliveries.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/projectindicatorxpmindicator/feed/ 7 5:52 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the difference between the project indicators and indicators of project management. He explains that the project indicators measure the expected benefits and these usually appear after the project ended, but the indicators of project management are related to control during project execution, where planned deliveries are compared with performed deliveries. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/mcts-project-2010/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/mcts-project-2010/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:06:17 +0000 Sérgio Jardim 1200318856 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the advantages that the Microsoft Certified Technical (Technology) Specialist certification for Project 2010 bring forth to the project manager’s career when combined with other certifications such as CAPM or PMP from PMI. He explains that a professional who has both qualifications has more chances of success in the field for he knows how to apply the technical theory using a PM tool.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/mcts-project-2010/feed/ 12 5:40 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the advantages that the Microsoft Certified Technical (Technology) Specialist certification for Project 2010 bring forth to the project manager's career when combined with other certifications such as CAPM or PMP from PMI. He explains that a professional who has both qualifications has more chances of success in the field for he knows how to apply the technical theory using a PM tool. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/wbsdeliverableorientation/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/wbsdeliverableorientation/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:00:19 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3859 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how to create a WBS. He explains that even though there are no specific rules to create a WBS, the most important thing is to allow the ones who will execute the work to fully understand what needs to be done. Ricardo also explains that the WBS does not provide any chronological sequence, but instead must guarantee that all the work to be produced is effectively broken down up to the point where the activities can be assigned to those who will execute them.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/wbsdeliverableorientation/feed/ 3 5:55 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how to create a WBS. He explains that even though there are no specific rules to create a WBS, the most important thing is to allow the ones who will execute the work to fully understand what needs to be done. Ricardo also explains that the WBS does not provide any chronological sequence, but instead must guarantee that all the work to be produced is effectively broken down up to the point where the activities can be assigned to those who will execute them. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/level-of-detail-in-the-information-provided-to-project-applying-for-the-portfolio/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/level-of-detail-in-the-information-provided-to-project-applying-for-the-portfolio/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:22:11 +0000 Sérgio Jardim http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3853 In this podcast, Ricardo explains when it’s necessary to detail or not a project during the prioritization process within the portfolio management. He also talks about some types of information needed to detect which are the most viable projects for an organization.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/level-of-detail-in-the-information-provided-to-project-applying-for-the-portfolio/feed/ 3 5:55 In this podcast, Ricardo explains when it's necessary to detail or not a project during the prioritization process within the portfolio management. He also talks about some types of information needed to detect which are the most viable projects for an organization. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/joboffer/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/joboffer/#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:11:47 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3850 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about job opportunities in project management, he explains that when a professional seeks an opportunity, he has to carefully consider the remuneration, the company itself and his career as a project manager in that company.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/joboffer/feed/ 8 6:35 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about job opportunities in project management, he explains that when a professional seeks an opportunity, he has to carefully consider the remuneration, the company itself and his career as a project manager in that company. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/costofpm/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/costofpm/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:43:44 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3846 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how appropriate the amounts allocated to the project management activities in the project. He explains that there is no an international standard to define the values, but there are good practices. Ricardo also explains that the percentage for the costs of project management is variable in relation to the total project cost, will be less on projects that cost more and more expensive in lower-cost projects.

]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/costofpm/feed/ 7 7:03 In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how appropriate the amounts allocated to the project management activities in the project. He explains that there is no an international standard to define the values, but there are good practices. Ricardo also explains that the percentage for the costs of project management is variable in relation to the total project cost, will be less on projects that cost more and more expensive in lower-cost projects. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/vitalsigns/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/vitalsigns/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:10:26 +0000 sueli http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3779 In this podcast, Ricardo makes a comparison between monitoring of the project and monitoring of a patient in an Intensive Care at the hospital. He explains that the Project Manager should monitor since the beginning, the project vital signs and based on these signals, identify deviations and take preventive actions for the project remains viable.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/vitalsigns/feed/ 4 7:29 In this podcast, Ricardo makes a comparison between monitoring of the project and monitoring of a patient in an Intensive Care at the hospital. He explains that the Project Manager should monitor since the beginning, the project vital signs and based on these signals, identify deviations and take preventive actions for the project remains viable. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/goldratt/ http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/goldratt/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:00:46 +0000 Ricardo Vargas http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/?p=3795 In this podcast Ricardo makes a tribute to the Israeli physicist Elliyahu Goldratt. He passed away last Saturday, June 11th, 2001 with 64 years of age. Goldratt was one of the most charismatic and revolutionary thinkers of the organizational work. He created the Theory of Contraints (TOC) and the Critical Chain Project Management and his studies and researches are the working standard of the modern organizations worldwide.
]]> http://www.ricardo-vargas.com/podcasts/goldratt/feed/ 4 5:35 In this podcast Ricardo makes a tribute to the Israeli physicist Elliyahu Goldratt. He passed away last Saturday, June 11th, 2001 with 64 years of age. Goldratt was one of the most charismatic and revolutionary thinkers of the organizational work. He created the Theory of Contraints (TOC) and the Critical Chain Project Management and his studies and researches are the working standard of the modern organizations worldwide. Podcasts Ricardo Viana Vargas, MSc, IPMA-B, PMP no No