Category: Project Management

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How to Use Rita Mulcahy’s Exam Prep Book for the CAPM Exam

If you’re planning to take the CAPM Exam, now is a great time. PMI recently announced the CAPM exam will be changing in January 2023. There are many options to help you get test ready. One such proven study method is Rita’s original prep book for the CAPM exam.

Originally created by Rita Mulcahy, it is designed to guide your studies by making complex information easily digestible. As you consider your options, here are some valuable tips on how this book can help you pass the CAPM exam.

Prep for the CAPM with Rita Mulcahy’s Exam Prep Book

  1. How Rita’s CAPM Exam Prep Book is Organized
  2. Introduction and Chapter Quick Tests
  3. CAPM Exam Key Inputs, Tools, Techniques, and Outputs
  4. Exclusive Test-Taking Tips

How Rita’s CAPM Exam Prep Book Is Organized

Most of the chapters in this book have been organized the same way:

  • List of Quick Test topics and introduction to the knowledge area
  • Discussion of the key inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs by knowledge area
  • Exercises and review materials
  • Practice exam by chapter

Let’s review these key components of the chapters.

Introduction and Chapter Quick Tests

The introduction provides an overview of the knowledge area covered in the chapter.  It may also include key concepts and information you will need to understand the material. The list at the beginning of each chapter indicates the topics covered in the chapter. To test your knowledge of the chapter contents and to review what’s most important, refer to each Quick Test list when you’re finished with each chapter.

CAPM Exam Key Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs

The CAPM Exam prep book highlights the key inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs for each knowledge area, with page references to the PMBOK® Guide, Sixth Edition. The content primarily focuses on the most important and difficult aspects.  It addresses areas that are the most troublesome for test takers. The CAPM Exam Prep book contains exclusive prep tips and tricks can shorten your study time and improve your exam score.

Exclusive Test-Taking Tips

Each chapter is filled with exclusive tips and tricks to guide your learning.  We call these Rita’s Tricks of the Trade®. Our multi-certification experts have developed this practical advice from teaching hundreds of thousands of students. We’ve developed these insider tips that help you learn more in less time.

There are plenty of opportunities to test your knowledge and understanding.  End-of-chapter tests include questions similar to those you can expect to encounter on the exam. You also get a detailed explanation of the correct answer as an additional learning tool.  Finally, we offer a step-by-step study plan to help you feel confident in your test prep.

RMC Exam Prep Difference

Rita believed exam certification training should be real, not hypothetical. That’s why our approach to test prep is like a talented friend in the field that teaches you what you really need to know for PMI® certification exams.

Sources:  https://www.pmi.org/certifications/certified-associate-capm

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Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in Project Management

Man creating a work breakdown structure on white board

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an essential part of organizing a plan-based project (although they may also be used in agile). Once you understand what a WBS is and how it can help you succeed in project management, you’ll always want to have one in place for each project.

In our previous post, we covered the essential element of developing a project scope statement, which describes, in detail, the deliverables and the work needed to create a product, service, or result. Now, let’s cover the what a WBS is and the benefits you reap from creating one.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

  1. What Is a Work Breakdown Structure?
  2. Do You Need a Work Breakdown Structure All the Time?
  3. What are the Biggest Reasons for Using a WBS?
  4. Work Breakdown Structure Guidelines
  5. How to Create a Work Breakdown Structure?

What Is A Work Breakdown Structure?

A WBS is a graphical decomposition of project deliverables. It takes the form of a “family tree.”

It organizes and displays deliverables to achieve final project objectives, and it breaks down project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components or work packages. Like the scope statement, it is an essential part of a plan-based project’s scope measurement baseline.

Work breakdown structures provide the basis for more accurate scheduling, budgeting, communicating, and allocating of responsibility. They also help with identifying and avoiding risks, and they assist with procurements and quality. Plus, controlling a project can become easier with the help of a WBS.

Do You Need a Work Breakdown Structure All the Time?

For a plan-based project, yes! Large agile projects may also use them. A WBS is so valuable that it should be done even for the smallest project.  Creating a WBS can help you clearly define requirements and help you manage project scope. The graphic representation of project deliverables helps your team and stakeholders what is and what is not in the project. It also provides a basis for creating a network diagram, which helps everyone see what deliverables are dependent on one another, and helps you create the project schedule.

What Are the Biggest Reasons for Using a WBS?

There are many benefits to using a WBS. For example, it:

  • Ensures that deliverables are not missed, helps prevent changes, and supports identifying risks by work packages.
  • Provides the project team with an understanding of where they fit into the overall project management plan.
  • Facilitates communication, stakeholder engagement, and cooperation between the project team and other stakeholders.
  • Provides the basis for estimating staff, cost, time and physical resources.
  • Focuses teams on what needs to be done, which can improve project performance.
  • Provides the basis for continued project planning and work assignments.

Work Breakdown Structure Guidelines

Every WBS is unique, and every project manager will approach creating a WBS in their own way. But there are a few guidelines that every project manager should follow when creating a WBS:

  • A WBS should be created by the project manager using input from the team and other stakeholders.
  • Each level of a WBS is a breakdown of the previous level.
  • An entire project should be included in the highest levels of a WBS, including a branch for project management activities and deliverables.Many levels will be further broken down.
  • A WBS includes all project deliverables that are required; deliverables not included in the WBS are not part of the project.

During planning, the project management team and subject matter experts break down the scope description until the work package level is reached on the WBS. This occurs when the deliverables:

  • Can be realistically and confidently estimated (including the activities, duration, cost associated with them).
  • Can be completed quickly.

How to Create a Work Breakdown Structure

The scope statement, WBS and WBS Dictionary make up a project’s scope management baseline. So, even if you’ve never created a WBS or worked with one before, learning all about it is an asset to being more effective.

A Work Breakdown Structure can improve efficiency, it can help you plan a project much more effectively, and it can be a useful tool that can help you successfully complete any project, so it’s worth taking the time to use it on your projects.  You can also learn more about the WBS and the WBS Dictionary by listening to Rita Mulcahy’s take.

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Guide to Resource Planning & Management for Project Managers

Woman discussing resource planning and management in a meeting

Do you want to increase efficiency and help your team do their best work, while providing the right resources at the right time? Of course, you do! Well, one of the ways to accomplish that is through resource planning and management.

With the help of proper planning and resource allocation in project management, you’ll be able to provide your team with exactly what they need, when they need it, at any point during the life of a project. This can help you keep everything on time and on budget.

Below, we cover what these processes involve, and how they can help you become an even better project manager.

Resource Planning and Management for Project Managers

  1. What is Resource Management?
  2. What Are the Types of Resources in Project Management?
  3. What Is Resource Planning in Project Management?
  4. Resource Planning Is All About Improved Efficiency

What Is Resource Management?

The management of resources includes various activities, such as planning, organizing, and scheduling. The ultimate goal is to allocate and use resources in a way that’s efficient and will significantly increase the odds of completing a project on time.

With the right strategy, your resource management will make your team more effective. You can also move through a project more smoothly by planning for both the short term, and long run between the start of a project and its completion. And you’ll will have used your resources strategically and effectively because you scheduled and allocate them in advance, as well as tracking progress along the way.

What Are the Types of Resources in Project Management?

They can be anything and everything that you’ll use to ensure a project will be a success. This includes resources like equipment, technology, and tools, as well as the individuals who are on your team.

To get started, ask yourself what your team will need to complete the tasks you’ll assign throughout a project. Examples include:

  • Technology
  • Machinery
  • Vehicles
  • Equipment
  • Facilities
  • Supplies

Resources can vary from one industry to another, and from one project to another. As you work on determining what you’ll need to complete tasks and milestones, figure out what resources you’ll want to tap into, and how your team can make the most of those assets.

What Is Resource Planning in Project Management?

Resource planning is an aspect of a resource management plan. You can do things like:

  • Figure out the current availability, as well as the future demand, of non-human as well as human resources, so you can ensure your team will always have what they need.
  • Use a technique known as resource leveling to adjust resource usage and start and end dates based on the supply of resources versus the need for them.
  • Determine where every resource needs to go, and when, to optimize the performance of each team member.   

Project resource planning stages and steps

Here are some of the steps you can take when resource planning:

  • Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)to figure out the types of professionals you need on your team. Agile projects use a Backlog, often without a WBS, and Hybrid projects may use both.
  • Estimate the type and quantity for each needed resource.
  • Estimate when each resource is needed, and the amount of time that it will be used. This helps ensure both team members and the tools they need are available to complete an activity when needed.
  • Determine how you can fulfill all requirements and how much time you’ll need to complete the project.
  • See if you can complete the project before the deadline set by your client. You may need to negotiate this or other project constraints (like scope, cost or quality) to meet a fixed date.
  • Determine how you’ll track progress so you can make adjustments as needed.

Resource Planning Is All About Improved Efficiency

When you become a pro at resource management and planning, you’ll be able to boost efficiency by deriving as much benefit as possible from every resource. You can keep your projects organized, as you’ll have a plan to foresee how various resources will be used. And you can help your team work better by providing them with support at every step. Overall, it’s a smart strategy that can help you improve the way you lead teams and manage projects.

With the help of proper planning and resource allocation in project management, you’ll be able to provide your team with exactly what they need, when they need it, at any point during your project.

Sources:

https://www.float.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-resource-planning-for-project-management/

https://memory.ai/timely-blog/resource-planning

https://www.workamajig.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-resource-planning-in-project-management

https://www.wrike.com/blog/what-is-resource-management/

https://www.ganttic.com/blog/why-is-resource-management-important

https://www.ganttic.com/blog/what-is-resource-management

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Project Scope and Business Environment Impact

The project’s business environment can be the most important factor affecting project scope. This impact is agnostic to your project’s development approach (plan driven, agile, hybrid). Each development approach has ways to respond to these changes. It is the project manager’s responsibility along with team leaders, team members, sponsors, and other stakeholders to identify business environment changes early, prepare adequately and adjust to them.

Business Environment Influence on Scope

  1. Business Environment Influence on Scope
  2. What Causes Business Environment Change?
  3. Project Manager Business Environment Changes
  4. Ways to Engage Stakeholders
  5. Tips to Understand the Business Environment Impact

What Causes Business Environment Changes?

As a project leader, it is important to understand the organization’s strategic and operational objectives as well as the specific objectives of the project. It is equally important to understand the external business environment that can impact and introduce change to the project.

Common causes of internal and external business environment change include:

  • Competition / market
  • Regulatory / compliance
  • Technology
  • Politics

A project leader must continuously observe and respond to the business environment. Start by asking good questions. In addition, you must anticipate environmentally caused risks throughout your project.  The following are some strategies for anticipating environmentally caused changes.

Project Manager Business Environment Considerations

There are several actions you can take to sharpen your business environment acumen and prepare for project scope impacts:

Inform Yourself: Expand your organizational knowledge and awareness. Consider the strategic objectives. Who are the key decision makers? What happens if the project fails? What is happening in the industry? Find new influences (e.g. How static is the regulatory or compliance environment?, Will technology change?, Is the competitive landscape changing?). Understand and make connections.

Watch for Changes: Be observant as to what is happening in the marketplace as well as internally in your organization. Look for the ripple effects that can impact your project scope. What is learned?  What is new?

Analyze the Organization: Determine if your organization has the maturity and structures to support environmental changes that may occur during or from the project, how the project can adjust to them and how it can prepare the organization for the change.

Create Processes and Procedures: Look for opportunities to get additional help and support. For example, having a way to identify and escalate a business environment change to appropriate stakeholders is beneficial to dealing with the situation efficiently. By having a clear process it makes it easier for all project stakeholders to escalate concerns.

Monitor the Environment: By monitoring the known environmental factors and our current state we can see trends developing or identify changes to the project environment early to proactively respond during project work.

Identify Obstacles: Explore obstacles as they happen and facilitate ways to help the project more forward.

Continuous Improvement: What are you learning along the way that could help to do better or more efficient work?

Ways to Engage Stakeholders

Ask your stakeholders for assistance in identifying internal and external business environment factors that need to be considered. You’ll want to hear what they think might be influencing the business environment. Ask for their help in evaluating any risks to the project. Encourage stakeholders to help you develop ideas, create processes and evaluation measures to keep the project on track.

Engaging stakeholders is also about sharing relevant project information. For example, you will want to communicate the cost of failing to anticipate business environment changes and impacts to your project. Provide updates on the successes and managing the project within the broader organizational environment. Give your project leadership the right information. Share your reasons for doing this and demonstrate through actions how it’s relevant, appropriate, and important.

Tips to Understand the Business Environment Impact

Here are three tips you can use to evaluate, prepare, and address business environment of your project and be prepared to manage its potential impact on scope.

  1. Clarify the Current State

Clearly define the current state of your business environment. Consider the following to document your understanding:

  • Engage with stakeholders
  • Identify external business environment influencers
  • Don’t forget internal influencers and attitudes
  • Group influencers using an affinity diagram
  • Analyze for missing groups
  • Analyze the impact
  • Prioritize for focus
  1. Create a Register for Business Environment Influencers

Use a register as a repository of the influencers and the relevant data. It should include the name and description of current concerns and include other information. Here is a more detailed list:

  • Name of influencers and a description
  • Category
  • Type (internal / external)
  • Action required
  • Risks
  • Timing
  • Measures
  • Owner
  • Level of influence on project
  1. Perform Check Ups – Did You Get It Right?

As the project work is being done, schedule a periodic re-evaluation of the current state. In this evaluation, review:

  • What is new?
  • What has changed?
  • Could the efforts produce unintended positive or negative results?
  • What should be adjusted?
  • What must be avoided?

RMC’s Got the Support You Need

If you are planning to take the PMP exam, you will need to know about the business environment and the broader impacts that environment has on your projects.  Rita Mulcahy’s Exam Prep materials can help you prepare for this and other exam topics.  We offer PMP Exam Prep instructor-led courses and PMP Exam Prep eLearning. Prep on your own time with Rita’s Exam Prep book, PM FASTrack Exam simulator or our complete PMP Exam Prep System.

If you already have your PMP certification, earn 1 FREE PDU when you listen to our webinar Bursting the Scope Bubble: Business Environment and Its Influence on Your Project.

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The Project Manager’s Organizational Change Responsibilities

Middle aged project manager at computer working on organizational change

As project manager, you have organizational change responsibilities for the projects you lead.  Your business and strategic role as a project manager requires you to have the knowledge to manage change that originates from your projects.  Knowing how to deal with organization change helps you reduce the impact to existing processes and individual employees while delivering value to your organization.

Successful Change Doesn’t Just Happen – It is Planned

Change is something you encounter in your organization and on your projects. Every project you do, because of its very nature is a temporary endeavor.  The creation of a new product or service involves change.  Organizations change when adapting to market factors including technology, compliance or disruption.  However, it is important to note that successful change is not a given.  Research has shown 70% of major change efforts fail, with only 25% achieving their stated objectives.

As you look at your role as a Project Manager, it is your responsibility to help support organizational changes that result from the projects we lead.  While it is critical to meet the project objectives, as PM you need to look at the deeper influencing factors to understand stakeholder needs, wants, concerns, fears and objections.  As project manager, you also need to understand the market and industry dynamics as well the organization’s culture and its ability to accept change.

People are comfortable with what they know and there is a certain level of resistance to change.  Change can also foster a resistance to additional change. Therefore, as you plan and execute projects, your role as a leader may need to evolve. You may take on the role of a counselor, educator, coach or booster throughout the project.  Shifting roles will help you keep key stakeholders engaged and able to move through the changes resulting from a project.  Consider this list of PM responsibilities as you seek to evolve your role:

  • Identify type of change
  • Evaluate current and future states to understand results required
  • Perform ROI and business case analysis to plan future state and transitions
  • Lead delivery of future state

Business Environment in PMP Exam Content Outline

In 2021, the new PMP Exam content outline changed to 3 domains. The new domains are process, business environment and people. Processes have been a core component of the previous exam content outlines and they are still important, representing 50% of the exam content outline. The reason for this update, according to PMI’s global practice analysis, is to further improve project success and reduce failure as well as address improvements in compliance, quality, efficiencies and business satisfaction.  The ultimate goal is to realize the project benefits and value more consistently.

Within the business environment domain, there are four (4) tasks that outline core responsibilities of project managers of which support organizational change is one. For reference, here is the PMP® Exam Content Outline. These work examples show how the organization influences the project and how your effort as PM includes preparing the organization for the result of the project. The work examples include:

  • Assessing the organizational culture
  • Evaluating the impact of organizational change to project and determine required actions and
  • Evaluating the impact of the project to the organization to determine required actions

So, what are some practical tips to help make your PM change management responsibilities easier?

Tips for PMs to Support Organizational Change

1. Evaluate the organization’s change readiness.

Evaluating your organization’s change readiness is important to measure readiness. Add this assessment during the initiating phase of your project plan alongside the development of your project charter. You can continue to reference and reevaluate it throughout the planning and monitoring of the project.

To start your change readiness analysis, review RMC’s Change Management Readiness Assessment tool.  It is an excellent resource that provides you with suggested questions to assess your organization’s current and future state readiness for change.  You can change, adjust and modify this document for each project.

2. Select the appropriate tools and techniques to analyze.

For the project to succeed, you must help stakeholders understand how their beliefs and actions must adjust in order to deliver the desired results.  And this means their experience will be different after the change. Using a variety of tools and techniques will help in planning and adjusting your projects.

  • Evaluate and identify stakeholder’s experience with the organization’s culture through observation, interviews and document analysis.
  • Understand how stakeholders’ experiences influence their beliefs and actions through focus groups, surveys and root cause analyses.
  • Evaluate and plan for change by asking questions, discussing the proof that a problem exists or the impact of the problem to recommend a solution.

You can represent your findings in your WBS. Include a project management branch that shows the outcomes and artifacts you are creating as deliverables as part of your change assessment and project planning. Then analyze them as part of your risk identification efforts.

3. Develop a planning check list.

A change management checklist helps you identify the specific actions you will take to plan for change. The form can help ask questions to identify why the change is needed, what is the desired result, who will be affected by the change and how will you measure the success of the change.

Want to Learn More?

Interested in building your change management skills? Consider an additional certification such as PMI-ACP or Prosci change management certification. You can also check out our Organizational Change Management webinar recording or our Leading Change eLearning course. Deepen your practical skills to use in your current projects, within your teams and throughout your organization.

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Project Management Approaches and Methodologies

Project manager discusses project approaches and methodologies with team

As a project manager, selecting the right project management approach and methodology is an important step you’ll need to take before starting work on a project. That’s because using the appropriate approach and methodology can make a major difference in the flow of your project and its successful completion.

  1. What is a Project Management Approach?
  2. What Are Popular Project Management Approaches?
  3. How to Select the Right Approach for Your Project
  4. A Hybrid Approach
  5. What Are Common Project Management Methodologies?

What Is a Project Management Approach?

A project management approach defines the overall mindset you have for how to manage the project. Should you plan it traditionally, meaning as completely as possible before you execute, or should you plan and execute the project incrementally? Your project management approach falls along a continuum between plan-based (traditional), and adaptive (incremental). On the other hand, there are many methodologies to choose from. While this might feel overwhelming at first, the nice thing is you can select an approach that best suits each project, and that will help you know what methods to choose. After all, every project is unique, so even though a an approach and methodology might work for one project, it might not for another.

As mentioned, you can use different project management approaches to ensure every project you lead will be a success. To simplify things a bit, we’ve put together overviews of  the most popular types.

1. Agile Project Management

The great thing about taking an agile approach to project management is it provides you with plenty of flexibility. You can change the way you do things as you go to adjust to change, and still keep your project on track.

Rather than following a strict, linear method, this adaptable and collaborative approach makes it easier to implement changes when needed. Therefore, your team may make changes as new learning about the needs of the project requires.

This approach can be helpful if you anticipate a project will need a lot of changes before completion. It’s also beneficial if your stakeholders want to give you frequent feedback as the project progresses.

Pro tip: When you’re ready to learn about how to apply agile principles and methods, RMC is here to help. You can enroll in courses to learn about agile, and we offer exam prep courses that will prepare you to become an Agile Certified Practitioner.

2. Waterfall Project Management

Unlike the agile methodology, waterfall (or traditional project management) provides a more linear,  approach that is less flexible once planning is completed. Basically, your team progresses from one phase to the other as they’re completed.

With this methodology, you rely on more detailed requirements as you move from the start of a project to its end. However, you don’t have the flexibility to make changes after your team starts working without carefully vetting them. For this reason, it’s a good choice when you know how a project needs to go and what the outcome should be.

The stages in this methodology include requirements and analysis, along with design and construction, testing, deployment, and transition to operations. So, if you want to run a project that’s carefully planned with a schedule your team can adhere to, and there’s a clear goal that can be planned in detail with stakeholders , the waterfall method can be a suitable option.

How to Select the Right Approach for Your Project

There are pros and cons associated with each project management approach.  It’s wise to weigh your options and select the method that will be most beneficial to you, your team, and your stakeholders.

A few things to consider as you think about which approach to use:

  • The number of people on your team, and how much guidance they require
  • If a project allows for flexible changes and risks
  • The level of involvement your stakeholders will have
  • The amount of time you have to complete the project
  • The project’s budget, and if it’s fixed or flexible

A Hybrid Approach

Sometimes your project calls for a blended plan driven and agile approach. This technique allows you to select elements of from both methodologies to get the project done.  For example, you use Agile sprints because the scope of your project might not be well defined at the outset of your project.  You create a general project charter to gain approval, which is a plan driven technique.

Therefore, this hybrid approach takes the best of two methodologies and allows you to apply the most appropriate aspects of both.  If you’re interested in how to build the most effective hybrid approach for your project, consider RMC’s Hybrid Agile eLearning Course to guide you through the process.

Once you get to know the various methodologies available, and you begin to try them out in the real world, you’ll become confident in your ability to choose the right one for every project.

What Are Common Project Management Methodologies?

Popular project management methods include:

  • Scrum – An agile methodology characterized by short, fixed production cycles (sprints) with specific goals, that works well with small, skillful and disciplined teams, and uses short, focused meetings.
  • Extreme programming (XP) – A type of agile methodology that’s focused on collaboration.
  • Critical path method – A method that uses a work breakdown structure to map out milestones, commonly used in traditional approaches.

Since agile is considered an instance of Lean thinking, these practices are often integrated into many agile methodologies:

  • Lean – A method of optimizing the way your team works by reducing waste.
  • Kanban – An agile method that uses a visual representation of the phases and steps that need to be completed throughout a project.

Once you get to know the various approaches and  methodologies available, and you begin to try them out in the real world, you’ll become confident in your ability to choose the right one for every project.

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Project Goals vs Objectives

Close up of business person working at computer on project goals

Project goals and objectives are similar in some ways and different in others. Although both can be used to guide a team through a project, a goal can be viewed as the purpose of the project, while an objective can be used to provide a map for hitting a goal.

To become a more effective project manager, it’s necessary to have a clear understanding of what a goal is versus what an objective is, and how to write and use each of these.

Tips to Understand and Write Project Goals and Objectives

  1. What are Your Objectives?
  2. What are Your Goals?
  3. How to Write Project Objectives and Goals
  4. SMART Objectives and SMART Goals for Project Managers

What Are Your Objectives?

 You can use objectives to clarify the goals of a project before you begin, and you can use them for the duration of a project to keep your team on track toward meeting stakeholder expectations. Also, objectives come in handy when you want to measure progress during a project, as well as when you want to see how well your team performed after the project’s completion.

  • Objectives are specific and measurable, and your team and stakeholders should agree on them.
  • They state what should be achieved by the time the project is complete, including tangible deliverables and they should be realistic.
  • Should be time-constrained and direct your team from start to finish, and they should be kept in mind as you make decisions to keep the project moving in the right direction.

As objectives are met, you should get closer to fulfilling project goals.

Project objectives example: Decrease the number of click-throughs to website so the customer gets to the goal of the link within 1 to 2 clicks.

What Are Your Goals?

While objectives are more specific and short-term, goals are more general and long-term.  Goals are represented in statements that help your team understand what the project has to accomplish for a business. Like objectives, you should be able to measure and track progress on goals to ensure you’re on the path toward meeting them.

  • Goals can be less specific, showcasing what should be possible for a business once a project is completed.
  • They can be centered on resources, deadlines, and performance.
  • Should focus on the long run and the ultimate purpose of the project. Objectives focus on the steps that need to be taken in the short term to reach the goals.

Project goals examples: Increase click-thoughts to website from social media by 15% within three months of release.

How to Write Project Objectives and Goals

It’s best to write your goals and objectives in a way that will be easy to understand. So, rather than using complex terms, stick to plain language and be brief.

Whoever reads your goals and objectives should immediately know what needs to be accomplished by a certain date. Therefore, sticking with action words and numbers is also recommended.

SMART Objectives and Goals for Project Managers

 Whether you’re writing objectives or goals, you can use the SMART method to articulate what you expect to achieve during a project. You can then share these clear expectations with your team so you can work together to get things done.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound:

  • Specific – Goals and objectives should be defined, so anyone who reads them will understand what’s expected of them. Be clear so your team will know what the preferred outcome is, as well as the individual milestones that need to be met along the way.
  • Measurable – The best way to track progress and see if your team is meeting objectives and goals is by making them measurable. For example, if the goal is to boost sales, set the percentage of increase (e.g. 25%) you’d like to see after the project solution has been implemented.
  • Achievable – Of course, you’ll want your objectives and goals to be attainable, so as you write them, think about whether it’s really possible to achieve them. Take time to consider the steps needed in order to avoid problems like scope creep to ensure success.
  • Realistic – In addition to being achievable, a goal or objective should be realistic. You and your team should have the time, resources, budget, and tools available to make things happen. Expectations shouldn’t be out of reach.
  • Time-Bound – Every goal and objective should have a start date and end date. As you work on a schedule, keep in mind that you might need to wait for one objective to be completed before your team can move on to the next one.

Are You Meeting Your Project Goals and Objectives?

It might take a little practice at first, but once you’re accustomed to writing clear and concise goals and objectives, you will find it easier to manage projects. After establishing these at the start of a project, you’ll be able to refer to them often to see if everything is on track or if changes need to be made.

Sources:

https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-objectives/

https://asana.com/resources/how-project-objectives

https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/how-to-create-smart-goals

https://hubstaff.com/tasks/smart-goals-project-managers

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Strategic Planning: Project Managers & Business Analysts

Project manager working on strategic plan with team

Strategic planning isn’t just for the C-suite. For project managers (PMs) and business analysts (BAs), it’s a shared mindset—and when done well, a powerful collaborative edge. It’s what separates reactive task-jugglers from proactive leaders who shape business outcomes.

Too often, strategic planning is treated like a once-a-year offsite agenda item. But in project environments, it’s a daily discipline. Project managers and business analysts bring complementary strengths to the table—and when they plan strategically together, the results ripple across the organization.

Let’s explore how PMs and BAs can lean into strategy, together.

Where Strategy Starts: Shared Understanding

Strategic planning begins with clarity: What are we solving? Who are we solving it for? Why does it matter?

  • BAs shine here. They dig into business needs, ask the right questions, and define the problem space.
  • PMs turn that understanding into structure—schedules, budgets, risk assessments, and delivery plans.

When this early collaboration happens, it prevents teams from building elegant solutions to the wrong problems.

Tip: Start planning sessions with shared ownership of goals. Don’t just delegate requirements to the BA or logistics to the PM. Map the business case together.

Aligning Tactics to Strategy

Strategic planning isn’t abstract. It’s about making smart decisions with finite resources. PMs and BAs each bring a lens to these decisions:

  • PMs focus on feasibility and execution: Can we realistically deliver this on time and on budget?
  • BAs focus on value: Is this the right thing to deliver?

Both are essential. Without feasibility, strategy fails. Without value, delivery is irrelevant.

Think of the PM as managing the “how” and the BA as refining the “what.” Planning together ensures both are right.

Strategic Planning Throughout the Project

Planning isn’t a single moment; it’s an ongoing process.

During Initiation:

  • BAs clarify the problem, analyze stakeholders, and shape the vision.
  • PMs define scope, build timelines, and start risk assessments.

Together, they align on what success looks like.

During Execution:

  • PMs adjust plans based on progress, blockers, and change requests.
  • BAs validate that the solution still meets evolving business needs.

Together, they pivot smartly—without losing sight of strategy.

During Closure:

  • PMs capture lessons learned and close out deliverables.
  • BAs assess business value and post-launch outcomes.

Together, they inform future strategic decisions.

Strategic Tools for PM & BA Collaboration

Some tools that support strategic co-planning:

  • Business Case Canvas: Aligns goals, metrics, and solution fit
  • RACI Matrix: Clarifies who does what in strategy and planning
  • Product Roadmaps: Connect features to business priorities
  • SWOT or PESTLE Analysis: Contextualizes planning in wider trends
  • Backlog Prioritization: Ensures tactical choices reflect strategic needs

Use these together—not in silos. Strategy is a team sport.

The Human Side of Strategic Planning

This isn’t just about frameworks. It’s about relationship. The best project managers and business analysts:

  • Respect each other’s expertise
  • Share accountability, not blame
  • Stay curious and challenge assumptions

PMs can lean on BAs to deepen stakeholder insight and spot unseen dependencies. BAs can lean on PMs to translate vision into action and keep momentum focused.

One powerful habit: Do joint stakeholder walkthroughs. Hearing the same thing together often reveals misalignment faster than emails or handoffs.

Final Thought: Strategy Is a Shared Language

Project managers and business analysts are most powerful when they plan strategically together—not in parallel, but in partnership. In today’s pace of change, strategy isn’t static. It’s iterative, evolving, and rooted in insight. By combining delivery discipline with analytical clarity, PMs and BAs make strategy real. That’s not just good planning. That’s good business.

Key Takeaways:

  • Strategic planning is ongoing and collaborative
  • PMs and BAs bring different but complementary strengths
  • Aligning early prevents rework and delivers higher value
  • Shared tools and shared mindset create alignment
  • The strongest strategies come from shared understanding and trust

Let strategy be more than a slide deck. Let it be how you work, together.

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Project Manager Career Path: What to Expect

Female professional consider a project manager career path

A project management career is an exciting profession that presents opportunities to continually learn and grow. To help figure out if it’s the right path for you, read on to learn more about career path options, industry choices and salary expectations.

Project Manager Career Path

  1. Is Project Management a Good Career?
  2. Are There Multiple Project Management Careers to Choose From?
  3. What Are Some of the Industries You Can Work in as a Project Manager?
  4. Are Project Managers Paid Well?
  5. How Do You Become a Project Manager?

Is Project Management a Good Career?

One of the most attractive things about project management is that it’s a fast-growing career path. And there aren’t enough people to fill all the project management roles that various businesses are hiring for all over the world. This may translate to higher earnings if you’re able to use your skills to land a position in a competitive market.

So, if you want to start a job where growth is possible, and where there will be plenty of demand for people with your skill set, this might be the ideal choice.

Is project management a dead-end job?

Absolutely not! When you’re a project manager, you can move up from an entry level position to an executive level position. This means you’ll have the chance to acquire more skills, more recognition, and a higher salary.

This isn’t a career path that limits your potential, so you can decide if you want to stay in the same position or if you need to make a change.

Are There Multiple Project Management Careers to Choose From?

When it comes to project management, we’re talking about a variety of roles in a wide range of industries. There are so many options available, so you can decide which path to take to fulfill your aspirations.

What is the project manager career path?

As you make your way from a lower-level position to a higher level one, you can take on different titles and perform various tasks that will prove your worth in the workplace.

Here’s an example of just one path you can consider taking to build your career:

Some people start out as project coordinators or assistant project managers to get the chance to work on a project while supporting the project manager and their team. This can help you get a feel for what it’s like leading a team and accomplishing milestones.

After acquiring enough experience, you may be ready to become a project manager. But you don’t need to stop there. After proving yourself, you might be able to move up to the senior project manager role. This typically involves overseeing even bigger teams of professionals or multiple smaller teams, so you can focus on more than one project at once.

What is the program manager career path?

Before becoming a program manager, you usually need to work as a project manager for several years to become a pro at running projects. This background will give you the know-how and confidence to tackle multiple related projects simultaneously.

When you take this path, you can also become a portfolio manager, which entails directing and overseeing a portfolio of programs and projects. And you can move even higher up in an organization by becoming a project management office (PMO) director, who leads—you guessed it—a company’s project management office.

What Are Some of the Industries You Can Work in as a Project Manager?

Project managers work in just about every industry. This means you can pursue a particular industry that you love, or you can switch between different industries to keep things interesting and challenge yourself in new ways. Common examples include:

  • Health Insurance
  • IT
  • Construction
  • Financial Services
  • Manufacturing

One thing to keep in mind is that each industry will require its own unique skills and education beyond what you need to know for general project management. Browse job descriptions to see what they typically expect, such as college degrees or expertise in a particular area (e.g. building permits and codes for a career in construction).

While salaries vary based on factors like your education and experience level, as well as where you’re working, one thing is true: project managers can be paid very well.

How much do project managers and program managers make?

  • A project manager might earn, on average, $80,000 to $116,000 annually.
  • A program manager might earn, on average, around $125,000 annually.
  • The median salary for a project manager in the IT industry is around $142,000 annually.
  • The median salary for a project manager in the construction industry is around $93,000 annually.

How Do You Become a Project Manager?

In addition to a college education, you can also enter the field of project management by getting a certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

To get started, you can become a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). But if you really want to be recognized by employers, getting your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a smart move.

Whichever path you choose, if you’re ready to learn what it takes to become certified and dive into this career, our courses and exam prep programs can help pave the way. Check them out and contact us if you have any questions.

Sources:

https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/project-management-career-path/

https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/project-management-career-paths/

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Project Management Compliance

Woman at computer reviewing project management compliance

To be effective, every leader needs to have an understanding of different types of compliance.  Compliance is important because organizations and projects need to conform to internal and external rules governing a project. In the PMP Exam context, compliance is part of the business environment domain. If you work in an industry where compliance impacts your work or you just want more information on types of compliance and their benefits, read on.

Compliance in Project Management

  1. Types and Examples of Compliance
  2. Benefits of Compliance on Projects

Types and Examples of Compliance

As a project leader you are responsible for managing compliance for your projects.  One way to do this is to create compliance categories to organize and manage project compliance.  We typically look at four compliance categories:  Mandatory, Discretionary, Internal, and External. Let’s take a closer look at each category.

External

Compliance can be external.  For example, the applicable laws, rules and regulations imposed by federal, state and local governments need compliance.  Failure to do so can result in civil and/or criminal liability for the organization and even personal liability for the project manager.  Needless to say, failure to comply with such rules could also result in the complete failure of the project.

Environmental regulations are one example of an external rule that must be complied with.  If you are running a project for the construction of a bridge and the plan calls for the filling of wetlands, you will have to get the necessary permits before you can start work.  If you start, before obtaining those permits, it is likely that your project will be stopped cold and significant fines and other penalties will be imposed on your company.

Internal

There may also be internal rules that need compliance.  An example of internal rules would be company rules around procurement of outside resources.  The company might require you to follow a bidding or proposal process.

If you fail to do so, and hand a contract off to a school friend, you may not find yourself facing criminal liability, but you certainly would have a very good chance suffering consequences from within the company.

Mandatory

There are compliance requirements that must be conformed to that are absolute.  The example of the fill permit described above is one of example. There are all sorts of these requirements.  Some are obvious in the project context, some are not.

It is the non-obvious ones that you need to watch out for.

A simple example is that as a project manager, you can’t take company equipment and convert it for you own use. That is theft and is fairly obvious. A less obvious violation would be where a project manager takes resources from one project and uses them for another. This could be a violation of internal rules governing project budgeting. It also could be a violation of external regulations imposed on a firm by a granting agency. If the firm doing the project is the recipient of a grant they may be required to account to a state or federal agency for the use of grant money.

Discretionary

Discretionary compliance requirements are those that might be considered best practices. Failure to conform to these requirements will not necessarily result in liability of civil or criminal consequences.  An example of a discretionary compliance requirement would be guidelines.  A guideline might represent a best practice that saves time and money within a particular business environment and the failure to follow that guideline might result in the project being delayed, coming in above budget or could result in project failure.

There are numerous situations where project managers are criticized or even fired for failing to follow corporate guidelines for project performance. An example of this would be where a company has a guideline for preparation of a risk management plan and an identified best practice for creating that plan.  If that guideline is not followed by the project manager certain risks might not being identified. The failure to follow the guideline will not result in civil or criminal liability but there could be adverse consequences for the project and/or the project manager.

Benefits of Compliance on Projects

Compliance touches on a broad range of project management processes. As seen above, compliance can deal with preparing the risk management plan. It’s also obvious that compliance has the potential of impacting communication management, stakeholder engagement and scope.

Indeed, because compliance issues define the business and project environment, they have the potential of impacting every aspect of the project in some way.  For this reason, compliance must be managed as part of the project.

To learn more about compliance, check out RMC’s free recorded webinar entitled Focus on Compliance: Expand Your Awareness and Improve Project Success.

Sources:

https://ccbjournal.com/articles/use-project-management-approach-compliance-programs

https://project-management-knowledge.com/definitions/c/compliance/

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