Category Archives: project management

Overview of Writing Documented Procedures

Aadhaar the world’s largest biometric ID system, is an initiative rolled out by Government of India under which a unique number is provided to every I

While planning the design planning process the scope of the design plan should include the scheduling of the work and the responsibilities outlined. Planning should be done in the perspective of product safety, performance, and dependability. The procedures should reflect on the above-mentioned characteristics. All products should be measured and tested and the design plan should include the same in its scope. Documented procedures should reflect on the measurement analysis and the testing. If we have plan ideas that we would like to implement, they should be well documented.

Elements of Design Control
Designing is an interactive process. Once you develop any product, customers will validate it and if changes are suggested they have to be considered as input to the plan. Design review process controls plan input, output, process and final product.

When you have more details for plan, it is easy to prepare a design plan effectively. It is common for plans to be produced and as gets underway, problems develop requiring change for the design plan. Thus, the original plan has to be changed. Changes might require the assignment of resources or other additions to stay on target. In this scenario, document control is called on and change procedures are followed.

When you write a portion of the procedure addressing design planning, be sure to include design planning modification and/or changes as part of the procedure. You may decide to develop a formal plan for each of your basic product designs. Use a design planning checklist that identifies the basic planning requirements with the flexibility to add steps, if necessary.

Now check your understanding about design control by filling in the blanks:

  1. Design control is a requirement for companies seeking – – – – –
  2. Effective design control will result in reduced – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Number One Project Management Skill

So you’re a project manager.

You know the unique hellish experience of having someone breathing down your neck over a deadline, while you in turn need to get on top of other people who are the ones causing the problem.

It’s human nature to just pass on the wrath we’re getting. But it isn’t effective.

Neuroscience studies show that one of the primary motivators for human behavior is the need to feel safe and loved. We all had that one teacher, boss, or mentor we can remember whose care for us motivated us to do things we might have thought were beyond our capabilities. People only fire at 100% capacity when their needs are fulfilled.

As a supervisor, you want to make this a part of the work environment. I’m not suggesting you create a kindergarten environment, and a little fear is good for the workplace. But it’s like salt – just a pinch. Too much ruins the recipe.

You want to show your employees you care. And to do that, you actually need to care about them.

People can see through things. Any tip for showing empathy, when employed cynically, backfires. I will share my tips here, but please, remember this. If you just go through the motions, you not only will not succeed, you’ll wind up alienating people further.

  1. Make sure everyone speaks at your meetings. Pay special attention to introverts. If it means halting somone and asking for someone to comment, do it. People want to feel like their opinion is important! And people need to feel heard.
  2. Give feedback, and ask for it too. People like being recognized, especially for good work. Give it to them! You don’t have to go overboard. A simple “hey, good job with that spreadsheet” really goes a long way in a corporate environment. Asking your team for feedback is a crucial componenet to knowing what works, and what doesn’t. When put together, such as “great job on that spreadsheet. How do you think the project is coming along?” you give the message that you value their work and opinion. That’s a winning mix for motivation.
  3. Hold meetings out of the office whenever possible. Getting out into the sun, or getting a chance to just feel relaxed, are great ways to break up the workday, reduce pressure, and show your appreciation for the team.

Best Project Management Tools

Project management is the application of tools, methods, techniques, skills and knowledge to deliver on standards set for the project and to meet the specific needs of the project while keeping sticking to the predefined budget and envisioned timeframe. The realization of the importance of project management has led to an increase in the number of working professionals equipping themselves with the relevant skills through project management courses online to increase their chance of promotion and to forge ahead in their careers.

Entrepreneurs, even the experienced ones, business managers and senior working professionals, who are often required to handle these responsibilities, find project management very daunting and intimidating. While it will immensely benefit them to take up a project management course online, having the right set of tools and software can make their work a little easier to do. Even project managers will benefit from having the right project management tools to execute their tasks with ease, especially in today’s age where traditional methods like spreadsheets and word processing software are not good enough. We have compiled a list of best project management tools.

Trello is an intuitive, cloud-based, cross-platform solution that enables users to organize their projects, customize and manage workflows, delegate tasks to team members, add to-do-lists, upload files and comment on task cards.

Asana is a solution that helps project managers to track and monitor projects closely. Templates can be used to create workflows, task lists can be created for everyone on the team, teams can comment on the task board and file sharing can be done. Creating to-do-lists, breaking larger tasks into subtasks and converting a task into a project are all made easy. Due dates can be added for team members and reminders are sent for the deadlines.

Podio app is a useful tool for professionals who work simultaneously on multiple projects. Tasks can be created and customized based on the workflow. The most important feature of this app is the in-built instant messaging which allows users to share ideas, get feedback and monitor progress. Due to the integration with third-party services like Google Drive and Dropbox, content sharing is easy and quick.