Project Management Articles

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Monday, 4th February 2008 @ 12:13 PM

This is because when employees develop negative feelings for Lean concepts being implemented, it becomes very difficult for the organization to garner their full support and cooperation, something that is vital for the successful implementation of Lean concepts and methodologies. Large scale employee dissatisfaction can in turn also begin affecting the quality of products or services, something that will be quite ironic because the basic tenets of "Lean" state that quality should never b... more...

Business » Project Management | By Cornelius Fichtner @ Monday, 4th February 2008 @ 12:11 AM

In order to apply for the PMP Exam you will have to evidence "35 contact hours of formal education". The PMI explains this as follows in the PMP Credentials Handbook : "Verify at least 35 contact hours of specific instruction that addresses learning objectives in project management. Document all project management education hours, regardless of when they were accrued. The course work must be completed at the time of application. The course hours may include content on project ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 31st January 2008 @ 3:17 PM

In the present scenario where customers demand much more than just quality products and services, the role of Six Sigma now encompasses all the various aspects of a business such as selling, marketing, production, logistics and others. Another interesting development that has taken place in recent years is the increasing involvement of HR professionals in Six Sigma implementation projects. To understand why this new trend is fast becoming the norm, let us discuss the emerging profile of ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 31st January 2008 @ 2:26 PM

Six Sigma has proved quite beneficial for the services sector because rather than making direct alterations in the product or service, it concentrates more on making improvements in existing business processes, which automatically improves the quality of final outcome, be it a product or service. This is like tackling the root cause that might be creating problems related to quality. Determining Quality Levels In BPO's And Customer Contact Centers In BPO's and customer c... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 31st January 2008 @ 2:23 PM

Explained below are some of the common mistakes that organizations need to avoid in order to ensure the success of ongoing Green Belt training. 1) Unwillingness to learn: If the organization does not provide the right conditions for the training, employees are most likely to become indifferent. They will then only be interested in showing up, without ever concentrating on understanding the Six Sigma concepts and methodologies that the trainer might be trying to communicate to them. They ... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 31st January 2008 @ 2:22 PM

Businesses should never forget that Six Sigma will deliver the desired results only when it is aligned properly with the core organizational goals and objectives. If an organization fails to do this, it could lead to a situation wherein the implementation team may be able to achieve its individual targets but the main goals and objectives of the organization may get neglected. In such a situation, the organization may find it very difficult to maintain competencies that are necessary for... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 29th January 2008 @ 11:50 PM

Unawareness of how to solve complex statistical issues is not only limited to lower-rung employees, but also extends all the way up to senior and top management. If the requisite Six Sigma training is not provided, the organization will find it very difficult to carry out planned Six Sigma implementations. For better understanding, let us discuss some of the other factors that reveal the need and importance of Six Sigma training. Tackling Employee Attitude Towards Change It is a p... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 29th January 2008 @ 6:08 PM

For achieving organizational objectives, more and more businesses are now implementing quality improvement methodologies such as Total Quality Management, Total Quality Control and Six Sigma across all functional departments inside their organizations. All these methodologies do have their benefits, but the one that offers the most benefits is certainly Six Sigma because it is based on the concept of continuous quality improvements; and as such, it is not limited to achieving just the pr... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 29th January 2008 @ 6:06 PM

An organization planning to conduct Lean Six Sigma training should also focus on providing the right channels of communication in order to ensure the smooth flow of information between the trainers, trainees and other entities associated with the project. Explained below are some of the other factors that need to be considered for ensuring the successful completion of Lean Six Sigma training. Management Involvement Employees generally try to resist change. It is highly unlikely tha... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Tuesday, 29th January 2008 @ 5:57 PM

The Core Content Of Project Charters The exact content of a Project Charter may vary from industry to industry, but the areas that are most commonly addressed by such charters include the following: -COPQ (Cost Of Poor Quality): Identifying reasons that lead to increased operational costs and reduced efficiency -Process Improvement: Details of the business process that needs improvement -Process Problem: Identifying problems that are reducing the efficiency of the specified b... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 24th January 2008 @ 8:12 PM

It is not surprising to know that Six Sigma is now increasingly being used by industries such as Healthcare, Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications. Integrating Six Sigma With Other Management Programs New tools and techniques have been developed over the years to keep pace with technological advancements, but the basic concepts and methodologies underlining such systems still remain the same. The only significant change can be seen in the way these systems are used no... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 24th January 2008 @ 8:09 PM

The new emphasis on quality is why businesses have now become more concerned about maintaining the quality of products and services than ever before. This in turn has created a huge demand for quality-assurance professionals who have the necessary domain knowledge and expertise to ensure the desired level of quality. It is then not surprising to know that quality-assurance has now become a viable career option and that many corporate employees who already have successful careers are plan... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 24th January 2008 @ 8:09 PM

Each year, businesses pay thousands of dollars in hiring the services of Black Belts without ever considering the possibility that implementations can be carried out just as effectively without the help of Black Belts. They do not realize that if they plan properly and provide Green Belt training to existing employees, they will never again need the services of a Black Belt. Changing Trends A lot has changed in the last few years, and businesses are slowly but certainly starting t... more...

Business » Project Management | By Tony Jacowski @ Thursday, 24th January 2008 @ 7:05 PM

Most Six Sigma projects focus on improving just a single business process rather than catering to all processes at the same time. The Need For Initiating Six Sigma Pilot Projects Handling one project at a time may be the logical thing to do, but sometimes even that is not enough, especially when dealing with projects that are huge and complex, and comprised of several smaller sub-processes. Businesses can get help from Six Sigma professionals such as Black Belts and Green Belts, b... more...

Business » Project Management | By James Stinson @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 3:36 PM

Technology has made it possible for customers to come in touch directly with customer service officers. Phone lines, email, fax and other forms of communication have been developing in the past few years and are now being utilized by companies all over the world in providing effective customer service. In the Philippines, contact center agents are becoming a new breed of professionals delivering cutting edge service to customers from all over the world. This has been made possible because... more...

Business » Project Management | By James Stinson @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 1:34 PM

Due to the complexities of the task faced by call center agents, several strategies of managing them have been developed. Agents have to be monitored for quality control. In this regard, there is a set of criteria being used to evaluate the call handling of the call center agents. Such criteria usually include attendance, the average length of time of handling calls, and most importantly, the kind of service provided by the agent to the customer. The advice given by the call center agent should ... more...

Business » Project Management | By James Stinson @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 1:27 PM

You may have heard about the wonders of outsourcing before from colleagues, friends and other professionals that you have come across. Perhaps you have tried to research via google about the outsourcing industry. Yes, your friends are right, they are earning well through the outsourcing industry, enough for them to either quit their jobs or simply become part time employees. You may be wondering how this outsourcing works. You may be a complete ignorant when it comes to the outsourcing in... more...

Business » Project Management | By James Stinson @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 1:27 PM

You made a deal with someone to complete a project for you. When you were talking, the requirements of the job were clear and the contractor said he understands fully what you wanted from him. However, after several weeks into the project, the kinds of job that the contractor gives you, as it turns out, is substandard and falls short of the requirements that you have agreed upon. There are a lot of contractors in the IT outsourcing field that are like this. They say yes to every requirem... more...

Business » Project Management | By James Stinson @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 12:48 PM

The Internet has a lot of uses. For one, it houses a great amount of information, which is very helpful for businessmen, for students, for teachers, and for everyone who desires to get their hands on specific information. Not only that, the Internet has also made it possible for businesses to market their products more effectively. Even prospective customers from across the seas are able to hear about a product from another country. For example, a company in the United States or in Europ... more...

Business » Project Management | By James Stinson @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 12:43 PM

Youve heard about internet marketers and outsourcing contractors who provide different kinds of services from helping out companies with their computer programming to writing marketing copies of the companies. There are also individuals, organizations and websites that offer services in ghost-writing, in hosting websites as well as developing them, auto responding to messages, building links and lists, as well as managing subscription from different services. This is all very good for th... more...