There is a competitive streak in all of us to some degree. It is undoubtedly stronger in some than in others, but it definitely exists. The presence of competition in a work or sporting context brings the best out of some people. Indeed, it is often the biggest measure of someone’s ability to see how they respond to adversity and the threat of competition from rivals.

As a provider of both internet based and land-based teaching courses, we are able to say that we place a lot of value in the idea of mobile learning. E-learning has all the benefits of a contemporary lifestyle whilst adopting the university based ideals of self-motivated learning. But do land-based teaching courses offer anything that e-learning can’t?

All projects come with an element of risk, that’s just a fact, but there are many ways in which great project managers are able to manage this risk, keeping it from derailing a project and spelling failure for them and their team. It doesn’t matter how confident the project team are when entering into their new venture, risks are seemingly always there, and are very hard to avoid, and it’s important for project managers to know how to avoid them, manage them and resolve any problems caused throughout the duration of their project.

The first responsibility of the project manager is to assess risks before starting, thus reducing the likelihood of running into issues at a later date and crafting plans around predicted problems that may come up. Accepting that this is going to be something that needs to be considered is important, as a project manager who proceeds without imagining risks is one who will have a more difficult time managing them later. Accepting things are going to happen is only the first stage, but it’s one of the most important parts of effective risk management that paves the way for everything else.

From here, the practice of risk management is an ongoing duty for project managers, with diligent attention paid allowing for project managers to monitor and assess risk as they proceed through the stages of the project. Resources are precious, of course, and this is why attempting to deal with every single minor problem is a bit of a fool’s errand. Project teams are advised, then, to accept the arrival of risks and have an effective risk management strategy in place to tackle them when they do.

Expert training for project managers is vital to mastering these skills, the Management of Portfolios (MoP™) guidance provides advice and examples of how to apply principles, practices and techniques which help to optimise an organisation’s investment in change alongside its business as usual (BAU) work. MoP™ helps organisations to answer a fundamental question: ‘Are we sure this investment is right for us and how will it contribute to our strategic objectives?’ Investment is the key word because portfolio management is about investing in the right change initiatives and implementing them correctly.

MoP™ achieves this by ensuring that:

• The programmes and projects undertaken are prioritised in terms of their contribution to the organisation’s strategic objectives and overall level of risk
• Programmes and projects are managed consistently to ensure efficient and effective delivery

Who’s it for?

This training and qualification is aimed at those involved in a range of formal and informal portfolio management roles encompassing investment decision-making, project and programme delivery, and benefits realisation. It is relevant to all those involved in the selection and delivery of business change initiatives including:

Members of Management Boards and Directors of Change

Senior Responsible Owners (SROs)
Portfolio, Programme, Project, Business Change and Benefits Managers
Business Case Writers
Project Appraisers, Business Process Owner

Bigger risks demand a more practical approach, of course, and this is where smart project managers begin planning around potential risks and problems as much as possible all derived from studying MoP™. If a particular risk has the potential to completely derail a project, for example, project managers must plan around this eventuality before beginning, thus avoiding it altogether. If an unfortunate clash in commitments can be seen, such as training scheduled in at a time when you know work will be heavy and deadlines looming, it’s important to adapt the schedule accordingly to avoid such conflicts.

But large risks can be made smaller, by limiting the impact of these risks. This is referred to as mitigation, and is probably the most commonly used risk management strategy for project managers. The big problems that need to be accounted for are made smaller and easier to fix through pre-emptive measures such as training for team members, and this can reduce the chance of problems being large enough to effect the overall health and progress of the larger project and what it is trying to achieve. This can sometimes also have the effect of eliminating the risk altogether, which is the absolute best result.

There is, surprisingly, such a thing as positive risk, which come in the form of risks related to desired results. Maybe you don’t have enough resources to account for massive success? In these circumstances, it’s important to maximise the impact of that risk, rather than diminish it, and have strategies in place to cater for the aftermath should it come. Risk management is all about assessment and action, with the latter only really required when the former has identified certain areas as high risk and in need of attention. When this has been done, it is the task of the project manager to simply monitor and control the rest.

Risk management is one of the most important tools in the project manager’s toolbox, and is something that can make or break a project as it moves forward. With training in disciplines such as MoP™ available from ILX, practitioners can learn all of the skills they need along with methodologies that can be applied to projects in a real business setting. Assessing and managing risks on a project can help to keep teams from facing insurmountable odds further down the line, and project managers who are able to properly identify and deal with risks is much more likely to guide their project to ultimate success.

In an ideal world, we’d all finish up on projects well ahead of schedule, doing away with any chance of procrastination and eradicating those annoying little speed bumps that come up along the way. But this isn’t an ideal world, as we all know, and the reality is that, in the IT sector as well as almost every other industry, some 75% of projects fail because of missed deadlines. When dealing with clients and expectant managers, deadlines are just one of those necessary evils of being a project manager but, with small changes in attitude to those deadlines, some pretty wonderful things can start to happen.

Time is something none of us feel we have enough of, but it’s also something that is essential to our success. In this regard, finishing projects bang on the deadline can often feel like an insurmountable challenge and, when it’s met, a huge triumph for the project manager and their team. But finishing a project early is the Holy Grail, with time after completion for tweaks and changes to be made where needed. Without this grace period in which a manager and team members can take stock and reflect on what might still need to be done, important things can be missed and mistakes can be left without appropriate time to fix them.

Working ahead of schedule also affords project managers with more time to manage problems, conflicts and unexpected risks during the project, as well as afterwards, with potential disasters prevented from completely derailing a venture and throwing projects into a state of turmoil from which they may never be able to recover. When working ahead of schedule instead of constantly racing against the clock, then, project managers and their teams are able to stop, deal with problems and then continue without the stress of falling behind on tasks and missing little milestones.

With training for project managers with courses from ILX such as PRINCE2, professionals can learn about key ideas and methodologies that can develop their skills as a project manager, as well as how to apply this knowledge to their everyday roles while working on a project. Offering both theoretical and practical experience through classroom-based or virtual learning, PRINCE2 courses are designed to develop a project managers’ ability to manage projects, teams and guide them to ultimate success with the principles of an internationally recognised project management method.

But, if completing projects ahead of schedule was that easy, we’d all be doing it on a daily basis, but there are a few things that can be done to prevent those things that threaten to reduce productivity and push projects behind schedule from actually happening. The biggest problems for most project managers are:

• Procrastination – faced by project managers, as well as anyone working on something that needs to be done by a certain date, procrastination is something the plagues even the most focused project professionals. There is always something masquerading as more important, more interesting or more urgent – such as email – but, by indulging these things in the moment, it can become impossible to focus on the task at hand.
• Timeframes – experienced project managers will know that, no matter the size of the project, it will most often, somewhat inexplicably, take as long as the deadline allows. That means that the same project can be completed in a week as can be finished in a month, and setting long deadlines can actually curb productivity in this regard. While timeframes have to be reasonable, attention must also be paid to the ability of projects to expand to the deadline assigned.

What, then, can be actively done about these issues? It is human nature to put things off that we’d rather not be doing, but it is the nature of project management that those tasks that seem least appealing are often the most important to the overall health of the project. To motivate yourself and your team, then, it is useful to think of all of the benefits of finishing early:

• Achieve Perfection – perfection is what we’re all going for, of course, but even if the perfectly executed, 100% completed project isn’t always possible, more time affords teams extra room to make sure everything that can be done, is done. When fighting against the ticking clock, it’s tempting to get things to around 95% completion with no time to check and improve things, and this can be avoided when leaving space at the end of project to tweak and change things.
• Domino Effect – logic dictates that, when the previous project is completed ahead of schedule, project managers can actually get started on their next big endeavour early. Yes early. One of the biggest benefits of a new, more efficient way of working is that, with one project comes another, and you’ll suddenly find yourself with more time than you possibly could have imagined.
• Dissipate Disaster – while things are always going to arise that cause problems with a project, whether that’s conflict within the team, last minute changes or software problems, but leaving yourself enough time to cater for this can make the whole experience less stressful, with less chance of disaster making you late in delivery of the project.

It can be incredibly difficult to work to anything but the threat of the last minute deadline but, with so many unknowns when planning a project and so much risk inherent to the process, it can be a major mistake to do this. With all of the benefits of working ahead of schedule and completing projects early apparent to most project managers, a few alterations to the way in which they and their team work can make all of the difference. Many ways in which project professionals can work towards this are learnt through training on courses such as PRINCE2, offered by ILX along with many other project management training courses. Contact us today to find out more about our excellent training

Schedules are critical – they’re the glue that holds everything together and keeps things running smoothly, but they’re also the part of a project manager’s organisational structure that always seems to go out of the window first when things aren’t going according to plan. But, as most of us know, this can just exacerbate the problem and make things far more difficult in the long run, and there a several ways to avoid falling behind schedule when those little things start to build up against you and your team.

In a recent review by Oxford University of 245 large dams built between 1934 and 2007, it was discovered that each of the projects ran an average of 96% over their approved budgets and took an average of 8.2 years to build. This significant overrun of both money and time highlights the problem with many projects which are run inefficiently or by project managers without the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver on time and to an agreed budget. Many of these skills can be learnt through training courses in methodology such as PRINCE2® from ILX, however.

It’s the simple fact that, no matter how efficient and competent a project team are, things will threaten to derail even the best teams at some point. So what can you do to avoid this becoming a terminal issue? As well as being used to keep team members on task and make sure everything is done when it needs to be, another good use of the schedule is to track progress and report back to superiors or clients that need to be updated at regular intervals. This is why it is so important to craft your schedule around events you know will occur, such as booked holiday and appointments.

In most cases, the schedule comes in the form of a single document that is shared between the project manager, team members and anyone else with an interest in how things are running. This document is subject to change along the way simply because of the little bumps and triumphs that come along on the way to ultimate success but it is when the little milestones – good or bad – start dictating the schedule, rather than the other way around, that significant problems can start to arise. This is just one of the areas in which project management training such as ILX’s risk management courses, can help keep a project on track.

In a bid to get everything done on time or even early – demonstrated by the famous Hoover Dam completed two years ahead of schedule and around $15 million under budget – project managers can often forget that they and their team are only human, and it’s unfeasible for every minute of the day to be dedicated to complicated or time-consuming jobs. Tea breaks, watercooler chats, supply runs and other errands are all part of daily work life, and must be factored into the daily schedule as such. This is why it is almost always better to construct the schedule around the week, rather than from day to day, as this gives everyone a little extra room to move things around and fit important tasks around other everyday things that also need to be completed.

All projects were not created equal, and each venture will have its own specific ups and downs that need to be navigated by you, the captain of the ship. As covered in the PRINCE2 training courses provided by ILX, it is part of the project manager’s job to foresee changes and additions that must be made to plans and schedules along the way and to factor these into the initial planning stages. Falling behind schedule can quickly snowball and mean that you and your team fail to meet agreed or published deadlines but, with a little foresight and good planning from the beginning, disaster can easily be avoided.

With additional digital knowhow and skills in IT increasingly in demand for project managers and professionals in a range of other industries, it has become more important than ever for workers to engage in targeted training. At ILX, new courses in Cloud computing offer just that, with the expansion of courses on offer fitting in with the increasing demand within the industry for trained project managers with a wide skill set and knowledge of emerging technologies and trends.

ILX is a leading global provider of project management training courses and e-learning, and is a market leader in PRINCE2 training specifically. With IT and project management becoming closer aligned ILX is the perfect organisation to offer courses in areas such as Cloud computing, which has become one of the most sought after skills in the industry. With it, learners can gain project and IT knowledge and skills vital to success within their existing or future practitioner roles, apply what they learn to real world situations in the workplace.

The new training courses in Cloud computing now offered by ILX have been created in response to a growing need for skilled individuals to fill a demand. Cloud computing allows professionals to more easily share and access files, software, schedules and much more, increasing collaboration and communication between project managers and individual members of their team. It also aid remote teams that must interact virtually during their work. Courses can be studied via classroom based learning, virtual learning or a blend of both.

A spokesperson for ILX said: “We are very pleased to be expanding our range of courses, with Cloud computing courses available via classroom based learning and e-learning now available in order to support professionals at a time when the industry requires so many skilled workers to fulfil demand. Offering this Cloud systems education not only extends our range of courses on offer, but also allows us to work with businesses and the government as well as professionals seeking to gain expertise and skills related to Cloud computing, now becoming a necessity for those wishing to thrive in the industry.”

Cloud Storage is about as ambiguous as its namesake and whilst it sounds pretty
fantastical, Cloud Storage provides a very real, very practical service that has burst forth into life from its long dormant status. Wait, I hear you cry, what do you mean dormant? Cloud Storage is new isn’t it?

Well, whilst Cloud Storage has exploded to the forefront of technology in recent years, Cloud Storage (originally coined as Cloud Computing) is actually over 50 years old. It’s been a long time coming, and until now, it hasn’t been truly realised.

Cloud Storage is a method of storing, managing and processing data on a network of remote servers that are hosted by the internet rather than on a local server or personal computer. This is the equivalent of having your own personal internet, on which you can leave information that you might pick up on a different device later, or that you might share with a colleague.

So what has Cloud Storage got to do with project management methodologies? Cloud Storage means efficient communication, improved file sharing and evolved collaboration. Keeping your files, calendars, projects and other tools ‘offshore’, you technically increase work potential with greater opportunity for productivity and multi-platform accessibility.

The benefits are obvious. Quicker, 24hr, multi-platform access coupled with online conference calls allowing your team to complete their objectives from anywhere in the world.

In addition, CIOs (or Chief Information Officers) will likely be pressuring project managers to make the move to Cloud Storage based information, because it saves money on their budget. In fact, according to Business Insider, 84% of CIOs claim that Cloud Storage saves a company money on application costs.

In 2014, we’re likely to see more firms moving towards cloud based project management tools. This reflects our constant need to be in touch with ideas and it will certainly provide greater fluidity to project progress. The majority of businesses have moved towards using Cloud Storage, technology analysts CRN reports that 37 per cent of companies are using public clouds and 35 per cent using are private clouds. Of course there are also hybrid Cloud Storage systems that allow the use of both public and private clouds, but interestingly only 7 per cent of businesses are using this system – due to an influx of development regarding hybrid systems, we expect to see this figure grow dramatically over the next year. Of the remaining percentage, CIO Insight believes 77 per cent of enterprises are already in the initial stages of implementing a Cloud Storage system.

So how does Cloud Storage relate to successful projects? As the commercial world becomes faster and faster it is increasingly important to be ever present as a project manager; you are required to review, plan and control constantly. Immediate and direct access to all project information and documentation is essential, especially as the project manager, members of a project team or other key stakeholders may not always be in the same location.

What about file sharing? Is that the same as Cloud Storage? If not, which is better?

File sharing doesn’t offer the same versatility as most Cloud Storage programs, and those that do are slower than the Cloud. Because Cloud based file sharing solutions are hosted online, they aren’t required to sync with another computer, they are just there, ready for you to view and edit, online.

Project managers are working alongside CIOs and they’re looking to Cloud Storage as a tool for the future of project management. The need for an ever present accessibility to project information and the consistent monitoring of a project has become a highly coveted practicality.

Ultimately, if you want to be a leading Project Manager in the coming years, you need to get on board with Cloud Storage amongst other forward thinking tools and services which will not only change the way you manage projects, but in some cases, make your life a lot easier. If you’re pursuing a career with project management, you’re likely to come across elements that involve Cloud Storage when you take on PRINCE2 training courses. With Cloud Storage, you don’t have to pay so much attention to file transfers and getting information to the right person. It’s already there. All you have to do is concentrate on the task at hand.

There are many project management methods that can be implemented within an organisation, but PRINCE2® is one of the most respected, popular, and successful. Used extensively by the UK Government and around the world, PRINCE2 is a process-based method that helps manage projects effectively. But why should you implement it in your organisation?

1. Tried and Tested: The PRINCE2 methodology has been used for over thirty years in projects around the world. Originally based on the project management method PROMPT, it was then adopted and developed by the CCTA (Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency) where it was used for all Government system projects as standard. Using a methodology that has this level of maturity can really help your project. After all you know you are working from a solid foundation and that can really help deliver project success.
2. Defined Organisation Structure: PRINCE2 defines clear roles and responsibilities. Each team member is assigned a role or roles right at the start of the project. This means that all team members understand their tasks and responsibilities and commit to them from the outset.
3. Planning: The method focuses on what the project needs to deliver by dividing the project into smaller portions or stages. Not only can large-scale projects seem more manageable, but goals can be set and achieved more easily.?
4. Standardisation: Implementing the PRINCE2 methodology means that everyone involved in the project uses a common approach and language. The standardised procedures and methods bring clarity to the project, while time can also be saved in auditing and recruitment.
5. Clear Steps: The PRINCE2 approach provides organisations with a step by step method from project conception to closure. Its focus on the project’s deliverables, and the what, why, where, when, and by whom, gives the project an organised and controlled process throughout. The PRINCE2 method also allows for regular reviews of the project’s progress against the plan, so any risks or potential problems can be addressed and managed.
6. Risk Management: PRINCE2 focuses on making sure that the project is viable from the outset. Time is dedicated to ensuring that the project is planned, requirements are understood, and risks are considered, put simply that a sound Business Case exists for the project. It’s these considerations that help organisations clearly see when a project’s risk outweigh the potential benefits or when risks could affect the project’s completion. Failure to address risks can result in costly project failure which is why implementing a project management method such as PRINCE2 can help lead projects to their successful conclusion.
7. Customise: The PRINCE2 method isn’t a strict “how-to” guide that has to be adhered to at all times. Instead it can be tailored to the needs of your project and business. It can be used for projects of any size and type.
8. Change Management: Organisations can be subject to change throughout the life of a project. PRINCE2 addresses this by ensuring regular project reviews are carried out to review the continued viability of the project and ensuring a robust change management process exists.
9. Free to Use: The PRINCE2 method is free to use which means any business, regardless of size or type can benefit from this mature project management method.
10. Training: The use of the PRINCE2 method doesn’t guarantee project success, which is why training is so vital. There are various PRINCE2 training courses that can coach individuals and organisations in the use of PRINCE2 and help them understand how to apply it to their projects. At ILX, we offer the PRINCE2 Foundation, PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner, and PRINCE2 Practitioner training courses in classroom and online environments. These courses will take you from understanding the basics of the method to successfully applying it to projects.PRINCE2® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited.

Since winning the rights to host the 2014 World Cup back in 2007, Brazil have been attempting to prove their effectiveness at eventually pulling off the sporting extravaganza, showing off the country in all its glory and getting everything up and running without a hitch. What has occurred, however, hasn’t exactly been the seamless feat of large-scale project management that everyone was hoping for and, with many aspects of preparations falling behind schedule and budgets being eaten up by failures across the board, how useful is the World Cup as a case study for project managers?

Creating effective schedules and sticking to them is one of the basic skills project managers must learn in order to avoid cases, such as this one, of projects falling behind, companies disappointing clients and teams increasing the chance of the outright failure. With the 2014 World Cup, the issue of several stadiums remaining unfinished has become a huge concern for investors and the government and, as more and more deadlines have failed to be met, finding a solution to the problem of bad structuring, budgeting and time management is becoming more and more urgent in the run up to the summer start date.

Time delays cost money, and it must be considered that this may be money that the project cannot afford to spend in the long run. Running over schedule almost always leads to running over budget in addition to other potentially serious problems, and this duo of disadvantages when moving forwards can mean a project manager is often fighting an uphill, if not a losing, battle. The fact is, however, that projects are always going to run into little mishaps and problems along the way, and it is the project manager’s job to keep things on track as much as humanly possible if problems do threaten the otherwise smooth running of things.

When this doesn’t happen, projects can easily veer dramatically off course, and delays to construction work and other ventures in the run up to the World Cup demonstrate how detrimental this can be to the overall reputation of a company, organisation or project team. With the 2014 sporting event taking place in 12 cities across a country as large as some continents, the size of the project was always daunting and hard to imagine in practical terms, but the lengthy delays that are now threatening to affect the June opening may well have occurred, or at least been allowed to occur, because of failures in various project management duties.

These include slow decision making and major delays in meeting promised deadlines, meaning in some cases that work on stadiums and transport links has had to be cancelled altogether. This has left the people of Brazil dissatisfied and disillusioned by the seemingly askew priorities of those responsible for the World Cup projects, with priority given to stadiums over structures with more long-term benefits, such as subways and airports. This has resulted in resistance from anti-government protestors, who were active at a warm-up tournament last year and are expected to pose an issue again in June.

All of this has been disastrous for the reputation of the company and, should the eventual tournament be marred by the same problems and issues (or new ones), more problems could be on their way. A friendly match between Brazil and England scheduled for last December, for example, had to be cancelled due to safety concerns related to the construction and refurbishment of Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium – just one of the venues planned to be used for the tournament this summer. With money still being spent and a real danger of stadiums not being completed on time, project management has come under fire in a big way.

Scheduling and time management is a huge part of the project manager’s role in things and, although all projects can pose their own problems in terms of keeping things to deadline and completing tasks on time, the failures in Brazil have become a problem big enough to possibly result in failure in certain areas of the country’s massive undertaking. To avoid this, project managers must have the knowledge and skills to keep projects running smoothly, especially ones on this scale, and one way they can acquire these skills is by undergoing project management training courses such as PRINCE2 from ILX.

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had to work with someone that can be challenging. But the question is, when you’re in charge, how do you pre-empt conflicts within the team? And perhaps even more importantly, how do you turn negative energy into positive energy?

This often depends on the amount of control you have over the situation. If you’re a brand new business, or you’re hiring a new team, you have a potentially large aperture for success; before you hire you can consider whose personalities will match. You can literally build a team with the sort of personality traits that will complement each other. The risk you run with this sort of team building is that you rely on people telling you the truth.

Through hiring the correct style of worker, you can often avoid navigating the minefield that is office politics; picking members of a team who achieve their goals through similar processes will result in high levels of cohesion early on. The team should always relate to the work ethic of the company too.

However, the most frequent position you will be in is one where you have to manage a team that you didn’t put together. In either scenario, there are several processes that, if repeated consistently, should lead you to success. In other words you can’t just perform one action and assume that all members of the team are effective partners. This is an ongoing addition to all the other activities that are on your to-do list. Day in, day out, you have to maintain the chemistry of the team; it could be argued that this is one of the most important elements of your job, because if the team doesn’t work, then the project won’t work.

Hold regular meetings. At the very centre of all conflict resolution is communication. Meetings open the floor to any issues or gripes within the group. Praise honesty. Honesty is essential to getting your team to lay their worries on the table. How do you do this? Make them feel comfortable. Whether you like it or not, humour is a great vessel for the truth, even better than a project manager with a sense of humour, is a project manager that doesn’t mind joking at their own expense. When within reason, humour can shed light on our faults; this opens them to conversation – what have we learnt? How can we improve? What do we need to do next? How can we help each other achieve that goal?

Of all the coveted soft skills employers seek out in potential employees, the one that seems to go under the radar every time is the ability to accept and learn from criticism (possibly because it can seemingly work at odds with other desirable qualities such as confidence). It’s important that the entire team wears this particular badge; criticism needn’t be negative, if anything it is the catalyst for creating positive change. Doing some soft skills training with team members from time to time might enable or bolster these skill sets within staff.

Of course it isn’t just other team members that someone might have problems with. It might be with you. Here’s a question; how do you ensure that you are a good, fair project manager that understands the needs of the team members in order for them to work effectively? It really is quite simple. Talk to them. You can’t possibly know what is going through the mind of every staff member, no matter how small the team is – you’re going to need to communicate. And be direct about it; have they got any workload issues? Do they feel they are being treated fairly? Each member of the team is different, and you’ll have to negotiate on certain terms, but for the sake of good relations, it is worth the time and effort. The cherry on the cake is learning about their personality. More in depth questions about their lives will not only give you more insight about the kind of person they are, but it will also make them feel like you are interested; as though they are more than a number.

Whilst it might seem easy enough to communicate effectively with your staff, it isn’t always so simple. And ensuring that other staff members communicate with each other appropriately is even harder.

Ultimately, one of the keys to keeping a team running smoothly is the combination of honest, direct communication and the creation of a positive and safe working environment that allows individuals the freedom to express opinions professionally and appropriately within the project team or to the respective project manager.