PM Notebook - A site for project managers

PM Notebook is a collection of articles and essays that cover some very practical aspects of project management.  You’ll find practical approaches that are far from hypothetical – these have all been used in organizations that I’ve directed.

You’ll find plenty of information that relates to Scrum, agile development and project management consistent with the PMI’s PMBoK (along with occasional mention of CMMI, Prince2 and others).  PM Notebook has:

• Articles based upon decades of successful project and program leadership.  You’ll find information on project and program management techniques, methods and practices.
• Articles about career development and improving professional performance & effectiveness.
• Many pointers to expert project management and program management information – books, web sites and blogs.
• Links to current and landmark articles of significance on project and program management.

Article: An Approach to Becoming a Project Management Expert

A Method of Developing Your Project Management Skills

Bill Hoberecht - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Project managers are expected to have satisfactory project results through the use of proper project management tools & techniques, knowing how to best approach the job, and exercising good judgment in evaluating and responding to project situations.  So how do you become a project manager who can fulfill those lofty expectations?   Think of your professional development in Scrum terms – at the conclusion of each iteration you have a shippable product: you, with a set of improved project management capabilities.  Here’s the cycle:

1. Create your personalized, annotated Project Management Competency Framework.  Confirm that Project Management really is your chosen career:  How do you feel about being a project manager?  Look at your company's definition of project management and the corresponding responsibilities - does this align with what you want to be doing?  Review a Project Management Competency Framework and update the list of areas where you have development needs.
2. Plan your next iteration of professional development.    Using your annotated PM Competency Framework that shows your prioritized areas for professional development, create a viable short term plan to build up your expertise.
3. Execute the sprint.  Periodically evaluate your progress in following your plan.  As well, find ways to share your newfound skills with others.  Adjust your plan if it is not working well for you.