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Cost To Complete Template - FREE Excel Download
Construction Management

Cost To Complete Template: FREE Excel Download (ETC, EAC, BAC)

While a project is underway, it can be difficult to know exactly how the project is going financially. Workers and staff members are paid. Purchases are made. Revenue comes in, payments flow out. How is the project REALLY doing, though? The depletion of a project’s budget can be like quicksand – no one really notices until they’re already in a bit of trouble. Projects that are in full-swing require so much attention that the budget takes the backseat. In some ways this is logical – time spent monitoring the project is time not spent pushing it forward. Unfortunately though, project monitoring and control is an essential ingredient of a successful project. This article will be focused on performing a Cost-To-Complete (CTC) forecast. In this article, we’ll include a FREE Excel download of our cost to complete template!

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Pat Finnegan October 11, 2019
Managing Projects With A Short Attention Span
Project Management

Managing Projects With A Short Attention Span: 6 Must-Do Habits

Is your attention span similar to flipping through TV stations? Are thoughts racing, fast and ever-flowing? If so, you may have what some call a ‘short attention span’ – that is, your attention is constantly drawn to every thought or distraction and remains on any one subject for a short amount of time. This article is not written in judgement – I have this issue myself! Guess what? Over the years, I really haven’t changed either. While meditation, concentration and a healthy lifestyle do help with focus and mental performance, much of who we are and how are brain works is given to us at birth. Just as a sailboat is designed to use the wind to its’ advantage, regardless of the direction it’s blowing, we can adapt to our short attention span and in some cases, use our short attention spans to our advantage! This article is all about managing projects with a short attention span, and some techniques and habits we can use to overcome it.

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Pat Finnegan October 1, 2019
How Do You Run An Effective Status Meeting?
Project Management

How Do You Run An Effective Status Meeting? 10 Best Practices

In offices around the world, people yawn, gaze at the clock and day-dream during meetings. Meetings are seen as boring time-wasters that keep us from doing our actual jobs. Most people would jump for joy if meetings were wiped from the schedule altogether. There’s only one issue – meetings ARE important, at least when they’re run effectively. Meetings are the only time when the team gets together. When run efficiently, these meetings give everyone the opportunity to brainstorm, ask questions, address issues and improve the business. Rather than scrapping meetings altogether, the best option is to maximize the outcome. “How do you run an effective status meeting?”. In this article, we’ll discuss 10 practices to maximize your office meetings!

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Pat Finnegan September 30, 2019
What Is The Waterfall Model Used For In Project Management
Project Management

What Is The Waterfall Model Used For In Project Management?

Projects come in all shapes and sizes. Some projects are broad, vague and developed over time as changes and improvements are implemented. On these more complex projects, using a management method with flexibility and room for changes is of utmost importance. Other projects require a more straightforward, linear approach – complete step 1 as required, then move onto step 2 when step 1 is fully satisfied. Repeat until the project is finished. The former method is known as the Agile project management process, which we’ve recently written about. The latter approach is what we’re focusing on in this article, which is known as the Waterfall method. So what is the waterfall model used for in project management? Let’s explore!

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Pat Finnegan September 25, 2019
Overwhelmed By Big Projects? Try These 6 Essential Techniques!
Project Management

Overwhelmed By Big Projects? 6 Approaches With Metaphors & Examples

When we first take on a project, it feels like we’re given a huge block of stone – from which, we’re expected to sculpt a finely-detailed statue. Even worse, we must sculpt it within a certain amount of time, with set resources. Where do we start? What do we do first? At the very beginning, a new project can feel quite overwhelmed. It’s even easier to feel overwhelmed by big projects. There are just so many steps, phases and tasks to get right. Just as a 1,000 mile journey begins with a single step, or how the pyramids are built with one block of stone at a time, projects can be broken down into easy, bite-sized steps – all it takes is a change in our approach and strategy! In this article, we’ll discuss six approaches to large projects, along with metaphors and examples.

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Pat Finnegan September 23, 2019
How Do You Manage Subcontractors
Construction Management

How Do You Manage Subcontractors? 7 Essential Tips

Projects come in all shapes and sizes, as do contractors. For a contractor to take on a project, they must essentially be willing and able to bring a client’s idea into reality. Sometimes, a contractor possesses all of the knowledge, skill and supplies necessary to complete an entire project on their own. In many other cases, though, the outcome a client is looking for has many parts to it. While a contractor might be willing and able to perform a large portion of the work, the client may be asking for things the contractor just can’t do. The contractor doesn’t walk away at this stage – they hire another contractor to do the work they’re not able to do themselves. This additional contractor is now a subcontractor on the project. Before hiring a subcontractor in a real-world scenario for the first time, we must know the ins and outs of working with a subcontractor. In this article, we’ll be answering the question of: How do you manage subcontractors?

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Pat Finnegan September 17, 2019
What Are The Basics Of Project Scheduling
Construction Management

Basics Of Project Scheduling: Master These 9 Essential CPM Steps

As the old saying goes, a successful project comes down to getting three things right: cost, quality and time. Do that and you’re golden! Obviously, getting there is a little tougher than that. According to Mavenlink, 70% of projects fail. Part is this failure are projects that don’t finish on time. With this is mind, developing a realistic and logistically-sound schedule for any project is essential. If you’re taking on a new project or will be soon, you might be wondering “what are the basics of project scheduling?” to avoid delays. In this article, we’ll walk through the essential steps needed to draft a project schedule. Let’s dive in.

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Pat Finnegan September 16, 2019
What Are The Disadvantages Of Remote Working
Project Management Experiences

What Are The Disadvantages Of Remote Working? 5 Realities To Consider

In the past, working from home or abroad was reserved for the ultra-rich. Movie tycoons like Gordon Gekko would leave the big city via helicopter to their distant beach mansions, where they’d call shots from afar. In 2019, things are changing. According to QZ.com, over 5% of Americans were working from home back in 2017. That’s over 8 million people! This figure has more than doubled since the year 2000, and is surely higher now. The advantages of working remotely are obvious: no commute, more flexibility and fewer annoying interruptions. It’s the dream. But what are the disadvantages of remote working? In this article, we’ll discuss five realities to consider before working from home.

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Pat Finnegan September 10, 2019
Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important In Project Management
Project Management

Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important In Project Management?

Everybody knows about IQ – the “Intelligence Quotient” – which measures our problem-solving capabilities, reasoning and overall cognitive intelligence. But in recent years, there’s been a buzz around ‘EQ’, or Emotional Quotient, which measures our overall Emotional Intelligence. More specifically, our emotional intelligence represents our abilities to control and convey our emotions, as well as to empathize with other people, nurture our relationships and make conscientious judgements. While emotional intelligence seems at home in a therapy or counseling session, it’s just as important as IQ in business, too. So why is emotional intelligence important in project management? Let’s look into it.

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Pat Finnegan September 4, 2019
It's a jungle out there. A concrete jungle, that is. While humans have evolved way past all other animals in a cognitive sense, we still need to navigate many of the situations that animals encounter in the wild. While many animals are categorized as predators or prey, people can also act in a predatory fashion and see other people as their 'prey'. Except in the human world, the predatory person doesn't eat their prey - they try to manipulate or take advantage of them instead. Predatory people don't see EVERYONE as prey though - they instinctively pick people they think they can exploit for their own gain. Overly nice people are one of the main groups people try and exploit, for reasons we'll discuss. Nice people aren't off the hook, though. Many times, they're not taken advantage of by just predators, but by everyone - and they ask for it! The workplace is one of the main places nice people get taken advantage of, and it affects workload, promotions, salary, reputation and more. In this article, we will discuss how to stop being too nice at work using twelve simple techniques.
Project Manager Soft Skills

How To Stop Being Too Nice At Work: 12 Simple, Quick Techniques

It’s a jungle out there. A concrete jungle, that is. While humans have evolved way past all other animals in a cognitive sense, we still need to navigate many of the situations that animals encounter in the wild. While many animals are categorized as predators or prey, people can also act in a predatory fashion and see other people as their ‘prey’. Except in the human world, the predatory person doesn’t eat their prey – they try to manipulate or take advantage of them instead. Predatory people don’t see EVERYONE as prey though – they instinctively pick people they think they can exploit for their own gain. Overly nice people are one of the main groups people try and exploit, for reasons we’ll discuss. Nice people aren’t off the hook, though. Many times, they’re not taken advantage of by just predators, but by everyone – and they ask for it! The workplace is one of the main places nice people get taken advantage of, and it affects workload, promotions, salary, reputation and more. In this article, we will discuss how to stop being too nice at work using twelve simple techniques.

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Pat Finnegan August 29, 2019

About This Topic

Browse dozens of articles dedicated to popular project management topics. The topics we write about include best practices of Project Manager, working as a P.M., overseeing employees, maintaining Client relationships and a variety of skills specific to the role of Project Manager like budgeting, scheduling, overseeing costs, managing project communications and so much more. Explore our article archive for tons of free information!

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