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What Does it Take to Be a Project Manager in Government?

Posted by on Oct 31, 2019 in Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

What Does it Take to Be a Project Manager in Government?

The Interpretive Guidance for Project Manager Positions published by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in May of 2019 lays out the responsibilities that are shared by a wide range of project managers. It also provides precise criteria to be used in the evaluation of current and future project managers in the Federal Government. The production of this guidance involved consideration by numerous government organizations that oversee human resources, financial management, procurement, and other related functions.

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The Many Ways the Federal Government Measures Quality

Posted by on Sep 24, 2019 in Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

The Many Ways the Federal Government Measures Quality

Since the introduction of Total Quality Management revolutionized the manufacturing industry, we have understood that quality is a key measure of project management success. No longer is completing a project on-time and within budget good enough. Processes must be efficient and produce an outcome that meets every specification and satisfies the customer’s need.
Although this philosophy began with manufacturing, it has spread throughout every aspect of our lives. We are consistently asked to provide, collect, and report on the quality of products, services, processes, and ideas. Let’s examine ways that this emphasis on quality is spreading throughout the Federal Government.

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Qualities of the Ideal Federal Leader

Posted by on Sep 18, 2019 in Human Capital, Human Resources, Leadership, Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

Qualities of the Ideal Federal Leader

One of the three key drivers of transformation named in the 2019 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) is realigning human capital to serve America’s priorities for the 21st century. While there is a significant focus on filling technology gaps, several authorities have defined ideal qualities for leaders in the Federal Government.

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The Need-to-Know Facts about PMIAA

Posted by on Aug 15, 2019 in Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

The Need-to-Know Facts about PMIAA

The changes prescribed by the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act (PMIAA) will impact Federal Civilian project and program management professionals across the entire workforce. How much do you know about PMIAA? Here are some basic answers to the most common questions.

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10 Facts about PMP® Exam Changes Taking Effect December 16, 2019

Posted by on Jul 15, 2019 in Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

10 Facts about PMP® Exam Changes Taking Effect December 16, 2019

After incorporating changes from the Sixth Edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is taking a step into the future of Project Management best practices with a revision to the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Examination. Here is a breakdown of the exam, according to PMI:

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Getting the ‘Gears of Government’ Moving in the Right Direction

Posted by on Jun 25, 2019 in Leadership, Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

Getting the ‘Gears of Government’ Moving in the Right Direction

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a new playbook and distributed it through a memo to agency heads and C-level directors to help agencies accelerate the cross-agency priority goal of the President’s Management Agenda of modernizing the Federal workforce. The Executive Playbook for Workforce Reshaping: Accelerating the Gears of Transformation, offers four plays for government leaders and employees and anyone with an appetite for change.

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Congratulations to AFFIRM Leadership Award Winner Sam Shellenberger of DOL VETS

Posted by on Jun 13, 2019 in Consulting, Leadership, Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

Congratulations to AFFIRM Leadership Award Winner Sam Shellenberger of DOL VETS

Management Concepts manages and operates the National Veterans’ Training Institute (NVTI) on behalf of DOL VETS to further develop and enhance the professional skills of veterans’ employment and training service providers throughout the United States.

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The Role of Program Management in the Federal Government

Posted by on Feb 28, 2019 in Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

The Role of Program Management in the Federal Government

The Project Management Institute® defines program management as a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them as individual projects. A program manager is the person authorized by the performing organization to lead the team or teams responsible for achieving program objectives.

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The PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition Moves PM in a Business Value, Strategy Alignment, and Adaptive Direction

Posted by on Apr 21, 2017 in Project Management | 0 comments

The PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition Moves PM in a Business Value, Strategy Alignment, and Adaptive Direction

The ongoing emphasis on Business Value, Strategic Alignment, and Adaptation to the dynamic project environment and stakeholder needs makes these changes a significant improvement and step in the right direction toward elevating the PMBOK® Guide to a truly application-oriented tool.

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Federal Program Management Gets a Boost

Posted by on Feb 16, 2017 in Project Management | 0 comments

Federal Program Management Gets a Boost

In the final days of his administration, Obama to signed the new Program Management Improvement Accountability Act (PMIAA) into law. As with the PMIAA 2015 version, this effort adds language to Section 503 in Title 31 of the U.S. Code, which applies to all Executive Branch entities (Defense excepted). Here’s a quick summary of actions the Office of Management and Budget and Agencies are assigned by the change.

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Comparisons of Agile vs. Traditional Approaches

Posted by on Aug 17, 2016 in Project Management | 0 comments

Comparisons of Agile vs. Traditional Approaches

Can this discussion be condensed down to a set of graphs that illustrate the areas of “applicability” for both Agile and current best practices for project management…

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Strengths and Weaknesses of Agile

Posted by on Jul 11, 2016 in Project Management | 0 comments

Strengths and Weaknesses of Agile

Agile style methodologies seem to have had some success in environments with common conditions: Software deliverables, Small team sizes (5-9 is usual size…

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Agile: Bits vs. Atoms?

Posted by on Jun 2, 2016 in Project Management | 0 comments

Agile: Bits vs. Atoms?

Building on the frustrations now evident at the basis for the Agile Manifesto’s creation, where did the current project management best practices seem to go “off-rails…

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Can Agile and Traditional (Predictive) Software Development Co-Exist?

Posted by on May 13, 2016 in Project Management | 0 comments

Can Agile and Traditional (Predictive) Software Development Co-Exist?

Beginning with this post, we will be posing a series of discussions on this question: Is Agile (Agile/Scrum) able to either peacefully co-exist with traditional…

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What Changes are Ahead with the new PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition?

Posted by on Apr 13, 2016 in Project Management | 11 comments

What Changes are Ahead with the new PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition?

It’s that time again for PMI® to update the PMBOK® Guide and release the next edition. You may or may not be aware, but since the PMBOK® Guide is recognized as…

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A New Prescription to Cure What Ails Federal Program Management?

Posted by on Feb 16, 2016 in Project Management | 0 comments

A New Prescription to Cure What Ails Federal Program Management?

In December of 2008 the now defunct Council for Excellence in Government, presented a report entitled “Delivering Program Results: Improving Government…

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The Learning Organization: Insights from NASA

Posted by on Dec 2, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

The Learning Organization: Insights from NASA

In my last blog I discussed the findings from a study the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), in conjunction with the Project Management…

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Managing Requirements: Verification vs. Validation

Posted by on Oct 2, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

A common source of project failure over the past two decades has continued to be the management or mismanagement of project requirements. We are not going to discuss…

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Success is Difficult: Part Three

Posted by on Sep 11, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

I started this series of blogs on project management challenges with a discussion of project management success factors (“Three Pillars of Project Management”)…

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Establishing a Successful IT PM Mentoring Program

Posted by on Sep 8, 2015 in Coaching & Mentoring, Project Management | 0 comments

Establishing a Successful IT PM Mentoring Program

Welcome back and if you did not read my previous blog post for August, you might want to quickly do that as it is background material for this follow-on post…

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Integrating Internal Controls with Best Practices

Posted by on Aug 28, 2015 in Financial Management, Project Management | 2 comments

In my previous blogs I talked about the different components that comprise the organizational environment where best practices can survive and thrive and the…

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IT Project Management Theory vs. Practice

Posted by on Aug 13, 2015 in Project Management | 2 comments

IT Project Management Theory vs. Practice

A question that is asked in many of my seminars is: “This is fine in theory, but what about practice: how do you manage IT projects in real life?” This is the fine line between…

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Why Success is Difficult: Part Two

Posted by on Aug 4, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

Why Success is Difficult: Part Two

I started this series of blogs on project management challenges with a discussion of project management success factors (“Three Pillars of Project Management”)…

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Leadership – The Critical Element in Best Practices

Posted by on Jul 27, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

Leadership – The Critical Element in Best Practices

In my last blog, “What makes a ‘Practice’ Best?” I used a client example to cite various components that create an organizational environment where best practices…

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FITARA: Improvement or Impasse?

Posted by on Jul 6, 2015 in Acquisition, Project Management | 0 comments

FITARA: Improvement or Impasse?

Anyone associated with government IT acquisitions, project management, or systems operation is likely to be familiar with the recently passed (Dec. 19, 2014) Federal Information Technology…

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The PMP® Exam Is Changing – Update

Posted by on Jul 1, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

The PMP® Exam Is Changing – Update

In May, we told you about how the PMP Exam is changing effective November 2, 2015 to align with the annual PMP® Role Delineation Study (RDS) conducted in March…

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What Makes a “Practice” Best?

Posted by on Jun 16, 2015 in Acquisition, Project Management | 1 comment

What Makes a “Practice” Best?

During the Civil War (as the story goes) a Union Soldier’s widow approached President Lincoln to complain about her husband’s death. Her complaint was that…

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Project Management Plans

Posted by on Apr 21, 2015 in Project Management | 0 comments

When I am asked for a template for a Project Management Plan, I have to give my usual consulting answer – “It depends.” Because I have found that there is no one template…

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The Struggle to Improve IT Acquisition

Posted by on Mar 13, 2015 in Acquisition, Project Management | 0 comments

The Struggle to Improve IT Acquisition

The Federal government wastes about half of the $80 billion per year it spends on IT. Agencies spend, on average, seven times more on IT…

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How Leaders Can Bridge the Gap Between Where They Are Now and Where They Want to Be – It’s All in the Mind

Posted by on Feb 11, 2015 in Leadership, Project Management, Workforce Management | 0 comments

In a previous post I presented a basic approach to goal setting that could be used to help leaders acquire new skills as they set goals to make the required behavior changes…

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