The guys at the Manager Tools podcast talk about Horstman’s Law of Project Management, which is “Who Does What By When”. That’s not a bad summary, all things considered.
Activity sequencing has an element of that law. What is the order of the activities to most efficiently complete this project? In this video, Andy Kaufman, PMP demonstrates how to perform activity sequencing.
By the way, this video is part of Andy’s e-learning program entitled “Essentials of Project Management“. Learn more at http://courses.i-leadonline.com/courses/essentials-of-pm. Use a coupon code of ESSENTIALS-199 to save $100 USD.
For more on this topic, check out this video.
Download this videohttp://courses.i-leadonline.com/courses/essentials-of-pm
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Hi Andy. This task was a little harder, because I had to decide which item belonged under a specific category. Some of my ideals didn’t belong at all on the board. However, it was a visual road map that was orderly to make the flow of the project more understandable. I’m sure patience makes perfect.
I agree–it can be a bit trickier. It’s a challenge because the more detail you have, the more accurate the network diagram can be. Yet the more detail means it can become a project to manage the project! But you’re right–it’s a good road map.
Hi Andy,
I’m an IT manager with some IT background as well but managing IT projects is somewhat challenging as the project team is so technically knowledgeable that they practically control the projects themselves. I’d like to bring value to the team thru my PM knowledge as much as possible. For example I taught them how to create a WBS, but when it comes to activity sequencing, I just have to sit back. How can I gain control in this area when I know less about the details of the work compared to them?
Thanks,
PK
Great to hear from you, PK! Here’s my initial thought…. What if gaining control is not the primary option? Since they know the details, perhaps the role you best serve is asking questions, such as:
* What’s coming down the road that we need to be thinking about now?
* Who are some people that we’re going to be impacting that we perhaps haven’t sufficiently been thinking about?
* What are some of our biggest risks and obstacles? How can I help you deal with those?
It could be that the greatest value you bring to the team is by asking questions, removing impediments, and coaching them through difficulties using your project management expertise. THoughts?
Hi Andy,
Thanks for the great advice and suggestions. I will definitely do what you suggested. 🙂
Not having control over project activities was making me nervous and doubt my project management abilities.
Sincerely,
PK
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