Silicon Beach Training Blog » Project Management

Using Social Media for Project Management

Andy Trainer — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:52:23 +0000

Social Media Networks provide effective tools for Project Managers

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As a Project manager you need to keep in touch with messages from clients, stakeholders, developers and team members, arranging meetings, keeping up with project updates. This takes a lot of time, in fact you could say that this makes up most of your job. There are emails to check and send, phone calls to make, meetings to attend, information and reports to chase.

Having done all the above, you then need to update your project plan, communicate the updates to senior managers and stakeholders, creating reports, communicate the progress of the project. Knowing the importance of personal relations, you probably wish you had more time to talk face to face with important clients, but your time gets eaten away with endless e-mails, phone calls and meetings. Not only that, you will need to keep on top of being able to locate and distribute the latest updates of documents for yourself and for your team.

This will not only eat up your time, all the emails and updates need to be read by your team members and it will subsequently eat up their time too. If they are unsure about whether they have the latest updates they must contact you directly, probably by email again to make sure they are up to date with project changes and deadlines. They may lose emails or miss them in the ocean of updates. This will keep you even busier as you may feel the need to check receipt of messages.

Project managers are busy people sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, endlessly trying to keep the ball rolling, much too busy in fact to contemplate strategy or your team’s motivation. You probably work long hours, and worry about work after you get home.

Using social media can enhance the value project managers bring to their organisations.

Using a Web-based project management system

How about taking a deep breath, forget about the pressure and the race and take a moment to think about your project routine differently. Imagine a world where you only receive a small percentage of those emails that need reading in the morning. Imagine using a Web-based project management system. Using such a system allows everyone to check the project progress online, no matter where in the world they are, no matter what time it is, and no matter whether they are senior executives, or an individual with a small role to play. With such a system in place team members could update their progress online keeping the project plan up-to-date.

Click here for the Top 5 Project Management Apps that connect with Google Apps – using these you can connect your project to GMail, Google Docs and Google Calendar.

Create a Project Blog

WordPress is so simple and free, consider creating a project blog. Here you can publish your project development vision. Is a very simple method of getting feedback from team members, it allows collaborative discussions. Here you may be able to identify potential problems early on and deal with them before they get bigger. Team members could share their ideas and project-relevant thoughts.

Consider using Skype or Google+

The great things about Skype are instant messaging, call and video conferencing features all in one place. Of course if all of your team members had a Google+ account you could use hangouts instead. You can hold virtual meetings with team members and global customers.

Consider using Twitter, Google+ or other microblogging systems

Team members can use team members use it to report what they are working on real-time. You can allocate a project project hash tags to ask project specific questions. Team members can share links to files they are working on. Google+ would be ideal for this as you can create circles for key stakeholders, departments, senior management etc. You can share these circles with the appropriate people and then you can send messages and with just the relevant circles, or you can make announcements to all of your circles documents. Team members can ask for help and advice here, and everybody can check and create updates from their phones. It’s instant, it’s free and available to check whenever and wherever you may be.

Consider using a Project Wiki

Avoid document version confusion with a project wiki. Your wiki can become a universal reference resource. Its advantages are that it’s easily searchable, editable, and available.

Consider using Social Media channels to build relationships

As maintaining personal relationships is so important for any project manager. Think about using Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn, and check in now and again to stay connected.

Social Media encourages and enables collaboration

The more your team collaborates and communicates the fewer mistakes they will make, the more they will share and understand project goals and objectives. There will be much more of a sense of community even when team members may not even be working on the same continent. Team members will begin to recognise each other even if they have never met in person. Those who are experts in particular fields will stand out so that other team members will know where to go to ask advice. As a project manager if you use these social and collaborative tools you will also establish yourself clearly as a project leader that your team members will respect.

Use Social Media to learn from your peers

Find other project management thought leaders on twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Google+.

Know when to turn off

Make sure that you have a purpose and a plan for everything you do using social media networks, otherwise you will begin to waste all the time you have saved!

Manage your social media activity by downloading this free Social Media Schedule. There is also a great list of social media management tools to help you keep track of your accounts.

Be careful what you publish and who can see it.

It’s important to understand what information is public and choose friends wisely.

Conclusion

Social networking sites are powerful communication tools for project managers. There are over 3,000 groups related to project management on LinkedIn. Social media allows businesses and organisations to efficiently, organise and deploy teams, collaborating across borders and between departments.

If you are new to Project Management you may be interested in our Project Management Training, Microsoft Project or PRINCE2 courses.

Why Project Managers are so Valuable

Andy Trainer — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:06:06 +0000

There’s no avoiding the fact that Project Managers are everywhere these days! Project Management is one of the most in-demand skills, and this applies across all types of organisations and across both public and private sectors.

Here at Silicon Beach we run regular Management Training and Project Management training courses, as well as accredited PRINCE2 Training and MSP Training courses here at our training centre in Brighton, Sussex and demand is still strong, even through the recession.

But why are project managers so highly valued?

Any manager requires knowledge of their subject matter. A finance manager needs to know their numbers, an HR manager needs to know Human Resources, and so on.

The difference with Project Managers is that they have to be an expert general manager who is highly focused to achieve results across a range of disciplines with a defined scope and accepted quality level.

A really good Project Manager needs to be a jack-of-all-trades who knows enough about every stage of the process to get their project to completion. They are responsible for delivering on-time, to budget. They therefore have to have great people skills, and also excellent personal organisation and Time Management skills. They have to be contactable by any member of their project team – and with modern telecommunications technology that can be at any time, in any place – day or night (I know project managers who work internationally who frequently get calls throughout their evenings from overseas as well as all day in their own time-zone).

To illustrate the pressures that bear down on a Project Manager at all times – there are three key conflict areas a Project Manager must be constantly mindful of:

Cost v Time – without compromising on Quality
Time v Scope - making sure the project delivers what it promised
Scope v Cost – bearing in mind the cost of overrunning

Only by ensuring that these conflicting requirements are balanced effectively will a good Project Manager keep all stakeholders happy and ensure that their project meets the business’ overall requirements.

In a competitive market-place, projects must be completed on-time and to budget – however Quality is equally important. It’s no good getting the job done fast and cheaply if the end project is low on quality, as the competitors superior product will win through. Experienced PMs are all to aware of the Cost of Quality, and PRINCE2 has a whole theme dedicated to Quality.

Additionally – the more complex the project, the more risks there will likely to be along the way, so good Project Managers also need to know Risk Management methodologies. Again, PRINCE2 has a Risk Theme which covers this.

Taking all of the above in to account (and really we’re only scratching the surface), it’s no wonder that good Project Managers, and Project Management Training to provide the skills they require are in constant demand.

Silicon Beach Training offer a range training courses – all of which are beneficial for Project Managers:

Introduction to Project Management Training - 1-day: £270 + vat

This 1-day course provides a comprehensive introduction to Project Management principles, tools and themes

Microsoft Project Training - 2-days: £445 + vat

MS Project is the industry standard software for Project Managers – this 2-day course provides a comprehensive coverage of this indispensable tool

You can book the two courses above together for £645 + vat with our Project Management & MS Project Training package.

PRINCE2 Foundation Training – 3-days: £845 + vat
PRINCE2 Practitioner Training – 5-days: £995 + vat

PRINCE2 is the most widely used Project Management Methodology (and is the de facto standard for Project Managers in the UK). Read more about PRINCE2 in our Free Resources section.

MSP Foundation Training - 3-days: £995 + vat
MSP Practitioner Training – 5-days: £995 + vat

Often, multiple projects combine to make up Programmes. MSP (Managing Successful Programmes) provides a methodology for effective Programme Management. Read more about MSP in our Free Resources section.

If you would like to discuss Project Management in more detail, or are interested in any of the courses Silicon Beach Training offer, please call us on 01273 622272 and one of our training managers will be happy to help you.

Project Management – When should a Project Manager be flexible?

Heather Buckley — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:30:27 +0000

Project Managers are often inclined to care more that a job is done according to procedures than about a job being done well. Whilst budgets and schedules are vitally important and you cannot underestimate how essential it is for a good Project Manager to have a clear grasp and control over these elements, people and personality are also an important part of the mix.

Silicon Beach Training is an Accredited Training Organisation for PRINCE2 training in Brighton, Sussex, and offers a full range of PRINCE2 courses inducing Prince2 Foundation and Prince2 Practitioner Training courses with pass rates well above the national averages. We also provide a popular Project Management and MS Project training package you can book our 1-day Project Management course with our 2-day MS Project course.

Project Management procedures as well as software development procedures are extremely difficult to stick to at all times. You need people to enforce procedures or practices until people get used to them. And if these people cannot see the value in a specific procedure they may never get used to it. What makes a great project manager is knowing what procedures are essential and what details can be flexible. If something hasn’t happened according to plan, it is actually going to be better for the project to hold a meeting about it and change things that are not essential if to redo something will risk spending more time and money than is necessary. Sometimes it may be better to hold a meeting at the end, after the budget and deadline have been met and discuss as a group what changes you would make next time.

Project Management Methodologies are based on procedures. Prince2, for example, is structured into 8 processes which cover all the activities in the project, 8 components which take up various aspects of project management and 3 techniques. However, there are multitude of techniques which can be used. I am not about to imply that Prince2 training is not a great way to learn about Project Management. The great thing about Prince2 is that it is a standard, in a large organisation projects need to be managed to the same standard using the same techniques in order for projects to move forward. There needs to be a common understanding about the way that projects are handled. However sometimes so much time is spent on maintaining procedures that less time is spent on work which actually pushes a project ahead.

Whilst it may be important to create good document templates is it essential to spend time going over every detail of new document templates? It needs to make sense – what would be the point of discussing a 5-hour schedule change for an hour with 12 people? Sometimes just to let people get on with things and to hold back and not spend your time and others picking up every detail is what is needed to get a project out on time and budget.

We have some free Prince2 templates for you to download, free prince2 case studies, a free Prince2 training resource Prince2 Quiz to test out your knowledge. and a

iPhone apps for Project Management

Heather Buckley — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:00:57 +0000

Best iPhone apps for Project Managers

The other month I got my very first smartphone, in the form of Apple’s iPhone! I first really didn’t know where to start when it came to picking the best and most useful apps, so I asked my friends on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for help. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Where there were rival apps I’ve chosen the one that was cheaper. Hope it’s useful – let me know if I’ve missed something.

Silicon Beach Training offer a range of Project Management Training courses including PRINCE2 Training in Brighton, Sussex. We also offer a popular range of Social Media Training courses. If you’re a lover of all things iPhone don’t miss our general list of iPhone apps for Business.

iPhone apps for Communications

ContactsPlus (£0.59): Helps you manage your contacts by organising them into groups.

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center (Free): This is excellent if you’d like to share information over a web-based meeting – you can share desktops and view each other’s documents.

Bump (Free): This is a fun and useful idea – shake you iPhone next to someone else’s and swap business cards over Bluetooth!

QuickVoice2Text Email (PRO Recorder) (£1.79): Very handy for those who drive a lot – this allows you to send emails by talking to your phone.

Invoices2go (£5.99): This is a nifty and easy to use app which allows you to quickly make invoices choosing from 10 different templates or making your own custom.

iPhone apps for Time Management

ClockIn (£1.79 in sale): This app is a popular way of organising and tracking time spent of tasks and projects for various clients. It allows you to format info into HTML or CSV so you can easily transfer it to a spreadsheet.

Insight (£5.99): This is Basecamp’s iPhone app as it’s by far the most popular fully featured project management app. You can access projects, lists and messages as well as access files.

Tungle (Free): This is a calendar app and very useful if you need to sync with Outlook, Entourage, Lotus Notes or Google. you can share the calendar online too and show your availability.

iPhone apps for File Management

Evernote (Free): This app allows you to store data online when on the go and then sync to your hard drive when back at the office.

Documents to Go (£5.99): Very useful for making minor edits to your documents on the do, with easy synchronisation to your computer afterwards.

FileMagnet (£2.99): If you don’t want to store data online, FileMagnet instead allows you to store files on your phone – with, again, an easy synchronisation feature.

Box.Net (Free): This allows 1Gb of free web storage, which you can upload to from your iPhone or computer. An excellent feature also allows sharing of documents and collaboration.

Print n Share (£3.99): A nifty way to print files from your phone, even allowing you to print remotely so your documents are ready when you arrive at the office!

Air Mouse Pro (£1.19): This allows you to wirelessly control your computer and PowerPoint presentations, by using the iPhone as a touchpad or remote control.

Scan2PDF (£3.99): This app allows you to photograph and convert to a PDF.

imphoto (£1.19): Excellent for basic photo edits on the go.

iPhone apps to educate Project Managers

iPocket Coach (£0.59): A bit of fun, this app suggests ways of getting out of tricky situations e.g. how to fire someone.

PRINCE2 Snakes and Ladders (£4.99): 60 Foundation level questions in a fun format – recommended!

SimpleMind Xpress (Free): Drag and arrange ideas with this free brainstorming app.

iBlurb (£0.59): Brainstorm ideas or make images for presentations by adding captions and speech bubbles to images.

iStudy PMP Exam (Free): A study app for the Project Management Professional exam.

Silicon Beach Training also offer a wide range of creative training courses such as Web Design Training, Photoshop Training and Social Media Training. If you found this useful take a look at this list of the best Project Management blogs.

Keeping Project Management straightforward when freelancing

Andy Trainer — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:00:25 +0000

Top Tips for freelancers: how to keep Project Management simple

Working as a freelance Project Manager requires excellent time management, communications, stress management and planning skills. It also requires good self-motivation and discipline. Here are our top tips to help you keep your cool as a Project Management freelancer.

We also write regular guest blogs on PRINCE2 Training, Project Management Training and Social Media Training in Brighton, Sussex - get in touch if you’re interested.

1: What’s your outcome?

Charging forward without a clear idea of your client’s desired outcome is extremely dangerous for numerous reasons. Both you and the client need to have an constant picture of what the desired goals are – if the client is even entirely clear about this then your project is threatened by failure right from the starting point.

2: What’s your process?

Similarly you need to have a clearly defined process planned out with the client. Of course this will be much more general than your outcome and also you will have a much more in depth plan than your client. However an outline of you process is essential for longer project so that the client understands exactly what timetable they can expect and what part they will need to fulfill during this.

3: What are you doing?

When you have clearly identified you outcome and process you need to keep the client informed of your progress. This is especially important for keeping yourself on target when freelancing and helps you keep the project in manageable stages. Do this by sending consistent reports to your client and also responding to all feedback immediately.

4: Where are you?

Split your project up into smaller parts to help you keep things under control throughout the project. This psychologically allows you to focus on one small achievable goal rather than feel intimidated by the scope of the project. The regular reports alongside this will help you keep your eye on the ultimate goal and keep a clear idea of where you are.

… That’s it! Just carry on with steps three and four until completion. The regular reports and excellent communications are absolutely essential when freelancing in order to keep your client’s confidence and also to keep you on track. I really do think that these simple stages should also be remembered for anyone managing a project for the first time; just take it slow and never lose sight of your ultimate goal.

If you found this post useful you may wish to see our tips for passing PRINCE2 examinations.

Don’t forget that Silicon Beach Training offer a full range of Social Media Training courses as well as Project Management Training and PRINCE2 Training.

The Best Project Management Blogs

Heather Buckley — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:00:52 +0000

At Silicon Beach Training we offer a wide range of IT, Business and Management training courses including Project Management training, PRINCE2 training and Six Sigma Training in Brighton, Sussex. We’re always looking to network with others interested in Project Management and have even compiled a list of the best Project Managers to follow on Twitter.

Check out this list of 10 excellent Project Management blogs: there are so many different blogs to choose from, my choice below focuses on blogs that are a bit different and provide personal angles on Project Management…

1. Project Management 2.0

This blog does what it says on the tin – focuses on Project Management in Web 2.0, looking at how these new technologies change the work of a Project Manager. It’s a good place to head if you’re yet to embrace the social web and wish to learn more about how Project Management is adapting.

2. Alec Satin on People, Projects and Process

Last but not least, this is another excellent place to head for you Project Management and Web 2.0. reading. You’ll find material on anything from Twitter to top tips. There’re lots of short funny posts so it’s good if you’re looking for some more light-hearted PM blogging!

3. Earth PM

An interesting take on Project Management that focuses on eco-friendly / green living and project management. You’ll find these areas surprisingly compatible with a shared focus on improving time efficiency and costs.

4. Voices on Project Management

Many different writers share their personal dealings with Project Management. It’s also run by PMI – a non-profit organisation – so you can expect to find so hidden agenda trying to sell your a service.

5. Herding Cats

Lots of genuinely helpful stories from real-life experience, rather than your more run of the mill lists and how to guides. You’ll find PM stories from off the project too, such as problems dealing with Powerpoint or problems with a lawsuit!

6. A Girl’s Guide to Project Management

This is one of the most well known Project Management blogs and is suitable for boys and girls alike. There are regular posts demonstrating some real in-depth knowledge of the field including specialist areas such as PRINCE2 and Six Sigma.

7. Stepping into Project Management – newbie’s diary

This is an excellent port of call for anyone new to project management as it follows an individuals lessons as they learn more about the industry. The weekly posts offer loads of useful tips such as how to fight negativity or how to communicate well.

8. projectoffice.com

There aren’t many posts on this blog but it’s worth noting for it’s specific PMO focus, with information provided about news and upcoming events for those interested in this area.

9. How to Manage a Camel – Project Management and Recruitment

This blog is excellent if you want to find out information on employment in Project Management with postings on interview tips or redundancy for example. You’ll also find more general Project Management articles posted regularly.

10. The Project Management Hut

If you can’t get enough of Project Management articles then this is the blog for you! There are several new posts everyday covering every PM-related subject under the sun. From interesting opinion pieces to more useful posts such as how to create a PBS on Microsoft Project, you’ll find plenty to read up on.

If you found this useful then don’t miss our list of top Project Management tweeters! As well as Project Management training we offer a full range of Social Media Training courses including SEO Training.

Project Managers on Twitter that you should follow

Andy Trainer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:05:46 +0000

Project Managers on Twitter

We run regular Project Management courses here in Brighton as well as PRINCE2 Training which is also in Birmingham, and we’re always looking for Project Managers to chat too and share ideas with. The easiest way to find Project Managers on Twitter is to follow the #PMOT tag for “Project Managers on Twitter”. However, if you’re serious about using Social Media (see our article on using Social Media for Project Management) there are some friendly Twitter users you really should be following – we’ve put together our favourites with a focus on the UK…

Part One: Project Managers & Organisations on Twitter

1. projectmgmt (1251 followers)

Manchester-based Lindsay Scott from popular Project Management and Recruitment blog How to Manage a Camel (from Arras People) chats to all interested in Project Management and should be your first port of call when starting off on Twitter. Also follow her London colleague PMOcentric aka Nicola Thorp.

2. ProjectSmart (761 followers)

London-based Project Smart post anecdotes and share links most days, with loads of White Papers and Resources to be found on their comprehensive Project Management “trends and developments” website.

3. pmhut (476 followers)

Just a links aggregate really, but PM Hut are worth a follow if you run Twitter on a platform like TweetDeck and wish to keep your eye out for interesting new Project Management articles.

4. ProjectNetwork (2120)

This Twitter account for US-based Social Network ProjectManagers.NET shares regular links as well as job posts if you’re based in the States of thinking of moving that way!

5. franklyPM (384 followers)

Project Manager for The Group, an online communications consultancy. As a web project manager this anonymous tweeter from London / Edinburgh is one to watch if you’re interested in all things Web 2.0.

-> Part Two: Project Manager Individuals on Twitter ->

How Project Managers can use Social Media

Andy Trainer — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:06:53 +0000

Why Project Managers should be using Social Media and how to do it

Silicon Beach Training offer Project Management Training, Social Media Training and also PRINCE2 Training in Birmingham and Brighton for those looking for a formal project management qualification.

Think Social Media and (for many) think kids procrastinating on Twitter and Facebook. But simply put Social Media just names a way of communicating online and what is successful Project Management without effective and efficient communication? If you’re not making use of Social Media and the Real-Time Internet in your Project Management, you really need to be. Because nowadays when you can research any subject and get immediate results on Google, your clients and team members will start to expect the same from your project. If you’re not convinced, see this excellent post by Andrew Filev which compares completing a project with and without Social Media.

Of course Social Media does often mean kids procrastinating on Twitter and Facebook, and if you’re going to use Social Media you definitely need to ensure you do so in the right way, with the right platforms. Read on for our suggestions on why you should be using Social Media and how you can do it.

Why use Social Media for Project Management?

Group communication
Team building
Monitor the project and react to problems in real-time
Share information and get feedback
Collaborate on documents and track changes
Have information all in one place, searchable and accessible from anywhere
Use information from many sources
For more, see this great post on social networking techniques in project management

What can Project Managers do with Social Media?

Micro-blogging

Creating business Twitter accounts, grouping your project team members in a list and keeping this list running on your computer on a platform such as TweetDeck is a highly effective way of keeping constant communications going. You can also easily use Twitter from your mobile, either on TweetDeck or a platform like Twitter for iPhone. Unlike email, messages are short and to the point, and you can also choose to make them public (rather than a “direct message”) if you want your whole team to be able to read them. The advantage over an instant messenger like MSN is that all your messages - “tweets” – are saved on your online profile wall, making them easy to view and search (see how can I find an old tweet?).

Another way to use Twitter is to follow the #pmot hashtag (Project Management on Twitter) to meet other PMs and keep track of industry news.

Blogging

A blog on a platform such as WordPress or Blogger can be a way to document a project, to share information and then gather feedback from others. Alternatively create a wiki which allows multiple authors to input online, whilst tracking changes.

You can also use blogs to meet other project managers and find information; there are loads of active PM bloggers, some on this list of the best project management blogs. You could join the blogging community and make contacts by commenting on their blogs, sharing their material or even offering to write for them (an excellent idea if you’re a freelancer looking to promote yourself). The Social Internet relies on content spreading virally via peer recommendation (bookmarking, sharing or “liking”); engaging in this is a great way to connect with others, establish yourself as someone useful to know and also hopefully encourage others to share your material.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the Facebook-style social network for professionals, and there’s an active network of project managers. Whilst LinkedIn may not be so useful during the running of your project, it is a useful tool to find information and to promote yourself if you’re self-employed. You can put questions to the entire project management community and get a good response, join groups to meet people and participate in discussions and even view job vacancy boards within these groups. Job opportunities through LinkedIn can even land on your lap if you make plenty of contacts and regularly participate in discussion.

There are many ways you can use the increasingly social internet for both your projects and your project management career. Others include web conferencing with a free platform such as vyew or keeping in touch with your project team and managing your project on the go via your mobile (see this extensive list of iPhone apps for Project Managers). Please do leave a comment if you can elaborate on ways to use social media and which tools to use.

Image credit: web treats and Anthony Cain