PBS -v- WBS, is there a difference?
8 years 49 weeks agoI was recently involved in a virtual discussion on the Association for Project Management (APM - UK) website around the use and differences between a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) and a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The resulting briefing document produced by the APM is summarised here
What’s the message??
9 years 1 week agoA couple of conversations in the last week or so has highlighted the importance of effective communication if you want anyone to take notice of the project information you have carefully gathered and analysed. Good data, good analysis and good information are useless if no one gets the message.
Far too many project controls professionals and project managers think they have done
Measuring Culture - a new dimension for PMOs?
9 years 5 weeks agoOn many occasion we, and others, have defined good governance as balancing the needs of stakeholders and the objectives of the organisation to achieve long-term, sustainable value for the majority, if not all, stakeholders (see: Mosaic’s governance archives). From these considerations, Dr. Lynda Bourne
Why do so many organisations and clients accept bad schedules?
9 years 8 weeks agoThe need for effective planning and scheduling has been recognised for well over 100 years. Projects fail when they overrun the allocated time and budget and overrunning on schedule is a great way to make sure you also overrun on cost.
The elements needed to enhance the probability of project success are also well known, starting with a skilled project manager and team, with the
Stakeholder’s Don’t Understand Numbers
9 years 17 weeks agoProject controls processes and project reports are full of numbers and calculations and one would think that most project stakeholders, particularly senior managers, would see and understand the numbers in the same way. Unfortunately resent research
Throwing money away!
9 years 21 weeks agoOne of the hardest things to do is to stop wasting money and resources on a losing proposition, emotions, biases and focusing on simple but irrelevant measures can all lead to bad decisions. A proper consideration of ‘sunk costs’ can help eliminate these ‘always wrong’ decisions.
The fact you have spent several months and $thousands on a mission to accomplish something should
Performance Management
9 years 24 weeks agoSome organisations perform consistently well, others don’t! This statement is true of all aspects of an organisation’s performance including its ability to manage projects and programs effectively. Consistent high performance in the creation of value from projects and programs certainly requires the technical capabilities to manage projects effectively (see more on the
Two new papers on the Mosaic web
9 years 29 weeks agoWe presented papers at the Engineers Australia MCPC14 conference late last year. They are now available on our website.
Understanding Design – The challenge of informed consent looks at the problem of communicating complex project information to