- The Contribution of Earned Value Management to Project Success on Contracted Efforts: A Quantitative Statistics Approach with the Population of Experienced Practioners, Robert A. Marshall, October 2006. There is a suggestion from one of the proponents of a project manager competency assessment that it is not possible to make a connection between competency and project success. I think though they haven't formulated how to actually make this connection, so therefore it's not possible.
As well, suggestions on my part that such a connection might be needed for people to engage in spending time and money to perform the competency assessment was met with the typical "car salesman" approach of "I've got 40 years experience here and you simply don't understand the value of our proposal." Now this response is elicited from a self proclaimed heretic project manager and of course is nonsense.
That said, look at the above paper as an example of how to first of conduct real research and second how to hypothesize a connection between a process with a proposed beneficial outcome. Read it, chase down the references, and see how actual research in the realm of project management is done.
This paper shows how to perform quantitative measures of causal connections between a process and an outcome within a controlled population of performers of that process. Anyone tells you that you can't make a connection between a proposed assessment or or a process that results from that assessment and a measurable outcome, point them to this paper as an example and tell them "come back" when they made that connection.
- Field Guide for Understanding Human Error - having been in the Program Management Office at Rocky Flats (www.rfets.gov) we had our own safety officer, just for the PMO. The site had real hazards. Death generating hazards. I was asked very sternly once to "get off my desk and stop trying to adjust the air conditioner vent." We had those kinds of hazards. All were OSHA reportables.
- PMP Exam Prep. Here's a news release of a firm hosting PMP Exam Prep. I run hot and cold on PMP exam prep firms. But this is interesting. Here's my definitive reason for holding a PMP
It's got nothing to do with competency or the measure of "goodness" of a project manager. That has to come from some other assessment vehicle. And that assessment is not yet another certification process. That aside, holding a PMP says one thing. You've read PMBOK and have passed a test showing you know the processes and knowledge areas of PMBOK. That alone is the "table stakes" for having a conversation about how good a project manager you are. You have a demonstrated interest in the fundamentals of project management
- Introduction to Monte Carlo Simulation. This is a topic I'm deeply involved with on our programs. DID 81650 mandates a schedule risk analysis. Our preferred tool is Risk+, but @Risk for Project is another. Simple simulations can shown how the principles work. But like things useful, there are complexities.
- How NASA Builds Teams: Mission Critical Soft Skills for Scientist, Engineers, and Project Teams is a must read for anyone tasked with managing non-trivial projects. This is a "How To" book from the people who manage projects with mission critical attributes. Forget all the other soft skills books. Read this and Dr. Brown's Program Management book. Toss everything else.
