Visionaries, whether executives or entrepreneurs, are great at developing and articulating strategy but may find difficulty in execution.  This is where Kim Farmer comes in.  As a certified project management professional with 30+ years in corporate business experience, she knows how to get stuff done!  In this episode, Kim graciously gives us an excellent primer on project management to help you take specific actions to achieve your company’s growth strategy.

No fluff, no B.S.  This is where the rubber meets the road and this episode is one of the most important to-date because it’s all about action!  Learn the 5 major questions to answer prior to beginning any project as well as the triple constraints you’ll have to balance throughout a project.  You’ll also find out how to identify, assemble and coordinate the people, processes and tools you’ll need to ensure your project’s success as Kim explains the Waterfall and Agile approaches to project management.  Be sure to check out the show notes below – they’re packed with great information to support you in planning and organizing your next project!

Special Guest: Kim Farmer, PMP – Solutions Delivery Manager at Crane Connectivity Solutions

Show Notes:

• Project Management Institute: the world’s leading project management organization with over 500,000 Global Members
• Local chapters of PMI: search PMI’s 300+ international chapters to find and connect with people who are certified project management professionals (PMP)
• Project Management Book Of Knowledge (PMBOK): the definitive guide for all certified project management professionals
• ProjectManagement.com: a cross-industry community for project managers offering a variety of training, articles and other supportive resources
• Project Management for Dummies: a book by Stanley Portny

BONUS: 

Below is a project management diagram that Kim wanted to share with you.  It brilliantly illustrates the importance of clear communication to ensure all team members on a project understand the estimated scope, time and budget.

I also found a website, TemplateLab.com, where you can download different types of Gantt charts for FREE!  Gantt Charts are a useful tool to illustrate a project plan/schedule.  “It allows you to quickly see the status of any project and see how far along it is.  It also allows you to manage processes that depend on the completion of other processes. Mostly, Gantt Charts allow project managers to quickly give estimates about how long the project will take to complete.”

Here’s a video that explains how to create a simple, basic Gantt Chart in MS Excel:

And last, here’s a diagram that showcases the “triple constraints” that Kim referenced in her interview:

Related Episodes:

• Episode 006: How Can I Implement Business Infrastructure in My Company?
• Episode 008: The Lean Methodology: What It Is & How to Apply It to Your Small Business
• Episode 021: Improving Quality in Healthcare Operations
• Episode 034: Developing a Business Strategy for Sustainable Growth

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