• Products
    • Demos
    • TaskMap Standard
    • TaskMap Pro
    • Capture for Excel
    • TaskMap Central
    • Upgrade
  • Downloads
    • Trials
    • Templates
    • Free Role List
  • Training
    • Self-paced Tutorials
    • Online Seminars
    • Calendar
  • Solutions
    • ITIL Suite
    • SOX Expert Suite
    • SPM Roadmap
    • Consulting
    • Process Conversion
    • Process Templates
  • BPM Blog
    • Process Mapping
    • Process Discovery
    • Process Analysis
    • Improvement
    • Change Management
    • Articles
  • Support
    • Product Support
    • TaskMap
    • FAQ's
    • Contact
    • Self-Paced Tutorials
  • About
    • Contact
    • Partners & Resellers
    • Background

  • About the BPM Blog
  • BPM Blog Sitemap

BPM Blog

BPM made simpler

Monthly Archive for March, 2011

Project Management Post Mortem: How did we do?

Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 31st, 2011

I hate to use the words post mortem in the context of Project Management … it obviously assumes the patient died! Not a good outcome. Obviously, that’s not the case, but the procedure still has some value. As busy professionals we have a lot going on, and the most successful project managers often just move [...]

Read Full Post »

Stepping Stones approach to project management

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 30th, 2011

The stepping stones approach lets us use our alternatives of skills, tools and tasks according to the changing needs of the project. Still moving forward with the project, but crossing the boundaries with different skills, tools and tasks according the best approach at that time. Many project management methods already incorporate this method, understanding that [...]

Read Full Post »

Skills, Tools and Rock and Roll: How to increase your project’s chances of success-Part 1

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 29th, 2011

There are a lot of tools out there to help us get our BPM project done on time and on budget. One question that comes up a lot is whether we should follow a step by step method when handling these projects or keep some flexibility in our process. In every case we have a [...]

Read Full Post »

Managing changes in the project

Posted in Change Management on Mar 28th, 2011

Once the change or trouble has been identified, then a strict and agreed process needs to start immediately. Imagine how many projects are started, the project owner signs the contract and the project manager begins work. Everyone assumes that all is going to go perfectly through the process; the project owner or sponsor never changing [...]

Read Full Post »

Getting your project out of trouble

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 27th, 2011

Listen and access Listening is defined as “hearing with attention”. I like that definition, because some project managers hear but don’t listen to what is being communicated. In some cases the individual may also be nervous about bringing this news to you, and may therefore emphasize certain parts of the problem and not others. This [...]

Read Full Post »

When things go wrong–troubleshooting

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 26th, 2011

Sooner or later some aspect of a project starts to come undone. Deadlines advancing too quickly, budgets getting out of control, team members concerned about quality, all factors that need attention. Even as a new project manager, the first reaction to trouble should not be blind panic. Every project will have stages when things are [...]

Read Full Post »

BPM blog Weekly summary

Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 25th, 2011

Automated help with Quality Assurance Posted in Process Analysis on Mar 23rd, 2011 Many BPM projects need assistance with quality assurance. Often this occurs when we are analyzing maps for opportunities to enforce quality standards and ensure they are being supported. In addition to these more sophisticated requirements, there is also the need to keep [...]

Read Full Post »

Automated help with Quality Assurance

Posted in Process Analysis on Mar 23rd, 2011

Many BPM projects need assistance with quality assurance. Often this occurs when we are analyzing maps for opportunities to enforce quality standards and ensure they are being supported. In addition to these more sophisticated requirements, there is also the need to keep the basics of a process in order. As most processes typically span several [...]

Read Full Post »

Delegating responsibility to your BPM team

Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 22nd, 2011

If have have elements of perfectionism in your personality that finds you doing the following: Completing others work who haven’t quite gotten it right Getting very frustrated about keeping others on track Wanting every meeting to run perfectly like clockwork Having little or no tolerance for something that doesn’t meet your standards Then perhaps you [...]

Read Full Post »

Learning BPM in a hurry

Posted in Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Mar 21st, 2011

Sometimes we just don’t have the time to put the effort into going to formal educational courses to get the data we need. As Meryl Streep once quipped in the movie Postcards from the Edge “I used to be into instant gratification, but now I don’t have the patience for it.” In BPM that’s a [...]

Read Full Post »

BPM Weekly summary 20 March 2011

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Mar 20th, 2011

Chose team members and partners carefully Posted in Project Management on Mar 16th, 2011 One big factor affecting any projects success or failure is the quality and motivation of those on the team. Choosing your team wisely will reduce risks in the project at a stroke.  Why The team and how they work together makes [...]

Read Full Post »

Chose team members and partners carefully

Posted in Project Management on Mar 16th, 2011

One big factor affecting any projects success or failure is the quality and motivation of those on the team. Choosing your team wisely will reduce risks in the project at a stroke.  Why The team and how they work together makes the difference between successful completion and utter failure. At the outset of any project [...]

Read Full Post »

BPM Success factors: Appropriate budget for the tasks/project in hand

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 14th, 2011

May seem like an obvious issue, but having the budget in place to complete the project is often overlooked in the enthusiasm to get the project started. Budgets have a habit of getting trimmed, cut back and revisited. As a project manager you need to keep your eye on this ball. The converse also happens, [...]

Read Full Post »

BPM Projects Best Practices: A good project plan

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 13th, 2011

Make a Plan and then follow through A good project plan should be the starting point in any project. Sometimes the simplest things are the ones we miss, and when we look at some of the problems that arise during a complex project, it is easy to waver from the initial plan and framework in [...]

Read Full Post »

BPM BLOG Weekly summary 12 March 2011

Posted in Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 12th, 2011

Weekly summary March, 2011 What to do about Luddites and other disbelievers Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 11th, 2011 Ever feel like you are in the project from hell? Sometimes you may feel that you have been placed in a movie, or that God is testing you because of the [...]

Read Full Post »

What to do about Luddites and other disbelievers

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 11th, 2011

Ever feel like you are in the project from hell? Sometimes you may feel that you have been placed in a movie, or that God is testing you because of the hostility you are encountering in your project. In the most virulent form this may take on the form of Luddites (see definition below) who [...]

Read Full Post »

Transparency. The dirty window of project management

Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Mar 10th, 2011

What an overused word transparency is today. In recent years it’s banded about like some great revelation to management and self help gurus alike. What monumental balderdash! Suddenly we awake one morning and decide that we will be honest, open, clear with everyone we deal with on a project. We won’t hide that key piece [...]

Read Full Post »

Top 10 factors that can affect your project: Competent project team members

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 9th, 2011

It may seem obvious, but better people usually produce better results. Great thinking Einstein! However, we are often not dealt the cards we want when a project team is assembled. The dream team are the best communicators, popular folks for every department affected, you get your pick of course. Reality sets in and assignments are [...]

Read Full Post »

BPM Barriers to success: Outcome impact on staff and organization buy in

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 8th, 2011

Organization buy-in is listed as #4 on my top ten list, however maybe it should be Number 1. There are so many negatives associated with change an organization doesn’t believe or sign up to we could write a book on the topic. How many times do you hear these problems about “so and so’s project” [...]

Read Full Post »

Realistic and achievable goals/objectives

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 7th, 2011

How many times does a project fail because the members don’t believe it’s doable. Unrealistic goals and objectives are often to blame. Sometimes timelines because the project started too late, others because of lack of resources. It doesn’t really matter, the project is likely to fail because the team don’t believe in it. Here is [...]

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

  • Archives

    • March 2012 (1)
    • February 2012 (3)
    • January 2012 (4)
    • December 2011 (11)
    • November 2011 (16)
    • October 2011 (17)
    • September 2011 (20)
    • August 2011 (21)
    • July 2011 (21)
    • June 2011 (22)
    • May 2011 (22)
    • April 2011 (23)
    • March 2011 (26)
    • February 2011 (28)
    • January 2011 (31)
    • December 2010 (31)
    • November 2010 (20)
  • Recent Posts

    • Business Process Modeling
    • Education
    • The issue of organizational culture
    • A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PROCESSES
    • Process Dashboards: Identifying and flagging risk levels
    • Process Dashboards: Analyzing timeframes
    • THE CASE FOR PROCESS DASHBOARDS
    • Is 2012 the year that version control finally takes hold?
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 8)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 7)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 6)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 5)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 4)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 3)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 2)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening (Part 1)
    • TaskMap Update: version 4.0.5
    • BPM BLOG Summary for week ending 2 December 2011
    • The Tutorials are coming … the tutorials are coming
    • The psychology of spending and how it can help BPM ;-)
    • Happy Thanksgiving
    • BPM Blog–The need to refine
    • Processes as instruction tools
    • BPM Blog Weekly summary 11.18.2011 with video blog
    • Project and Processes (responses to the questions)
    • Projects and processes
    • Thinking things through
    • Happy 11.11.11 and BPM Blog summary
    • TaskMap Automated tutorial: TaskMap Capture for Excel
    • Customizing fields in TaskMap 4 Professional
    • Prioritization in your life
    • The need to refine
    • Happy Anniversary BPM Blog: A good first milestone
    • Training the trainers
    • Power
    • BPM Blog summary for week ending 28 October 2011
    • Customized process mapping
    • Agile methodology: The case for a blended Agile
    • Additional displays: Are they worth the money?
    • BPM Blog summary week ending 21 October 2011
    • Thoughts matter: How thoughts affect our actions in everyday life
    • BPM Summary of automated tutorials on the TaskMap menu
    • Automated tutorial—Save as process folder
    • Automated tutorial—Task Links and how to use them
    • Automated tutorial for Task Details
    • TaskMap Tutorial—Save as PowerPoint
    • Check my TaskMap
    • BPM Blog summary week ending 7 October 2011
    • Renumbering Tasks in TaskMap
    • Customizing roles names in TaskMap
    • Adding tasks to a Page–add task to page Dialog
    • How to add tasks to pages using the auto connect feature in TaskMap
    • BPM Blog Summary Week ending 30 September 2011
    • Towards Perfection
    • BPM in the Legal Profession
    • BPM BLOG SITE MAP
    • Rigor and our business processes
    • BPM Summary Week ending 23 September 2011. The Case for a Blended Agile
    • The Case for a Blended Agile: Part 4-Agile Stepping Stones Approach
    • The Case for a Blended Agile: Part 3-What a blended approach looks like
  • RSS Get the BPM RSS feed

  • Posts by category

    • Change Management
    • Compliance
    • Law Processes
    • Legal processes
    • Org Charts in Visio
    • Process Analysis
    • Process Discovery
    • Process Improvement
    • Process Mapping
    • Project Management
    • Uncategorized
  • Tags

    best practices bpm budget business analyst business process category change change management computing group dashboard decisions discovery discovery phase efficiency flowchart flowcharts goals and objectives governance harvard job management change management project map methodology mike cunningham milestones personality process documentation process improvement process mapping process maps project management project managers quality standards return on investment risk role names sox compliance target task library team members technorati time and money timeframe Visio willingness

Home • Products • Downloads • Templates • BPM Blog • Training • Contact Us • SiteMap

Copyright © Harvard Computing Group, Inc., 1994-2011. All Rights Reserved. TaskMap is a registered TradeMark of Harvard Computing Group.
Harvard Computing Group, 225 Cedar Hill Street, Suite 200, Marlborough, MA, 01752, USA Tel: 978-800-4590