MS Project - task types

All is turning around a simple formula:

W =  U * D

where W - work, U - units (number of resources for the task), D - duration.

Task types can be Fixed Work, Fixed Units, Fixed Duration.

Most used is Fixed Work.

If you have 32h of Work and it is fixed, you need 1 person (8h working day) and 4 days then duriation. If you add additonal resource, now you have say 2 persons - then duration will be 2.


Now if you would set task as Fixed Duration and you add second person, MSP will change Work, not duration (because it is fixed). It is less intuitive, but once you have formula and mind and you know which variable is fixed, then all become clear.

Fixed units is also a task type, and guess what - the same formula applies.  Can not change unit then. By changing duration to 2 you will half the work to 16. The same MPS person can only do half of the work if you ask him to half duration.

Smart and dumb objectives

For those who like abbreviations like:

objectives must be S.M.A.R.T - Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time based.

Here is one more:

Objectives must be D.U.M.B. :)  - Doable, Understandable, Measurable, Beneficial.

PSM

Professional Scrum Master certificate from scrum.org in the pocket!

Agile: setting priorities on user stories (features) - MoSCoW method

Must have (highest priority)
o
Should have
Could have
o
Would have (lowest priority)

Scrum phases

Pre-game (initiate, plan, sprint zero)
Game (implement in several sprints of`~30 days, monitroing and control at the end of each sprint)
Post-game (closure)

Lean principles

Eliminate waste
Flow in value stream (muda)
Continuos improvement (kaizen)

Problem solving

There is a number of different tools that one can use to solve a problem:

- use four step approach: define a problem, analyse options, select, implement

- simplify (remove details to understand  a general problem)
- decompose (divide to a smaller manageable problems)
- 5 whys, ask 5 time why is this happening to drill down to a root cause
- brainstorm solutions (list all possible and even impossible solutions), then select
- cause and effect diagram
- Analyse fact's impacts by drill down with "So what?" question
- trial and errors (random)
- heuristic (intuition)
- prototype (or reproduce in a lab)
- TRIZ (systematic approach - define specific problem, generalise, find general solution, find specific solution): 40 tools, like imagine a final product, inversion, etc.
- view the problem from several angles (Customers, Actors, Transformation, World, Owner, Environement)
- solution failure analysis: What can go wrong? 
- many other tools

Ever heard about TRIZ?

If not get yourself familiarized with following articles, book and videos:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/03/07/why-is-samsung-such-an-innovative-company/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ

http://youtu.be/zcKy0psDlf4

http://www.slyasafox.com/DV40.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2D5C802D09AA217B

http://www.lean6sigma.vn/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=12&Itemid=43

Agile projects (software)

A whole zoo of different methodologies exists for software projects:


Traditional = Waterfall
Agile:
Scrum
Xtreme Programming (XP)
Lean Development
Crystal (Clear, Orange, etc.)
FDD
TDD
DSDM
ASD
UP
AUP
EssUP
OpenUP

Sorry for the day when only one traditional methodology existed :)

getting PMP

Preparing myself for PMP certification - two days training from http://www.Knowledgehut.com/ and ordered a book "PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam"