Project management is a skill that can (as any other skill) be acquired and improved. Really most of our work and a significant part of our personal lives boil down in one way or another to project management. This deck presents a set of simple and effective techniques for project management or what Ivo means when he says "drive this".

1. The Essence of “DRIVING”A Crash Course in Project Management Ivo Manolov, Microsoft

2. Project Management Is a Skill Can be acquired and improved Projects have a standard life-cycle Initiation Planning and Kick-Off Execution Monitoring and Control Closing Post-Mortem

3. “Drive This” == “Be an Effective PM” In other words, exhibit … Independence Ability to construct, communicate and get approval for a project plan Ability to set the project in motion, keep it in motion and close it down Ability to reach desired results

4. Project Management Template

5. Proven Project Management Techniques &!

6. Over-Communicate! Until you hear “you are spamming me”! Scorecard Often presented in time Can track both quantities and “gut feelings”

7. Trend (Glide-Path) Indicate important milestones Provide title and dimensions for the axes Use meaningful colors (red == active bugs)

8. Backlog / Burn-Down List Provides a centrally visible prioritized list Provides a “parking lot”

9. “Branded” Status Emails Standardized subject line Standardized “look and feel” Sent to a custom alias Schedule in Excel with “From”, “To”, “Length” columns

10. Schedule in Visio Because Excel lacks scaled time periods Use the “We Are Here” arrow! Lighting fast clarity Increases confidence that the schedule is real and recent

11. Questions & Comments ?