PMI Baltimore Chapter

The Project Management Office (PMO) provides templates and online resources for use in managing internal and external projects.

Templates

Templates corresponding to each phase of a project are being made available to Chapter members and non-members for their use, as well.

Initiating

During the Initiation phase, a Project Charter is created to establish in writing the statement of work and launch the project. The Work Authorization formally commits the resources to the project for an agreed upon duration.

Planning

During the Planning phase, the Project Plan establishes the project details, including work breakdown structure (WBS) and budget information. Detailed tasks tied to the WBS are captured in the Project Schedule . The Communications Plan and Risk Management Plan are intended to ensure strategies are in place to keep stakeholders informed and mitigate risk, respectively.

Executing

During the Execution phase, a Requirements Specification is authored to capture specifically what the project must accomplish. For system projects, a Test Plan is created to verify that every requirement has been implemented and functions as intended. For projects involving the creation of a new product, a Marketing Plan is used to define the product's marketing strategy.

Controlling

During the Controlling phase, Status Reports are regularly used to keep team members, Executive Sponsors, and customers informed of the project's progress relative to the plan. Status meetings, with Meeting Agendas distributed in advance, are an effective way to assess project status.

Closing

During the Closeout phase, it is important to reflect back on the project to ensure that all objectives were met, identify any unresolved issues, assess areas for improvement, and capture lessons learned. Closeout Reports are effective tools for documenting this information.

Other Resources

The websites below serve as excellent resources for both novice and senior project managers, alike.

ALLPM.com
http://www.allpm.com/
General project management resource website. Includes an online discussion forum, white papers, templates, and articles.

Gantthead
http://gantthead.com/
Online resource focused on the needs of the IT project management community. Includes articles and process-related tools and templates of particular interest to IT project managers.

ITToolbox Project Management Knowledge Base
http://projectmanagement.ittoolbox.com/
Community where peers share knowledge about information technology. Includes groups, blogs, wiki and more bundled by topic.

PMI's Knowledge & Wisdom Center
http://pmi.org/info/PIR_KWCOverview.asp?nav=0603
Hub for literature and information sources in the field of project management.

ProjectConnections.com
http://www.projectconnections.com/
Project management website containing content from practicing project managers and team members dedicated to producing fast access to practical project management resources.

Project Management
http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm#anchor215419
Comprehensive library of easy-to-access resources regarding the leadership and management of yourself, other individuals, groups, and organizations. Intended for use by for-profit, as well as non-profit organizations.

Projects@Work
http://www.projectsatwork.com/
Project management resources, tools, and training for professional project managers. Includes case studies, podcasts, and interviews.

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management
Project management section of the free, online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Provides a comprehensive definition of project management and includes a summary of project management approaches and an overview of how the disciple has evolved.