RefineM Blog

Roadmap to Implement Agile

Header for Roadmap to Implement Agile infographic.
April 4, 2016

Are you ready to have a team that is actively involved, quick to make decisions and quick to embrace change? If so, you’re ready to implement Agile. With Agile, you’ll speed up delivery, have higher customer satisfaction, greater project success, and will be better equipped to reduce risk. Follow us on the road to implement Agile.

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10 Factors to Consider When Selecting a Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam Prep Course

Image of PMP exam preparation materials.
March 24, 2016

Are you ready to take your Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification exam? Are you sure? The PMP exam is a difficult test, and even highly skilled and experienced project managers can struggle with it. A prep course or boot camp can give you the edge you need, but finding the best course for you can be a project in itself. How can you ensure you’re selecting the best company, course, and instructor to get the best value for your money? In this post, we present ten factors you should consider before selecting a vendor for your PMP Exam prep training.

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Agile Contracts

Photo of an agilist filling out an agile contract.
March 13, 2016

Learn more about RefineM Agile Transformation

An agile project is likely to look drastically different as compared to a waterfall project. As a result, the contract for an agile project needs to be constructed with mutual understanding of these differences between customers and organizations practicing agile. Acknowledging the unique project environment in the agile contract will allow both sides to better support their agile projects. In this post, we describe key features agile contracts need to have and describe a few examples of contracts.

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5 Common Project Management Issues: How to Recognize and Overcome

Photo of project management team meeting.
March 7, 2016

In our consulting and project management experience, we have found that projects derail due to five common issues. If you recognize warning signs of these problems on your project, it’s time to take steps to fix the problems. Once action steps have been taken, preventive measures can be employed to keep the problems from returning.

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Being a Boss Vs. Being a Leader

Image of a leader in a school of fish
March 1, 2016

What is the difference between being a boss and being a leader? Bosses become self-absorbed, thinking only about what they must do to see results. On the other hand, leaders look outward to uplift the team to greater levels of success! Why is it important to be a leader instead of a boss? As the common saying goes, “People don’t leave companies – people leave managers.” As a leader, people will have the desire to follow your lead. As a boss, people will react to you. They might even push against you. As you can see, there is a big difference in being a boss verses being a leader.

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Q&A with NK: Beginnings in Project Management

Photo of NK Shrivastava, CEO and founder of RefineM
February 23, 2016

This post is the first in a Q&A series with RefineM’s CEO and founder, NK Shrivastava. With over 25 years of experience in project management, NK has a lot of wisdom and experience to share. Throughout this series, we will ask NK about his experiences in project management and agile to discover and share what he has learned. In this post, we’ve asked NK to share his experiences from the beginning of his career in project management to now. We hope that you will be able to learn more about NK and how his career has helped shape him into a project management consultant and the CEO of his own company. We hope you will enjoy our first Q&A interview with NK, “Beginnings in Project Management.”

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Integrating Agile and Waterfall

Photo of man jumping into a waterfall.
February 15, 2016

Many organizations start implementing agile on a small scale, with one team or department, and expand from there. When organizations starting agile have traditionally used traditional or waterfall approaches before, they face the challenge of integrating agile and waterfall and determining what projects work best for each approach. In this post, we will talk about the challenges of integrating agile and waterfall and explain a model for how the two can integrate, even on large and complex projects.

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A Tiered Approach to Implement the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) [Infographic]

Image preview for infographic, "Implementing the PMBOK Guide." Which tier is right for you?
February 9, 2016

You’re probably familiar with how complex the processes are in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), or else you wouldn’t be reading this post. With years of experience, we’ve learned that not every project needs the full PMBOK® Guide.

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Eight Powerful Project Management Processes [Infographic]

Infographic Preview for 8 Powerful Project Management Processes
January 26, 2016

Project managers are frequently asked to do more with less; in less time and with fewer resources. We’ve explored this issue and have come up with a solution. Through a series of eight blog posts, we present to you the “Eight Powerful Project Management Processes.” By following these eight essential processes, you will be able to get more done with less time and fewer resources. In this blog post, we present an infographic for an overview of all the eight powerful project management processes.

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8 Tips for Tighter Project Schedule Management

Image of a large clock in a city.
December 14, 2015

Managing the schedule is a critical function of project managers. Most stakeholders want to know when they can expect value to be delivered from a project. If project managers do not have tight control of the schedule management process, they cannot relay this valuable information and are at greater risk of schedule slippage, delays, and project failure.

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PMI, PMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, and PMBOK are all registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.