A lot of people in my organization have had project management training,
but nobody uses it. Why?
There could be several reasons. First, most project management training programs simply present a bundle of techniques, without explaining how to use them in combination to plan and control projects. YCA training presents proven integrated project planning and control processes (The Project Success MethodSM). The relationships among the steps in the processes and the techniques used in each step are clear. In other words, YCA does not just tell you about project management techniques; YCA teaches you how to plan and control projects to achieve successful performance.

Second, many project management training programs are taught by individuals who have no experience in applying the techniques they are teaching to the management of real projects. In essence, they are teaching from a textbook. They have no basis for highlighting the most important aspects of project management or pointing out the common mistakes made by project managers. They have few examples to employ as illustrations, and their teaching lacks credibility. YCA instructors have deep experience in planning and controlling projects in a wide range of industries and project types. They obviously know what they are talking about, and they convey great confidence in the concepts, techniques and processes they teach.

Third, most firms and universities that teach project management have no capacity to help individuals and organizations implement the techniques taught. YCA can follow up its training with consulting services to help the client organization immediately apply the project planning and control processes they have learned to real, strategically important projects. Thus, the transition from classroom learning to actual application is accelerated and facilitated.

Finally, the implementation and consistent application of formal project management processes requires organizational commitment and discipline. An explicit objective of training on The Project Success MethodSM is to motivate people to commit to the disciplined use of the project planning and control processes taught. This motivation is instilled by helping people recognize the benefits of formal project management to their professional career and to the quality of their work life.

We bought project management software, and we tried to use it.
It didn't help, and nobody uses it anymore. What's wrong?
Trying to use project management software without understanding the integrated project planning and control processes is like trying to use word processing software without knowing how to write clearly and coherently. It only leads to frustration. Project management software can only support the skilled application of the project planning and control processes. Until the organization has knowledge of those processes and the skills to apply them, project management software will be of little value. Once the organization is ready to use project management software, a careful analysis of the project environment and project management requirements should be performed to determine the appropriate software product to implement.

I am a project manager. I develop good project plans, but the teams don't follow them. Why not?
The team's commitment to the project plan and to the project planning and control processes is absolutely essential to success. The best way to achieve that commitment is to have the team work together cross-functionally to develop their plan for their project. You need not, in fact, you should not, make all the decisions in planning and controlling the project. You should guide the team through the project planning and control processes and help the team reach their own decisions through consensus.

I don't have time to plan. Why should I make time?
It is ironic that people do not have time to plan projects, but they find time to "fight the fires" that could have been prevented through disciplined planning. Although project planning does involve an investment of time, that investment will always be more than repaid to you during the execution of the project through the prevention of problems and wasted effort. Also, the project planning process becomes faster and more efficient as you gain experience in its application and develop templates to facilitate the process. Another payoff of the time invested in project planning is the team building that naturally occurs during the cross-functional planning process.

My boss does not seem to think that project planning is a good use of the team's time. S/he wants to see us working on project tasks rather than spending our time planning. Why should I plan if my boss thinks it's a waste of time?
Does your boss want your project to fail? Of course not! S/he probably has never witnessed the effective application of integrated project planning and control processes. If your career depends on achieving project success, you cannot afford not to plan and control your project. Demonstrate the effectiveness of The Project Success MethodSM and your boss' attitude will change quickly and completely.