Archive for August, 2011
Finding the Right Ship Management Company to Work With
Posted by in International Standards on August 18, 2011
Ship management is a complex task that requires a company to be highly proficient in wide range of tasks. Vessel management, crewing, maintenance management, and financial control are just some of the most challenging responsibilities that a ship operations management company needs to address. Most importantly, there are several strict U.S. and international safety and environmental standards that the company must be able to comply with.
When it comes to safety standards for its employees and the environment, finding a vessel management company that is compliant with ISO 9001: 2000 Quality Management System is important. It is also necessary to check whether the ship operations implement a safety management system that adheres to the requirements set by ISM. These two important qualifications are part of the standards set by the American Bureau of Shipping.
To ensure the safety of the employees and crew onboard, a vessel management company that has security plans approved by the U.S. Coast Guard is also essential. Another sign of a shipping company that is surely worth considering is one that complies with the Shipboard Security requirements of the MTSA and ISPS.
Aside from checking a ship management company’s compliance with U.S. shipping standards, it is also imperative that parties interested in enlisting the service will check the company’s compliance with international requirements when it comes to employee safety and environmental protection. Classification Society Rules, Shipboard Security, and Flag State Registry (USCG) are just some examples of the international standards that a quality vessel management company should adhere to.
Resource Box:
Ocean Shipholdings Inc. (OSI) is a leading provider of ship management operations and vessel management services that comply with the strictest U.S. and international standards to ensure crew and employee safety. OSI also fulfils the terms set by national and international requirements when it comes to environmental protection. Learn more by visiting OceanShipholdings.com or calling 281-579-3700.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Y._Tilden
PMP and ITIL – Framework Methodologies With Valuable Synergy
Posted by in Project Management Framework on August 18, 2011
For a long time, IT professionals were apt to believe that ITIL and project management certification (PMP) were conflicting frameworks, and you were either certified in one or the other, but rarely both. The ITIL framework and project management framework both serve different purposes to be sure, but when combined within an organization, they ultimately create great synergy. The ITIL framework, a lifecycle that addresses the way an IT organization operates, is first and foremost business driven and answers the question “Are we doing the right things?” The project management framework addresses the implementation of projects throughout the organization, requiring that companies ask “Are we doing things the right way?”
The UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is responsible for the management and distribution of materials on the ITIL framework. The OGC also controls another framework called PRINCE2, a project management framework used primarily in the Europe. Both the ITIL framework and the PRINCE2 project management framework follow a lifecycle approach to their respective subjects.
In the US, the Project Management Institute manages the PMP certification which does have overlap with the PRINCE2 project management framework. The PMP certification is based on content contained in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), a book published by the PMI. The PMBOK is organized around nine knowledge areas that are utilized throughout a project’s existence.
If you’re in the “ITIL and PMP both say too much of the same thing, so why learn both?” school of thought, think again. Combining the ITIL framework and the project management framework allows you the ability to execute projects with a higher level of quality, as they both provide a detailed set of instructions on how IT organizations should operate. Despite minor structural differences, the combination of both the ITIL framework and the project management framework can be highly beneficial for any IT organization, and there is a genuine hope that IT professionals will begin to understand why they need to be certified in both ITIL and Project Management.
ITIL and PMP Framework Similarities
While ITIL addresses how IT organizations as a whole should operate, PMP addresses how individual projects within the organization should be executed. PMP applies to projects throughout the entire organization not just IT. Both frameworks rely heavily on process and the use of tools to enable consistent execution of processes. The ITIL framework and the project management framework support each other in a way that propels services and operations to a greater level of proficiency.
Furthermore, both frameworks address the need to manage quality, risk, and accountability. Most importantly, however, both ITIL and PMP consistently help improve efficiency and usefulness within the organization. ITIL describes the ideal end state that an organization would like to achieve. There are those who believe that if the ITIL framework behaves according to the ideal model, all will go according to plan. Unfortunately, this utopian IT end result is not realistic in the business world – and an organization must implement a framework that allows for individual projects to be completed over months’ time in order to get to the desired end result. Read the rest of this entry »
Better Project Management – Using the Project Management Triangle
Posted by in Project Management Triangle on August 18, 2011
Fresh from a Microsoft Project course, a manager sits down to develop a project plan. However without proper project management principles, the plan will just be pretty charts and graphs that have no bearing on reality.
Fast, Good, Cheap – Pick Two
Some Project courses discuss the project triangle because it is such as central concept to project management theory. Any project is constrained by three things: time, scope, and cost. A manager can influence one or even two of these but only at the cost of the third.
For example, a manager has to deliver a finished project by a certain deadline and keep to a specific budget. This will restrict the scope of the project. On the other hand, perhaps the deadline is flexible but the quality of the finished project, which is part of scope, must meet a certain requirement. The one thing the manager can’t do is increase all three constraints. One of them will suffer as the other two are improved.
Or Pick Fewer Than Two
As any experienced project manager knows, two or even all three constraints can get out of control if the project is not carefully administered. So there is a limit, say, to how much you can reduce a project’s cost. However there is no limit to how much you can increase it. It is easy to produce a project that is late, poor quality and over budget.
That is often the result of project plans that ignore the triangle and try to remove all three restraints. The project plan becomes unrealistic and when problems arise, the entire thing comes crashing down. No Project course can protect you from bad planning. We are never in control of outside events. All we can do is try to correct for them, while keeping the triangle in mind.
Balance All Three Constraints
Most managers don’t have unlimited ability to relax constraints. All three factors will seem important, but the plan must consider which one is most important.
Consider a non-profit organization that has received a $10,000 grant. They can’t go to the grantor and request more money if they go over budget. If their expenses are higher than anticipated, they have no choice but to cut back on scope or extend the time.
On the other hand, a company might have a contract to manufacture a component to specific tolerances. If the component is created outside these tolerances, it won’t fit into the larger assembly and is useless. The company must follow this constraint, even at the expense of the other two. Read the rest of this entry »