Literature
Project Management Theory
Self-scheduling Tasks
Computers excel at some tasks the human brain finds tedious, such as collating large amounts of data and processing it algorithmically. This computational competence is seductive, and computers are sometimes employed to do things they are not really good at, though it isn't immediately apparent to us because neither are we.
Projecting realistic schedules based on speculative estimates is one such case ...(PDF)...
Frame and Context
A frame is the host structure that contextualizes events. It may be a physical structure such as a vehicle, which gives context to wheels, brakes and accelerator, or it may be abstract, such as a political regime that colors events differently for different people. The frame is not the context; it is the reality underlying the context.
How does the project engineer keep the frame as close to the project as possible? Keep the project anchored in reality? ...(PDF)...
Managing Consultants – Why You Really Should
In competitive business environments, where failure and success leverage vast amounts of money, it is often considered safer and easier to employ a large consulting house with the required skills than manage complex projects in-house -- especially if the project is somewhat divorced from core business and expertise.
This thinking may be flawed ...(PDF)...
The Economics of Metameaning - Alternative measures of Value
Mutualistic relationships between economic sectors are the key to the evolution of a progressive advanced economy. To avoid the differential demise of one economy relative to another, economic sectors must be rationally developed to support and develop the required infrastructure.
Energy-based measures may be more useful than monetary ones for planning development projects. ...(PDF)...
The Tao of Project Management
Project management can be more than spreadsheets and Gantt charts. ...(PDF)...
Open-Source Project Management Tools
Open Workbench
"The development and maintenance of even modest plans quickly goes beyond the automated support that generic tools like spreadsheets can provide. The demands of most projects require automated support from specialized project management tools such as Open Workbench™ and Microsoft® Project."
Although both are project planning and scheduling tools, there are many differences in how the products operate. A fundamental difference concerns estimates of work for a project plan. Open Workbench is resource-driven and Microsoft Project is task-driven. ...website...
Faces
Faces is not a tool for the faint-hearted. Written in Python, it allows the technically minded manager to fine-tune the scheduling and allocation algorithms to suit the nature of the project by elbowing into the source-code. Even the project is represented in python code. ...Faces...
Task Juggler
"TaskJuggler is Open Source project management software for serious project managers. It covers the complete spectrum of project management tasks from the first idea to the completion of the project. It assists you during project scoping, resource assignment, cost and revenue planing, risk and communication management."
TaskJuggler is weighted towards UNIX/Linux platforns, though there are some Windows distributions. ...Task Juggler Website...