5 Minutes Podcast with Ricardo Vargas
Episodes
Career in Project Management - Part 1 of 5: Opening, Experience and Study
04 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo begins a special series of five episodes on a career in project management. In this series, he will address the perspectives ...
Where should I register the assumptions and restrictions?
26 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo explains that, unlike what many people think, the assumptions and restrictions (or constraints) often need to be registered n...
How to train your sponsor
12 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo addresses one of the biggest challenges in the project environment, how can we educate the sponsor to make a decision based o...
Management of Very Small Projects: 2 Practical Management Approaches
04 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about two approaches in the management of very small projects. The first approach deals with the management of projects...
Do you really know the meaning of the different tasks relationships? - Part 2 of 2
03 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo continues to talk about the types of relationships between the activities in the schedule. Today he tackles the Finish-to-Fin...
Do you really know the meaning of the different tasks relationships? - Part 1 of 2
27 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this first podcast of two, Ricardo talks about the types of relationships between the activities in the schedule. It's a simple concept but a lot o...
Measuring the Physical Progress of the Project
20 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
How to measure how far you are to finish a task where creativity is relevant and inspiration can accelerate or decelerate the progress? In this podcas...
Lines of Balance - Part 2 of 2
12 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this second part of the podcast about Lines of Balance, Ricardo talks more about how this concept can be used in the project's planning and control...
Lines of Balance - Part 1 of 2
06 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo begins to explain what Line of Balance are and how can they be used. He gives an example of how to plan repetitive tasks in o...
Perspectives for 2014
30 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, the last one of 2013, Ricardo talks about his perspectives for next year, in the world of project management. He highlights that the ...
Retrospective 2013
24 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo makes his retrospective of 2013. Again, a year with mixed feelings. A good year for some, a tough one for others. One of the ...
Who will do the technical work of the project? Is it the Project Manager?
04 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ricardo talks about a question that is one of the most frequent in the project area: Must the project manager have technical knowledg...
There is No Good Deal with Those Who are Not Good: The Lack of Good Faith in Projects
25 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about a complex situation where a stakeholder, on the client-side, refuses to accept deliveries, seeking to impute cont...
Cultural Differences: Why Awareness and Respect are Vital for the Project Success
20 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the cultural differences within a project environment. He gives valuable tips on how the project manager must add...
Directly from the PMO Symposium 2013 in San Diego - USA
13 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, directly from the PMO Symposium 2013 in San Diego, Ricardo makes a brief summary of his perceptions about the main themes of the even...
Dealing with Friction related to the Functional Hierarchy and the Project
04 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the difficulties that the project manager goes through when dealing with an organization with low maturity in pro...
Directly from PMI Global Congress 2013 North America in New Orleans
28 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the PMI Global Congress 2013 which took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He makes a brief summary of his per...
Understanding that Processes and Projects are not the same thing
20 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the differences between processes and projects. There is still much confusion in people's minds about the charact...
3 Factors that make an Information Technology Project different from the other Projects
13 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo about the main differences in management technology projects as compared to other projects.
Ego, Vanity and Jealousy: The Project Manager's Drama
06 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about ego, vanity and jealousy in the project environment. He gives tips on how we can deal with these personal charact...
Inside Triple-E: The World's Largest Ship
29 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about his visit to the world's largest ship, the Danish Triple-E, anchored in the Copenhagen harbour this month. The sh...
The saving of the Costa Concordia
22 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks, from the project management perspective, about the impressive salvage operation of the Italian liner Costa Concordia w...
Understanding the Project Closeout
15 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the process of project closure. He explains the various reasons why it is important to make the closing correctly...
Workaround: The 2 Sides of the Same Coin
04 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo throws the question: is improvisation during a project always something negative? He cites scenarios where improvisation can ...
The New Features of Microsoft Project 2013
28 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the release of his new book, "Microsoft Project 2013: Standard, Professional e Pro para Office 365", co-written w...
Superman, Darth Vader or Poor Man? Who is Really the Project Manager?
21 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo gives his opinion about a topic discussed on social networks all the time: who is the project manager? Ricardo addresses thre...
Understanding the Rolling Wave Planning
14 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the concept of Rolling Wave Planning, which deals with the progressive elaboration of the project scope. He prese...
Why is it so Complex to be Simple and Effective during the Project Selection?
07 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, at the traditional time of the year when companies are planning their projects for the next year or years, Ricardo talks about the th...
Directly from the PMI EF Disaster Recovery Workshop in Alexandria - USA
30 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks directly from Alexandria, USA, about the PMI Educational Foundation Disaster Recovery Workshop. The workshop brought to...
How to do Stakeholder Analysis in Practice - Part 2 of 2
24 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo ends the explanation of how to do the Stakeholder Analysis in practice. If you have not heard the first part, listen to it h...
How to do Stakeholder Analysis in Practice - Part 1 of 2
17 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this special podcast, Ricardo teaches, in practice, how to do a Stakeholder Analysis. To follow the step-by-step shown by Ricardo, you will need th...
3 Success Factors in the Procurement Process
10 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the dangers of underestimate the complexity of the procurement management. He gives three tips on how we can incr...
Understanding the Risk Attitude
02 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about people's different attitudes and profiles against the risks. He explains these attitudes and profiles by analyzin...
Do not think that the software is your Project Manager
27 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo is incisive on commenting the relevance and importance of the correct use of project management software. He makes it clear t...
Why are we so afraid of failure?
20 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo proposes to us a reflection: why, in both our professional and personal lives, the fear of failure bothers us so much? He say...
Why is it So Hard to Define Clear Criteria for Selecting Projects?
12 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo lists the three main reasons why it is so difficult to establish criteria for selecting projects in a Portfolio Management. T...
Why it is worth using the 3-point estimates to determine the project duration?
06 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the advantage of making three-point estimates. He gives tips on how we can obtain more effectively estimates from...
The new Scope, Time and Cost Planning Processes of the PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition
28 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo concludes the series of five podcasts on the PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition. He talks about the reasons behind the creation of pro...
Stakeholder Management - PMBOK 5th Edition - Part 2 of 2
22 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo continues to talk about the chapter 13 of the PMBOK® 5th Edition, Stakeholder Management. In this second podcast, Ricardo ex...
Stakeholder Management - PMBOK 5th Edition - Part 1 of 2
15 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the chapter 13 of the PMBOK® 5th Edition, Stakeholder Management. Ricardo comments on the characteristics of the...
Main Differences between the 4th and the 5th Edition of the PMBOK® Guide
07 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the main differences between the fourth and the fifth edition of the PMBOK ® Guide. He introduces the 10th knowl...
The New PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition
31 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the fifth edition of the PMBOK® Guide, which is the most popular reference on project management. Ricardo commen...
Handling Similar Projects
25 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how to manage similar projects with many features in common. He suggests the creation of information components a...
Software Development Projects: Are There Too Many Tribal Chiefs to Few Indians?
18 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo comments an article that criticizes the current model of project management in software development companies. The article sa...
Understanding the GTD: Weekly Review, Software and Tips - Part 3 of 3
11 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this last episode of the series of three podcasts about GTD - Getting Things Done, Ricardo talks about his process of reviewing and planning the we...
Understanding the GTD: Processing, Projects / Contexts and Execution - Part 2 of 3
04 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo presents the second episode of the series of three podcasts on Getting Things Done (GTD). He explains what we do with the ide...
Understanding the GTD: Introduction, Collection and Processing - Part 1 of 3
25 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo starts the series of 3 podcasts about the time management method called Getting Things Done, created by David Allen. In this ...
The Importance of Proactivity in Negotiations
18 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo explains the importance of understanding the difference between passive and proactive behavior in negotiations. He cites the ...
Career Transition in Project Management
11 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo gives tips for those who are wanting to change careers toward Project Management. He talks a bit about his own career and sho...
The Power of Truth in Project Management
04 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the power of truth. He stresses that the project manager should speak the truth even if the project status is cri...
There are something to be learned with the Tragedy in Santa Maria
28 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the tragedy at the nightclub Kiss in Santa Maria, Brazil. From the viewpoint of project and risk management, Rica...
The WBS Dictionary
21 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Dictionary. He explains that this document may be called the work packages ins...
Understanding the Difference Between Cost and Price
14 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the difference between cost and price. Many people are confused and Ricardo explains what's behind each one, diff...
A Different Podcast: Harry Potter Studios in London
07 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In this first podcast of 2013, Ricardo comments, from the project management perspective, his surprising visit to the Harry Potter Studios in London....
Perspectives 2013
31 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about his perspectives for 2013. He said several issues, among them: the continued instability in the external and inte...
Retrospective 2012
24 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo makes a retrospective of 2012. A year with mixed feelings. Unlike other years, where skill and expertise were highlighted, Ri...
Managing Expectations
17 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about managing stakeholders' expectations. What is the importance of properly managing expectations? What is the relat...
Understanding the Coaching dimensions
10 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo shares some ideas on coaching and comments about the coaching four dimensions or stages. He starts showing that coaching sho...
Getting to know the World of Megaprojects: Communications and Teams - Part 3 of 3
03 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo concludes the series on megaprojects, talking about communication, teams and some success factors. He comments especially the...
Getting to know the World of Megaprojects: The FEL Process - Part 2 of 3
26 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo continues the series of three podcasts about the world of megaprojects. In this episode, he talks more about the concept of F...
Getting to know the World of Megaprojects: The Big Challenges - Part 1 of 3
19 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo starts a series of podcasts about the world of mega projects. What makes a project a megaproject? Ricardo talks about the cha...
Understanding the 3 Factors to improve the Project Team sizing
12 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how to make a better project team sizing according to three factors: the complexity and geographic dispersion of ...
The Success is a Danger
05 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo throws the question: When success becomes a danger? When the project starts to work too well, success can go to your head? He...
Trying to Understand the Tragedy of Sandy Hurricane
29 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo discusses the effects of Hurricane Sandy, that caused tremendous destruction on the east coast of the United States, from the...
Directly from the PMI Global Congress 2012 - North America in Vancouver - Canada
21 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the PMI Global Congress which took place in Vancouver, Canada. He makes a brief summary of his perceptions of the...
Success Factors in Project Control
24 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo addresses the factors that matter when you're controlling a project. He describes the top 3 factors that every Project Manage...
Project Feasibility Study x Project Plan and Execution: Understanding the Frontiers
16 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo explains that an Analysis of Feasibility of a Project should be seen as a project by itself, with all the characteristics of ...
Developing your Business Model as Project Manager
10 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this special podcast, Ricardo talks about the book "Business Model You" and the Business Model Canvas. Both inspired him to create the Project Mana...
Project Management as a Life Skill
03 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo invites us to think in the Project Management concepts as skills for the personal and professional lives of any person, not j...
Project Manager as the New CEO
20 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about a discussion launched by PMI: The Project Manager may become the next CEO? What is the role of a CEO? Ricardo exp...
Danubio Becker Borba - A Great Legacy to Project Management
13 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo pays homage to his friend and teacher Danúbio Becker Borba, who died recently. Prof. Danúbio was an example of a dedicated ...
The Gray Area between Projects and Processes
06 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the "gray area" where mingle conceptually projects and processes. He cites some examples to explain what distingu...
Understanding the Delphi Technique
29 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks a little bit about the Delphi technique and it's use beyond project risk identification. He gives tips on how to use it...
When Much sometimes is Too Much
23 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, listen Ricardo's opinion on the level of detail of the project scope. How much detail we have to pursue? What is a good size for a wo...
Using Generic Resources in the Resource Allocation
16 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the challenges of resource allocation and explains a technique based on the allocation of generic skills (or posi...
Project Manager and the PMO: Understanding the Issue of the Authority
12 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo shares his understanding about the organization's hierarchy and the project manager. He also explains the differences between...
5 Ideas to Mitigate the Scope Changes in Your Project - Part 2 of 2
01 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo continues to talk about how can we minimize scope changes in a project. He suggests another three other control measures: the...
5 Ideas to Mitigate the Scope Changes in Your Project - Part 1 of 2
27 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about how can we minimize scope changes in a project. He explains that we need to have a connection between the functi...
Directly from the Gartner PPM & IT Governance Summit 2012 in London
19 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo, directly from London, talks about the Gartner PPM & IT Governance Summit 2012, meeting to address Portfolio Management a...
5 Tips For Selling Project Management in your Company
11 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo gives us 5 tips on how to sell the idea of project management to people outside the area, i.e., how we can do the right...
Calculating the Return on Investment of the PMO - Part 2/2
03 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo continues to talk about his study to create a mathematical model to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) of a Project Man...
Calculating the Return on Investment of the PMO - Part 1/2
27 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about his study to create a mathematical model to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) of a Project Management Offi...
The Four Stages of Learning and Their Applicability in the Understanding of Projects
21 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about learning techniques and their applicability in the understanding of projects. He explains what are the four stage...
Why we Need to Differentiate Assumptions and Constraints
14 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo explains why we should separate Assumptions from Constraints in the project management and do not consider them as similar. Y...
Directly from PMI Global Congress EMEA 2012 in Marseille - France
06 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talked directly from Marseille, France, during the PMI Global Congress that brought together participants from 37 countries.
"Done is Better than Perfect": What you an learn with this quote
29 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo explains that the project manager should seek to simplify the way he/she leads the projects. In the quest for perfection, man...
What is Program Management?
22 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about program management. He explains that the main objective of the program management it to group projects to obtain ...
Make or Buy Decision
17 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the choice of producing a work or service internally or purchase thru a supplier. He shows five items that are im...
10 Reasons for Project Failure - Part 2 of 2
09 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this second podcast in the series, Ricardo talks about five more causes for the failure of a project. He commented about the importance of communic...
10 Reasons for Project Failure - Part 1 of 2
05 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the 10 main causes of project failure. Just knowing what can go wrong in our project, helps us to avoid it. Five ...
What is the Difference Between WBS Item, Work Package, Tasks and WBS Dictionary?
25 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks in detail about the components of the WBS. He gives several examples and tips, and explains that the WBS is a fundament...
4 Different Indexes to Forecast the Project Final Cost Using the Earned Value Analysis
21 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the indices of earned value in the project. He explains that the great secret of earned value is to evaluate curr...
Replanning x Rescheduling a Project
15 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo Vargas discusses the main differences between replanning and rescheduling a project. Although both have as their objective to...
Demystifying the Portfolio Management – Part 3/3: A comparison and Decision
08 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this third and final podcast of the series, Ricardo talks about the comparison to the project selection and choice. He gives two examples of compar...
Demystifying the Portfolio Management – Part 2/3: The Criteria
05 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this second podcast of the series, Ricardo talks about the selection criteria in portfolio management. He explains that in addition to financial cr...
Demystifying the Portfolio Management – Part 1/3: The Strategy's Side
27 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this first podcast of the series, Ricardo talks about strategic and portfolio management. He explains that if the manager does not know what is the...
Understand the Difference between Residual and Secondary Risks
13 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the difference between the secondary risk and residual risk. He explains that the secondary risk is generated as ...
4 Mechanisms for Forecast the Project Schedule and Cost
06 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the methods of forecasting project schedule and cost. He comments that there are four methods of predicting futur...
Do You Know the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC)?
30 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about the framework created by the IRGC and explains the five steps in this framework. He explains that this model clar...
Mandatory Relationships x Discretionary Relationships
24 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Ricardo talks about mandatory dependencies and discretionary dependencies between the activities of the project. He explains that a m...