Do you still want to be a Project Manager?
Would you do it again? Is it time to stop? For me I think the answer is I’d never have that kind of energy and chutzpah again, not for some random faceless corporate projects anyway, and yes, it’s time to stop. So yeah, after hitting the glass ceiling both in terms of title and salary [...]
The Bad Project Management Olympics –First Entry Part 1, Surely You Can Top It
You too can do everything wrong! And you can do it well. Let us share the wisdom of slinking by in corporate America. Here’s the first entry up there in the “Bad Project Management Olympics”. The question is do you have the story to top it? I believe this one should be very topable however [...]
Are the Triple Constraints still useful?
Scope, Schedule, Cost – they are classics, but do they remain useful?. I’ve heard many practitioners call the Triple Constraints (TC) obsolete or, at least, inadequate.
Many PMs point out that we need to factor in quality. I don’t have a problem with this one. On the other hand, I didn’t know that Scope didn’t include [...]
In Praise of MBWA (Management By Walking Around)
I am, at heart, an analyst. There is nothing that would please me more than being able to shut my door and do some thinking and come up with plans and processes — then wait for the good results to come in. Of course, there is a major flaw: people. No, the people aren’t flawed [...]
Choosing Between Your Heart, Your Lungs and Your Kidneys
One thing is for sure, there is always more to do on any project than there is time or money to do it. And as much as people hate to choose between things that seem equally vital, if everything is top priority, nothing is. Project teams used to ask for a list of “musts” and [...]
Recognition and Appreciation Gone Sideways
Recognizing and appreciating your project team members is an important part of project leadership. But some people wield it like a 6-year-old who just found daddy’s gun. This is posted on behalf of a colleague who wishes to remain anonymous. So many bridges to burn . . . so little time! – Kimberly [...]
Common Sense is Not Common Practice!
Common sense says that, when working on a project where results really matter, the team should agree on a plan of how to achieve the goals, consider what might go wrong, and make sure everyone who needs to deliver results is committed to doing what needs to be done to make it happen. Here’s [...]
How things get done right!!
Projects are how things get done right. Project using best practices are how things get done better, faster and cheaper. As the 21st century unfolds, businesses are discovering that sustainable competitive advantage can best be achieved by using project management as a strategic process to achieve their critical success factors.
If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going ANY Road Will Take You There!
Lilly Tomlin once said “When I was young I always wanted to BE somebody when I grew up. I just wish I’d been more specific.” Isn’t THAT the truth! Many project teams hear the shot of the starting gun and leap into figuring out HOW they will do the project before they even understand clearly [...]
Welcome to Project Management in the REAL world!
There are myriad sources of info about how project management should be done in the ideal world. The real world is something else.
Projects are MESSY! From the minute the project begins all manner of changes, surprises and disasters befall them. Even when a project is carefully planned and properly kicked off, the plan changes before [...]
Hiding in the chaos of projects
Don’t you wonder why product development projects are so insane? Chaotic? Consider this, a lot of team mates are thriving in the chaos, and aren’t about to change!
It’s based on our wonderful human nature to be “Not my fault.” We are so afraid to screw up, especially technical men, that we will do weird things [...]
