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. (more…)

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 WHAT the heck project is intended to accomplish. Customers? Ha! An afterthought at best. Ignoring the needs of real customers is just the start. Goals are unclear. Nebulous and ill-defined notions of the end game hover in a foggy haze where specific and measurable completion criteria should be. (more…)

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 the ink is dry. Tact and diplomacy can only get you so far in the wild and whacky world of project management

Let’s admit it – project management is not for the faint of heart. (more…)

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 to not be discovered “At fault”. (more…)