Archive for April 2008

Do a quick search for project management jobs and you will usually find an emphasis on the ability to create and manage plans in Microsoft Project.  Although nearly every project manager has used this tool before, it is frequently misused and misunderstood.  This often leads to frustration and reversion to other methods of planning and [...]

Every project is unique. Circumstances are always different. Different people. Different goals. To lead a project, or organizations in general for that matter, to success, you need to tailor your approach to the situation. To be able to do this you got to have a flexible mind. One that can switch from one world view [...]

For those who missed it: the world is changing. We are global, diverse and confused. This is not your grandfather’s earth. It is not even your daddy’s earth. Economic powers are shifting; you are now working with people from all over the globe. With different backgrounds, different beliefs, different economic and social possibilities. If someone [...]

Yes, we’re living in a world economy and it’s the era of globalization. Yet it seems so difficult for many organizations to develop a global view. Innovation, speed to market, and customer intimacy are increasingly becoming drivers for achieving competitive advantage in today’s networked world. Yet few companies are paying full attention to the needs [...]

The international adventures and pitfalls of a global project manager can make great storytelling for your team campfire. Then why is it that most team members would prefer that you put out the flame? Why not keep the fire burning? When the team has celebrated the successful conclusion of the project, they’re ready to head [...]

You’ve developed the global project plan, polished the strategy, won approval from the sponsoring executive, and presented it with great fanfare to your worldwide team. As you wait for the accolades, the plan surprisingly draws mixed reviews from your stakeholders and team members around the world. Team Europe directly voices its discontent with the lack [...]

If you have not read Shampa’s post below I encourage all of you to read it.  I would like to point out a few newish developments on the software side.  First of all my information on outsourcing prices is from about two years ago.  As most of you know the dollar has taken a significant [...]

Perhaps a few of you will frown upon this entry. It is not academic or pedagogical but I think project management should apply to all aspects of life. I recently returned from a trip to India my home country. And like many Indians and a lot of Silicon Valley VCs, I feel that I should [...]

Wow, I guess they’ve got a for dummies book on everything now.  Awesome.  There is also of course the 10 minute project manager book in case you find yourself dubbed project manager 10 minutes before the kick off meeting. 

Technorati Tags: Books, Brain, building-executive-support, career-path, career-planning, communication, Crisis-Management, dysfuncitonal-corporate-culture, engineering-management, Getting-Things-Done, learned-helplessness, Project-success, traditional-project-managment

Hmm… I remember the bad old days and maybe some of you are still living tlhem, getting up early or staying late to call some foreign country..

Technorati Tags: agile-leadership, best-practices, common-sense, Cross-cultural-teams, cross-functional-teams, distant-teams, Getting-Things-Done, global-readiness, offshoring, Program-Management, project-management-from-a-distance, Time management, traditional-project-managment

I thought it would be fun to list some impressions of favorite and least favorite Project management books and methodologies.  I wrote none of these.  You too, can feel free to refute my oppinions or add your own replies or spam us with the latest project managment religion.  Why not?  Everyone else does. 

Technorati Tags: [...]

Having made a moniker name called theUnknownPM kinda makes it impossible for me to push my own products so instead let me do the next worst thing for a moment and engage in random philosphy.  How do you know if you are a success or a failure at what you are doing?  Are you a [...]

One of the keys to successful project management is holding the right conversations on the right issues at the right times. For any given initiative, there will be a handful of conversations that the best project managers will make sure take place. Unfortunately, too often, silence and suspicion rule — and fail. It doesn’t have [...]

Did you choose your job or did it choose you? The sheer number of project management certifications and degrees confirms the interest in project management as a profession. And PMI continues to report sizable gains in its membership each year. But there also remains a vast population of so-called “accidental project managers” — individuals who [...]

There is no shortage of project management books. How they apply to your project reality is, well, another story. At ProjectsAtWork.com this month, we’re asking people to name the book or books that have proved most valuable in doing their jobs. You’re welcome to participate, too, at http://www.projectsatwork.com/survey/survey.cfm?ID=95.
We’ve also been interviewing authors of recent books [...]

A week ago, Christine Sellers started a Mind Mapping gantthead interest group (GIG) and nearly 100 people quickly joined. The group is packed with resource links, so I wanted to share a few of them here with you…
How to use them

10 Tips for Highly Effective Mindmapping Sessions

Applications of MindManager

Mindmapping helps you be creative AND [...]

I’ve spoken to countless Program Managers, VPs, and Directors involved in selecting PPM software. The vast majority of them have some key drivers in mind, but not much in the way of requirements. They know they have to prioritize projects, manage resources and/or judge ROI more effectively. But beyond that — [...]

Between my blog and my role at gantthead, I probably get two or three meeting requests a week from Project Management tool vendors. The general trends these days (or at least what they punch in demos) seem to be toward:

Software as a Service (making implementation easy and quick)
Portfolio Views and Back End Data Mining Capabilities
General [...]