The Art of Project Management: Expert advice from experienced project managers in Silicon Valley, and around the world
TOPICS:

Process

Relationships? Who needs them?

Relationships?  Who needs them?

Sticking with my basics theme, how do you feel about building relationships?  Does it scare you or does it excite you?  Do you feel like its unnecessary or extremely important?  Maybe the better question is…HOW? Well if you ask me, I would say it excites me and I think its extremely important!  Then again, I [...]

Share

Think Failure to Succeed

“Most success springs from an obstacle or failure. I became a cartoonist largely because I failed in my goal of becoming a successful executive.” Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill “Notice the difference between what happens when a man says to himself, [...]

Share

Do you Dump or Delegate?

Dumping-off.  We ask others to do stuff for us all the time – stuff we don’t want to do, don’t have the time to do, and couldn’t do even if we had the time.  We drop our suits off for pressing (a task we can’t do), our car for an oil change (a task we [...]

Share

Introverts Unite! (oh, wait, that’s going to be tough…)

Hi, I’m Camille and I’m an extrovert. (Hi, Camille.) I confess that from time to time I’ve overlooked the talents that introverts have to offer. I’m reforming. On a recent flight, I read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I picked it up because in my [...]

Share

Managing Projects Overseas – Part III – Simplify the Process

Managing Projects Overseas – Part III – Simplify the Process We just spoke of global perspective of managing projects overseas, followed with how PMs can minimize culture gaps in these situations. We now conclude with a value-based sequel relating to simplifying the process as we successfully manage our project (s) overseas. Meeting Your Timeline Objective: [...]

Share

Managing Overseas Projects – Part I A Global Perspective

Managing Overseas Projects – Part I – A Global Perspective All of us have had a fair share of success in managing projects either in our own cities and/or across our country. While some of us on a few occasions have had the fortune of also engaging in projects that are overseas (the meaning of [...]

Share

Your Voice: The Four Amigos: “Ah”, “Um”, “Like” and “You know”

Your Voice: The Four Amigos:

Over the last year, I’ve learned a lot about communicating with the human voice. How did I do this? By hosting an Internet Radio Show on BlogTalkRadio. Prior to the Internet radio experience, I was asleep at the vocal chord wheel, so to speak.  I used my voice each day, took it for granted, and didn’t [...]

Share

Got Criticism? Always Consider the Source

Got Criticism? Always Consider the Source

The best advice I’ve received about dealing with criticism was delivered by my mother. I was about twelve-years-old and my feelings were hurt. After listening to my story of woe, she said three words that caught my attention, spun me around, and changed my life. Her words were: “Consider the source.” Since then, this simple phrase, [...]

Share

The Wellspring of Teamwork

The Wellspring of Teamwork

“Reason has not come to repeat the universe but to fulfill it.” -Santayana One of the great joys in life is when I get to work with clients around organizational, cultural, and community issues, sometimes we work in the woods, sometimes in the field, sometimes in a classroom, and sometime in an office environment. No [...]

Share

What we can learn from Judge Judy

It’s impossible not to judge. Telling someone else “not to judge” — shows you have made the judgment that they are judging. Most opinions, descriptions, decisions, views, rulings, and critiques are judgments.

Share

How a diet tip helped me get a work-related request accomplished.

I know this sounds strange, but I used a diet tip that I read from Micheal Thurmond’s “6 Day Body Makeover” – to accomplish career critical tasks.

Share

How to handle jealousy in the office.

I received the below great question a few days after my Art of War for Product Managers and High-Performing Professionals.  I thought you might be interested in the answer as well. Q: Many senior employees work under my lead. In this case, many other senior employees think that what a lucky me. Jealousy is coming [...]

Share

If you can drive, you can understand project managing.

If you know how to drive, you already understand project management. You may still not want to be a project manager, but at least you understand better their function and value. In fact, project management and defensive driving have much in common.

Share

Pro and Con list to make better decisions.

Pro and Con list to make better decisions.

Most everyone is familiar with Pro and Con lists to help make a decision. Often times the Pro and Con List does very little to clarify the decision – because – well – the reason you are creating the Pro/Con list is because it was a ‘close call’ to begin with. We don’t go to the trouble of making a Pro and Con list on ‘no-brainers’. Often times the pro and cons are pretty equal – making the decision still difficult. Our mistake is that we stop at this point. We don’t take the next step to reduce the impact of the “Cons”.

Share

Delivering Your 4th Dimension – Value Based Reporting

Delivering Your 4th Dimension – Value Based Reporting By Dr. Shree Nanguneri on March 20th, 2013 “Guys, our reports are due this Friday to our client!” This rings a loud bell in our ears as project managers. While you compile those reports, you might find some that are excessively detailed; others that are not written [...]

Share

Delighting Your Customers – Taking Care Of Our 5 Ds a Day!

Delighting Your Customers! By Dr. Shree Nanguneri Ever thought about a time when a salesman, provider or a vendor asked you if you were delighted with their product and/or services?  Probably, much less often than you wished.  By the same token, do you recall your customer or manager complaining about a Defective product or a [...]

Share

Are You “In the Game”?

Are You “In the Game”?

In a recent discussion about additional costs being added to my home build project, I made a comment to our builder that “I don’t want to play that game.”  He took offense at that comment.  I believe he thought I was trivializing the situation and not honoring standard industry practices.  The conversation did not go [...]

Share

Accelerating Team Development

Accelerating Team Development

A discussion forum in an online management, leadership, and team building course asks: Knowing that teams need to go through each stage from forming to performing, how do you accelerate the process? Consider what role personal, team, and organizational values and vision play in team development and how incentives and rewards affect the process. It [...]

Share

Integrity Booster: It’s all in the follow-through….

Integrity Booster: It’s all in the follow-through….

As a business coach, I sometimes receive late requests to change an appointment. Because of my busy schedule, it’s not easy to accommodate these types of last-moment requests. In my professional life, I easily handle this with my cancelation and refund policies. But how do we handle similar things in our personal and social lives? Well, I recommend that we respond in similar tones.

Share

When your peer becomes your boss (and vice-versa)…

When your peer becomes your boss (and vice-versa)...

As a business and success coach, I help people manage their career development. There will be times when someone is promoted from within their team or department.  At these times, it may some initial strain when a fellow peer is now your boss (or visa-versa).  I find that appreciation in the workplace goes a long [...]

Share

How to protect your job when there is a shake-up at the top

In the previous SSWUG TV interview with Stephen Wynkoop, we covered How to protect your job when there is a shake-up at the top” . This is a more detailed discussion on that topic.

Share