http://svprojectmanagement.com project management Thu, 15 May 2008 17:01:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A great way to establish a sense of urgency around the priority work and to produce a way to celebrate real wins is the use of campaigns.  Campaigns come in a variety of models; the most effective, in my view, are those designed similar to political campaigns – to win ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/15/time-to-campaign/ Who says the PMO is only responsible for communicating project status reports or headlines when projects are in trouble?  Did you ever consider the opportunities for an Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) who coordinates and communicates business plan information across your organization?   How about informing staff on ALL business plan ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/15/can-you-hear-me/ The real power of a corporate vision is realized only when everyone in the organization clearly understands the vision and recognizes how everyone contributes to its success.  This is particularly true when project managers are assigned to successfully manage those projects that are most important to the company’s future success.  ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/12/so-whats-the-plan/ My last blog talked about applying Five Whys to elements within project management and specifically to human and team dynamics. The more challenging aspect is in attempting to apply the Five Whys on global projects where activities are performed in multiple countries and the team is typically comprised of members ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/08/now-apply-five-whys-to-global-project-management/ Five Whys provides a structured yet simple approach to solving problems as they occur during a project and can provide a framework for a team to work through complex problems. It is a simple process at its core.  The Five Whys is a question-asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships underlying ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/07/five-whys-for-managing-project-dynamics/ In a recent project team meeting we were reviewing an Ishikawa diagram and root cause analysis as a means to determine the next appropriate steps on an issue we were addressing as a project team when a forgotten data point was brought forward be me of all people, the project manager. What ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/05/the-power-of-memory-in-project-management/ In this final posting about the Fish Pond metaphor we will look under water to see what we can learn about how (project) organizations can adapt to change. Fish do not simply float around in a tank. Although they once in a while bump into glass walls, they are able to ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/04/adaption-by-fast-observation-of-the-environment/ In my previous postings I have introduced the use of a fish pond as a metaphor for leading projects and organizations in our ever changing times. Thinking about a bucket of water can really help us out. It emphasizes the importance of preparation; the fish pond is all about preplanning. Preplanning ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/05/02/the-fish-pond-and-preplanning/ 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 ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/04/30/less-is-more-how-to-not-get-trapped-under-microsoft-project/ 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 ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/2008/04/29/managing-complexity-train-your-brain/