Checklist

By Jerry Manas
How many times have we seen PMOs create intricate processes and templates, only to find that there are more exceptions than rules?
We create forms, templates, and stage gates, in an attempt to gain control. But in doing so, we also create such barriers to implementation that it becomes like the Twelve Trials of [...]

At an entrepreneurs’ forum I recently attended, I was heartened to hear that even startups recommended checkpoint reviews.  
The term “checkpoint review” can have different meanings in different contexts; in this article, it refers to a cross-functional executive review that the project team must pass to continue.  This happens at key milestones to make sure your product is on [...]

I’m sick of this job! I’m going to go out on my own and become a project management consultant!
Hmm… How do you decide if you’re ready to become a consultant?

Are you comfortable working alone? Can you maintain your sense of objectivity when you don’t have others to support you?
Do you believe in yourself, [...]

I know a pilot who has flown 7000 hours. The other day I asked him, “Chuck, the next time you fly are you going to use your pre-flight checklist?” “You bet!”, he replied. Now why would a jet pilot with that much experience use a checklist? . . . because that’s what professionals do. Professionals [...]

There’s a new book out called “Scrappy Project Management.” How do I know? Because I wrote it. Well, someone had to! Wildly optimistic, I’m the kind of person who likes to focus on the bright, sun-shiny side of pretty much everything, even project management. But sometimes it seems that, in [...]