Making due with too little food and a few scraps of sleep might be appropriate for an outdoor survival course or a military boot camp, but it’s no way to treat yourself when you’re a project manager. Sure, you’re busy …
Sleepless and on a Starvation Diet Read More »
One of the biggest mistakes I made as a novice project manager was burning bridges that I would later need to walk across. Heck, I was a friggin’ arsonist! If someone on my team didn’t do their action item, I’d …
3rd Degree Burns on 95% of the Body Read More »
More self-inflicted project wounds . . . Some project managers seem to think that projects should proceed in a sensible and reasonable fashion, enjoying the cooperation and support of executives, team members, vendors and customers. Not so! Team members are …
Self-induced Insanity Read More »
Project managers can’t afford to be overly timid or self-effacing. They must be self-assured and determined in order to be successful leaders. However this sometimes leads to one of the most ghastly self-inflicted wounds of project management, that is the …
Don’t Put Your “I” Out! Read More »
There is a group of forensic chemists who gather periodically for something called “The Bite-mark Breakfast”, where they are treated to a slide show of various bite marks which they attempt to identify while enjoying their eggs, sausage and toast. …
Self-inflicted Project Wounds Read More »
. . . well, kind of . . . Holy guacamole! Two weeks ago I had a ridiculous notion creep stealthily into my noggin’ . . . and, as is my habit, I set yet another seemingly impossible goal (one …
Scrappy Project Management is BIGGER than the PMBOK . . . Read More »
Posted on behalf of Neil Sherman, Founder and Chief Bitnologist of Advanced Bitnology (a software and electronics design house) and one-time undervalued employee of Druck upon his reading the chapter on rewards, recognition and appreciation in my “Scrappy Project Management” …
Strappy Sundresses and Thongs as Project Thank You Gifts? Read More »
Clear roles, clear goals and the best laid plans are no guarantee of success. This entertaining piece is posted on behalf of Laura Mappin, Founder of MetARTmorphosis. (Picture is from her web site www.bauboroars.com) Enjoy! – Kimberly I have lots …
Knotty Crochet Business Project Pitfalls Read More »
On Oct. 9 we had the launch of my new book “Scrappy Project Management: The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces” Well over 150 scrappy people joined us for the scrappiest book launch in the history of “Happy …
The Making of Scrappy Project Management Read More »
One of our guest bloggers, Cinda Voegtli, is the CEO of ProjectConnections.com Cinda’s running a contest, and the prize is a copy of my new book “Scrappy Project Management.” We hope you will play along! Details below. – Kimberly Wiefling, …
ProjectConnections Horror Story Contest Read More »
Yesterday I spent 2 hours walking solemnly through the Peace Memorial and Park in Hiroshima, Japan. This was a somber experience for me. At 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945, in an instant a thriving city was reduced to rubble …
Can Project Management Save the World? Read More »
Risk management has always been tricky. It’s sometimes difficult to imagine the myriad ways in which something could go wrong until it goes wrong. While being a pessimist helps, even staunchly negative thinkers can sometimes be surprised by the smorgasboard …
Bad Luck, PC Hell and Healing From Grief Read More »
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 …
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Use a Checklist Read More »
The most frequent mistake project teams make with regard to risk management, is an absolute kick in the head. The #1 mistake is to identify risks but do nothing about them. This is known as “documenting your demise.” Although people …
RISK? What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Read More »
Communication is pretty much the only means we have of leading effectively as project managers. While listening is a big part of that, when we DO speak, we need to find ways to be heard above the surrounding din. If …
COMMUNICATION? We’ve Got REAL Work to Do! Read More »
Mediocre organizations are often plagued by the rampant abdication of responsibility of the very people who are supposed to be leading them. At every layer of management, these evasive characters somehow avoid committing to anything outside of their minuscule comfort …
Responsibility Without Wiggle Room Read More »
Ignoring the needs of real customers is just the start. When most project teams hear the shot of the starting gun, they leap into figuring out HOW to do the project – before they clearly understand WHAT the project is …
Measurable Goals as Clear as Sunlight Read More »
More than 50% of all new products fail to meet their goals because they fail to meet the needs of the target customers and because they are released with unacceptable quality issues. Depending on the industry, between 60 and 90% …
Whoops! We Forgot About the Customer! Read More »
Common sense says that when working on a project with results that really matter, one should agree on a plan of how to achieve the goals, consider what might go wrong, and make sure everyone who needs to deliver results …
Getting Stuff Done Read More »
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 …
Scrappy Project Management Read More »
