Some parts of a project are just: slam dunk. They’re straightforward, sweet, smooth and easy. Everybody knows what to do, does it, and it works: with no blood left on the floor. Then there are the issues that make everyone …
Let’s Not Talk About the Vampire in the Living Room Read More »
It’s that time of year: the break room tables are piled with boxes of candy and littered with crumbs. Workplace nourishment is taken every hour from 9 am to 7 pm. Foods are served that might not see the light …
After leading a number of projects, you are asked to lead a major effort with multiple teams working somewhat independently but contributing to the same goal, a big budget, the company future depends on your results … you get the …
Program Management – Just complex Project Management? Read More »
A graduate course required a case study to be submitted every week. A grade was given, no comments were provided, and no discussion occurred in the classroom. Over the duration of the course, little noticeable improvement occurred in quality of …
(Posted on hehalf of Dan Hartford.) Have you majorly screwed up a project? Don’t worry, you may be promoted for it! Several years ago I was working in California for a multinational company with head quarters in Europe that we’ll …
I know it’s just a movie, and everybody has already COMPLETELY covered this subject, but can you believe the leadership qualities exhibited by Jack Black in “School of Rock”?
I haven’t quite put my finger on it, but something I’ve noticed about the human condition that retards our ability to be successful project managers. When we see someone else fail we can easily assume that it’s because they’re stupid, …
I just learned of Keith Raffel’s novel, Dot Dead: A Silicon Valley Mystery. From what I understand Dot Dead was published last summer. You can find out more information on Keith’s Dot Dead Library (http://keithraffel.typepad.com/dot_dead_diary/)
Has working on a project ever made you so mad that you wanted to commit murder? Has one demagogue in a power position seemed bent on sabotaging your project? Have you been forced to lead a project that you knew …
Recently I attended a Commonwealth Club lecture on Women in Business. Ilene Lang, President of Catalyst, was there and brought forth some sobering statistics about women in leadership positions. I must admit, I tend to be very cautious when statistics …
As organizational leaders, we are continuously bombarded with conflicting guidance on how to excel. A great example of this confusion is found in the April issue of the Harvard Business Review. In the cover story, we find that a leader …
In his 2004 book, eXtreme Project Management, Doug DeCarlo declares that “the world of project management has changed radically, totally and irreversibly”. DeCarlo contends that traditional project management as outlined by the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of …
In my many years of running projects I have often looked back and asked why it was always so difficult to get things done. Every time the answer came back, “It’s the stupid people from the top to the bottom.” …
We have been exposed in recent years to many project management and product development methodology terms with often subtle differences in meaning. The latest version of the PMBOK, for example uses the term “progressive elaboration” to describe the eventual realization …
In Flocks and Swarms – The End of Control As We Know It (blogs.cio.com, Tuesday, October 24, 2006), Michael Hugos asks, “What makes a flock of birds or a school of fish move as if they are a single entity? …
Would you do it again? Is it time to stop? For me I think the answer is I’d never have that kind of energy and chutzpah again, not for some random faceless corporate projects anyway, and yes, it’s time to …
You too can do everything wrong! And you can do it well. Let us share the wisdom of slinking by in corporate America. Here’s the first entry up there in the “Bad Project Management Olympics”. The question is do you …
The Bad Project Management Olympics –First Entry Part 1, Surely You Can Top It Read More »
Scope, Schedule, Cost – they are classics, but do they remain useful?. I’ve heard many practitioners call the Triple Constraints (TC) obsolete or, at least, inadequate. Many PMs point out that we need to factor in quality. I don’t have …
One thing is for sure, there is always more to do on any project than there is time or money to do it. And as much as people hate to choose between things that seem equally vital, if everything is …
Choosing Between Your Heart, Your Lungs and Your Kidneys Read More »
Recognizing and appreciating your project team members is an important part of project leadership. But some people wield it like a 6-year-old who just found daddy’s gun. This is posted on behalf of a colleague who wishes to remain anonymous. …
