Lessons NOT Learned!
Have you ever noticed that the topics raised at project post mortems tend to be pretty much the same every …
Computational Modeling of Project Organizations Under Stress
Can we design organizations the way we design products? Can we change their designs to make them more efficient/effective? These …
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Embracing Failure
I believe we need to rethink our views about failure. Truly, the only failure is if we fail to learn …
The Bad PM Olympics
Recently I realized that I have become a little cynical about project management. Maybe I’m just negative, and most projects …
Give Them An Example
At first I was disappointed in the quality of action plans prepared at the end of professional development short courses …
Foreigner? No Such Thing!
Imagine an astronaut lands on Neptune and finds living creatures. What would they be called, aliens? There are no more …
New Years Rez: Deal with Bottlenecks BEFORE they Choke Your Project
(Posted on behalf of Michele Jackman, PM Consultant extraordinaire) I recently gave a UCSC presentation on the “art and science” …
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Let’s Not Talk About the Vampire in the Living Room
Some parts of a project are just: slam dunk. They’re straightforward, sweet, smooth and easy. Everybody knows what to do, …
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Fruits ‘n’ Nuts in a Basket
It’s that time of year: the break room tables are piled with boxes of candy and littered with crumbs. Workplace …
Program Management – Just complex Project Management?
After leading a number of projects, you are asked to lead a major effort with multiple teams working somewhat independently …
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Provide More Feedback
A graduate course required a case study to be submitted every week. A grade was given, no comments were provided, …
Left Out at the Global Dinner Table
(Posted on hehalf of Dan Hartford.) Have you majorly screwed up a project? Don’t worry, you may be promoted for …
Leadership in Strange Places
I know it’s just a movie, and everybody has already COMPLETELY covered this subject, but can you believe the leadership …
Project Management Dangerous to Mammals
I haven’t quite put my finger on it, but something I’ve noticed about the human condition that retards our ability …
Killer Code is not the first Silicon Valley Novel
I just learned of Keith Raffel’s novel, Dot Dead: A Silicon Valley Mystery. From what I understand Dot Dead was …
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A Killer Project in Killer Code, the Novel
Has working on a project ever made you so mad that you wanted to commit murder? Has one demagogue in …
The path to excellence
Recently I attended a Commonwealth Club lecture on Women in Business. Ilene Lang, President of Catalyst, was there and brought …
Lessons from Harvard
As organizational leaders, we are continuously bombarded with conflicting guidance on how to excel. A great example of this confusion …
Beyond Traditional Project Management
In his 2004 book, eXtreme Project Management, Doug DeCarlo declares that “the world of project management has changed radically, totally and …
The Trouble with Projects
In my many years of running projects I have often looked back and asked why it was always so difficult …