People, Projects, and Organizations
Four Functional Disciplines Needed on All Projects
All projects have a set of common characteristic by definition: they are temporary endeavors undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Because of this, they also have some common activities that must be executed. Such things as: developing the project plan, schedule, and budget . . . executing, controlling, and pre-planning the project...
Too Many Projects on Your Plate?
It used to be that we would hear of people managing three or four projects at a time. Now we are hearing of people who are managing 10 to 15 at a time. Chances are, others might have even more. Sure it is a sign of the times; organizations having to do more with less....
Four Crucial Factors for Schedule Integrity
Receiving project schedules is nothing new to us. We get them all the time. They can be for a project we are dependent on, have a casual interest in, or are a part of our organizational portfolio of projects. We often take them at face value but should we? Some schedules can be as sound...
Enough is Enough: Planning is Important, BUT…
Over and over we hear how inadequate we are in planning our projects. Lots of people judge it to be this way because they think project managers do not know how to plan. Supposed experts say we need to be more rigorous in our planning. As a result, templates and forms are beefed up to...
Struggling To Define Your Project Approach?
It doesn’t seem that hard to define a project’s approach. It’s just a description of the project strategies for achieving the project objectives. Simply stated it’s the path the project team will take to get to the desired end result. Simple as it may be it still drives many project managers nuts, causing them to...
What’s The Profile of a Good Project Manager?
Management often wishes they had a very clear mechanism for identifying candidates who will turn out to be better than average project managers. They know that having to rely on their gut works fairly well but still feel there must be a better way to evaluate candidates in order to succeed more often. For over...
Sometimes the Process is Just as Important as the Product
Results matter and should be the aim of every employee. Achieving results is what differentiates good employees from great ones. Sometimes though, when the result being pursued is a product or deliverable, the process used to deliver that result needs the same level of attention as the product itself. In other words, sometimes the process...
Use Metrics to Diagnose Your Project’s Ills
Nobody likes dealing with a sick project, but we have all been there and done that. Some projects start out sick and stay that way for the duration; others look like they are healthy but then collapse near the end. Most of the time we guess at the reasons for our projects schedule’s ills, hoping...
How to Pop a Change Bubble
The FUD factor: Fear . . . Uncertainty . . . Doubt. It affects everyone in one way or another. Some get paralyzed by it and others get a rush of excitement. Nowhere is this truer in our lives than how we deal with change, especially when it is forced on us and out of...
Momentum – The X Factor in Project Success
In physics, momentum is a term used to describe a mass in motion. In competition it’s used to indicate which side has the current upper hand. It’s what aids a baseball team in winning the game by scoring five runs in the 9th inning with two outs. It gives the offense the edge in scoring...
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