Put Process in Your Communications
George Pitagorsky published an article recently in ProjectTimes.com entitled Project Management | Putting the Power of Process Thinking into Action. In it, George encourages and promotes the concept of process in all the parts of our project management lives. In this post, I want to highlight process in our communications. It is often said that…
What is the Secret to Starting Every Presentation?
I was at a conference recently with what promised to be a great keynote speaker. The topic was of interest to me and the description in the brochure suggested that it could certainly deliver some great nuggets to take away. Unfortunately, it only took about five minutes for me to realize that the product would…
Now May Be the Time to Find Your Coach
Well, actually it was time to find your coach a long time ago. But that’s alright. There’s still time. They figured out many moons ago that professional athletes needed coaches. Why wouldn’t the same be true for all of us in the business world? It is the same thing – but not all of us…
Do You Have a Plan B?
If I suggested to you that your current plan was going to fail somewhere down the road, would you be ready? The optimist would say ‘I don’t need a Plan B because this IS going to work’. The realist would say ‘absolutely’. Which side do you fall on? Whether you are planning for your organization,…
Are You a Project Manager or a Project Leader?
Let’s start with a different question… “What’s the difference?”. Among the many words that can be used to describe a leader, a few that stand out are: While a manager is more often described as: We add the word ‘project’ in front of those and we can highlight the difference between a project manager and…
Scalability and Common Sense
Have you ever watched someone use a canon to kill a fly? Use a software program to solve a problem that really just needed a pen and piece of paper? Use a PowerPoint presentation to address a group of one? Or use an electronic planning tool for a project that needed a simple task list?…
Does Your Project Sponsor Know What They Are Doing?
Being a project sponsor is not easy. The role is often misunderstood, misrepresented, and misused – leading to a host of problems between the Project Manager (PM) and the Project Sponsor (PS). The key issue is the lack of a clear agreement between both parties up front. Both parties make assumptions about the role…
What Is the Most Important Role of a Project Manager?
Most people will say… “Produce great schedules!” As project managers, we all know that is not the case. So, what is the answer? What is the most important role of a project manager? I always like this answer: “While it’s important for project managers to create a solid, achievable schedule, more importantly, their key role…
Cut to the Point. Please.
Project managers are notoriously too detailed when asked for information about the project. A project update report, a simple… “How is it going”, or a quick “Can you bring me up-to-date on…”. We need to learn how to communicate succinctly and clearly and stop rambling on. I’ve often suggested that if you are given 30…
