Project Communications in a Multigenerational World
I’ve published an article in Project-management.com Please see my article Project Communications in a multgenerational world here.
Planning Your Project Using a Facilitated Workshop
The Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (5th Edition) details 47 processes to use from Initiation through Closing. Of these, fully 24 – more than half – are in Planning. So guess what message is being sent here? Many of my students (not to mention customers) tell me that they are not given […]
How to Run a More Effective Project Meeting
I read an article a while back regarding the topic of meetings. According to a study, the typical American professional attends over 60 meetings per month, approximately 50% of meeting time is wasted and – my favorite – 39% of people doze off during the meeting! The reason I’m writing this article today is simple […]
A Few Thoughts on Establishing the Agile PMO
A while ago, I posted an article entitled Lessons Learned in Establishing a Project Management Office (PMO.) That article was largely freighted towards discussion of plan-driven projects, typically manifested by the waterfall methodology. I subsequently spoke on this topic at a Project Management Institute (PMI) chapter and was asked to incorporate some thoughts on how the […]
Training is Not a Panacea
True story: I visited a potential client who had a problem with his project managers. Let’s call it XYZ Corp. Basically, he works in a very tough industry and when schedule dates were not being met, the customer would chastise the PM’s (since XYZ had made the promise.) According to him,”chastise” is a polite word. […]
The Disconnect Between Senior Management and Project Management
This post is based not only on my own personal experience but also on a book that the Project Management Institute published in 2002 called, “Selling Project Management to Senior Executives.” By “selling” they don’t necessarily mean that in the sense of a sales team or consultant but in the sense of persuading senior executives […]
On Hiring a Project Manager: What No One Says About Certification
I’ve lost track of the number of senior managers who have said to me, “Hey I hired a Project Management Professional (PMP) and he’s not working out. I thought PMP meant that you guys knew how to manage a project and use Microsoft Project.” (Somebody actually said the latter to me once). Actually it means […]
How to Run a Lessons Learned Meeting
It should be mandatory at the end of every project – and if possible at the end of every phase – to run a lessons learned session. And not only run it, but make sure that it’s documented and – unless highly sensitive – available to all future projects. Here’s how to do it: –Be […]
Project Management Fundamentals Training – New Course
The Project Management Fundamentals Training is intended for those who need to better understand the basics of project management from planning to estimating to scheduling to risk management. I have done a number of these classes, customized for in-house students and they are always fun and engaging. Typically we use your real projects as case […]
PMBOK Sixth Edition Exposure Draft
As you may know, the current Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is the Fifth Edition. PMI has recently put an Exposure Draft of the Sixth Edition on their site for public comment. I went through the foundational information that is currently up there. And while they claim to be making more nods in the […]
Lessons Learned In Establishing a Proect Management Office (PMO)
I recently did a consulting assignment wherein I helped a well-known insurance company create a Project Management Office (PMO). I will likely have some more thoughts/posts on this down the road but I thought I’d share some lessons learned while they were fresh in my mind: Make sure you have a sponsor – A senior […]
