Across the table, my colleague straightened, a eureka expression crossing his face. “So you offer a ‘Fire and Forget’ service!” he exclaimed. That sounded like something I should know the meaning of, but we all know it’s risky to assume. “To be sure we’re on the same page, can you explain ‘Fire and Forget’?“ I…
It was January 9, a long time ago. Santa, just back from his two-week post-Christmas Sabbatical, was addressing his Elf staff. “I have great news! Next year, we’re going Global!” The elves gasped. Up until then, the Santa Claus operating environment had been localized. They hadn’t even tested a regional model. “Whoa,” said one elf.…
If you’re pondering a Project Manager hire, you fall into one of two camps: 1) Your people have been acting as part-time Project Managers and you’re considering your first hire, or, 2) Your firm has Project Manager as a job title and you’re looking to add another. In either case, here is a relatively new…
If you ever want to feel totally overwhelmed, have them Google “What are the best Project Management Tools?” Three hundred twenty-nine million results later (in 0.85 seconds), you’ll find the top twenty entries, half of which are ads. Google will also feature an article, “Seven of the Best Project Management Tools For Your Business.” And…
I’ve heard that VIDEO is the way to go nowadays, and that only dinosaurs ignore that fact. Seeing as dinos are all extinct and I have more of a forward-looking vision anyway, I’m happy to announce this new feature. It’ll look like this: You will be able to access it from the YouTube icon…
Halloween is near. Time to plan your New Year’s Resolutions. For many companies October is when leaders make decisions regarding next year’s business plan. If you’re in this mode, here’s a simple question: Are you planning your 2019 projects for success? NOW is the time to plan for project success. What does that mean? If…
The Lead Carpenter approached the General Contractor with a grim expression. “You know how I said we’d begin framing the basement later today? I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. Unless, of course, you want the toilet in the theater.” It was the early construction stage of a custom home. The basement floor concrete had…
Gail, the Project Manager was apoplectic. “How could this happen? This project has gone right into the loo.” (This was a European-based project.) She showed me the project status chart. Even a novice could readily see the project had tanked, suddenly and severely. “Do you have a sponsoring steering committee?” I asked. “Of course!” She…
The project leader, a seasoned vice president, knew they were behind. The project team knew too. Everyone knew the importance of the project, knew how tough it was, knew they were late and knew something had to be done. “I don’t see much choice,” the VP said to his advisors. “I think I have to…
Any organization’s results are directly created by the BEHAVIORS of the organization’s people. So if you want to have the best project management outcomes, you should create a project environment which encourages the very best project behaviors. So, what exactly are those behaviors? Stop reading for just a moment and write down one to three…