Popular Mechanics regularly publishes brain-teasers. One of those captured my fancy the other day, a classic about a fox, a hen and a bag of corn. I experienced a Eureka moment while figuring it out. This riddle provides a vital lesson on one of the most important aspects of organizing project work: a lesson in…
It’s time again to update the boss on that project. Here’s how to stand out as a star! First, include three main sections: A Look Back, a Look Forward and Action Needed. The look back should be brief and tie to the look forward section of the last report. Spend most of your energy on…
The Problem By far, the most common project management “methodology” I come across is the “pick a date and we’ll figure it out” approach. Practitioners of this approach create lists of tasks and pin those tasks to dates. This is a project “worst practice.” This is a dartboard approach. When relatively simple practices can dramatically…
“You cannot predict the future, but you can prepare for it.” A recent post on LinkedIn posed this question “Why do 70% of projects fail to meet either cost, schedule or technical performance?” As of this writing there were 23 comments. They included such things as: Not using iterative methods Too much planning, not enough…
News article: “Artificial Intelligence to take over 80% of Project Manager work. Chatbots will take over doing data collection, project tracking and reporting.” Source: Mega-consultant Gartner. Fascinating! Let’s peek ahead at what the future may bring to the Project Management field. . . <wavy lines showing we’re entering a dream state> The AI Future of…
How exactly does one change an organization? Projects involve change. While our firm uses analogies to GPS systems to describe how we succeed, we also understand change management – very deeply. I recently ran across a puff piece from Forbes that alleged to share “Three Key Principles of Change Management.” To give you an idea of how “puffy”…
The USS Arizona Memorial is the #1 visitor attraction in Hawaii. Alas, the memorial closed on May 6, 2018 because the moorings under the unloading platform had begun to shift, creating a significant safety issue. On Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 2018, the National Park Service announced good news – they had a repair plan…
We each see different things in the mirror. Sometimes we see what we wish to see. Other times we see things as they are.
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…