I recently came across a Project Management article by Anna Possek on Dice.com. In her article, she describes project management in a unique way. Here is Anna’s take on what qualities are required to be a project manager: The project manager must be: * a diplomat to deal with conflicts between different stakeholders * [...]
I think that communication and relationship management is THE NUMBER 1 driver of project success. Hands down. Scan the tags in my blog, and come across posts like Four Types of People: Know Your Audience and Managing Scope: It’s Really About Trust, Communication, and Delivery. I saw a quote and it reminded me just how [...]
I was in a meeting last week discussing project management and client delivery and an executive made the point that the scope of the project is what the client thinks it is – period – and that as consultants it is our job to effectively manage expectations around scope continuously throughout an engagement. Nailing down [...]
First of all, I think that most of the time spent in meetings is a waste of time. I don’t think the actual meetings are a waste of time, since they are an enabler to face-to-face interaction, which is critical, but EVERY meeting should have a set duration, agenda, and a desired outcome before you [...]
If you know me, you know that I have a book buying addiction. The other day, I strolled in to Barnes and Noble and saw a career help section set up. I picked up a small book called The Job Survival Instruction Book, which is a book offering “400+ Tips, Tricks, and Techniques” on how [...]
It was 2004, in a critical stretch of a major project, and the project team was spending the weekend holed up in a conference room in intense design sessions. The team was staring at magnified circuit boards, a small but immensely critical piece of a complex radar system and there was a serious problem: the [...]
My first job out of the Air Force Academy was simple: Manage the ‘task list’ of action items and have them ready for the Colonel’s stand-up staff meeting at 7 AM. The expectations were clear – Show up on time with a status for every task, and run through brick walls if needed to chase [...]
I love making lists. I’m OCD like that – to-do lists, music play-lists, best-of-whatever lists, lists about things that suck that should stay in 2009, and yes, Christmas lists (notice the obvious omission of grocery lists – that’s one list I don’t do!). This year is no different, and I have my business Christmas list [...]