Why don’t more project managers sound an alarm when they’re going to blow past their deadlines? Because most of them have no earthly idea when they’ll finish the job. They don’t even think it’s possible to know. Too many variables. Too much that’s out of their control. That’s the dirty little secret of project management. As the lead developer on one big software project put it: “Everybody knows the schedule is a joke, and we pay no attention to it. It will be done when it’s done.” It’s funny, though. Big, successful companies that manage huge projects like highways and dams and office parks have to deal with many more variables than a software development team. Yet they usually know how far along they are at any given time, and they keep their customers in the loop. That’s how they get to be big, successful companies. Granted, they have fancy project management software to help them stay on top of the schedule. But a good project management system — one that can tell you Continue Reading
My totally incomplete but hopefully useful guide to disasters in project management
In your role as project manager, you’ll be dealing with all manner of projects, some small, some enormous, some simple, some complex. All have specific demands and challenges that will test your skills and help to shape you into a real project management professional. But even the best-planned projects can run into disasters. What makes a good project manager is not the fact that you’ve never had a project go wrong (because if you haven’t, trust me that one day your record will be smashed) but how you handle disasters when they happen. Of course, in an ideal world we would avoid disasters altogether, so in each of the potential problems listed below, I’ve included a section on helping you avoid them. Disaster 1: You Didn’t Understand the Risks … and Now You’re Caught Every project manager knows that appropriate risk assessment is an important part of the preparation process for any project. Qualitative and quantitative data will help you understand what could potentially go Continue Reading
No Silver Bullet: building and managing virtual teams
I constantly get the same question, “How do you manage a virtual team and actually get stuff done.” In my current assignment each of the team members work from home or a coworking environment. We’re spread out across 35 countries and many time zones. With such separation, we still manage to get a lot done and enjoy our work! Before writing this article, I had not given much thought to exactly how we work in a virtual environment. My first answer was simply practice and many mistakes. Although, the knowledge gained from those mistakes can be narrowed down to three main ingredients: The people on the team, the process that drives the team, and clear communication. People "My model for business is the Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of Continue Reading
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me…
Do you really appreciate your Project Manager? There is not a child alive who dreams of being a project manager. Maybe a firefighter, a rock star or a pilot, but not a project manager? Nope. There’s something inherently dull about the words “project” and “manager”, the notions they generate make the flames of even the brightest imagination flicker and fade. And it follows that in the professional world saying you are a project manager won’t get you much respect either. To many being a Project Manager means you fit this unfortunate stereotype: you were not good enough in your field to be an engineer or a programmer, and through politics and self-inflation, you find ways to take credit for the hard work done by others. It stings, but that’s the stereotype (ask at your next happy hour with non Project Managers friends). Many Project Managers unintentionally reinforce this view by trying to get everyone to pay attention to the work they do produce: the meta work of spreadsheets, Continue Reading
What chaos theory taught me about life transitions
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with the unknown. As a kid, I can remember hours spent listening to a tape my aunt had given me for my birthday that told about adventures in space. I was endlessly curious about the cosmos, and dreamed of being an astronaut. While I never ended up becoming an astronaut (it looked way too hard) or launching into space (yet), I still feel something light up inside of me every time I face, or even think, of a journey into the unknown. It’s an addictive combination of dopamine and adrenaline-fueled curiosity that has driven most of my adult decisions. As a result, I’ve gone through my fair share of transitions in life. I’ve switched careers, and often entire industries, every few years. I’ve sought a life rich in experience, high in expectations, and driven by a pursuit of understanding, not necessarily a singular outcome. I never wanted to be the best at anything; I simply wanted to do things differently. I gravitated away Continue Reading
What did you learn from your last Project?
Project managers are consistently learning and evolving as they move from project to project but how often do you actively log the details or ask yourself what did you learn from your last Project?The knowledge and experience they gain from previous projects can prove highly valuable to the success of future projects. However no matter how much experience they have there will be times when they make the wrong the decision and their project gets delayed or even fails. Instead of focusing on the negatives the project manager needs to take some positives from it. One way to do this is by taking the opportunity to learn from these mistakes and bad decisions. A popular action taken by project managers is conducting a lessons learned review at the end of every project. When this is done correctly it can contribute to the success of future projects as it will encourage the recycling of good ideas and highlight the avenues that previously didn’t work well. By having a controlled Continue Reading
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