Fritzerland

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Deadly Sins of Project Management. Well at least my favorites!

March 24, 2023 By Frederik Otten

We all make mistakes. Project managers are certainly no exception - though, as a profession, we tend to be placed under much scrutiny at times. Therefore those mistakes may become big news and can be, depending on the mistake, quite damaging and costly to the projects we are running. In the world of project management, so many things need to be done; when they aren't done, they can damage our project engagements. Or things that we do or actions that we actually do take, that can really mess things up, too. Sometimes we dip into our past or into our professional past, where we witnessed someone else's project go south to gain this type of insight. Either way, it makes an impression, likely because of the chaos and destruction it caused on our projects. I have worked with, for, and hired many project managers throughout my career. Along the way, I have noticed that many challenges PMs face are shared across the industry, vertical, professional services, and in-house PMO Continue Reading

The Daily Stand-up: it’s time to ditch it 

March 9, 2023 By Frederik Otten

The daily stand-up has been the talk of the town in recent years. Seeing the buzz around it, you might have the fomo (fear of missing out) feeling if you haven't heard about it before. Words of wisdom: Daily stand-up meetings might be the quickest way to waste your time as a leader. Here's why this meeting doesn't work and what to do instead. Why a daily stand-up meeting doesn't work The original intention behind a daily stand-up meeting is exceptionally sound. Popularized by the Agile methodology of project management, daily stand-up meetings are meant to share progress and identify any blockers the team is facing. For the few teams who strictly adhere to only sharing status updates and blockers, a daily stand-up can serve them well. However, it's a different story for most of us in practice. We get overly excited and cram other intentions into our daily stand-ups: We want them to be an energizing morale booster for the team, a time to reflect on what went Continue Reading

Project Management and Flying: learnings from the flight deck

February 2, 2023 By Frederik Otten

Some 50 years since the inception of project management, more than 50% of IT projects still fail because they run out of time, resources, funds, etcetera. If pilots flew aircraft like we run projects, no one would ever fly. However, every day millions of people fly for work or pleasure and flights arrive on time almost 90 percent of the time, delayed mainly by weather. Airline travel is also the safest form of long-distance travel with a fatal accident rate of .022 per 100,000 hours flown. We have been flying for just over 100 years, but project management has been around since the building of the pyramids and the Great Wall. Are there any learnings we can take from flying? I think we can. Aviation has always fascinated me. I’m on a plane almost every week and there isn’t a take-off or landing that bores me. When wheels go up, a slight panic ensues as any morsel of control vanishes completely. I am always thankful for the days  when the only major task Continue Reading

Hello 2023, what to expect!

January 18, 2023 By Frederik Otten

Just think of what the project management industry looked like ten years ago. Fewer methodologies, lesser tools, smaller teams, and simpler projects. Cut to 2023, and things have changed tremendously as the teams are no longer smaller, and the projects are no longer simpler. Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, said," Change is the only constant in life." The project management landscape is changing rapidly with evolving technologies, tools, and the latest trends. And the change doesn't seem to slow down. Let's cut to the chase and take a look at 2023. Becoming data-oriented with BI and BA As technology advances, project managers are increasing their use of data insights to make informed decisions to handle projects better and escalate business growth. In 2023, data has a high chance of becoming a significant protagonist in guiding project management measures and activities. We predict project professionals will rely even more on relevant insights using Business Intelligence (BI) Continue Reading

Project Management – it’s always the basics

December 29, 2022 By Frederik Otten

Every now and then I come across project managers who seem to have forgotten the “cardinal rules” of project management. When I come across such a project manager, I have the strongest desire to help them in a jovial way and to make it memorable. As an example, there are many common issues that can arise in project management, some of which include: Here are some strategies for addressing common issues in project management: Here are a few ideas for using the start of a new year as an opportunity to improve your project management skills and practices: By focusing on these areas, you can set yourself up for a successful year of project management. Continue Reading

Was Projektleiter von Piloten lernen können

March 30, 2021 By Frederik Otten

Was haben ein Flug und ein Projekt gemeinsam? Eine ganze Menge! Etwa 50 Jahre nach Beginn des Projektmanagements scheitern immer noch mehr als 50% der IT-Projekte daran, dass ihnen Zeit, Ressourcen, Mittel usw. ausgehen. Wenn Piloten Flugzeuge fliegen würden, wie wir Projekte durchführen, würde niemand jemals fliegen. Jeden Tag fliegen jedoch Millionen von Menschen wegen ihrer Arbeit oder zum Vergnügen, und Flüge kommen fast 90 Prozent der Zeit pünktlich an. Verzögerungen entstehen hauptsächlich durch das Wetter. Flugreisen sind mit einer tödlichen Unfallrate von 0,022 pro 100.000 geflogenen Stunden die sicherste Form des Fernverkehrs. Wir fliegen seit etwas mehr als 100 Jahren, Projektmanagement gibt es jedoch seit dem Bau der Pyramiden und der Großen Mauer. Gibt es irgendwelche Erkenntnisse, die wir aus dem Fliegen ziehen können? Ich denke ja. Die Luftfahrt hat mich immer fasziniert. Als Vielflieger und zudem selbst privater Pilot bin fast jede Woche in einem Flugzeug und es Continue Reading

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Copyright 2018 (c) Frederik