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
Was Projektleiter von Piloten lernen können
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
Projektmanagement: So managen Sie Projeke erfolgreich
Alle Artikel, die ich bisher geschrieben habe, sind auf Englisch. Seltsam, weil ich in der Schweiz lebe und die Sprache, die wir in dieser Region sprechen, Deutsch ist. Deshalb habe ich vor, die nächste Artikelserie auf Deutsch zu schreiben. Wenn niemand sie liest, dann war es zumindest eine gute Übung ;-) Der Job eines Projektmanagers ist mit viel Verantwortung verbunden. Während viele Projektmanager in der traditionellen Methodik des Projektmanagements geschult wurden, hat sich diese Welt allerdings stark weiterentwickelt. Als Ansprechpartner einer Organisation, die für die termin- und budgetgerechte Ausführung von Aufgaben verantwortlich ist, müssen Ihre Informationen präzise und genau sein. Projektmanager müssen Ihr Wissen zu Beginn ihrer Arbeit an das aktuelle Arbeitsumfeld anpassen. Das Projektmanagement ist ein fließendes Umfeld mit stetigen Veränderungen, die für eine ständige Neubewertung der Arbeitsweise eines Unternehmens erforderlich sind. Wie also können Continue Reading
Fun in project management? Yes, you can!
Let’s start with the opposite: when do we dislike our jobs the most? I can give you some examples of my practice: I wouldn’t say I like dead ends, and sure I don’t want to be micro-managed. Also, I wouldn’t say I like the lack of leadership and not being equipped with the tools or authority to succeed. I’ve had one or more positions where all of this happened. Not all in one job, though I can think of one specific position that encompassed most of these. Anyway, I’m sure we all can think of a job where we were pushed down, and we were unhappy. We tend to not be at our most productive selves in these types of jobs and under these types of conditions. Believe it or not, but I have always found that I am most productive when the work is fun, and I have a great deal of control over that work. The same goes for the projects that I lead. If I have executive management with a great deal of confidence in my skills and let me run the show with the understanding I will shout out when there Continue Reading
Another (digital) Transformation initiative, really? Think again!
I’ve spent most of my career deeply involved in technological and organizational transformations, working hand in hand with my clients through challenging transition times. Along the road, I have seen some projects succeed and achieve incredible results, while others have made no significant impact. I will share what I have learned, hoping it can be useful for those who are currently undergoing tech renovations or (just) dreaming about them! "Technology alone is not enough. It's technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that makes our hearts sing." STEVE JOBS (after launching the IPAD). Although digital transformation is sometimes understood as the mere incorporation of digital technologies into an organization, the truth is that it means much more than that. The use of these technologies should allow you to better serve your clients as well as improve your internal processes. Let’s start by making your (internal) Continue Reading
Why good project fail, at least sometimes…
There is a hard reality that everybody has to face. Sometimes our performances are less than stellar, and we are not always destined for success. You can’t always be brilliant! This truism very much applies to project management. Not every project will be successful. A project that is not entirely successful is “challenged”. This is the euphemism for over-budget, behind schedule, or any of several conditions that cause the diligent project manager to shudder. In my next blog, I will discuss all of those factors that help to make projects successful. Success is wrought from motivated project teams, good communications, luck, and a number of other critical factors. In this article, I will focus on those factors that are obstacles to project success and will identify for you the reasons that projects fail. Stakeholder Involvement or Support (lack of) Projects often involve multiple stakeholders. These include staff members, funders, senior management, other organizations, and so Continue Reading