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
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
Hello 2023, what to expect!
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
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
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