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Sergie is a mechanic that I trust with my cars. When I take it in for a problem, he’ll suggest an inexpensive adjustment to see if that solves the problem. If that doesn’t work, he’ll try something more. I know that he has my best interests in mind rather than thinking about how much money … Continue reading 6 Ways to Help the Client Make Decisions →
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Case study – The stakeholder from hell Melvin was a project manager on a software development project. On a weekly basis, he reported status via a conference call with project stakeholders that were distributed around the world. The meeting was usually a formality. Melvin sent the status report the day before to all stakeholders for … Continue reading Stakeholder Management for Project Managers →
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He managed his project like it was a finely tuned machine. One in which he could manipulate any aspect he wished with the turn of a gear or the press of a button. The problem was that it was not a machine, finely tuned or not. It was an organism. A living thing. It breathed … Continue reading The Importance of Leadership in Project Management →
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“I’m just a programmer. I’ve only been brought in here to write code for this client.” That’s the general attitude I’ve gotten from many consultants on past projects. Some consultants just seem to forget that their really outsiders. There is a double standard. Employees have their assignments. Their employers have expectations for them. When employers … Continue reading Client Relations for Consultants →
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Worried about your career? Afraid that you’re stuck in a career rut that you’ll never get out of? You’re not alone. Millions of project managers are out there feeling the same anxiety that you feel. Should I move on? Should I ask for more responsibility? Or should I just continue doing what I’m good at … Continue reading Career Management Tips for Project Managers →
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Career minded individuals always seem to be trying to chart out their next success. That may include striving toward the next promotion. It could mean making more money. It could mean simply making more people happy. Whatever your definition of success, most of us set goals and strive to achieve them. That pursuit can be … Continue reading Your Greatest Career Risk →
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My wife and friends ridiculed me a few years ago for using a Microsoft Project plan when we moved. But I got the last laugh. Every detail was covered and the move went smoothly. I’m also very organized. The hooks in my garage are labelled so that each garden tool is put in the appropriate … Continue reading Project Management Planning Considerations →
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Things looked bleak in the depths of the great recession. Many major firms collapsed and went out of business completely. Some were deemed “too big to fail” and were bailed out by the U.S. government. For the surviving firms, layoffs were rampant, resulting in unemployment peaking at 10% in late 2009. Effects of the Great … Continue reading Consulting Success from a Good Economy →
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As a project manager, it has been instilled in me to seek tasks that can be done in parallel. I try to identify tasks that two people can do at one time. I pinpoint dependencies to make sure tasks are done in the correct sequence. I do this at home too. When I do even … Continue reading The Secret to Better Performance at Work →
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I’m intrigued with the popularity of vampires and zombies these days. Just doing a simple search for vampires on Amazon.com provides over 51,000 book titles. A search on zombies provides another 24,000. Netflix offers many titles under each category as well. It might have started with the Twilight series, but I think that just fueled … Continue reading Consultants are Vampires, Clients are Zombies →
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An orchestra conductor does not play any of the instruments in a symphony. His job is to coordinate each of the musicians that do play. This is a special form of communication between the conductor and the other musicians. Additionally, the musicians need to be able to communicate with each other. And the better they … Continue reading How to Facilitate Project Communication →
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I could tell by the look on his face that the interview was over. I was sitting in an interview with a top tier consulting firm in my college’s career services center. The interviewer had explained what it was like to work there. He said there would be a lot of travel. It could be … Continue reading Getting In to Consulting →
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When I tell someone I’m a consultant I never know what the response is going to be. Some people are impressed. With some people, their son or daughter is a consultant and they sense a connection. Still with others, I see them trying to suppress a sneer. Some of these people may have had a … Continue reading The 5 Biggest Myths of Consulting →
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I’ve learned a lot about project management over the years just through observation. I’ve been managed by project managers. I’ve also collaborated with PMs that managed projects in the same environment as me. I’ve had the experience in a consulting environment to co-manage a project with a client counterpart. I believe each of these experiences … Continue reading 3 Things a Project Manager Should Never Do →
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The chief executive officer is the head honcho. The person in charge. He or she is the one that presumably calls the shots. The CEO is everything you should be for your own career. Here I discuss 10 parallels between what a CEO does and what you should be doing to be the chief executive … Continue reading 10 Ways to Be the Chief Executive Officer of your Career →
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I’ve interviewed many people for the position of project manager. I’ll bet 90% of them had the term “On time – on budget” on their resume. I’ve had it on mine before too. It’s kind of a code word for project management success. But it doesn’t always translate to true success. The task master Most … Continue reading On Time – On Budget, and Completely Worthless →
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