PMcrunch

“Performance metrics” is an especially popular topic in management today. The idea is to try to measure everything by some sort of metric that gives a true picture of our degree of success or effectiveness. But like many management techniques, it is subject to misuse. Here are my suggestions for identifying relevant metrics and using them effectively.

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“Performance metrics” is an especially popular topic in management today. The idea is to try to measure everything by some sort of metric that gives a true picture of our degree of success or effectiveness. But like many management techniques, it is subject to misuse. Here are my suggestions for identifying relevant metrics and using them effectively.

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Can you use a 30/60/90 day plan for non-sales jobs? Certainly — it works for engineering, project management, technical support, and many others. For instance, I got a call from a candidate going for a job in Marketing Communications. He had a 30-60-90 day sales plan template, but needed help translating it into a document [...]

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There is always something going on that we can “take advantage of”. When we are in school, we can take advantage of the opportunity to learn new things in a free thinking environment. When we are on vacation, we can take advantage of the opportunity to sit back, relax and have a good time. When the weekend comes, we can take advantage of the opportunity to get some extra things done around the house, or to see to some friends. Now, we find ourselves in a recession. So, the natural question is, “What can we do to take advantage of the recession?”

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While many project and program managers work on large multi-year projects, many of us also work on small to medium sized projects. In fact, while many of these small to medium sized projects last anywhere from weeks to months, larger projects and programs consist of a series of these small to medium sized projects. Let’s take a look at one of the most common problem solving techniques available for getting into rapid-action mode on these fast-moving projects.

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All professionals – Project Managers, Program Managers, Executives, leaders of all kinds -  worry at times, and some more than others.  Worrying a lot or a little is actually a controllable habit.  Worrying a lot is little more than trading your peace of mind and taking a negative view of the future.  The urge to [...]

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Thomas Edison was the quintessential mistake maker. He believed that the more mistakes he made, the more wrong answers and wrong solutions he could eliminate and, therefore, the closer he came to the correct solution to his problems. In management and on projects, on one hand, we seek to minimize mistakes but it is important to recognize when “mistakes” can actually be beneficial and produce positive outcomes. Indeed, we should not be afraid to make mistakes but rather should try to control and leverage the process. The project portfolio management process is an ideal place to formally do this.

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Many of us are working on – or have already completed – [tag-tec]New Year’s resolutions, goals, plans[/tag-tec/, and the like. What I think is the most important aspect of this is that it allows us to focus on the important.

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In-person meetings are one of the oldest means used by different sectors of society in order for at least two individuals to meet, present their respective cases and reach an agreement or a compromise. It is widely used in many formal settings as well as informal ones. In fact, it is not uncommon to find in-person meetings organized in campuses, clubs, offices, and even in playgrounds, gyms and factory floors.

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A project manager has many responsibilities. However, stakeholder management sits near the top of the list, as it is intertwined with all the rest, especially scope and risk management.

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