PMcrunch

Training to build skills may take us in new directions…but in many ways the new territory will appear to be very familiar. Building new skills enhances us, sharpens us, and enables us to master the basics – which is always the foundation of any success we achieve.

[Read more →]

When considering training…or just simply places to place your own efforts… Are you better off working on your strengths or your weaknesses? The answer may surprise you!

[Read more →]

Here’s a quick Pareto Principle List. I have been thinking about this a good bit lately…and trying to see my day to day expenditure of time and energy through this lens.

[Read more →]

[tag-tec]Task estimating[/tag-tec] is a critical skill for [tag-dir]project managers[/tag-dir] and [tag-dir]project teams[/tag-dir]. We cannot manage what we cannot estimate. However, realistically, it is very difficult to be able to estimate every possible task accurately.

[Read more →]

I have used this. If you don’t want to have to start every project from scratch, then it’s worthwhile creating your own Project Life Cycle. I have found it especially useful – and impressive – in environments where there are a lot of technical people who have little project management orientation, and it has really made a difference. The best part is that it has helped me leverage my strengths – and to think through the project in an organized way.

[Read more →]

Any project portfolio is likely to have a high degree of synergy among various projects. This is especially true of a portfolio of projects that make up a particular program. The challenge is how to best realize these synergies and to derive true value from them.

[Read more →]

In these challenging times, so many of our projects and programs are more challenging than usual. We are called upon to make tough decisions to solve difficult problems and to squeeze more out of every resource we have. How we face these challenges has more to do with our approach and attitude than anything else.

[Read more →]

SaaS, an acronym for Software as a Service, continues to evolve in the market today. Any project or program manager involved with software application implementation needs to be very familiar with SaaS. But any project manager on any project where there are systems involved with managing any aspect of the project will also benefit by being familiar with SaaS.

[Read more →]

Change and pain are interrelated in a couple of ways. First, I think we have all heard many times over that change can be painful. On the other hand, oftentimes, change requires pain. Pursuing this idea a little further, oftentimes people are not willing to change unless they are experiencing enough pain. How can we leverage this idea on our projects and programs?

[Read more →]

Most of us are familiar with the old story of the tortoise and the hare. They raced each other one day and the hare raced off to a rapid start, took a nap, and continued the race in a cycle of rapid sprints and long naps. By contrast, the tortoise plodded along slowly but steadily to the end of the race, albeit at a very slow pace throughout. In the end, the tortoise actually won. While slow and steady may win the race, the best teams make the most out of both the tortoise and the hare. Here are my thoughts.

[Read more →]