PMcrunch

In thinking about shareholder management or investor management, especially in today’s volatile environment, I see a big parallel with stakeholder management.  In essence stakeholders are the investors in our projects.  Stakeholders hold a “stake” in our projects.  Stakeholders, just like investors, have different levels of investment or interest in our projects.  We must think of [...]

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Both technology and the environment have always fascinated me.  Together they make quite an interesting combination.  Add financial viability to this cocktail and you have a real winner!  That is what clean technology is all about!

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At the end of a year and at the beginnning of a new one, we all tend to take some time to look back at the last twelve months and to look forward to the next twelve. This is a good time for us to asses our own performance, strengths, weaknesses, interests, things that we would like more of and things that we would rather do without.

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How does the emergence of Web 2.0 collaborative capabilities and networks effect the organizational landscape, and how does that effect project and program managers? I think the key to answering this question is to look at what is happening to interpersonal relationships, power centers, and influence within organizations to see how this is changing as a result of this emerging development. I find that we can gain insights into this by observing from the following point of view: a. Organization charts are the way the organization is “supposed” to be, and b. Web 2.0 collaboration reveals relationships, and hence organization structure, as it really is. Let’s explore…

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As leaders and professionals, we are called upon to be at our best all of the time! Not only to we need to maintain and improve personal performance, but we as project managers and program managers are frequently responsible for the performance of others. One challenge is how we manage the plethora of positive and negative feelings that inevitably come our way in the course of our professional endeavors. I have been thinking about how we can be more aware of what happens inside of us emotionally that needs to be managed in order to achieve top performance consistently.

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Parkinson’s Law – the concept that work expands to meet the time available – is a common human behavioral reality. To deal with it, we can always tighten up the timeframe or define the work and deliverables more explicitly, but it is not always so straightforward to deal with.

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Daptiv, formerly eProject, has changed its name effective November 12, 2007, reflecting its desire to cast a wider net within the enterprise. The name eProject reflected a strict project management focus, whereas Daptiv – with connotations of fast, adaptive, dynamic, modern, futuristic – leaves behind that more singular focus. In fact, CEO Jeff Pancottine has reported that the new branding reflects the on-demand, flexible style and wide range of uses for the software beyond the scope of traditional Project Portfolio Management (PPM). The capabilities of web services surely figured into this marketing move.

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We all know the definition of a project is an undertaking that produces a product by a target date and within an agreed cost. This triple constraint (product, time and cost) is what the project manager must plan for and track progress against. But are the three dimensions equal in priority?

The answer is no – some projects are cost constrained; some have an immovable end date while others may place a priority on the product quality. Understanding the priorities on your project (and agreeing with your project sponsor on the priorities) is critical.

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There are many project management templates out there in the marketplace. Project Management consulting firms, training companies, large government organizations, and educational institutions are among those who produce and often sell project management tools and templates. These are generally geared toward implementing particular methodology and addressing a particular common problem space. There also are template providers – firms who produce many templates to service the open market. Some of these might be free, but generally the best cost some money. Here is a list of the more notable template providers I have found. The list gives a flavor for what is out there to support project management processes.

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Is management as a profession? What about project management? Elite business schools today are at a crossroads, especially since the rise of business education in China and India. How will this impact project management as a profession and a creer choice?

Is management a profession? What makes something a profession – a specialty?

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