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 →]

Often on our projects there is none a perfect match between the talents of our team and the challenges of the project. We do the best we can to match capabilities and prior experience to the needs of our current projects but as reality has it each project is unique. We try to “are the best athletes” but invariably there are going to be some gaps in the skills required. [tag-tec]“Just in time learning”[/tag-tec] can be the answer to these issues.

[Read more →]

The benefits of conducting an annual employee survey is widely accepted but many organizations have been put off by the amount of effort those annual surveys take to deploy.

[Read more →]

Most of us have experienced broken New Year’s resolutions; and for those who even made them this year, I can only imagine how many are already falling behind. In a sense, this phenomenon can actually work against us. Falling behind and failing is not a good experience and does not generate good emotions. In tough times, especially, we need positive emotions to carry us forward.

[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 →]

There is no doubt about it we are in tough economic times. The current woes on Wall Street are only the most recent evidence of our collective economic difficulties. So the big question is how do project and program mangers cope with these difficult times. Many fear the loss of jobs and extended time away from work. This includes team members, it can include stake holders, it can include the project and program managers themselves. It is this fear that is one of the important keys to coping with difficult times.

[Read more →]

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 [...]

[Read more →]

As leaders and project managers or program managers, we are subject to the ups and downs of what we could call the “project or program work cycle”. While sometimes things seems to be flowing forward and progressing well, like a well-oiled machine, at other times it seems that no matter what we do, progress is slow and difficult. I leadership positions, this experience is inevitable, as everything is not “black and white”. How can we handle these situations?

[Read more →]

Project Management involves a great deal of discipline in making sure that “all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed’. It clearly involves a great deal of attention to detail, and a high degree of thoroughness. So how do we balance that with a practical realism that allows us to prioritize and focus on the most important activities? The pareto principle can help.

[Read more →]

Uncertainty is part of the territory for effective leaders. Certainty simply does not exist for effective leadership, since if it did, leadership would not be needed! Whether in executive leadership or project leadership, it is the ability of the leader to manage uncertainties that most defines success.

[Read more →]