I was in a meeting earlier this week that was typical of so many project meetings I have attended. A rough agenda had been drawn up by the person chairing the meeting but no-one else had seen it before the meeting started so we didn’t quite know what to expect. And one person was […]
10 Steps to the Perfect Project Meeting Read More »
I have been debating recently with some colleagues about whether project managers need to have in-depth business knowledge of the business area in which they are managing projects. By in-depth we specifically meant having previously worked in the business itself before becoming a project manager. In fact, there are some organisations that use
Do Project Managers Need Business Knowledge? Read More »
Quality Assurance is the process concerned with monitoring the quality of all aspects of a project so that the final product fulfils all requirements. So QA is performed before the product is finished – it is an essential part of project management and one of the factors that will determine whether the project is a
Ten QA Tips for Project Managers Read More »
I was with a Project Manager friend, Steve, for a catch up this week when an old friend walked into the coffee house we were in. I introduced the old friend, Liz, to Steve and invited her to join us. After a few minutes, Liz asked Steve, “So, what do you do?” What would you
You are not an IT Project Manager. You are not a CIO. How you are so much more! Read More »
Project Management is the second most boring job in the world, according to a recent study. When you factor in that working in IT also makes the top ten you would be forgiven for imagining that all IT Project Managers must be constantly nodding off on the job. Who did they ask? It reminds me
IT Project Management boring? Are you sure you’re doing it right? Read More »
I just gave some seemingly contrary advice. “You need to be more solid, steady, dependable, consistent – you’re all over the place,” I told an experienced IT Project Manager friend who is having one of those blips where nothing goes right. “OK, how?” he asked. I thought and answered,
To be a solid IT project manager, be more flexible Read More »
Getting lulled into a false sense of SECURITY can be bad enough – in your personal life, in sport and, of course, especially in business. Last year my friend’s company boasted about a new contract on social media before the client had signed on the dotted line only to have their bitterest rival swoop and
Don’t let a false sense of insecurity sink your IT project Read More »
It can be all too easy to focus on the processes and procedures that get a project done and to overlook the people who are ultimately responsible for its success. However, more and more project managers are coming to realise the value of emotional intelligence and the necessity of the softer skills of management if
Six Signs You Might Have a Problem With a Project Team Member Read More »
GANTT CHART Gantt charts are the most generally useful tool in project planning. They are used for scheduling and monitoring tasks, for showing costs and expenditure at all stages throughout the project, for communicating progress and producing reports. They show, on a simple block diagram, the activities and costs over time in an easy-to-understand way.
10 Things Every Project Manager Should Know Read More »
I have often written about the well-recognised traditional project management methodologies such as APM PMQ, PMP and PRINCE2; less so about the Agile and Scrum techniques. But whatever type of method is employed to get a project done an experienced project manager will know that they also have to be a realist. Fresh out of
Project Managers Must Be Realists Read More »
