We want to introduce new perspectives and get people thinking a little.
And we'd like to hear about your ideas too!
Feel free to respectfully share, quote, & comment on any tweet, article, video, etc.
Time and again, we are being shown that our biggest project risks are NOT associated with the technical challenges we might start out with. Instead, we know that two very critical aspects surface time and again.
Today I want to raise some issues and general links between risks, sustainability and stakeholders. Because I believe they are all tied at the hip.
Read MoreAnticipate. Influence. Elevate.
These were the themes of PMI Global Congress 2016—North America. Words of contemplation listed on a wall, blasted on screens, without context. Until we started the program and it all became clear.
Written as a closing for the Congress, "Elevation through Conflict" was about influencing change by anticipating risks, introducing healthy debate to find solutions, and really standing up for what you believe in...
Read MoreOver the course of a conference duration, many conversations and debates were had around business strategy and project alignment. I noticed throughout, every time I mentioned bringing projects in alignment with corporate strategies, my fellow expert would casually correct me to indicate that "projects are driven by strategy, initiated to achieve a set of outcomes."
His theory? Creating alignment isn’t something we should need to do. If the outcomes weren’t driving the project initiation, then it wouldn’t be there to begin with. While I agreed with this statement, I had several examples where existing projects could be shown to align with business strategy.
Read MoreHow do you add flexibility and iteration into a rigid system? A defined management structure? How do you manage stakeholder risks? And how do you avoid the downfalls of assumptions?
Find your rocks in the river, and let the water flow around them. Zoom out and take in the full picture. And ensure you have found and engaged all of your stakeholders!
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These days, there is a lot of talk about work-life balance. But in my opinion, it is something that's a bit tough to grasp in the North American working world.
With so many things to do, and only so many hours in the day, how do you stay fresh and recharged, to give it your best all day long?
Read MoreDo you ever lose traction on the very thing that is most critical for you to finish RIGHT NOW? Where you have to complete something by the end of the week, and you just know how important it is, but no matter what you do, it seems you will never get there?
Read MoreMy modus operandi has changed significantly since leaving my past corporate life, and I have relied heavily on the world wide web, on social networks, and on online coaching and training to learn so many new things.
The importance of having some mentorship and guidance to advance your career, to develop a business, or just to gain more insight into your line of business, cannot be underrated. So, if you had the chance to ask anyone for mentorship, who would you choose? Who is your shining star?
Read MoreOrganizational change is a tough battle, and it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to get it up and running, to maintain enough momentum to see it through until the benefits are realized. There are many phases that need to be developed and managed as you work through the initiative.
In fact, it’s not unlike starting up a new business - and I have found a few things that really help to keep myself, and the teams involved, motivated and ambitious to continue forward.
Read MoreAs project managers, or team leads, we frequently get to know what our team members are good at, and what they are not - over time. Their characteristics and working styles may vary, but each will have his or her own way of getting things done, and there will definitely be environments in which they excel, and other situations that they would love to run away from.
Perhaps it's time we should do a better job of recognizing our strengths, and our team's strengths in a more formalized way...maybe even using them to all of our advantages.
Read MoreIt has been said by many, that if you commit a vision to paper, express it in detail, so that others can see this vision, and then communicate it broadly in some way, it shall become true. Do you believe in that?
For projects and change initiatives, setting the vision, and gaining alignment with that is one of the most critical things that a leader can do to ensure success.
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