Extreme Project Management

Ever stop to ponder all the different PM frameworks that have been developed over the years and which one you should be using in your organization? Is there really one best framework out there? The options are dizzying, so here we take a look at four of them in depth. What can they do for you? Remember, one size does not fit all...

Just being an expert on agile and focusing on delivery of “working software” doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. This article shows tips and techniques for those of you struggling with getting your team and your company to adopt agile.

A good project vision does more than unite the team toward a common objective--it also helps with making decisions when faced with difficult choices.

This article is first in a series studying an in-depth agile project framework.

You have heard the adage, "Think outside the box!" Well, sometimes it's best to think inside the box when time is of the essence.

Extreme situations call for eXtreme Project Management. In the face of disaster, the 10 Shared Values can get you and your team to a successful end.

Agile projects are optimized for different constraints than traditional ones. To truly understand how to design a performance measurement system for agile PM, we need to dig a little deeper into the value system underlying agile methods.

There are risks to both over-engineering and under-engineering a system. In extreme project management, we want to find this out at the beginning before it leads to a big mistake at the end.

Learn the success factors for managing projects in a change-tolerant way.

Today’s software development and systems implementation projects are increasingly falling into the eXtreme zone—not only organizationally and technically complex, but also features high speed, high change, high unpredictability and high stress.

If you don't want a zombie project, don't be a zombie project manager. Show some passion in your leadership!

In the PM world, much is being made about the concepts of agile and extreme project management. But how agile is agile? And how agile do we need to be, anyway? And, to be clear about the real question that we should be asking, how unique is agile from what most of us understand project management to be?

Extreme project management is learning how to manage the unknown in a changing high-speed, high-stress environment. Are you up to the challenge?

Extreme Project Management (XPM) is a methodology used to describe how to deliver projects on time and budget based on the scope. Is the theory behind this concept really new, or just another name for what many project managers already know? Either way, this article points out the true "extremes" of project management, highlights the theory behind XPM and provides some guidance on when to use the technique.

Sink or swim! Taking over a dysfunctional project team can be a very frustrating yet exhilarating experience. This article summarizes some “rules of the road” that should help you navigate through shark-infested waters--with the result being a highly motivated department or team delivering quality projects on time.

You can't even begin to get a handle on your project until you can answer, "Who wants what and why?"

Why is there a gap between what is valued versus what is practiced? Find out about the common denominator--and potential solution--inside.

Why is it that a team can be skilled in fundamental agile practices, have access to agile tools and still not be able to achieve the benefits of agile? In this writer's experience, the answer nearly always boils down to a lack of courage.

Using extreme PM tips and techniques will only be successful if you know how to effectively and consistently manage the human element. This is particularly difficult when dealing with creative types. The key ingredient of software development leadership success can be represented as a balance of planning, process and people leadership in order to produce quality products.

Projects aren't one-size-fits-all. Why should project management be that way?

Now that we've captured the sponsor's vision, how do we capture the collective vision?

If we want to learn something, it is wise to examine others who have done it well--and self-mastery is no exception. Here are seven lessons that we can extract from the unprecedented success of The Beatles.

We need better ways of managing projects in a volatile environment--and a broad approach is to build a modus operandi that is especially effective when change is the norm. An important part of that is experimentation.

A project is only as sick as its secrets, and the very nature of project management is that it challenges the core of what it means to be human. How sick are you?

Robert Thomsett introduces the concepts of extreme project management.

The first thing agile project managers should do is work on their attitude about what it takes to succeed. This article shares examples of five agile attitudes.

In most meetings, a variety of negative dynamics can hinder progress. Good facilitation skills can go a long way in turning great people into great teams and enabling smart people to make smart decisions. Here are six vital facilitation techniques.

When a subtle juxtaposition of roles blindly take place between the project manager and the project's business owner, insanity insues. The solution: clarify the roles.

Welcome to Right-Brain Project Management! In this and coming articles, we will explore that often underappreciated and underused part of the brain, which is needed for success on any project--and is absolutely critical on those projects that are novel, high velocity or complex.

In attempting to solve problems, project managers too often overlook the best solution: the project team. This article outlines why the team has the best practical solutions--even when they may not be the best theoretical solutions.

Especially in agile programs, the program architect and the program manager work together to provide business value to the organization. It’s difficult, intense and fun...and full of some myths that need clearing up.

Bad client reviews travel faster than a speeding bullet. If a situation is deteriorating rapidly, it’s time to explore some extreme customer service options.

Developing a phased approach that brings continuous and measurable improvements is key to implementing an effective SLM capability. SLM isn’t about service level agreements, layers of complex processes and such. SLM is about aligning the services and capabilities IT provides to the organization with its fundamental operational and competitive sustainability needs.

To succeed in life as well as in business, you have to adapt to reality, and not the other way around. Shouldn't it be that way with project management, too?

Projects are people, too! And that means you have to consider the emotional component of your staff to evaluate the well-being of your project. Here's some help in doing that.

How do you align the method to the natural attributes of a project? First, you have to understand the various software development project approaches. This article provides an overview of several popular SDP approaches and identifies some basic criteria for selecting one approach over another.

If you aren't familiar with Totoolitarianism, you might be the next recipient of the Dumbbell Prize in Project Management.

So-called 'extreme' project management methods might actually serve as a happy medium on your project, but you must know when to use them.

This is the second in a seven-part series on the Adaptive Project Framework. APF is an approach to a class of projects for which neither the traditional nor the extreme methods are appropriate. APF is entirely compatible with the PMI PMBOK Standards. This series is derived from selected content from the 3rd edition of Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme.

New board members will join nine returning members to help guide the organization’s growth in the coming year.

Sure, you want to be open, upfront and honest with your clients. But there are three things you should never say to your project customer.

If you’re the project manager and you find yourself in a nightmare situation where your customer is out of the picture, what do you do? Performing the following actions are probably in your best interest if you hope to either salvage the project--or save your own skin if things go horribly wrong.

“Cloud” sounds kind of ethereal, doesn’t it? Lofty in some ways, yet soft and comforting like a bed of heaven. With this new system direction, we’re supposed to let our concerns just float away. Not so fast...

Risk management on projects has become a doom-and-gloom exercise in finding all of the bad things that might go wrong and coming up with plans of what to do about them. Project budgets inflate and schedules extend as mitigation and insurance strategies grow and contingency budgets balloon. We highlight the negatives to such an extent that we forget to focus on the positives. Time to turn that frown upside down...

Learning by doing -- on the fly!