When the team seems to be working on a different plan than the project manager, what’s going on? And what needs to be done about it? A challenge for new project managers is figuring out the reasons and correcting things.
One of the worst experiences this practitioner had as an inexperienced PM was the first time he had to deal with things going very wrong. It can be a lonely feeling—but it doesn’t have to be.
The trade-off between project delivery time and quality often depends on the specific requirements and constraints of the project, but this is not always something that’s properly assessed. When push comes to shove and you have to decide, which side should you pick?
Dependencies are a fundamental part of project planning, but not many people get it right. Here’s a primer on how it should work.
Good coaching can address the challenges many organizations face when adopting Agile ways of working, including Scrum implementation. Sometimes that means hiring an experienced coach from the outside; sometimes coaching skills can be developed from within the workforce. There are a number of resources to help.
Are you wasting time and energy trying to improve your weaknesses as a leader? Are you asking others to do the same in performance reviews? Instead, focus on “middle skills” — the abilities between weaknesses and strengths that are our most underdeveloped resource for long-term professional development and growth.
Dip into the working diary of an accomplished product manager who shares “the good, the bad and the utterly random” realities of “one of the most essential, unpredictable and unsung responsibilities in business” — yes, managing projects. In his forthcoming book, the author imparts invaluable lessons learned based on four “Ps” of project management: processes, people, parts and phenomena. Here’s an excerpt.
What makes a successful project manager? What does the ideal PM look like? The answers might surprise you, as there is so much more to project management than the stereotypical traits we all assume we need to excel at.
One of the biggest challenges for new project managers is figuring out when things have gone off the rails early enough to do something about it. What are minor annoyances that can be ignored, and what are major “gotchas” that can derail any chance of success? How do you tell the difference?
If one of your team members asked you, “Why are we doing this now?” could you provide a complete and accurate answer? Some projects are simple and straightforward, and their purpose seems self-evident. But is that really the case?
|
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." - Mark Russell |
