Project management professionals are highly attuned to budget obligations—nearly everything they do is with an eye toward meeting budget objectives while adding value at every opportunity. But with all of the other tasks under the umbrella of the Project Team, there are some common practices that often wreak havoc with project budgets. 1 – Not…
project management training
MAKE YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PHOTOS SING
April 15, 2013 by
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it’s time your Project Team made its project photos earn their keep. Stakeholders across the board rely on good pictures—to help them understand what your project will correct as well as to see all that you’ve accomplished so far. We’ve put together some guidelines to help…
7 TIPS FOR SHARING PROJECT METRICS
April 4, 2013 by
Most Project Teams strive for transparency, and that often includes releasing metrics related to project objectives, budgets, and a host of other data points. But there are some recommended—and other not-so-recommended—guidelines for sharing that information to best effect. We’ve put together 7 suggestions to keep stakeholders engaged while ensuring your transparency efforts remain on track….
THE DANGERS OF OVERPLANNING
April 4, 2013 by
Can you really overplan a project? It turns out you can. When schedules are adjusted too frequently, or when task durations are forecast too optimistically, the project can quickly fall into the overplanning trap. Most people recognize and quell the occasional bout of overplanning when they see it in themselves, but what happens if that…
Control Your Project’s Reality
March 26, 2013 by
The reality of a project—its objectives, its hurdles—don’t always match the perception that stakeholders have in their minds. When a project management professional discovers a discrepancy between how things really are and how people assume them to be, it’s time to do some proactive damage control that often goes beyond simply resetting expectations. First, see…
4 WAYS TO SPICE UP YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
March 17, 2013 by
Project Management Training is an ongoing activity for most Project Teams, but participants can get burned out if the routine gets stale. We’ve rounded up some tips to keep students interested and enthusiastic. 1 – Offer one on one sessions Training is typically more time- and cost-efficient when multiple students attend, but individual sessions can offer…
THINK BIG
March 6, 2013 by
Setting objectives is nothing new to project professionals, but sometimes it’s too easy to let stakeholder expectations drive progress. Resource constraints will always be with us, but try injecting one or more of these tips into your next project to see how much your team can accomplish if they aim beyond users ask of them….
4 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN DEALING WITH STUBBORN PEOPLE
March 6, 2013 by
Much of project management consulting centers around negotiation—objectives, expectations, timeframe, and budget. There are occasions where negotiation may be impossible, such as when budget limitations simply won’t allow additional money to be approved, but sometimes plain human stubbornness keeps the team from making progress. When someone comes to the table refusing to negotiate on key…
MAKE THE MOST OF MEETINGS
February 14, 2013 by
Meetings are a fact of life in project management, but are you getting everything you can out of them? We’ve broken down some common meeting types with do’s and don’ts to help your team maximize its time. Kick off Get everyone on board with a new project, outline primary achievables, reveal and discuss the timeframe,and…
Going Beyond Mentoring
November 13, 2012 by
Mentoring remains an important way for project management professionals to expand their knowledge base (6 reasons-mentoring still matters), but sometimes your needs go beyond what a mentor can provide. We’ve outlined a few instances where a different kind of expert might have the information or expertise you’re seeking.
