Project management is, in my opinion, much more about soft skills than processes and forms. In this short ebook published by the government of Canada, we get valuable advice and techniques to improve our leadership. Coaching Practices for Managers is a handbook to learn how to understand beyond what the person is really saying. It's [...]
There is a lot about control in project management books and best practices: we need to control scope, budget, schedules, quality, etc. It's expected of project managers that we have control over the project. But what about the uncontrollable? What about people? People are not as easy to plan around as machines or supplies. When [...]
Today is International Project Management Day. I bet there will be quite a few posts on project management as a profession and a methodology. I would like to talk about something that is to often forgotten in projects: the importance of the sponsor in the project. No project without the sponsor If no one wants [...]
Jorge Domingez asked the question: is project management science or art? I agree with Jorge that project management cannot be reduced to only art or only science. Rather, I see project management as a craft . Wikipedia defines craft as "a skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a trade or particular art." Project management is about skills [...]
Can our project management style affect the environment? Most of us would say yes, as long as we're working on a type of project that is physical in nature. For example, if we're building a bridge or a building, it's obvious that the project has an environmental impact. It's also obvious that the building style [...]
If we wear an ill-fitted shoe, there will be friction between our foot and the shoe. If left unchecked, this friction will turn into a painful blister. Afterward, we will be unwilling to wear the shoe again because of the pain that friction cause our poor foot. The same process happens if there is friction [...]
Earlier this week I posted a piece about keeping in mind that we are working with people, and as project managers we should not become obsessed with the processes and methodologies. The post created such interesting discussions on Linkedin I’ve decided to share some here: Paul McKelvey wrote: “Reward is another thing humans like. It [...]
With the Agile methodologies gaining momentum, there is a lot of talk about process. How projects should be managed, how to implement methodologies in an organization, which method is best to achieve project goals on time and on budget. But what is project management really about? Is it about processes and forms and reports? It’s [...]
During my vacation we traveled to Europe. We originally planned to stay one week in Paris and a second week in Madrid. After 4 days in Paris, we realized we would get bored if we stayed the whole week. We had two options: Stay and be bored. Pull a map of Europe and choose a [...]
Background on this post This post started from a tweet that resonated with me. I realized that if we spend all our time managing emergencies, we leave the project at a standstill, without a leader or a vision. Project management and firefighting One thing most bloggers won’t admit to is how they often find inspiration [...]
