Project managers are as diverse a bunch as projects can be themselves. Perfect project managers don’t exist, any more than perfect people do. However, some project managers are undeniably easier to work with, better at what they do and ultimately more successful and in demand. So, what exactly distinguishes these project managers from the rest? […]
What Makes the Perfect Project Manager? Read More »
In IT Projects, when something unexpected happens, I get better results when I respond, than when I react. You may have sussed this for yourself ages ago but my epiphany, strangely, came when I met a St John Ambulance community first responder. He was telling me about a traffic accident that he’d attended. He was
Managing IT Projects: Respond Don’t React Read More »
I was reminded of an old Monty Python sketch today. Did you ever see Life of Brian? One of the characters Reg, played by John Cleese, asks “What have the Romans ever done for us?” One by one, other characters pipe up with loads of suggestions … medicine … roads … public order … Eventually,
Have you ever taken on an IT Project, only to find that a major challenge either wasn’t mentioned in the handover from the departing Project Manager or, if it was, it was implicit – not explicit. It’s like those horror movies where a family buys a house only to find out, after they move in,
How to deal with what wasn’t in the IT project handover Read More »
With the success of my first eBook, I am delighted to publish Volume II. The book covers a wealth of topics from Stonseed’s Project Management as a Service and our IT services, to an array Project and Programme Management issues. Volume II of Straight Talk on Project Management is now available for download as an
Straight Talk on Project Management VOLUME II – Free E-Book Read More »
I was sitting on the M1 in traffic the other day, the gantry lights above were displaying a huge red X above the inside lane, signifying that it was closed due to an accident. Most cars got over into another lane as soon as it was safe for them to do so. However, three lorries
WARNING! Don’t ignore the IT project warning signs Read More »
“Beware of Jim, he’s a bit of an ogre!” I was once warned about a project leader at a new firm I had joined. Jim wasn’t the chap’s real name, by the way, and “ogre” wasn’t quite the word that was used. Anyway, it turned out that “Jim” wasn’t really an “ogre”. He was just
How to be assertive and why IT project leaders must be Read More »
Project Managers need to strategically upskill to deliver the business value needed in the future. This is the key take home from a survey from AXELOS ahead their Summer reboot of PRINCE2. “Organisations will demand greater business awareness from project managers in the next few years. As a result, project managers need to invest in
Why IT Project Managers must strategically up-skill Read More »
Originally published on CIO.com Traditionally a project is judged complete when it is transitioned into service. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate this endpoint. A CIO asked me this recently because his team was expressing an interest in extending their role so that they could assess their project ‘from the other side’. Traditionally, as a PM
Where does an IT Project Manager’s job end? Read More »
There’s a fella used to go in a local fish and chip shop. Run with me on this. It must have been every week because he was always there whenever we decided to have a chippy tea on a Friday. For about the last month though, he hasn’t been in the queue. I don’t know
IT Projects – Think bigger picture. The fine line between over and under delivery Read More »
