New. Shiny. Attractive. New. We just can’t resist the lure of the latest and greatest gadgets. But do you really need it? How does one get to leading edge without falling over the abyss into bleeding edge? For the technically savvy and financially unrestrained, the answers are surprisingly well understood…just seldom practiced.
Finding green in our projects
A few years ago, the idea of project management becoming more “green” was a head-scratcher. What did this involve, exactly? Printing less? Using less paper? Reusing coffee cups until the glue gave way? In the intervening period, the idea of sustainability and “green” practices has undergone a renaissance of sorts. Discussion of the topic is no longer derided or considered a basis for dismissive humor when it comes up in the boardroom. In this article, Mark highlights the difficulties associated with demonstrating values and impacts that are less tangible in nature – although no less important.
Megaprojects: How different are they really?
| Mega-projects. The whole concept inspires a level of massiveness–epic, large, giant-scale projects that nearly defy human imagination. As well they should, because mega-projects are, well… big. Vast. Enormous. Why, I need a thesaurus simply to discuss them. But what is a mega-project? Why do we have them? And just how different are they from your regular, everyday, garden variety project? |
PM Life Skills: What I Wish I Got Taught In Project Management School
Few of us set out to become project managers. Where formally developed skills are earned, they generally take the shape of process-based training. Taken as a whole, however, they don’t make up the full set of tools, skills and abilities that a project manager needs to survive–and thrive–in the long term. Thankfully, this well-considered guide to life skills for project managers is here to help.
The Project Manager’s Survival Guide to Politics
Politics is an inevitable reality in organizational life. It is the fuel that drives organizational functioning. It is how things get done. Yhen we mention politics, we see it as representing the worst of human behavior. And yet, politics encompasses all of human behavior. For the project manager, a strategy for managing politics becomes essential. Read on for more.
Stakeholder Engagement, Not Stakeholder Management
Few project managers discuss stakeholders without in some way referencing the need to employ “stakeholder management”. Not only have we invented a dehumanizing four-syllable word for “person”, we’ve also now implied that they are people that need to be managed. Luckily, there’s a simple solution here. Read about three letters that make a lot of difference.