One of the challenges in formalizing how we think about project managers is being clear about the project management role. While there are a lot of books and information of the subject, clear definitions are surprisingly absent. A lot of our understanding comes down to, “I will know it when I see it.” Why this needs to change.
The Accidental Project Manager: Coming In From the Cold
Few people of us stood up at the beginning of our career and shouted, “I want to be a project manager!” And yet here we are. So how did this happen? And what does it mean? And what are the implications for the organizations that hire us?
Strategy & Planning: Overcoming The Failures
For most organizations today, strategic planning has a bad rap. In today’s world, strategy is viewed as being essential while strategic planning is seen as dispensable. This is a dangerous perception to take, and one that should arguably change. This article makes the case for why.
Getting Your Priorities Straight: Defending A Formal Approach To Making Project Choices
For most organizations that flirt with the concept of project portfolio management, the concept of formal numerical or measured assessments for project prioritization and selection is usually one that is quickly tried and just as soon rejected as being inflexible, time consuming or just plain wrong. This article discusses the challenges associated with creating and using an objective prioritization and selection framework, and defines an approach that has been practically implemented in several organizations and proven to produce meaningful and relevant results.
PMO Success Measures–A Proposed Model
What does PMO success look like? And how do we measure it. In part, that depends on just what kind of PMO we are trying to implement, and why. A constructive look at what we might want to measure, and how, to demonstrate the success of our PMOs.
After Certification Comes Reality: Where Do We Go From Here?
We got project management training. Then we were certified. Now we’re out there managing projects. How’s that working for us? A critical look at the challenges of actually doing what we know we should be doing.