Procurement is the bane of many project managers. While it should not be the case, wanting this to be so does not make it so. Procurement is an essential practice, but for many it is one that is riddled with delays, bureaucracy and red tape. How to rethink procurement in a way that can make projects more successful.
Managing Risk: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
Risk management tends to focus on the downside of things. ‘Risk’ is viewed as ‘what can go wrong’, and our risk management strategies are all focussed primarily on attempting to avert disaster. But what might go right? And what might we need to do differently if we want things to go right? A different perspective on how we think about risk.
Projects in the Cloud: Are We Ready to Go There?
Cloud computing’ is quickly becoming a prevalent trend in business. The presumption is that this is how applications will all be delivered in the future, and we simply have to get there. But what promises does the cloud offer to project managers? And what dangers may lurk in the mists? An exploration of the promise and perils of project management in the cloud.
Becoming A Master Project Manager
The typical project manager found themselves in their role by accident. Developing ourselves in this role also, unfortunately, is often accidental. Stepping back and looking at the development challenge, a model from the past offers excellent insight into how we think about developing our skills as project managers, and what mastery in project management might actually look like.
Organizational PM: Dream or Reality?
Organizations do projects. But do organizations have a project management capability? Is project success about who you select as project managers, or can you guarantee success regardless of who is assigned? An exploration of what it takes for project management to become truly organizational in nature.
Navigating Emerging Techniques
The good news is that we keep innovating new project management techniques. The bad news is… that we keep innovating new project management techniques. New approaches are a response to what hasn’t worked in the past. The challenge is that in addressing problems, we throw out the baby with the bath water. And then often re-label our tepid water as ‘lukewarm’. How to rethink how we think about process, and how we improve how we manage.