pmStudent

It’s said there are no new project management sins, just old ones repeated. It’s also said that we don’t learn the lessons from past projects and this must be true, otherwise why would we keep making the same old mistakes? Read more »

We are in the midst of tough times economically. Troubled times remind leaders of the need to take responsibility. Tom Watson, founder of IBM once said something like this: “It’s not the tough times I worry about, it’s the good times.” Mr. Watson was undoubtedly referring to the observation that in good times we tend to get sloppy, whereas we tend to be at our sharpest during bad times. Read more »

Considering leadership when evaluating project performance and project management should go hand in hand. However, many organizations fail to include leadership in their metrics and in their evaluation process. This is a mistake that can prove costly. Read more »

Kimberly Wiefling is on a leadership blogging kick this week over at the UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley’s “Art of Project Management” blog. Read more »

In the August issue of PM Network, an interview with Colin Powell leaves out a few important questions I would have asked…. Read more »

In order for continuous improvement to become organizational culture, it must also become a personal goal for every employee. Self-improvement should not be limited to immediate application, that would be an example of short-term thinking. Employees are the most important assets of an organization, and therefore require effort to retain and enhance them.
On project teams, [...] Read more »

Deming claimed that the sense of having helped other people is the most significant motivator and source of job satisfaction. It is one of the biggest enablers for pride of workmanship.
Of the projects you have worked on, think about the ones you are most proud of. What is it that makes you look back [...] Read more »

It is the age-old distinction that usually merits much lip service and little true implementation. There is supervision/management, and then there is leadership. Project managers can either be supervisors or leaders, regardless of their job title.
Supervising/managing is simply overseeing and directing work. If you know everything about PMBOK and other methodologies, [...] Read more »

Dr. W. Edwards Deming was recently re-introduced to me in my Project Performance and Quality Assurance class. I have heard of him before and touched on some of his philosophy in other classes, but focused much more in-depth this time. The majority of his philosophy around quality and organizational management resonate with me. [...] Read more »

Human Resource Skills for the Project Manager: The Human Aspects of Project Management, Volume 2
This book by Vijay K. Verma provides a good overview of various project aspects regarding relationships, communication, and human capital in general. I personally found it helpful in the descriptions of various theories out there, and a good starting [...] Read more »

In the February issue of PM Network, the PMI’s monthly magazine, there is a great article titled “Are you an Alpha?” It’s about Andy Crowe’s book, Alpha Project Managers: What the Top 2% Know That Everyone Else Does Not”.
This is awesome content, especially for an aspiring project manager like myself. 8 key [...] Read more »

No Limits Leadership, Inc. has this white paper authored by Allan Elder titled “The Five Diseases of Project Management”. Allan was interviewed on Episode 57 of the Project Management Podcast a short time ago. This is an overview of some of the problems addressed by Critical Chain project management.
He identifies 5 reasons why [...] Read more »