“In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” – Warren Buffett If a captain is supposed to go down with his ship, does a project manager have to sink with his failing project? The expression that a captain is supposed to go down with […]
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do you have too much to do and not enough time to do it? You have so many projects to manage and people who need to speak with you. It would also be nice if you actually got home at a decent time and saw your family and friends. Perhaps you […]
We Build Strength (WBS). I realize you know that from a traditional project management perspective the correct words behind the acronym WBS are work breakdown structure. Now since you are going to follow best practices and create a WBS as you plan your project; why not consider using it as a team building exercise? Team […]
Today?s thoughts on mistakes that project managers make come to us from Pam Warren. Since overcoming life-changing injuries from the Paddington Train Crash of 1999, Pam has become a master of re-invention and a catalyst for change not just in her own life but in the lives and work of others. Building on her skills […]
Are you a good at multitasking? You can test yourself right now using the Multitask Test http://open-site.org/blog/the-multitask-test/, maybe you really are a multitasking star or maybe you should consider doing one thing at a time. Most of us do a better job when we can focus on one thing and then turn our attention […]
This article by Jennifer Morris is a great reminder on some excellent project management communications basics. Be sure to watch this pmStudent mini-lesson for Quick Communication Tips too! There is always room for improvement in project management and new ways to get ahead in the game. Whether you are new to the world of project […]
We all know that gathering lessons learned is a best practice and part of our professional responsibility. But that doesn’t mean that we all do it. If the reason you do not is because you don’t know exactly HOW to conduct a lessons learned session or you think conducting a lessons learned session is too […]
There is something that most toddlers do that is a good business practice. They ask ?Why’. At a certain stage they ask why to just about everything. This is probably preferable to the stage where they say ?NO!? to everything. Yet I can see where this gets tiring. It seems that no matter how patient […]
Guest post by Mike Clayton, author of “Smart to Wise” Smart or wise; what?s the difference? I think we all know smart when we see it and I will stick my neck out (though not too far) and suggest that all or at the very least, the vast majority of PM Student readers are smart.? […]
We all do it. Day after day we grind away at work, doing our jobs. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees anymore. Finding Inspiration Managing a project may seem mundane on a day-to-day basis, but I’ll bet you can find some pretty inspirational insights to share with your project teams when you […]
Don't keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. It takes practice to capture lessons learned and to make use of those lessons as we move forward. What could you do better?