Portfolio Management: Lamborghini Body on a Plymouth Horizon Chassis

Having attempted rolling out project portfolio management at several organizations I can state with confidence that the portfolio management process fails to deliver on its promise to streamline an organization’s project pipeline and provide high value. However, it is not the fault of the portfolio management process. Rather, I have found that the fault resides primarily with how organizations are structured (refer to a prior blog post titled Portfolio Management: Is Modern Management Practice Compatible?). Another major issue is a lack of education and understanding of portfolio, program, and project management at the upper management level (think C-suite). It’s easy... Read More»

Portfolio Management: Is Modern Management Practice Compatible?

I sat anxiously in the PMO Director's office waiting to present my proposal for an organizational portfolio management process implementation. I had spent the previous several months drafting the process and holding reviews with several key company stakeholders. My homework was done and I knew I would hit this one out of the park. The presentation spanned the next thirty minutes. What seemed like an eternity of silence had passed, but in reality was probably only 10 seconds, the PMO Director finally spoke his verdict. "Am I the only one that has major heartburn with this process," he stated. My... Read More»

Challenging the Way We Work and Manage

As I work on writing my next book, my research is increasingly supporting the premise that we are working under a very outdated model of management. In this post, I will challenge the current model and hopefully cause you to pause and consider your own experiences. I will begin by posing a few questions. Are the projects you lead very straightforward? Can they be completed by your team employing checklists and a predetermined set of steps? Are the problems you and your team are addressing easily solved? If the answers to the questions above are no, as I suspect, then... Read More»

Do You Stand Out?

The latest national unemployment report shows a slight decline, suggesting we are on the road to recovery. I suspect it will be a long recovery, given the fact we are still hovering around 10% nationally. With high unemployment and a growing prevalence of project managers, how do you stand out among the crowd while seeking your next job opportunity? A first-rate project manager sounds like a fantastical being - Proficient at planning and problem-solving, adept at budgeting; an accomplished negotiator and master influencer who is able to lead, motivate and communicate. Oh, and who is also able to remain calm... Read More»

It's a New World

I am thrilled to report my affiliation with a new professional association, and I am quite excited to finally share it with you. Yes, and I think you will find this one to be both compelling and a breath of fresh air. What began as the idea for an independent PMO association has grown into something that I believe is much more interesting and valuable. Imagine having the chance to create rather than just join a group; there is still plenty of opportunity for you to become actively involved in shaping what this organization will be and what it will... Read More»

Community Events - the Show Must Go On...

Matt Glei, PMP I recently completed a community service project. I volunteered to be the Chair of the Logistics Committee for the second annual Independence Day Celebration in Maunalua Bay, Hawaii Kai, the town where I live here on Oahu, Hawaii. Although I've often volunteered for community service projects, such as Habitat for Humanity, I had never been THE project manager for all of the logistics. Even though the event was a big success AND happened on time, I learned many lessons, some of them for the third time. Volunteer organizations are different from business organizations Volunteer organizations are usually... Read More»

How to Survive a Layoff: A Project Plan

A friend called me two days ago and announced that he, along with 600 other employees, has been laid off from the company where he's worked the last 12 years. My aunt called to let me know that my cousin had been cut from a full-time job with benefits to 40% time, hourly pay and no benefits. These are intelligent, professional people who are hard workers and top performers. Last night on the evening news an economist projected that in California alone, one million - that's ONE MILLION - people will be laid off in 2009. And the problem isn't... Read More»