Married to the Mob

I am lucky to live by the ocean. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to spend two hours at the beach, by myself - no husband or children in tow. I packed up a slew of unread magazines, my iPod, and sunscreen -- I was ready for a blissful afternoon. With the warm sunshine at my face, a gentle breeze in my hair and the ocean at my toes, I was in heaven. As I plowed through my stack of magazines, I came across an article about marriage. The gist of the article was this - when it comes to... Read More»

Pull the Plug!

Earlier today I headed to the airport to catch a flight. While navigating the Southeast Expressway to reach Logan Airport, I narrowly averted a car accident when the car traveling in the high-speed lane came within millimeters of my car. The young female driver barely glimpsed my way-she was much too engaged on her cell phone to notice me. After circling the Terminal B and Central Parking car lots, I finally found a place to park-a bit further from my terminal than anticipated. As I waited for the shuttle bus to transport me from the parking lot to the terminal,... Read More»

Do You Follow the Six-Month Rule?

Spring is the perfect time to put things in order. Organizational experts suggest we follow the 6-month rule to determine what we should keep and what we should relinquish. If you haven't used it (or worn it) in the past six months, it is highly likely you no longer need it-time to let it go. When was the last time you assessed your project management toolbox? This is a terrific time to evaluate what you have, define what you need, and surrender what you no longer use (or what no longer offers value to your project). I love vanilla and... Read More»

Who's Coming to the Party?

The Project Initiation Phase is an early phase in a project management lifecycle, as it involves launching a new project. Standard processes such as defining objectives, scope, purpose and deliverables are often practiced in this phase. Conducting a Project Initiation Workshop (PIW) is a great way to launch Initiation and a perfect time to involve customer involvement. A PIW is a structured meeting designed to initiate a project. It is a great communication device where all key stakeholders agree on what the project will do and why they are doing it. Organizational expertise and experience is applied to further define... Read More»

Have You Read the Headlines? It's All Great News!

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know we are officially in a recession - this is great news. For those of us who have been fighting to get project management recognized by business leaders, this is OUR time. This is our opportunity to capture the attention of senior executives everywhere and use the current state of economic turmoil to our advantage. Act now—before it’s too late! Organizations are faced with looming challenges in today’s shaky economy. Status quo is no longer an option for organizational survival. In fact, as I observe what is going on in today’s... Read More»

Yum, Vanilla!

Do you want to gain quick recognition and enjoy long-lasting professional success as a project manager? Serve Vanilla. In spite of all the flavors offered, it is still the most popular. Business activities and project management practices do not need to be complex or complicated to work. In fact, when you keep it simple, you are likely to adopt key competencies necessary for your future personal growth and professional development. Project managers who embrace project management in an incremental manner and seek only the level of practice that is right for their organization and culture, rather than force-feeding the crowd,... Read More»