Be prepared!

It was 3:30 on a Thursday afternoon, and a group of executives were putting the final touches on the agenda for the board meeting scheduled to begin in an hour. This time, my project was on the agenda for additional funds. Usually this means a vote on consent and not necessarily a presentation. For some reason I started to carefully look through the bulky agenda document and right there under presentation was my project. How could I have missed this? I had taken it for granted that this would be easy sailing since funds were already available and I was... Read More»

Where are those lessons learned?

At the end of every project, the project team usually goes through an exercise to discuss what went well and opportunities for improvement. In some cases, surveys are sent out to different stakeholders, sponsors and team members. We gather all this data and file them in one form or another. The question is, what do we do with them afterwards? Are they still on the flipchart waiting to be transcribed? Do we leave them in a file on our desktops waiting to put them on Sharepoint or are they already in the lessons learned database? The intent behind this task... Read More»

Walking the fine line of project management

There is a fine line between project manager and subject matter expert and unless close attention is paid to roles and responsibilities, this line can be easily blurred and in some cases become non-existent. A few months ago I began a new project. At the first meeting it became obvious that the business unit had the expectation that I would be sitting through meetings to confirm business rules. It was a notion that I quickly dispelled. How could I explain to the group that while I was interested in their processes, my responsibility was to get the processes automated to... Read More»

Why project managers should volunteer

Why should we volunteer? Of course it gives a warm fuzzy feeling inside, a certain level of contentment as we drift off to sleep knowing that we have spent time doing something for the greater good expecting nothing in return. Also, there are PMI professional development units to be gained for such noble, selfless efforts. Believe it or not, there are some real advantages to spending your time and energy working for no pay. Volunteering looks great on a resume. No one can deny the fact that employers are usually impressed, and rightfully so, by acts of kindness prominently displayed... Read More»

Dear Project Sponsor - Do you solemnly commit?

Three weeks into the project, the charter was signed, meetings were scheduled, the team was in place, and then the bombshell! I was sitting across the table from the sponsor and I could sense the apprehension. "Well....” she started. I knew what was coming and I knew it would not be good, so I held my breath waiting for the next sentence. “I really do not think this is the right time to be doing this project", she said. My thoughts raced ahead trying to decide how I would tell the team that the project was postponed. I was especially... Read More»

Measure It!

I was walking to lunch with my friend the performance measurement analyst and I was in an exceptionally jubilant mood over the smooth launch of my latest project. “Well, my project was successful; I launched the software on time, within budget, actually below the budget, and the stakeholders are happy, so now it is time to plan the celebration!” “That’s great!” she said, "but did the project meet its success criteria?" “Of course” I replied, "it came in under budget saving the company a few thousand dollars!" “Well, project success cannot be based on just launching within budget, scope, and... Read More»