Do Templates Really Save Time?

Since ProjectConnections is in large part a template repository, that’s the sort of question that would normally raise eyebrows. But I couldn’t help asking it when this cartoon popped up in my Feedly feed last week. The joke here, of course, is the time that was spent compiling the chart. But at the same time, this is a great reminder about proportional effort in your process improvements. Read More»

Think and Work Differently

For any of you that have ever read anything that I have posted in the past, you know that I always lean towards doing what makes sense rather than what is written in some book. Each organization, culture, team, and Project is different, so why assume that anything and everything is cookie-cutter? With all of the specific steps in many of the methodologies, to follow them to the letter would make Projects so process heavy that you would never get anything done. Sure, documentation and process are required to avoid total chaos, but isn’t our role as Project Managers primarily... Read More»

Blurred Boundaries, or Dodged Responsibility?

"What we've lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries." I see this assertion here and there on a regular basis. Like most modern workers, I gravitate to these remarks, nod sagely, and comment on how that's just like my own workday. Oh, yes, I bounce all over the place, and work long hours, and never get away from the phone. But if I'm really honest with myself, I have to wonder if it's truly new behavior. Is multi-tasking really the result of a uniquely hyper-competitive, hyper-digital environment? Read More»

A quick reminder: Agendas are important

Sometimes, I'll admit, I get a little lazy. No, "lazy" isn't the right word...it's more like I get a little too "comfortable." I'm comfortable with my project team; I'm comfortable with the work being done; I'm comfortable with our interactions; I'm comfortable with where we're headed; I'm comfortable with my own understanding of what's coming up and what we're supposed to be focused on; and I'm comfortable with my own ability to shoot from the hip. So sometimes, when I'm "comfortable," I come into meetings with an agenda in my mind, rather than published ahead of time. But just recently,... Read More»

7 Things a Project Manager Should NOT Be Doing

There is no shortage of information on the activity, processes, and tasks that project managers should be performing. It is more difficult to find information on those activities project managers should not be doing. Add value by NOT doing these 7 things. Read More»

Networking for Risk Mitigation

There are an infinite number of ways to improve project performance, theoretically speaking. Unfortunately most are too risky, costly, complex or creative to be accepted by executives who are focused on this quarter's results. There is one tool in your tool kit that can get you the resources, funding and executive support to pull it off - an influential network! What?!? You don't have one of those in the kit? Unfortunately you can't buy one, so start investing small amounts of time to develop a strategy. By adding value to key professional relationships across the company and with experts outside,... Read More»

What Will Help You Sleep Better?

If you find you're lying awake nights worrying about vague, barely identifiable stuff, it's possible that you need some time away—not to relax, but to clear the decks and get some closure. Read More»

Failure to Follow Fundamentals Equals Failed Projects

Following the fundamentals of project management is as important as eating to feed the body. If you don't eat, chances are your body starts to fail. If you don't practice the fundamentals of project management, chances are good that the project will fail. It's the responsibility of project managers to apply project management fundamentals to their projects from start to finish. What I've found out in my almost 25 years of PM experience is that when projects fail it is because the fundamentals were not followed. I've also found that the fundamentals were not followed because either the project manager... Read More»

The high project return on piddle-mode thinking and leisurely learning

I woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago and went into a bad mood immediately. My brain went right back to the gnarly work problem I had been thinking about the night before. Big decisions looming. Complex options, no clear path yet. Why did this put me in a bad mood? Problem-solving is part of our jobs! I didn't figure it out until later that morning - and what I learned is the subject of this blog - because I think it matters for our sanity and our project problem-solving. On this particular morning I went from barely... Read More»

"Sure, I'll do that Tuesday." Delete!

How many emails are in your inbox right now? 10? 30? Do I need to add a zero, or even a couple of them, to get in the ballpark? My inbox is absolutely empty as I write this, and I love it. The best part is that I haven't lost any of the information I had floating around. Quite the contrary, I've stored, sorted, and crystallized it into actionable tasks and projects. I got rid of the clutter, and much to my shock and amazement (and that of several teammates), things are starting to get done! This is a new... Read More»