The Project Coach

There continues to be a lot of chatter and skepticism about the use of social media in general and on projects in particular.  Articles abound with viewpoints pro and con.  › Continue reading…

So often in advanced project management circles we talk about rigorous, complex tools, processes and methods which allow us to tackle the most difficult projects.  We acquire and train ourselves with the latest version of tools such as Project server or Primavera.  We become the champions of developing a myriad of rich artifacts from charters, scope statements, and work breakdown structures to schedules, budgets, communication plans, and risk registers.  We are prepared to employ sophisticated project management methods like qualitative and quantitative risk assessment and earned value.  So then what happens if suddenly some or all of those things don’t apply?  › Continue reading…

In my last article on risk, I discussed qualitative and quantitative analysis which allows a team to assess probability, impact, and monetary value of the risks identified.  This allows a project team to develop priorities for those risks that require further planning and threat mitigation or opportunity realization strategies.  In this article we’ll discuss how to develop risk response strategies › Continue reading…

In my last article on risk, I introduced how to get started with project risk management through risk planning and identification.  In this article we’ll discuss how to evaluate and prioritize those risks for action through qualitative and quantitative risk assessment. › Continue reading…

In our last post, Susan discussed the top project management stories of 2010, and in that article concluded that risk planning was one of the major take away lessons of the year. When we look to past news-worthy project stories such as the BP oil spill disaster, the Carnival cruise ship Splendor nightmare, or the delays of the Broadway production of Spiderman, risk management emerges time and again as a leading factor for better outcomes. So why don’t more projects and organizations embrace it? › Continue reading…

Here is my list of the big project management stories of 2010 and what lessons they offer for project managers.  At a glance, I think risk planning and perseverance are the take-aways.  › Continue reading…

I just established a war room for the beginning of a new project.  In its simplest terms, a war room is a workspace dedicated to a collocated project team, enabling team members to work together to quickly create a solution to a business problem or address a business opportunity. 

Over the years, I have been responsible for many war rooms and I have been collocated in war rooms run by other project managers.  I love a good war room.  When done well, I think a war room contributes to better work, shorter cycles and a really positive team experience.  When done poorly, a war room is just another meeting space. 

This got me thinking about my own personal “war room best practices”, which I will share here.  I would love to hear your best practices on this topic, if you have any you’d like to share.  › Continue reading…

Undoubtedly, the masters would agree hands down that the recommended approach for any project team practicing agile methods would be co-location. The benefit of this arrangement is all the casual conversation that team members naturally tend to engage in, or are forced to overhear from their co-workers, which in turn promotes collaboration on the project – or so the theory goes. Unfortunately with the fabric of today’s multi regional, global, or outsourced organizations, co-located teams are not always an option. › Continue reading…

In my last article I discussed characteristics and roles of the agile scrum methodology as compared to waterfall.  In this continuation article, I committed to examine the artifacts, meetings and processes involved and also discuss what they compare to in a waterfall context.  By design agile and the scrum methodology deliberately minimize processes, artifacts and meetings › Continue reading…

For those of my PMP friends and colleagues who are firmly immersed in the waterfall way of doing things but who are hearing more and more about agile and scrum and wondering what all the fuss is about, I thought it might be a good idea to write a series of articles comparing and contrasting the two approaches.  I’d like to start by stating that I am very much a fan of agile and scrum and believe that the traditional PMI methodology, when practiced in a sensible manner and the agile scrum approach have more in common than you would think. At the end of the day the purpose of both is the same – to get work done well.  › Continue reading…