Project Management

Have you ever suddenly found that a person you depend on for a project is out on vacation? No matter your role on a team, a mitigation plan can be an ideal way to capture your expectations when it is your turn to take vacation.  Your plan can provide guidance for how to handle certain […]

Project go-lives can be intense and take hours or even days. Following a detailed plan can streamline your go-live to help avoid a rollback and allow everyone to shut their computers as quickly as possible. Let’s discuss how to create a solid Cutover Plan to set yourself up for success.  Why a Cutover Plan?  First, the […]

Most are familiar with the Five Ws for information gathering: Who, What, When, Where, and Why – adding in How for good measure (making it the Six Ws). Fewer are aware of the Five Whys which is a simplistic method of root cause analysis (RCA). This article explains the Five Whys, also known as a […]

Software delivery projects are most often organized into “Sprints” of work where the team is executing in what can feel like a never-ending loop of plan, execute, demo, repeat. This non-stop, fast-paced cycle leaves little breathing room for reflecting on or implementing unplanned improvements or technical debt which the team is bound to accumulate through […]

Goal Setting Options Abound There are many ways that businesses set goals, choose priorities, and ensure that their teams are rowing in the same direction. You’ve probably created SMART goals, been asked to use OKRs, watched KPIs, laid out Vision Boards, or updated Kanban Boards. These are all great tools to help keep team alignment. […]

Imagine you’re running a marathon – you’ve trained hard, your pace is great, and you’re feeling good. Finally, after many miles, you spot the finish line. Is that when you pump the brakes and lose focus? Of course not! You’d keep pushing through to the very end – you’ve come this far, you’re way too […]

Communication is the key to solving problems. Being an active listener is very different from ordinary interactions, and it’s an important skill for all leaders. Knowing how to listen to the people who turn to you in need will improve your bonds and increase a team’s productivity. Listening is not the passive act we usually […]

Have you ever said, “We should do this,” …and then you don’t? That is a lack of intentionality. Being Intentional Comes Easy to Some, Hard for Others The differences in people are beautiful – life would be boring otherwise. If you’ve read results from a personality test, you know each personality has its benefits (things […]

So, you’re not the creative type? I have good news! In 4 Harmful Innovation Myths, I explain that creativity isn’t what most people think it is. In this post, I’ll show you how to use simple lateral thinking tools to break your mental block and get fresh ideas flowing again. Intentionality can force important things […]

Welcome back! Last time we left off with our Solutions Architects discussing how best to set responsibilities and expectations of this role early on a new project. I have found amongst many projects that another important responsibility of a Project Manager is to evaluate meeting time. How many meetings, how many hours, how effective or […]

In 1987, Mary Lippitt released a change management model that beautifully illustrated five key areas for organizational change. In 2000, Tommy Knoster extended Lippitt’s concept and included a sixth area of importance: consensus. It is now referred to as the Lippitt-Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change.

As a project manager (PM), one of my top concerns in engaging on a new project is understanding the scope of work. Next, what are the skills needed to support and deliver the scope of work at hand? Many considerations go into this discovery, but one of the very first resources I prefer to have […]