Setting the Context for Managing Change in the Workplace

By | September 8th, 2018|Change Management, Project Management Sparks, Project Planning|

F or companies to sustain competitiveness in today’s marketplace, they must respond with a fierce combination of speed and agility when it comes to building the skill set of their employees, keeping up with technological advancements, and making sure customers are happy and engaged. In order for businesses to promote a healthy workplace stamina, they [...]

Eight Essential Business Skills for Every Project Manager

By | August 22nd, 2018|Agility and Resilience, Career Development, Project Management Sparks, The Human Side of Project Management|

The demand for skilled project managers continues to grow at alarming rates. By 2027, employers will need 87.7 million individuals working in project management-oriented roles. Industries including finance and insurance, manufacturing and construction, management and professional services, and others require qualified practitioners to fill the widening gap between employers who seek skilled project managers and [...]

Rallying Your Stakeholders and Getting on Their Priority List

By | July 14th, 2018|Project Management Sparks, Stakeholder Management|

A s a marketing project manager, it’s undeniable that the value your stakeholders bring to your project is priceless and second to none. Stakeholders are plentiful and if used correctly, they are your ‘eyes and ears’ to inside knowledge, key competitive data, advances in the marketplace and much more. They steer you in the right [...]

Three, Two, One… Flow

By | June 11th, 2018|Agility and Resilience, Project Management Sparks|

It’s the moment on the treadmill after you’ve hit the start button, placed the towel over the timer, and take off running. It’s the moment when you’ve gathered your research materials, flipped open your book, and let your eyes run across the page. It’s the moment you’ve sat down, powered on your laptop, and let [...]

You’ve Gotten Your PMP, Now What?

By | May 18th, 2018|Business Process Improvement, PMP Certification, Project Management Sparks|

Y ou’ve spent weeks documenting over 4,500 thousand hours of work experience, days sitting through 35 hours of instruction, months reading the dreaded PMBOK and hours studying for the grueling 175 question exam – all for the coveted title of “PMP”. Well congratulations on earning yourself a world renowned title and distinguishing yourself from hundreds [...]

Minimizing That Finger-Pointing Stigma

By | April 21st, 2018|Business Process Improvement, Change Management, Closing Out, Project Management Sparks|

Take a deep breath and exhale. You’ve completed your project, turned over the keys to the customer and closed out all the remaining items on your project checklist. You can now loosen that tie and let your hair down. It’s time to celebrate yet another successful project that you timidly chalk up to years of [...]

Take It from the Top: Initiating a Project and Lifting Off

By | February 12th, 2018|Agility and Resilience, Initiating a Project, Project Management Sparks|

T here’s something novel about taking on a brand new project and envisioning that clear or not so clear path to success that continues to pique my interest. Forming a team, setting up goals, mapping out a project plan and working your way through milestones poses as somewhat of an adventure to those who favor [...]

New Year, New Habits

By | January 25th, 2018|Agility and Resilience, Career Development, Change Management, Project Management Sparks, Time Management|

The start of the New Year brings with it a whirlwind of challenges and opportunities waiting for people to conquer and seize them. Along with everyone else, I’m hardly one to shy away from making a new year’s resolution. Over the years, those lofty goals of eating right, losing weight, traveling the world and sleeping [...]

Throwing Your Fist in the Air and Holding It Up High

By | December 21st, 2017|Closing Out, Project Management Sparks, Project Planning, Time Management|

W ith the end of the year approaching, you’ve earned the humble pleasure and gratification to finally throw that fist in the air and let out a howling scream, “I did it!” Ticking off that last to do on your checklist, packaging all those assets and closing out on your project is most rewarding when [...]

How to Identify Project Stakeholders in Your Business

By | October 12th, 2017|Initiating a Project, Project Management Sparks, Stakeholder Management|

V ital to a project’s success is the ability for project managers to identify their stakeholders, define their role within the project, and determine how to engage them and keep them engaged throughout the duration of the project. Whether those stakeholders have a direct or indirect role on your project team, their influence and guidance [...]

Five Qualities That Tell Me You Are Project Management Material

By | September 15th, 2017|Project Management Sparks|

Y ou’re independent, organized and a leader at heart. You thrive in a fast-paced environment and your appetite to plan and control is freakishly insatiable. You relish both change and routine, and you intend on seeing things through from start to completion. You’ve experienced project success and failure, and you’ve overcome some of your biggest [...]

Make It Stick

By | August 14th, 2017|Agility and Resilience, Career Development, Change Management|

A s with every high school kid, you probably recall those golden years as a sophomore or junior when you had to prepare for the SATs – yes those “Saturday” tests - and memorize a plethora of vocabulary words to apply to the multiple choice section of the exam. At some point, your history teacher [...]