Keeping up with the PDUs

By | June 20th, 2017|Agility and Resilience, Career Development, PMP Certification|

I f you’re thinking PDUs (Professional Development Units), then congratulations and a big pat on the back for you. You’ve overcome the tough part. The PMP (Project Management Professional) test and the less than desired application process. For some, the test pales in comparison to the laundry list of items needed to complete the application: [...]

Six Habits of Successful Project Managers

By | May 17th, 2017|Project Management Sparks|

O ne of my favorite pastimes is people watching. Sitting down, taking in the sights and sounds, enjoying the environment and observing people in their element is a soothing way to relax and clear my mind. When I’m at a coffee shop reading a book or catching up on my blog, people watching makes for [...]

Identifying Your Stakeholders – and the Not So Obvious Ones

By | April 14th, 2017|Initiating a Project, Stakeholder Management|

E ssential to the success of your project is the input stakeholders provide to your initiative. “A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project,” as defined by the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 5th [...]

Spring Cleaning Project Management Style

By | March 11th, 2017|Project Management Sparks|

S pring cleaning is hardly a ritual that causes people to jump out of their seats – especially when they also lose an hour of sleep. The thought of rolling up your sleeves, wearing a pair of rubber gloves and carrying around a dust mop can seem like an arduous and mundane task for many. [...]

Embracing Change

By | February 19th, 2017|Agility and Resilience, Change Management|

W e’ve all had those days where we’re met with unforeseen obstacles or occurrences that rub us the wrong way and offset our balance for the moment. You get cut off by a driver who forces you to slam on your brakes, the woman at the end of the grocery line miraculously makes her way [...]

Fail Fast to Succeed

By | January 5th, 2017|Agility and Resilience, Project Management Sparks|

I f project management has taught me anything, it’s learning how to welcome failure. More often than none, project managers are tasked with managing sizeable projects without always having the necessary tools and requirements at their disposable to successfully drive a project. They’re asked to “think big” and “act small” in order to meet lofty [...]

Four Rituals That Should Be On Your Closeout Checklist

By | November 26th, 2016|Closing Out, Project Management Sparks, The Human Side of Project Management|

Crisp, ornate and decorative describe the beautifully hand-tied ribbon that sits on top of that perfectly wrapped gift under the Christmas tree. I don’t know whether it’s the holiday season or simply that it’s the end of the year, but each time I hand tie that wired ribbon into its cheerful loop and perky tail, [...]

Thinking Small

By | October 8th, 2016|Project Management Sparks|

By nature, we’ve all had the opportunity to manage projects at some point in life in both a work and leisurely environment. The surprise birthday party you arranged for a friend last month, the baby shower you co-hosted in the spring, the dinner party you catered in the fall, the book club you planned the [...]

Adopting the Project Management Lifestyle

By | July 20th, 2016|Project Management Sparks|

You are that typical Type A, obsessive compulsive, obscenely organized project manager who knows every file location on the share drive and can recite every task under that Microsoft Projects spreadsheet faster than you can say the alphabet backwards. You fancy gaining headway on a project before your manager can even finish assigning you your [...]

Wisdom That Travels Beyond Your Internship Years

By | June 16th, 2016|Project Management Sparks, The Human Side of Project Management|

What appears to be just a typical workday in the financial district isn’t so typical when you’ve got 25 new faces filing into the office. Wide-eyed and willful, these interns stand tall with their backpacks on their shoulders and their heads cocked to the side. While carrying a bewildered grin on their face, they are [...]

Sometimes You Just Need to Open Your Eyes and Close Your Mouth

By | May 9th, 2016|Agility and Resilience, Change Management, Project Management Sparks|

As with most kids, I was quite outspoken when I was young and oftentimes that would get me into trouble with my family, teachers and classmates. Shouting the answer to a history question before the teacher even finished asking the question, speaking out of turn prior to having my name called out in class and [...]

Who Are the Key Players in Round Table Introductions?

By | April 10th, 2016|Business Process Improvement, Initiating a Project, Project Planning|

It’s a time suck. It takes at least ten minutes. It’s part of the perfunctory process. It begins whether you’re two minutes early or five minutes late. It’s long, awkward, and laborious. It’s your one minute of fame. Or not. Round Table Introductions. It’s the preamble to every client meeting and it follows some pre-determined [...]