November, 2015

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What did the Project Managers ever do for us?

The Lazy Project Manager

There is that famous scene in Monty Python and The Life of Brian where the rebels are demanding action against the oppressive Romans and ask the question ‘What did the Romans ever do for us?’- The answers came back over and over again as the rebels listed the many things that the Romans brought with them … medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health.

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We need more detail but how do we get it?

Ron Rosenhead

I have observed many, many people when they start a work breakdown structure (WBS). The initial enthusiasm is tempered with the call from some; we need more detail. But, they soon come to a rapid halt unable to develop the WBS any further. As one person commented, “We seem to have hit the wall.” I have seen this happen frequently and the groups range from those on a training course to those in a project team on an actual project.

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10 tips to meet your project planning goals

Moira Alexander

If you’re a project manager, chances are your daily calendar is already filled from the moment you sit down at your desk to whatever time of day – or evening, most likely – you clock out. Many people at all levels of the enterprise rely heavily on you to have a solid grasp on all aspects of project management, including timing, status and direction of projects, at all times.

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Five Productivity Hacks that Any Manager Can Start Using

TeamGantt

Learn 5 productivity hacks savvy project managers use to streamline team planning, keep projects on budget, and maintain control over work schedules.

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The 2nd Generation of Innovation Management: A Survival Guide

Speaker: Chris Townsend, VP of Product Marketing, Wellspring

Over the past decade, companies have embraced innovation with enthusiasm—Chief Innovation Officers have been hired, and in-house incubators, accelerators, and co-creation labs have been launched. CEOs have spoken with passion about “making everyone an innovator” and the need “to disrupt our own business.” But after years of experimentation, senior leaders are asking: Is this still just an experiment, or are we in it for the long haul?

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11 Reasons Your Employees Are Stressed Out (Infographic)

Ganttic

The good news is eliminating the employee stress listed is not a difficult goal to achieve. What’s powerful about the available solution is that it also simultaneously provides boundless possibilities and benefits that can enhance your work progress. CEO of Xerox, Anne M. Mulcahy once said, "Employees are a company's greatest asset - they're your competitive advantage.

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SPM 028 | Applying Project Management Behaviors as an Aspiring Project Manager

SensiblePM

In the final session with Naomi Caietti, Jared discovers the final steps required to apply project management behaviors into his personal development plan. In the past three sessions with Naomi she has helped Jared focus on a plan which will help him develop the skills and behaviors that make a successful project manager. During the Podcast. Applying Project Management Behavior.

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Some thoughts on Setting up a PMO

Jez Lister

I first came across the Project Management Office or PMO concept twenty-five years ago whilst working as a project manager for a large systems integrator. Most of my colleagues – myself included were initially unclear about the purpose of the PMO and assumed that we were all to be relocated to new offices. Eventually we all realised that the PMO was there to formalise previous reporting and administrative arrangements.

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Are you feeling mature?

Mike Clayton

Software development, project management, and risk management all have maturity models that set criteria to allow organisations to measure the level of institutionalisation of good practices. It think it is time that Stakeholder Engagement Management also had a maturity model.

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3 Best Practices For Managing Creative Agency Retainers

Function Point

3 Best Practices For Managing Creative Agency Retainers. A retainer relationship works best when both sides find value in it, and maintain an active role in its progress. This way you know how much time you’re spending on your client’s jobs. If you’re running over-time—or under—you’ll know that it’s time to talk to your client and adjust the agreement.

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Breaking Ground on Better Payment Processes: Strategies for Construction Pros

Speaker: Timothy Allsopp

Payment challenges often lead to delayed projects, financial bottlenecks, and strained relationships. With construction projects becoming more complex, outdated processes are no longer sustainable. By refining financial workflow, companies can improve cash flow, reduce error, and foster trust between stakeholders. Discover practical strategies for redesigning payment systems to overcome workflow challenges while creating a smoother, more reliable process for contractors and subcontractors alike.

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Solve Productivity Roadblocks With Resource Management (Infographic)

Ganttic

Productivity roadblock comes in more forms than what we are commonly aware of. This infographic shows you the 15 most common productivity roadblocks and this post will provide you solutions to reduce these statistics along the way. Infographic Data: Top Productivity Roadblocks Juggling too many tasks at the same time is terrible for productivity, a whopping 60% of employees are essentially getting none of these tasks done. 49% of employees that wait for other people’s actions end up being less p

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Top 10 Project Management Software and Tools

TrustRadius Project Management

In this article, we provide a comprehensive exploration of leading project management software products, including advice on how to compare products based on key metrics like research frequency and user ratings. To help you evaluate project management software based on your particular use case, we’ve collected data on company sizes and industries of the end-users reviewing the products, as well as ratings of specific project management features such as Gantt charts and support for Agile methodol

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7 MarTech Blogs to Follow

Wrike

As the world of marketing continues to expand and the user experience becomes an increasingly critical focus for businesses everywhere, marketing operations and marketing technology (a.k.a., MarTech) become crucial areas to focus on. What better way to stay on top of this subject than by reading the thought leadership of the bloggers in the space? Here is our list of 7 MarTech blogs you should be reading: 1.

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Comparing Organizational Change Management Models

Troubled and Failing Project

A few weeks ago, I set out to write a post on the comparison of various organizational change management (OCM) methodologies and realized that would be a disservice to my readers. It would simply drag you down the path of implementation while failing to focus you on building the foundation. The pressure was too much and I have relented to numerous requests on making that comparison.

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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?

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More Project Disasters

The Tao of Project Management

And another one from the Why Do Projects Fail blog. Los Angeles Unified School District e-Enabled Learning Tools Project Apr 2015 Cost: $1.3B The Los Angeles Unified School District’s efforts to provide every student, every teacher and every administrator with a iPad turned into a disaster. Launched in 2013, the initial plan called for more than 100,000 iPads to be purchased.

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3 Best Practices For Managing Creative Agency Retainers

Function Point

3 Best Practices For Managing Creative Agency Retainers. A retainer relationship works best when both sides find value in it, and maintain an active role in its progress. This way you know how much time you’re spending on your client’s jobs. If you’re running over-time—or under—you’ll know that it’s time to talk to your client and adjust the agreement.

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Resource Planning Can Change What Employees Are Saying About Work (Infographic)

Ganttic

A. A. Milne once said, “Organising is what you do before you do something so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” This fundamental and foolproof method of working is not unheard of but it’s easier said than done. It seems that while the majority of the workforce follow this rule, there is still a significant portion of issues that are reflected in statistics.

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The Project Managers Guide to Mastering Agile- Book Review

Stepping Into Project Management

The book was sent for review, though I chose it amongst others. The book piqued my interest because project management and agile are considered contradictory ideas. Published by Wiley, the book covers all aspects of agile and how its different from the traditional waterfall. What it covers is: Provide a better understanding of what Agile is Talk about the roles and how they are different in Agile Take the main discussion points from PMBOK and explain how the same topic is looked in Agile Dedicat

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Prepare Now: 2025s Must-Know Trends For Product And Data Leaders

Speaker: Jay Allardyce, Deepak Vittal, Terrence Sheflin, and Mahyar Ghasemali

As we look ahead to 2025, business intelligence and data analytics are set to play pivotal roles in shaping success. Organizations are already starting to face a host of transformative trends as the year comes to a close, including the integration of AI in data analytics, an increased emphasis on real-time data insights, and the growing importance of user experience in BI solutions.

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Why Email is Addictive and How to Break the Habit

Wrike

When was the last time you checked your email account? A few hours ago? Were you looking at your inbox right before you started reading this article? Stats from Business Insider reveal that over 1/3 of Americans check their email continuously throughout the day. According to AOL’s 2010 survey , 47% of people claim to be hooked on email, 25% can’t go without email for more than 3 days, 60% check email on vacation, and 59% check email from the bathroom.

2002 36
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6 proven strategies for evaluating and prioritizing IT projects

Moira Alexander

Regardless of business size, industry or structure, many projects today are unfortunately still selected and initiated in a siloed department-by-department manner, without considering the overall strategic impact. What are the risks of initiating projects in this manner? Businesses run the risk of more than one area competing for the same project resources, including people and technologies, and also conflicting deadlines and goals.

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The Annual Performance Review – is it Time for a Change?

Fear No Project PM

All managers (Project Managers, department heads, Executives) in most organizations have a responsibility to provide feedback to their staff members. Over the years I have found that many people view this as an agonizing task and some completely ignore performing this key process.

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Top 2 Mistakes Creative Agencies Make With Their Rates

Function Point

Deciding on your agency’s rates and billing structure will be one of the most critical factors to long-term profitability. To do this, you’ll need to calculate your agency’s billing factor, agency blended billing rate, and staff cost rates to understand the true value of your work. There are various methods of billing, including hourly and fixed fee.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Three Point Estimate Formulas

PM by PM

Quick Reference on Three Point Estimate I have written a series of articles on Three Point Estimate and related concepts. Before reading this, you should look at my first article of the series. I have explained the basic concept of Three Point Estimate in my first article. I have also explained that PERT is not […]. The post Three Point Estimate Formulas appeared first on PM-by-PM.

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How to Turn a Tense Client Conversation into a Win-Win

TeamGantt

Every project manager has war stories from client relationships gone awry. Here’s how to salvage the situation and turn a tense conversation into a win-win.

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What are Super Cognitive Foods? And Other Reads To Help You Work Better (Work Management Roundup)

Wrike

Today is Friday the 13th, the subject of many an old school superstition and many a horror movie. If you’re stuck in the office today feeling terribly unproductive and a tad superstitious as to why, then we’re here with the Work Management roundup to turn your horrible day into a day for productivity education. Read on for more inspiration!

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Five Ways to Better Manage Your Stakeholders

Gina Abudi PM

Here are five simple ways to manage (and engage) your stakeholders in your project: Utilize a stakeholder register to track each stakeholder and contact information as well as their needs, wants and expectations as it relates to the project. Take the time to meet each stakeholder – either in person or via a virtual format. [.]. The post Five Ways to Better Manage Your Stakeholders appeared first on Gina Abudi.

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Navigating Chaos in Project Management

This text offers practical guidance for project managers navigating diverse frameworks. It covers topics like centralized reporting, standardized metrics, communication, training, risk management, and alignment reviews. By implementing these strategies, project managers can improve efficiency and achieve their project goals.