The Daily PM Blog
Do Not Miss the Beauty of Project Management
April 25, 2013
It’s rare to hear Project Management and Beauty in the same sentence. Despite the challenges that we face as project managers, there is a vast amount of beauty found within the project management profession. Below is a reason why we may not see this beauty and some areas we can look to find it.
I recently went on a business trip to visit one of my favorite clients. The flight landed about 4:30 in the afternoon, and I arrived to the hotel an hour later. Having gone through this drill a million times before, I went through the motions of paying the cab driver, registering at the hotel, and he...
Can You Have Peace of Mind as a Project Manager
April 24, 2013
We may feel that we live troubled lives as project managers. Deadlines, problems, and issues surround us each and every day. Somehow we power through it and come back for more. Is it ever possible to truly find peace of mind on your job? The following article highlights some of the challenges and what you can do about it.
Besides being a great band in the 90s, nirvana is a profoundly peaceful state of mind that one is able to achieve after the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion have been extinguished. It typically takes a life time of pursuit, and although it may be a worthwhile achiev...
Top 10 Reasons Projects Fail
April 23, 2013
Watch our project management expert share the top 10 reasons projects fail.If you can avoid these top 10 reasons, then your project is more likely to succeed.
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What Happens if We Succeed?
April 22, 2013
We are so trained as project managers to look for what can go wrong on a project that we sometimes forget to prepare for when things go right! The following article provides examples of projects and companies that were successful beyond expectations and what you can do as a project manager to prepare for this welcome occurrence.
The company started small. As a matter of fact, it couldn’t have started any smaller. It was one guy in one truck, travelling to local new and used car dealerships to fix minor scratches, scrapes, dents, and other blemishes on cars. He toiled day and night perfecting...
3 Ways to Mitigate Misunderstandings on Projects
April 19, 2013
How do misunderstandings arise? You may have just said something to one of your team members, and the next time you hear it a week later, its meaning has completely changed! The following is a story of how it happens in corporate life and what you can do to minimize information from being blown out of proportion.
Every Thursday morning the executive staff meets for a debriefing. Each department is given a seat at the table, including the Project Management Office (PMO). The executives provide an ever so brief rundown of what was accomplished the prior week, what’s coming up, and what help...
How Working Together as a Team Diffuses Project Management Heat
April 18, 2013
Things heat up every day on our jobs as project managers. Misunderstandings arise, dates are missed, and sometimes tempers flare. What can a project manager do to cool things down? The following article provides insight into areas that generate heat and how you can bring things down to a reasonable temperature again.
When a space shuttle reenters the Earth’s atmosphere, the friction exerted on its bottom surface creates heat up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit . To protect shuttles from these ridiculously high temperatures, NASA scientists developed heat resistant tiles. These ingenious tiles ar...
The Single Greatest Quality Every Project Manager Must Possess
April 17, 2013
There are all kinds of skills, qualities, and talents you must possess to be a successful project manager. You need to be able to see the big picture, break it down into smaller pieces, and assemble it together again. You need to be a leader, motivator, inspector and persuader. But, all of these qualities mean nothing unless you have…
Credibility.
That’s right. I’ll just come right out and say it rather than have you wait until the end to hear it: the single greatest quality every project manager must possess is credibility. Now, it’s up to you if you want to read on to find out ...
Good vs Bad Project Managers
April 16, 2013
What's your project management style? Watch this project management training video to learn more about what makes good vs bad project managers.
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5 Tips for Not Letting Someone Else Push Your Buttons
April 15, 2013
There are some people in our professional lives that we just don’t like. They do and say all the wrong things and ultimately cause our projects to be late. You can choose to blow up and get angry, or deal with them in a professional manner. Below are some reasons why people push our buttons and how we can deal with them professionally.
I was furious! Jim drove me crazy every time I had to deal with him, but today was over the top. Not only did he run the IT department and have control over a sizable part of the company, he was responsible for managing client projects and keeping them happy. ...
3 Ways to Not Succumb to Corporate Mob Mentality
April 12, 2013
Being near an angry mob is terrifying. You’re never sure what direction they will take nor what harm they could inflict. Did you know there are angry mobs that roam the halls of many of our companies? Find out what gets these angry mobs worked up and the steps you can take to quiet them down.
Do you remember the old movies with Dr. Frankenstein’s monster? He was the cobbled-together experiment that went terribly wrong. Things went so wrong that the whole town felt as if they needed to get involved. So, they assembled themselves and stormed Dr. Frankenstein’s abode!
Put yourself in Dr. Fr...
