Ask most project managers what they think of governance and you’ll get a weary answer. Governance means meetings that go on too long. Governance means reports that nobody reads. Governance means a steering group that last met six months ago and can’t remember what the project is trying to do. That cynicism is understandable, because … Read more
Earlier this year, I watched a demonstration of an AI tool aimed at project managers. In about two minutes, it generated a complete business case from a bare bones brief, a risk register with multiple items assigned to project team members, and a benefits map. The outputs looked professional. They were formatted correctly, used the … Read more
Most projects don’t fail suddenly. They fail gradually, then all at once. By the time a project appears on the board’s risk register as Red, the conditions that made it Red have usually been present for months. The warning signs were there, visible to anyone who knew what to look for, often being quietly ignored … Read more
It has been a while. The last post on this blog went up in 2012. I remember writing it, roughly. I was running my own consultancy, delivering projects across Greater Manchester, genuinely busy. And then the writing stopped — not with any announcement, not with a plan to return, just the gradual drift of someone … Read more
Last time, I wondered if the time of project managers has been and gone. You’ll be glad to know the short answer is ‘no’. The longer answer, though, is a bit more complicated… As George said in the comments to the last article, the truth is, and always has been, somewhat more nuanced than I … Read more
Why do we still have project managers? Hasn’t their time been and gone? That’s not to say that project management isn’t important, but do we really need a specific role for it anymore? Projects are Business As Usual For many organisations, continual projects are the new normal. Often the same team will carry on from … Read more
Project management is all about making sure we have better projects. Sometimes a better project is one that delivers what is needed on time and on budget. (Or earlier and cheaper.) Sometimes the only thing that could make a project better is to stop it, so the business doesn’t waste any more money on something … Read more
Crunch times are a sign of failure of project management, not a way of catching up. I was bleary-eyed as I finished the last of the typing. I did a quick spell-check, and pressed print, trusting that the chugging of the printer working away would be enough to keep me focused as I prepared the … Read more
As I mentioned last time, the company that looks after PRINCE2 for the UK Government, the APM Group, has announced it will launch a new PRINCE2 qualification on 30th January (next Monday). This new qualification will be called PRINCE2 Professional. I’ve written before about my mixed feelings about the attempts to professionalise project management (using … Read more
A quick word on why networking (the people kind, not the computer kind…) is important to project managers. Building a team With every project, you will have new team members and stakeholders to talk to, to bring onboard, and to keep involved. In essence, you need to build a new network for every project. This … Read more
