Project Management

As the project manager, you are the link to all stakeholders and project team members. If you used to work in the same physical office, with an open office layout and co-located teams, you benefited from high bandwidth communications. Not just you, but the entire team talked to each other, brainstormed and solved problems much … Read more

Last week, two friends were invited to a consultation but it turned out that the decision had already been made by the top person. The consultation was only for show. After having volunteered with this organization for over a decade, they will start to withdraw and eventually end their association. Similar “consultative” meetings occur in … Read more

A friend who’s an architect once joked, “My clients want a design that is good, fast, and affordable. I tell them to pick any two. If the design is good and fast, the price will be high. Something good and affordable will take more time. And if you want it fast and cheap, then it … Read more

The year is 2000. In a daring move, General Motors decides to revitalize its brand with a concept vehicle. Initial market response to the bold new look of the Pontiac Aztec was very positive. It was the “Most Appealing Entry Sport Utility Vehicle” according to JD Powers. Customers gave the Aztec among the highest satisfaction … Read more

Have you ever been on a project where everything seems to be going well until a month before the deadline when suddenly, without any warning signs, its headed for failure? Failure comes in many shapes and sizes. The deadline could be missed, quality may be subpar, or the budget exceeded. The project status flips from … Read more

Servant leaders can be seen at all levels of an organization. Here’s an example of servant leadership from the highest level. This event is seared into my memory for life! It was after lunch at an all-day leadership meeting. We were chatting away at our table, oblivious to the dishes and leftovers. The CEO walked … Read more

Some of us are returning to work in the office, some continue to work from home, and others are permanently remote. Welcome to the world of hybrid meetings! During the peak of the pandemic, everyone worked from home and we got used to 100% virtual meetings. That was easy, ahem, after: we got used to … Read more

In response to my post on How to Solve Stakeholder Management Problems, a reader responded that the term stakeholder has negative connotations to many Indigenous Peoples. In her comment, Denise Tregear suggested replacing stakeholder with the terms “Interested Parties” or “Partners” instead. While it’s true that words have many meanings and I struggle to write … Read more