PMcrunch

Successful delegation requires granting both responsibility and authority. These two, combined properly, constitute “empowerment”. However, these two are often not properly executed by the project manager or program leader, and the blame is often placed on the delegate, not on the leader! We, as project and program leaders, need to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask if we are delegating properly.

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Sometimes I wonder if we are too success oriented. In other words, we as project managers feel that we have failed if our projects fail in anyway, and we define ourselves by project success and project failure. This reminds me of children in school striving all the time to get perfect grades. The problem with this is that sometimes failures produce our greatest successes. Do we have a project management expectation that acknowledges that?

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Here is a quick compilation of non-affiliated (I hope) advice on preparing for the PMP. Advice on PMP prep abounds on the web, and I have tried to separate out the commercial pieces to provide information as unbiased as possible.

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Anyone who has been “around the block” at least once is likely to have encountered problem performance on the part of at least one person associated with the project. The question is “How do you deal with problem performance and how can you improve it?”

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Much is demanded of us as project managers and leaders. While it is important to be organized, to have an extensive project management toolset, and to be competent and knowledgeable at what we do, it is possibly most important to BE PRESENT. What I mean by that is being there in the moment, or living in the now, informed by the past, and with a vision for the future.

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What are your beliefs? What do you observe about the beliefs of those around you? Are you aware of how your beliefs influence your actions – and therefore everything you do as a project manager and leader? Check your beliefs and make sure they are producing actions and attitudes in others that are to your liking.

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Engineering and Management, as disciplines, were ‘married’ a long time ago! It only makes sense, as every engineering effort must be managed. There are some key differences between managing the engieering work and manageing the engineering project.

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Do you know who your project stakeholders are? Effective communications and expectation management starts with understanding the needs of various project stakeholders. To aid in identifying project stakeholders, eight categories are described.

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Engineering analysis is often an input to overall project management. However, in larger organizations, or in consulting firms that service a multitude of customers, the engineering analysis is a project unto itself. This brings to the surface the question, “What is the process for these types of projects, and how does it map to the PMBOK?”

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A project manager has many responsibilities. However, stakeholder management sits near the top of the list, as it is intertwined with all the rest, especially scope and risk management.

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