PMcrunch

We never really arrive at the end of the road in our quest to become leaders. We may achieve [tag-tec]leadership[/tag-tec] status in some way but it is always a moving target. Indeed, I believe it is our own movement on a continuous basis that can enable us to maintain ourselves as a leader. One way that we can do this is by continuously evaluating our own leadership capabilities.

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There is a great deal written on the subject of building teams including, building [tag-tec]project teams[/tag-tec], however one thing that is very notable about this process is it is of a very personal nature. Two people that might build a project team or the same exact project might very likely to do it differently just as every person is different every [tag-dir]project team[/tag-dir] that they build will be different.

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[tag-tec]Task estimating[/tag-tec] is a critical skill for [tag-dir]project managers[/tag-dir] and [tag-dir]project teams[/tag-dir]. We cannot manage what we cannot estimate. However, realistically, it is very difficult to be able to estimate every possible task accurately.

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I have worked on all kinds of projects.  I’m well aware that project requirements will pit you against limitations of all sorts.  Indeed, we all recognize that we operate in a world of constraints; however, sometimes WE are the biggest constraint of all.   This leads me to the question, “Is your project bigger than yourself?”

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On our projects, and in our programs and project portfolios, we often struggle with how to make changes.  From my own personal experience, the most challenging part of change management has always been the area of making incremental changes versus making wholesale major changes.  Let’s take a look. 

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Whether new or experienced managers, we need to always be mindful of our delegation skills. Most important to remember is that not only can our delegation style change, but the people, tasks, and circumstances can change also. Thus, it is important to periodically ask ourselves “How are my delegation skills right now?” because the answer may have changed!

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In thinking about shareholder management or investor management, especially in today’s volatile environment, I see a big parallel with stakeholder management.  In essence stakeholders are the investors in our projects.  Stakeholders hold a “stake” in our projects.  Stakeholders, just like investors, have different levels of investment or interest in our projects.  We must think of [...]

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When we set-up a project team for a new project or if we take over an existing project, we have an opportunity and a responsiblity to create new norms and a new atmosphere in which project team members can flourish.

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As summer nears, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, thoughts of more time off and vacation occur for most of us. As project and program leaders, it is good, for a moment, to reflect and review our perspective on time off, especially in the current business environment.

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Depending on your environment, you may have some team members that seem like non-contributors, and in some ways actually get in the way. While I have never experienced this – or at least not for long – on the smaller more critical projects I have managed, I do see this on larger more matrix-oriented projects. The question is, “How can I handle this?”

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