There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. Denis Waitley – Writer Do you workin a projectized organization? Are you a project manager, lead, specialist, or support person? Do you want to change your project role (s)? If so, what are your plans …
It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project. Napoleon Hill – Self-Help Author In a projectized organization, work is organized into project teams that form and disband when work is finished. Each VUCAN evolves into a project professional responsible for getting work done on time and on budget while satisfying stakeholders. Often, …
A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it’s an undo-it-yourself project. Abigail Van Buren – Self Help Guru I’ve project managed $200M projects. I’ve had some jobs come in on budget, in scope, and on schedule. I’ve had projects fail miserably and been fired. I’ve had to kill projects. I think I’ve made almost every project mistake. …
It takes no talent to work hard. Tim S. Grover – Author I’ve been a project consultant for 30 years and have written best-selling books. Here are my top tips and tools: Work Lessons Earned: Know your value proposition. What separates you from the rest of the VUCANs? Then price your services accordingly. I differentiate consultants into 4 …
Software projects fail for one of two general reasons: the project team lacks the knowledge to conduct a software project successfully or the project team lacks the resolve to conduct a project effectively. Steve McConnell – Software Engineer & Writer The New York Times a few years ago had an article called ‘The New Workplace Is Agile and Nonstop’. …
Your work should be an extended hobby. Richard Saul Wurman – Writer and Thinker Entrepreneurship, ‘doing it your way’, is in. The startup dream is alive and well as attested by many who want to immigrate to the U.S. A new meritocracy is found inside and outside companies. You’re rewarded for your ideas, initiative, perseverance, performance, …
You like to do project work. But, do you have the right risk profile? What’s your risk appetite? Are you risk taking, risk sensitive, or risk averse? If you like to take risks, one option is to strike out on your own and start a business or work on a startup. Startup work is all about extreme …
True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information. Winston Churchill – English Prime Minister Project management is risk management. If projects were simple, straightforward, and had no risk of cost, schedule, scope, and quality variances, then a project manager wouldn’t be necessary. I like the model of orchestra conductor as …
Understand the culture of the new company (with which you are joining or negotiating) and its standards of what is reasonable. James Nunan – Business person What’s the best metaphor for defining the project structure and process for getting lean and agile work done? It may be an orchestra. An orchestra does both process and project work. Let’s first look at …
You can’t move fast and break things if the things you might break are people. Clara Vu – Engineer In this new work environment, what’s the title and role of the VUCAN who brings all the resources together in the project team? Is the VUCAN a project manager, leader, coach, or facilitator? Or, maybe all of these …