Are Program Managers on the Career Path to the C-Level? By Gary Hamilton, Gareth Byatt, and Jeff Hodgkinson The debate on whether Program Managers would make effective senior executives is one that has gained attention in recent years. However, for this article we thought we would pose this question and contrast it with the muses of a [...]

Whether you are having a long weekend or not, the prep to become a better PM goes on.

Here are some awesome resources I found; if you are plaanning to take the exam or simply learn more:

• exam prep guide
• Iphone flashcards
• PMP exam formula guide

Good luck.

A colleague and friend (thanks Leon) has introduced me to the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

The Dunning-kruger Effect (which is a scientific elaboration on a famous quote by Charles Darwin that “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge”) simply states that ignorance results fairly frequently with over confidence and self certainty, even in the face of evidence and body of knowledge suggesting otherwise.

The first thing that came to my mind when investigating this phenomena were some previous discussions I’ve been party to with regard to the issue of projects’ failure rate and the various studies / publications attempting to persuade us that a large portion of IT projects end up in utter failure.

Are we witnessing a live example of the Dunning Kruger Effect, where people without the proper scientific or methodological experience make use of unsubstantiated data to prove a point they’ve already had in their mind but were simply looking for a ‘study’ to confirm the point they’ve already formed?

Think about it!

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Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can
choose which one to surf.

- Jonatan Mårtensson

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote about Motivation via Jamie Oliver At some point you have to stop worrying about what...
2. Inspirational Quote about Worrying [via John Power] Worrying is the same thing as banging your head against...
3. Inspirational Quote about Communication You either tell your story or someone is going to...
4. Inspirational Quote about Uncertainty [via H.L. Mencken] It’s the dull man who is always sure and the...
5. Inspirational Quote about Your Energy Level [via Rev Run] The world belongs to the energetic! - Rev Run...

Sorry, couldn't resist.

As we’ve mentioned before, several excellent books really brought EarthPM from an idea we’ve long shared to a real book and a small but growing consulting company.

But we have never stopped reading. And we won’t.

One of the most recent books we’re finding invaluable is The Necessary Revolution, by Fifth Discipline author Peter Senge.

You’ll probably see a few postings here with their roots in this book, because it is that rich with good ideas.

One we wanted to share with you immediately is the concept of “The Business Rationale for Sustainability”, which actually comprises a full chapter of the book.  As usual, we see portfolios, programs, and projects as microcosms of business.

So, with that, we’ve interpreted (interpolated?) the models that Senge uses for those of us who are at the “business end” of business – project managers.

We start with Senge’s assertion that for many years – in fact, during most of the entire Industrial Age, business leaders saw the economy in the following way:

Industrial Age view of the economy, society, and the environment

But instead, consider this view (below) which considers that business is a “wholly-owned subsidiary of nature”. And our addition – that portfolios, programs, and projects are at the core of the enterprise’s business.

A better view - including project management as the "business end" of business

Without giving you the whole chapter, we want to show you how closely connected the concept is to the assertions that we make as EarthPM. Those assertions are here.

Compare those with Senge’s rationale for sustainable business:

• There is significant money to be saved
• There is significant money to be made
• You can provide your customers with a competitive edge
• Sustainability is a point of differentiation
• You an shape the future of your industry
• You can become a preferred supplier
• You can change your image and brand

You will see more from this book.

For now, think about the way this may help you express sustainability to your stakeholders.

This article enumerates steps in conducting project quality audits. Audits are primarily document verifications systems to ensure compliance of the project with the processes including procedures, standards, guidelines, formats and templates defined for the project. Introduction Project quality audits play an important part in project execution. Au...

What are some of the early warning signs of resistance to change and how can a project manager identify them during a change management process? Read more to learn what you can do to alleviate the root causes behind most resistances to change. What Are the Warning Signs of Resistance to Change? Just as a physician relies on his or her steth...

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I was minding my own business when I noticed a tweet by Alistair Cockburn.  He clearly thought something was funny so I figured I’d check it out.  What awaited me was this video.  If you understand Agile or just interested about it, you should spend the next 3 minutes and 14 seconds enjoying a creative perspective on why Agile might not work for you.  It’s very tongue-and-cheek.  You should also check this out: http://www.pmi.org/resources/pages/agile.aspx Again, don’t take it too serious.

We have all seen these emails. Emails from your Vice President where he wants a certain Fred to look at your project and provide “inputs”.

You know the famous architecture team story by Joel Spolsky.

That kind of inputs.

Before you know it, "consultants" with terrible blind spots who are awesome at playing the jargon game and who have zero knowhow about the domain, zero understanding of your team dynamics and zero expertise in the technical space are meddling in every decision your team is taking.

Well not exactly those consultants, but if you have been through an architecture review meeting with external consultants you know exactly what I am talking about here.

Every small change is questioned and discussed in meetings that no productive programmer would want to attend in the first place but then you suddenly find yourself in these meetings spending hours defending the most common sense driven decisions you took.

You know your car is going round and round in circles. You are not getting anywhere. The fact that you are going around in circles is common sense. You have too many drivers fighting to take control of the driving wheel.

Obviously, you are not moving ahead. Obviously, throwing in more drivers is not going to solve the problem. Obviously, you need to pick a single driver to drive your project. Obviously, you need to check his track record closely before you pick him. Obviously, you need to learn how to trust him. But then again, obviously, obvious is not so obvious, especially when it comes to big organizations that are trying to pretend to be even bigger than they really are.

If you run a team or an organization, remember that every time you get more than one driver at the wheel you run the risk of getting nowhere. So the next time you invite those external consultants to review a project that is moving just fine or fu@#k up a department that is moving along smoothly, think twice.

Here is my humble word of advice from the forefronts of software development: Pick a single capable trust worthy driver. It doesn’t matter who you pick, as long as the person is competent and trust worthy.

Then move to the back seat and let the person you picked drive without bothering him.

You may not get to your exact destination. You might get just a little closer to it. But then at least it is better than moving round and round in circles.

I wish you good luck.

The activity network diagram is a method of displaying the timelines of all the various sub-tasks that are involved in any project. By doing this, the total task duration and the earliest and latest start and finish times for each task are also calculated and displayed. In addition to showing which sub-tasks are critical to on-time task completion, the activity network diagram can help determine where extra effort to speed a sub-task will have the greatest payoff to overall speed.

As the director of the project management discipline for a leading Interactive Agency, I interview quite a few people. A standard question I ask during a typical first interview is "What do you feel is the secret to project management, in other words, what separates good project managers from great project managers?" It is a pretty open-ended question and there is no right answer, but it is a great question to gain greater insight into the depth of the candidate. The most common answer I get is "communication, making sure everyone knows what is going on." While this is not incorrect, I think there is a much deeper and truth-seeking answer beyond this stock response.

Ironically, although resourcing production team members is a significant part of a project manager's role, very little focus is placed on resourcing the project managers themselves. Because of this, I've encountered many project managers that are overwhelmed, worn out, and in many ways, ineffective. Over time, I've developed some generic strategies to help directors allocate an appropriate amount of work to project managers. In this article, I'll discuss some simple ideas to help get started.

Nowadays, the bottom-up approach to management is becoming more and more popular. More and more, organisations are abandoning the top-down management style. Among them are the New York Times, Tribune Co., Ernst & Young and many others. Even the world biggest corporations, such as Toyota and IBM, are trying to implement bottom-up management style elements in some of their departments. However, managers are still arguing over which approach is more beneficial for organisations. To understand the reason for the ongoing changes in management processes, we need to compare the two management styles.

So, you are organised, have identified the stakeholders as well as project risks (and you are actively managing both), you have planned the project and you are all ready to deliver. But, have you developed a monitoring and control process for your project - an essential part of project management and work generally?

Leaders of all industries know the importance of setting achievable and effective goals for themselves. These goals are termed SMART goals. Goals are one of the most underutilised yet important tools that businesses have. Once the main outline of your project has been set, your attention needs to be turned towards developing certain goals that can help make your project a success. The SMART goals checklist can be used to evaluate the set of goals to be used. This process can help the employees as well as the employers share a certain understanding of how the goals have been set and how they are to be achieved.

Is it really true that on time, on budget, and fulfilling all requirements means project success? Whose requirements are we really trying to meet anyway? And who decides if the original due date can be changed when the scope grows? In this article we'll address the people swirling around your project, stakeholders. You'll find some useful tips and other resources for optimising stakeholder involvement in your project.

Good project management is a fundamental element of the successful implementation of any project, and the PRINCE2 project management method provides an excellent framework for delivering a project. PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is process-based, providing tailoring and scalable changes towards effective management of projects, and the project plans are focused on delivering results.

Running training events is often a dumping ground for people's frustrations. I guess we have all done it thinking this guru will help us solve all our problems. However, some of our problems are deeply ingrained and take a lot of shifting. One such problem is the role that senior managers play or should play in projects. The terminology does get in the way however, we believe that all projects need a sponsor, someone who gives executive support to the project manager and project.

Commercial buyers of information technology products and services are locked into a self-defeating pattern of behaviour when it comes to negotiating contract terms and conditions with technology vendors, and it is time to move on to a better approach. Better technology vendor negotiations produce better contracts for a technology project, and better contracts produce better project outcomes. So, break the mould and move on to a better way of negotiating contract terms and conditions for your next technology project.