How learning groups spontaneously form and disperse… A while back I attended an APM focus group facilitated by Dr Michael Moynagh of CPD Futures Ltd on developing strategies to improve the way that project and PMO professionals approach continuing professional development (CPD). One of the topics that came up was that established approaches to CPD (including the approach promoted…
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I was recently asked how to write a ‘good’ Lesson Learned. Many ‘lessons learned’ are merely observations, with no suggestion on how to do things differently. Two or three actionable recommendations are more useful than 20 observations without any suggestions. So this post is about how to write up a Lesson Learned so that it is engaging and…
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What does it REALLY mean & how can the PMO achieve it? The truth is, it’s not up to the PMO to determine whether it is adding value or not – that decision is made by its customers. Also, the perceived value added will be different depending on the operational context of that PMO i.e. what…
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I’ve often thought that business analysis comes in very useful for a PMO. It is accepted wisdom that a good PMO professional will have a background in project management, as this gives them credibility to coach and mentor project managers plus real-world experience of applying the recommended tools and techniques required to deliver a project…
View detailsOne programme team I worked with had a daily stand-up meeting that acquired the nickname of “morning prayers”. It got me wondering – given the opportunity, what should a project or programme team pray for? Here’s what I came up with…
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With all due acknowledgement (and apologies) to Monty Python’s Flying Circus, whose film The Life of Brian inspired this post. THE INTERIOR OF A DIRTY CITY PUB. A SHADY BACK ROOM WITH A CONSPIRATORIAL ATMOSPHERE. We join a meeting of the Project Managers’ Revolutionary Front, where Brother Reg (the chairman of the meeting) is proposing a motion to…
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I recently saw a great example of spontaneous teamwork. I was making my way up one of those very long escalators you find in London tube stations. Some way above me and ahead of me, a woman took off her hat and put her hand on the moving hand rail, but without realising it let…
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As a project manager, there are a few things you want in a project sponsor: A genuine interest in the success of the project Sufficient “clout” and credibility to argue for the project’s priority against other projects Availability to give ad hoc direction, sign off key documents, etc., as and when required Failure on the part of…
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Having created a useful project or programme schedule, how do you use it as a delivery tool? Here’s the approach I have used successfully on several recent programmes.
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How do you integrate the schedules of multiple projects into a single programme schedule that concisely conveys time-related information? This is the approach I have used successfully for several programmes.
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