Protected: Here’s how we approached the solution
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ed@thebridger.co.uk
How many organisations can you name that actually use Prince 2?
I’m not suggesting that project management is poor in the organisations without Prince 2, in fact it can even be better.
Neither am I suggesting that Prince 2 has not had a positive impact on the organisations that borrow bits of it.
Why so many organisations are so bad at change and what it takes to get in control.
The blame for failed change projects
51% put the failures down to “winning hearts and minds” followed by 31% citing “Lack of clearly defined achievable milestones” and then “lack of management buy-in “ and “poor communication”.
These responses don’t describe a failed change management programme, they describe non existence of a change programme, i.e little more than a wish.
Programmes are the reason so many projects are deemed to have failed.
If the Project manager rarely sees the battlefield, and spends his time constructing fantasy plans without ever checking with reality and assuming that things will stay the same, then imagine how far removed the average programme manager is.
Change management is not monkey business
The thing most of will get out of this little exercise is the realisation that we probably all miss out on a great deal by being adverse to trying new things until we find ourselves directly in their path and suddenly discover a new source of pleasure or value.
Systems thinking, monkey-business and multi-headed monsters
Today I had an interesting conversation on linkedin about SystemsThinking. We all agreed that trying to convert a group of people into something they are not is an uphill struggle and it is far better to identify what they are good at and make maximum use of this. It reminded me acutely of a blog I wrote … Read more
Four foundations of change management.
1. The organisation and the individuals that comprise it are different issues 2. Changing attitudes is achieved one by one, changed behaviour is a group activity 3. The change agent is not leading or driving but acting as a catalyst and facilitator 4. The change agent and his peers must be united in rationale and in mutual support Silos, … Read more
Getting the mountain to Mohammed
Few IT professionals have any grasp of the difficulty facing a business person who needs to stay abreast of tough competitors and try to win competitive advantage via IT without understanding how IT works sufficiently to make the right decisions.
Few people in business have any appreciation of exactly how complex and demanding a job it is to ask them what they want, give it to them and get a “thank you, that was great.”
Where has all the money gone? – you wouldn’t believe it
Don’t let this reference to red tape fool you. It is mission critical to understand the difference between vital process and red tape and it’s not always immediately obvious.
The key to cost cutting in any area is knowing what to cut. The word we are after is waste, but even that can be misleading. In the world of Lean everything outside of the critical value adding moment is deemed to be waste, but nobody imagines that you can eliminate most of it let alone all.
UAT – me, how do I do that?
The problem with C Image via WikipediaOTS purchases and traditional testing methods is just that.
Well, it’s just that the methods were designed for a world where teams of engineers spent months writing code and then began to stabilise it and introduce it slowly into the business environment until it was a stable release and a good match for the tightly defined requirements. At least that was the theory,
Negotiation skills for project managers
An absolutely key skill that no project manager can go out without is basic negotiation skills. From achieving consensus among stakeholders to getting the right procurement contract and managing exceptions, the one thing you absolutely MUST HAVE is the ability to negotiate effectively. Here are a few golden rules to help you negotiate more effectively … Read more
Motivating people for project managers
Image via Wikipedia Outside of the area of direct sales and many would argue to include that too, there has been a momentous movement away from good old fashioned man management techniques. (please read Man to mean both genders, this is an old term well worth revisiting). Some blame Matrix management, others blame the growing … Read more
The Bridger
“Bridger” A person who acts as go between or translator between the management of a business and it’s IT department or IT partners. The background Since the arrival of computers in the enterprise there has been an unfortunate and counterproductive power struggle between IT departments and other areas of the business. IT professionals share a … Read more
Whose fault is it anyway?
Some failures are just good managers failing to hit ridiculous targets. Others are driven by unspoken politics, many are caused by inability to define business goals, let alone requirements.
A five year study in Europe was enlightening.
How much damage can negative BIAS do to performance and quality of life?
Whether a manager, a sports person, an investor, or a dustman It is vital to understand our personal bias and manage it . Every decision we make requires some level of objectivity to stand a good chance of serving us well. “You’re faced with around 11 million pieces of information at any given moment, according … Read more