Bridging between people and technology
Image via Wikipedia This blog is intended to give a simple no nonsense overview of persuasion based on a single universally accepted theory that can be adapted to any set of circumstances, but I have presented it in a way that is focused more closely on the needs of the project manager. Six laws of … Read more
Image via Wikipedia Part two -Get your point accross Read Part one Basic teaching skills I use the word teaching because there is really no difference between teaching/learning and communication of any other sort. Your role is to help people understand the concepts you are communicating and to see the world in the same way … Read more
A discussion on the IT profession and it’s fitness for purpose facing the toughest challenges since the 30s.
I have consulted with some of you nf been grateful for your feedback.
Sometimes it is not just what you do but the order in which you do it that matters. You absolutely must develop an ability to see several layers of consequences ahead of the solution as well as several layers of cause and effect behind the problem and then juggle them at once in the way … Read more
Read Part one Read Part two Presentation skills – Part three As part of a series on soft skills for project managers, last week I wrote a section on communication skills. It may seem that it is a little odd not to include presentation skills as a communication skill and I will certainly not argue … Read more
(Who’s minding the shop?) This blog is an attempt to stimulate discussion and understanding of the balance of responsibility for delivering business benefits from IT investment. It is now fairly widely recognised that this is not as simple as choosing a system, getting it working and reaping the benefits, but as yet we can call … Read more
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.”
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.
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,
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