Bridging between people and technology
this refers to systems for internal use as opposed to products
Nobody imagines they can copy a bit of code off the internet and write the next messenger app, or heart monitor, but frequently people, whose position and professional standing suggests they ought to know more, make a hasty edit to an excel sheet in between meetings with extraordinary consequences. * An accountant omitted a single … Read more
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
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
Simple, but powerful tools to truly build a relationship with the customer, some obvious gaping opportunities to cut costs and some basic principals of architecture that even the bin man could understand in one lesson and yet are ignored by 99 percent of technical architects. If you are serious about competing in business, read this. … 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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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