Construction planner and scheduler Frank Lee was at it again. He was in the process of creating and developing another phantom project schedule for the Project Control Manager. The initiative started when the Project Manager complained to the Project...
Mark is boarding a plane and heard one passenger in front remarked in jest that the chance of the aircraft reaching its destination is 50%.It is just a joke to him because he is a serious risk practitioner. The statement demonstrates the probability ...
Recently, my wife and I took a trip. We were at the airport. Our flight was delayed. She was sitting with her back to the window and checking the flight’s status on her iPhone. She said that we should start boarding in 5 minutes. I looked out the...
I spent most of my career in management, leading teams in fast-paced, ever-changing companies. I have a lot of experience with organizational change. I led teams through reorganizations. I have also been reorganized. Change is often necessary. To...
What are we doing? And why are we doing it? These are the first two critical questions that must be asked at the start of every project. However, they often go unanswered!The nominal “what” is often provided. Implement a new system. Launch a new prog...
A picture is worth a thousand words. Projects can generate a lot of data. Large, mature organizations generally have the tools to capture, store, and analyze this information effectively. However, small and less mature organizations and those leadin...
Changes to the Baseline must be accommodated so that the baseline accurately represents the current plan. Timely incorporation of changes is necessary so that managers are not tracking to obsolete plans and generating "false" variances.Baseline Chang...
Balancing our work and home lives is a challenge that nearly everyone faces. I was a single parent for many years and managed large teams and projects in Fortune 100 companies. It was not always easy. Recently, I was talking to an old friend and f...
Agile seems like a mystery to many. It has an unfamiliar vocabulary and practices. To outsiders, it feels like an exclusive club. However, when we step back and inspect agile, we see that it follows common, recognizable patterns from our daily live...
We have all been told that time equals money. Even, time is money. But what does any of that truly mean? Time and money separately are highly debatable subjects. The combination of the two can certainly be a conundrum. However, it is this author’s be...
Operational Excellence, the alignment of organization’s culture and climateBy Arash Dowlatshahi, Director of Project Services, Aegion[[wysiwyg_imageupload:7067:]]Operational excellence in an organization is a dependent of the alignment of organizatio...
It is wrong from the moment you print it on paper. This is true in all aspects of life, as life happens every minute, and there are always things that you couldn’t possibly be aware of before you finalize your plan.Still, the first step of any projec...
Interactive Planning (IAP)Interactive Planning (IAP) is a methodology used by projects to engage important stakeholders and subject matter experts in a facilitated workshop setting.The engagement process is through collaborative discussion of project...
Well facilitated brainstorming sessions are amazing. A creative, sharing atmosphere is built. Numerous ideas are generated. Participants feel productive, valued, and are enthusiastic. By contrast, poorly run meetings are horrible. Little is accom...
Remember the last time you joined a new team or organization. What was it like? Was it awkward? Did you make decisions easily? Were expectations clear? Did the team gel immediately?You probably answered “No” to these questions. High-performing ...
All of us have seen the aftermath of those who defied the traffic sign “Drive slowly! Do not exceed the speed limits" or "Slow down, dangerous curve." As you drive on the highway, you begin to recognize that many drivers just ignore the speed limit ...
Project management has a consistent and unimpressive performance record. The Standish Group’s on-going survey of project performance finds the percentage of projects that were deemed “successful” has hovered in the 25% - 30% range since 1994. Succe...
Adopting a product mindset is critical when transforming to an Agile development methodology, like Scrum. Shifting our thinking from project to product expands our view beyond the confines of the triple constraint—scope, cost, and time. The product...
We make hundreds of assumptions and take small risks daily. Without them, we would spend innumerable hours worrying about everything. We assume our car will start. Our air conditioner will work. The weather forecast is accurate. These daily assu...
A phrase heard at many organizations is, “The only constant is change.” Reorganizations, restructurings, and layoffs have become a regular event. These events reshape the work-landscape at the individual and team level:Friends and colleagues may move...