Working environments have undergone quite a transformation in recent history. One of the most prevalent illustrations of this is the remote or virtual team. Your project sponsor could be in New York City and your business analyst in Tokyo, while you manage the project from Missouri. If you’ve ever worked as part of a remote…

If you’re like most project managers, in addition to the administration of your project, you likely have a multitude of daily activities that distract you from essential tasks. These distractions can impact the overall success of your project. Dr. Gloria Mark, an associate professor at Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the…

Meetings remain a necessary part of business. They help employees to coordinate efforts, allow for troubleshooting problems, and infuse creativity into an organization. According to a recent article posted by The Muse, an online career resource, an estimated twenty-five million business meetings occur each day within the United States. These meetings are typically taking up…

In today’s workplace, successful managers and executives are seeking ways to improve employee engagement while meeting company performance goals. Studies show a direct relationship between engagement and success, as well as between communication and morale. Addressing issues pertaining to engagement, whether through a weekly employee performance review or by attempting to emulate such through your…

Authenticity in business generates a relationship with people that makes individuals feel secure with both the product and the company. Authenticity is particularly important in this time in history as people are seeking genuine relationships. In a recent U.S. Census, the new business generation (ages 18-34) was identified as the largest generation in the nation….

The majority of Microsoft Project books will undoubtedly teach you how to master the software. They explain in great detail how to set a baseline, update a calendar, or format a Gantt chart. However, most do not teach you the skills to be a well-rounded analyst, to solve problems, or how to interact with your…

Most projects lean heavily on using human resources to perform the tasks that are set out in the schedule. But very few organizations are purely project-driven. That means that people (the other, friendlier name for “human resources”) work on line activities as well as projects in their daily lives. How do you find the balance…

A few months ago I wrote about the structure of the project management office or PMO. In that article I referenced the concept of the ad hoc PMO — one that’s formed to meet a specific goal, such as for training project managers or performing an audit on a portfolio of projects. What I didn’t…

The field of project management is a demanding one. It takes a great deal of training and experience to become an effective project manager, which is the reason why there’s such a high demand for them in the job market. Common skills needed to effectively manage projects include a clear vision of the goals to…

Do you remember the Microsoft Windows game Minesweeper? You had a game board covered with squares that could contain bombs. The goal was to clear the board without blowing yourself up. It wasn’t impossible; but you needed to think through things and develop a strategy to accomplish the goal. Organizational politics can be a lot…