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#PMFlashBlog - What Project Management Means To Me

Project Management is an interesting beast conjuring up lots of images and meaning many things to many people. Those who do it are professional in their work yet the debate rages as to whether it’s a profession in its own right. I don’t think it matters much if the people doing it are professional in their actions and desire to do quality and valuable work. Ultimately it’s about people, change, leadership and management. But this post isn’t a debate about what project management is or isn’t. No, it’s a post about what project management means to me. 

So, regardless of your experience, involvement with it or credentials, I believe project management exists to contribute and deliver value to an organisation and its business. This must never be underestimated or lost sight of.

With that in mind here’s what project management means to me…

#PMFlashBlog - Coming Soon to a Blog near you!

September 25th at 0100hours GMT - Mark your calendars!

Introducing the first ever #PMFlashBlog event - the brainchild and fab initiative of Shim Marom. With the theme of 'What does project management mean to me' this is virtual networking and collaboration at its best.

With 70+ (the number just keeps growing!) project management bloggers from around the globe involved we're all writing about the same topic with publication synchronised for the same time.

Read more to view the entire list of contributors or click here to see an excellent world map infographic created by Henny Portman (one of the many #PMFlashBlog'ers) that shows the locations of all those taking part.

Subscribe to the RSS feeds, follow us on Twitter and join in with a global event that will be informative, educational and entertaining.

Don't forget... September 25th at 0100hours GMT.

Holidays Are No Excuse For Delay

It’s August and across much of the UK and Europe that means holiday. Companies that don’t close completely are usually operational with the bare minimum of staff as the majority enjoy being away from the office and email. Those who are working at this time can find it difficult to make progress on anything but the most standard activities. 

As holiday periods get closer people and activities naturally slow down. Interest wanes, attention wavers and conversations are more about plans and less about the task at hand. Once holidays are taken and everyone’s returned it can take days and sometimes weeks for people and activities to ramp up again. Whether it’s August in the northern hemisphere or December in the southern, the holiday period can have a serious impact. 

Can a period of complete inactivity be avoided? Yes. Can momentum be maintained and deadlines achieved even during slow periods? Yes. 

While we all do our utmost to plan ahead here are 4 things that can help reduce delays that would otherwise be an acceptable part of doing business during the holidays. 

The Sales vs Implementation Trap

Recently the news has been full of failed tech projects. Some are major government investments that have either been canned or are currently at risk. Others may be smaller yet the waste of time and money, not to mention the impact on reputation, are no less significant for the business or suppliers concerned. 

The reasons for failure are many and varied. Often seeds are sown during the early stages before there’s any sniff of a project let alone implementation. Expectations on both sides of the fence form and quite frequently remain unspoken. These sprout and grow as time progresses.

Back in 2011 I wrote a blog post about expectations of stakeholders and the role they play as an initiative moves from sales to implementation. It was a lead in to a guest spot on PMChat with Robert Kelly and Rob Prinzo. It's as valid now as it was then so I'm republishing it to trigger thinking and maybe, just maybe, tangible change through action.