Oh...my... I got a jolt of a wake up this morning. For what will forever be known as the Ear Spider Incident. I had the joy of getting a spider out of my ear! Talk about hysteria! I have never been so at a loss for what to do and terrified of something so small … Continue reading September 21, 2020 – Daily
Friday is always a BIG work day. I try to keep my Fridays client and meeting free, so I can do some heads down work. Like most folks with their own business, weekends are not the same for me as they are for others. I look forward to the weekend, not because it will be … Continue reading September 18, 2020 – Daily
Oh, happy day! Just after 10 this morning, and I am off to a good start. Because of my goal setting index card yesterday, I woke up to a clean desk to work at! Boy does that feel good. And I have although I have a scheduled brew option on my coffee pot, I rarely … Continue reading September 17, 2020 – Daily
Today is the DAY! I have been thinking about, planning to, deciding to -- write everyday. And well, that just doesn't happen. But I do think it is very important that I write as often as I can. One of the things that I know happens when I write, is I reinforce ideas, ingrain new … Continue reading September 16, 2020 – Daily
by Cindy Coan What do you do when you have someone on your team who is not pulling their weight or creating challenges? How do you address these issues in a way that will be perceived in a positive light and will inspire change? It happens to all of us, people challenges consume a great … Continue reading Dealing with People Challenges
by Cindy Coan Project teams are often a mixed bag; people from various parts of an organization, from outside organizations and customers. Although the project manager has responsibility for the project delivery and leading the project team, they likely are not the manager or supervisor of the team members. This can make dealing with people … Continue reading How to Use a RACI Matrix
by Cindy Coan Communication is vital component of the management of any project. One of the challenges is getting the attention of executive leadership and keeping them updated and informed on the project status. Say hello, to the Project Scorecard! The project scorecard is intended to be a simple visual illustrating the progress and status … Continue reading Building and Using a Project Scorecard
by Cindy Coan Everyone has an opinion, everyone wants to offer up suggestions. Occasionally, these suggestions and opinions are negative. People like to point out what is missing, what is going wrong, what is at risk or what you should be doing differently. The feedback and opinions don’t need to correct to be valid. Let … Continue reading Managing Negative Feedback
by Cindy Coan Managing your time, your team’s time and the project timeline are all part of the project managers “to do list” - and can be challenging to master. How you work throughout the day and manage time during a project may differ from project-to-project and from customer-to-customer. Some projects are larger and more … Continue reading 10 Time Management Tips for Project Managers
by Cindy Coan Project Governance is not project management. It is the higher-level framework inside an organization to measure and manage projects. Some organizations will have an established Project Management Office (PMO), which may define a governance framework for projects What does a project governance framework look like? Start simple, each project governance model should … Continue reading Project Governance: Maintaining Control Over Organizational Projects
by Cindy Coan Success is a perception. This may be a little hard for a project manager to understand. You can clearly see if you met your goals. Unfortunately, perception matters. You can deliver each objective on-time, on budget and still some project sponsors will not be happy with the results. It can be well … Continue reading Defining Success, The Project Mantra
by Cindy Coan Identifying the various audiences and finding the perfect communication balance is one of many challenges of managing a project. Along with keeping all plates spinning without getting dizzy. 1. Communication Plan The first step is to build a Communication Plan for your project. Your Communication Plan will answer the following questions: What … Continue reading 10 Critical Project Reports
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