Latest Project Management Articles

Is everything a project? Interview with Ben Synder

Is everything a project? Interview with Ben Synder

Today I am interviewing Ben Snyder, author of Everything is a Project: 60 Lessons from Successful Project-Driven Organisations. I spoke to Ben about his book, starting with the idea behind the title. Hello Ben. Let’s get straight into it. Surely not everything is a project? What about routine repetitive tasks like manning a customer service…

3 Steps to Presence: Book Review of The Power of Presence

3 Steps to Presence: Book Review of The Power of Presence

Presence. It’s that thing all successful project and programme managers have. It’s when you walk into a room and the team subtly acknowledges you’ve arrived. You see it when the project team listen to a good project sponsor talking about the project’s objectives, or when a portfolio manager discusses the business benefits that will be…

Talking Project Politics: Interview with Nita Martin

Talking Project Politics: Interview with Nita Martin

Politics. Every project has politics. Today I’m interviewing Dr Nita Martin, Managing Director of Pure Indigo. Nita’s book, Project Politics: A Systematic Approach to Managing Complex Relationships, deals with that difficult subject of how things get done on projects. Nita, ‘politics’ means different things to different people. How do you define project politics? ‘Project politics’…

Book review: Off Balance

Book review: Off Balance

Matthew Kelly found out he had cancer aged 35 and started re-evaluating what was really important. Off Balance is the result. It’s a book about work-life balance, but it’s not the normal time management stuff. Kelly frowns on the modern-day culture of individualism, hedonism and minimalism. He proposes instead that you strive to become the…

Advising Upwards: Interview with Dr Lynda Bourne
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Advising Upwards: Interview with Dr Lynda Bourne

Today I’m interviewing Dr Lynda Bourne, author of Advising Upwards: A Framework for Understanding and Engaging Senior Management Stakeholders (Gower, 2011). Lynda is CEO of Stakeholder Management Pty Ltd, a training and consultancy firm based in Australia. Lynda, your book is about helping project managers communicate better with executive stakeholders. Let’s start at the beginning….

Behind the scenes at Project Management in the Collaborative Age

For those of you who would prefer to read rather than watch the video, here’s the transcript: Elizabeth Harrin: I’ve come to Victoria in London and I am looking for the Microsoft offices. I’m going to be chairing a round table discussion there today about project management in the collaborative age, and the things that…

Are project managers pompous and manipulative?

Business Life magazine – the one shoved in the seat pockets on British Airways flights – has a column in this month talking about project managers. It’s the light relief, ‘Business Lifer’ column at the back, written by an anonymous ‘executive globetrotter’. During January, Business Lifer has been recruiting as well as considering his own…

Focus on Coaching: Susanne Madsen on the power of questions

Focus on Coaching: Susanne Madsen on the power of questions

This short series is looking at coaching in a project management environment. Today I’m interviewing Susanne Madsen, author of The Project Management Coaching Workbook and herself a coach. Hello Susanne. Tell me, what made you go into coaching in the first place? I started coaching and mentoring project managers because I wanted to make a…