Project management articles, updates and reviews from Elizabeth Harrin.
You love your laptop, right? It goes where you go and it’s oh so handy for meetings. Well, personally I’m a pen and paper girl but if it’s really important and will make things easier I will tote around my laptop and use it in meetings. Not using it for every meeting makes me acutely…
“This lecture pays due tribute to a lot of our computing heritage,” says Alan Pollard, BCS President in full regalia with a presidential medal around his neck. I take my seat in the conference room of The Wellcome Trust. It’s a beautiful space. One of the best things about attending events is getting to nose…
I’ve just come back from Jukkasjärvi in Sweden, a place I’ve wanted to visit for ever because it’s where they build the magnificent Ice Hotel every year. It was on the list of things to do before I hit 30, but I didn’t make it. It struck me as a coincidence that just as I…
This is the last in a four-part series on how project management is facing up to the challenges of the 21st century business environment. I am noticing a shift towards working in a more 21st century way. The focus for many recruiters is now on people who can demonstrate emotional intelligence (read more about that…
If you weren’t able to attend the APM winter conference, you can get all the presentations and session notes online. APM have set up an impressive one-off blog to make everything available. They have also put all the official conference photos on Flickr here. There are two photos of me waving my arms around to…
I spoke at the Association for Project Management (APM) conference in London yesterday. My presentation was on equipping project managers to work in ways that reflect the challenges faced by modern businesses: the credit crunch, outsourcing and offshoring and the role new technology has to play in 21st century ways of working. I arrived just…
PMI has decided that it needs a New Media Council and I’m one of seven “influential voices” (yes, they really called us that!) in the world of online project management that they have brought together for this. It’s good to see that a professional body is moving to embrace new media and Web 2.0 –…
Remember the new London women’s networking group, WeAreTheCity? Their launch event was a huge success: hundreds of women queuing around the Monument branch of House of Fraser, all anticipating a free makeover, champagne, a fashion show and a prize draw with some excellent gifts. Two glasses of champagne and two fairy cakes later (the main…
I’m running late. Not very – in fact, I’ll probably arrive just about on time. But the person I’m meeting has already sent me a text to say she’s there. I dash through the revolving doors and up the stairs. As she said, she’s sitting at the first table. “Hello, are you Vanessa?” “Yes.” We…
Last Thursday I had dinner in Café Royle – Google’s staff canteen. Google were hosting a birthday event for Girl Geek Dinners (strapline: definitely does compute) to celebrate their third anniversary. Girl Geek Dinners is a bit of a phenomenon. Sarah Blow set up the non-profit community in London over three years ago and now…
I was really excited to find out that I had won the Project Management category of the Computer Weekly IT Blog Awards the day before yesterday. I wanted to wait until I had the official confirmation and this little image, which I got today, before putting posting about winning… just in case it wasn’t true!…
Well, the consultation for the Single Equality Bill looks like it’s over. Minister for Equality and Women, Harriet Harman, recently unveiled the draft Bill which is expected to be implemented in this autumn’s Queen’s speech. Unfortunately, positive action is on the table. Yes, I’m a big fan of women’s rights to equality, but allowing employers…