Contingency Plan

It’s easier to ignore the possibility of risks when the business is doing well — but not having a plan for potential unforeseen threats could be the most significant risk […]

In my early years as a project manager (PM) for IBM, I worked on several assignments where third party vendor or sub-contractors (usually with a specialized skill to perform) were […]

For small projects, communication can be quite simple. Communication for the project of heading home after the holidays might be no more than “Call us when you get there.” But […]

The black swan* has landed, and is honking up a storm, as I am sure you have all noticed. In my 30+ years of planning, I’ve never seen anything like […]

“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.” – English proverb Missed deadlines. Project over budget. Irate, disappointed stakeholders. Team members home sick at “crunch time.” Sweating yet? If you’re […]

I’ve compared projects with living entities (like human beings), and the life cycle of a project with life cycle of a person. Similarly, the PMBOK guide, when expanded, is called […]

No matter the industry or size of the project, every project manager is tasked with juggling multiple day-to-day operations. Even small-scale projects can be complex, comprised of hundreds of cross-functional […]

Risk management works differently in agile project management vs. waterfall. In this article, I highlight the basic differences and offer guidance for choosing the most effective method for your current […]

This article illustrates the value of using deadlines instead of constraints to make forecasting easier. Constraints make forecasting more difficult because they take flexibility away from a schedule. Deadlines don’t […]