Articles
Practical tips for project managers
Repeatable processes and approaches to accelerate your performance, across project management, productivity and Agile delivery.
Running Hybrid Projects Without the Headaches
Hybrid project management has been growing for years because it blends Waterfall's big-picture control with more Agile ways of working. PMI's 2024 Pulse shows hybrid is now the second-most used delivery mode worldwide, overtaking pure Agile in many sectors.
Project ManagementHow AI Helps You Spot Project Risks Before They Snowball
Simple AI add-ons now crunch that data in the background and nudge you when patterns look shaky. Teams using these tools hit deadlines 18% more often and spend 25% less time firefighting, according to a 2024 PMI multi-country survey.
Project ManagementProject Managers Are Stressed
Project managers are stressed. It's always seen as a delivery problem. Why? What does a delivery problem imply? That it's the project manager's fault.
Project ManagementSix Things Not to Say to a Project Manager
Project managers are often underused when it comes to the value they can provide in client conversations, new business, managing change, and being a leader within the company.
Project ManagementRepeatable Processes and Approaches to Accelerate Your Performance
Do you have repeatable processes and approaches? Trying to remember how you did something before, or where that file you created months back was stored, can waste a lot of time.
Project ManagementUsing Neutral Thinking to Increase Performance
There have been so many times I wished I'd used neutral thinking as a project manager. The most obvious is getting a difficult email from a client or teammate and firing back an angry or defensive reply straight away.
Project ManagementHow to Turn a Problem Into a Solution and Keep Your Client Happy
No one likes a problem, and sometimes the fix can't happen for a while, but with a client demanding change, that can be difficult to manage, whether you work agency-side or client-side.
Project ManagementThe Power of the Checklist
There are two types of checklist: the process checklist, which removes the thinking so you can do repetitive tasks faster and stay consistent, and the outlier checklist, covering actions you might need to do but not consistently.
ProductivityThe Myth of Multitasking
28% of your working week is lost to task switching, procrastination and distractions, according to The One Thing by Gary Keller. Project managers task-switch constantly, often without realising it.
Productivity5 Ways to Cut Your Mobile Phone Use
Mobile use can be overwhelming, the constant urge to check it, whether it's in your pocket or a new message. It's incredibly distracting and drains focus and willpower, often without you realising the impact on your performance at work.
Project ManagementHow to Receive 50% Less Email Every Day
The average professional spends 28% of their day reading and answering email, 2.6 hours and around 120 messages received daily. Some days that's a lot more.
ProductivityHow Taking Breaks and Prioritising Self-Care Improves Your Productivity
Advice on habits and productivity is usually about working hard and staying focused. What's talked about less is self-care, the more you work on yourself, the better your relationships and productivity become.
Project Management10 Reasons Why Communication Is So Important in Project Management
Effective communication is critical to the success of any project. It keeps team members informed, motivated and on track, helping coordinate effort, resolve conflict and make informed decisions.
ProductivityHow to Have the Best Day Ever
Can you have the best day ever, or even the perfect day? Reducing how much you procrastinate, being more focused and present, and achieving what you planned can move you a step closer.
Project ManagementHow to Avoid Last-Minute Requests at the End of the Day
Last-minute requests at the end of the day are frustrating, especially when they cause you to work late, if the sender had just asked earlier, you could have helped. Here's a quick way to avoid it.
ProductivityHow to Be More Focused at Work With 5 Simple Approaches
Five of the most impactful things that have improved productivity at work, done together throughout the day, they have a real impact on the amount and value of the work produced.
Project ManagementHow to Get an Entire Team Update on Your Project in Minutes
Project status meetings can be long and low on value. If you have a remote team, there's a much more efficient way to run them, done in minutes rather than hours.
Project ManagementHow to Run Better Meetings With the W.O.O.P. Technique
Meetings often have a lot of talk but not much value. This approach helps you plan meetings and client conversations that are genuinely worth the time.
ProductivityHow to Improve Your Performance by Creating Your Own Algorithms
Performance algorithms are a simple but powerful way to improve performance, avoid procrastination and counter negative thoughts, and they're straightforward to create.
Project ManagementHow to Send That Tough Email You've Been Dreading
No one enjoys sharing bad news, a mistake, a delay, a problem a teammate caused. It happens, and as a project manager you need to be ready to share it with stakeholders and take responsibility.
ProductivityHow to Plan Your Day to Maximise Your Productivity
Don't let your days control what you do. Be proactive and plan your day so you take back control, rather than reacting to whatever comes at you.
Project ManagementHow to Manage Nerves and Deliver a Higher Performance
If you struggle with nerves before a big meeting, interview or event, this is a quick, practical way to feel calmer and improve your performance.
Project ManagementHow to Use Neutral Thinking as a Project Manager to Improve Performance
Neutral thinking is a power-up for project managers. Use it and you stay focused on what matters, while staying calmer and reducing your stress levels.
Project ManagementDealing With Change as a Project Manager
Change happens whether you're working Waterfall, Agile, or any other delivery approach, it just comes in different forms. Change isn't inherently negative; it's about improvement and doing what's right for the business and its users.
Agile DeliveryAn Introduction to Story Points
Story points are often misunderstood and misused by teams, which can render them useless. This post looks at how to educate a team on what story points are and how to use them well.
Agile DeliveryWaterfall vs Agile: What to Choose?
Waterfall is the traditional approach to project management, breaking a project down into sequential phases. Here's how it compares to Agile, and when to choose each.
Agile DeliveryWhat Is a User Story?
A user story gets its name from how it should be used, not how it should be written, told through a good conversation about the who and the why, not just the what.
ProductivityTake Time to Reflect and Learn
A simple approach, reflections, where you set aside time to think about key events from the day or week, then write down what you'd do differently next time in a weekly learning log.
ProductivityNote-Taking Tips: Capture and Create
An effective note-taking strategy for meetings, giving a clear separation between what you hear in the room and what you've learned or need to do afterwards.
Agile DeliveryMeeting Facilitation Guide: The Agile Agenda
Ever been handed an agenda and thought, 'I can't wait to get started'? Probably not often. Here's how to write agendas people actually want to engage with.
Agile DeliveryThe Car Brand Retrospective
A fun, simple Scrum retrospective you can run with minimal materials, easy to understand, using the familiar start, stop and continue approach.
Agile DeliveryAn Introduction to Scrum
A mixture of Scrum fundamentals, broadly what you'd get from the Scrum guide, mixed with real-world experience from inside a digital agency.
Project ManagementGoal Setting for Work and at Home
An approach to goal setting that's had a real impact at work and within teams, creating goals for everything you do, not just the big annual targets.
Agile DeliveryThe Thank You Retrospective
A very simple retrospective idea with a big impact on teams, surprising colleagues by approaching their desks with a simple 'thank you' card.
Productivity9 Habits to Create Success and Improve Productivity
Why habits matter, and nine that consistently help create success and improve productivity over time.
Project ManagementProject Management Tips: My Top 10
In project management, common sense goes a long way, if something doesn't feel right, there's usually a problem. These are some of the key things that matter most for success.
ProductivityHow to Create Mind Maps
A great way to take notes in a meeting, generate ideas, or capture a lot of information quickly on paper, you can't go far wrong with a mind map.
Agile DeliveryA Beginner's Guide to User Story Mapping
Story mapping helps you visualise the story you're telling about a product or service, not just software, by seeing the full customer journey and breaking it into sub-features.
ProductivityThe Not-To-Do List Approach
A tool to help you identify what you should NOT be spending time on, so you can automate it, delegate it, or eliminate it.
Agile DeliveryThe Agile Paper Airplane Game
A great game for teams new to Agile and frameworks like Scrum, teaching the benefits of working in sprints, planning, retrospectives and teamwork.
Agile DeliveryWhat Does Agile Really Mean?
Agile simply means able to move quickly and easily. That's it.
Agile DeliveryIntroduction to Agile Terminologies
A number of terms come up again and again when working with Agile frameworks like Scrum or Kanban, or discussing an Agile approach generally, here's a quick guide.
Agile DeliveryThe Scrum Roles
The simplest description: the Product Owner decides the what, the development team works out the how, and the Scrum Master helps the team achieve the how.
Agile DeliveryThe Sail Boat Retrospective
Retrospectives can get repetitive. The Sail Boat approach gets the team up and involved from the start, working together rather than going through the motions.
Agile DeliveryScrum Ceremonies
A simple overview of the five key Scrum ceremonies, and what each one is for.
Productivity3 Steps to Organise a Productive Week
Three steps to take control of the week ahead, stay on top of day-to-day work, and recognise what didn't go well so you can improve it.
Productivity6 Simple Steps for Setting Goals That Really Work
Do you want to keep being busy without achieving anything significant? Here are six simple steps for setting goals that actually stick.
ProductivityMy 10 Favourite Quotes for Inspiration and Motivation
Motivational quotes are everywhere online, sometimes it's worth asking whether the person sharing them really means it, or is just hoping for a few likes.
Project ManagementHow to Become a Project Manager
If you're looking to become a project manager, there are a few routes in, from a university-based degree and certifications through to more practical, on-the-job paths.
Project ManagementWhat Is Portfolio Planning?
Portfolio planning is often seen as a big, sophisticated approach to managing projects, but it's only as complicated as you make it.
Project ManagementHow to Create a Statement of Work
Alongside the contract, a statement of work describes the work required by your client and agreed by you, the services, timelines, deliverables, assumptions and costs.
Agile DeliveryScrum Master vs Project Manager
A Scrum Master is not a project manager, and a project manager is not a Scrum Master, the roles are different, with a different set of responsibilities and approach to working with teams.
Project ManagementWhat Is a Project Deliverable?
For a project manager, one of the most common causes of confrontation on a project, or when a project is closing, is disagreement over the deliverables.
Project ManagementHow to Plan a Project in 10 Easy Steps
Ten steps to help structure how you plan a project from day one, each with additional tips and approaches you can adapt for your own project.
ProductivityRemote Working Tips: A Week In
Remote working has been around for years, but for some companies it's always carried an air of distrust. Practical tips from a week of working remotely.
Project Management25 Ways to Prepare for an Interview Remotely
Companies around the world have adapted to new ways of working, changing how we think about work and how we recruit, including interviewing remotely.
Project Management10 Common Questions Asked in a Project Management Interview
Interviewing for a project management role, junior or senior, can be daunting, but with the right preparation you can walk in with confidence.
Project ManagementHow to Run Kick-Ass Meetings
First discussed in the Surviving Remote Project Management webinar, practical ways to make meetings genuinely worth attending.
Project ManagementHow to Stay in Control of Your Project
First discussed in the Surviving Remote Project Management webinar, practical approaches for staying in control as a project progresses.
Project ManagementHow to Maximise Team Collaboration
First discussed in the Surviving Remote Project Management webinar, ways to get a team working together more effectively.
Agile DeliveryWhat Is a Retrospective, and 10 Tips for Running a Great One
A retrospective is a chance to learn and improve as a team. Whatever the team, industry or methodology, it's a genuinely valuable approach to continuous improvement.