Project Management

Project Managers, Do you have repeatable processes and approaches?Do you know what's challenging and frustrating, having to start again for something you know you've done before?Trying to remember how you did it or where that file you created a few months back was stored can waste a lot of time.

There have been so many times when I wished I had used neutral thinking as a Project Manager. ⁠⁠The most obvious is getting a crappy email from a client or a not particularly helpful teammate or manager, and I’ve sent an angry or defensive reply straight away.

No one likes a problem, and in some cases, the fix needed cannot be done for some time but with a client demanding change, this can be difficult to manage.Whether you work in an agency or client side, it doesn’t matter. Managing expectations is problematic as to get the expected solution; you might be held back by a lack of knowledge/skills, capacity in the team or just the budget or approval to do it.

There are two types of checklists. The Process Checklist which removes the thinking, so you can do repetitive tasks faster, maintain quality standards and be consistent in everything you do. The Outlier Checklist which covers actions you might need to do, think of, and check but not consistently.

The average professional spends 28% of their day reading and answering emails. That's a massive 2.6 hours per day and 120 messages received per day*. I'm sure you've had days where you could add more to that!

Effective communication is critical for the success of any project. In project management, communication is vital in keeping all team members informed, motivated, and on track to meet project goals and deadlines. It helps team members coordinate their efforts, resolve conflicts, and make informed decisions.

Don’t you hate getting last-minute requests at the end of the day? I know I do. It’s especially frustrating if it then causes you to work late, as quite often, if the sender just asked you earlier, you could have helped. This is a quick and easy way to avoid those last-minute changes at the end of the day.

Project status meetings can be long and often low on value; if you have a remote team, there is a much more efficient way of running them that can be done in minutes.

Do you sometimes struggle with meetings that seem to have a lot of talk but not a lot of value? I probably didn’t need to ask that, as meetings in the workplace are often very low on value but high on time for so many.

No one enjoys sharing bad news, whether that’s a mistake you’ve made, a teammate has, or just a significant delay on a project. It happens though, and as a Project Manager, you need to be ready to share the news with your project stakeholder and take responsibility.

Neutral thinking is a power-up for Project Managers when you use it. You can stay focused on what's important, and just as importantly, you're calm, and your stress levels reduce.

Change is going to happen whether you’re working with the Waterfall approach, Agile or any other delivery methodology. It just comes in different forms. But change shouldn’t be seen as a negative; change is about improvements, doing what’s right and what’s needed for the business and its users.

This approach is starting to have a significant impact with me, my team and within our agency when it comes to setting goals at work, and that's creating goals for everything we do.

In Project Management common sense goes a long way, so if it doesn’t feel right then there is usually a problem. These Project Management tips are some of the key things that are vital for success

If you’re looking to become a Project Manager you have a couple of options to do this. There is the study-heavy path, which could start with a University-based degree followed by various certification courses.

Portfolio planning is often seen as a big sophisticated approach to managing projects, but it’s only as complicated as you make it. 

Alongside the contract, a statement of work describes the work required by your client and agreed by you. It lays out the services you'll provide, timelines, deliverables, assumptions and the costs.

For a Project Manager, one of the most likely causes of confrontation on a project or when a project is closing are the project deliverables.

I've created these ten steps to help you structure how you plan a project from day one. Each step includes additional tips and approaches that you can take and adjust for your project.

Thousands of companies around the world are adapting to the new way of working, and it’s changing the way we think about how we work and how we recruit.

nterviewing for the role of a Project Manager, Junior Project Manager or Senior Project Manager can be daunting, but with the right preparation, you can deliver with confidence and in a relaxed state. 

How to Run Kick-Ass Meetings was first discussed in the “Surviving Remote Project Management“ Webinar.

How to stay in control of your project was first discussed in the “Surviving Remote Project Management“ Webinar

How to Maximise Team Collaboration was first discussed in the “Surviving Remote Project Management“ Webinar