Expert insights. Personalized for you.
I remember when the H1N1 outbreak was happening in 2009. I was traveling frequently all over the U.S. As H1N1 picked up steam and more people contracted it, we were asked to temporarily limit or cancel travel all together. Getting on a plane posed a risk. MORE
“Do you commit to commit? Do you commit to getting it done?” ” I didn’t understand the COO’s question. I just told him I would get his request completed. Sure, I had a lot going on, but could try to squeeze this in. MORE
Let’s face it, we all know that person, or people, who it seems do nothing but complain. Beautiful, sunny day and they say it’s too hot. Cool fall morning and it’s too cold. The coffee is not the perfect temperature! Why do you have to drive so fast!? Do you have to drive so slow!? Why are those kids so loud!? It never ends. In the working world, we have them too. In project management, they’re everywhere! Stakeholders, team members, vendors, functional managers! MORE
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Have you ever heard a child give good news? It can be almost comical. They’re really excited. They trip over words. Lots of hand motions. Smiles galore. This is the best day ever! Conversely, have you heard them give bad news? They first try to hide it from you. MORE
I friend of mine, who is also a project manager, has a knack for taking the most boring topic and turning it into an interesting story. Want to be riveted by the importance of Python programming in the mid-90’s? Get ready for a 20 minute history lesson plus some predictions for the future. MORE
Recently, I have seen a more online posts asking questions about what project management tool(s) a company should buy: What tool does everyone recommend? My company would like a project management tool? What should we get? I’d like your opinion on a project management tool that is cloud-based and easy to use. PM tool recommendations please! Within 24 hours, there are a number of responses. They range from asking for more information, to recommendations, to sales pitches. MORE
This is blog post #101. I didn’t have much of a goal when I started blogging. The idea of sharing ideas, frustrations, losses and wins seemed like a good idea. In many ways, it’s been therapeutic! MORE
Let me start by saying that I’m not an advocate of conflict. I’m especially not a fan of conflict that turns personal or even physical. MORE
I have one kiddo that still believes in the magic of Santa Claus. His little friends and our neighbors are also young enough to believe jolly ol’ St. Nick will be dashing through the snow and the skies on his annual trip around the globe next week. MORE
I enjoy being part of project management panel discussions. Just when you think you’ve heard it all, someone asks a question or talks about a situation that blows your mind! In a recent panel discussion, one such comment came up. MORE
Now, I’m not ripping on everyone at Boeing. I’ve met and worked with folks from Boeing in my career and they are good people. Some employees, though, made some poor communication decisions regarding the 737 Max that have now gone public. MORE
In these pandemic times, I’ve found opportunities to do professional development. These include reading books, blogs, white papers and engaging in professional social media posts. MORE
“I know we’ve never met and you don’t know me, but I need help and am looking for mentoring. Would you be willing to mentor me on project management? I want to get better and my company is allowing me time to learn.” ” Sure!! I was truly humbled being asked. MORE
Time to put on the party hat, fill your glass with bubbly and toast in the new year! Welcome 2020! A new year, and decade, is upon us. Every year I make it a practice to look back and note the accomplishments, failures and lessons from the past 12 months. 2019 was one for the books! MORE
Have you heard the statement “Walk a mile in your customer’s shoes?” ” The goal is to understand the customer’s experience. How were they treated? What obstacles did they face? Was there superior customer service? MORE
“We need Todd on this project. He’s critical!” ” “What’s Todd’s role? What other roles do we need? Does Todd have the tools he needs?” ” “I don’t know, but Todd needs to be on this. He’s on all projects.” MORE
In my last post, I talked about “ Project Get Fit ” that may or may not be on your 2020 resolution list. You set goals, you make a plan, and you execute. Sounds simple, right? MORE
Almost daily, there are questions posted in various project management groups asking for information about the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. How do I obtain it? Is it worth it? Will it make me a better project manager? Will my job pay me more once I get certified? MORE
It was somewhere between mile 21 and 22. I’d felt it coming and was trying to prepare myself. My legs went from feeling OK to jelly. My body started to hurt in ways I’d never experienced. This marathon had to end. I wanted to be done. MORE
Tis the season for being thankful; the time of year when we take a step back and appreciate that which is around us. From family, to friends, to career, it’s time to take stock of what we’re thankful for. I’ve been in project management for over 20 years. MORE
I’ve always believed your career is in your hands. Your boss wants you to do a good job and deliver value in your day-to-day role. Exceptional bosses take an interest in your career. MORE
“I want to get in shape, so I got a gym membership. What should I do?” ” I thought about what she was asking for a second. Many questions started popping into my head. MORE
“Holy s**t, what have I gotten myself into?!?!” ” I had literally joined my local Project Management Institute (PMI) chapter 72 hours ago and already I was on my second conference call talking about a registration system for PMI events. MORE
If you drive or ridden in the passenger seat of a vehicle and looked at the side mirror, you may have noticed the little sticker that says “OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” ” When changing lanes, we check them (most of the time anyway). MORE
I’ve read a couple stats saying up to half of U.S. workers will seek new jobs in 2020. Are you one of them, too? In changing companies, you’ll meet new people and interact with different personalities. MORE
As project and program managers, we frequently face adversity. It can come from the team, management, stakeholders, and outside the company. It’s everywhere! Because you’re also leading one of the company’s initiatives, you need to be triumphant despite those adversities that are thrown in your path. It’s our job to take issues in stride and move forward. I was reminded this week of a huge white board a former co-worker had outside her cube. MORE
Competition is all around. Your business is competing for clients and market share. We compete against co-workers to be on a new team or get a promotion. Pro sports teams compete to be the best in their divisions. We may even encourage our kids to compete hard and win. Everything seems to be a competition. Even in the most collaborative of environments, some competition is prevalent. But what about your project? Sure, you negotiated with all types of managers to get the right people. MORE
“Every project manager in your PMO must become expert level in each process group and knowledge area to be successful.” ” That’s interesting, I thought. I replied back on the professional message board that though I agree every PM needs to understand and show competence in each process group, I don’t agree with the concept of being “expert level.” MORE
I’m running in a 50+ mile race in September. It will be the hardest thing, both physically and mentally, I have ever done. Race start is at 5:15AM and on average takes over 12 hours to complete. There is 25,000 feet of elevation change and a number of rivers to cross and mud to trudge through. When I tell friends I’m doing this, they say it sounds miserable. When I research posts about the race, I hear past participants talk about the misery they were in. MORE
Technology will continue to evolve and take repetitive tasks away from humans. This was highlighted on a call with a sales person recently. They were demoing a finance software. Every question was met with: It does that automatically. You don’t have to do a thing. The system does it for you. No, trending analysis is done and delivered to you daily. Our embedded AI will tell you what’s needed. With a couple clicks of a button, the platform did everything we needed and then some. MORE
A peer of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous) has been a Scrum Master for a number of years and previously worked at a company that valued organizational agility and agile methods. Unfortunately, her role ended but was able to find another position with a company that has been wanting to be “agile” for some time. This company likes the thought of Scrum, but putting it into practice has been hindered by slow adapting managers, stakeholders and a few team members. MORE
Bridge the Gap Consulting
MAY 8, 2020
“Holy s**t, what have I gotten myself into?!?!” ” I had literally joined my local Project Management Institute (PMI) chapter 72 hours ago and already I was on my second conference call talking about a registration system for PMI events.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
APRIL 20, 2020
Open up your go-to news site and you’ll see it. An outbreak that shows no signs of slowing down. Death tolls on the rise. Elected officials debating. Alcohol use up. Domestic violence increases. Children hungry because they’re not at school.
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Bridge the Gap Consulting
APRIL 3, 2020
I’ve always believed your career is in your hands. Your boss wants you to do a good job and deliver value in your day-to-day role. Exceptional bosses take an interest in your career.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
APRIL 24, 2020
If you watch American football, you understand the concept of the “2-minute drill” It’s essentially a hurry-up offense in the last two minutes of a half. When I played high school football, we practiced the two minute drill every day.
Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic
In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in their own ecosystem. He'll also go over metrics we can use to measure the health of our ecosystems as we build more resources for innovators.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JANUARY 11, 2020
In my last post, I talked about “ Project Get Fit ” that may or may not be on your 2020 resolution list. You set goals, you make a plan, and you execute. Sounds simple, right?
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Bridge the Gap Consulting
JANUARY 5, 2020
“I want to get in shape, so I got a gym membership. What should I do?” ” I thought about what she was asking for a second. Many questions started popping into my head.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
FEBRUARY 24, 2020
It was somewhere between mile 21 and 22. I’d felt it coming and was trying to prepare myself. My legs went from feeling OK to jelly. My body started to hurt in ways I’d never experienced. This marathon had to end. I wanted to be done.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
DECEMBER 19, 2019
I have one kiddo that still believes in the magic of Santa Claus. His little friends and our neighbors are also young enough to believe jolly ol’ St. Nick will be dashing through the snow and the skies on his annual trip around the globe next week.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
FEBRUARY 8, 2020
“Do you commit to commit? Do you commit to getting it done?” ” I didn’t understand the COO’s question. I just told him I would get his request completed. Sure, I had a lot going on, but could try to squeeze this in.
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How can project planning that stretches over months or years remain relevant and account for new ad-hoc activities that arrive every day?
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Bridge the Gap Consulting
NOVEMBER 17, 2019
I friend of mine, who is also a project manager, has a knack for taking the most boring topic and turning it into an interesting story. Want to be riveted by the importance of Python programming in the mid-90’s? Get ready for a 20 minute history lesson plus some predictions for the future.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JANUARY 19, 2020
This is blog post #101. I didn’t have much of a goal when I started blogging. The idea of sharing ideas, frustrations, losses and wins seemed like a good idea. In many ways, it’s been therapeutic!
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JANUARY 15, 2020
Now, I’m not ripping on everyone at Boeing. I’ve met and worked with folks from Boeing in my career and they are good people. Some employees, though, made some poor communication decisions regarding the 737 Max that have now gone public.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
OCTOBER 27, 2019
I enjoy being part of project management panel discussions. Just when you think you’ve heard it all, someone asks a question or talks about a situation that blows your mind! In a recent panel discussion, one such comment came up.
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This eBook describes the process of managing the project budget and its associated costs.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
DECEMBER 9, 2019
If you drive or ridden in the passenger seat of a vehicle and looked at the side mirror, you may have noticed the little sticker that says “OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” ” When changing lanes, we check them (most of the time anyway).
Bridge the Gap Consulting
NOVEMBER 24, 2019
Tis the season for being thankful; the time of year when we take a step back and appreciate that which is around us. From family, to friends, to career, it’s time to take stock of what we’re thankful for. I’ve been in project management for over 20 years.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
NOVEMBER 10, 2019
Recently, I have seen a more online posts asking questions about what project management tool(s) a company should buy: What tool does everyone recommend? My company would like a project management tool? What should we get? I’d like your opinion on a project management tool that is cloud-based and easy to use. PM tool recommendations please! Within 24 hours, there are a number of responses. They range from asking for more information, to recommendations, to sales pitches.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JULY 24, 2019
I’m running in a 50+ mile race in September. It will be the hardest thing, both physically and mentally, I have ever done. Race start is at 5:15AM and on average takes over 12 hours to complete. There is 25,000 feet of elevation change and a number of rivers to cross and mud to trudge through. When I tell friends I’m doing this, they say it sounds miserable. When I research posts about the race, I hear past participants talk about the misery they were in.
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These FREE most popular templates will help you perform your role more efficiently.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
OCTOBER 3, 2019
Competition is all around. Your business is competing for clients and market share. We compete against co-workers to be on a new team or get a promotion. Pro sports teams compete to be the best in their divisions. We may even encourage our kids to compete hard and win. Everything seems to be a competition. Even in the most collaborative of environments, some competition is prevalent. But what about your project? Sure, you negotiated with all types of managers to get the right people.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
AUGUST 5, 2019
Technology will continue to evolve and take repetitive tasks away from humans. This was highlighted on a call with a sales person recently. They were demoing a finance software. Every question was met with: It does that automatically. You don’t have to do a thing. The system does it for you. No, trending analysis is done and delivered to you daily. Our embedded AI will tell you what’s needed. With a couple clicks of a button, the platform did everything we needed and then some.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JULY 13, 2019
A peer of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous) has been a Scrum Master for a number of years and previously worked at a company that valued organizational agility and agile methods. Unfortunately, her role ended but was able to find another position with a company that has been wanting to be “agile” for some time. This company likes the thought of Scrum, but putting it into practice has been hindered by slow adapting managers, stakeholders and a few team members.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
OCTOBER 13, 2019
“Every project manager in your PMO must become expert level in each process group and knowledge area to be successful.” ” That’s interesting, I thought. I replied back on the professional message board that though I agree every PM needs to understand and show competence in each process group, I don’t agree with the concept of being “expert level.”
Speaker: Peter Taylor, Speaker/Author, The Lazy Project Manager
Businesses everywhere are trying to “get business agile”—but it’s not easy to adapt to becoming this adaptive. How can conventional organizations succeed in this transformation? In this webinar, Peter Taylor will walk through the change process step by step, and look at a tried and tested transformation roadmap: benefits are outlined, solutions to common challenges offered, and tried and tested methods and tools provided. It will be a guide towards a decentralized and management style that offers more successful decision making through collaboration.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
MAY 27, 2020
In these pandemic times, I’ve found opportunities to do professional development. These include reading books, blogs, white papers and engaging in professional social media posts.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
APRIL 9, 2020
Have you heard the statement “Walk a mile in your customer’s shoes?” ” The goal is to understand the customer’s experience. How were they treated? What obstacles did they face? Was there superior customer service?
Bridge the Gap Consulting
FEBRUARY 16, 2020
Let me start by saying that I’m not an advocate of conflict. I’m especially not a fan of conflict that turns personal or even physical.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JANUARY 31, 2020
I’ve read a couple stats saying up to half of U.S. workers will seek new jobs in 2020. Are you one of them, too? In changing companies, you’ll meet new people and interact with different personalities.
Speaker: Piyanka Jain, President and CEO, Aryng
When you launch new feature (or an entirely new product), there are many questions that you'll need to answer. Is the feature being adopted? Do your customers like it, or does it need to be improved? Was the launch successful? Well, that all depends on how you define success. Join Piyanka Jain, President and CEO of Aryng, as she explains why - and how - you should use data and analytics to define and track a successful launch.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
JANUARY 23, 2020
“I know we’ve never met and you don’t know me, but I need help and am looking for mentoring. Would you be willing to mentor me on project management? I want to get better and my company is allowing me time to learn.” ” Sure!! I was truly humbled being asked.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
DECEMBER 15, 2019
Almost daily, there are questions posted in various project management groups asking for information about the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. How do I obtain it? Is it worth it? Will it make me a better project manager? Will my job pay me more once I get certified?
Bridge the Gap Consulting
MARCH 2, 2020
I remember when the H1N1 outbreak was happening in 2009. I was traveling frequently all over the U.S. As H1N1 picked up steam and more people contracted it, we were asked to temporarily limit or cancel travel all together. Getting on a plane posed a risk.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
DECEMBER 4, 2019
Have you ever heard a child give good news? It can be almost comical. They’re really excited. They trip over words. Lots of hand motions. Smiles galore. This is the best day ever! Conversely, have you heard them give bad news? They first try to hide it from you.
Speaker: Teresa Torres, Product Discovery Coach, Product Talk, David Bland, Founder and CEO, Precoil, and Hope Gurion, Product Coach and Advisor, Fearless Product LLC
If you want to build what matters, you can't move forward blindly. But to make progress, you can't let things slow to a crawl while you focus resources on gathering data. This is where continuous discovery and experimentation come in. Join Teresa Torres (Product Discovery Coach, Product Talk), David Bland (Founder, Precoil), and Hope Gurion (Product Coach and Advisor, Fearless Product) in a panel discussion as they cover how - and why - to build a culture of discovery and experimentation in your organization.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
I normally wear a size 12 shoe. For this occasion, however, I was talked into a size 13. The sales person told me to go bigger because of what I was doing. As I looked down at those size 13’s, I could feel my ankles had swollen and my toes were now starting to bang against the front.
Bridge the Gap Consulting
DECEMBER 26, 2019
Time to put on the party hat, fill your glass with bubbly and toast in the new year! Welcome 2020! A new year, and decade, is upon us. Every year I make it a practice to look back and note the accomplishments, failures and lessons from the past 12 months. 2019 was one for the books!
Bridge the Gap Consulting
NOVEMBER 3, 2019
Let’s face it, we all know that person, or people, who it seems do nothing but complain. Beautiful, sunny day and they say it’s too hot. Cool fall morning and it’s too cold. The coffee is not the perfect temperature! Why do you have to drive so fast!? Do you have to drive so slow!? Why are those kids so loud!? It never ends. In the working world, we have them too. In project management, they’re everywhere! Stakeholders, team members, vendors, functional managers!
Bridge the Gap Consulting
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
As project and program managers, we frequently face adversity. It can come from the team, management, stakeholders, and outside the company. It’s everywhere! Because you’re also leading one of the company’s initiatives, you need to be triumphant despite those adversities that are thrown in your path. It’s our job to take issues in stride and move forward. I was reminded this week of a huge white board a former co-worker had outside her cube.
Speaker: Richard Cardran, Chief Creative Officer and VP Strategy, HIA Technologies
Innovation is both a process and an outcome. The best way to begin innovating your products is by innovating your internal process. We'll explore the challenges, solutions, and hands-on techniques for becoming a successful "agent of change" within a well-established product culture. We'll examine the importance of UX and user-centric feature analysis, the adaptation of Agile Methodologies to the creative process, as well as a way to drive successful culture change for setting expectations and winning approvals with cross-functional stakeholders. Innovation and Leadership go hand in hand. Join Richard Cardran, Chief Creative Officer and VP Strategy, HIA Technologies, as we assess some case studies to see how to lead with a clear strategy well-defined tactics, and an unbiased understanding of the fundamental question: "why are you innovating?"
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