Milestone-Kanban: A Hybrid Project Scheduling Technique
Project Management Essentials
MARCH 2, 2023
The Milestone-Kanban Schedule (MKS) is a hybrid project scheduling and management technique that combines traditional and agile best practices.
Project Management Essentials
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Unlock the Power of the Project Management Plan
Project Management Essentials
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
The project management plan (Plan) is a powerful tool. It describes how the project will be executed. It should be tailored based on the project’s context and needs. A good Plan reduces the likelihood of misunderstanding, conflict, and disappointment. Unfortunately, in the rush to start a project, insufficient time is often devoted to creating the Plan. This article presents a framework for. Source Agile Project Management Managing Projects PM Skills Quality Risk Management Stakeholders
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Disciplined Agile & SAFe
Project Management Essentials
DECEMBER 1, 2022
Disciplined Agile® (DA) and the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) are two popular, second-generation agile methodologies. They build on lean-agile thinking; and standard Scrum, Kanban, and DevOps practices.
Taylorism: Then & Now
Project Management Essentials
JANUARY 3, 2023
Frederick Winslow Taylor shaped the field of management science. He believed systematic and scientific methods could be applied to managing operations and production. His work inspired the formation of the Harvard Business School and the modern assembly line.
ERM Program Fundamentals for Success in the Banking Industry
Speaker: William Hord, Senior VP of Risk & Professional Services
This exclusive webinar with William Hord, Senior VP of Risk & Professional Services, will explore the foundational elements you need to start or validate your ERM program. He will also dive into topic definitions, governance structures, and framework components for success.
Simple Rules for High-Performing Agile Teams
Project Management Essentials
OCTOBER 31, 2022
Servant leadership and self-organizing teams are foundational Agile characteristics. However, defining these principles is like explaining gravity to a child—clear, tangible descriptions are elusive. The image of an English butler still comes to mind when I hear “servant leader.”
Gantt 101: Building a Better Project Schedule
Project Management Essentials
JUNE 4, 2022
The Gantt Chart is the most widely used project scheduling tool. It visually depicts the project’s activities, when they will occur, and their interdependencies. When used correctly, it is powerful. Unfortunately, most Gantts are poorly constructed, stripping them of their value.
Agile Beyond IT: Reinterpreting the Manifesto
Project Management Essentials
AUGUST 31, 2022
Agile was initially conceived to deliver software projects more quickly. We have now learned to apply these principles and practices well beyond technology.
Agile Beyond IT: Lean Thinking
Project Management Essentials
AUGUST 6, 2022
Agile is a mindset described by a set of values and principles. It traces its roots to Lean, which is also foundational to other modern management theories. Lean’s primary focus is delivering value quickly and eliminating waste. Toyota was a Lean pioneer.
Improve Your Project Schedule
Project Management Essentials
FEBRUARY 2, 2022
Let’s be honest, most project schedules disappoint. They are unrealistic, complicated, and do not help guide execution. For decades, Gantt charts, network diagrams, and the critical path method have been the standard practices.
The Power of Storytelling in Risk Management
Speaker: Dr. Karen Hardy, CEO and Chief Risk Officer of Strategic Leadership Advisors LLC
Join this exclusive webinar with Dr. Karen Hardy, where she will explore the power of storytelling in risk communication as a core component of a resilient organization's management framework!
Economics 101 for Project Managers
Project Management Essentials
APRIL 1, 2022
Economics is the social science that studies making choices subject to constraints. Project, program, and portfolio managers make economic decisions daily. We try to maximize value delivery subject to the constraints of time, cost, quality, risk, and resource availability.
Pick Your Battles Wisely
Project Management Essentials
JULY 3, 2022
Conflict exists. It is a natural part of being human. It occurs at home and at work. We disagree. We have different perspectives and opinions. We get upset by things that were said, or not said. These events arouse our emotions. We become angry or afraid.
Project Assumptions & Risks
Project Management Essentials
NOVEMBER 30, 2021
Assumptions and risks are embedded in our daily lives. We expect the day will unfold as planned, and risks will not materialize. Most of these assumptions are benign, like thinking the weather report will be accurate; or no major calamities will occur. Projects are built on assumptions.
Better Project Communications
Project Management Essentials
MARCH 1, 2022
Excellent “soft skills” differentiate the great project managers. Since 90% of a project manager’s time is spent with others, it is no surprise that communications and emotional intelligence are vital traits.
Everything You Need to Know About Crypto
Speaker: Ryan McInerny, CAMS, FRM, MSBA - Principal, Product Strategy
This exclusive webinar with Ryan McInerny will teach you all about cryptocurrency and NFTs! Register to learn more about identifying crypto transactions, crypto asset market trends, managing risk and compliance, and supporting customers and partners using crypto-based payments.
Busy, But Not Productive
Project Management Essentials
AUGUST 2, 2021
Everyone tells me they are busy. They are on video or conference calls from morning until evening. On average, workers receive over 100 emails per day and send at least 40. A common complaint is, “I spend my entire day meeting and doing email; and have no time for my ‘real’ work.”
Better Zoom Meetings
Project Management Essentials
APRIL 3, 2021
In one of my training classes, there is an exercise to conduct a daily stand-up meeting. The meeting should be no longer than 15-minutes and be well structured. In class, we challenge the leader with common distracting and unproductive behaviors. Watch the clip, the results are often hilarious.
Project Portfolio Management & The Theory of Constraints
Project Management Essentials
NOVEMBER 1, 2021
Large enterprises struggle to manage their project portfolios effectively. They fall prey to the fallacy of optimizing resource allocation. Or simply stated, they focus on making sure everyone is busy rather than getting things done.
Project Tools: Which to Choose?
Project Management Essentials
MARCH 1, 2021
There are many tools to help project teams manage their work, collaborate, and track performance. The number of options is overwhelming— Capterra has published over 900-project management tool reviews. I teach project management classes and am often asked, “Which tool should we use?”
Exploring the Overlap: Cost Optimization and Digital Transformation
Speaker: Alex Jiménez, Managing Principal, Financial Service Consulting for EPAM
The largest banks have increased reserves for protection against deteriorating economic conditions. Should banks delay their digital transformation investments and focus on cost reductions? In this webinar, Alex Jiménez will walk us through that question and examine the prudent course of action.
Project Frameworks: Understand the Choices
Project Management Essentials
OCTOBER 4, 2021
Selecting a project management approach and framework is complicated. Not that long ago, it was like buying a Model-T Ford; you could have any color you wanted, as long as it was black—our only option was Waterfall. Today Waterfall is still a choice.
“Keep in Touch”
Project Management Essentials
JANUARY 30, 2021
I called an old colleague just to say “hello” and see how he was doing. We have worked together at different companies over the past dozen years. He is an inspirational finance executive and counted on me to implement his vision.
Flipping the Triple Constraint
Project Management Essentials
SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
Project management theory established the Triple Constraint (aka, the Iron Triangle) as the key to project success. If the scope is known and fixed, then the schedule and cost must adjust to accommodate scope changes. The simplicity of this proposition is appealing.
Unlock Potential: Push Decision Making Down
Project Management Essentials
JULY 1, 2021
Modern management theory is built on the premise of trust. If management creates a values-based culture, employees will make the “right” decisions. Douglas McGregor described Theory X (not trusting) and Y (trusting)managers.
The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020: Initial Catalysts, Current Implications, and Future Impacts
Speaker: Elizabeth "Paige" Baumann, Founder and CEO of Paige Baumann Advisory, LLC
In this session, Elizabeth “Paige” Baumann will cover the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, which also includes the Corporate Transparency Act. She'll take a deep dive into the catalysts that brought on the act, the current implications of the act, and what impacts the act has on the future of banking and finance.
Be Agile: Follow the Manifesto
Project Management Essentials
APRIL 30, 2022
Agile teams are described as “self-organizing” or “self-managing.” ” But what does that really mean? The terms are frequently used but not widely understood. For teams to “be” Agile, they need to know how to act. Behaviors describe actions. They are observable and universally evident to all team members. To “be” Agile, teams should identify and clearly label the desired actions and interactions. Source.
Empowering Your Teams
Project Management Essentials
JUNE 3, 2021
The virtues of high-performing teams are well documented. They are 50% more productive. They are more creative, and members are 76% more likely to be engaged. Gallup studies of organizational performance find that companies with highly engaged employees are twice as likely to be successful.
Business Agility: Getting Started
Project Management Essentials
NOVEMBER 2, 2020
Agile is now part of the general business lexicon. On the news, non-technology leaders keep mentioning the need to be “agile” or “pivot.”
Feedback: The Right Way
Project Management Essentials
MAY 31, 2020
Feedback is a critical and valuable management tool. For managers, it is the engine of continuous improvement. For employees, it is the gift of valuable insight. Unfortunately, many managers feel uncomfortable giving regular feedback, which deprives them of the ability to affect change.
The Definitive Guide to Embedded Analytics
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Data-driven decisions are no longer reserved for the few. Everyone needs data insights from the applications they use every day. Learn how embedded analytics is boosting user adoption, creating apps people love, and changing the game for software and SaaS providers.
A Personal Retrospective
Project Management Essentials
JANUARY 1, 2021
This year was like living through a 500-year storm. COVID has infected 1 in 20 Americans, and 1 in 1,000 have died of the disease. Nearly 15 million people are still out of work. Thirty-three million have been remote for 9-months and are not likely to return soon.
Is Your Agile Project Healthy?
Project Management Essentials
AUGUST 3, 2019
Experienced agile coaches and practitioners develop a sixth-sense. They can quickly assess the health of an agile project or team just as doctors do with their patients. In 2013, Mike Cohn coined the term scrum smells to describe the signs that a scrum team is in trouble. In my agile training and consulting practice, I have witnessed similar symptoms when an organization is struggling with its agile adoption.
Failed Agile Sprints
Project Management Essentials
JANUARY 5, 2020
Agile teams using the Scrum framework commit to delivering value in each development sprint. Sprints are generally 2-weeks long, and the goal is to create working software that can be deployed into production.
Considering How We Think
Project Management Essentials
AUGUST 31, 2020
We are living in interesting times. All countries are struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Societies are challenging their histories of racial and social injustice. Fundamental beliefs are being scrutinized.
Level up Culture & EQ | Sign up for the #CultureDrop
Advertiser: HealthCar
Once a week, culture & leadership expert Galen Emanuele gives free, actionable EQ training in 5 minutes or less. Subscribe to the #CultureDrop and access free resources & content.
Create Value: Map the Value Stream
Project Management Essentials
JULY 30, 2020
If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” Edwards Deming Our work and home lives our bounded by standard operating procedures and process—and too many of them stink.
Making Complex Decision
Project Management Essentials
JULY 1, 2020
when faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.”
Disciplined Agile: To Agility and Beyond
Project Management Essentials
JANUARY 29, 2020
Disciplined Agile (DA) has the potential to become a leading agile framework because it creates harmony in this congested thought-space. DA recognizes practices from across the spectrum and offers a pragmatic and context-driven approach to agility. Currently, DA is not widely used.
Road Trippin’ Organization Change: The Journey
Project Management Essentials
MAY 1, 2019
Organizational change and transformation efforts are often challenging. Most fail to meet their planned objectives with 30% failing outright. In last month’s article, ”Road Trippin’ Organizational Change: The Beginning” , I recommending using adaptive-agile planning practices and treating the effort like a road trip: Set the direction, not the destination. Set high-level goals and the strategic direction of the change, motivate the “what” and “why,” but do not dictate the “how.”
Monetizing Analytics Features: Why Data Visualization Will Never Be Enough
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Five years ago, data visualizations were a powerful way to differentiate a software application. Today, free visualizations seem to be everywhere. Two trends are forcing application providers to rethink how they offer analytics in their products.
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