Planning to Recognize Failure-The Project Manager’s Guide to Preventing Project Calamity

Every Project Manager with a few years of experience under his or her belt can likely recall at least one example of a major project that lived on long after the plug should have been pulled and the project canceled.  The best (or worst) examples are the ego-driven initiatives of top executives that can’t let go for fear of losing face by admitting defeat. 

More than a few organizations have been taken to or pushed over the edge by these self-anointed visionaries bent on changing their corporate world with some grand project.  Once invested, they cannot let go, and if left unchecked, the results can be nothing short of disastrous for the organization.   

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Coping Strategies for the Project Manager Facing an Executive Mandate on Schedule

One of the most common challenges for Project Managers and Engineering teams in new product development organizations is balancing the executive "time to market" mandate with good project estimation and risk analysis techniques.  Many a project has misfired after a CEO or top management group has boldly proclaimed to corporate stakeholders that, "Product X will be to market by (insert your aggressive date here).   

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Is It True That No One Likes The Project Manager?

I caught up with a great friend and long-time senior technical leader the other day over breakfast, and as I was regaling him with my new found interest in everything Project Management, he started laughing.  It wasn’t just a chuckle.  It was one of those long, from-the-gut type of laughs that makes you start looking around because you know that everyone in the restaurant is now staring at your table.  And they were.

"Bob, what’s so funny about Project Management?" I asked a bit surprised at how much humor he found in the topic.

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Sales and Marketing Managers: Use the Lead Refinery Approach to Improve Results

I talk with a lot of marketing and sales managers and have spent most of my life working in these environments. In spite of the dramatic advancements in software tools available, I still find gaping holes in the way many sales and marketing organizations manage and account for the flow of leads into the sales pipeline.   Although there are undoubtedly some technology constraints, I suspect that the primary issue is one of process more than anything else.  Employed properly, changes in the output of the lead refinery foreshadow expansion or contraction of volume in the sales pipeline. 

Here are some thought-starters for employing the Lead Refinery approach to improve your performance:

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