project manager Archives

Project Management for the Rest of Us—Getting Started

Congratulations, you've been named to lead an important project initiative! Now what? While the growth in formally trained and certified project managers is accelerating, in most organizations, many of the important initiatives are led by functional managers and technical experts. If you find yourself in charge of one of these programs without a background or training in project management, this new series is intended for you. This article identifies some of the critical front-end work necessary for success and offers suggested "getting started" resources.

By Art Petty|2017-05-17T17:30:44-05:00November 16th, 2016|Leadership, Project Management|1 Comment

Leadership and the Project Manager-Critical Skills for Success and a New e-Book

Great project managers are also great leaders. The best of the project managers are senior contributors that understand their role is more about helping the group succeed than it is about conducting status meetings and revising and distributing reports. My new e-Book, Leadership and the Project Manager—Developing the Skills that Fuel High Performance, was written to serve as a “Quick-Start” to developing as a senior contributor for anyone (certified or not) that is charged with leading and managing projects.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:09-05:00May 19th, 2009|Career, Leadership, Project Management|5 Comments

Nine Power Techniques for Building Your Leadership Credibility

Whether you are a first-time leader, an experienced manager taking over a new team or an informal leader such as a project or product manager, you will be as successful as you are credible. Your credibility is your professional bedrock. Build on it carefully and constantly.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:10-05:00April 24th, 2009|Career, Decision-Making, Leadership, Product Management, Project Management|6 Comments

Develop Culture Sensing Skills and Take the Blinders Off Of Your Career

One of my greatest career misfires was accepting a role in a firm where I had failed to properly assess the culture. I was blinded by the allure of this successful and global firm and by the sharp people that I met during the interview process. I can think of few skills more important for professionals, product and project managers and other lateral leaders to develop than culture sensing. All of the functional or vocational expertise in the world is for naught if the individual fails to take into account and leverage cultural idiosyncrasies to achieve results and drive performance improvements.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:11-05:00April 3rd, 2009|Career, Leadership, Product Management, Project Management|4 Comments

Improve Strategy and Execution Planning with Project Management Practices

The application of professional project management practices to the strategic planning and execution program development cycles of an organization can eliminate many of the common pitfalls that derail these programs. While the Project Manager cannot guarantee that the insights and actions developed during strategy are the right ones, he/she can take away the organizational-risk that so often rears its head to doom the best intended initiatives.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:18-05:00November 24th, 2008|Leadership, Leading Change, Project Management, Strategy|0 Comments

Decision-Making and The Three Rules of Risk Management

Your decision-making style says a lot about you as a leader. Some people make a lot of decisions with little more than a gut hunch to guide them and others spend a lot of time gathering insights and information to support their decision. Others struggle to make decisions on anything and might still be considering what to order for breakfast when it’s time for dinner. And still others avoid making decisions because taking a stand increases the odds that they will be held accountable for results.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:22-05:00July 24th, 2008|Decision-Making, Leadership|0 Comments

The Project Management Discipline of Strategy Execution

Strategy execution is where value is created. The best plans are worthless unless they are backed by a group of people that understand their roles and accountabilities and that have the information they need when they need for rapid decision-making. Execution never takes place in a straight line and without setbacks. In fact, the setbacks are powerful learning experiences that a good team will leverage as it adapts and responds to internal and external factors. A large part of the solution in my opinion is treating execution like a high-order program comprised of a series of projects to be managed. Ask a good Project Manager how to successfully pull of an execution program and I suspect they won't need to interview 1,000 companies.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:23-05:00June 23rd, 2008|Leadership, Project Management, Strategy|0 Comments

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.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:25-05:00May 4th, 2008|Leadership, Project Management|0 Comments

Too Many Projects Chasing Too Few Resources in the Strategy-Starved Organization

Saying "No" to new projects and "No More" to projects in process are difficult for the best of firms and impossible for organizations without a clear strategy and the supporting processes. The participants in strategy-starved organizations have no context for decision-making and unless that context is created, are destined to founder and likely sink while the crew focuses on constantly rearranging the deck chairs. Armed with the context of strategy, project portfolio management is still a difficult task requiring unceasing commitment from the executives and constant vigilance at the project management level. If you are currently running around with a deckchair in your hands, it's time for you to look at the captain and officers and start asking the strategic questions.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:26-05:00April 27th, 2008|Project Management, Strategy|0 Comments

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