Project Management

The World of No

Posted on 10. Jun, 2010
Categories: Consulting, IT Projects, Project Management

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Without question, my least favorite word in the English language is usually “no.” In this post, I’ll tell you why not all “no’s” are created equal.

Interview with William McKnight on Why New Systems Fail

Posted on 21. Apr, 2010
Categories: IT Projects, Interviews, Project Management

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My friend and fellow author William McKnight has posted interview in which I discuss my first book, Why New Systems Fail.

Technology Today #14: Andy Kaufman on The Dirty Little Secret in Business

Posted on 09. Feb, 2010
Categories: IT Projects, Project Management, Social Media, Technology Today

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Andy Kaufman shares “The Dirty Little Secret of Business.” You won’t learn this secret in school, yet it is critical to your success. The secret is simple—it’s all about relationships. Andy describes the key relationships you must develop to advance your projects and career.

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Extremes in Risk Tolerance

Posted on 28. Jan, 2010
Categories: Consulting, Culture, IT Project Failures, Project Management

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I have been giving quite a bit of thought lately to the topic of enterprise risk management. In large part, this stems from the fact that I recently completed a project in which my client’s risk tolerance was off the charts. I mean crazy. In this post, I discuss three types of organizations with respect to risk tolerance.

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Mark McGwire, Project Management, and Coming Clean

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010
Categories: Consulting, Culture, IT Projects, Project Management

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Why don’t people just fess up when caught? I like to think that we live in a forgiving society. While coming clean is laudable, it’s hard for me to get over apologies laden with disclaimers and excuses. I understand the need to save face, but providing excuses only rubs salt in the wound and minimizes any benefit of the doubt that others will grant you.

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Can Consultants Lead? Three Viewpoints

Posted on 04. Dec, 2009
Categories: Consulting, Culture, Project Management

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I’ve been thinking (perhaps struggling) quite a bit about leadership as I finish a, er, challenging project. Can consultants actually lead on IT projects or is this reserved for management?

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When Consultants Attack….Other Consultants

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009
Categories: Consulting, Project Management

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It’s unfortunate when consultants bicker. More important, nobody wins. Certain situations are untenable and it’s only a matter of time before someone is offended. Even consultants who routinely defer to others sometimes find themselves in very precarious situations on dice.

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In Defense of Consultants: A Punch-Out Based Rant

Posted on 16. Nov, 2009
Categories: Consulting, Project Management

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One of the first things that I learned as a newbie consultant in 2000 is that (insert name of problem) is always my fault. I can document my concerns, write status reports until my fingers bleed, and copy the world on an email. However, after I leave a client site, I won’t be there to defend myself against the invariable quips that “he never told us that.”

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The Chopping Block: Cutting Features from an IT Project

Posted on 13. Nov, 2009
Categories: IT Projects, Project Management

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Most people realize that IT projects are rarely perfect. If behind on a key project, don’t hold out for each and every bell and whistle promised from the beginning. Consider dropping non-essential features for the good of the project and the organization.

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Project Management Lessons from Rush

Posted on 10. Nov, 2009
Categories: IT Projects, Project Management

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As much as I love Rush, I’m not silly enough to think that the band’s virtuoso drummer and lyrical genius Neil Peart ever penned even one song directly about databases, project management, and organizational change. While Rush has addressed technology in songs such as Virtuality and Digital Man, the band has tended to write about matters more existential, visceral, political, or social in nature. Fortunately, Peart’s lyrics are profound enough to allow for multiple interpretations, even by an obsessive-compulsive Rush fan.

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Management Lessons from the In-N-Out Burger

Posted on 20. Oct, 2009
Categories: Project Management

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There’s something to be said for treating everyone with respect on a project, including external folks such as consultants. While times may be tight, CIOs and PMs need to staff projects with sufficient resources. Consider this: it’s hard to simultaneously flip burgers, watch the fries, and mop the floor. Imagine the difficulties with setting up and testing network security on a new system while concurrently doing your day job. Multitasking has its limits.

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Five Parallels Between Golf and IT Projects

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009
Categories: IT Projects, Project Management

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On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I was able to play a few amazing courses, including the TPC at Las Vegas. As is standard these days, I played very poorly. On the way home, I was tired, hurt, frustrated, and hungry. I started thinking about parallels between golf and IT projects.

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Social Networking, Miller’s Crossing, and Running Things

Posted on 27. Aug, 2009
Categories: Enterprise 2.0, Movies, Project Management, Social Media

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Social networking not like network security or enterprise risk management, two topics that have evolved quite a bit over the last twenty years. Social networking is a relatively new phenomenon and I am old enough to have essentially watched it evolve in front of my eyes.

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Five reasons to fire your system integrator

Posted on 07. Aug, 2009
Categories: Consulting, Enterprise Systems, Guest Posts, IT Project Failures, Project Management

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While it’s tempting to blame the system integrator for all project hassles and differences of opinion, introspection is also worthwhile. Before pulling the plug, evaluate your own role in creating the problems you experience. The more accurately you understand each party’s contribution to the negative situation, the better you can solve the problem.