Project Management

There’s a myth out there, and business school contributes to it to some extent, that project management is a world where one gets everything needed in resources and all that has to be added is the brain power to run the show, (i.e. the project manager or PMO.) Projects are able to get started, the right people are pulled from various areas immediately as subject matter experts, and the day is filled with constructing Gantt charts… View More

Project management is a multi-faceted discipline that has evolved rapidly to accommodate the changes brought on by new technology, new approaches to running organizations, and the pressures of modern business cycles. Despite what most PMs learn in school and training, it's exceedingly difficult to prepare for "the real world of project management." I recently posed a question on… View More

Excel is a great tool but it's often used in ways it was never intended. Here are some of the ways it should never be used. Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet that has been greatly refined over the past 30 years, especially with the development of macros. However, these capabilities have prompted many people to use Excel in ways for which it was never designed. For example, Excel isn’t a… View More

Many managers have mixed feelings about delegating authority. They know it's vitally important in a broader, abstract sense, yet the practical demands of the workplace often make delegation seem like a more onerous choice. After all, can a manager really ensure stellar results by detaching from the process? At first glance, it might seem like a circle that can't be squared. Fortunately—with the… View More

Introducing new policies to employees, whether those policies are designed to address HR requirements, regulatory compliance mandates, or formalize IT processes, can be difficult at best. After all, as the familiar saying goes, “change is hard.” However, finding effective ways to implement new policies and procedures can increase adoption and policy compliance. Following these best practices for policy management can help ensure a… View More

What separates a truly great leader from the merely good? In most cases, it's the ability to rise to the occasion during times of crisis and chaos. Here's the truth: It's one thing to effectively manage people and set a positive example under optimal conditions. To do so under the most taxing kind of pressure, however, is another thing entirely. Intense strain can reveal fissures that leaders never knew existed,… View More