Category: For the PMO

Why you need a work breakdown structure (WBS)

Work breakdown structure – that term used to make me cringe and it still does, to some degree. It sounds too rigid for my taste…too formal…too structured…too “official”. One definition of the WBS goes as follows: “A work breakdown structure (WBS) in project management and systems engineering, is a tool used to define and group … Continue reading

Keep the team focused on the project goals

Which do you prefer? Starting a project fresh and new that is all yours from beginning to end , or do you prefer to be the project manager who jumps in to save the day and takes over someone else’s work, sorting through the details to do your best to turn utter defeat into improbable … Continue reading

What they don’t teach you in books about project management – Part two

In part one of this two part series, I covered two of what I consider to be four key skills that are critical to project management success. So far we’ve looked at resource conflict resolution and negotiation. In this second instalment, we will look at problem resolution and the ability to push changes through on … Continue reading

What they don’t teach you in books about project management – Part one

In some ways, project management is a black and white profession. There are standard activities you should do, must do and can do to help better ensure project success. You must communicate well and often, you should always produce timely status reports, you can always hold weekly team meetings to stay up to date on … Continue reading

Developing the project

All projects originate from somewhere: a need, a want, a directive, a problem, a catastrophic failure that needs correcting, and so on. Often, when problems arise in an organisation, they are quickly attacked by well-meaning individuals who want to solve the issue quickly. Whilst that may work for small issues, when the need or problem … Continue reading

Has the project been a success? By Caroline Lowings

Quite often when a project finally ends, no one has the time or inclination to even ask, "Has it been a success?" But actually, when a project closes out, a rare opportunity is presented to evaluate what worked and what didn't, and more importantly to capture lessons learnt. It really surprises me that many organisations … Continue reading

Drawing the line

As the management framework within which project decisions are made, project governance differs vastly from corporate governance, and unlike the King III legislation that presides over South African businesses, it needs to be fit for purpose per project and organisation. It is widely accepted that project governance is fundamental to ensuring project success and control. … Continue reading

Shaping the “innovation funnel”

According to Guy Jelley, CEO of Post Vision Technology , many businesses struggle with being able to encourage free thinking and idea generation while at the same time ensuring the execution of these new ideas is completed with the necessary governance. “Most businesses have some form of ‘innovation funnel’,” he explains. “The funnel should be … Continue reading

Those Days You Don’t Want to be in Charge

Wondering why the topic of ‘project management’ came to me today? Good guess...because today is one of those days that I don't want to lead. I don't want to be in charge. I don't even really want to be the parent today. Thankfully, that is always temporary and usually only when I am sick or … Continue reading

Project closure – why it drags on and how to make it stop!

Projects are commonly characterised as temporary endeavours, meaning that they (should) eventually come to an end. In practice, however, we often see the closing phase of a project being delayed, sometimes far beyond the identified or required project closure date. In this blog, I explore the top three reasons, as experienced by the Project Portfolio … Continue reading