Project Management Articles | Resource for Project Managers

How to Handle Stakeholder Objections

a day ago
/ Communication Skills PMI Talent Triangle: Leadership Stakeholder Engagement

Handling stakeholder objections is an unavoidable part of life as a Project Manager. It ought to be one of my Project Management Rules. Resistance is Inevitable.

Because, the reality is that, if you ever want to innovate, create, or change something, there is one thing you need to be ready for: resistance.

Resistance is a necessary part of the life of every Project Manager. So you need to be able to handle the objections in a calm and positive way. Unfortunately, most of us do not get trained in handling resistance. So, instead, we come to fear it.

Project Documentation: Are You Set to Get it Right?

Here’s a topic to get every Project Manager’s heart racing: project documentation. We know we need it, but it’s hardly a favorite!

The danger, of course, is that your project documentation fails to get the attention it deserves. Because getting essential documents right is vital. So, you need to make it one of your top priorities.

That’s why, in this article, we look at everything you need to think about.

Problem Solving: A Systematic Approach

a couple of weeks ago
/ Effective Project Manager PMI Talent Triangle: Technical Project Management Step-by-step Guides

One of the joys of Project Management is the constant need for problem-solving.

The novelty and uncertainty of a project environment constantly throw up surprises. So, a Project Manager needs to be adept at solving problems.

In this article, we look at problem-solving and offer you a structured, systematic approach.

What is the Grief Cycle – DABDA? | Video

a couple of weeks ago
/ Change Management Project Management in Under 5

The Grief Cycle is the root source of much of our understanding of change in organizations, personal change, and how to manage change. It has a well-known acronym: DABDA.

So, what is the Grief Cycle?

Dr Mike Clayton is founder of OnlinePMCourses.com.
Here, he answers this question, in under 5 minutes.

Project Management Questions I Get Asked Most

3 weeks ago
/ Advice for Project Managers

I've been involved in training Project Managers for over 20 years. And there are some project management questions I get asked time and time again. Most often, it's by students in a live training session. But, more recently, I've been seeing the same sorts of question crop up online.

Not surprisingly, these questions have informed many of the choices I have made about the articles I write for this OnlinePMCourses site. But I thought it is time to collate all the project management questions I get asked most often.

So, in this article, I will do two things:

I'll give an outline answer to my top twenty questions
I'll also signpost articles that give fuller answers, so you can follow up and get more detail

These to the Questions People Ask Me

One thing I've noticed is that the questions people ask seem to fall into four big themes. So, that's how I shall structure this article. Here are the themes:

How can I build a Project Management career, and what learning will help me?
What are the basics of Project Management, and how can I get them right?
I want to know about the wider Project Management landscape
How can I manage my projects really well?

I'll take these one at a time, and group my questions into these themes.

Theme 1: How can I Build a Project Management Career, and What Learning will Help me?

The first theme for Project Management questions is all about the career, and developing your skills. And the single question I get asked most often is...

How Can I Get into Project Management?

A lot of the courses I run are for new and first-time Project Managers. Indeed, that's my main audience for OnlinePMCourses. And many of those people want to get into project management, but don't know where to start.

That's just where I was, nearly 30 years ago. And it's one of the drivers for why I started OnlinePMCourses. So, it's no surprise that one of the first long-form articles I wrote answered this question. Take a look at 'Can You Get a Project Management Job? (Here’s How)'.

Of the three routes I suggest in that article, the best is definitely to re-cast your current role as a PM role. You'll find plenty of tips as to how to do that, along with six case studies for people in different situations. If you want the answer to this question, I'm sure one of those examples will resonate.

Will I Make a Good Project Manager?

When people ask me this question, my honest answer is 'I don’t know'. But my answer to the question ‘could I make a good Project Manager?’ is most definitely 'yes'.

Because Project Management is not some innate skill-set that you are born with. It's not genetic. And, while there may be some genetically predisposed personality traits that will make it easier to thrive as a Project Manager, anyone can gain the skills and the attitudes you need. It takes discipline and a recognition that there is no one 'right way'.

Assets

If you see a Project Manager doing a good job, you don't have to do it the way they do. That's why, when I wrote 'What Makes a Good Project Manager? (7 Top Assets)', I thought of the things you need to acquire as assets, rather than traits.

Because traits are about who you are or, at least, who you've become. But, if you invest wisely, you can build up assets. And, with the right assets, you can become a good - no, great - Project Manager.

Should I Take a Project Management Course?

Yes, there are many good Project Managers who are self-taught, learned on the job, or absorbed their skills by watching others. But that's the hard way. In my article, 'Are You Ready for a Project Management Course (Why you are)?', I argue that you probably have a lot of the knowledge you need. But a good PM training course will help you jin the dots, fill the gaps, and understand the principles.

So, if you do decide to get some Project training, which course should you take? I give some solid advice in my article that offers 10 Revealing Questions to find the Best Project Management Course.

Online Project Management Training

Here at OnlinePMCourses, we focus on... online Project Management training. I spend a lot of my time training Project Managers (mostly in the UK, but also in western Europe) at live training events and seminars. But, as I did my research, I realised there were good reasons why online training is even better. So, I wrote The Definitive Guide to Why a Good Online Project Management Course Beats Live Training.

Should I Join the PMI/APM etc and Take their Qualifications?

If you want a Project Management career, do you need to get qualified? My answer is a straight 'no'. There are plenty of successful Project Managers who have no qualifications, or who only acquired them later in their careers, out of interest.

But, equally, there are many employers who either value qualifications in their selection process, or make them mandatory. You need to know the market you'll be pitching yourself into.

And there are plenty of qualifications to consider, too. So start with our article on one of the most vexing of Project Management questions: 'Project Management Qualification: Should I or Shouldn’t I?'

There's more to membership of PMI, APM, IAPM and other than the qualification, of course. so the article discusses that dimension too.

The PMI is the Biggest Player, Globally

But, internationally, there is one association that is bigger, better-known, and more valued by employers: the Project Management Institute (PMI).

https://youtu.be/4pEC3UF0D58

So, should you seek one of the PMI's qualifications? The first question is which one? The principle options at the start of your career are PMP and CAPM. So start with our article 'PMP versus CAPM: All You Need to Know'.

PMP is the more prestigious and more demanding. You may not be able to take it straight away. But, once you are ready to consider it, do read 'PMP Certification: What You Need to Know [Complete Review]'.

The PMI

We have other articles about the PMI, and also summaries of their annual 'Pulse of the Profession' reports:

I’m studying for my PMP/CAPM/PRINCE2/Scrum exams. How can I remember all that stuff?

This is a question I am asked more often, now that we offer a range of training courses for different Project Management qualifications and certificated exams.

To support the launch of the premium version of our PMP Exam Preparation Guide, I prepared an article to help with this, which covers all the scientifically-supported tips for better learning. Take a look at How Can You Get the Best from Your Project Management Learning?

What books should I be reading?

I love books and reading. And it always pleases me when people ask me for reading recommendations. I've created a number of articles listing recommended books, along with book reviews/summaries. And there is also our biennial roundup of the best Project Management blogs, if you are thirsty for more ideas.

Theme 2: What are the Basics of Project Management, and how can I get them Right?

I get a whole load of Project Management questions about the basics. And that isn't surprising, as most of the people I meet are new to Project Management. And, at the core of their concerns is the question...

What do I Most Need to Know about Project Management?

You know how there are some questions that can floor you?

You know the answer, but don't know where to start. It's a big question, and the answer isn't straightforward. So, after you've answered and moved on all the better answers come to your mind...

That's why I wanted to take some time and answer this question carefully. The result is one of my favourite articles. And, it's one of our shorter ones: What do You most need to Learn about Project Management? (10 Critical Concepts)

Isn’t Project Management all Form-filling and Bureaucracy?

Here's a question that sometimes comes up at the start of a live training session. And, in some organizations, I completely get that this is a legitimate concern. They can have far too many templates and forms to fill.

My answer, though, is 'no, it's not.'

You should only fill out a form, or complete a template if it helps you to either:

deliver your project to time, to budget, and to specification, or
do so in a transparent and accountable manner

That is, the two things that really matter are getting the job done, and good governance. And if you want more on this topic, read my article, 'Are You Getting Your Project Documentation all Wrong?'

What are the Most Helpful Tools for a Project Manager?

And this is another question of the same sort. I always avoid answering it in terms of software. What matters is the underlying techniques. Which software does it best today, and which one suits you best, is both personal and prone to change rapidly. My considered answer to this question is in the article '10 Tools for Better Project Management Results'.

How Should I Get Started on My Project?

This is a more practical question. It's also one that I spend a lot of time answering in all my basic Project Management courses.

I know that a small number of participants in both my live and online Project Management training think I spend a little too long on it. but my response is simple: this is CRITICAL (sorry to shout). Your project definition is absolutely vital. Without getting this right, you are doomed to fail.

So, what is a Project Definition?

https://youtu.be/xuAxYwembwU

The first video in our free four-video Project Management fundamentals course covers the elements of how to define your project, as does our Project Definition Toolkit (in great depth).

However, if you want a straightforward article, with all the essentials, take a look at 'How to Build a Robust Project Definition [The Key Components]'. And, if you want more, and fancy a slightly different take from a couple of years earlier, there's also 'Clear Project Brief (10 Things to Include)'.

How can I Keep My Boss Happy?

Don't we all want to keep our bosses happy? Of course we do, to:

make our lives easy, and
win recognition and promotion

This was one challenge I found easy when I was a project manager, working for external clients and bosses in my own firm. So, I wrote about it in 'How I Kept My Boss Happy Without Working Hard At It.'

How Should I Work with my Stakeholders?

Most new Project Managers instinctively recognize the importance of stakeholders. But few realize just how critical they are. I always argue that:

Your stakeholders will determine the success, or not, of your project. Click To Tweet

So, let's start with the basics

https://youtu.be/-tNHplQ_-hw

Stakeholder engagement is a big and important topic. So, we have a lot of articles here to help you with it:

Theme 3: I Want to Know about the Wider Project Management Landscape

As people get more knowledge, they want to survey a wider scope of the PM landscape, so the questions they ask go broader than the basics of simple Project Management. And Project Management questions don't get broader than...

What are the Big Trends in Project Management?

Is Agile still a trend? Maybe it's now a fixed point in the PM universe.

If it is a trend, it's definitely one of the biggest, and is one of the twelve I identified in this article: What are the Important Project Management Trends?

From time-to-time, I review it and update it. But you should also take a look at our annual summaries of PMI's Pulse of the Profession report, in which PMI asks a load of topical Project Management questions of a wide range of respondents:

Finally, we also reviewed some of the best Project Management surveys we could find, here: Project Management Survey: A Guide to the Best Ones.

How can I Handle Managing Multiple Projects at the Same Time?

I get this question a surprising amount. Particularly from managers who are charged with managing two or more projects, often on top of their line management role. So, this was an obvious topic for a long-form article filled with tips and strategies: Secret Strategies to Manage Multiple Projects.

It is one of my most popular articles, and has formed the basis for a couple of workshop sessions. But the whole question of managing your own time as a Project Manager keeps recurring. Indeed, my Brilliant Time Management seminar is probably my second most popular live seminar - thousands have attended it across the UK.

Time Management

So, I thought, why not? Since my time management methodology is based on two things:

Human Psychology
Basic Project Management

it seemed an obvious basis for a big guide article. And here it is: Personal Time Management for Project Managers

If you want even more; take a look at my time management books: 'How to Manage your Time' and 'Time Management Pocketbook'.

I have to Take-over Someone Else’s Project Part-way through. What Should I Do?

This is a topic that worries enough people to make it onto my list. And it does worry them a lot... rightly so. So in my article, The Ultimate Project Takeover Formula, I offer a six-step plan to help you.

But what if the project I''m taking over is failing?

Yes, taking over someone else's project isn't the worst thing. But it could be if you're handed a pile of steaming ...

That always reminds me of a wonderful quote from UK Project Manager, Tony Quigley:

'The alternative to incremental development is excremental development' - Tony Quigley, long before many Agilists were even born! Click To Tweet

Whether you take over the failing project, or the mess is yours to start with, you need to turn it around. So take a look at 'Project Turnaround: How to Rescue a Failing Project'.

What is Agile?

https://youtu.be/D5FoRXGa8ic

A surprising number of Project Managers still haven't engaged with Agile principle or methods. And, whilst many of the managers I train already know a fair bit about Project Management, Agile is just unknown jargon to them.

Agile coach, Chris O'halloran was kind enough to set out Why You Can No Longer Ignore Agile Methodologies for us. And then lecturer, author and all-round Agile expert Chuck Cobb kindly explained What is Agile and Why is it Important to Project Managers?

Learning Agile

We offer a wide range of Agile training courses through Chuck's Agile Project Management Academy, so if you want to learn even more, do check out his free course, 'Learn the Truth about Agile versus Waterfall'. And, if you like his style, check out the rest of his courses.

Agile Qualifications

If you want an Agile qualification, we can offer training for those too, but do first check out our guide: Agile Certification: Your Guide to the Large Array of Agile Qualifications.

Finally, we have three more short videos, each of which looks at one of the major Agile methodologies and answers the Agile Project Management questions, in under 5 minutes, 'What is:

What is a PMO?

Here's another aspect of modern, mature project management that people often ask me about. Let's start with my simple 5-minute answer.

https://youtu.be/cdAfZijI_Hc

But, I am sure you want more details, so we asked PMO leader and a leading thinker, Peter Taylor to fill you in. He wrote a massive two-part article for you:

Theme 4: How can I Manage my Projects Really Well?

The Project Management questions I most enjoy answering are about the route from competence to mastery. And the best one of all, for me, is...

How Can I Make My Project Really Pop?

As people get better at their craft of Project Management, they increasingly ask me questions about how they can put more polish on their skills. Three articles will answer this in different ways, and I recommend them all.

How Can I Get the Best out of My Team?

Of course, one of the best ways to build a brilliant project is to build a brilliant project team. After all, a large part of project management is about managing the people who will deliver your project for you.

This observation is reflected in the wealth of articles I have written over the last three years about team leadership. I couldn't begin to single one out, they all offer different, but complementary, ideas. I can truly say that, if you are leading a project team, you should read them all.

Your reading list...

Why do Projects go Wrong, and How Can I Stop it?

The last of my twenty project management questions appears in one of several forms:

Why do projects go wrong?
What should I do to make my project succeed?
How can I stop my project from failing?

I'll start with one of our all-time most-read articles. Actually, it's a two-part article, which we've turned into a video course and a Kindle:

Think...

Next, let's highlight another favorite, which is filled with some of the wisdom I have learned over the years. It's less practical than most of our articles, but will make you think: 12 Project Management Rules You’d be Wise to Note.

Culture

Sustainable success comes, to a large extent, from your project culture. Two articles that speak clearly to this imperative in the context of project success and failure are:

Crisis

And finally... What if it all goes horribly wrong. I've already pointed you to 'Project Turnaround: How to Rescue a Failing Project'. But what can you do when everything is in chaos? Here's where it will pay you to have read and thought about our article: 'Project Crisis… Are you Ready?'

What Other Project Management Questions Do You Have?

We'd love to hear of any other Project Management questions you have. Please do ask them below, and I'll schedule an article to answer them (or point you to one that already does).

What is/are Videos

And you may have spotted we have done a lot of videos that answer 'What is/are...' questions. To date, there are 50+ Project Management in Under 5 Minutes videos in that format. They are all on our website, and we're collating them into free mini-courses at our Free Academy of PM. At the moment we have courses in:

Agile Methodologies
Project Planning Tools
Strategy and Business change
Team and Individual Leadership
Project Management Fundamentals

But keep logging back in, because we will be adding more soon.

What is Planning Poker? | Video

3 weeks ago
/ Agile Project Management Project Management in Under 5 Project Management Tools and Techniques

Estimating project work package times and the times it will take to build products or deliverables is one of the most difficult parts of Project Management. One great tool is Planning Poker. It comes from the world of Agile Project management, and Scrum, but is far more widely applicable.

So, what is Planning Poker?

Dr Mike Clayton is founder of OnlinePMCourses.com.
Here, he answers this question, in under 5 minutes.

The Best Project Management Blogs for 2019

When we did our roundup of the 50 best Project Management Blogs in 2017 it quickly became one of our most popular posts. You folks do like reading about project management!

And that’s great. But shift happens. Things change. So, it’s time to refresh our list and put up a new one, in good time for 2019.

So, here then is our list of the 52 best Project Management Blogs for 2019.

Yup, that’s right: it’s inflation. Not 50, but 52. One per week!

What is Productivity? | Video

last month
/ Personal Effectiveness Project Management in Under 5

Productivity. It’s important. We all want it. Yet it has its limitations…

So, what is Productivity?

Dr Mike Clayton is founder of OnlinePMCourses.com.
Here, he answers this question, in under 5 minutes.

ITIL for Project Managers – Should you?

last month
/ PMI Talent Triangle: Technical Project Management

The ITIL framework is the most widely-used framework of best practices for IT Service Management (ITSM).

Many project managers deliver IT components to our projects. And the service régime that starts when we hand them over will often dictate the value of the products we’ve created. Because of that, Project Managers need to be mindful of this in designing our products, delivery, and handover.

And, whether you are an IT Project Manager or not, you may find yourself delivering IT in the form of hardware, infrastructure, software, or service processes as a part of your projects. So, that means you need a basic understanding of ITSM and, in particular, of ITIL.

Therefore, in this feature article, we’ll explore what ITSM and ITIL are. We will see how ITL is structured, to give you a basic understanding of its principles. We’ll find out how and why it is relevant to you. And, finally, we’ll speak to one of ITIL’s founders, Ivor McFarlane.

What is a Functional Specification? | Video

last month
/ Project Definition Project Management in Under 5

On software and technical projects, there is a chain of project definition deliverables, and one of them is the Functional Specification.

So, what is a Functional Specification?

Dr Mike Clayton is founder of OnlinePMCourses.com.
Here, he answers this question, in under 5 minutes.