More leaders are turning to marketers for answers to their burning business questions: Why are (or aren't) we growing? What's working and what's not? Whom should we be targeting? As companies adopt higher expectations for the speed of business growth, marketing teams become more critical for company success. That's why it's absolutely vital for marketers to buckle down now. You must be continually researching, learning, and updating your strategies to stay on top of the game in the years to come. Do you know what your marketing team needs to do next? Join Sheryl Pattek, Principal Analyst for CMO professionals at Forrester and acclaimed "CMO Whisperer" by DMN, and Andrew Filev, Founder and CEO of Wrike, for a free webinar on Tuesday, October 20 at 9 A.M. PDT. They'll be talking about: - Marketing strategies in the age of the customer - What's forcing marketers to change how they work - How marketing teams can reinvent how they think about customers - The essential steps to setting your marketing team up for future success Don't miss out on this free opportunity to learn how you can update your marketing strategies for more success! Become a top marketer in the age of the customer. Click the banner below to join us! If the time doesn't work for you, sign up anyway and we'll send you the recording later.
You're running a virtual team, and you probably already have a well-stocked arsenal of tools to help you do it. You have the project management tool. The collaboration tool. The communication tool. (Maybe all in one?) But now you're stuck: Now that I have all these tools, what's the best way to actually TALK to my team? Philosophers and researchers have been watching their fellow human beings and releasing volumes of communication tips since before you or I were born. But as our workforce becomes increasingly virtual, there is a need to focus on virtual communication tips. We're breaking down the 5 Ws of virtual communication so you can make sure your message is crystal clear when you're talking through a screen. Consider WHO you're talking to. With virtual communication, it's likely that at some point you will send a message to someone that speaks a different first language from yourself. In that case, you need to modify your language to accommodate a potentially less advanced vocabulary. Yes, they could Google the words you use. Yes, they could probably figure out what you're saying even if they didn't understand it naturally. But why make their life more difficult when you could easily simplify your communication? It's polite behavior, and a little politeness goes a long way. Watch WHAT you're saying. How do you read this: "Okay..." versus "Okay!" I'll bet the first voice has a little hesitation, and the second is excited. In person, you'd have the benefit of body language to convey the correct message. Online, not so lucky. You need to choose your words and your punctuation wisely, because they'll alter your message. Since your reader will have the opportunity to dissect every letter, make sure you say exactly what you mean without leaving room for interpretation. Use exclamation points. Add a smiley face to the end of a sentence. Let them know if you're joking. And if you're confused or less-than-pleased with something, fine, use the ellipsis at the end of your sentence... Choose WHERE to say it. Does your office have a Communication Guidebook yet? If you communicate with your team over multiple tools, make the different use cases consistent. Use your instant messenger tool for informal chatting. Use your project management tool for all task- and project-related conversations. Use email only to communicate with people who don't have access to your project management tool. Use your online meeting tools, for, well, online meetings. By segmenting your conversation locations, you'll always know where to find information if you need to reference a conversation. Think about WHEN you deliver your message. Don't message someone at 2:00 PM to let them know you need a task done by 5:00 PM. Don't tell someone on Monday that you won't hit your Tuesday deadline. Not only is this bad communication in general, but with virtual communication you run the additional risk of the recipient not seeing your message in time. Bad planning can have an even more extreme effect with virtual communication. Also consider timing. Don't send urgent messages when you know your recipient is sound asleep, and it's probably not a great idea to leave bad news in someone's inbox to be the first thing they read after they wake up. Also, try not to hold onto anger for weeks until you boil over; since your colleagues won't have the opportunity to pick up on the nonverbal cues that would typically tell them you're upset, you need to be upfront with your feelings. Timing can be everything when delivering a message, so take it just as seriously when you're online. Decide WHY you're saying it. Does it need to be said? As they say, once it's on the internet, it's forever. Before you leave a message in a burst of anger or sarcastic frustration, make sure you'd be comfortable with someone reading your words a week, a month, or a year from now. If there is a kinder way of phrasing your words, that's probably the best route. Take your time. Next time you're talking online, consider your WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY before hitting 'Enter.' Since you don't have the face-to-face pressure of providing an instant response, take the time to revise and edit your messages so you don't stick your foot in your mouth. Related Articles:4 Tips for Virtual Team MeetingsEverything You Need to Successfully Run a Virtual Team
When you're at work, you probably think about your colleagues' IQ (Intelligence Quotient), or how traditionally smart they are. You might even think about their EQ (Emotional Quotient), or how well they deal with and respond to emotions when communicating. With international expansion, there arises another factor to consider — one that might possibly take priority over the other two: CQ (Cultural Quotient), or how one relates and adapts to different cultures while working. It's more than just cultural awareness, it's about embracing challenging situations and different mindsets. If your business is global and your employees don't have CQ, you're going to find yourself fumbling far more frequently than your CQ-savvy peers. New leaders need to learn to work with people of different cultures, including different backgrounds, ages, titles, and dispositions. As an individual and as a business, you need CQ to collaborate, to innovate, and to connect to our shrinking world. Book Review: Cultural Intelligence by Julia Middleton After receiving a copy of Cultural Intelligence by Julia Middleton, I read the book which brands CQ as "the competitive edge for leaders crossing borders." The book is an enlightening and informative read about CQ — what it means, everything it encompasses, and how we can develop ourselves as leaders to make sure our cultural intelligence is ever-evolving. It helps you evaluate where your CQ stands today, and what you can do to increase your own cultural intelligence. Middleton breaks down CQ into two parts: our core and our flex. Our core is made up of behaviors and beliefs that are so near and dear to us that we refuse to change them for others. Things in our flex are more adaptable when we step into an unfamiliar situation or a different culture. To increase our cultural intelligence, we must individually evaluate both parts of our personality. Both are necessary, and the trick is to find the balance between the two zones. According to Middleton, cultural intelligence is not something leaders can develop or stretch by attending a class. It's not even something we can hope to gain by reading her book and taking copious notes. Cultural intelligence must be gained by going out into the world, interacting with people outside of our comfort zones, making (sometimes uncomfortable) mistakes, and learning to welcome new possibilities and challenges. It's not about obeying our manners, it's about learning new thought processes and embracing them. I highly recommend the book for any leader who wants to take a hard look at their own cultural intelligence, and learn how to develop it further — there is always room for improvement. How to Develop Cultural Intelligence at Work Today If you want to take Middleton's lessons on cultural intelligence to work with you, here a few business-ready ways to start developing your CQ today: 1. Create a mixed network Do not surround yourself with people from the same background, same team, or same mindset. Purposely keep people in your network from all walks of life. By keeping different cultures close to you — including people of various backgrounds, ages, positions — you will find opportunities to expand your horizons. Do it today: Befriend the new gal in the office. Grab lunch with a colleague you rarely talk to. Tweet to your followers to find someone who disagrees with one of your many opinions. 2. Take the time to learn from other people Actually sit down and learn about the people around you. Every colleague has had a different experience, and therefore has a different way of perceiving and solving problems. By learning about them, you learn more about their mindset and may learn new ways to approach business. Do it today: Organize a team-building event for your group to share and learn about what makes each person unique. If colleagues claim they're just "too average/typical/boring" to teach anything, have them talk about their heritage, their culture, their home state, their family, their hobbies, or even their bucket list of dreams for the future. 3. Seek out challenging opinions Human instinct tells us to shut out competing opinions. If they're not with us, they're against us! By operating under that assumption, you're denying a valuable opportunity to grow. Actively seek out colleagues that seem to disagree with everything you say, riling you up and making you so mad that you go home and fume about work for two more hours. After you've cooled down, take each turbulent conversation as an opportunity to learn a different approach to your work. Do it today: If you have been shutting out That One Colleague that always seems to disagree with your opinions, reevaluate their responses. Go out of your way to ask the dissenter for their feedback on your current project. Challenge yourself to appreciate their opinions instead of resenting their perceived roadblock. Developing Cultural Intelligence for the Future of Work As the world gets smaller, leaders must grow. By actively educating yourself and developing your CQ, you will expand your horizons and be known as a better leader for it. Cultural Intelligence by Julia Middleton is an excellent book that walks through what it means to develop cultural intelligence, gives easy-to-follow resources for evaluating your own CQ, and ultimately leaves you feeling empowered to grow as a leader. If you are interested in continuing to learn more while you wait for your copy of the book, read this article about cultural intelligence over on the Common Purpose website (an organization founded by Julia). Have you read Cultural Intelligence or other similar books? We'd love to start a conversation about CQ and the business value of cultural intelligence in the comments. Talk to you soon. Related Articles: 5 Tips for Embracing Cross-Cultural Differences on Teams Top 10 Work Skills You'll Need in 2020 (Infographic)
If you've ever managed a virtual team member or an entire remote team before, you know how difficult it can be to keep everyone aligned. If you're about to manage a virtual team for the first time, there are a few major challenges you need to carefully consider before work begins: How to get your team organized without seeing them in person. How to encourage the company vision without holding a face-to-face conversation. How to ensure team members work diligently without sitting in the same office. How to keep a good project pace without constant communication. We've created a remote work policy checklist of the processes, tools, and mindsets you'll need to create solutions for those challenges and keep your virtual team on point. Check out the infographic below to get a visual on the checklist, and download and print our handy accompaniment: the Virtual Team Management Guide PDF. Go through it with your boss and colleagues at work. If you'd like to put this infographic on your own site, feel free to use this embed code for easy sharing: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Find this infographic a useful resource for your team? You can also download this easy-to-follow guide to make sure all of your pieces are in place. Download the Virtual Team Management Guide now. Virtual teamwork is hard work! Running a virtual team often takes more work than running a co-located team, but it isn't impossible. If you can check off every item on this list, your virtual team is well on its way to success. Share this infographic and PDF with your peers to turn your entire company into a hive of productive virtual workers.
Want to prepare yourself for a Project Management Professional certification (PMP certification) exam? First things first: PMBOK stands for "Project Management Body Of Knowledge." The definition of what PMBOK means, directly from the 1st (1996) Edition of the PMBOK Guide, is as follows: "all those topics, subject areas and intellectual process which are involved in the application of sound management principles to... projects." The PMBOK is an abstract idea meant to encompass all the knowledge project managers around the world use to successfully manage projects. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has published five editions of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, more commonly known as the PMBOK Guide. The most recent version came out in 2013. Some people mistakenly refer to the PMBOK Guide as the embodiment of the general PMBOK. This guide does not contain everything in the PMBOK — you can never hope to capture everything worth knowing in one document — but it's a great place to start. It covers the context in which projects operate along with detailed processes for running projects, and it has been collaboratively compiled by many studied project managers. The PMBOK Guide is a lengthy resource, coming in at just under 600 pages. As such, there are many, many guides to the guide. We went through what Google had to offer and sorted out some good starting places if you're just getting your hands on A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge for the first time. These resources will help you understand PMBOK, the PMBOK Guide, and how it differs from its biggest rival: PRINCE2. 17 PMBOK Learning Resources PMBOK, THE ABSTRACT IDEA What is officially considered a part of the PMBOK? PMI published an overview of the PMBOK standard materials. PMI's Learning Center includes many PMBOK resources. OVERVIEWS OF THE ENTIRE PMBOK GUIDE Here's what's new in the 5th edition, according to PMI: • A 10th Knowledge Area has been added; Project Stakeholder Management expands upon the importance of appropriately engaging project stakeholders in key decisions and activities. • Four new planning processes have been added: Plan Scope Management, Plan Schedule Management, Plan Cost Management and Plan Stakeholder Management. These were created to reinforce the concept that each subsidiary plan is integrated with the overall project management plan. Haven't purchased the PMBOK Guide yet? You can buy it on PMI's website. If you're looking for a general overview of the PMBOK Guide, check out the Wikipedia page:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Guide_to_the_Project_Management_Body_of_Knowledge Don't trust Wikipedia? Here's another overview of the guide (which happens to be very similar to the Wikipedia page):http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/pmbok.php Another overview of the PMBOK Guide with a slightly different breakdown:http://edward-designer.com/web/introduction-to-pmbok-guide-knowledge-areas-processes-process-groups/ PMBOK GUIDE 5TH EDITION VIDEO More of an audio learner? Check out this overview video from IIL describing the differences found in the 5th edition of the PMBOK Guide:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYaTMBMqWxU 5 PROCESS GROUPS IN THE PMBOK GUIDE Good overview of the 5 Process Groups (skip the top section and go straight to the bottom of this page):http://www.itinfo.am/eng/project-management-body-of-knowledge-pmbok-guide/ Free management eBook covering each of the PMBOK Guide's 5 Process Groups (download link above the social sharing buttons):http://www.free-management-ebooks.com/faqpm/principles-16.htm A presentation on the PMBOK approach based on the 5 Process Groups:http://www.itbusinessedge.com/slideshows/show.aspx?c=78357 10 KNOWLEDGE AREAS IN THE PMBOK GUIDE Browse the content within the 10 Knowledge Areas of the PMBOK Guide:http://standardmethod.net/browse.html#/process Free management eBooks covering each of the PMBOK Guide's 10 Knowledge Areas (click the eBook images at the bottom to go to the downloads page):http://www.free-management-ebooks.com/faqpm/principles-17.htm MORE TOPICS FROM THE PMBOK GUIDE A table showing you how the Process Groups and Knowledge Areas of the PMBOK Guide work together. (Skip the top table and look at the second table.) Process Groups are along the top, Knowledge Areas are down the left:http://www.tensteppm.com/open/A6.1CompareTStoPMBOK.html The PMBOK Guide's take on Work Breakdown Structure:https://www.workbreakdownstructure.com/work-breakdown-structure-according-to-pmbok.php PMBOK GUIDE vs. PRINCE2PRINCE2 is another widely-followed approach to project management, and thus, considered to be the biggest competitor to the PMBOK Guide. A side-by-side comparison of the PMBOK Guide vs. PRINCE2 :http://www.ppi-int.com/prince2/prince2-pmbok-relationship.php A paper comparing the PMBOK Guide and PRINCE2 project management. It comes to the conclusion that the two are not comparable as they serve different purposes:http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/comparing/comparing.pdf Article about how PRINCE2 can be complimentary to the PMBOK Guide:http://www.corpedgroup.com/resources/pm/HowPrince2CanComplement.asp After going through this list of resources, you should feel comfortable with PMBOK and how the PMBOK Guide is organized. If you've done additional research on the topic, please add other articles or books you found helpful to the comments below!
You might have read our blog post, "10 Phrases You Can Never Say When You Delegate a Task." If not, stop what you're doing and read it. It provides insight into some commonly heard phrases in the workplace that hinder everyone's productivity. Maybe you're even saying a few yourself? In response to that article, one of our readers suggested we compile a list of things you can say to boost your colleague's productivity when you ask them to complete a task. So without further ado, we present... 7 Statements to Boost Productivity: 1. "Here are all the documents you'll need to get this work done." When you're delegating a task, the most harmful action you can take is to tell them to get it done without providing access to the necessary resources. That is a roadblock and a recipe for disaster. If you've just asked someone to start working on a new project, make sure you give them everything they'll need to start working right now — project briefs, templates, contracts. 2. "You can find examples of previous, similar work here." Has this project been done before? A great way to show someone the ropes is to give them examples of previous work. They'll know what you expect as their finished contribution. Providing references prevents them from handing you work that was not what you wanted. 3. "Let's talk about the date you think you can finish this work." Discussing due dates instead of demanding due dates is a great way to make sure things get done. Give your assignee the space to let you know about other commitments, and then you can discuss whether or not your preferred due date is feasible. It also gives you a chance to rearrange their priorities if need be. 4. "If anything gets in the way of your progress, let me — or the team — know ASAP so we can figure out a solution." Offer your help clearly so your colleague isn't nervous about turning to you with questions — but only if you mean it! By offering yourself or the rest of the team as a resource, you can help dismantle roadblocks as soon as they appear and projects can stick to determined deadlines. The longer they wait to ask questions or get help, the longer your project is delayed. 5. "Judy and John have experience with this kind of task. Feel free to ask them for help." This is similar to giving them previous examples of their task or project. When you delegate a task to your team member, let them know who has experience with that kind of work so they know where to direct their questions. Giving them this information upfront prevents your team member from running around trying to find answers to questions. 6. "You did great work last time, so I think you'll do great with this task/project as well." Positive reinforcement is tried and true. By showing faith and confidence in someone's working abilities, you're giving encouraging them to give you excellent work! 7. "You've been working hard, take a break!" Taking breaks is key to continued productivity. Let your team members know that you don't mind if they take a break — as long as it's well-deserved. The Pomodoro Technique suggests working in 25-minute spurts with three to five-minute breaks in between. And 2 Questions to Boost Productivity: But we all know that sometimes telling people, "I'm here! Ask me for help!" isn't enough. Your team members could be too shy to take advantage of that offer, or perhaps even think it would look bad if they took you up on it. If you really want to make sure your colleagues can be as productive as possible, rephrase your statements into questions and invite them to share their project worries with you. 1. "Do you foresee any roadblocks (or are you missing anything) that will prevent you from finishing on time?" This gives your team member a chance to identify anything that may get in their way as they work on the project. Their answers could include anything from missing documents, to slow collaboration with another teammate. 2. "Do you have any ideas on how to improve this project and still get it done by deadline?" You never know what great ideas you might get! If your team member has a great idea on how to improve a project or speed up the process, you should open your ears and listen. Your colleague is more likely to be invested in a project if they have contributed to the brainstorming process. Have you heard any of these lines around your office before? Keep them in mind the next time you're delegating a task, and let us know if you think they helped. Hit up the comments below with your success stories! Next time you need to delegate a task, use Wrike to make the hand-off even easier. Start a free trial today! AUTHOR BIO: Ashley Coolman is a Content Marketing Manager at Wrike who specializes in social media, dry humor, and Oxford commas. Twitter | LinkedIn
SAN FRANCISCO — Police in San Francisco say they have narrowed down their list of suspects in the ongoing investigation into the death of a travel brochure project. The project was originally owned by the advertising agency Sea Cliff, Presidio, and Associates, Inc. The case received national attention last year when the brochure mistakenly featured a photo of the Bay Bridge rather than the Golden Gate Bridge, leading to a dramatic decrease in visitors to the city of San Francisco between June 2013 and June 2014. Mistakes leading to the project's demise occurred over several weeks, and were allegedly made by various members of the project team and their associates. The police are trying to determine which mistakes were truly fatal, to bring the ultimate culprit to justice. In the Wrike-exclusive video below, hear suspect interviews and updates from the Chief of Police as he sheds light on this very public case. According to him, "Unfortunately, we're seeing this type of thing more and more. It's very sad. We hope that by sharing our investigation with the public, we can prevent future project deaths." "There are no words to adequately describe the impact of this blunder on our great city," says an anonymous San Francisco native. Police declined to comment on who they believe to be most responsible at this point. As of this morning, they have not made any arrests. Do You Suspect an Imminent Project Death? If you or any of your colleagues suspect that your own project is approaching its demise, take immediate action! Visit the Project Management Guide for pointers on better team collaboration and asset management, and make sure you immediately report suspected foul play to your project stakeholders, before it's too late. Read Next: Project Risk Assessment (Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 1) Project Risk Management Tools (Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 2) How to Handle a Project Management Crisis (Infographic)
You read all the literature on micromanagement. You avoid forcing your ideas on your colleagues and friends whenever possible. But you still worry about whether or not you are coming across in a helpful, positive light. ...Or maybe this quiz suddenly appeared in your inbox from an anonymous sender? According to a survey from the book My Way or the Highway, 71% of non-managers said micromanagement has interfered with their job performance. Whether you came to this quiz on your own or received it from a concerned friend, it's time to find out once and for all if you're being too overbearing. So, are you a micromanager? After you take the quiz, read our guest post on the top 3 reasons why micromanagement is a MACRO hindrance. (Prefer the interactive version? You can also take this micromanagement quiz on Qzzr!) What were your results? Are you a micromanager, a bit of a pushover, or someone we'd all like to work with? Don't worry — if your management style isn't where you want it to be, you can always improve. If you enjoyed our infographic, share it on your website with this embed code: Brought to you by Wrike Here are some resources you can check out to get you back on the right track: • 3 Reasons Micromanagement is a Macro Hindrance • How Neuroscience Can Make You a Better Project Manager • 4 Problems with Virtual Meetings that You Can Fix • 10 Phrases That Can Ruin Your Project Kickoff Meeting
Have you heard of small wins? Splitting a large project into bite-sized chunks makes the work more manageable and increases team productivity. And subtasks = small wins. You've been patiently waiting, and now we're very excited to announce that the much-anticipated, frequently-requested subtasks are now in your workspace! Split your complex tasks and multi-step goals into actionable items to make your team more productive and organized than ever. Instead of assigning a menagerie of people to one large task, you can now break down each responsibility into a subtask and farm out the assignments. Say your task is to "Create a new eBook." There are a lot of hurdles to cross before you can mark that task as complete: Make a subtask to "Write eBook copy" and assign it to Melissa in Marketing. Assign your "Edit copy" subtask to Cate, the best Copyeditor in town. Another subtask for "Design eBook layout" and assign it to Derek from Design. Each contributor will mark their individual subtasks as complete once they've finished their part. If all subtasks have been completed, you know your eBook is almost done. To follow your overall advancement, the subtask tab on your parent task features a progress bar that slowly fills as subtasks are completed. And for better reporting, use subtasks to track individual contributions and velocity on projects. We've already gotten positive feedback from our customers: "Subtasks are yet another great innovation from the Wrike team. We tested many task and collaboration tools and Wrike wins hands-down on speed, efficiency and scalability."— MC Carter But there's no better way to figure it out than by trying it yourself. Go to your workspace and create your first subtask right now! The new Subtasks are available for all Professional and Enterprise customers.
With every new project comes the risk of a new project crisis (or two or three). As a project manager, you can't be scared to start just because you're worried about what might go wrong. Instead, it's better to fully prepare yourself for any possibility, and then calmly deal with whatever comes your way. In every project management crisis, there are three stages: 1. Pre-Crisis 2. During Crisis 3. Post-Crisis This infographic prepares you with the knowledge you need to handle every stage with a steady hand, so you can guide your team to a successful project completion no matter what obstacles may come your way. Read this quick and easy project management crisis guide before every new project to make sure you're prepared. And when projects feel like they're spiraling out of control, remember that as project manager you have the right skills and resources available to handle the problem: Like this infographic? Share it with your colleagues on social media, or embed it on your blog: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Community Project Management Crisis Tips What's your best advice for dealing with a project management crisis? How have you dealt with failure? Share your wisdom with everyone in the comments below.
The team at GetApp recently sat down (virtually) with our Director of Customer Support, Nic Bryson and did a video walk-through of Wrike and the various features and use cases. This video series a great way to get a sense of the capabilities of our system and to see how your team can use it to manage your work. GetApp is one of the top software review sites online and Wrike has more than 100 reviews from real users. If you want to know what using Wrike is really like, check out what other people are saying. GetApp's GetGuide walk-through is broken into 10 videos that give you insight into the meat of Wrike: how to track your work in Wrike, how to communicate with colleagues through Wrike, customizing Wrike for your team, and more. You can get a quick preview of their walk-through below, and then check out the rest of the series on GetApp. And if you have any questions about Wrike that aren't answered in user reviews or the walk-through, let us know in the comments below or contact us here.
