Interview with Wrike for PMO Podcasts for Executives and Managers
Wrike’s founder, Andrew Filev, was interviewed for PMO Podcast and discussed better ways of managing projects with the help of Web-based software. Andrew explained how transparent integration of project work with e-mail can increase project management productivity and save time. E-mail seems to be the most popular communication tool and is familiar to everybody. Andrew told Mark Perry, the host of the show, how e-mail can be used effectively in managing and collaborating over projects with the help of Wrike.
Is It Possible to Combine Top-Down and Bottom-Up?
Both approaches to project management may have their pitfalls. Perhaps the best way to manage your projects and business would be to use a hybrid method, which takes the best features from the two approaches. Learn more about leveraging the two approaches by reading Andrew Filev's article published in the influential Web 2.0 Journal.
Top 5 Reasons for Project Failure and How to Avert Disaster
As a vendor of project management and collaboration software, we talk to a lot of project managers. And we've heard all too often that despite every obvious intention for a project to be successful, the reality is that sometimes things fall apart. My belief is that the more you are prepared to fail, the better suited you are to prevent it from occurring at all. So I asked project managers to share their stories on project failure and the reasons behind the big flop. Now I'm sharing their lessons with you, so that we're all clearly aware of what we're up against each time a new project begins. Here's what they attributed to the top reasons projects fail: 1. Poor communication "There has been one thing that consistently shows up on every project gone bad — poor communication. The other factors vary, but communication issues are always at the core of failed projects." —Tom Atkins, Founder, Quarry House Everyone knows how vital it is to proactively share information and knowledge during a project if you want to succeed; yet poor communication continues to trip teams up time and time again. If you and your team haven't set aside any time to focus on improving your communication skills recently, don't wait until the next project disaster to convince you that it's necessary. And who better to learn from than the champions of team communication — professional athletes. Take a few minutes to read this fun article and pick up some communication tips for your team: How to Communicate Like Super Bowl Champions 2. Underestimated timelines When you underestimate the timeline for a project, the result is more than just a missed deadline on the calendar. Workers have to be paid for more time, so your estimated budget goes over. Sales teams were relying on your timely product release, and now they've lost big deals. It's important to accurately predict your timeline — and Jazmin Truesdale does that with excellent risk management: "Projects fail due to underestimated time. Now, when I create projects I estimate 3-5 situations that could delay the project and how to deal with those situations and allot time for whichever would take the longest time to recover. Now 75% of my projects finish ahead of schedule." —Jazmin Truesdale, CEO, Mino Enterprises If you need help managing risk in your projects, start with our risk management guide: Project Risk Assessment (Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 1) 3. Failure to hammer out the nitty gritty details "The nitty gritty is what is going to make you or break you. [Projects] start out strong and start to break down as we get closer to the deadline." —Jennifer Mansfield, Head of Customer Support, Qgiv Are you a big-picture thinker, or do you have a detail-oriented mind? Usually we only excel at one or the other, but if you want your projects to be successful, you need both. (I know, not your favorite answer.) If you're still missing part of the picture, then start reviewing past projects to see where your common oversights have been, and take those lessons learned to plan more accurately in the future. If the idea of recording lessons learned during your projects sounds daunting, use these tips and templates to help you get started: Why You Need to Record Your Project Management Lessons Learned: Tips & Templates 4. Unhelpful teams and technology just complicate things We're talking about teams and tools that cannot deliver on the expectations. Stop the madness! Fix your broken processes quickly — even if you eat the cost from ending a contract early. Trevor Ewen told me about a client project gone wrong when his consulting firm was charged with breathing life into a failing project: "In an effort to preserve an existing vendor relationship, we were forced to work with that vendor. In reality, we would've been much better off telling [the client] to pay the vendor to walk away. It was a win-lose. They delivered a broken product: we were required to fix it." —Trevor Ewen, Senior Software Engineer, Neosavvy Keeping yourself locked in with teams that create more problems means you're going to spend extra time and money hiring additional teams to fix their mistakes. Bail early, before they create more problems than they're worth. And the same goes with technology. If the tools you're using to run your team and projects are making work harder, then find a new solution immediately. There are many types of tools your team can use to make work easier: project management, document management, content management, portfolio management, client relationship management... the list goes on. 5. Management not paying enough attention As the project manager, you are the symbolic parent and champion of progress. And just like a child, projects need regular health checkups to make sure everything is growing as it should be. It's important to check in frequently with your team and offer your assistance when things are slowing down. Trevor Ewen's unfortunate failed project struggled without proper support from the project manager: "He was shirking his duties to better plan for a product release. This persisted for months, and with a remote team, it's never a good idea to put your head in the sand." —Trevor Ewen, Senior Software Engineer, Neosavvy To learn more about how to be a present manager and leader, read this article: 7 Leadership & Mindset Tips for Extreme Project Managers Do you have a similar story to share? Have you worked on a project that failed to live up to expectations? Share your experience and the reasons you think your project went wrong in the comments. The more we know and learn, the more we can plan to succeed. Thanks for passing on your knowledge! Related Reads: 5 Reasons Why Your Team Isn't Getting Stuff Done Lessons Learned from Project Failure at Denver International Airport How to Combat the 4 Main Sources of Scope Creep
The Future of PMOs: Understanding the Challenges
The Project Management Office, or PMO, remains an increasingly essential part of a successful organization. And as new technology emerges and companies seek greater innovation, PMOs must evolve to remain relevant and valuable. So what is a PMO, and how do they add value to your organization?
The Right Ways to Risk at Work
Typically, the words “risk” and “work” don’t particularly fit together. It’s widely believed that the best kinds of employees are those who keep their heads down and just go with the flow. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re both happy and doing your job well. But there’s definitely room for some risk in the workplace. Here are the four best ways to risk at work: 1. Take charge of meetings How you act in meetings largely shows what kind of employee you are. Again, if you simply want to show up to your meetings, jot down notes on what you need to take away, and call it a day, that’s fine; but if you want to set yourself apart, try and shake things up every once in a while. Bring your own ideas to the department meeting, including ideas on how the meetings should be run. Do you know how to make meetings more effective? Maybe you’d like to run a meeting yourself someday! Talk to your superior about your ideas. If nothing else, they’ll see that you’re looking to improve the bigger picture, and that’s how you go from a good employee to a great employee. 2. Ask for a raise the right way If you deserve a raise, ask. Asking for a raise can definitely feel like a risk for a lot of people — they don’t want to rock the boat if things are going well at work, or maybe they just don’t like asking for things. But if you’re doing stellar work and the company is benefiting from your efforts, you should ask. Back up your request with hard data and a professional proposal. Go into the meeting with concrete reasons as to why you deserve the raise. Print out numbers and come prepared with specific examples of how you help the company grow and succeed. 3. Help out coworkers you don’t necessarily need to help out Even if it’s not in your job description to lend a helping hand to people outside of your department, it doesn’t hurt to help a coworker when you have the time. You never know when you might need someone to vouch for your work ethic or return the favor. Generally speaking, the more people who like you, the better off you are. Adding to the positive atmosphere and helping to keep up office morale are two invaluable qualities not every employee can possess. 4. Abandon your ideas when they’re not working out It’s important to stick to your guns when you know you have an idea that will help the greater good of the company, but it’s imperative to know when to let go as well. Consider what is a contingency plan in project management — a strategy to deal with potential scenarios that could ruin your project. You may have planned for certain eventualities in your contingency plan, but when unexpected ones crop up, it can be difficult to admit defeat and change direction. Listen to your coworkers and bosses, accept criticism, and view your work with an unbiased eye. It’s extremely challenging, but try to remove your ego from the equation. When you really need to examine something you’ve been working on, don’t think of it as a reflection of who you are as an employee, but rather just as another project a coworker completed. Is it still good? Author Bio: Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com. MyCorporation is a leader in online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing start-up bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent, DBA, and trademark & copyright filing services. MyCorporation does all the work, making the business formation and maintenance quick and painless, so business owners can focus on what they do best. Follow her on Google+ and on Twitter @mycorporation.