News for the ‘Project Management’ Category
December 2012 – June 2013 PM Minimalist Update Now Available
I just emailed my latest PM Minimalist Update to subscribers. Highlights from this issue include links to 31 new articles, tools and media, including:
- 9 New Articles at my PM Resources website
- 15 New Project Management FREEBIES!
- 7 New Inspired Project Teams Articles (including Forgive them. It’s Just Their Inner Chihuahua.)
- … and lots more PM goodies!
Subscribe today & get a Bonus zip file containing 15 PM articles or tools in PDF format (88-pages total!) plus a 37-minute PM podcast!
Edited: June 13th, 2013
Ready, Fire, Aim? Or Seek First to Understand?
One of the things I most enjoy about teaching project management (PM) is the deeper knowledge of the field I get when students share their insights. Last week I asked my Franklin University PM students to write a brief essay answering this question: “Assume you are one of the guest authors for the e-book “One Simple Thing to Improve Projects or Project Management“…..what would be your ‘One Simple Thing?’”
Now this is one of my favorite questions to ask of everyone who’s been involved in project work or PM. It triggers their “wisdom filters” as they sift through all the projects they’ve worked on (good and bad) to find that one simple thing. And best of all, it helps them clarify their own deeply held PM values. So it’s always enlightening to hear what people come up with. (more…)
Edited: May 30th, 2013
Step Away from the Computer & Get Out Your Post-It Notes!
A while back I was teaching an introductory PM class for some high-achieving tech folks. My overall goal was to begin to convert these perfectionists into project managers. Mid-way through the first morning, I divided the class into several small groups of 4 or 5 people and assigned a series of planning exercises. They had brought their own real world project ideas to class and the object of the game was to take a few of these from rough concept to full-blown, high-resolution project plans. Each team had been given large Post-It notes, blank flip charts, and markers. There were also a couple of white boards available.
As the teams were working through the guided planning exercises, I could hear the familiar jumble of voices as ideas were bounced around, discussed, discarded, and revised. One team, however, was strangely silent. Unlike the others who were up and moving about, they were seated around a table and looking at the back of one guy’s computer screen. I walked over to see what was going on. (more…)
Edited: April 25th, 2013
6 Reasons Why the New Book “Strategies for Project Sponsorship” Will Be an Instant PM Classic
A Review of Strategies for Project Sponsorship, by Vicki James, Ron Rosenhead, and Peter Taylor (Management Concepts Press, 2013) 
Strategies for Project Sponsorship is a unique blend of practical, step-by-step tools; hard-won wisdom from the PM trenches; and solid, research-based recommendations. As a PM author reading this book, I found myself in awe of how nimbly the authors weaved together seemingly disparate elements: here citing research findings, there providing war stories or case study examples, and finally pivoting to morph these into powerful, ready-to-use tools.
As someone who’s both managed projects and trained project managers for more than three decades, I know this for certain: This book should be in every project manager’s tool kit and in every project sponsor’s briefcase.
Here are six reasons I believe this book will become an instant PM classic:
Edited: March 30th, 2013
(Video) The Project Management Change Agent:
How to Lead Your PM Revolution
Is your organization ready for a project management (PM) revolution? 
More specifically:
- Are your projects always running late, over budget, and plagued by “do overs?”
- Do people hate working on your project teams and try to avoid being assigned to projects?
- Are you continually reworking and reworking deliverables because you just can’t seem to get it right in the first place?
And if it is time for a PM revolution, then where should you begin?
This video is for everyone who wants to be the change agent who brings about a PM revolution in their organization. Whether you are a middle manager, HR professional, supervisor, or simply a task specialist who wants to conduct some “below the radar” guerrilla PM warfare, you can benefit from this video & the accompanying 25-page PDF (click here to download the PDF). (Scroll down below the video image to see a complete outline of the topics covered.)
The Project Management Change Agent: How to Lead Your PM Revolution from the PM Minimalist
Edited: February 25th, 2013
5 Actions That Will Help You Sell That Complicated Project
Let’s face it. You wouldn’t be a project manager if you fancied yourself a sales person. Indeed most project managers — particularly those who came up through the ranks of top project contributors and technical experts — hate all the “dog and pony show” stuff that’s involved in selling their projects.
But the truth is there is simply no one who is in a better position to draw clear connecting lines between your team’s amazing technical abilities and the value these bring to your organization through your project. What’s more, as your project unfolds, you are going to need the enthusiastic support of senior management to help you get the money, people, facilities, equipment, and engaged participation of SMEs that will bring success. So it’s up to you and the specific actions you take to build the sale and generate that much-needed senior management enthusiasm.
So where do you begin? Here are 5 actions that can help you sell your project to senior management:
Edited: January 29th, 2013
My 10 Favorite PM Articles, Posts, or Videos from 2012
Mike Greer
Below are my “top 10″ favorite items drawn from all the PM articles, blog posts, podcasts, and videos that I published on this website during 2012.
Some of these items I believe are important and worth a second look. Others were merely fun or gratifying to create and I want to share them again before they disappear beneath 2013′s articles.
I hope you like these or find something here that is thought-provoking. Click the Read More link to see the whole list. Enjoy!” – Mike G.
Edited: December 29th, 2012
My Teaching Assignment: Franklin University’s “IDPT 715: Managing Learning Projects & Relationships”
It’s official! Starting January 7, I’ll be serving as an adjunct instructor for Franklin University‘s IDPT 715: Managing Learning Projects & Relationships. 
Here’s the course overview from Franklin’s website:
“This course covers the elements that are essential to assuring the success of learning and performance projects including principles for managing relationships as well as project management tools and techniques. Students will study the principles of managing complex projects and teams to achieve results within project parameters in various organizational settings.”
Edited: December 15th, 2012
The Project Manager’s Partner: Over a Decade Later It’s Still a Best Seller!
I just received the latest HRD Press catalog. (HRD Press is the premier publisher of training tools and references for human resources and development people.) I’m pleased — and pleasantly surprised — that more than a decade after its publication my book of PM tools, The Project Manager’s Partner, remains a bestseller in their extensive catalog. How cool is that?
For many years, I used the performance-based PM Partner to teach customized, on-site PM workshops in all sorts of organizations. In fact, it was in these workshops that my views on PM Minimalism began to take shape — mostly sparked by helping PM newbies apply PM tools and practices to their real-world projects. So it’s great to see that the The Partner continues to live on and inspire others!
Related Posts
- The Origins of My PM Minimalism: It’s Not Merely Simple-Minded… It’s About PM Essences
- The Project Manager’s Partner, Second Edition
- My Incredible Shrinking PM Recommendations
- The Project Management Minimalist Collection
- Applying PM Minimalism: Manage Your Project with a One-Page Checklist!
Edited: December 12th, 2012
5 Days, $5: Get the Full 132-Page Project Management Minimalist E-Book This “Black Friday” Week for Just 5 Bucks!
[UPDATE: SPECIAL OFFER NOW EXTENDED THRU CYBER-MONDAY!]
This Thanksgiving Week I’ve decided to join in all the “Black Friday” and “Pre-Black Friday” fun to offer you The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM To Rock Your Projects e-book (password-protected PDF version) for JUST $5!
This PM reference book has everything you need to organize your project, your team, and yourself. (Scroll down for video overview!)
Watch the video overview (7:30).- Download the Table of Contents & Sample Pages.
- Read more about it.
Buy It Now!
This 5-day-only 50% Discount on the PDF e-book Version is available only through the special “Buy Now” button below. (Normally $9.95, this special, 5-day-only deal: $5!!!)
- Click on “Buy Now” below to
buy the Password-Protected PDF Version (ebook) for only $5!!
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Prefer a No-Password-Required Version?
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Edited: November 20th, 2012
