Firefighting: Don’t Reward the Arsonist
Firefighting is a self-perpetuating cycle that ultimately engulfs an organization. It is caused by four behavioral biases, but there are ways to fight back and reduce damaging firefighting.
Category Archives: Projects
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Project Management Maturity in Lake Wobegon
Attaining the highest levels of project management maturity is expensive, difficult, and has diminishing returns. Don’t be satisfied lingering at level 1, but don’t feel bad if you’re not at level 5.
How to Love Your Fuzzy Front End
The messy, uncertain time at the start of a new project can be a swamp – or a time of powerful innovation. Here’s how to take advantage of it.
Looking for a Goldilocks Decision Moment
The timing of a good decision is like a Goldilocks moment – not too soon and not too late. A technique called the last responsible moment can help you identify when that is.
How to Manage a Portfolio: Separate the Best from the Rest
Spreading your organization’s precious resources thinly over too many active projects is a recipe for lots of disappointment. It’s better to do fewer projects well by concentrating effort on them, even if that means fewer projects.
How to Manage a Portfolio: Air Traffic Control
An effective portfolio manager is like an air traffic controller, ensuring that all projects in the portfolio are monitored and managed together.
Why Can’t We Learn?
Dr. Katrina Foxton at MicroBiomics – a rising company in the biotech sector – knows her team is highly talented. Yet on project after project she sees them fall into the same pitfalls. Katrina wonders, “Why can’t they learn?” Here’s a technique I use to make team learning fast and easy.
How to Manage a Portfolio: All Together Now
Managing projects as a portfolio helps ensure alignment, just as flying in formation helps birds stay on course, avoid collisions, and conserve energy.
How to Manage a Portfolio: Put People First
Effective portfolio management puts people front and center. Here are some ideas to stay focused on people.
If Projects Were a Fleet of Ships
This picture shows one of my favorite analogies for how portfolio management, project management, and strategy development should fit together.