Risk management is the art and science we use to assess and respond to the risks which exist throughout the life of our projects.  In fact, risk exists in virtually any initiative - programs, portfolios, business, operations, manufacturing, and more.  We perform risk management so our...

Good leadership does not come from a single skill, but rather a collection of skills such as team building, influence, patience,  empathy, and creativity. This article examines 5 leadership skills essential for risk and crisis management. 

Risk management and crisis management are...

Many introductory courses that include information about budgeting for project managers discuss the idea that a project budget may have to be time based.  That is, the expenditures are divided over weeks, months, or quarters to show how spending will occur over the course of the...

[Note: Beginning with last week's article and continuing forward, in addition to tagging articles with knowledge areas, we will be adding new tags for business, people, and technical (including process). We will update past articles over time. This will align content with the new PMP® exam...

Management skills are usually grouped into several categories, including interpersonal, technical, and conceptual. But time management skills go beyond attributes that simply make you an effective leader. Knowing how to manage your minutes is crucial to the success of your business and your...

Whether you have a predictive or agile project, you will always need to have the team on the same page and satisfy the client.  Today, we're going to look at the two best ways to get team and client buy in.  Involvement and clarity are two of the best ways to obtain buy-in.

Involvement:...

There are four important tools a project manager can use to improve communications. These four critical tools are the elevator pitch, status report, project deck, and communication plan.  Let's take a detailed look at each of these one at a time.

Elevator Pitch: Your elevator pitch is a...

It's been said that project managers spend 90% of their time communicating.  This isn't just talking.  It's about communicating in many different forms, such as reports, presentations, meetings with groups and individuals, emails, social media posts, and more.

So to start, let's look at...

Last week we looked at 4 Steps to Diligently Delegate.  There are five very common barriers to enacting a successful delegation. Good project managers understand what these are and avoid the pitfalls.

1.  The project manager may have a personal interest in the task. While you may have a...

In addition to good planning up front, execution of any project can be effortless if you develop the critical soft skills needed to succeed.  Let's consider delegation.  Unfortunately, new project managers often lack confidence or fear loss of control, leading to lower levels of...

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

- Peter Drucker

Rather than wait for your project management future, if you are planning to pursue a career, get started now and create it.  Here are five tips you can use to predict the high quality of that future:

1. Have a clear vision for...

No matter what project management methods or project life cycles you are using, risk management is an important component.  While there may be some nuances for different circumstances, some elements are universal.

It's important to note that risk is unavoidable - no environment is completely...