In Part 1 of this two-part series on getting project documents and deliverables right the first time, we began discussing the need to get past the mundane task of creating those upfront planning deliverables on projects that require them (and most should have them, if not all). And yes, you need to build...

Customer confidence. Where does it start? When does it go all wrong? And what do we do in between that either keeps it on track or screws it all up? Sometimes we see the train wreck coming and sometimes it sneaks up on us. But since we’re the project managers , we don’t have an excuse…we can’t. Well...

Project customers can be fickle…no question about it. Many are focused on the project throughout the engagement with a project sponsor who is assigned to this project and it is his life, his work, his every thought 24/7 for the duration. This customer knows exactly what tasks come next in the project...

As we spend our days, tracking deliverables, following up on issues, we wonder sometimes is the life of the project manager ever going to change? Even the "Chaos Report" hasn't shown a marked improvement in project success . After more than 25 years managing software development projects...

This is an interesting concept that may be intrinsic to some or all of us…or maybe not. But I came across it by accident the other day and thought it might make for good discussion. Let me first set up the background… My wife is a professional photographer – probably the best you’ve never heard of because...

No project manager ever became successful by turning a blind eye to unplanned work. No project was ever brought in on budget by allowing the project team and customer to run amok with development work that fell outside the scope of the original project statement of work and documented requirements. It...

Wow…ever had one of those projects where you wish the customer was invisible? Where you wish they would just step aside and let you and your team get to the business of running the project and implementing their solution. No floating requirements, no questions and constant oversight….just smooth sailing...

Lessons learned sessions can be – should be – a vital part of every project life cycle and every organization’s project management methodology. Sadly, as I indicated in the first part of this two-part article series, 57% of survey responders to my June 2010 PM survey on “Managing the Project” indicated...

Lessons learned…ideally we all perform them at the end of our project and document what we did right and what went wrong. We never again repeat the bad stuff and always manage to incorporate the good stuff into every project we manage from here on out. Sound familiar? Yeah, sure. One survey that I personally...

Wouldn’t it be great if we knew that proper upfront planning meant we would never miss a deadline or milestone on our project? If practicing best practices meant you never strayed off schedule. If you did everything right…then nothing could go wrong because you would be in total control. Is that the...