Submitted by Richard Newton on 17 February 2013 - 4:27pm
A common point of tension for many organisations is the way strategy converts into projects. I am assuming there is a meaningful strategy. This is obviously not true everywhere, but that is a whole different sort of problem which is not covered in this article. There are some organisations in which there is a clear and logical relationship between the things being delivered and the organisational strategy. The result is a poor alignment between the organisational strategy and what the delivery functions are doing and have the capability to do. So what can be done about this? Let’s explore together, in this article.
I would like to continue the discussion I started last month on highly performing project teams. This is a topic that I think is very important, but one that we do not discuss often enough as project managers. In this article I want to focus in on preparing team members for a project. In a future article, which I will post soon, I will look at the wider aspects of a highly performing project team. In both cases I am as interested in your comments and views as sharing mine. This is an area we can all learn more about, and if you have any great advice or ideas, please share it!
Submitted by Richard Newton on 17 September 2012 - 1:45pm
Project teams create deliverables and achieve outcomes, not project managers. As in an orchestra - the project manager may be the essential conductor, but the players make the music. The project manager’s work is forgotten once the project completes. What is left and of value, are the outputs from the project team - the deliverables.
There are huge variations between the effectiveness of different teams. High performance team deliver substantially more than poorly performing or even average teams, sometimes several times as much. Experiencing truly high performing teams is exciting, fun, and provides real learning. But... how can you create such teams? In this article I will try to explore this subject and share my view on how such teams work, how they can be developed, sustained and, when the time comes, disbanded.
To continue the discussion, I would like to consider a different question: Is there a way re-organisations in businesses can benefit projects and project managers?
Revolutions and counter revolutions are a central and often repeated part of history. They stretch into the current times, and will no doubt continue to happen in future. Revolutions pitch one group with existing powers, against another group who want to seize power. The stakes are usually high for both sides. And, managing projects in the middle of revolutions is, all of a sudden, a very tough challenge. That’s why, in this article, I would like to talk about the impact revolutions have on projects and how I think is best to manage your way through a revolution, as successfully as possible.
Submitted by Richard Newton on 11 December 2011 - 1:47pm
As project managers we spend a lot of time thinking about the best ways to go about managing projects. There are books, bodies of knowledge, training courses and tools. But all of these are built on an assumption that is rarely questioned. Do we really need project managers?
Submitted by Richard Newton on 14 November 2011 - 8:39pm
If you are someone who has read management textbooks for a long time then you will have noticed, over the last few decades, the increasing emphasis on leadership skills. Successful businesses are presented as those that have great leaders. In contrast, unsuccessful businesses are often presented as those without a vision or without bold leaders. I am a big fan of leadership and have had the privilege of working with some great leaders in my career. So, it may be surprising to find that what I want to do in this article is to dispel a little of the hubris around leadership. I want to encourage leaders to be taken as role models for project managers, within limits.
A common point of tension for many organisations is the way strategy converts into projects. I am assuming there is a meaningful strategy. This is obviously not true everywhere, but that is a whole different sort of problem which is not covered in this article. There are some organisations in which there is a clear and logical relationship between the things being delivered and the organisational strategy. The result is a poor alignment between the organisational strategy and what the delivery functions are doing and have the capability to do. So what can be done about this? Let’s explore together, in this article.
I would like to continue the discussion I started last month on highly performing project teams. This is a topic that I think is very important, but one that we do not discuss often enough as project managers. In this article I want to focus in on preparing team members for a project. In a future article, which I will post soon, I will look at the wider aspects of a highly performing project team. In both cases I am as interested in your comments and views as sharing mine. This is an area we can all learn more about, and if you have any great advice or ideas, please share it!
Revolutions and counter revolutions are a central and often repeated part of history. They stretch into the current times, and will no doubt continue to happen in future. Revolutions pitch one group with existing powers, against another group who want to seize power. The stakes are usually high for both sides. And, managing projects in the middle of revolutions is, all of a sudden, a very tough challenge. That’s why, in this article, I would like to talk about the impact revolutions have on projects and how I think is best to manage your way through a revolution, as successfully as possible.
As project managers we spend a lot of time thinking about the best ways to go about managing projects. There are books, bodies of knowledge, training courses and tools. But all of these are built on an assumption that is rarely questioned. Do we really need project managers?
If you are someone who has read management textbooks for a long time then you will have noticed, over the last few decades, the increasing emphasis on leadership skills. Successful businesses are presented as those that have great leaders. In contrast, unsuccessful businesses are often presented as those without a vision or without bold leaders. I am a big fan of leadership and have had the privilege of working with some great leaders in my career. So, it may be surprising to find that what I want to do in this article is to dispel a little of the hubris around leadership. I want to encourage leaders to be taken as role models for project managers, within limits.
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