Nearsighted ROI
For most teams, there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of efficiency. Particularly in the larger shops, discussions of improvement usually get around to discussions of ROI, or Return on Investment. Unfortunately for most, two things usually occur: full lifecycle costs are not considered, and prioritizing alternatives to invest in becomes a game of minimizing the I rather than maximizing the ratio of R/I. It doesn’t have to be that way. Read more
Blindsides
There is plenty of chatter in management literature about risk and risk management. It usually takes one nasty “I should have thought of that” moment for a project manager to learn his or her lesson: a risk register becomes part of the standard toolkit from that point forward. While a great tool, a disciplined approach to risk is still not perfect. We need to recognize that there will always be blindsides. Read more
What We Bring to the Table
In many shops, I have seen situations where one person (or perhaps a few, but it is always a minority) appears to be getting in the way, and the perception is that they need to be sent on their way for the good of the team. While this actually is true in some cases, I think that more often than not it is more a case of failing to appreciate what others bring to the table. Read more
All That Jazz
I sat down to lunch recently with a good friend, and we talked about challenges we face in staying motivated, and in keeping the troops motivated as well. On reflection, I think it is a matter of keeping everyone jazzed. Read more
