Hello Reader, It's almost the end of the year! Have you prepped for your annual review yet, or started thinking about reviews for members of your team? I want to start 2025 strong, with more focus on balance. I have spent Q4 working bizarre hours on one project and I need to shift that around. What about you? It is a good time to be thinking about what you want to get out of 2025, even if you know that your plans and goals are likely to change. Is it training you're after? Is it a promotion?...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Black Friday (day, week, month?) is here, and I'm happy to report that this is a great time of year for project managers to save on their training. Starting with my own. My past workshops are recorded and turned into virtual, self-paced training. I've gone through the most popular recent ones and bundled them together, and I am offering them at a discount. The training bundle includes: Project Prioritization Lessons Learned Made Easy Managing Money on Projects Confident Meetings...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader While some projects might have an end of year deadline, in my experience, most projects finish when they finish. So there’s every chance that your projects, like mine, will run through the holiday period. We do need to recharge, rest and reset, and so do the people on the team. So how do you balance the pressures of work and leadership’s desire to keep hitting those milestones, over the festive season? Plan your time Time feels more limited over the holiday season in the run up...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Has your project just ticked over into Red status? I know what that feels like! And I know what the scrutiny is like too – suddenly you’ve got a lot of attention on your project and everyone is demanding a path to Green. I’ve been managing projects for over 20 years and many of my projects and programs have had periods of Red… sometimes for a long time! It is something you can handle, so let me share my top tips for surviving the Red stage and let’s get you tooled up to talk to...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, These days, everyone is running projects. Whether you are a team leader, EA/PA, event planner, software tester... the list goes on. On Wednesday I'm leading a one-off training session on PM Basics: what to do, how to get started, how to break down the work, and keep everyone happy. If you've got new starters in the team, people you mentor or colleagues who would benefit, please pass the details on! Equally, if you are feeling like it wouldn't hurt to have a quick refresher...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, One of the most common responses to the question "How did you become a project manager?" is accidentally. It often starts with planning an event or having the responsibility of getting tasks done. I am running a workshop next week if you have found yourself in that position. It will help you understand what a project is and how to define success. If you would like someone to guide you through what a project is all about, join me at my new workshop on 13 November, 7.00 pm UK time...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, In my survey of 570 project managers (the results of which I still haven’t written up, sorry), I was kind of surprised to see that half of project managers prioritise their own workload. They can’t rely on a manager or project management software to identify what’s important and what’s not, so they are going on professional judgement. I know what that’s like, and you might do too – it’s trying not to be the person who responds to the loudest voice while having to work out...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, One of the things I hear from a lot of project managers is that they just don't know what AI could do for them. They know it's a good thing and that it's coming, but people are struggling to see real-life applications for using agentic, predictive, and generative AI. Many companies are already getting loads of productivity benefits out of taking a unified approach to AI tools and no-code business automations. If you'd like to feel more confident having conversations within your...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Lots of people seem to be job hunting at the moment, or even simply moving around within the organisation because it’s that end of year sorting out time. If you or a colleague are leaving a role and thinking about how to manage transferring your client work to someone else, this is for you. It’s really important to do a smooth handover process, and there’s an email template in this article you can use to tell clients that you are moving on. First, let the client know before you...
3 months ago • 1 min read
