|
Hello Reader, There are problems you can solve with a framework, a course, or a meeting. And then there are the problems where you have a pretty good idea of the lay of the land, you just need someone to think it through with you. Not because you don't know anything about it, but because you've got too much context and you're too close to it to think clearly. You know what the textbook says. You know what you'd probably advise someone else to do. But when it's your project, your stakeholder, your team, your career, it's a different thing entirely. It's helpful to talk to someone who's been in the room before, who gets the politics, who won't tell you to "just communicate more" as if that's a strategy. Someone who can listen to what you're dealing with and help you think it through without either telling you it's fine or immediately suggesting you read a book about it (and who won't tell your boss anything!). I work with project managers on specific situations, career decisions, difficult relationships, scope that won't stay in scope, sponsors who won't engage, whatever it happens to be. If you've been thinking about something for a while, or you've got something on your plate right now that would benefit from a fresh pair of eyes, I work with project managers one-to-one -- people who are navigating something specific and want a thinking partner who understands the profession. Whether it's a difficult stakeholder situation, a career decision, a project that's gone sideways, or just a general sense that you've outgrown your current role and don't know what's next. If that sounds like where you are, I'd love to chat. It's helped other people and could be just what you need. And if you're not quite ready for a one-to-one but want peer support, PM Rebels is there in the meantime. Have a great week! Elizabeth |
I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
Hello Reader, Stuck for ideas? Try this technique for generating a lot of ideas, in a structured way. Lotus Blossom brainstorming works whether you are planning requirements, risk responses, solutions to a problem, and in the video below you can see me work through an example where a team needs to plan out their project communications strategy. A Lotus Blossom template works well for project management because it forces you to expand an idea systematically instead of stopping at the obvious....
Hello Reader, Project communication can look perfectly healthy on the surface. The status reports go out. Meetings happen. Stakeholders get updates. The comms plan exists somewhere. But are people actually getting the information they need, at the right time, in a way that helps them understand, decide and act? I’ve created a Project Communications Health Check to help you find out, and I've tested it on one of my projects! Which made me realise I should write down that comms plan that's in...
Hello Reader, Do you ever find yourself stuck between a rock and hard place, unable to decide what the best course of action is? I have. Whether it’s what desk to put in our new conservatory space, or who to invite to meetings, or managing to order everyone else’s food and then getting so overwhelmed with having made decisions all day for all the people that I couldn’t choose anything for myself. I left the café with nothing for me and ended up with a couple of slices of peanut butter toast...