Entries by Bonnie Biafore

Four Reasons to Consider Specializing as a Project Manager

Should a project manager be able to manage any project in any industry? Yes, if industry experts are available to supplement the project manager’s skills and experience. Is that efficient? Do businesses want PMs without specific industry experience? Here are four reasons to consider specializing to promote your project management career.  Vocabulary and regulations. Each […]

How to Inspire Accountability in Team Members

As a project manager, you need to inspire accountability from people who report to other managers. It’s enormously challenging! Here are tips to get your team members to be accountable. Collaborate to build and confirm understanding of your work breakdown structure (WBS). When you collaborate on the WBS, team members get a deeper perspective and […]

Don’t Let Human Foibles Hurt Small Projects

Small projects don’t always get the respect they deserve. Here are a few tips for keeping people’s peccadillos from derailing your small project:  Consider team members’ personalities. Small projects have only a few people, so – um —  harsh personalities stand out. With small teams, you need people who work well together. Coax your team […]

5 Tips to Reduce Scheduling Tool Headaches

Like a sharp knife for a chef, a scheduling tool is a must-have item for a project manager. Scheduling tools, like any technology, can help or hurt. Here are five tips for using your project scheduling tool with less drama.  Use a template or copy a successful plan. Although projects are unique endeavours, they are […]

A project goal that people can understand

One key to success is making sure everyone understands what your project is supposed to accomplish. Here are tips for putting together a project goal that keeps your project on track to success. Identify a specific business objective or issue to resolve. Successful projects solve a significant ongoing issue or produce new capabilities for the […]

What Goes into a Project Charter?

A project charter defines and formally launches a project. What information goes into one? What level of detail is best? Here are my tips for what a project charter should do. Authorize the project for a smooth launch. Primarily, a project charter ensures the project is authorized, so money and effort can be expended. A […]

Developing a Productive Project Culture

A productive cultural environment is critical to delivering successful project outcomes. Here are tips for managing a productive project culture whether your project has a unique culture or is an extension of your organization’s culture. Plan cultural development tasks. Effective project culture doesn’t happen by accident. The best project managers are purposeful about developing a […]

Renewing your passion as a project manager

It’s easy to succumb to the pressure of a steady parade of project challenges and forget the plusses of being a project manager. To regain your project manager passion, consider the contributions a project manager makes: Driving your business’s success. Projects don’t succeed without project managers and businesses don’t move forward without successful projects. For […]

Life management = project management

I manage my life like one long project. Quick review: It’s a project because my life is a temporary endeavour (I don’t want to live forever) that is unique and comes with a budget. Life is messy so it really needs managing! Here’s why I project-manage my life and you should manage yours, too. Priorities […]

Things going badly? Have More Meetings!

When your project isn’t going well, you and your stakeholders need information. FAST! As counter intuitive as it sounds, the best thing to do is to have MORE meetings. Not just any meetings, however. Here are a few effective meeting strategies when things are rocky: Run short, focused data-sharing sessions. Project conditions change rapidly when […]