The Everyday Project Manager

Is your project team all pulling in the same direction or running around like headless chickens?

Have you discussed what the Finished State of the project looks like recently? I don’t mean 8 months ago when you started this project, back before Fred and Joan started at the company, and before Vera transferred into a new role, and before a whole bunch of change requests were approved.. I mean recently!

If you asked two of your project team members what the objectives of the project are, might they say different things?

Have a little read of this and let us know in the comments if you’ll be discussing what finished looks like with your team this week.

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We are The Everyday Project Manager, we deliver project management training that is really blimmin' useful and we take all your PMO headaches and turn them into handy dashboards. We're basically Mary Poppins for Portfolio Managers.

You simply cannot control every last event. ⬇️

"One of the key misconceptions with regard to project management is that success comes from sticking rigidly to a plan and bringing as many elements as possible under your control...

But we must find ways to adapt to changes under control, rather than attempting to control all change...

Control in the project world comes from having mechanisms in place that allow you to adapt quickly and, where possible, advantageously, to any changes that might come your way... and the way we do that is through project governance."*

*An extract from The Everyday Project Manager by Jeremy Nicholls, published by Routledge Press and available here: buff.ly/5d7vLib.

Thanks so much to Laeticia for this lovely review, we're thrilled that you were inspired to use your new skills and knowledge straight away!

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We are The Everyday Project Manager, we deliver project management training that is really blimmin' useful and we take all your PMO headaches and turn them into handy dashboards. We're basically Mary Poppins for Portfolio Managers.

"I've been a professional project manager for more than twenty years and yet I still learned a great deal from this book. There is an art and a science to project management. So many project management books cover just the science. And while you can't run a project without the science, you'll likely struggle if it's all you have. This book melds the two perfectly, just as the best project managers do every day in order to make a success of any project that exists in the bumpy slippery demanding imperfect real world. The book is written in a clear, open and friendly style yet rightly does not pull its punches. It is sage council to have on your side, in your locker. Highly recommended for those new to the discipline as well as veterans."

Thanks so much to this customer who reviewed the book on Amazon. If you'd like to find out more or buy your copy you can do so on Amazon or here: https://buff.ly/sdhoZMv

How good is your planning? Does your team spend time planning out projects or do they jump straight in and start "doing" because there's no time?

As good as doing stuff and ticking things off the list feels, we all know in our hearts that what they taught us at school is right... if you spend time planning your essay you'll do a better job!

Creating a proper project plan, scheduling tasks, and finding your critical path will get you to where you need to be faster and with much better results.

If your team needs help with project planning, then we've got a half day course which is right up your street. We give you the tips and techniques to build a robust project plan that you can use in the real world, we talk about estimating, bringing people together, challenging ideas constructively and communicating your plans to stakeholders.

You can find out more about our project planning course here: https://buff.ly/XMBS9cO

But if you want to totally transform your project planning skills you can pair the course above with our half day Planning Workshop. After the morning's training your team will plan a project in real time, working out the schedule and critical path and getting up on their feet to discuss and work out the best options with the guidance of our PM expert.

To find out more get in touch on [email protected].

Boundary issues? Team members doubling up on work? We've been there.

If only there was a simple tool you could share with the team explaining who is responsible, who is accountable, who should be consulted and who should be kept informed... but wait!

Say hello to our free RACI Matrix template, she's a beaut: https://buff.ly/fbt3IA8

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We are The Everyday Project Manager, we deliver project management training that is outrageously good. It's practical, it gets your team talking and working beautifully together, and that makes your projects run like clockwork - and who doesn't want that?

Don't forget that as the PM, delivery is your responsibility and you are within your rights to (gently, but firmly) push back on any efforts from others to manage the project. Yes, even the sponsor's.

However, it would be worthwhile taking the time to understand why the sponsor is getting involved. What are they concerned about? What is it that they don't have visibility of?

Have a discussion with your sponsor and agree a way of managing their concerns without them doing your job.

Your project report could well be a useful tool here. For further reading on good project reporting, see our blog entry here: https://buff.ly/lbG5sDr

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We are The Everyday Project Manager, we deliver project management training that is really blimmin' useful and we take all your PMO headaches and turn them into handy dashboards. We're basically Mary Poppins for Portfolio Managers.

"I think project managers often need to do a better job of explaining things like benefits and objectives to the wider team.

Why on earth should an engineer, or comms and marketing manager also be expected to have an Association of Project Management qualification? They shouldn’t.

It’s incidentally one of the main reasons I wrote the book – to help non-project managers understand some of the key concepts so that they can perform better on project teams."

For more thoughts on why some companies fail to embed good project management practices see the full blog here: https://buff.ly/n1p15V4

Find out about the book here: https://buff.ly/vYMSuJ6

We don't need to cover the theoretical stuff - your team have done all that already - but what we do teach is HOW to do the job!

Our courses are entirely practical, looking at real-world examples from real projects, what works, what doesn't, what to do when the s**z hits the fan and how to communicate to your team and stakeholders.

Doesn't that sound good?

Thanks to Tom for this lovely review, click here https://buff.ly/34atAQ6 for more details on the course that Tom attended.

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We are The Everyday Project Manager, we deliver project management training that is outrageously good. It's practical, it gets your team talking and working beautifully together, and that makes your projects run like clockwork - and who doesn't want that?