01/20/2016 by Brad Egeland Tags: project communication, project communication best practices, project manager, project success
Communication on the project is critical to project success. When key information that affects the project somehow falls through the cracks, the overall impact to the project can be enormous…even when those in the know think it likely means little to nothing to the project’s ongoing success or forward motion. Someone knows something that the […]
12/23/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: project deadline, project deliverables, project delivery, project manager
The timeframes on our projects – both projected and real – seem to almost define us as project managers. They define what we are doing today, how successful we are to date, and what our customer likely thinks of our performance. As project managers, it seems that everything we do is measured by time or […]
12/08/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: business analyst, project management, project manager, project schedule
There is always a chance – depending on the organization structure and project load on the project managers available – that this could be happening in any organization. I have personally led a couple of projects where, due to my schedule with other projects, I’ve had to rely heavily on BA participation and part-time leadership […]
12/01/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: project issues, project manager, project problems, troubled project
Sometimes we attack problems because they are the latest problem and someone is demanding a fix. We can also end up spending too much valuable time on issues and project problems that may likely be solved through simpler means when given the proper amount of research and analysis.
11/10/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: project completion, project management, project manager, save the project
Some projects experience some disastrous situations and you wonder, “Can this project be saved?” Maybe not out loud in front of the project client, but you do wonder it. Some can be fixed, some can’t and some take some alternate routes to get back on the road to success. The act of actually throwing in […]
11/04/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: IT projects, project budget, project management career, project manager
As project managers there will always be those things that we wish we had known or things we thought we could do but we were too confident to see that we were actually failing. You’ve heard the term “fake it till you make it” right? You’ve probably even read that phrase from me in a […]
10/27/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: project management, project manager, project plan, project planning, project schedule
Does your day usually go exactly how you planned it would go when you hit the shower in the morning? Does it ever? Why should we expect something different from the projects that we manage? The teams that we manage? T/he customers that we engage? So many variables. So many things that can go wrong […]
10/20/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: business analyst, business requirements, IT project manager, project manager
You can be the most talented and organized project manager there ever was, but never underestimate how much a talented business analyst brings to the table on your technical projects. They are essential for success, in my opinion. With a great BA in place you get better requirements documented, have better oversight of the technical […]
09/09/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: managing projects, project communication, project manager, project manager traits
We often say that someone is a “born leader.” Or you argue so well, you need to become a lawyer when you grow up – see the next paragraph… But are project managers pre-disposed to be project managers? Is it something they are born with? Something they grow up to be? Something they are pushed […]
08/18/2015 by Brad Egeland Tags: project management, project management advice, project management career, project manager
Considering a career in project management or know someone who is considering such a move? Are you ready? Are they ready? And what does it actually mean to be ready? What steps do you need to take to get to that point? Other things to consider… Are you being thrust into the role, or do […]