Lynda Bourne
Written Articles
This post will look at the various dimensions of a stakeholders ‘attitude’ towards you and your project and how these will influence the project’s chance of success. Attitude is derived from perceptions, in this context the stakeholder’s perception of the project and how its outcomes will affect the stakeholder’s interests. Fortunately, perceptions are negotiable and […]
With the potential for GFC2 looming as a result of the Euro crisis and an extended downturn in business continuing there is still a jobs market and many project managers are proactively using the downturn to move their careers forward. As a consequence of the uncertainty in world markets, corporate training budgets have been reduced […]
I touched on the subject of the fundamentally different types of communication needed to create a successful project outcome in a post earlier this month. The amount of feedback the post received, many people misunderstanding one of the key ideas and some reflection suggest a focused article is needed. One of the concepts underpinning the […]
Ensuring your team operates as a harmonious unit is a key to project success, particularly if you are managing a diverse virtual team. The McKinsey 7-S Framework is one useful approach to understanding how the team is interacting. The McKinsey 7-S framework was developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two […]
A number of recent examples from the corporate arena illustrate that being oblivious to unethical or illegal behaviour happening within an organization is not an acceptable excuse for allowing it to occur. Leaders will be held responsible – even when they claim to have no knowledge of the situation. A number of judgements issued by […]
PMI is placing an increased emphasis on the effective management of knowledge in the 6th Edition of the PMBOK (to be published in Sept. 2017) that builds on the foundations laid in the 5th Edition. While there are many aspects of effective knowledge management this post looks at the foundations – transforming data into wisdom […]
Every manager and leader has to make decisions – good ones make the right decisions most of the time. However, the way decisions are made and communicated can either lead to division and discord or to understanding and a commitment to making the decision ‘stick’. Divisive Decision Makers Divisive decision makers give the appearance of […]
A while ago I posted on influencing without authority, that post looked at building credibility and ‘currency’ to trade for the support and help you need. Those ideas buy you a seat at the table but how much influence you exert in any given situation largely depends on how effective you are at being influential. […]
Project management association members and credential holders have an obligation act sustainably. For example, PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2.2.1) asks us ‘as practitioners in the global project management community to make decisions and take actions based on the best interests of society, public safety, and the environment.’ The problem we all face […]
Far too many sponsors, executives and project managers waste far too much time in ineffective steering committee meetings or ‘project/program control board’ meetings (both referred to as PCB in this post). A huge saving in waste and its associated costs can easily be achieved. The first key question for the organisation’s governance team to consider […]