Insights

project manager communicating with stakeholder

The Importance of Effective Communication as Part of Stakeholder Management

Insights

Anyone who has been involved in projects, whether managing them, part of the team or part of the PMO (Project Management Office) knows that effective communication is crucial for a successful project. And since stakeholder management is part of any project it stands to reason that communication with stakeholders also has to be clear and

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young manager laughing

Why Happiness Matters in Business: The Overlooked Driver of Productivity and Performance

Insights

For decades, business success has been measured primarily through numbers: revenue, margins, growth rates, and market share. While these metrics remain essential, there is a powerful factor that often sits quietly in the background, underestimated and sometimes dismissed as “soft” or secondary. That factor is happiness. In a business setting, happiness is not about constant

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team member discussing soft skills

The Strategic Importance of Soft Skills to the UK Economy

Insights

In an era defined by rapid technological change, global competition and constant economic disruption, the UK’s long-term prosperity depends not only on innovation and capital investment but also, and increasingly, on its people. Central to this is the concept of soft skills: the interpersonal, behavioural and cognitive competencies that enable individuals to work collaboratively, communicate

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project management skills

Skills analysis: Identify your skills and find and fill knowledge gaps

Careers, Insights

Introduction Starting a project management role can involve a change in career. You might have started out in a more technical or specialised role and progressed up the chain or moved into project management after gaining skills in another industry. Early on in your project management career, you might find gaps in your knowledge, or

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Don’t Myth Out! How Experienced IT Project Managers Drive Business Growth

Insights, Project Management Tips

“Of all our administrative staff, you’re the best paid by far.”

Ant from London is an experienced Project Leader, at his recent annual appraisal he was told this by the Director of People. It was meant kindly, motivational even, but it sums up one of the biggest misconceptions about project management. The idea that PMs are just administrators with fancy job titles.

Ant was fairly chilled out about the backhanded compliment, as PMs we know our value, his CIO took more of a dim view and gave the People Director a piece of his mind – we are with the CIO!

You may have heard similar…

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Person reading an ebook on phone

8 is the magic number

Insights, Leadership, Programme Management

Straight Talk on Project Management is Stoneseed’s eBook, your go-to resource for practical, no-nonsense project and programme management anecdotes and advice!

It’s perfect summer holiday reading!!

At Stoneseed, we write at least 48 blogs a year covering everything from agile transformations to stakeholder engagement, always with our trademark passion and a light-hearted touch that gives you a fresh perspective on project management. The hope is that they’re never too technical, sales-pitchy or high-brow – we’ll save that for when we work together on your project!

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Cartoon of people sitting around a desk with robots

GPT vs KPIs! AIs vs PMs!! OMG!! When Artificial Intelligence meets project reality

Insights, Leadership, Programme Management

AI continues to shape conversations across IT project management, increasingly augmenting and assisting project delivery.

PMs and BAs etc who have successfully integrated AI into their work now tell me it feels less like a tool and more like a colleague!
Interesting!

The other day I read a very funny article which defined the “human personalities” of various AI engines – as if the AI’s were real people.

This got us thinking: could the way these AIs handle information “mirror” how our Business Analysts, Project Managers, PMO analysts, and Change Managers tackle their roles? Also, what could we learn by mapping these AI traits to the roles that drive successful projects at Stoneseed?

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A rollercoaster

Roller coaster delivery: Managing IT projects with theme park energy

Insights, Leadership, Programme Management

IT Project Management can be a bit like a theme park of rollercoaster rides – thrilling at first, but quickly full of twists, sudden drops, unexpected loops, and that one terrifying moment when you realise the track ahead looks … er … unfinished.

One minute you’re cruising through planning, and the next you’re free-falling through shifting priorities, budget changes, or surprise stakeholder input. That’s why you need someone riding beside you—steady, experienced, and holding your hand.

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