Pitching projects and building influence with stakeholders and executives is an essential part of successfully managing projects. But, while project managers have tons of skills, they’re rarely good at being salespeople. The issue often comes...
Fast, Cheap, Good… Pick two. Every freelancer, business owner, and car mechanic knows this phrase. If you want something done good and fast, you’re going to be paying a premium. If you want it cheap and fast… well, you get what you pay for. Projects...
All good (and bad) things must come to an end, especially in project management. Project closure is the final stage of the project lifecycle. More than just handing over deliverables, the closure process is an official ‘wrapping up’ of all the...
A great user experience (UX) is one of the largest drivers of growth, revenue, and customer happiness. Yet, for some reason, user research is still one of the first things dropped when budgets get squeezed and timelines are tight. Most project...
Creating a product strategy is one of those nebulous skills that separate great project managers from good ones. Unfortunately, too many PMs think a ‘strategy’ is the same as a product plan, roadmap, or even just prioritizing features. ‘Well,...
If you’re on a road trip and want to reach your destination on schedule and without wasting a ton of gas, you need a roadmap. The same goes for your product. Except instead of a single car navigating a lonely highway, you’re guiding a group of...
In 2017, Apple did something no one expected. They removed the headphone jack on their latest iPhone. The media called it a mistake. Users took to Twitter to announce they’d rather jump ship to Android than deal with another dongle. By the public...
Nothing ensures the failure of a project faster than misunderstanding the problem you’re trying to solve. Yet too often, product leaders jump from broad goals to specific project objectives without really knowing what they’re trying to achieve...
On paper, managing projects seems like a straightforward process. Define your scope, break it down into manageable tasks, and assign them to your team. However, anyone who’s actually managed a project knows this couldn’t be further from the truth...
The worst mistake any project manager can make is to focus too much on their process and forget about the people powering it. Your team is the heart and soul of every project. But that’s easy to ignore when you’re behind schedule, over budget,...