Payson Hall is a consulting project manager for Catalysis Group, Inc. in Sacramento, California. Payson consults on project management issues and teaches project management. Email Payson at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter at @paysonhall.
Projects should have clearly defined goals, schedule targets, and resource allocations. When projects are described as “ongoing” that is often a red flag suggesting that either this isn’t a project, or it is not being well-managed.
No one likes process for process’s sake. Most of us are naturally resistant to change. Modifying standards or processes is an organizational change task. How do we encourage people to embrace change?
The role of IT professionals is to help users get the most value from their systems. If IT systems aren’t working efficiently or correctly, it isn’t just an “IT Problem” and the nice folks in IT can’t solve it effectively without user participation.
IT managers often begin their careers as engineers, problem solvers, and innovators. If you are a technical person who aspires to a management role you must learn to embrace and work with budget and priority constraints.
Many people resist writing and are out of practice, but small improvements can make a big difference. If you would rather go to the dentist than write a one-page report, these tips are for you.
Make sure that your change management process is clearly outlined at the beginning of a project and use it when there are unforced errors to get concessions from a vendor when the fault is clearly on their side.
