Publishing
Here are some of my recent and some not-so-recent publications on Gantthead.com, a leading online project management journal with more than 420,000 members. Feel free to sign up at Gantthead.com to get full access to the articles … I look forward to your comments.
Stakeholders as Consumers (March 2009)
“This writer’s consumer-focused perspective has taught him to look at stakeholders from a slightly different angle. One of the many models he uses to gauge stakeholder needs is a variation of the “needs-wants-haves” matrix.”
Making Post-mortems work (12/2008)
Let’s face it: Post-mortems are painful. But they can be effective when done right, and this article offers some relief for that headache.
Making Metrics Count (March, April 2007)
This series focuses on providing a comprehensive introduction to the approach and some best practices around metrics and reporting. Whether you are charged with business metrics or operational metrics, you will find that following a structured process aligned to your business needs and priorities will help establish accountability and ensure maximum return on your metrics investments.
SWAT Teams: Leading from the Front (May, June 2007)
You can leave your fatigues at home. And no, there will be no risk to life or limb (at least we hope!). Welcome to the world of IT SWAT teams–a tactic being increasingly used as a formal process to respond to mission-critical projects and situations.
True Convergence (June, 2007)
True business-IT alignment can be achieved only when the IT team is self-aligned and well-governed. Use of Service Level Agreements within IT can help meet the internal governance needs before embarking on business-IT alignment and convergence.
Business Systems Analysis: It’s All About The Business (Sep 2005, April 2006)
Surprising but true–many organizations have yet to resolve the business systems analysis conundrum. This article explores the challenges faced in defining a “home” for business systems analysts (especially in the context of classical business-driven technology organizations) and the resultant implications for project managers and project management as a profession.
Negotiation for Project Managers
Everybody negotiates. Almost everybody negotiates every day. While some people thrive in these situations, many others tend to shy away. And while skilled negotiators use a set of skills, approaches and tools to reach a successful outcome, the untrained or inexperienced may be tempted to view it as a battle of wits with an opponent that ought to be won…at any cost!
In the first part of this series, we examine how negotiation plays an integral part in almost all project communications. We touch upon how different players in a project team may negotiate to meet different interests. We also discuss how a principled negotiation differs from the typical ‘tough act’ approach. In the 2nd part, we step deeper and discuss a tool kit that contains five steps that would help enable parties to conduct a principled negotiation.
In our first two parts, we discuss the basic tenets of negotiation and cover some process ground by discussing five strategies that project managers could use to become better negotiators. In the concluding installment, we examine real-world negotiation strategies and experiences. This part covers practical negotiation tips and strategies from practitioners of the art–you will be reading tips on what works and what does not.
