Vacations are sometimes hampered by a frantic lead-up in the days before, by trying to accomplish too much while you’re supposed to be relaxing, and by feeling like you’re overwhelmed as soon as you return to the office. Thoughtful preparation and a plan for your return can help lower the stress level of your next vacation.
Category ‘Uncategorized’
Move Beyond a Failed Project
Projects that fail to meet objectives are certainly frustrating in the near term, but beware—if you aren’t diligent in determining the cause(s) of the failure and implementing effective solutions, you might find yourself repeating the same mistakes later, too. Growth as a project management professional will come by peeling through the project’s layers to discover the real issues at the heart of the failure. You can then devise methods to address and prevent similar issues, thereby increasing your success on future projects.
Project Firefighting – Lessons Learned from Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow
Many a great catastrophe has started from humble roots. Consider the Great Chicago Fire of 1871: The initial cause of the fire is still unknown (popular legend holds that Catherine O’Leary’s barn on the south side of Chicago was set ablaze when her errant cow, Daisy, upended a lantern), but that it left the city devastated is incontrovertible.
Project Management Documentation Tips: Forms & Templates
Forms and templates are the foundation for many types of project documents. Rather than putting unnecessary effort into creating new forms for each project, the use of existing forms and templates can streamline your project’s documentation requirements, and allow your team to focus on higher-level objectives. A variety of resources are available to you when looking for ready-made forms, and a few simple tips will help keep your project’s momentum moving forward when truly custom forms are needed.
Project Management Documentation Tips: Electronic vs. Hard Copy
The shift to electronic documentation is in full swing, but hard copies haven’t been rendered obsolete quite yet. An efficient project may be best served by skillfully combining formats and allowing team members and stakeholders to access materials in the way best suited to each type of document. Understanding how materials are used, distributed and archived will help you determine the best way to use each format’s benefits to your advantage.
