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PM Tip of the Week
It's the client's project, not your project. When your'e doing work-for-hire, you don't get to make 100% of the project decisions. Your first priority is to make your client happy and successful. If they want something different than what you think should be done and the disagreement can't be mutually resolved, the final decision will always go to the client.Blogs I Follow
Category Archives: Role of the PM
Excuses vs Apologies
We’ve all been there. Sitting in a room where the client, a project stakeholder, or your boss is questioning you (perhaps in an angry-ish way) about why the project went terribly wrong. It’s uncomfortable, almost unbearable – and the temptation … Continue reading
Posted in Best practices, Communication, Project risks, Role of the PM
Tagged ownership, project planning
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Managing Scope Creep Tip #1: Listen…. and Speak Up!
Have you ever been a team member working on a project and you start getting hints that the client is asking for something that wasn’t on the list or is above and beyond what you agreed to do? If you’re lucky, … Continue reading
PM Tip: Have a Regular Status Meeting
Weekly status meetings are a great PM tool. They keep the PM in touch with the client and show commitment to the project because the time is reserved, every week, to discuss the project. The status meetings provide a way to review the project … Continue reading
Posted in Best practices, Communication, Meetings, Role of the PM
Tagged status meetings
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It’s Not Your Project, It’s the Client’s Project
I used to work with a very wise man who says this all the time. I think it was his way of making it OK to do something that you didn’t think was the right way, or the best way, or … Continue reading
Posted in Client Service, Project risks, Quality control, Role of the PM
Tagged client management strategies, ownership, quality
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Being Late and the Damage it Does
Lateness – my own and other people’s – is a pet peeve. I would rather be an hour early for a meeting and have to sit and wait then take the chance that I’ll get lost and be late. On … Continue reading
Posted in Role of the PM, Time Management
Tagged client disrespect, client respect, disrespect, Greg Savage, lateness
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PM Traps: Over-Optimism and Lack of Self Awareness
Have you ever worked with someone who consistently says she’s going to do something and then doesn’t? And then you wonder.. Is she just saying she’s going to do it so I’ll go away? . . . Or so the client … Continue reading
Posted in Client Service, Role of the PM
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Before You Send: Formatting Checklist for Project Managers
Last week Seth Godin posted this on the “wrapper” – about how the box, the frame, the presentation matters, even if its not the point. Earlier this week I saw a document that was sent to a client with no header, … Continue reading
Posted in Quality control, Role of the PM
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Just Show Up
“Eighty percent of success is showing up” – Woody Allen Is it ever OK for the PM to skip a client meeting? Short answer – never. Longer answer – maybe, if there’s a family emergency or a sudden illness. And … Continue reading
Posted in Meetings, Role of the PM
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The (Un)Communication Trap
We’ve all worked with that manager, co-worker, client, (or dated that person) that for some reason doesn’t ever tell you the whole story. Maybe he’s “protecting you” from all the details that he doesn’t think you need to know. Maybe he’s especially forgetful … Continue reading
Posted in Communication, Role of the PM
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Being the PM Means You’re in Charge. Right?
I thought I was in charge at the beginning. it makes sense, right? You’re the project lead. The person in charge, the “one throat to choke” as they say. You’re responsible for everything – even things you can’t possibly control – … Continue reading
Posted in Role of the PM
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Project Manageable 