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Your project leader needs to understand your business. And the system you’re implementing. Too many times, project managers don’t have that knowledge. They only know how to manage projects. Creating lists of things to do. Calling out people on missed…

You’re a mid-sized company. You’re thinking of hiring an IT executive. How much technical skill should they have? IT management is a balance. Some folks cling to their technical backgrounds. They may manage a team of 20 but when push…

Management’s key job is to set clear priorities.  Without clear priorities, folks keep switching focus from task to task and nothing gets done. So, one of the first things we’ll want to do together is set some clear priorities. To…

You’ve decided that a project is worth doing. What to do next? As a non-technical executive, you want to know what you’re signing up for. As non-technical executive, you can’t care about the technical details. But you need to know…

You as the executive are key to your team’s project success. Not the technology you choose. Or the exact skills of the team. But you. I’ve worked with a lot of different executives. Here’s what successful project leaders do:

Most folks have an idea about what a project manager does. But maybe don’t know what a project leader is about. Project management tells you what needs to get done to make your project work. Project leadership makes sure you’re…

You have an employee.  A solid employee, not stellar.  Let’s call him Sam.  Sam’s been with you for five years.  And you’ve made sure his pay keeps up with the cost of living.   Including the recent inflation craziness.  But here’s…

Can you’re team actually say what they’re thinking?  Or are they afraid?  I’ve been frequently told that I say what everyone else is thinking. And indeed, especially when powered by numbers, I see no reason to hold back.  But while…

A project can mean a lot of things. But in my world of data and software, I like to distinguish between maintain project and change projects.  Change projects start with the assumption that things as they are don’t work. We can’t…

Technical folks are impressed by smart.  How fast someone can code.  How quickly they can learn a new skill.   How many obscure features they’ve mastered of any given system.  I think it’s better to ask – how right?   As in…