BCS Books has signed a deal to distribute its titles in the US and Canada, making it even easier for project managers to get their hands on Elizabeth Harrin’s practical guide to project management, Project Management in the Real World.

“I’m really pleased that it’s now easier for US and Canadian project managers to get hold of good quality, pragmatic advice for getting things done,” Harrin says.  “My book includes interviews and case studies from US project managers, amongst others.  It’s clear that the project management community in North America has a lot of experience, although looking at the latest surveys on project success, PMs everywhere could do with a helping hand.”

Project Management in the Real World contains over 50 case studies – some of projects that went well, some of projects that went badly – plus a discussion of what readers can take from that experience.  “The book is a shortcut to learning from the experts about what makes projects successful, and it’s not about methodology,” says Harrin.  “The more we can do to improve standards across the profession, the better it will be for everyone.  Theory and qualifications are a good starting point but sharing our experiences and learning what works in the real world is even better.”

We interviewed Elizabeth about her book and blog back in 2008 on Podcast episode 028: Project management in the real world with Elizabeth Harrin.

Readers in the US and Canada can now get Harrin’s book from stores or online, for example from Amazon.

“It has been said that artists never actually finish a song.  That is why we need record producers.  On your project, are you an artist or a producer?”

- Ron Holohan

Today we welcome back guest blogger, Lisa Grant, who is the CEO of  EPM Solutions, which specializes in leading companies to a consistent and effective projectized model through the use of a diverse group of experts.  She has influenced and improved project management processes in various industries and functional areas such as Knowledge Management, Healthcare, e-Learning, State and Federal Government, Automotive, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Payroll, Textile, and Beverage verticals.

Lisa has an MBA with a concentration in Management from Georgia State University, is a Project Management Professional, Advanced Communicator – Bronze, and Competent Leader. She achieved the MS Office Project Blue Belt certification in 2006, spoke on “Lessons Learned” at the 2005 PMI Southeast Symposium and the 2008 PMI Atlanta Professional Development Day, was awarded a Most Valuable Player award for her exemplary service to the Atlanta Chapter of PMI, and is listed in the Who’s Who Registry.  You can reach Lisa at lisa.grant@enterprisepmsolutions.com.

Last week I participated in a panel discussion on iterative software development.  My portion of the discussion was centered on the Scrum Framework that I am currently using to run my projects.  A question arose from the audience regarding how to manage change when using agile or iterative development methodologies.  It seems that change is encouraged in these environments because there are review and feedback sessions post each iteration.  How do you manage the scope that was approved during initiation if you accept feedback so frequently?

Good question.  First, I’d like to dispel the notion of doing agile development means you must have a band of cowboy coders or developers who are coding based on whim and personal interest.  To the contrary, since they are focused on specific outcomes for the iteration and the expectation is that it will be fully functional for the review; they work in a focused fashion coding and unit testing to the current specification.

These frequent checkpoints reduce the probability of change in scope because the deviations can be caught early instead of waiting until the whole system is developed. They also highlight the necessary changes.  For example, if the design prohibits the development of a certain feature, it will be discovered as soon as that feature is begun versus at the end of the full development cycle. Then the design can be readdressed.  Also, the daily and end-of-sprint interaction with stakeholders allows deviations from expectations to be discovered quickly AN, allows the change to be authorized immediatly instead of waiting for the next scheduled change review board meeting.

Change is a given for all projects and cannot be avoided.  Accepting that condition and working it into the project operations makes sense. I think the agile doctrine, especially in Scrum, is highly effective for managing change.  The Project Manager or Scrum Master must be vigilant, as always, in identifying the change and getting the appropriate paperwork completed; while the cowboys keep on coding.

 

 The pm411.org Project Management Podcast Episode 042: PM Opinions [9:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Have you ever spent oodles of money on perhaps a Project Management training session, or book, or piece of software and found yourself afterwards to be…  well, oodles of dollars poorer and not oodles of times smarter or more productive?  This has happened more than once to me in my project management career and I have come to the decision that Hell No!  Hell no, I will not spend one more penny on a worthless snake-oil salesman’s promise of completing projects 4 months under schedule, 2 million underbudget, no no matter how many scope changes your sponsor throws at.

Well, I am here to tell you about a great new Project Management Resource called PM Opinions (www.pmopinions.com) that allows you, as a project management consumer, to read reviews from other people on various Project Management books, training, and software before you spend your money on it.  And it is all free!

The PM Opinions website, found at www.pmopinions.com, was founded by Cornelius Fichtner, host of the PM PrepCast and PM Podcast after receiving a lot of questions concerning what products and services he would recommend to project managers.  He decided that he could create a free website, where Project Managers could review various products and services to allow others to make informed decisions BEFORE they purchase.  What a concept huh?  The site is similar to the product reviews hosted by Amazon.com, where people can exclaim their joy or their frustration at products that they have purchased.

There are literally hundred of different products and services with unbiased reviews by real project managers.  Everything from various associations – Like PMI and PDMA, to Windows-based Software, like PERT Chart expert, RiskyProject Pro, and Project Kickstart.

By having real Project Managers provide the reviews, you get past that flashy advertising and promotion of the company trying to peddle their products themselves.

Recently I decided to look through the PM Opinions site for Project Management books that might be interesting to read and I came across one that caught my eye called 100 Things Project Managers Should Do Before They Die by Rita Mulcahy.  The description of the book certainly sounded interesting….

“With all of the craziness that projects usually entail, sometimes we forget to have fun! Did it ever cross your mind to do something a little wacky? Between creating schedules and holding meetings, it is important to make time to enjoy the experiences suggested in this very different kind of to-do list.

Take a moment to see the humor in projects again! Written by best-selling PM author Rita Mulcahy, this must-have resource includes sections on Getting Your Point Across, Minding the Details, Shaping Your Success, Leading with a New Perspective, Creating Teamwork, Taking Care of You, and more!”

Nice sales plug, but is it a good book?  Will it really help me to be a better project manager and is it an enjoyable read?  Well, luckily there was a review from project management author Jerry Manas where he provids the following review on the book:

“This is a great book to keep on your desk as a reminder of the simple, small, and sometimes funny things you can do to greatly improve your performance. It’s the kind of book that could easily be a calendar as well, with each page containing a valuable nugget of information. Even better,this could be used as a daily reminder to your whole team!!

I found the book to be a goldmine of inspiration for individuals and teams. The fact that such a simple, unassuming book that can fit in your pocket would provide more value than many 500 page manifestos is downright refreshing.

Some of my favorite excerpts (each supported by a few paragraphs in the book):

- Watch an inspiring movie and draw project management tips from it
- Ask 5 to 10 questions about why the project is being done
- Spend a week not touching software
- Create a WBS for a project you’ve already finished
- Celebrate a holiday from a culture other than your own
- Volunteer to teach project management to a nonprofit organization
- Share stories from each team member’s home country
- Spend a day working from your intuition
- Discover whether you’ve been micromanaging

Well, you get the idea. Just buy it.”

Well, just maybe I will! Based on Jerry Manas’ review, it sounds like Mulcahy provides a lot of common sense, yet thoughtful insight on how to stretch your PM experiences and skills.

So, what is my own review on PM Opinions itself?

I think the concept is great.  I think the interface is clean and easy to navigate through.  Perhaps some of the subcategories could be better organized, but this will probably be improved over time.  I think it has a pretty good breadth of products and services listed in its directory to choose from and I am sure new ones are constantly being added.

The biggest area of improvement that I see that needs to be done is that there needs to be more reviews.  And that’s where we, as the Project Management consumers, come into play.  We need to help build this site by providing both positive and negative reviews to products and services.

I think it is interesting that although Amazon is in business to sell products, it still publishes negative reviews, despite possibly losing some sales, because it knows it can become the most trusted brand in online retail by allowing customers to actually share the good, the bad, and the ugly of their products.  Also, Amazon realizes that what one customer sees as a negative attribute may be a non-issue, or perhaps a positive attribute for someone else.  PM Opinions has the opportunity to offer the same great review capabilities in our project management industry for a price we can all live with…  free!

So, check out PM Opinions at www.pmopinions.com and leave a review on a product or service you have used today or read reviews that others have left!

Today’s guest blogger, Lisa Grant, is the CEO of  EPM Solutions, which specializes in leading companies to a consistent and effective projectized model through the use of a diverse group of experts.  She has influenced and improved project management processes in various industries and functional areas such as Knowledge Management, Healthcare, e-Learning, State and Federal Government, Automotive, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Payroll, Textile, and Beverage verticals.

Lisa has an MBA with a concentration in Management from Georgia State University, is a Project Management Professional, Advanced Communicator – Bronze, and Competent Leader. She achieved the MS Office Project Blue Belt certification in 2006, spoke on “Lessons Learned” at the 2005 PMI Southeast Symposium and the 2008 PMI Atlanta Professional Development Day, was awarded a Most Valuable Player award for her exemplary service to the Atlanta Chapter of PMI, and is listed in the Who’s Who Registry.  You can reach Lisa at lisa.grant@enterprisepmsolutions.com.

I recently purchased Researching the Value of Project Management from the Project Management Institute. It is a research-based book and therefore, not a list of tips, but a useful reference backed up by data.  I was interested in learning the value of project management so I could sell it to management and better explain what I do.  It’s especially important for practitioners to have an elevator speech on the value of project management, therefore their role, now that many of them are or may be looking for jobs.

The research document described five categories of value as: Satisfaction, Alignment, Process Outcomes, Business Outcomes and Return on Investment. Using these five categories as a guide, I experimented with writing my elevator speech. Here it is:

“I am a project management practitioner who enables organizational success by facilitating the accomplishment of its strategic projects through consistent processes, effective communication and stakeholder collaboration.”

Here is an explanation of how I settled on this statement based on the five categories of value:
Satisfaction is the degree that stakeholders realize satisfaction through project management. I referenced stakeholder collaboration which implies that their involvement results in a degree of satisfaction.

Alignment refers to process efficiencies and the level of consistency and understanding in an organization. I mentioned consistent processes and effective communication.

Process Outcomes is measured by time, resources and specifications. I imply this with my choice of the word “accomplishment,” and the reference to consistent processes which, in the project management discipline, refers to project success as the achievement of schedule, budget, and quality of the specified outcome.

Business Outcomes is associated with the creation of actual business outcomes as a result of project management. Was the business more profitable as a result of the project management processes? Did the origanization gain market share? This is covered in my “organization success” and “strategic projects” reference. I know that I am assuming that all projects actually do contribute positively to business outcomes, but it is an elevator speech after all.

Return on Investment is defined as the cost-benefit that organizations actually achieve as a result of the project management discipline. Again, I cover this with the “organizational success” phrase.

Career coaches always say you should have your 30-second elevator speech ready when someone asks “What do you do?”. Tom Peters calls it your personal brand. Whatever you call it, you need it. I’m suggesting a value framework that can be used to design your tagline. Give it a try.

 

 Podcast episode 041: getting back into the swing [6:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So the holidays are over and you are facing returning to work to continue where you and your team left off during the holidays.  For the past several few weeks you have been enjoying lounging around in your pajamas, eating holiday cookies, taking naps, and watching Oprah.  But now you are facing the reality of returning to work, facing your team members, you boss, and your stakeholders.  Like a bear being suddenly interrupted from its winter slumber, if you are like me, you are thinking about all the things that your team didn’t get done over the holidays and wishing you had just a couple more weeks of hibernation.

So how do you conquer the stress of getting back into the flow of your project after the holidays?  Well, that’s what we are going to discuss today, so let’s go ahead and get started.

So here I am in the final weekend of my 16 day vacation that I took over the holidays and to be honest, I am already thinking about returning to work.  I am thinking about all those loose ends that didn’t get addressed right before the holidays; those issues that came up over the holidays that weren’t addressed and could possibly affect my project schedule, and my stakeholders wanting reassurance that things are still on track.  And although I feel that I got some well-needed rest and relaxation over my vacation, I can’t help but still feel the knot growing in my stomach as I think about returning to work.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my work and the challenges of my project.  But with the economy in the poor shape it is in and the need to do more with less, there seems to be even more pressure on project managers to be both more successful and more efficient at the same time.

As I start worrying about jump starting my project again after weeks of people enjoying the holidays, I can feel my stress increase.  What if my team didn’t complete what needed to get completed prior to the holidays?  What if our prototype parts weren’t ordered on time – or perhaps the supplier has slipped on their tooling leadtime because of the holidays?  What if all my team members have decided to quit over the holidays become elves in Santa’s workshop.

And that’s when I realize what is happening.  I am starting to focus on “what if’s”.  I am starting to worry about issues that may or may not even be issues.  So, how do I address these concerns and take appropriate action?  I make a list…  I make a list of what I need to accomplish on my first day of work.  And I want to share the list of “to-do’s” with you.

1.)    First, I need to stay positive and enthusiastic about getting back to work.  Remember your team members are probably feeling the same way you are about returning to work and if you show them support and encouragement it will be a quicker transition for everyone in getting back into the swing of things.

2.)    Secondly, I Review my project schedule with my team for any open tasks that did not get completed prior to the holidays.

3.)    Third, my team and I develop plans on how to quickly address any tasks that may have slipped to help prevent any further slips.

4.)    Fourth, I make sure that I communicate any issues or delays that may have occurred over the holidays to my manager and other key project stakeholders.  I review with those stakeholders how the team is working to get back on track.

5.)    Finally, I try to remain a consistent leader.  If some of my expectations were not met while I was away, rather than losing my cool over it, I try to stay positive, and look for opportunities for my team to recover.

By using these 5 steps, I have found that my team usually is able to transition back to work and get back on track quickly.

What suggestions do you have for recovering after the holidays?  Drop me an email or leave us a comment.

Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newslestter delivered by email for free! – Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented.

 

 Podcast episode 040: mindmanager pro 8 browser features: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we continue our look at some of the new features of the latest version of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 mindmapping software from Mindjet.  In our second video in a series, we take a look at some of the new web integration features within Mindmanager Pro 8.0.

Project teams can now fully leverage the incredible information resources of the Internet by initiating Web searches right from a map. Real-time search results will appear whenever you view your map.  You can also build your own Web service to add information from your company’s information systems.

Also, in 8.0 you can view Web pages and Adobe PDF documents without leaving your map. You’ll retain your train of thought by staying focused on work at hand.

Check out the video below to see it at Youtube.com.

Free Giveaways!

Finally, we have another special giveaway on the show today!  On December 31st, 2008 we will announce the name of 1 lucky winners that will receive a free downloadable copy of Mindmanager Pro 8.  Simply send an email with your name, email address, and home address to show@pm411.org with “Mindmanager Pro 8 Contest” as the subject line.  The first email we receive before December 31st, 2008 with these details will win a free downloadable copy of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 complements of Mindjet.

Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newslestter delivered by email for free! – Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented.

 

 Podcast episode 039: new task features in mindmanager pro 8: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we look at some of the new features of the latest version of Mindmanager Pro 8.0 mindmapping software from Mindjet.  In this episode we take a look at some of the great new schedule task features.

Now you can get a quick overview plus ongoing progress on all project tasks—automatically. Visual cues and status indicators allow you to quickly determine the status of critical activities. View the ripple effect of any changes to a map and even run “what if” scenarios to see the resulting outcomes.

With Mindmanager Pro 8.0 you can now develop your WBS as a mindmap and then easily automatically import it into Microsoft Project.  Check out the video below to find out more!

In Episode 40, we look at some of the new integrated web features of Mindmanager Pro 8.0.

 

 Episode 038: 5 Tips to Manage Your Manager [12:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As a project manager, you are responsible for managing the efforts of your team to insure that your project deliverables are met.  But how do you manage one of your most important project stakeholders – your own manager?

I am not talking about manipulating your manager, but rather making sure you are successful in meeting her expectations.  We usually know what we need to do to get our job done as a project manager, but do we know our manager’s needs?  How can we insure that we are meeting her needs?

I will go through some tips on how you can improve your relationship with your manager by “managing upward.”

Tip #1:  Know your manager’s goals

Your manager has goals and you should know what they are.  You should know exactly what your manager is responsible to deliver to her boss.  Unfortunately, most of us spend a lot of time thinking about our own immediate goals and needs instead of thinking about what our manager needs to be successful.  Here are a couple things you can do to better understand her responsibilities and goals:

• Ask your manager what her goals are and what her manager’s expectations are of her.
• What metrics are used to measure her performance?
• What is your role to help in achieving her goals?
• Discuss what particular metrics of your project are most important to her.

You also need to be sensitive to all of your manager’s goals.  Understand that she is probably responsible for goals beyond your responsibilities and that she may need to focus in other areas at times that don’t concern you.  Don’t just assume that she is solely focused on just your goals.  That’s why you were hired for your role – so you could focus on the details that she could not manage alone.

Tip #2:  Know your manager’s communication style

The key to having a successful relationship with your manager is to understand her communication style and and then to “mirror” it.  Does she prefer email, voicemail, or face to face meetings?  Does she often communicate outside of office hours through phone calls or emails?  Does she expect you to respond to her outside of work hours as well?  How quickly does she respond to your emails and voicemail?

When does she prefer to receive your project status reports?  Know when your manager gives project updates to her manager so that you can make sure you provide her with the latest project information in advance.

When discussing your project, does your manager prefer lots of detail or just the top level bulletpoints?

During meetings does she tend to do most of the talking or does she mainly listen?  What is her body language telling you that perhaps her words are not?  One point of caution is with reading too much into body language – and this probably goes for email as well.  Ask for clarification before jumping to conclusions.  It is perfectly appropriate to say, “Hey, I am picking up on some vibes that our discussion about my project plan is not sitting well with you, am I correct?”  You may discover that she has been thinking about what her car’s repair bill might at that moment rather than anything having to do with you or your project.  Remember that it isn’t always about us!

Tip #3:  Respect your manager’s Time and Schedule

As people go up the corporate ladder, they tend to have more and more meetings.  Be aware that your manager’s free-time is probably pretty precious.  Be sensitive to the time demands of your manager.  Perhaps she is right in the middle of finishing up a slide presentation that she has to give in 30 minutes right when you decide to plop yourself down in her office.

Know your manager’s schedule and when she has meetings.  You can do this by paying attention to her calendar and planning meetings in advance.

When is your manager the busiest – morning or in the afternoon?  Does she mind getting phone calls while she commutes?  How does your manager handle weekend emails?  What time does your manager typically arrive / leave?  Does she stay late at times.

Try to give your manager notice before meeting with her – put in a meeting, give an agenda or talking points up front, and provide a duration for the conversation.  This will make the conversation more effective.

If you do need to meet with your manager without first scheduling some time with her, stop by her office or call and ask her whether she has a few minutes to discuss something or whether you should come back at a later time.

Tip #4:  Know Your manager’s Work Style

How much does your manager delegate?  How involved does your manager want to be?  Does your manager prefer collaboration or does she expect you to make decisions and complete work on your own?  Does your manager tend to be a micromanager?  If so, try to anticipate her questions or concerns and provide answers and alternatives without her having to ask for them.  This will help her build trust in your ability to do your job without her interfering.

Tip #5:  Understand your role

The truth of the matter is that there is no perfect organization or perfect manager.  As a project manager your job responsibilities are quite simple – to manage your projects based on the goals of the project. That is what you are being paid to do.  Most good managers encourage the sharing of opinions, concerns, and suggestions, but if your manager has given you their decision it is usually best not to push it.  Remember, your job is not to criticize decisions that your manager is empowered to make, regardless if you feel that they are wrong.  Consider that the organization has placed them in the position they are in because they are entrusted to make those tough decisions for which they are accountable.

We all tend to think that our way is the right way…  The other person must be the one that is wrong.  But at the end of the day, we must understand our role and respect the role of our manager.  Grumbling, especially behind the manager’s back, will only serve to strain the relationship.  As a project manager, you are a leader within your organization and you have a responsibility to lead positive change with maturity and respect for others.  This includes respecting your manager.

So, there you have it – five tips to help you build your relationship with your manager.  Practice these five tips and your relationship with your manager will flourish and become strong.

What other tips do you have in building a successful relationship with your manager?

Get the pm411.org Project Management Podcast Newslestter delivered by email for free! – Your email address and personal information are confidential and will never be sold or rented.

Our guest blogger, Duncan Haughey, PMP, is an experienced IT project manager (certified PMP and PRINCE2 Practitioner) with a proven track record in designing and delivering complex project portfolios and programmes to utilise IT and drive business growth. Particular areas of expertise are online strategy, search engine optimisation, enterprise content management, project portfolio management and software development. Duncan shares his thoughts about project management, along with many other subject matter experts, through his website Project Smart

It’s said there are no new project management sins, just old ones repeated. It’s also said that we don’t learn the lessons from past projects and this must be true, otherwise why would we keep making the same old mistakes.

In his article, “Lessons Learned – Why Don’t we Learn From Them?” Derry Simmel, board member of PMI’s PMO SIG, identifies two common problems preventing us learning valuable lessons from past projects:

1. We think the lessons don’t apply to us.
2. We want to get things done.

“The sad truth is that these lessons learned are useful. That time spent in doing the work better is time well spent. That getting it right the first time is cheaper and easier than doing it now and fixing it later” Derry says.

So if we accept that lessons from past projects are indeed useful and can prevent problems later down the line; how can organisations create a lessons learned culture where people not only take the trouble to learn from past projects, but actually want to learn. A culture where we apply best practices and discard bad ones.

Leadership

For new initiatives to succeed it’s usually best to take a top down approach. The organisation’s senior leadership need to foster and support a lessons learned culture. This is likely to be more successful and long lasting than a bottom up approach, although this could have limited success if project managers promote it strongly themselves.

Given top level support, enough time and buy-in from project managers, lessons learned will become part of the organisation’s culture and part of its continuous improvement process.

Process for Capturing Lessons Learned

If project managers are going to actively contribute to the project management knowledge within an organisation and make use of it, then we have to make it easy for them. Nobody is going to go out of their way to do it. So it’s important to have a well defined and simple process for collecting, collating, analysing and disseminating lessons learned. It could be along the lines of discover – recommend – document – share – review – store – retrieve.

Discover

Project teams should learn to identify lessons during projects and record them for inclusion in a lessons learned report at the end of the project. This might be done as part of their regular team meetings.

A sign that a project may be having a “lessons learned moment,” is when the resources or customers are unhappy and discussing problems between themselves outside team and other project meetings. Lessons may also crop up during a project when team members identify areas for improvement.

Arrange regular brainstorming sessions with the project team, with an independent facilitator, to unearth valuable lessons. Don’t leave it until the end of the project when memories have faded.

Lessons can be discovered by asking these three questions:

1. What went right?
2. What went wrong?
3. What could have been better?

Use the facilitator to document the lessons, keep the meeting focussed on key issues, and steer the discussion in the right direction.

Recommend

Project managers and their teams should make recommendations. What would they do differently if they could go back and start over again?

This needs a degree of honesty that some team members may find uncomfortable. The feedback needs to be constructive and avoid getting personal. We are not looking to play the blame game here; we need to understand how things could be done better in the future.

For this to work effectively the organisation’s leadership needs to reward this honesty, and demonstrate it will not have a negative impact on individual careers.

Document and Share

It is important to document and share findings. The best way to do this is by creating a standard lessons learned report and a repository with good meta-data to help with identification. This should be kept updated with lessons from the most recent projects in order to take account of the current working environment, structures and constraints.

Standard format reports and meta-data will make it easier when reviewing multiple documents and searching the repository using keywords and phrases.

Review

It is the job of the Project Management Office (PMO) to review lessons learned reports and pull out issues that arise multiple times. Recurring issues can be surfaced and presented in a general “read this first” list of lessons.

The PMO must look at what makes projects succeed and what makes them fail, and give recommendations that sit along side those of the project teams.

Store

Lessons learned must be stored in a central repository with general access. Create a system for storage and retrieval of lessons. Online systems are ideal for this, giving easy access to the lessons. Most organisations have portals and Intranets that can be used for this purpose.

Retrieve

Retrieving lessons learned on a regular basis must be part of the organisation’s culture. Project managers should be expected to retrieve and review lessons prior to commencing a project. They should have this as part of their annual performance objectives and be able to demonstrate they have retrieved, reviewed and applied lessons wherever applicable.

Summary

Creation of a successful lessons learned culture needs leadership support as well as time and buy-in from project managers. Implementation of a simple process for collecting, collating, analysing and disseminating lessons learned is essential if it’s to be adopted.

Once lessons have been captured, they need to be made available to all project teams to help them avoid repeating problems of the past. It is important that these teams understand what past projects have to tell them and act upon that information.

History has a strange way of repeating itself. If we don’t take time to learn the lessons of the past, and moreover act upon them, we will continue to commit the same project management sins again and again. And don’t think it won’t happen to you, it will.

Remember, in the words of Derry Simmel, “…time spent in doing the work better is time well spent.”