Summary.   Modern work is inherently project-based and collaborative. We are all project managers to some extent. From film directors and restaurant owners to lawyers and accountants, many professions involve managing projects. For everyone, not just project managers, mastering timeboxing can be a gateway to bridging the gap between intention and execution. You’re probably already timeboxing, at...

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Now that we know Why Projects Fail, let’s talk about the practical steps and behaviors Project Manager must adopt in order to deliver a project successfully. The three root causes of project success are: LEAN CEO In the knowledge economy, with continuously growing competition, accelerating product lifecycles, and shrinking lifespan of businesses, managing by project becomes the...

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“Why do projects fail?” Whether you are a certified professional or just an accidental project manager – you’ve heard and answered this question before. Indeed, for as long as I remember myself, this subject has been so dear to the public at large that every business magazine and website would offer their recommendations. Google for...

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A key to success in any Operational Excellence or Continuous Improvement program will be found in the way opportunities for improvement are harvested and prioritized; and how well the projects are managed and evaluated. I have written several articles over the past few years on what it takes to successfully design and deploy an Operational...

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About the podcast In this special episode of The Outliers Inn, JP and Mule welcome back one of the founding fathers (or is it non-birthing units); Antlerboy, who graces us with his presence after taking a bit of a dream walk (without the peyote buttons). Indeed, the Inn has not been the same without him...

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There is a saying, rather a curse; “May you live in interesting times”.  It is a curse because interesting times are times that are full of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity; interesting times are VUCA times; disruptive, chaotic, and transformative. Whereas life in uninteresting times is predicable, rote, even boring. We are living in interesting...

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Heraclitus was wrong: Change is NOT the only constant. The failure rate of change projects remains constant as well, at about 70%. Every next failure would prompt publishing an article with a comprehensive list of steps to take and pitfalls to avoid in order to succeed – but not the root cause of the problem. ...

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Sadly this article is not about the Transformers. Sorry. It is about something not as exciting but maybe just as important. We are seeing more and more organisations looking to “transform” their Talent Acquisition/Resourcing functions, either as part of a wider HR/People programme or maybe simply wanting to try a new piece of tech. Having...

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There are very few people that actually enjoy meetings.  I have never heard anyone say, “I can’t wait for the meeting this afternoon” unless it’s followed by “I won’t have to eat at my desk.” Certainly, the people who are called to attend a meeting largely lack enthusiasm are energetic unless they, or their project,...

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The Standard Social Innovation Review means that too many organizations ignore or avoid addressing internal conflict, and that a healthy perspective on disagreement can increase resilience and spur needed innovation in a socip-business context. Conversely, when left unattended to, the problem will most likely become one of destructive internal conflict, meaning abnormalities such as high...

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HBR reckons that any big company, and few departments will be as instantly recognizable as customer service. The call center usually resembles a factory floor, with row after row of reps, headsets on, sticking to the script and rushing from call to call as they try to minimize “handle time.”  But walk into a T-Mobile...

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We’re obsessed with Time. Songs and literature don’t forget to remind us that Time goes by, that Time is the key measure of almost everything, even of apparently very solid, indestructible structures as concrete walls. There’s a key question about Time, which is that we know Time’s effects but – as for many other of...

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McKinsey and Company means that CEOs and senior executives can employ proven techniques to create top-team performance – and moreover, that this topic’s importance is not about to diminish as digital technology reshapes the notion of the workplace and how work gets done. On the contrary, the leadership role becomes increasingly demanding as more work is conducted...

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I’ve worked for some great companies, including four Fortune 500 corporations. Along the way I met outstanding management teams. However, one team stood out in my mind above all others, the Emerson Electric, (RIDGID) Sales and Marketing Management Team, they are the prime example in my career of a company who lived their parent company’s...

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In an era where we’re constantly bombarded with an overload of information, we as individuals tend to put a lot into setting a multitude of prioritized goals and dividing our focal points. And this strategy is certainly no different in the world of today’s corporations.  However, according to HBR, speed and flexibility – as opposed...

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There are all manner of problems (being an optimist, I rather use the term “challenge”) that we face each and every day. Most of these challenges are simple enough: what’s for dinner this eve; is there traffic on the highway that is going to impede my progress; do I have any clean underwear, and so...

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Welcome to Episode 10, a special podcast from the Outliers Inn. Topic: Wicked, messy, social, complex, tough human problems. No, it’s not the aftermath of the Outliers Inn summer party – it’s a hostly episode with Joe and Benjamin interviewing each other about the difference between complex and merely complicated organisational and human problems. With no guests...

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Projects are critical to develop new capabilities, transform existing processes, or implement new technologies, and many companies are investing significant resources in project planning and execution. In many cases, a formal programme management office is charged with overseeing the projects, but the actual return on this investment is less than it could be. In almost every case, the causes of sub-par results are the result of poor decisions. The following list highlights the most preventable failure modes and what can be done to prevent them:

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Zombie projects are the enemies of well-intentioned innovation initiatives in many organizations, regardless of industry or region. These projects fail for whatever reason and do not fulfill their promise. Yet they trudge on, sucking up resources without any real hope of positively impacting a company’s strategy or revenue prospects…   To read more, click here. Image (source)  

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In the past few months I have been cross pollinating my interests.  One thread I have been seeing across several of my groups is around the concept of building a better organization. The topic that has got me thinking is focused on helping organizations Change/Transform more easily.  Taking cues from the agile thinkers I have...

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A performance metric – any measurement used to gauge an organization’s performance in a specific area (usually important area) and is updated routinely with new data. Data can tell a story; unfortunately it’s often not formatted to ensure everybody sees, understands and acts on that story. In many organizations, especially those with poor performance results,...

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Business Challenge Business Improvement initiatives are getting a lot of press these days: “…our projects saved over $10M in the first 12 months of deployment using BPM”1. Thus, it seems logical for an organization to jump onto the process improvement bandwagon. Much is promised of business improvement efforts, and there are many capable consultants and...

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I hear people talking about “WIP” and I have to say that I have no Idea what they are talking about.  Also, I hear this “WIP thing” used when they want to reduce the time it takes to do parts in a manufacturing plant.  What are they talking about, and how can this help me speed up...

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Mittel-management. This is the name of the management theory at the heart of Germany’s success. In general, the term Mittelstand applies to mid-sized companies, many of which shun the limelight, operate from the countryside within the business-to-business or niche market sector, and are operated by anonymous company men. The Mittelstand dominates the global market in...

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Sooner or later in your consulting career, you will find yourself in the somewhat awkward position of having to listen to a client proudly describe what you are sure is the worst conceived performance intervention you have ever heard. Imagine, it has taken you months to get them this excited about anything. You listen in...

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