Blogs - Straight Talk on Project Management

Why IT projects keep failing for the same reasons, and why everyone in the room already knows it, yet no one says a word. There is a particular kind of silence that settles over project meetings when everyone in the

Discover why AI in IT project delivery is deeper than good prompts — success depends on governance, consistency, and structure, not just the tools. My friend Gareth is a radio presenter. He has just banned AI from the show prep

Explore the strategic value of thinning and how this simple gardening principle translates into smarter project management. Project Management inspiration can come from truly anywhere, can’t it? I just visited recently retired Project Guru Frank. Frank has been a mentor

Discover how strong project management improves team mental health, reduces burnout, and builds psychological safety across projects and industries. Poor project management affects your people as much as your projects. We get called in at all sorts of moments, across

When we started writing these Straight Talk on Project Management blogs, we committed to never write about three taboos: religion, s*x and politics. I’m sorry to break a third of that promise! In my defence, a new Association for Project

UK CFOs and CIOs are talking more than ever — but still missing results. Discover why governance, not communication, holds the key to aligning technology delivery with business outcomes, and how IT PMaaS bridges the gap. There’s a paradox at

A recurring theme in IT project conversations lately, with colleagues and clients, is: “How come everything we do feels harder?” We have an ever-expanding set of digital tools and solutions, hybrid and more distributed teams for our convenience, and an

When King Charles IX forgot to tell France the New Year moved, chaos followed. Sound familiar? Avoid “April Fool” project moments with smart change communication and PMaaS support from Stoneseed. The origin story of “April Fools” may also be the

Discover how AI is reshaping IT project delivery — and why people still make the difference. From predictive planning to PMaaS, explore how human insight and teamwork keep technology on track.   The pace of change in IT has never

How BHF’s digital transformation illustrates the future of tech in charities – and shows how well-managed projects can turn AI and system change into meaningful impact. Walk into a British Heart Foundation shop today and you might see more than

Many PM tools sit in first gear. Discover how to unlock more value from your Microsoft 365 stack and PMO, turning licences into real delivery outcomes. The global market for project management software is projected to exceed $9 billion by

IT Project Management in 2026 looks very different from just a few short years ago, but many of the challenges are the same – just worse. While having a clear out, my colleague found a diary from 2019. At the

Good luck to all our friends in HR, recruitment and IT Project resourcing. From April 2026, the Employment Rights Act will increase both the cost and procedural complexity of employing people directly, while also extending important new protections to employees.

Discover how IT talent shortages amplify every project risk — from scope creep to cybersecurity — and how PMaaS helps break the cycle. IT projects are rarely short of post‑mortems. Scope creep, missed deadlines, budget overruns, security incidents, talent gaps,

Discover the hidden cost of failed IT hires. Learn why traditional recruitment underestimates real project delays—and how Stoneseed’s flexible model fixes it. When an IT recruitment process fails, most organisations only count the obvious costs: recruiter fees, advertising spend, and

Don’t ignore your IT project warning signs. Stoneseed’s 100-day PMO Plan transforms reactive firefighting into winter-ready governance, quality control and monitoring. Picture this. It’s a crisp January morning, frost covering your windscreen, and you’re about to set off on a

The IT project management talent gap is growing—but what if the real issue isn’t a shortage, but a lack of imagination? Discover how transferable skills, creative recruitment, and Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) can help close the gap and

Discover why stakeholders keep changing their minds mid-project—and how Stoneseed’s Business Analysis as a Service turns chaos into project clarity. You know that moment. The one where you’re three months into a major IT transformation, the infrastructure team has ordered