Blogs - Straight Talk on Project Management

“Thanks for your email. I’ve disconnected for two days for our annual spring clean of processes and capabilities …” I love this out of office reply from Collette, an IT Project leader who takes herself out of the project portfolio

Blog by Nicol Cutts, Head of Projects, Professional Services at Stoneseed. Have you ever found yourself with “buyer’s remorse”? It’s quite common on big ticket items, like after completing on a house purchase or driving your new car away from

Blog by Nicol Cutts, Head of Projects, Professional Services at Stoneseed.   Crufts, the world’s most prestigious dog show, just happened in Birmingham (as I write) – and I was there. Now, it may feel like an unlikely source of

I love those moments when something in your “outside work life” teaches a lesson that you can take into the office and improve how you operate – when life imitates art (and what we do IS art – 100%!!!!) Over

It’s never good to hear a passionate project manager describe their projects as “meh”! Bex lives and breathes IT Project Management. She leads a team that, by any measure, would be considered successful: always delivering business case; always on time

This is the most charmingly geeky and most ‘Project Managery’ conversation I’ve ever been a part of! I won’t lie … I loved it!! And it led to a surprising observation. A little background. Some colleagues and I were brainstorming

“Everyone needs a Dale,” a colleague said this week referring to a valued member of our team, “He’d do anything for anyone.” This is one of the things I love about Stoneseed, our team, and the culture we have evolved.

Accountability in IT Systems and Projects is a hot topic right now. You don’t have to dive too deep into the story recently told by ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office before you ask yourself, “Who knew what and

Experience as a service – the solution for the looming IT project management talent gap The PMI’s Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap Report 2017-2027 said, distilling nine pages into half a sentence, that by 2027 there will be

A project management team’s new hire asked her onboarding supervisor a brilliant question – Why? “Why?” is always a great question, this one was particularly illuminating. The trainer was explaining the team’s fairly unique binary approach to scrum sprints, which

I have lost count of how often I’ve either written about, or read about, “The IT Project Manager of the future”!! Or the evolution of the profession!! Or the key skills that project managers will need next year or in

Without sounding all Holly Willoughby, “Firstly, are you OK?” I mean it, really, how are things? As you, maybe, take a break from IT Project Management to read this – how do you feel about jumping back in and cracking

The next couple of years will see extensive Digital Transformation and regeneration of many, if not most, businesses and organisations. It’s not a bold or groundbreaking prediction, I mean, it’s happening already! Game changing technologies are revolutionising business operations and

It was Steven Covey who coined the phrase “begin with the end in mind” in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’ve always loved that simple idea – have clarity about what the outcome must look like

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” In a recent blog, TOP 3 WAYS TO RETAIN IT PROJECT TALENT AND HOW TO REMAIN EFFECTIVE WHEN YOU CAN’T I shared a Director People’s story of how a candidate had flipped

As I write, 2024 is looming! Demand for Project Managers is booming! Rather than rest on their laurels and enjoy the benefits of a talent driven market, the best IT Project Managers are honing their skillset to the needs of

Question: Who makes the best Project Manager, Business Analyst or even CIO – the “stick-arounder” or the “move-abouter”? I have recently noticed a pivot in hiring preferences, which is paradoxically both ground-breaking and yet, also so subtle that I can’t

Is it “National Clear Your Desk Week” or something? My social media timelines are full of IT project management friends and acquaintances announcing new positions. On LinkedIn resumés are being refreshed and updated, meanwhile Instagram and Facebook are full of

Isn’t it beautiful when an IT Project team execute and implement with total cohesion from top to bottom? When colleagues become team-mates, and when leaders understand who they are leading, I think a team becomes almost unbeatable. LESSONS FROM A

I love to learn lessons from big projects so, to be honest, I’ve been writing and adjusting this blog for a while! Pretty much since the new high-speed line was announced between London and the Midlands (and the North), I’ve