Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: unmatched closing parenthesis at offset 38 in /home/stoneseedco/public_html/plugins/system/fix404errorlinks/fix404errorlinks.php on line 1207

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/stoneseedco/public_html/plugins/system/fix404errorlinks/fix404errorlinks.php:1207) in /home/stoneseedco/public_html/libraries/src/Input/Cookie.php on line 100
Best Practice

Read and subscribe to Stoneseed's Latest Blogs

Blog

Stoneseed
Icon
SUBSCRIBE
Slider

Straight Talk on Project Management - Download your free e-book

Best Practice

Subscribe to this list via RSS

Mutual mentorship. The secret IT project management ‘trade deal’ for greater success?

Mutual-mentorship-for-greater-success_
At the time that I’m writing this, the news is full of talk of trade deals. In the UK we are a couple of weeks away from Brexit – but it’s OK this is not about Brexit – you can carry on reading! I’ve just watched a news article about the brokering of trade deals, what they are, why countries need th...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Leadership Best Practice
  18 Hits
  0 Comments

Choosing success metrics: are failing IT projects set up to fail?

Choosing-success-metrics
I met a friend recently for lunch and, quite frankly, he is looking amazing! He joined a gym about a year ago and you can tell! His face is slimmer, he seems to have more energy, looks about ten years younger and, he told me, he has had to buy some new trousers because his old ones were starting to ...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Developing the PM team
  258 Hits
  0 Comments

How to run an IT project meeting. The musky scent of success, do we all need to be more Elon!?

How-to-run-an-IT-project-meeting
“It’s the most pointless meeting, nothing to do with my work but I have to attend. I just zone out for an hour”. A Project Management contractor friend of mine said this as he told me about a monthly meeting that had just appeared again in his diary with the subject “Team Meeting – All Staff To Atte...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  271 Hits
  0 Comments

Is your IT Project Delivery a challenge?

Is-your-IT-Project-Delivery-a-challenge_
Is your IT Project Delivery a challenge? Let me start by saying - it should be a challenge. Ground-breaking IT Projects that disrupt markets, drive innovation and create new revenues should push you to the outer edges of your limits and capabilities. Otherwise, what's the point? Challenges are like ...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Should you outsource?
  367 Hits
  0 Comments

IT Project Management basics part one - Have we lost the art of SMART?

have-we-lost-the-art-of-SMART
During a recent conversation about IT Project Management and, specifically how to set and achieve goals, I was told that something I'd said was, and I quote, "amazing". I think "amazing" is the most over used word in the English language these days, usually with the middle 'a' elongated, "amaaaaaaaa...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Developing the qualities of a great PM
  408 Hits
  0 Comments

IT Project Management: The value of experts. A moving story

moving
What is it they say? The two most stressful things in life are moving house and commuting! People who live in mobile homes must be perpetually stressed! We just moved house and the process wasn't without its fair share of drama. You'll have been there yourself: the viewers who have just come for a n...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  478 Hits
  0 Comments

Repealing Brooks’ law: how to manage IT projects without constraints

brooks-law Repealing Brooks’ law: how to manage IT projects without constraints
Brooks' law is an observation about IT project management which states "adding human resources to a late software project makes it later" It was written by Fred Brooks in 1975, in his book 'The Mythical Man-Month'. It is a 'law' that I've always believed to be fundamentally flawed and ripe for break...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  517 Hits
  0 Comments

Which IT Project Methodology? Six Sigma - Why and why not?

SM_SIX-SIGMA---WHY-AND-WHY-NOT_-2
In a recent flyover article about the various IT Project methodologies, we looked at the pros and cons of each and I promised that we’d go on to look at each methodology further, in order to gain more insight on the advantages and disadvantages each can offer.  In this piece, let’s focus on Six Sigm...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  438 Hits
  0 Comments

Summer Stings. How To Treat IT Project Management Pain Points

summer-stings
I was sat in the pub beer garden at the weekend when a customer was stung by a wasp. A passing waitress saw this and instantly she returned with ice, cotton wool, some apple cider vinegar and an EpiPen (just in case). Now, I've treated wasp stings with calamine lotion in the past, and I have applied...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  665 Hits
  0 Comments

Which IT Project Methodology? Scrum – Why and Why Not?

_Scrum--Why-and-Why-Not-1
In a recent introductory piece on IT Project methodologies, I promised to follow up on each individual methodology and investigative its advantages and disadvantages. Having looked at Waterfall and Agile, let’s now turn to Scrum. Scrum. What Is It, When Should You Use It? Normally, when you talk of ...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  550 Hits
  0 Comments

The bulldozer and the butterfly: How to transition a reluctant client's IT Project into service

The-Bulldozer--The-Butterfly
Your IT project is almost ready: Development is done; testing is going well; just a few defects remain. The customer is satisfied with the look and feel of the product, you both have a shared vision about the business change it will bring .... but ... they want to ... delay ‘go live’ ... just a litt...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Project Management
  895 Hits
  0 Comments

Which IT Project Methodology? Agile – why and why not?

Agile--why-and-why-not_
Welcome to the latest in an occasional series on the different IT Project Management methodologies, last time we looked at Waterfall, now let's focus on Agile. Agile. What Is It, When Should You Use It? The story goes that seventeen software thought leaders, programmers and developers met at The Lod...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Project Management
  729 Hits
  0 Comments

IT Project Support - How long after delivery should you be on short dial?

How-long-after-delivery-should-you-be-on-short-dial_
In a blaze of glory, the fantastic piece of software you've been working hard on is introduced to your client organisation. The system goes live without a hitch - you are an IT delivery expert, after all. Each and every requirement is delivered, the project is on-time and within budget. Customer tra...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Project Management
  1127 Hits
  0 Comments

Be an IT Project Marie Kondo - declutter your Portfolio

declutter-your-portfolio
When we're called in to rescue AWOL IT Projects we come across a lot of the usual suspects: scope creep; unrealistic budgets; overambitious timescales; etc. More recently though, we are seeing a new trend. Projects are failing just because they are heaving under unnecessary layers of CLUTTER! As IT ...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Project Management
  781 Hits
  0 Comments

Cultural fit is not a PMaaS luxury. It's a pillar of your partnership

Cultural-fit-is-not-a-PMaaS-luxury
"As luck would have it, they fitted in perfectly!" This is one of my favourite bits of client feedback! It refers to a particularly successful deployment of Project Management as a Service resources. The email as a whole talks about the effectiveness of the talent, the extra experience and skills th...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Project Management
  648 Hits
  0 Comments

When riding your IT project cycle - do you know how or when to get off? The value of closeout

closeout
When discussing Stoneseed's Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) solutions with clients I am always intrigued by the way they manage IT projects. In almost every case, the client will walk us through some form of lifecycle, typically composing four stages that can be loosely labelled along the fo...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice IT Service Delivery
  1123 Hits
  0 Comments

Which IT Project Methodology? Waterfall – why and why not?

sm-waterfall-blog
In a recent 'flyover' of IT Project Methodologies, I promised that I would return to each individually and assess their advantages and disadvantages. In this, the first in a series of posts, let's take a look at Waterfall.  Waterfall. What Is It, When Should You Use It? 1970 was quite a year for fir...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  1198 Hits
  0 Comments

IT Project Portfolio Management. Less is more. Now isn't that ironic. Don't you think?

smof-ironic
My friend tells the story of a 4x4 SSV he used to own. Famous marque, I won't name them, but not a cheap car AT ALL! The vehicle developed a fault, the reverse light wasn't working and there was a considerable delay between changing gear and the dashboard display registering the gear you were in. He...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice
  718 Hits
  0 Comments

Five shortcuts to managing IT Project stakeholder expectation

managing-IT-Project-stakeholder-expectation
I've noticed a bit of a trend. Of the IT Projects that I've seen fall into ‘special measures’ of late, they've all had something in common - a gap between stakeholder expectation and reality. It's actually (paradoxically) both easy and hard to nail this. Some project teams struggle but, like with mo...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Best Practice Developing the qualities of a great PM
  1377 Hits
  0 Comments

IT Project Leaders must be quick off the blocks, on your marks ...

block-race
Oh my!! Have you seen the video of 7-year-old runner Rudolph 'Blaze' Ingram who sprinted 100 metres in just 13.48 seconds? It's fascinating to watch this young Florida athlete speed out of the blocks; and after clocking up thousands and thousands of Instagram views, as I write this, he has made the ...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
Leadership Best Practice
  558 Hits
  0 Comments
    Previous    
1 2 3 4 5

Latest Blog Posts

October 2019
Mutual mentorship. The secret IT project management ‘trade deal’ for greater success?
Mutual mentorship. The secret IT project management ‘trade deal’ for greater success?
At the time that I’m writing this, the news is full of talk of trade deals. In the UK we are a couple of weeks away from Brexit – but it’s OK this is not about Brexi...
Read More
Stoneseed Office
Stoneseed Office
Stoneseed Office

Straight Talk on Project Management

Download your free eBook

Download Now

Got a Question?

Stoneseed

3 Innovate Mews, Lake View Drive,
Sherwood Business Park, Nottingham, NG15 0EA

Tel: 01623 723910
Email: info@stoneseed.co.uk

HOME
PROJECT MANAGEMENT as a SERVICE
CLIENTS
ABOUT US
BLOG
CONTACT US

Follow us on LinkedinFollow us on Slideshare

TERMS & CONDITIONS
PRIVACY NOTICE
COOKIE NOTICE
MODERN SLAVERY ACT POLICY STATEMENT