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A change is as good as a rest, so the old saying goes. Recently, it has struck me, that change can actually be a precursor to unrest, at least with some IT Change Projects. While reviewing one customer’s challenges, I identified that it wasn't scope creep that was impacting the project, nor was it a...

Are the best IT project solutions hiding shyly in the shadows? The loudest voices in our teams don't have exclusivity on the best ideas Originally published on CIO.com I received a nice email this week from Sarah, a regular reader of my blogs. It was a line of thanks for a previous post that had app...

A fresh perspective, different experiences and a whole new set of skills to learn from. When a new Project Manager joins there is a tangible frisson of excitement at the new opportunities for your Project Management Office or team. There are also considerable challenges, especially around onboarding...

That's right! How IT Project Management can make YOU a millionaire. Er, I suppose, during your lunch break, you could buy a lottery ticket. Did you expect more from the header of this post? Did I build your expectation unrealistically? Apologies, it's more than a devious bit of click-bait though. In...

I just spent some time with an exasperated CIO. Frustrated by IT Projects that were failing time after time - completing late and over budget - despite his Project Management Office being staffed by experienced Project Managers each with an impressive track record of success. "Could buying in Projec...

Originally published on CIO.com   As a CIO or a Project Manager you are a master of change to the point where, by now, it's probably like a sixth sense. This was certainly how I felt. Change Management had become so much a part of my daily routine that I had almost habitualised the process. I had a ...

 Three IT Projects have recently been almost scuppered by the same thing. A crippling, debilitating disease that lies dormant for months before inevitably and painfully killing the IT Project it has infected ... ‘Yesitis’. Sufferers of ‘Yesitis’ are unable to say 'no', perhaps because of a poor corp...

A guest blog by Adam Morrell from our recruitment partner Access Talent Ltd What makes a great IT Project Manager? You'll have read many posts on the subject. I have too. An old post by David Cotgrave,    'Never, ever fear failure. Seven powerful lessons you can learn when your IT project fails ', g...

I was fascinated this week by a farmer in a combine harvester going up and down in a field adjacent to the road I was driving along. I pulled over to watch ... it's a man and machines thing! The farmer pulled over too and we briefly talked about the vehicle he was driving. I was amazed how much tech...

I remember reading a report called "The Challenges of Remotely Managing A Project". It must be more than ten years ago now and it's interesting thinking back to how I felt reading it. I and many others were already enjoying benefits in working collaboratively with colleagues who were not in the same...

What can we learn from the top CIOs in the UK?   Originally published in CIO.com CIO.co.uk recently published its Top 100 most transformative and disruptive CIOs in the UK. Each name on the list has given a neat interview that gives a unique insight into the thinking of this country's leading CIOs. ...

I was in a client's office kitchen with a project manager I was working with who with was making us both a cup of tea. He was standing in front of the drawer that contained all the cutlery when a colleague entered in search of a fork.  "Excuse me, John, can I just get in the drawer please." Joh...

I'd only just arrived on a client visit this week and already this was my kind of conversation. "But Scoro has a real-time dashboard for monitoring KPIs!" said a voice from inside the meeting room. My ears pricked up.  "Yeah but Basecamp has great performance reporting too and the collaborative tool...

Who's Best? And How To Survive Without Either On Your Payroll… Driving home, listening to the radio the other day, the Shangri-Las came on with their classic hit "Leader Of The Pack". It jumped out at me, not least because of the noisy motorbike sound effects but also because I had been contemplatin...

Previously published on CIO.com A great BA is worth their weight in gold, here’s why…… The IT business analyst role has traditionally been one that facilitates communication between IT and business stakeholders. Subsequently, business analysts have always had great skills in this area, adept at both...