Project Management Latest, November 2020
As always I've been scouring the internet for good PM related news or articles, so you don't have to. This is what's caught my eye recently.
Everyone Could Benefit from a Project Management Course
Nicole Bonaccorso suggests a wide variety of available online training. Surprisingly the great resource from APM the chartered body for the project profession has a super Learning Portal for members to use.
APM launches their Project Professional Qualification 2nd edition
The second edition of this popular qualification from the chartered body for the project profession, which is available online, has now been launched.
HS2 Project Construction Starts in Earnest
As APM has reported, work has now officially started on the HS2 rail project, so we can finally look forward to a huge boost in capacity on the UK rail network next decade. HS2 themselves (https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2-heralds-formal-start-of-construction-as-a-22-000-jobs-boost-for-britain) heralded this formal start of construction highlighting the 22,000 jobs boost for the UK.
Change Makers Step Up During the Pandemic
A PMI Sponsored Post on Reuters argues that employees who have both hard and soft skills – and can use both to drive innovation – will be the ones to lead organisations following the pandemic.
What Project Types Exist?
Scott Ambler suggest a broad variety of potential project types.
Personally I can't help but think that this is over-complicating a straightforward categorisation. There are 3 types of project:
Change or transformation,
New product development, or
Delivery and integration.
How Project Managers Can Help the Healthcare Industry Prepare for the Next Crisis
Moira Alexander explores how project managers can play a vital role in helping professionals in the medical and medical supply sectors. She suggests the help might include:
Identifying service & supply chain holes,
Diagnose leadership challenges,
Pinpoint front-line staffing gaps, and
Work with medical leaders on preparedness plans.
Remote Working Means the Rise of Productivity-Tracking "Tattleware"
João Medeiros explains how since the rapid exodus to homeworking some employers have starting using software to track productivity by monitoring tools used and time tracking.
5 Traits Other Leaders can Learn from Successful Project Managers
Moira Alexander highlights the traits that make project managers highly effective in achieving goals and collaborating with stakeholders:
Clear communication
Can under pressure
Focused on the issue
Inclusive leadership
Visibility
How Big Data Impacts Project Management
As well as explaining the 5 ‘V’ characteristics of big data (volume, variety, velocity, veracity, variability), this article sees the impacts on project management being:
Reducing project complexity,
Lowering project costs,
Improving resource management,
Developing project environments, and
Enhancing project risk management.
Stop Worrying About Your Digital Tools And Focus On Your Thinking
Following on from my observation related to selecting a project management tool last week (https://pmadvisor.co.uk/blog/project-management-latest-september-2020) it was interesting to see this post from David Feldman. Like me he finds that it's important to not obsess with the technology but to first think about what you need it to support. David considers:
The liberation of impossibility,
Technology accelerates what thinking creates, and
Trust in your thinking and the rest will follow.
Microsoft Teams: This ambitious low-code tool will change how you use data and share applications
Simon Bisson explores Microsoft's Project Oakdale plan for data applications inside Teams.
Given how important data will be to enabling AI tools for augmenting project management, it will be interesting to see how this develops, especially for educating SMEs on using and sharing data outside Excel.
Wrike Launches new AI Tools to Keep Your Projects on Track
Frederic Lardinois takes a look at Wrike's move into AI.
How to Boost Project Management with Automation
Donald Fomby argues that Automation is a huge blessing, as it leads to increased productivity, lower operating costs, better time management, and faster ROI.
Google's new project management tool is called Tables, now out in beta form
In September Abhay Venkatesh reported that Google has started Beta testing Tables in the US. Could this be the beginning of the end for the workplace dominance of Microsoft Project? I suspect Monday.com will have sat up, at least.