There are many ways to get to an end point, a successful project go-live. There are some amazing project managers,…
You don’t become a great project manager by learning how to plan and schedule projects. You don’t become a great…
“What are the qualities of a good consultant?” I was asked this last week. I can only answer from the…
I love working with data. I was… no, I am, a data nerd. SQL queries, databases, manipulating data and records.…
When you start a Role-Playing game like Dungeon & Dragons, you roll a dice to determine your attributes – strength,…
Fight, Flight, or… Flow. What do you do when you’re imprisoned in an Auschwitz Concentration Camp with a future that…
My next round of Consulting Masterclasses will be running in a couple of weeks. If – you’re an #awesomeadmin –…
Those of us in the consulting industry will know that preparing proposals and working in Bid Teams is generally far…
Bidding for new projects are tough, especially if it’s for Project implementation and not Discoveries. Sometimes, clients prefer us to…
In software consulting, for medium and larger projects of work, there’s generally two parts to the delivery that require Statement…
Was listening to Tim Ferriss’ podcast with Esther Perel this morning, and was struck by her learnings from Holocaust survivors…
A statement of work is a binding contract. A marriage is a binding contract. So why do so many people…
Estimating a consulting project is easy. “You pick an imaginary number, double it, double it, and then double it 4…
Why should consulting partners estimate requirements using time, and not story points? Because unless they are doing a pure agile…
Hang on. You’re changing my numbers so that they look better when you present them to the committee? My poor…
“Hey – you worked at xyz? I accepted a job there, but then pulled out and join this one when…
Critical, Contingency, Consequential thinking skills. There is such a lack of this happening in the world today, and it’s quite…
I believe that the secret of happiness is failure, pain, betrayal, disappointment, and loss. Of course, it never feels like…
When a document raises more questions than it answers, it is either: 1) Deliberately provocative, or 2) Very poorly written.…
“I disagree with your post – You can’t say failure of a project is down to the PM. There are…
When I perceive that someone is attacking me or my work, the first thing I do is reach inside me…
“I’ve got such an awful Project Manager! She’s always asking me to do the impossible! Build that functionality in two…
I’ve just come across a poorly written Statement of Work from a vendor, and there are so many red flags…
“Follow your passion.” That’s quite idealistic. “If you don’t like it, then it isn’t meant to be. Just leave it.”…
“My job as a Project Manager is to schedule meetings and workshops (maybe do the minutes), and get info from…
Keeping promises is so important. Do what you say you will do. Extend this to aligning the internal with the…
What’s your super power, may not be mine, and vice versa. Everyone has strengths in different areas. Growing up, I…
I am running my 3rd free Consulting Masterclasses on 28th September where I provide training in Consulting skills, project methodology…
Being totally comfortable and secure in knowing who you are, is such an under-rated super power. No one can hurt…
One of the key qualities of a highly competent consultant is self-awareness. It’s the ability to – listen and accept…
There’s no real substitute for practical real life experience. On my last consulting course – we were doing a session…
Meaningful work and meaningful relationships. That’s what brings me joy. Regardless of what I’ve been doing, or how I’ve been…
“Your new best friend.” That’s what I tell all the new consulting hires. You must appreciate your Resource Manager. It’s…
Being a Resource Manager must be one of the hardest job I can think of, in the Consulting industry. No…
Managing expectations is a key part of my job as a Project Manager. From Project Delivery, to Life in general……
Critical thinking is a key skill for anyone. More so if you are a software consultant. The ability to: –…
Resilience and toughness. You can be tough, but brittle. A lot of people think being tough is not admitting weakness.…
Survivor’s guilt. “Be grateful you still have a job.” “Are you seriously moaning about your work stress?!” “I can’t believe…
Building a rocket to escape Zombie Apocalypse within 12 months (before they get to your isolated sanctuary and eat your…
Covid has taken many casualties – people’s lives, health, jobs. The consulting world has not been spared, and employee consultations,…
Utilisation targets. The necessary KPI for a consultant. Yes? Or No? The dark side of having targets. Sales targets, for…
Having a great team to work with is amazing. Which is why flying solo can be a bit tough sometimes…
Walking into a lion’s den. That’s what it feels like sometimes, if you’re a solo consultant, managing and implementing a…
“Does he really hate me, or is he just having a bad day? Or was he born a jerk??” Everyone…
As a consultant, you’ll be expected to communicate well. Such as in your verbal face-to-face/zoom interactions, presentation, documentation, emails, writing…
The last ‘unemployed’ Salesforce consultant in my free consulting training just told me she’s got a job today!! It’s more…
“Are you saying I am going to get 3 weeks of FREE training, and you’re going to get me a…
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should. Just because you can integrate two systems and sync…
No catch. I’m offering 3 weeks worth of absolutely FREE Consulting Masterclass training, covering: – Consulting Engagement & Delivery –…
I’ve been accused of being a nitpicky Project Manager. A fussy, bossy, demanding Project Manager. All this in front of…
Writing solid requirements is an artform. Whether it’s a biblical tome of a Business Requirements Document (a la Waterfall), or…
Today marks the tragic anniversary of the death of Robin Williams, who committed suicide in 2014. There are still many…
Executing the process design and requirement gathering workshops remotely is much more challenging than doing it face to face. A…
Data migration on a CRM Project is a much much bigger workstream than anyone thinks. Corrupt, inaccurate, inconsistent, irrelevant or…
What do you do when you’ve been engaged on a new consulting project, and you can see that the client’s…
Communication is _so_ important. It’s not just knowing the language. It’s the study of nuance and context. It’s the study…
“Things didn’t go as smoothly as you thought. But the team and I, we fixed it and made sure it…
“Why don’t you engineer a big catastrophe, and then you fix it all and look like a hero?” I was…
In small or medium sized Consulting Partners, there may not be luxury (and budget) for a PM to help manage…
Role models are so important because they help you set a benchmark. I think what makes me a good PM…
What’s your legacy? Ego drives a lot of ambitious people to want to leave a legacy. A street named after…
I am a great believer that all things are true. Within context. Out of context – it can be total…
Why do a process map for a CRM implementation? I am no longer surprised to hear of projects where process…
When you’re in the midst of “go-live”, the long hours, the blood, sweat and tears will be all worth it…
Detail or Big Picture? Ideally both. The ability to focus on the roots and the trees, and the biodiversity around…
“Why do you want to know what I do. Should I be worried about my job?” Resistance to change is…
“What should we have in the ‘Gender’ picklist field? It’s now more than 2, right?” “Business wants to collect number…
Nothing annoys a Project Manager more than a team member who is unreliable. It peeves me. I operate on honesty…
Preparation is imperative in any meeting or workshop that a consultant organises. This includes preparing and briefing participants, so that…
Meetings need not be an hour, or half an hour. I can have a very to-the-point meeting in 10 minutes,…
The other reason why Agile approach are not suitable for Consulting Projects is because most companies underestimate the amount of…
There is a fine balance between stretching yourself so you can grow, and taking on so much that you become…
Life is a marathon.Software Projects are like (non-Agile) sprints. In Life – there will be up and downs on the…
Worklife balance shouldn’t really be the focus of the young. When you’re young and inexperienced – in the new world…
There are so many bad projects out there, just bleeding money profusely. I hear of projects that have: – poorly…
Fixed Price or Time & Materials? As a customer, I might want Fixed Price (FP). because I perceive that the…
How do you pick the right consulting partner for your project? The first thing to do is to evaluate your…
The two things you need to get right if you are looking to implement a CRM system. Make sure that…
There is a skill in estimating how long a Discovery will take. For mid to larger sized projects, this can…
What’s an opinion worth? Not much, unless you’ve been asked for one. Not much, unless you’re a stakeholder. Not much,…
“You’ve got two grads on your new team. Remember not to work them too hard. Treat them with kid gloves.…
Drama = Excitement. I think a lot of people believe that. That’s why I see friends courting drama in their…
I’m super nosy. As a Project Manager, I encourage my team member to spam me. _Always_ cc me in your…
I think I am most excited about the start of a project, where we get to shape it and prime…
“How much do you share in your project status and budget reports with your customer?” I was showing a new…
What do you do when a remote team member is AWOL for ages, takes _days_ to respond to emails, misses…
Most small and medium sized Consulting Partners do not have Change Management as part of their offering. It’s a different…
All my interactions with offshore team in India have been outstanding. Every. Single. One. In all the companies I’ve worked…
A lot of companies going through ‘Transformation’ or implementing a solution to modernise, digitise, or transform their operations do not…
“Here’s the list of requirements, and the team’s estimation against each item. Go and create a project plan.” There’s no…
“All my project manager does is schedules meetings, takes minutes and hounds me for update on my task. Nothing else!”…
I’ve never really had a problem running waterfall projects because I think I understand how to manage expectations. Whenever I…
On the topic of managing expectations, I think that agile came about because waterfall was so rubbish at that. You…
I don’t think I can ever find happy, if I lost my child. I cannot think of anything worst, as…
I’ve been listening to the debate between Sam Harris’ strong views on religion with Dan Carlin, host of Hardcore History.…
Getting expectations right is the key to happiness. Why do you want to join a Tier 1 Salesforce partner and…
“Why aren’t your consultants testing their own work? Why do I have to pay for QA?” A person who is…
Definition of success. £££ Influence Adulation Promotion Holidays Arm candy Letters behind my name Houses Title Expense account # of…
I’ve been ruminating about ‘standards’ and ‘goals’ and I think the main difference is in the phrasing.* Standards is the…
Discussion in my comments have made me think a bit more about the definition of personal “Standards.” It is the…