“Please can you finish the user story over the weekend? No, you can’t add it to your timesheet.”😡 This is…
Have you ever started work on a project without a contract in place? 🤨Be honest! A lot of partners tend…
📢HELP WANTED: Are you a Freelance or Contract Salesforce consultant?I need your questions for my next LinkedIn Live on Friday…
Do you have a checklist that you use to review your SOW before you release them? #SalesforcePartners have been reaching…
Go code instead of declarative? 🧑💻Accept aggressive timeline and forgo sleep and mental health?Recruit for charisma, certs and qualifications over…
🍩Have there been any significant changes to the project scope or deliverables? If so, how have we addressed them? 🍩Are…
#TLTOnThePeiroll – Governance Qs for Salesforce PMs Turn your videos into live streams with Restream https://restre.am/ANIm Getting Real Insight: Informed…
Ok, the doodle below didn’t age that well did it* 😬Genie is SO last century (actually, 2 DF’s ago).It’s CDP…
Why won’t the user use the system?Why can’t we get buy in from the stakeholders?WHY WON’T YOU PICK UP YOUR…
Panic attacks. 😫Constant Anxiety.Fear.Insecurity.Stress. Insomnia. 😣 Morning comes, and the cycle continues. 😓 The life of a #SalesforceConsultant or any other consultant…
PM vs PM vs PM.Are you confused yet?! 😵The acronym job title can be as clear as mud if you…
Have you ever been on a date that was moving faster than you’d like? 😖Or worked with a team mate…
Do you know the difference between a Client-Side Project Manager and the Partner Side one? I’ve come up with a…
Here’s tip number 8 for a new #SalesforceConsultant – TIMESHEETS!
Here’s tip number 8 for a new #SalesforceConsultant – TIMESHEETS!(It’s what #RealProjectManagers from #ConsultingPartners really care about! 😁) Lisa Bailey‘s post about starting a new consulting…
Sin #4. Thou Shalt Not Mismanage Client ExpectationsAnother big #ProjectManagement commandment – especially for consulting led #Salesforce projects. Not #ManagingExpectations is probably the single biggest reason…
Question from a CRM Director: Should I stay at my end-user company or move to consulting? 🤔 I had a…
Sin #3. Thou Shalt Not mistake Project Admin for Project Management. “Wait – but my ‘project manager’ doesn’t do any…
“Where’s your Project Manager in all of this?!” That’s what I say when I hear from consultants that they are…
How to SPUFS (Set Projects Up For Success) 😁Tip #5: Start your data migration workstream … yesterday! “We don’t want…
I always use Brené Brown‘s 5 C’s
I always use Brené Brown‘s 5 C’s right at the beginning of a #Salesforce Project.In fact, this is an actual a slide from…
How to SPUFS (Set Projects Up For Success) 😁Tip #2: Know what ‘good’ looks like But what does ‘good’ look…
How to SPUFS (Set Projects Up For Success) 😅Tip #1: Connect with your client on a human level. I’m leading…
Going to #DF23?Why not grab my book to read on the plane? 😁 I’m going to be there so if you…
Sin #2. Thou Shalt Not Disobey the Iron Triangle 📐(of Project Management). People try to cut corners all the time.Especially…
Sin #1. Thou Shalt Not Flirt with the Scope Creep. 😝 “It’s not very difficult for someone as awesome as…
Finite games is easier than infinite games.Project admin is easier than project management.Ticking checkboxes is easier than mastering a craft.…
Will 1+2 ever equal 100? 🤔 Will a project that’s been mis-sold – under-estimated, over-promised, poorly scoped, managed and governed,…
𝟯 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀(especially if they are projects that are led by #consulting partners) 𝟭. 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿…
“Where’s your project manager in all this?” 🤔 I was talking to a stressed out consultant who is a BA…
“Project management is not a 9 to 5 job…” (motivational video) Props to Sanjeev NC‘s post yesterday on the Truth about…
Emotional Resilience 💖 and Structural Resilience 🏛 I believe that we need these two types of resilience to weather the…
I know, I know – I make it look glamourous… 😎But it’s really my inner charm that you’re basking in.…
What methodology should we use to deliver #Salesforce?Agile. Scrum. Waterfall. Hybrid. W-agile. SAFe. RAD. Prototyping. UPM. RUP. Extreme. Lean. 😵 With…
𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘃𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 – which is better?“It depends. “ A freelance consultant currently on a #ProjectManagement contract asked me if she should…
Should you spam your PM?Wellll…. it depends. Vi says: I can only speak for myself, because every #ProjectManager is different. It depends. If there…
“Please can you have this done by next Friday?” A. You schedule time every day to work on the task…
“OMG! Mum! You can’t post this!” 😱“Umm babe… don’t you think it’s a bit NSFW?” 😁 (cough) So anyway, I…
𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔.– A. Hammer. 🔨 🙄 I’m sure we all know someone like A.Hammer.…
6.45 million people are #ProjectManagers, and 99.9942% are not PMing as well as they should*. Here are 3 things that all…
I am Miffed. 😠 I’ve always been in the #Delivery team of #ConsultingPartners, so I have not had much exposure to Sales. I’m…
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲 🐢 – 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟱 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 Head of Delivery.Practice Director. These two opportunities came across my path…
“A disciplined mind writes Gold Standard user stories.” Buddha OK, haha! Maybe she didn’t say that!😁 It still doesn’t change…
How often do we talk about our privilege?Do we acknowledge that our progress and how we got ‘here’ has had…
Imagine you’re a new Project Manager.You’ve managed internal transformation projects but have now secured a role with a #Salesforce Partner. And you’ve…
#ProjectManagement isn’t a glamourous job. 👯♂️Especially one who works with a #Salesforce partner. We get squeezed on both sides:– Our company wants us…
I sell ‘Confidence’ and ‘Control’.That’s what I really sell. I am Delivery.I am not Marketing, or Sales.Which was how I’ve…
Ever read a Statement of Work (SoW) so bad that it makes you want to wrestle with a cactus, naked?…
The success of your #Salesforce or #CRM, or any other project hinges quite a lot on the team. With the wrong people on…
Do you make sure there’s toilet paper before you do a number 2? 🤭 Do you check to make sure…
Have you had something grow so stealthily, so sneakily that you never notice anything until it’s too late? Could be…
#DataQuality is everything.Especially with regards to a #CRM such as #Salesforce or #MicrosoftDynamics365. De-dupe.Merge.Clean.Delete.Enrich. A system is only as good as it’s data, and a lot…
I will marry you if:✅ You buy me this big diamond ring 💎✅ You get me that sports car 🏎✅…
It’s really not difficult to create content about project delivery when I get messages like these 🙄 The post literally…
Preparing for a new Salesforce Consultant role𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝟰 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 IMHO, #ResourceManagers are heroes. 🦸♀️ They are the oracles…
We are not an island. 🏝We have stakeholders in our lives – both professional and personal. Unless you live a…
I proofread as much as I can – especially Discovery and critical documents that require client sign-off and is a…
Go/No-Go – That sounds like a Japanese manga character of pokemonstic proportions! 😨 It’s actually the Big Meeting that happens…
I nag.But I’m so charming that my team rarely minds too much 😁 Except my kids, because they get stuff…
Anyone who didn’t attend the Coacto | Salesforce.com Consulting run Cotswold Community Group last Thursday won’t know what a SaConja is. Luckily,…
“I hate it! I hate it! I HATE IT!!”The ‘integration’ and ‘upgrade’ had gone horribly wrong. Delays after delays, broken…
Ahhh having difficult conversations.It’s not suited for everyone. Sometimes I don’t like it too, but there are times when it…
How many Project Managers does it take to change a lightbulb?None – because they spend all their time talking and…
“OMG OMG Disaster! This project is red all over!” What happens if you keep raising red flags in a project?Either…
#Podcast episode 11 with Chris Loe is now out. Chris is a Solution Architect with Slalom, and a diverse and fascinating career path behind…
Which is better: Fixed Price or Time & Materials? These are the two main types of commercial agreements that Salesforce…
James is a PM that I wouldn’t trust to lead in a crisis. Let’s say that Zombies are about to…
Sequence matters. The bad dad joke below works because of the sequence. Swap the lines and the joke doesn’t make…
A Project Manager is not just someone who– nags you about the status of your task– nags you about that…
Do you switch off your work persona when you get home? It’s a bit hard sometimes. Those of us with…
The life of a Project Manager can be incredibly exciting! You’ll get fantastic projects– new technology– super fun clients– great…
What’s the most important thing to a #Salesforce Partner?Utilisation and chargeability. 💲 Actually, that’s super important to all consulting partners and billable…
I don’t mind playing the bad guy.I really don’t.Especially if it means our team gets what we need to get…
As a Project Manager, I set the tone for the team. I can make life for my teamEasy or hardFun…
#Podcast with maz iqbal out now. He is a very seasoned #Salesforce#ProgrammeManager with decades of experience behind him. He is also a very good friend.…
Everybody hates pushy sales tactics.Everybody hates people who don’t listen. I can probably say the above with almost 100% certainty.…
I think there are a few things I’ve always done, that points to the kind of career that I’d end…
Here’s the ONLY secret you need to know to scope out what you want in a CRM (and yes –…
Some #Salesforce or #Microsoft Partners play ‘Hot Potato’ with the projects they sell, and it’s a rotten way to do business. Sometimes a culture…
PM’s job in 4 words: Setting and managing expectations. Any PM who isn’t able to do this, really should look…
The immutable law of Project Management.Just like the law of gravity, you can attempt to break it at your peril.…
Plan the work, and work the plan. That’s what we do, as Project Managers.Yes, I’ve made risky decisions in the…
#Salesforce Project Management.It’s very similar to almost any other CRM or enterprise #ProjectManagement – especially as a Consultant with a Partner. You have…
One of the critical job of a #Salesforce or Microsoft Consultant or a #awesomeadmins is to tactfully challenge requests. So many business applications can…
It is inevitable that sales can sometimes paint a picture that is a little too beautiful, too bright and too…
“It’s no fun testing a game; It’s like playing, but it’s not.It’s trying to find all the glitches and then…
Pancakes and waffles. 🥞 vs 🧇That’s what a client side PM and a partner side PM is like. The basic…
Have you ever been handed a baby with a HUGE bulging nappy?The one where you’re afraid of peeking inside just…
Day 3 of my #30daysofvideo challenge. I thought that I’d answer some commonly asked questions.In today’s video post, I talk about the…
“So how many sandboxes will you have? Whaaaaat? 😱“Why do I need more than one?” “If you want to replace…
The new IT Director showed me his CBAR-Cost Benefit Analysis Report.My right eyebrow went so far back it joined my…
“Um, I said you’d drive them the 238 855 miles to the moon with your 1964 Morris Minor.” Argh! I…
Salesforce has changed the way they are certifying their #SalesforcePartners and this is their definition of an Implementation Expert: A…
I LOVE data. However, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve really played in the trenches soit was super…
As a Consulting Partner, asking insightful questions, and listening carefully, will help you understand requirements when it comes to building…
“Scope creep” and misunderstanding about what is and isn’t in scope for a consulting project seems to be a key…
If you haven’t been able to catch any fish, is the fishing rod at fault? If you burn your hand…
“I’ve sent out the email about production cutover, and if they didn’t read it – it’s their fault; not mine.”…
What’s the difference between working in a large Consulting Partner and small, medium or boutique sized one? For me, it’s…
“Are there any PMs on the training who might have very strong personalities?” “Why do you ask?” I was a…
Do you build your CRM platform yourself or do you get someone to help you? Buying software that can be…