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Are Project Managers Useless? A Closer Look Plus My Honest Opinion
Project Management

Are Project Managers Useless? A Closer Look Plus My Honest Opinion…

Project Managers are portrayed in one of two lights in the media. Project managers are either seen as do-it-all, constantly busy workaholics, or lazy do-nothings who create more problems than they solve. The question remains – which is true? This website is focused on what Project Managers do and why they’re important – on this site, we think Project Management is extremely important. This is biased of course. Others don’t see Project Managers so favorably. They may even see the PM in a negative light, using some colorful words to describe them. Today, we explore this question: Are Project Managers useless? Here’s my honest opinion…

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Pat Finnegan November 5, 2019
A Project Manager's First Day On The Job: Focus On These 3 Essentials
Project Management

A Project Manager’s First Day On The Job: Focus On These 3 Essentials

The first day on the job can be nerve-wracking for a Project Manager at any skill level. Working in a new environment comes with all sorts of challenges that we get hit with simultaneously. Between new coworkers, a different workplace culture and an impression to make, it’s easy to become overwhelmed when we start at a new job – let alone taking on our new project! That’s a whole other conversation, which we’ll have in this article. Today, we write about a Project Manager’s first day on the job, and the three essential things they should focus on first!

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Pat Finnegan October 29, 2019
Why Are Lessons Learned Important In Project Management?
Construction Process

Why Are Lessons Learned Important In Project Management? Here’s Why

When a project is finally complete, most people want to enjoy the result and then move on, even when the project goes well. Although the idea of new projects becomes alluring at this point, it’s the perfect time to reflect back on the finished project with 20/20 vision. Even on successful projects, there are things that could’ve gone smoother. There are also portions of it that go much better than expected. So why are lessons learned important in project management? Here are a few benefits of this.

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Pat Finnegan October 23, 2019
Project Management

Managing Older Employees As A Younger Manager: Realities To Consider

As you become a manager in any industry, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to manage employees older than yourself. This is true for the vast majority of managers out there today. In many cases, people get promoted to a management position in their 30s or even in their 20s. The majority of their coworkers might be older than the manager in these instances! While managing an employee older than you requires a specific approach, it’s completely doable. In this article, we’re talking about managing older employees as a younger manager, along with some realities that go along with doing so.

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Pat Finnegan October 23, 2019
Project Management

Project Management Humor: Four Of My Own Personal Work Stories

Sometimes we just need to laugh. We’ve been producing a lot of longer-form content lately that’s either technical or instructional in nature. While project management is both of these things most of the time, there’s plenty of chaos mixed in for good measure. From this chaos emerges some pretty funny stuff, even if it doesn’t seem too funny at the time. This article will be focused on project management humor, as seen through four of my own personal work stories. While these are pretty silly, there’s definitely a few nuggets in each story of what not to do in the future! Enjoy.

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Pat Finnegan October 16, 2019
How Do You Manage Multiple Projects Effectively
Construction Process

How Do You Manage Multiple Projects Effectively? Our Top 10 Techniques

In a perfect world, a Project Manager would be given exactly one project at a time. We could put all of our attention and energy into getting the project completely finished before we even think about the next one. As you and I both already know, though, this world is far from perfect. People leave or get fired. New project opportunities pop up out of nowhere. Projects get delayed well beyond their original timeframe. Companies stretch resources. Busy times call for juggling. Some projects are just too small to require a full-time P.M. If you work in project management long

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Pat Finnegan October 15, 2019
Overwhelmed By Big Projects? Try These 6 Essential Techniques!
Project Management

Overwhelmed By Big Projects? 6 Approaches With Metaphors & Examples

When we first take on a project, it feels like we’re given a huge block of stone – from which, we’re expected to sculpt a finely-detailed statue. Even worse, we must sculpt it within a certain amount of time, with set resources. Where do we start? What do we do first? At the very beginning, a new project can feel quite overwhelmed. It’s even easier to feel overwhelmed by big projects. There are just so many steps, phases and tasks to get right. Just as a 1,000 mile journey begins with a single step, or how the pyramids are built with one block of stone at a time, projects can be broken down into easy, bite-sized steps – all it takes is a change in our approach and strategy! In this article, we’ll discuss six approaches to large projects, along with metaphors and examples.

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Pat Finnegan September 23, 2019
What Are The Disadvantages Of Remote Working
Project Management Experiences

What Are The Disadvantages Of Remote Working? 5 Realities To Consider

In the past, working from home or abroad was reserved for the ultra-rich. Movie tycoons like Gordon Gekko would leave the big city via helicopter to their distant beach mansions, where they’d call shots from afar. In 2019, things are changing. According to QZ.com, over 5% of Americans were working from home back in 2017. That’s over 8 million people! This figure has more than doubled since the year 2000, and is surely higher now. The advantages of working remotely are obvious: no commute, more flexibility and fewer annoying interruptions. It’s the dream. But what are the disadvantages of remote working? In this article, we’ll discuss five realities to consider before working from home.

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Pat Finnegan September 10, 2019
Common Weaknesses Of Project Managers
Project Management

Common Weaknesses Of Project Managers: Overcoming My 6 Main Flaws

Are Project Managers born, or made? Most likely, it’s a combination of both. Whether our specific discipline is in Engineering, Software Development, Architecture, Construction Management, Business Management or none of the above, we decided to pursue our fields in part because of our natural passion and inclination for the craft. In this way at a minimum, Project Managers can be born. In the vast majority of cases, though, people within these fields need to get several years of experience on the job before being promoted to ‘Project Manager‘. These several years include valuable work experience, training and continual development. In

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Pat Finnegan August 27, 2019
How Do You Transition A Project To A New Project Manager
Project Management

How Do You Transition A Project To A New Project Manager?

It happens all too often. Projects get reassigned. A project manager decides to leave the company. A P.M. on another project is leaving, so you get pulled off your project to go manage theirs. Does this sound familiar? While common in the industry, the project “hand off” is one of the most significant and impactful events on the project’s outcome, and a bad handoff can take a big bite out of the results. At this stage, there’s a logical question to ask: How do you transition a project to a new project manager? Like most things, a good project hand-off

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Pat Finnegan August 21, 2019

About This Topic

Project Management is a discipline that cannot be fully learned via academic means – it must ultimately be experienced. While we all have our own stories to tell, Project Managers experience a lot of the same situations and challenges across all kinds of projects. I’ve had my fair share and I’m sure you’ll be able to relate to a lot of these experiences, too. Whether it relate to clients, disputes, team dynamics, surprises, lessons learned, efficiency, qualifications or a bad day at work, we’re sure you’ll enjoy reading more about these common Project Management experiences.

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