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Project Management

Working Remotely As A Project Manager: How To Manage A Remote Team

Working remotely, whether it be from home or a hotel room, has become more common with each passing year. It makes sense. Business owners can save money by having less office space and employees spend less time getting to and from work. Technology makes working remotely easier than ever. When this is combined with the “new normal” we’re experiencing thanks to the Coronavirus (aka COVID-19), working remotely has become mandatory in many cases. What about working remotely as a Project Manager? Is it possible? In this article, we’ll talk about the intricacies of managing a remote team as a Project Manager.

admin July 8, 2020

Project Management

Managing Jerks As A Project Manager: What To Act On & What To Accept

As Project Managers, we get the ‘pleasure’ of working with people of every variety. Not only are we expected to work alongside everyone else involved with the project, but we’re also expected to help them, answer questions and provide direction. Simple enough, right? Well, on paper it is. Management gets difficult when personalities begin to clash. Maybe a teammate thinks you’re stupid and doesn’t want to listen to you. Perhaps they think you’re too smart and are threatened by you. Even more vague – they might just not like you for their own reasons. While this seems like a big deal when it’s happening to us, it’s statistically inevitable – no one can please everyone. Manage enough people over time and you’ll run into difficulty with some. Today, we’re taking about managing jerks as a Project Manager, along with which behavior we should act on vs. let slide. Let’s get into it!

Pat Finnegan December 17, 2019

Workplace Experiences

Is Dating A Coworker A Bad Idea? My Honest Opinion

Ah, dating in the workplace. The stuff sitcoms, dramas and movies are made of. We live in a society that idealizes the concept of finding ‘the one’ for you at work. But maybe that’s not what we’re after at all – perhaps we just want a casual fling with a coworker. Whatever the case may be for you, we’re going to go deep on answering this burning question: Is dating a coworker a bad idea? I will also give my honest opinion. Let’s begin.

Pat Finnegan December 12, 2019

Project Management

Working For Difficult Clients As A Project Manager: Avoid These 5 Things

The Clients you work for as a Project Manager are like chocolates in a box – some of them suck. Such is life! We don’t always get to work for Clients that are nice, reasonable or even people we like on an individual basis. This is made ten times worse when we consider that Clients control most of the cards on the table – including payment! On projects like these, we need to work even harder as Project Managers to manage not only the work, but the Client too. In this article, we’re talking about working for difficult Clients as a Project Manager, along with 5 things to avoid at all costs.

Pat Finnegan November 27, 2019

Project Management

The Importance Of Office Administration: 4 Key Aspects & Responsibilities

We talk about Project Management a lot on this website. While that is our core focus, I’ve realized that we don’t discuss an extremely important aspect of running any business or organization – the administrators. This holds true across every field, including and especially the construction industry where I hail from. While we can all agree that administrators play a vital role in the larger picture, there are several different areas in which they’re particularly helpful. In this article, we’re talking about the importance of office administration and the 4 key aspects and responsibilities behind their role.

Pat Finnegan November 19, 2019

Construction Management

What Is An Assistant Project Manager? A Brief Overview Of The Position

Project Managers are in charge of the whole show – as far as the specific project is concerned, the buck stops with them (or their boss). Regardless, Project Managers are expected to make the big decisions on the job. By the time they’re even promoted to P.M., they already have several years of experience in the field. So what exactly are P.M.s doing before they become Project Managers. In this article, we’re discussing the question of “what is an Assistant Project Manager?”, including what A.P.M.s do and the type of experience they have.

Pat Finnegan November 18, 2019

Workplace Experiences

How To Not Be Annoying At Work: A Few Things To Keep In Mind

The hustle, the deadlines, the frustrations…work is difficult enough as it is. When we add an annoying coworker to the mix, though, our work lives can become too much to bear. Nobody likes an annoying coworker, and they have the ability to bring down the entire operation if left to their own devices. Let’s not be hypocrites – judgement of others is easy, but introspection is not. If we expect peace and serenity while working, we must also make sure that we don’t become that annoying coworker ourselves! In this article, we’re talking about how to not be annoying at work, along with a few tips to keep in mind.

Pat Finnegan November 4, 2019

Project Manager Soft Skills

Managing Egos At Work: How To Decipher The Hidden Messages

Most people have more than one version of themselves inside. We have our rational minds – the part of us that’s calm, logical and conscious of reality, and then we have our ego – the self-preserving, survival-based irrational mind that is mostly based in emotion (feelings) rather than fact. Emotions like anger, frustration, disdain, jealousy and fear are just a few of the feelings that can trigger our ego to jump in and take over. While social pressures and societal standards incentivize us to be on our best behavior, our egos can still flare up in public, around others and yes, even at work. Humans have egos in part for survival purposes, but in current times, it doesn’t feel that way. We go to work to perform our duties and take home our pay, but that doesn’t stop us from being humans as we do it. Today, we discuss managing egos at work, specifically by deciphering the hidden meaning behind what egos are really saying.

Pat Finnegan October 15, 2019

Project Management

What Is The Waterfall Model Used For In Project Management?

Projects come in all shapes and sizes. Some projects are broad, vague and developed over time as changes and improvements are implemented. On these more complex projects, using a management method with flexibility and room for changes is of utmost importance. Other projects require a more straightforward, linear approach – complete step 1 as required, then move onto step 2 when step 1 is fully satisfied. Repeat until the project is finished. The former method is known as the Agile project management process, which we’ve recently written about. The latter approach is what we’re focusing on in this article, which is known as the Waterfall method. So what is the waterfall model used for in project management? Let’s explore!

Pat Finnegan September 25, 2019

Construction Management

How Do You Manage Subcontractors? 7 Essential Tips

Projects come in all shapes and sizes, as do contractors. For a contractor to take on a project, they must essentially be willing and able to bring a client’s idea into reality. Sometimes, a contractor possesses all of the knowledge, skill and supplies necessary to complete an entire project on their own. In many other cases, though, the outcome a client is looking for has many parts to it. While a contractor might be willing and able to perform a large portion of the work, the client may be asking for things the contractor just can’t do. The contractor doesn’t walk away at this stage – they hire another contractor to do the work they’re not able to do themselves. This additional contractor is now a subcontractor on the project. Before hiring a subcontractor in a real-world scenario for the first time, we must know the ins and outs of working with a subcontractor. In this article, we’ll be answering the question of: How do you manage subcontractors?

Pat Finnegan September 17, 2019

CATEGORY | Teamwork

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Working Remotely As A Project Manager: How To Manage A Remote Team

Managing Jerks As A Project Manager: What To Act On & What To Accept

Is Dating A Coworker A Bad Idea? My Honest Opinion

Working For Difficult Clients As A Project Manager: Avoid These 5 Things

The Importance Of Office Administration: 4 Key Aspects & Responsibilities

What Is An Assistant Project Manager? A Brief Overview Of The Position

How To Not Be Annoying At Work: A Few Things To Keep In Mind

Managing Egos At Work: How To Decipher The Hidden Messages

What Is The Waterfall Model Used For In Project Management?

How Do You Manage Subcontractors? 7 Essential Tips

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