Project Managers Say

By Andy Trainer | Published February 1, 2012

There’s a trend at the moment on YouTube for “S**t People Say” videos. The latest in this line of parody videos is called “S**t Project Managers Say” and while it’s very American-centric it’s obviously hit the right spot in the project management community with comments including ‘I felt like I was watching my autobiography‘ and ‘I am [...]

The Philosophy of Project Management

By Andy Trainer | Published January 27, 2012

There is no doubt that the project manager’s role is a lot like spinning plates while riding a bike; keeping one eye on the customer and the other firmly on the supplier – all the while making sure the project is heading in the right direction towards its goal. Getting the mix of keeping everyone [...]

Should you use Social Tools for Project Management?

By Andy Trainer | Published January 18, 2012

Social media has introduced the world to many different, and new, mediums to connect and share ideas; from Twitter’s micro-blogging to podcasts on a staggering range of subjects. These communication methods are becoming more frequently used by people of all ages, nationalities and professions, so now we have to look at how we can use [...]

Project Management in SEO

By Andy Trainer | Published December 28, 2011

Like any long term iterative project, without proper project management, SEO campaigns can really suffer from lack of direction and leave your customers feeling hard done by. It is vital that the customer’s expectations are managed as well as the project otherwise you can risk: a) losing sight of it’s original aims b) building unneccessary complexity into [...]

How to Avoid Project Management Failure

By Andy Trainer | Published December 20, 2011

Even with the best PRINCE2 project management training many organisations are still failing to manage projects successfully. Why? Well good project management requires more than just good processes (although you really do need to have these in place too.) What is it that keeps many organisations and business from managing projects successfully? Project management is [...]

Best Apps to Help Aid Productivity

By Andy Trainer | Published December 12, 2011

One of the main reasons for owning a smart phone is that when you’re having one of those wobbly, not so bright days you can rely on your Droid to help pick up the pieces; as long as you’ve remembered to keep enough charge in the thing. With a wide variety of productivity apps available [...]

Writing a Great Scope Statement

By Andy Trainer | Published December 9, 2011

One of the most important stages of a project is the writing a Scope statement. Getting this right means that you can avoid many problems and help the project flow. Your Scope statement should document as much as possible, as clearly as possible, and should make sure everyone involved is aware of what is expected. [...]

Getting the Most from Managing Your Team

By Andy Trainer | Published November 29, 2011

One of the most important aspects of being a project manager is to effectively manage your project team. Without your direction their responsibilities and goals will not be clear and could lead to an unsuccessful project. While following a project management standard such as PRINCE2 is critical for the smooth running of a project, the [...]

Project Management Means People Management

By Andy Trainer | Published November 21, 2011

Project management has become a highly regarded role, it’s become a career rather than a job. The gradual shift in perception of Project Management roles and principals is a welcome development for the industry, giving companies a greater respect for practitioners of PRINCE2 and other Project Management methodologies. It has also led to a greater requirement for PRINCE2 training and [...]

Project Management – When Projects Go Wrong

By Andy Trainer | Published November 11, 2011

When things go wrong with a Project there are often tough decisions to be made by the Project Manager. Should you decide to keep the project going? Or should you abort the project? Depending on the size of the company or organisation the level of control needed to go back and change the business rationale, [...]