Soon after being accepted as a member of a fire department, cadets are typically enrolled into training classes. Their training regime may consist of basic classes, hazardous material teaching, awareness classes, and several others that are relevant to the challenging role of being a firefighter. New firefighters also are trained early in their career on communications protocols, the chain of command, and standard operating procedures. The need for a common communication language in the fire service is arguably more critical than many other professions, as the cost of a miscommunication can have serious consequences in an urgent situation. In most situations, there are procedures that every firefighter should know, and there are guidelines and processes that establish the chain of command. A system of protocols, chain of command, and standard operating procedures is needed so that, when called into duty, regardless of the department(s) or personnel responding, everyone knows what to do and who is accountable so that the teams can go straight into the “performing” stage of their activity.
Project Management and Firefighting; Are there Lessons to be Shared?
The Rise of SaaS Portfolio and Project Management Solutions
A year ago, I had an astonishing conversation with an editor of a widely read information technology publication. When I asked him why the publication had dedicated sections for CRM (customer relationship management) software and ERP (enterprise resource management) solutions, but not for project management, he responded, “Nobody cares about project management.” After I caught my breath, I offered him some reasons why the information technology audience might choose to care. Allow me to present the background first.
Project Portfolio Management; an Evolving Journey to Interim Value Destinations
Any journey worth taking has a destination as its end goal. From an organizational perspective, the destination is to fulfill enterprise value. Enterprise value can take different forms. For commercial entities, it’s typically profitability and for government organizations, it’s delivering services. For almost every organization, though, there exists not one single destination, but rather many interim points along a continuous journey.
We Are All Project Managers!
If someone asked you if you were a project manager, you might look at your job title and respond, "No, I'm the CEO," or even, "What's a project manager, anyway?" According to Wikipedia, a project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, telecommunications or software development. [1]
Top 10 Pitfalls to Avoid when Implementing Project Management Software
Recently at LiquidPlanner, we took some time to conduct in-depth interviews with nearly 40 of our most active customers. We asked a lot of questions and heard some great success stories. One thing quickly became clear: the method you use to roll out a new tool can make or break its adoption and success on a team.
So what made these teams successful? They each avoided most (or all) of the pitfalls below when introducing project management software to their teams.
For Fast Effective Project Management Help, Pick up the Batphone!
I’m a child of the 60s. Born in 1958, I was 8 years old when the original Batman TV series came on the air in 1966 and only 10 when it wound up in 1968. It lasted 120 episodes but the impression it made lasts to this day.
More Articles...
- Anatomy of an Effective Project Manager
- Can Technology Solve the Project Execution Problem?
- Meet Your New Best Friend; the Project Charter
- Do You Know Where Your IT Projects Are? Part 4.
- Will Project Managers Have Their Heads in the Cloud?
- Why Program Management is an Essential Part of Strategy Execution
- Stronger Together; Cultivating the Business Analyst and Project Manager Relationship
- Minimizing SME Bias of Subject Matter Experts through effective Project Management
- Project Success Factor; Education vs. Training
- What if I Don’t Prioritize My Projects?
- Do You Know Where Your IT Projects Are? Part 3.
- Implementing Project Management at a Functional Organization. Part 2.
- The Five Goals of a Project Manager
- Implementing Project Management at a Functional Organization. Part 1.
- The Value of Getting Everyone on the Same Project Page
- The Project Manager’s Collaborating Conundrum
- Common Mistakes of New Project Teams
- Do You Know Where Your IT Projects Are? Part 2
- How to Manage the Complexities of Large, Diverse Project Teams
- Project Managers; The Enemy Within
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