Last night my husband and I had to deliver some difficult news to our five-year-old daughter: her favorite baseball player (“in the universe, mom”) Todd Frazier was traded from her favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds, to the Chicago White Sox. This may seem fairly trivial to most; it happens all the time in baseball. But […]
“Streamline”…”Efficiency”…“Simplify”…These are words every business person is familiar with—and likely strives to achieve on a daily basis. Today’s customers expect things to happen quickly and for processes and projects to run smoothly. One of the most tempting ways to accomplish things in the most streamlined and efficient way possible is to keep your project team […]
In the business world, it is often said that resources are your most valuable asset. If that’s the case, are you doing everything you can to ensure that your most valuable assets are being leveraged to their fullest potential? It’s not as easy as it sounds—especially when you have multiple projects with overlapping timelines that […]
My mother-in-law is moving. She sold her condo and, because it’s not usually in good taste to stick around after the new owners take possession, she is packing up this Memorial Day weekend and moving in with her daughter. At least until she finds a more permanent residence. And because we have the extra garage […]
Humans are creatures of habit and routine. I’m sure there is some psychological, scientific explanation as to why that is—but I couldn’t articulate that here. The easy (and very unscientific) summary is that once something becomes familiar, it becomes easy. Thus, the idea that “change is difficult” makes sense. So much so that there is a […]
Ahhhh… spring! Well, I’m sure it must be spring somewhere. Many people use the term “spring cleaning” to refer to their homes or closets or desks – a time to remove clutter, to look in all the dark corners, to brighten and refresh. The concept of spring cleaning can also be applied to project management […]
What’s new with ABR? Take a peek at what’s going on in our world as we work to deliver relevant, world-class solutions for our clients. One of the most important aspects of any project is the timeline. And for a project manager, keeping track of all the tasks, assignments, and deadlines can be challenging. Here […]
What’s new with ABR? Take a peek at what’s going on in our world as we work to deliver relevant, world-class solutions for our clients. This is project manager Devon Campailla’s view for the morning! Audio is a key element of many of the e-learning courses we develop for our clients. Today, Devon is listening in […]
No, you’re not in trouble. For children, a time-out is a punishment – something that happens when they need to be removed from a situation to calm down and think about what they’ve done and how it might have affected others. But for adults, this idea of a time-out can be a welcome opportunity. What […]
As a longtime project manager, I know from experience that successful projects do not materialize by magic. However, applying the information-gathering approach that I’m about to share will have your colleagues and clients thinking you are a project management Houdini. Regardless of size, complexity, or industry, all projects begin on the same starting blocks. When […]
What’s new with ABR? Take a peek at what’s going on in our world as we work to deliver relevant, world-class solutions for our clients. ABR’s longtime Client Services Manager, Karrin Frilling, offers a glimpse today of some of the tools that are absolutely crucial for her to effectively perform her project management and instructional design […]
What’s new with ABR? Take a peek at what’s going on in our world as we work to deliver relevant, world-class solutions for our clients. Devon Campailla, a Project Manager at ABR, is busy coordinating numerous client projects this week. With kick-off calls to schedule, status reports to write, and deliverables to get out the […]
If you had six days to complete a project that might normally take three months, how would you do it? Sounds like a think-tank exercise, right? One you might ask to get people to start “thinking outside the box.” Recently this hypothetical question became a reality when a client presented ABR with a challenge to […]
Even if you’ve never been a Boy Scout, chances are you know that the Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” It’s good advice. A lot of challenging situations can be more easily handled if you are prepared with the right tools, approach, or frame of mind. And that simple sentence—Be prepared—truly does apply in many cases. Even in project management. OK… maybe it’s not quite that simple (otherwise this would be a really short blog). Maybe there’s a little more complexity to a project manager’s motto.
In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a global economy. What happens in one corner of the world has an impact on markets in another. Whether we are ready to admit it or not, we are tightly linked economically, politically, and in some cases, culturally. If you are reading this article, chances are you work with people around the globe. That’s great! I’ve been living this life for the last ten years as a work-at-home project manager for a large business process outsourcer. My company has offices around the globe and employs over 78,000 people. Therefore, I’d like to share some tips on how to successfully work with people who are both near and far.
In the business world, it is often said that resources are your most valuable asset. If that’s the case, are you doing everything you can to ensure that your most valuable assets are being leveraged to their fullest potential? It’s not as easy as it sounds—especially when you have multiple projects with overlapping timelines that require many of the same roles. Trying to figure out how to best assign resources to projects can be a little like putting together a puzzle.
Projects come in all shapes and sizes—and timelines. Some require you and your team to operate at warp speed while others seem to linger endlessly. As a Project Manager, it is your job to ensure that your team stays motivated and committed regardless of whether you’re running a sprint race or a marathon. Here are some ideas on how to do that.
Ask any team dealing with a troubled project what would help their project run more smoothly, and they will likely say better communication. In project management, communication is critical. You can put together a perfect project plan, an elegant timeline, and a lean budget—but if you cannot effectively communicate with your team and your stakeholders, your budget will blow up, your timeline will fall apart, and your project plan will be a distant memory.
Last June, a colleague of mine wrote about tools of the trade for project managers. Her tips were very helpful and the article made an impact on me because my role at ABR is multi-faceted, not solely project management. Working for a small business, it’s not unusual to have multiple job functions. In addition to managing client projects, I am responsible for sales and business development and I sometimes facilitate training workshops. So, I’m constantly weaving in and out of different roles on any given day.
Conference calls are a way of life for me. Most of my clients are long distance, so very few of my meetings are done face-to-face. Instead, I spend much of my day with a receiver to my ear. Although conducting a conference call is essentially the same as conducting any other type of meeting, there are a few things you should keep in mind when hopping on the phone.
Accelerated Business Results (ABR) is looking for talented Instructional Designers and Project Managers to join our team! ABR is a full-service, award-winning training and social media company with an upbeat, high-energy team and entrepreneurial spirit. If you have solid, proven experience in instructional design or project management (or both!) and you know how to work hard and have fun, then we want to hear from you. We have a range of opportunities available, including contracting, part-time, and full-time positions.
Most people don’t like meetings. But a well-run meeting is a useful tool that helps keep you and your colleagues on track. If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a PM to run your next meeting, here are some tips for holding an effective meeting that people won’t mind attending.
Every industry has seen advances that make “getting the job done” easier, faster, and more cost effective—whether it’s medical equipment that can shorten time for diagnosis or an angled snow shovel that doesn’t require the user to contort the body into extremely uncomfortable positions (trust me, the difference matters!). The project management industry is no […]
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