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Did anyone else want to change the world when they grew up?

Maybe this dream was top-of-mind and you talked about it with family and friends. Maybe it was hidden under layers of shame, fear, or self-doubt…but you knew it was there and what it was.

I seem to have fared better than most when it come...

I am not being paid to promote any of the resources below. I am simply a satisfied user of them.

The Project Management Institute, or PMI, is a wonderful, well-respected international organization with extensive resources for current and aspiring project managers. The institute is best known for ad...

If you’re totally new to using Gantt charts, check out my post about the critical path method, which explains what Gantt charts are and how to use them in a meaningful way when scheduling your projects.

But if you already have a basic grasp of Gantt charts and just want a little help mapping your d...

As a project manager, I suspect you’re in a fair number of meetings.

I hope those meetings are productive, and if they’re not, I’d love to help you change that!

But regardless, meetings are a communication tool—a means to an end for your project—which means you’ll need to come out of the meeting w...

As a project manager, I’m in meetings ALL. THE. TIME. I probably have 15-20 meetings during an average work week.

For the most part, I enjoy meetings—not only because of the reminder that I’m not working alone, but also, I find them very effective in moving my projects forward.

But meetings are no...

I love meetings.

I am being hyperbolic to say they are the best project management communication tool, because the best tool varies by situation, and the fun of being a project manager is your opportunity to decide which tool is best in your situation right now.

But on average, I find meetings to ...

Recently, a project manager on my team and I both received phone calls from an upset team member.

We both run our projects in such a way that minimizes how often this type of interaction happens, but even the best project manager can’t prevent all conflict or all situations that might make a stakeh...

Do people respond to the emails you send? Do they do so in a timely manner? Do they answer all your questions?

While project managers need to be prepared to use many different communication tools, email remains important. It may be a central means of communication at your organization. Or if your t...

Have an upcoming kickoff meeting, and want to write a clear invitation and meeting agenda that send your project in the right direction?

You’ll find a template at the end of this blog for a kickoff meeting invitation with an agenda built-in. Feel free to copy and paste it into your digital meeting ...

Ah, deadlines.

In one sense, a great project manager rises above deadlines and keeps everyone focused on what meets project goals under current circumstances, even if that means original deadlines shift or fall by the wayside.

But in another sense, project schedules DO matter, and meeting a deadli...