by Jennifer Whitt, PMP

One of the top questions I like to be asked is, “How do I get certified as a project manager?” I love to talk with someone who is committed to project management. However, there’s a little confusion in the market about what qualifies as certification, and what’s required to become certified. There are universities or colleges that offer a project management certificate, and therefore people think maybe they become certified in those programs, but that’s not in fact professional certification. There are two certifying bodies: the PRINCE2 organization, which we will talk about in another article, and the Project Management Institute, which I want to focus on here.

by Rick Forbus, Ph.D.

"Lesson not just karate only, lesson for whole life:  Whole life have a balance, everything be better.  Understand?"

by Jennifer Whitt, PMP

A common question I am frequently asked is “How can I manage my projects more effectively and quickly?”  The following article will focus on how Organization and Proper Tools can help manage a project.

by Jennifer Whitt, PMP

Writing a project charter has to be one of the most confusing areas to project managers, even though it is written before a project really ever starts. Many people have the impression they don’t do project charters, when in fact they do. Documents synonymous to the project charter are also called a SOW (statement of work), ERD (estimate response document), BC (business case) or quote. Regardless of its name, the project charter is very important in the beginning because it is the formal authorization for a project. Not a whole lot of the planning and analysis has been done yet, so all that’s known at the time of writing a project charter is high level.

by David Ryback, Ph.D.

Our brain is a complex organ. The headline on how it works is that there is the old brain that deals primarily with emotions. The emerging news is the discovery of the importance of a small structure residing in both sides of the head - the amygdale - where we process new perceptions that might be threats, for example, all new people we meet, including new clients and customers. When the threat is great enough, we have “amygdale hijack,” when the threatening information goes directly to the amygdalae, short-circuiting the thinking frontal cortex and resulting in “thoughtless” or irrational impulsive reaction.

by Jeff Justice, CSP

Humor is a great teaching tool. Use it to make a point, not just to get a laugh. Maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve done that before. (And sometimes, not laughing at a bad joke actually gets people to remember even better!) If you rewrite an old joke to help make your point, that’s great. But if you just tell jokes to get a laugh, people often resist you. Even the best known comedians aren’t “on” all the time — they know we need a break.

by Bob Rausch, Ph.D.

You can be so excited about the challenges you face that you don’t take time to refuel your energy. In fact, you may believe there’s no need to refuel because you love what you’re doing. Then, over time, life isn’t as exciting as it once was and you don’t feel as enthusiastic as you did. People often ask me how long it takes before they’ll feel the effects of burnout. It varies from one person to the next, but the symptoms are almost always the same. The stress feels deeper, more overpowering, and at times uncontrollable. The slightest thing makes you angry or agitated. Feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt often arise. Your energy and determination for leading people seems to have vanished. 

In the video, shown below, I recall a very energetic client who was so excited about his challenges he actually began to burn out. As leaders, we are truly made for the tough times and big challenges, but we also need to be aware of our individual need to refuel our energy.

by Lakecia Carter, PMP

Have you ever been brought into a troubled project late in the game? Were you expected to save the day? As a PM, this can be stressful and intimidating. To some degree, it is an unfair expectation of the PM. Unfortunately, this is a still very common in many organizations. They start a project without a PM or someone without PM skills, and somewhere along the way, they realize they are in trouble. If you are the PM that gets the call, here are 3 things to keep top of mind:

by MaryGrace Allenchey, PMP

A menagerie can be defined as an unusual or varied group of people. This dictionary definition is easily applied to, and almost a synonym for project or program stakeholders.