Career and Professional Development (CSD)
Intelligent Disobedience new perspectives on decision making in project management
A blind man is rushing home. His seeing-eye dog senses his haste and quickens his pace to match his master’s expectations; the traffic is quiet as they approach the intersection near their apartment. The blind man, usually keen on hearing, does not sense the approaching mini-van heading towards him at 80 miles an hour.
The van blinks its lights but does not slow down. The dog feels a tug on his leash indicating “Go!” The animal feels something’s wrong and sensing impeding disaster over given instruction, pauses on his heels. As the dog’s nails drag against the sidewalk, the leash jerks the blind man back, his left hip missing the hood of the van by mere inches Continue Reading
Taking PMBOK® out of the Box
There’s genuine excitement within the PM community (along with the inevitable confusion) as we collectively evaluate the new release of the 4th edition of the PMBOK® guide. The PMBOK® is a foundational framework representing the collective experience of practicing project managers working in projects around the world including China, Norway, Finland, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, among others.
When it comes to explaining the essence of project management, the PMBOK® is known to be dry and abstract at times but we also trust it for its comprehensiveness and authority. The key question is of course does it really help us execute projects successfully. While no one expects the PMBOK® to guarantee project success on its own, there are project managers who use it as a guideline to plan and manage projects effectively.
We need to understand that the PMBOK® can only tell you many of the things you need to do (“The What”); it does not prescribe the way you should do them (“The How”). PMI also mentions that a lot of processes mentioned in the PMBOK® might not be applicable in some parts of the project life cycle. The key lies in the project manager’s ability to identify the right tools and processes and map them to the project context.
Continue Reading
Commoditization of PMP Certification
The consensus about PMP certification seems to be changing, or at least shifting. In a recent discussion with my peers, I shared my disenchantment about the PMP hypermarket. I was surprised at how many of my friends shared my feelings—even ones from the university. I guess this is because we share a common dilemma: we are deeply invested in the success of projects and worried about the commoditization of PM education.
Continue Reading
