28.02.2018 - Meetings are essential in project management. The project manager meets constantly with his team colleagues, with other parties working on the project, with authorities or customers. In all of these meetings, problems and strategies are discussed, ideas are discussed and decisions are made - sometimes they are extremely important and have to produce groundbreaking decisions, sometimes they are simply part of the project's everyday life and should only bring all participants to the same level. In any case, the meetings serve the progress of the project and should therefore be taken seriously. In order to ensure that every meeting has the desired success, it is important that all parties involved are concentrate on the meeting, regardless of whether it lasts ten minutes or two hours. Read more »

22.02.2018 - Which of us is not familiar with this situation - teamwork can be both a blessing and a curse. If the team works well together or communicates correctly, teamwork brings real added value for all participants. But if there is something not quite right about it, the team's productivity can also minimise the motivation of the members. What is the reason why some teams work together efficiently and without any problems, but others fail very early? Google also investigated this question with the "Aristotle" project. The differences between successful and mediocre or poor teams in Google’s company was investigated. Although the framework conditions were similar, there were significant differences in team performance. Read more »

14.02.2018 - Project managers have to conduct numerous conversations after a project has been completed. Some of them can be unpleasant, for example, if customers need to be informed that not all of their requirements could be met or if it is necessary to point out some mistakes to a member of the team. It is important in these kinds of situations for project managers to find a happy medium to ensure that the conversation is conducted in an assertive way, whilst remaining polite and professional. It is vital that project managers regard each conversation as an individual case and avoid using generic phrases. When conducting these kinds of conversations, it can make a difference whether the person you are speaking with has been working in project management for a while or whether this person is a newcomer to the profession. Read more »

06.02.2018 - While some are thrilled by the endless possibilities of digitalisation, others are driven by the fear of missing the connection. Finally, digitisation, i. e. the transformation of analogue structures into digital structures, will have a massive impact on our professional lives, which is not only announced by numerous studies but also proved in reality. Digitisation does not stop at project management either, but will have a noticeable impact on the work of project managers and the organisational form of companies. In a three-part series, we describe the impact of digitisation on project management, project managers and organisations. Read more »

24.01.2018 - The word criticism has a very negative meaning for many people. This is why in project management and also in the professional environment people frequently prefer to talk about feedback. However, regardless of what it is called criticism and feedback are important if progress is going to be made and if people are going to work together in a purposeful way. Project managers are therefore trained to give and receive criticism. This should be both positive and negative. The ability and the willingness to hear and understand criticism and then put any feedback into practice is of the utmost importance for project management. Many people find it difficult to give negative criticism. A great many people find it just as difficult to accept negative criticism. This is why this subject is very important for managers who have to deal with criticism. They must learn to give criticism in a well balanced and constructive way. Read more »

16.01.2018 - There is clearly no doubt that certain types of behaviour and good conduct are indispensable and vital to ensure the success of projects in the business world and in project management. However, in an international environment it is usually not enough to simply behave well in accordance with your own patterns of behaviour and standard norms of etiquette. Whoever works in an international team must ensure they are familiar with the subtle details concerning the habits and customs of other cultures and what is considered to be polite behaviour. This does not just apply when business relationships are established with countries such as China and India. Even having contact with the UK, France or the Czech Republic means having to get to grips with the cultural context of another country. Read more »

08.01.2018 - In their online blog CIO, Florian Maier and Thor Olavsrud have described their views on the ten steps that have been devised to achieve successful digital transformation. As many firms are currently having to get to grips with the challenges presented by digital transformation, any tips given by experts are always welcome. This article focuses on the views these two experts hold on digital transformation and examines the different suggestions they are able to offer to businesses. Digital transformation plays an important role wherever new business models are expected to be introduced or new processes established. New technologies help to drive businesses forward and ensure they remain competitive. However, these new technologies must also be introduced and applied in clever and meaningful ways. Read more »

29.12.2017 - The third edition of the bestseller Lego4Scrum appeared in book shops at the beginning of this year. Alexey Krivitsky originally published his Lego4Scrum approach in 2009 and he has been developing it ever since. His third book on the subject is now available and is again enjoying great popularity. The third edition particularly stands out because it is even more comprehensive than its predecessors. The foreword has been written by acclaimed author and Agile and Lean coach Henrik Kniberg. The book does not just provide a summary of all the instructions that should be followed when conducting Lego4Scrum workshops, but it also provides accounts of individual experiences people across the world have had when using this concept over recent years. Read more »

22.12.2017 - For the IAPM a successful year is coming to an end, a lot of projects could be kicked off or completed. Besides the already existing free of charge PM guides for classic, agile and international project management, the “White book for Hybrid Project Management” was published in may. This White Book unites the worlds of the classic and the agile project management and thus offers project managers in this sector an optimal, independent guideline. In contrast to other guides this does not represent a basis for certification. IAPM entered into a timely partnership with the Industrie- und Handelskammer Bayern (Bavarian Chamber of Commerce) Graduates of the Project Manager IHK training programme now have the possibility of submitting their certificate to the IAPM and having this recognised internationally without any further examination. Read more »

13.12.2017 - This article features an exciting contribution from Nagesh Sharma. He is a Scrum Trainer who instructs companies and managers on ways in which they can engage with the subject of communication and values in Scrum in order to drive their projects forward. He wrote an article on this subject on the B2C Business 2 Community blog in order to sensitise project managers around the globe. Nagesh Sharma explains the skills he believes are important for Scrum Masters and their teams. He also reviews tools and tricks that he uses in companies as part of his training programmes. Nagesh Sharma refers to Albert Mehrabian who separates interpersonal communication into three areas: words, voice and body language. It is often the case that only approximately 7% of communication is the result of what is actually spoken. Read more »