Blog

Why You Shouldn’t Be a Jerk

April 16, 2019 | Andy Silber

The other night I was watching the pilot of Workin’ Moms, a Canadian sitcom about women who have just returned to work after maternity leave. One of the moms pulls a really jerky move on her first day back, making it seem that her executive assistant had screwed up. By the end of the episode,...

From Onboarding to Expert: Optimizing Projects and Processes with LiquidPlanner

April 11, 2019 | Team LiquidPlanner

Here at LiquidPlanner we’ve identified four main stages our customers go through to optimize their projects and processes. Our most successful customers don’t try to “eat the elephant,” so to speak, as soon as they buy LiquidPlanner. They know that change and progress occur in steps. Throughout this series of blog posts, we’ll discuss each...

Just Keep Swimming: Using LiquidPlanner to Manage the Big Swim

April 9, 2019 | Liz Rosen

I spend much of my life outside of LiquidPlanner in and around bodies of water. I’m a passionate open water swimmer—marathon swimming, in particular—and a big part of that passion is giving back to the sport. Some swimmers help out at races in various capacities, some crew for other swimmers, but I volunteer my time...

How to Be Productive When You’re Overwhelmed

April 4, 2019 | Team LiquidPlanner

Has this ever happened to you? You’re having a perfectly good morning. A warm cup of coffee is in your hand, and you think you’ve got your workload under control when suddenly it hits you— You actually have a small avalanche of prioritized work to get through within the next two weeks, and it doesn’t...

Ask a PM: How to Motivate the Team When It Thinks It Should Stop

April 2, 2019 | Elizabeth Harrin

Dear Elizabeth: My project team and the exec leadership team are not on the same page. How do you motivate the team when it thinks it should stop but the senior stakeholders direct us to keep going? This situation has a major disconnect in it. Your team thinks the project should be stopped, but the...

Resist Business B.S.—How Can We Rebel (and Get Credit for Being Brilliant)?

March 28, 2019 | Shari Burk

In my previous article, we discussed how strategic intent answers Why?, how strategic objectives answer What?, and how tactics answer How?. The trouble comes when strategic objectives and executional tactics are developed without answering the Why question first. This is a classic mistake, but one that can be avoided. How to Answer Why? Create a...

Navigate Team Communication Like a Genderlect Pro

March 26, 2019 | Pauline Müller

In my previous post, we looked at Deborah Tannen’s work on genderlect and why women and men often misunderstand each other. Here, I share more of her research and a few ideas on how we can become more aware of these differences—not only to improve teamwork but also to help women take charge of their...

Resist Business B.S.—Why Wouldn’t We Rebel When Strategies Fail?

March 21, 2019 | Shari Burk

According to executives, nearly half of all strategic initiatives fail. Various studies conducted since 1995 consistently show executives will admit their strategic objectives have failed on some level almost half the time. I am not surprised by the failure rate, but I am thrilled by the honesty. When we can admit a problem, we can...

Did You Just Say That? Understanding Gender-Specific Communication Styles

March 19, 2019 | Pauline Müller

Not sure why members of your multigender team appear to misunderstand each other despite speaking the same language? Here is the single most important point to remember about genderlect. It’s real. The era of gender equality has long since dawned, and while everyone should be working towards a happier, more inclusive society, a quick Google...

How Good Project Management Could Have Prevented the Mess Known as Brexit

March 14, 2019 | Andy Silber

I’ve just returned from a wonderful week in Ireland. Lots of great music, stout, and tea. The sky was blue and the grass green. We enjoyed wonderful hospitality across the island. However, the only topic that was discussed more than the civil war of 1922 was Brexit and its impact on Ireland. Everyone I spoke...

Gen Z: Project Managing Their Futures

March 12, 2019 | Alison Coleman

Teenagers are making their presence felt in the tech start-up world, developing apps, creating social networks, and building online businesses at a remarkable pace. Far from treating them as side hustles to their schoolwork, these youngsters take their tech ventures very seriously, demonstrating discipline, drive, and determination while developing the project management skills and strategies...

How to Create an Inclusive Workplace for Women and Men

March 7, 2019 | Elizabeth Harrin

It’s widely acknowledged that a positive, inclusive office culture leads to better morale and higher productivity amongst staff. Figures from research by Deloitte and The Female Quotient show that 67 percent of knowledge workers believe that diversity and inclusion drive creativity in the office. Nearly 60 percent believe that diversity improves profitability, and you don’t...

FEATURED POST

How to Fix a Troubled Project by Falling Back on the Fundamentals