Every team has them. They may be well-intentioned, but for some reason or another, they’re blocking progress on your project. Whether they are raising inappropriate questions in your status meetings or just refusing to get their work done, you have to find some way to deal with them to avoid losing control of the project. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to provide the tools and techniques you’ll need to keep your project moving full steam ahead.
Mar 17, 2009•11 min•Ep. 49
Part 2: What information do you need as a project manager flowing into your operation in order to know what’s happening on the project, and how to make corrective action as appropriate? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with project data — this week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to help you find strategies for managing project information to stay in control and not become over-burdened.
Mar 17, 2009•11 min•Ep. 48
What information do you need as a project manager flowing into your operation in order to know what’s happening on the project, and how to make corrective action as appropriate? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with project data — this week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to help you find strategies for managing project information to stay in control and not become over-burdened.
Mar 03, 2009•7 min•Ep. 47
There are very few key roles to be filled in even the most complex project environment, but each of them is critical to successful implementation. From project manager to technical leader to sponsors and more, each serves to ensure the success of the team members delivering on their project objectives. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to define these key roles and give strategies for using each to its highest potential.
Feb 24, 2009•14 min•Ep. 46
This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to outline the key elements of a methodology implementation for project management, from an adaptable life cycle approach to strategic steering and project prioritization.
Feb 17, 2009•10 min•Ep. 45
There is no perfect way to implement a project management methodology. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright as they unravel the complexities of project methodology implementation and outlining the best practices that define successful companies in their journey toward project management maturity.
Feb 10, 2009•9 min•Ep. 44
While a “Standard” tells you what to do, a “Methodology” tells you how to do it. So says John Patton and Scott Lissit, who join host Pete Wright today to work through the issues, strategies and fears of taking on a project management methodology in organizations. This is part 1 of a series on the importance of flexible, adaptable structure in project management, no matter how complex the project environment.
Feb 03, 2009•11 min•Ep. 43
What if your projects are affected by the recession? What if your team is broken up, reassigned, or restructured? What if you’re asked to make cuts to budget or redefine deliverables? This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright as they provide structure around project managers in the midsts of market shake-up.
Jan 27, 2009•11 min•Ep. 42
When the economy turns sour, it is easy to let fundamentals slip. When you find you are in danger of making reactionary decisions in place of strategic ones, it is critical that you step back, evaluate, and review the overall state of the business. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to review the importance of project management in a recession, and the role of smart portfolio management and prioritization in strategic decision making.
Jan 20, 2009•11 min•Ep. 41
What do you do when you’re working on a project and your vendors are behind, unresponsive, or incompetent? This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit will show you how to take vendors to task when appropriate, manage them smartly, and target a mutually beneficial relationship.
Jan 06, 2009•13 min•Ep. 40
When it’s time to make the tough decisions, does everyone have to agree? This week, we wrap up our two-part conversation between John Patton and Scott Lissit on project management by consensus, the perils and pitfalls of finding agreement on projects.
Dec 30, 2008•7 min•Ep. 39
When it’s time to make the tough decisions, does everyone have to agree? This week, we begin our two-part conversation between John Patton and Scott Lissit on project management by consensus, the perils and pitfalls of finding agreement on projects.
Dec 23, 2008•8 min•Ep. 38
This week, a listener email: “I have now moved on to a new company, a global bank in Europe. I intend to continue using the cadence methodology and would like to introduce it to the Bank. Do you have any advice on how I can pick up new projects quickly while instilling a sense of trust with my new project team?” It turns out it’s a bigger question than a single episode can answer. This week we offer part 2 of our discussion on porting project management from one company to another with John Patt...
Dec 16, 2008•10 min•Ep. 37
This week, a listener email: “I have now moved on to a new company, a global bank in Europe. I intend to continue using the cadence methodology and would like to introduce it to the Bank. Do you have any advice on how I can pick up new projects quickly while instilling a sense of trust with my new project team?” It turns out it’s a bigger question than a single episode can answer. This week we offer part 1 of our discussion on porting project management from one company to another with John Patt...
Dec 09, 2008•10 min•Ep. 36
You’re the lone project manager in your group. Your organization is resistant to change. How lead the charge for project management as a key success factor in your group without alienating people creating ill will toward project structure? This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit cover politics, tools, and strategies for helping you move your organization up the project management maturity model.
Dec 01, 2008•8 min•Ep. 35
Executives have to manage the portfolio of projects across the organization in spite of staffing changes, potential layoffs, operations scaling and other complicated market conditions. The decisions they make about projects and programs inside the organization will have a ripple effect with broad reach. Join John Patton and Scott Lissit this week as they cover the issues that come with increased demands, and give you suggestions to make the right portfolio decisions and deliver results.
Nov 17, 2008•10 min•Ep. 34
Companies are being driven to take on projects with fixed due dates in spite of having to complete engineering development tasks which they have never attempted before. What are the costs of implementing your project while your engineering team is struggling to invent? Join John Patton and Scott Lissit this week as they cover the issues that come with these increased demands, and give you suggestions to streamline project management and deliver results.
Nov 11, 2008•15 min•Ep. 33
The election for the 44th president of the United States of America has reset the bar against which campaigns will be measured. From unprecedented volunteerism to savvy strategy, the 2008 campaign season offers telling lessons in progressive project management. On today’s show, join Cadence CEO John Patton and Scott Lissit as they draw their own project conclusions as the polls, and this season, draws to its close.
Nov 04, 2008•18 min•Ep. 32
If you run large projects, you have seen team members come and go. But what do you do to keep your project moving forward while you transition to a new team member who might not have all the project background? This week, John Patton and Wil Mercer give you key on-boarding strategies to get new team members performing quickly.
Oct 21, 2008•8 min•Ep. 31
In spite of your best efforts, you have a team member who refuses to commit to their tasks. How do you get to the bottom of the problem diplomatically, while keeping your project moving forward on schedule? This week, John Patton and Wil Mercer sit down to give you proven strategies to keep communication flowing, and your project on schedule.
Oct 14, 2008•8 min•Ep. 30
You are running into a mass production deadline on a significant project, but there’s a non-trivial technical problem that your team still hasn’t solved. What do you do with your project in this state of jeopardy? This week, John Patton and Wil Mercer sit down to tackle this very real problem on Ask Cadence, episode 29.
Oct 06, 2008•6 min•Ep. 29
When two key executives are locked in a power struggle that affects your project, how can you resolve the issue and keep your project on track? This week, Cadence CEO John Patton and seminar leader Wil Mercer discuss the potential pitfalls, and give a few key lessons to help deflate tensions, improve communication, and allow you and your team to get back to work.
Sep 29, 2008•10 min•Ep. 28
Continuing our discussion on the importance of OPM3 to modern project management, we sit down with John Patton and Scott Lissit of Cadence Management Corporation to discuss how companies can get started with OPM3, and where the new standard will have the most impact on project, program, and portfolio management operations.
Jul 22, 2008•7 min•Ep. 27
This week, we sit down with John Patton for an introduction to OPM3. This new organizational benchmarking tool can be prove to be a daunting undertaking. Patton serves to clarify each component of the tool, and provides a discussion on the practical implications of getting started with OMP3.
Jul 14, 2008•9 min•Ep. 26
When the pressure is high it is easy to let the planning process slide in favor of diving in and getting the work done. But, at what cost? Cadence CEO John Patton and director of service delivery Scott Lissit discuss the risks of ignoring planning, and give a few key lessons and project sizing guidelines that will help reduce frustration with the appropriate level of work.
Jul 07, 2008•8 min•Ep. 25
Planning isn’t easy. If you’re project is not starting well, it is most likely because you have been tripped up in the planning process. This week, Cadence CEO John Patton and director of service delivery Scott Lissit address a key Ask Cadence question: My team is lost. What do you do when your people don’t know what to do? Listen to the show this week and get a better understanding of why this happens to project managers, and suggestions on how to turn it around using simple tools to get your t...
Jun 30, 2008•9 min•Ep. 24
There are some things you simply cannot control. This week, Cadence CEO John Patton and Director of Service Delivery Scott Lissit address one of the most frustrating of these for project managers: What do you do when your sponsor hands you a project with an unrealistic objective? Listen to the show this week and get a better understanding of why this happens to project managers, and suggestions on how to turn it around so that you can deliver results.
Jun 17, 2008•7 min•Ep. 23
Once you have your project management system in place, how do you measure deeper results of project success beyond major milestones? This week, Rob Bremmer and guest Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions join the round table to discuss active and passive metrics for managing project success.
Jun 03, 2008•12 min•Ep. 21
Organizations dealing with cuts to their training budgets are suddenly forced to think creatively about getting teams the training they need to build results. This week, Rob Bremmer and guest Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions and ASTD join the round table to continue our series on finding the training you need in a volatile market.
May 20, 2008•8 min•Ep. 20
Organizations dealing with cuts to their training budgets are suddenly forced to think creatively about getting teams the training they need to build results. This week, Rob Bremmer and guest Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions and ASTD join the round table to continue our series on finding the training you need in a volatile market.
Apr 28, 2008•9 min•Ep. 19
