2019 Year in Review

I would like to reflect on some 2019 highlights and share our top 12 articles published on the blog this year. 

In March 2019 we celebrated at Virtual Project Consulting, our 10 year anniversary.  In August 2019, Virtual Project Consulting has been awarded in the 2019 African Excellence Awards as the Best Online-Only Project Management Consulting Services Provider. 

Read more about it here.

In November 2019, one of our articles was awarded 2nd place for Most Valuable Post in the Methodologies and Tools category, by the ‘Project Magement Update’ company. It’s nr. 3 in the list below.

Most Popular Blog Posts

Now for the most popular articles on the blog in the past year in case you missed it:

1. Key Project Management Skills Needed for the Future – a January article that explored how major current trends impact the skills of project managers, what skills are in demand in the future and what action plan can project management professionals follow.
2. Innovation through Projects – An interesting perspective ontraits that innovative people share, how projects are used for innovation, how to measure the outcomes and some examples of innovative projects.
3. 7 Common Project Management Methodologies – Find a break down of project management methodologies with a helpful animation from Fundera.  This article was awarded 2nd place for Most Valuable Post in the Methodologies and Tools category, by the ‘Project Magement Update’ company
4. What’s Happened to Project Planning? – If you wonder what makes project managers successful, research has shown that planning is one area where high-performance project managers spend most of their time.
5. Are you on a Time-Critical Project?– How to do better planning on time-constrained projects including strategies and tactics to apply.
6. How to Make your Project Successful – There are many common causes for project failure, but also remedies. Find out how to make your project successful.
7. Your Guide in the World of Project Management– Learn about the most important things to do on any successful project during my “Interview with an expert” that was done by the well-known PM Tips blog.
8. Is Your Company Using Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Effectively?  – Discover the current trends, best practices, common benefits, and average ROI of Project Portfolio Management.
9. Project Management: Planning with Purpose – A look at competencies found in high performing project managers, as well as the typical journey of project managers through their careers based on insightful research.
10. Biodegradable Plastic Project break-through– Discover more about the project that made the breakthrough biodegradable plastic possible. An interview with the developer and producer of biodegradable plastic bags, Anika Nell.

Emotional Intelligence

• Articles on Emotional Intelligence by my good friend Dr Eben van Blerk; more to follow in 2020.
  1. Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers – What Emotional Intelligence (EQ) really means and how it can be a good predictor of success.
  2. 7 Misconceptions about Emotional Intelligence – Despite the importance of EQ in modern day leadership, there are many misconceptions about this field. Find out what Emotional Intelligence is not.

The Agile Project Manager

• An article series on my view of the Agile Project Manager
  1. Role of the Agile Project Manager – A fresh perspective on the role of the Agile Project Manager especially for PM’s from a traditional project background who are transitioning to the Agile context.
  2. How to Transition into the Agile Project Management Role – Take a look at what project managers need to be successful in agile, the challenges they will encounter and the changes needed to be made.
  3. Want to become an Agile Project Manager? Training and Certifications to consider – Important Training and Certifications to consider.
  4. Servant Leadership in the Agile Context – Agile project managers need to shift from being the centre to serving the team and the management. The servant leader focuses on paving the way for the team to do its best work.

Your Career in 2020

If you have lofty goals for your career in 2020, here are tips from elite-cv.com on how to improve your career in 2020.

1. Be radically open minded: challenge your own thoughts and ideas, don’t be too attached to them. Also stress test your ideas, let others find holes in your reasoning.
2. Own your outcomes: you are responsible for your own successes and failures. Reflect on your journey thus far and inspect what you could have done differently to obtain better results.
3. Leverage other people’s strengths: Find out and list those things you’re not good at, then get people who are good at those things to gain great leverage. Asking for help from those who are strong in areas where you are weak is a great skill that you should develop.
4. Learn how to make decisions effectively: Challenge your own thoughts and ideas and inspect if you are harvesting the best possible solution/s.

I wish for all of you a radically successful, rewarding and prosperous 2020!

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