PM Tips is a Project Management blog that guides you into the world of project management. They offer information on a wide range of project management topics in a simple, yet effective language.
With articles written by experienced project professionals and various subject expert contributors, it is a must-read for all beginners and veterans in the field of project management.
Recently I’ve had the honour to be interviewed by PM Tips as part of their ‘Interview with an Expert‘ series. The interview covered my professional career development over the years, some challenges I had to overcome, my views on Agile and PM methodologies, as well as certifications. It is part of my contribution to help our PM community in advancing their skills by learning from others’ experience.
Portfolio Management is the coordinated management of one or more portfolios, a component collection of programs, projects, or operations, to achieve organizational strategies.
Portfolio Management is what helps businesses choose the right opportunities to pursue at the right time in order to achieve the greatest strategic advantages for their efforts.
Discover the current trends, best practices, common benefits, and average ROI of PPM in this Infographic about Portfolio Management.
Infographic brought to you by Wrike project plan tool free.
What research shows us, when assessing high performing project managers, is that planning as a competency is always present. We know that the process of estimation and planning is critical to the success of any project. The plan will guide the investment decisions, it tells us about the demand for resources, if work is on track and what functionality (deliverables) can be expected.
In addition to planning, high performing project managers are more likely to have extended personal and professional relationships within and outside their organizations. Not only will this give them more expertise to draw upon (by reaching out to your network), but when they need to interact with stakeholders to further the goals of their projects, they were more likely to have pre-existing relationships to draw upon.
In her book: “Adaptive project planning” by Louise Worsley, she describes it as ‘social capital’ that experienced project managers build up and value in contrast to less experience project managers who are less likely to do so.
Project Management Professional Journey
When looking at the journey of a typical project manager who started out as a novice and has progressed to working on large, complex projects, they seem to progress through 3 distinct stages.
#1 Intuitive
At this stage, they able to coordinate and schedule small projects. People are chosen, because of having good organizing skills, an ability to get things done, and they could be relied upon. There is a recognizable aptitude for project coordination, explaining the phenomena of ‘accidental project managers’.
The intuitive stage is where junior project managers build their confidence, and they begin to understand what works and what doesn’t. With their intuitive understanding and natural coordination skills, managers will perform well initially but are likely to struggle or even fail, as projects get larger and more complex. When more complex projects are given to them, they may feel ‘stressed,’ unable to cope. They often find the work-load is higher than they can manage.
#2 Methodological stage
At this stage they able to use a publicly repeatable process and plan medium-to-high complexity projects.
These are processes like PRINCE2 or Project Management Body of Knowledge, from PMI. It is important to take note that applying a specific method to the project, does not guarantee success in its own right. It needs to be accompanied by a build-up of project knowledge and skills and the exposure and learning from experiences in a much larger variety of projects.
At the methodological levels, for real progression to occur the range of experiences and responsibilities taken on starts to expand. A breadth of experience appears to be the basis upon which judgment is developed.
#3 Judgmental Stage
At this stage they are able to structure and appropriately select from a variety of approaches to manage complex projects.
With larger and more complex projects, the critical skill is the ability to mix and match approaches. To have the common-sense to use tried and tested practices whenever appropriate, but to have the confidence to step off that path and structure new ways of working when these approaches are just not right.
During this stage, you will focus on big picture understanding and planning becomes part of shaping the engagements.
Matching Project Managers with the Right Projects
Organisations need to attempt to match the skills of the project manager to the complexity of the project.
At the advanced level, change in behaviors and attitudes are necessary to run more complex projects. At this level, it’s about having experience, conviction of actions and perhaps even bravery. These project managers are working on high profile projects and must be able to face the challenges of operating under the very public scrutiny of many and senior business stakeholders. Their approaches must be backed by the experience and professional understanding which allows them to make judgments about how best to structure the project for successful delivery. These project managers understand that the structure of the project must be adapted to the characteristics of the project.
One more essential ingredient, based on research, that seems necessary for experienced project/program managers to be successful, is the opportunity to work with a senior manager in the organization (taken under their wing) and having a mentor in the organization in the development of their career.
In conclusion, it is important to remember that project managers need a planning armory which include techniques, tools, tips and tricks. Keep working on using your judgment, and adapting to change in every situation to come up with the best approach to use for each project.
To address the education needs of Grade 11 and grade 12 learners, in order to improve the final exams results, the Department of Education, Western Cape, in cooperation with the University of Stellenbosch, started with an innovative initiative.
Telematics to broadcast extra lessons
Interactive Telematics Teaching is a 21st century response to learner/teacher support. From the trial done by the Western Cape Education Department in 2009 with 10 schools, it has grown to more than 300 schools, using telematics, to provide extra lessons to schools. The lessons are provided by two teachers in a television studio that are then broadcasted to schools through satellite dishes on the schools’ roofs.
What makes it so effective, is the fact that although the teachers are remote or virtual, the lessons are interactive. The teachers and learners at schools can call, email or WhatsApp questions or feedback.
What is Telematics
Telematics is defined as a system that marries information technology with telecommunications, or the long-distance transmission of computerized information. In this instance it is used to sending, receiving, and storing information through telecommunication devices, like satellites, through decoders (provided by the University) to a data projector, screen and sound system in each classroom involved. This is especially useful for schools who are in remote rural areas which don’t have access to broadband internet yet.
Objective with Telematics platform
From a University perspective the Interactive Telematics platform’s primary function is to support the post-graduate education students, and addition to that, to support the Department of Education’s schools Teaching Project to offer extra classes to hundreds of schools.
Benefits of extra lessons
Subjects are explained from different angles to improve comprehension that will help the stronger learners to confirm their understanding while it helps the weaker learner to understand better for the first time. It improves their overall understanding of the subject.
The self-image of the learners improve. Learners are assisted with examination tips, explanation of difficult concepts and even the parents become more involved.
The added benefit to the teachers attending with the learners, is that they see a demonstration of how difficult concepts should be presented and explained, or confirming that the way that they are teaching, is correct.
The revolutionary power of e-learning is not only having a multi-media platform, but also the power of connecting presenters and learners leading to interactivity and collaborative sharing.
Schools participating in this initiative, make the extra classes compulsory for their grade 11 and 12 learners. The lessons are planned in detail, considering the previous results from grade 11 and 12 exams. The content is planned to address where learners have gaps in their knowledge.
The subjects being broadcasted are Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Accounting, English and Afrikaans. It has been proven that the Grade 12 (matric) exam results have improved at schools participating in this initiative.
Technology in the classroom
This initiative lead to a partnership between technology and the teacher in the classroom. The aim is to support teachers, but it will never replace teachers in the classroom who are providing the hands-on feedback by walking around among learners and ensuring that they are doing the right things. Teachers will support learners before, during and after every broadcast in order to stay focused and to maximise this intervention.
Long term benefits
Telematics teaching presents an education and training revolution in terms of technological capability. But more importantly, it facilitates access and availability to quality education as never before, providing teachers and learners with a range of choices and opportunities for learning.
Source:
“Innovation: How Science helps to form South Africa – Chapter on Telematics” by Sarah Wild
Project management as a profession has evolved over the years. Many practitioners who have chosen to become professionals did the Project Management Professional certification exam or PMP, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
PMI Exam
For project management practitioners who are considering doing the PMP exams this year, there was an important announcement by PMIthat the PMP exam will change and that June 30th 2020, is the last date you can take the exam in it’s current format. It is to accommodate the evolving nature of the profession. The exam is based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge or find out more about the current PMBOK here: PMBOK.
Every 3 – 5 years, the PMI conducts research to understand how the profession has progressed, the impact of emerging trends, and how the responsibilities of project managers have changed. The last research was conducted in 2015 and resulted in the current PMP® Exam Content Outline .
The changes on the future exam will focus on three new domains:
PEOPLE – emphasizing the skills and activities associated with effectively leading a project team
PROCESS – reinforcing the technical aspects of managing a project
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT – highlighting the connection between projects and organization strategy
Content that spans the value spectrum, including predictive, agile and hybrid approaches, will be included across the three exam domains. The best way to understand what is included in the exam is to review the updatedExam Content Outline.
Something important that is highlight in the Exam outline:
Where the current PMBOK versions used to be very process based, but aligned to the PMI Talent Triangle – find previous announcement here – the latest outline is more people focused with tasks supporting that. Here you will find the 2020 PMP Exam Content Crossover Map to show where new content is added.
New PMBOK Guide
The current, 6th Edition of the PMBOK Guide has been released 2 year ago: September 2017. We expect that the 7th Edition will reflect some of the changes to the PMP exam that we’ll see from 16 December 2019.
PMI has named Mike Griffiths as co-lead for the 7th Edition of the PMBOK Guide. Mike was involved in the creation of the Agile method, DSDM, and has over 20 years of experience in Agile methods. He’s an Agilist through and through. It seems that the 7th Edition will be a BIG change from recent editions. That is confirmed by this short article on his website. In his own words:
“This will not be just an update, instead a radical departure from all previous editions aligned with PMI’s new digital transformation strategy.
Mike Griffiths
One of the 12 Core Development Team members, Nader Rad, has written about his perspective of the new PMBOK as a shift to a principles based approach.
Reason for PMP exam change
PMI has a commitment to a world class standard of certification. The implication of that is they must base their examinations on a formal Role Delineation Study (RDS) or Job Task Analysis (JTA).
PMI carried out a survey of the trends in our profession that the current PMP exam fails to address. These then fed into their Job Task Analysis to produce a more relevant PMP exam for the coming period. Here, ‘relevant’ means the things project managers do in their real work settings. We all know that the work of project management professionals has been changing; therefore, the PMP exam must change to reflect this.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the changes are reflecting the current PM trends and seem to be addressing some gaps in existing certifications around Team Leadership, Governance and soft skills.
Here is another PMI announcement summary of the changes: Certification changes overview.
One of the Training Partners, OSP International, headed by Cornelius Fichtner, who I recommend as an affiliate, had the following comments on the coming changes:
““As a PMP® trainer, I have always focused not only on teaching my students how to pass their exam but also on how to become better project managers. That is why I think the change in the ECO is a step in the right direction.
With this change, PMI is moving away from the five current and somewhat ‘technical’ domains and shifts the focus of the exam to test a candidate’s knowledge of, and experience, in the skills necessary to actually lead and manage a project.
This is not to say that the knowledge of project management methods, concepts, and techniques, is any less important, but a candidate will now also need to show that they truly know how to lead a project and how to bring it to successful completion.”
Cornelius Fichtner
It is positive to see that PMI seems to have their members and associated professional PM practitioners’ best interests at heart in making these changes to ensure that people are equipped for the challenging and changing business world we are finding ourselves in.
We’ve all seen it. You are on a team, or placed on a specific project in order to accomplish a goal for the company, and things just don’t go very smoothly. It’s easy to point fingers but it can actually be quite difficult to figure out what happened when the project fell apart or fell short of its objectives. In this article we are going to look at project management specifically, and how to spot early warning signs that things may not be on the rails for much longer.
Lack of Communication
By some estimates, more than 50% of a Project Manager’s time is spent performing some aspect of communication. This can include meetings, status reporting, emails, phone calls, coordinating, talking to people, and completing documentation. Studies have even suggested that verbal and written communication takes up 80% of the job.
Poor communication manifests in many ways throughout a project. You’ll find yourself in a position where stakeholders aren’t aware of changes or task assignments. Assignments are started late, or not at all, because there was confusion over who owned a task. Deadlines tend to “sneak up” on people because they were notified to late in the process.
Lack of Detail
First, it’s important to point out that most PMs are not responsible for many of the minute details within a project. There are others who handle details within specific tasks. PMs tend to delegate these details.
Even though Project Managers themselves don’t handle the details, that doesn’t make them irrelevant. It’s incredibly important for Project Managers to be aware of what details are to be developed further. If a project is moving forward at too high a level, without any executable details, there is a breakdown in the project.
Unclear Process
A clear and precise process is the backbone to any great project. The process itself is there to guide and act as mediator between stakeholders. Should there be questions or discrepancies, you can always lean on the process to help settle issues and guide people. As your company continues to grow, stronger processes are needed in order to allow the business scale
If people are unclear about what to do within a project or when to perform specific actions, there is more than likely a breakdown in the process. No one wants to be a slave to process, but they are so important for managing successful projects.
Missing or unclear documentation
So many aspects of good project management require methodical documentation. This includes things like status reporting, complete communication plans, changes in scope, and project charters. It’s one thing for all of these things to be developed during a project, but without documentation they can be altered, forgotten or ignored.
If you are unsure where to find specific documents, or if you find yourself in a position where you need guidance, and can’t find anything to guide you, there is a documentation problem within your project. Be sure to write things down, regardless of how specific or “un-important” it may seem at a time. You will thank yourselves later when you need to look something up and need to be reminded of previous decisions.
No clear leader
PMs need to be the driving force behind decisions and the scope of the project. They provide huge value on a project, which has to include pushing back when a client is asking for things that aren’t within the scope of the initial contract. If the client raises a request that’s out of scope, which unfortunately happens all too often, the PM needs follow the processes your organization has developed to handle such contract expansions. Organizations can be too quick to please clients, and scared to anger them, so that the contracts they signed with their clients become less and less profitable due to increasing workloads without payment.
Sometimes there is no clear accountability. Who is to blame should things go wrong here, and do they know that? If there isn’t a clear answer to these
If you’re working within a contract on specific projects and find that you are constantly adding tasks or “one offs” that are not within the original scope of the project, there is a real problem with leadership on that project.
Where projects are challenged, look out for these warning signs, but better yet, make sure that your projects are managed in such a way that these things don’t happen.
About the Author:
Brian Thomas is from Enlightened Digital, a digital magazine dedicated to the top tech and business news, updates and analyses from around the web – your guide to everything at the cutting edge of technology.
According to a study by Buffer.com, remote work can no longer be considered a trend. It is a fact of life. In fact, the study suggests that 99% of employees would choose the possibility to work from a remote location, at least some of the time if given the option.
People appreciate the many benefits of remote work such as a more flexible schedule, a less stressful work environment, and the possibility to focus on goals and not on time spent in the office. However, remote workers also face challenges such as the difficulty to unplug from work or tracing a clear line between personal and work life.
All these, and more must be taken into consideration by project managers when they face the challenge of leading a mixed team (remote and office workers). Furthermore, there is the problem of adjusting communication to this new work setting, where you have non-stop access to an employee’s inbox but need to know when it’s appropriate to send them a message.
As such, project managers must be able to understand and use the virtual distance types that show when managing a team of/with remote workers. This means implementing and developing new collaboration skills and adjusting to a new way of life and work.
Types of Virtual Distances in a Team of Remote Workers
Remote communication doesn’t allow you to assess the situation based on the usual cues, so it brings new challenges to the table. For instance, when you’re emailing with a co-worker, you don’t have the possibility to appreciate their emotional response to your proposals (and vice-versa).
As such, specialists found there are three kinds of distances in this type of communication:
Physical– which is obviously referring to the location of the participants and their time (if they are on a different continent or in a different country).
Operational– the way the team is managed, the skills that are obvious in each member, and even the tools used for remote communication.
Affinity – refers to the trust between the speakers and the values they hold dear.
These three distances, if managed correctly, can be used as a competitive advantage. Because you no longer depend on everyone being present at a certain time and place, it’s easier to promote collaboration and discuss ideas whenever needed.
How to Use Virtual Distances to Improve your Team
Before achieving a high level of confidence and trust, the project manager with remote team members must find the best strategy to use to reduce the distances mentioned above. Here are a few tips that may be helpful along the way:
#1 Establish Clear Rules of Communication
Difficulties in communication are quite often in the workplace, but they become even more problematic when they happen in a remote team. For the project to move in the right direction, each member must be able to make themselves understood and understand others.
Since you don’t have the other person in front of you, it helps to establish clear rules such as:
All emails from stakeholders must be answered within 2 hours from receipt;
The entire team should work on a specific Google Drive folder;
Messaging will happen via Slack
The list could go on, and it should be personalized based on the needs of your team.
#2 Corporate Culture is Important
Even though you work in your pajamas, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t respect the standard protocols for specific events.
For instance, if a team member wants to quit, he will have to go through all the necessary steps, starting with announcing it to their manager and writing a resignation letter. The same goes for someone who wants to propose a new deal on an on-going project.
Procedures are put in place for a reason, and they must be followed by everyone. This is the only way you can maintain a cohesive team.
#3 Appreciate the Power of Written Communication
New studies suggest that introverts communicate better in writing when there aren’t several other people staring back at them.
As such, the people who are usually shy and soft-spoken in face-to-face meetings may become bolder and more confident in their opinions. However, this may not happen if you dismiss written communication and don’t allow people the time to grow in this new setting.
#4 Video Communication is Important
To reduce affinity distance, you need to maintain visual contact with the members of the team. This form of communication enhances the emotional response and creates empathy, which leads to a more united team.
However, it’s best to make video calls with a small number of participants (three or four) when possible because it is easy to lose track of subtle cues when there are lots of tiny windows in front of your eyes.
Time to adjust
On many projects, remote workers are a common phenomenon, they could even be in different locations across the world. Allow the team some time to adjust. As the project manager, it is your job to come up with a strategy and listen to your team’s needs and complaints.
Once you do, you’ll be able to identify weak points in communication, and you’ll know which distances to adjust, to create the best possible team.
About the Author:
Erika is an independent copywriter and content manager. She is an avid reader and runner.
Look at any successful project and you’ll likely find a great team behind it. In addition, another important factor would be that the right project management methodology was selected to deliver the project.
Much like building a house on unstable ground, a project is doomed to fall apart if the wrong management method is chosen. Fortunately, there are several common methods to explore, each one suited for various types of projects or environments.
Common Project Management Methods
There are numerous project management methodologies, with new ones being developed all the time. Keep in mind this list isn’t exhaustive, and that there could be a project management method out there that’s an even better fit. That being said, here are the seven most common project management methodologies.
Waterfall Project Management
When it comes to project management, waterfall is considered to be pretty oldschool by many. This method involves completing projects in stages that are reliant upon the previous step.
This allows a team to dedicate all their attention on one thing at a time, but it also results in other teams waiting on the previous step to be completed. This can create a backlog or cause huge holdups, especially when it comes to software development.
Agile Management
Agile is about as far from waterfall management as it gets, as it emphasizes speed above all. While agile management isn’t an exact methodology, it is a guiding ethos for several other popular methods. Each of these agile offshoots focuses on speed and the ability to quickly pivot when necessary.
Kanban
Kanban is a type of agile management that focuses on efficiency. This efficiency is accomplished by looking at tasks and figuring out ways to streamline them. That, or if the task is necessary at all. This method is often used in factories or other consistent output-based environments, as you can easily streamline a process in these settings.
Scrum
Scrum is another agile project management method. Unlike Kanban, Scrum’s all about speed and adaptability. To make this happen, Scrum often involves breaking projects into chunks, each tackled by small teams. These teams tackle their microprojects in short cycles known as sprints. After a sprint the teams all come together to see what worked, what didn’t, and decide if anything needs to be changed.
The speed and adaptability of Scrum makes it great for software development.
Lean management
Lean is a lot like Kanban in that it emphasizes efficiency. Where it differs is that it’s concerned more with the customer, not what happens behind the scenes. Kanban is used to figure out how a process can be made more efficient for the customer without hurting the overall experience. This makes it a great choice for retail outlets or other customer-facing businesses.
Six Sigma Management
The Six Sigma method, while usable on its own, is often used after other methods. Six Sigma examines how the quality of the output can be improved, not how things can be faster and more efficient. This emphasis on quality makes Six Sigma a natural followup to a Lean or Kanban session, as those two styles can sometimes result in a less than satisfactory output.
PRINCE2 Management
PRINCE2 management is a detail-oriented style that looks at risk and efficiency over everything else. This incredibly scrutinous style is commonly used by private sector groups and governments, as it places safety and risk mitigation at the top of the priority list.
Finding a Project Management Style that Fits
The pressure to pick the right project management methodology can be large, especially in the early stages of planning. Because so much of a project’s success rides on the method chosen, it’s important that you take your time and carefully research and evaluate your options.
To help you make the right choice, Fundera has created this helpful animation on project management methodologies. With the information of this guide and some additional careful research, your next project can be started on the right foot and find success!
Animated Infographic with compliments from Fundera
About Fundera:
Fundera is the go-to financial resource for small business—helping you to achieve your financial goals, and grow your business.
Virtual Project Consulting has been awarded in the 2019 African Business Excellence Awards as the Best Online-only Project Management Consulting Services Provider. The Press Release with the official announcement can be found here.
The listing that goes with this award is as follows:
Virtual Project Consulting is your trusted online advisor for the most comprehensive recommended resources for project management training, software, products, books and best practices! Find practical advice on project management processes, templates and tools.
Service offering includes PMO supported Project & Portfolio Management Software, online training for new Project Managers and partner for Agile Project Management online training.
Social responsibility initiative called Success Stories Shared, which captures and publishes the experience of high-performing Project Managers to share with current and future generations.
We are proud to be showcased with other outstanding businesses across sectors and we will continue to serve our online community of project management practitioners as we have been doing for the past 10 years.
When it comes to project planning, I have three beliefs that I adhere to on all my projects. They are:
Always be planning – that means you should be continuously planning
Always be communicating – use consistent communication practices
Always build relationships – team alignment is very important
However, there are more elements to great project planning. That’s why Wrike, a project management software company, is bringing us the right ingredients to cook the perfect project plan. Enjoy!
The concept of Emotional intelligence (EI) has captured audiences across the globe since the publication of Daniel Goleman’s research on the topic in 1995. Irrespective of the large body of scientific research published on the topic during the past two decades, there are many misconceptions about this field. EI is extremely important in modern day leadership, but it’s unfortunately easily misunderstood.
Here are 7 common misconceptions about Emotional Intelligence:
#1 EI and IQ is the same thing
EI and IQ is not the same. EI is often referred to as EQ or emotional maturity. Just as IQ is the measure of our cognitive intelligence, EQ is a measure of how emotionally intelligent or emotionally mature we are. Our EI indicates our ability to recognise and handle one’s own and the emotions of others. It determines how we interact with and treat people. On the other hand, IQ indicates a person’s ability to learn, recalling learned information and using it to reason and solve problems. The better we are at applying these abilities, the higher our IQ is expected to be and the better our chances of achieving high marks in school. It is possible for a person to have a high IQ but low EQ.
#2 Women are more emotionally intelligent than men
Probably the most well-known urban legend is that women are more emotionally intelligent than men. Women are not more emotionally intelligent than men and men are not better at understanding and managing emotions. In general, men and women are more similar than different when it comes to EI. Too few research studies regarding EI and gender have been done during the past two decades to conclusively state that one of the sexes is superior to the other. EI is definitely not a touchy-feely female attribute. Both men and women can be highly emotionally intelligent or seriously lack these skills.
#3 EI is about being empathetic
EI is often only associated with being empathetic or nice. Empathy is a core part of EI but not the only ingredient. Being emotionally intelligent does not mean being nice; it requires empathy for us to recognize the feelings of others.
EI starts with strong self-awareness and self-control skills to understand and manage our own feelings. In addition, it includes assertiveness to help us build and maintain constructive and healthy mutually beneficial relationships.High empathy together with other underdeveloped EI skills can do more harm than good.
#4 EI is born and not learned
IQ is an ability we are born with and typically develop until we reach our teenage years when our brain is fully developed and remains the same thereafter. EI can however be learned and can be improved over time as we continue to learn from our live experiences i.e. as we mature. The sooner we start developing our ability to recognise and handle our own emotions and the emotions of others, the sooner our EI will grow and help to building and maintain healthy and collaborative relationships in our lives. Developing emotional intelligence skills requires hard work. You also have to believe there is a need for change and you have to be in it for the long haul. Developing your EI will probably be one of the most difficult challenges you will ever face.
There is no easy fix and you will not become more emotionally intelligent if you do not practice these skills. Conscious effort and practice will lead to increased EI. It is also easy to fall back on old habits. Working on your EI is therefore a continuous effort. EI is not dependent on our genes and it is not just common sense.
#5 Emotionally intelligent people do not handle conflict
Having EI skills does not equate to an unwillingness to solve conflict or deal with difficult issues due to being too nice. Emotionally intelligent individuals are capable of dealing with conflict. Their ability to listen, understand, recognize and manage their own and the feelings of others, makes them highly successful in dealing with the issue at hand. They embrace and effectively solve conflict.
#6 Emotions do not belong in the workplace
The world of work is emotional. You cannot leave your emotions at the door when you walk into the office. Due to the physical structure of the human brain, emotions are a core part of our being. Emotions unavoidably inform our thoughts, actions and decision making and influence how we respond to others. The behaviour of others for example can influence how we feel and our emotions can influence our performance. Not being able to understand and manage our emotions in the workplace is often the cause misery and could potentially lead to losing our jobs or not getting promoted. Increasing research evidence the past three decades have shown that managing our own and the emotions of others can significantly influence our work performance.
#7 IQ is more important that EQ for success
Each job requires basic entry level technical skills and a level of IQ. On a daily basis as we operate in the trenches, we pick up more specialized knowledge and skill. We need this technical expertise to get the job done. Technical expertise alone however is not enough for superior performance. High IQ professionals often fail in their careers due to low EQ. They find themselves in trouble because they are not able to apply their expertise through productive collaboration with others. High IQ and technical expertise together with the lack of emotional skills to manage relationships often make clever people stupid. It is the emotional competence that adds the edge and contributes more to superior performance than IQ and technical expertise.
Eben van Blerk has more than 25 years’ corporate experience and he holds a Doctor of Technology degree in ‘the role of emotional intelligence in information systems work‘. Eben has published articles and book chapters on leadership and emotional intelligence in local and international publications. His emotional intelligence talks and programmes are well received by the corporate and private sector.
Contact Eben on LinkedIn if you need a speaker and workshop facilitator on emotional intelligence for your next team engagement.
Your audience will be captivated by his emotional intelligence insight, strong interpersonal skills and practical teamwork experience. It will equip them with knowledge and tools for improved communication, effective conflict handling and managing their emotions towards a more productive and fulfilled business and personal life.
If you are in the market for a software that helps to make project planning and the sharing of those plans really easy, you may like GanttPRO.
GanttPRO is an online Gantt chart software used for project planning, task management, collaboration, team and resource management as well as cost management. The software is highly estimated by professionals thanks to an intuitive UX/UI design, a short learning curve, and robust features. Worldwide 350K+ managers and other project participants already tried the solution and made sure that project planning and management can be fast and enjoyable.
The software is mainly used by teams. However, managers and individuals use it for personal projects and purposes too. The tool has a 14-day free trial with all the features available so that anyone can decide whether GanttPRO is a good fit for them.
The software is able to become a powerful and affordable alternative to Microsoft Project. In case you already planned your project in MS Project, you have a chance to import it to GanttPRO and see for yourself all the advantages.
In GanttPRO, there are ready-made Gantt chart templates designed for a variety of professional spheres: software development, construction, marketing, design, manufacturing, etc. They include typical tasks and offer a typical structure for an easy start. However, templates are fully customizable.
The main benefits of GanttPRO
Transparent task management
You can create tasks literally in seconds from one menu defining:
Their start and end dates
Assignees
Dependencies with other tasks
Deadlines
Progress
Status
Priority
Duration and estimation
Completeness
Milestones
Requirements
Colors
All this information is available directly in the task settings menu. In the project grid, you can add columns or hide those you don’t need.
One of the most useful features in GanttPRO that distinguishes it from competitors is the possibility to add Custom columns. They do not limit project participants to certain settings and allow working with personal information available through Text, Number, Date, List, Checkbox, and Color columns.
Team and resource management
GanttPRO online Gantt chart maker allows working with real team members and virtual resources. Team management is available via email invitations only on the Team plans. At the same time, virtual resources are created just in a few clicks and available even on the Individual plan. If you are not deeply engaged in team management, virtual resources can be a working way-out. The tool offers the following time working units for team and resource management: per hour, per item, and cost.
Per hour means that the cost is calculated per hour for a labor resource
Per item means that the cost is calculated per item for a material resource
Cost is a fixed value with no connections to time and items
GanttPRO makes provision for the following roles: an Owner, an Admin, and a Member.
An Owner of a project is in charge of billing and has all the rights on it: he/she adds or removes people, grants rights to edit a project or see costs.
An Admin has almost the same rights as an Owner but he/she can’t pay for the subscription.
A Member can work only on those tasks that he/she is assigned to. All the rest is not available
Collaboration
Collaborationin GanttPRO allows team members to be fully aware of current updates in tasks. Project participants can:
Comment tasks
Attach files to them
Describe requirements for tasks
Mention people
Get real-time notifications about changes in tasks they are assigned to.
Export and sharing
The Gantt chart software allows having a physical project at hand thanks to the advanced Export feature as well as showcasing plans to third parties thanks to Sharing via URL feature.
Export in GanttPRO is very powerful. On the screen, you can see how your chart will look like after exporting.
You can choose the following options:
Format: PDF, PNG, XML, Excel
Paper size
Orientation
Filter
Zoom
Critical path
Today marker
Workload
Type of columns
Sharing via URL allows presenting to third parties, even not registered in GanttPRO, two states of a plan: a dynamic and static ones.
The dynamic option means that a plan is updated even after sharing when changes happen in a project.
The static option means that a plan remains the same as it has been at the moment of creation. It does not reflect changes.
Conclusion
GanttPRO is a tool for everyone who needs powerful planning, team management, and collaboration. It is all combined with an intuitive interface and an affordable pricing policy.
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