Executives Articles

Much thanks to everyone who participated in the survey.

The ESC Lille survey will close on December 15. If you have not yet completed it, please go to http://www.executive-pm.com/ right now. It takes between 30 and 60 minutes, and can be done by anyone who has served in the role of a project manager.
I believe this research is important for the practice of project [...]

If you have ever worked as a project manager, please go and fill out this important survey about project managers and senior executives at www.executive-pm.com. I have been helping Russ Archibald, PMP and PMI Fellow, and Jean-Pierre Debourse of ESC Lille with the survey, and I think it can [...]

Most marketing professionals do not understand or profit from the discipline of project management. Learn how one company used project management as a way to drive and define its marketing vision. Learn from this case study, so your marketing and sales departments can begin experiencing the benefits of project management.

Presented at the PMI Asia Pacific Congress in Hong Kong on January 30, 2007.

Learn how project charters successfully bridged cultural gaps when making decisions among a community of Japanese and U.S. executives. Establishing a clear chartering process was the key to project management’s success at the company. The presentation will include templates and overviews of the processes established.
This speech was delivered and recorded live for the PMI New [...]

It is time to put project management on the agenda of the board meetings for your organization. Traditionally project management has been a tool for scheduling, planning, and execution. It brings efficiency and predictability to organizations that embrace it. Usually it is adopted by mid-level management to optimize one or two department’s activities. Learn about how the President and CEO of a 400-employee company have made project management their core method to execute their Strategic Plan. Project management is ready for the board room. Learn ways to bring it to the attention of senior managers.

key financial terms, including return on investment, time value of money, payback period, and first-to-market advantage. Applies these financial concepts to sample projects, to help project managers understand the business impact of schedule changes.

Presented at the 2006 PMI College of Scheduling Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida between April 23 and April 26, 2006. Also presented at the PMI North America Congress in Atlanta, Georgia on October 8, 2007.

The best time to market your project to your organization is at the very start, in the project charter. It is the best chance you have to tie the project into the organizational strategy and to explain its value. Yet the charter is one of the least talked about deliverables in project management.

This material helps you market your projects by preparing a great charter. Learn how simple a good charter can be. Understand how this document can help build executive support and provide documented authorization for your work. Focus on creating a lasting, respectful bond with your senior managers or executive sponsors. It all starts with the charter.

Presented at PMI 2005 North America Congress in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 12, 2005. Presented again at a meeting of the PMI New York City Chapter on February 15, 2006.

Presented at the PMI 2004 Global Congress — North America on October 25, 2004 in Anaheim, CA.

Provides career advice for IT project managers, whether they wish to leave IT or stay in IT. Reviews employment trends in IT that may force IT project managers to make tough career choices. Based on industry publications and employment trends, as well as my own experience crossing over from IT to business-oriented project management. The raw employment and industry statistics used in the presentation are available for download, as well as the paper and the presentation slides.