Explosions in Boston

It’s terrible that some people think that they can make the world better in some way attacking innocent people! If you´re in Boston today, stay safe!

From CNN

Should Project Managers Share Their Stress?

HBR published a interesting article about how Project Managers should share their information and brig all news – and stress, maybe – to their project teams. An excerpt:

Project managers tend to hold their cards pretty close to the vest. Sure, they may post or circulate some sort of general progress chart. But the telling, nitty-gritty details — percent complete, cost overruns, and so on — usually stay on a private little spreadsheet, safely tucked away in the PM’s files.

Sometimes this I’m-in-control-here approach is well intentioned. PMs feel they should shield their team members from potential bad news. Other times it’s a power trip. PMs make it plain that they’re the only ones who know the full story, so naturally they get to call the shots.

I agree with the authors: an open-book and transparent system are always a better way to deal with complex projects and great problems. Project management is never a wonderland and those who work in this area should be prepared to deal with the consequences. You can read the full article here!

The Best of March 2013

Here you find a resume of the best March’s posts:

1. Lewis Hamilton: How Keeping it Simple Makes Me Faster
2. The Ultimate Star Wars Video
3. Mastering the Basics of Project Management: The Complete Series [Updated on March 25th, 2013]
4. Eight Steps To Building a Risk Informed Integrated Master Schedule
5. Nicholas Bate Wondering About Time
6. UK: Project Management Skills in a Secondary School Classroom
7. 51 Ways to Fail
8. About Simplicity, Courage and (why not?) Project Management
9. Jagged Thoughts for Jagged Times
10. How to Be a Better Project Manager (1)
11. Trouble Multitasking? Try Playing First Person Shooters
12. Project Manager on the Road: Tips to Travel Like a Pro
13. Immersion 101
14. You Know What You Need to Do!
15. Are You Prepared to Face These 12 Traits of a Modern Leader?
16. Three Essential Leadership Behaviors for Project Managers
17. Did You Already Schedule your ‘Monastery Day’?

Stories From The Road

Some unusual situations experienced by people who spend much time on the road, from Michael Wade at Execupundit.com. Did you already experienced something like that? Tells your story for us on the comments below.

Starting Another Fearless Friday!

More at Nicholas Bate.

Easter Time

Great video and other suggestions  from Cultural Offering and a good music selection from Execupundit.com

Nicholas Bate Wondering About Time

in his series Instant Business Speak 46: Time

Bonus: Instant Business Speak: The Dictionary, So Far

First Paragraph

“In many organizations, the person leading a project doesn’t have the job title project manager. That’s OK. Everyone manages projects in their daily work, whether they are working alone or leading a team. For the moment, these distinctions are not important. My intent is to capture what makes projects successful, and how the people who lead successful projects do it. These strategies don’t require specific hierarchies, job titles, or methods. So, if you work on a project and have at least some responsibility for its outcome, what follows will apply to you. And should your business card happen to say project manager on it, all the better”.

Scott Berkun in ‘Making things happen’