Project Manager's Stop doing Gold Plating!

Growth Tips for Project Managers: People management; What's new from PMI? Study Groups;

Read on Substack: AgileAdmiral/ Read time: 5 minutes

Welcome to The Agie Admiral weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you build a high-performing Project Management career.

In This Issue:

📌 Project Manager's Stop doing Gold Plating!

👉 Project Management Is People Management

☝️ Person to follow

💡 What's new from PMI?

🚀 What's trending at CAPM/PMP study group next week?

💫 How does being disciplined help in career advancements?

Project Managers Stop doing Gold Plating!

Why is this happening to almost all projects?

Here are my TOP 5 reasons:

1. Miscommunication

2. Lack of Scope Management

3. Poor documentation

4. Making too optimistic assumptions

5. The biggest from all: Desire to Please the Customer

Consequences of Gold Plating

-> Increased Cost

-> Extended Timelines

-> Risk of Failure

How to prevent Gold Plating?

✅ Clear Scope Definition

✅ Strong Scope Management

✅ Regular Communication

✅ Stakeholder Engagement

✅ Focus on Requirements

Project Management Is People Management → 2 min ready by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez

In the evolving landscape of project management, the human element remains crucial. While tools, techniques, and methodologies are essential, the success of any project ultimately hinges on effectively managing people. This article explores why project management is fundamentally people management, outlining strategies for enhancing team dynamics, communication, and leadership in project environments, with real-life examples to illustrate these concepts.

1. The Core of Project Management: Understanding Team Dynamics

The foundation of successful project management lies in understanding and navigating the complexities of team dynamics. Each team member brings unique skills, personalities, and expectations, which can either catalyze success or lead to challenges.

• Diverse Teams: Modern projects often involve diverse teams across geographies and cultures. Understanding these differences and harnessing them constructively is critical to project success. For instance, a project involving team members from the United States, India, and Brazil initially faced cultural misunderstandings at IBM. By introducing cultural awareness workshops, the project manager was able to bridge these gaps, enhance understanding and collaboration, and lead to a successful project outcome.
• Conflict Resolution: Effective project managers must identify, manage, and resolve conflicts arising from misunderstandings or competing interests within the team. A multinational corporation's project manager utilized conflict resolution strategies that involved mediation and structured feedback sessions, resolving tensions and refocusing the team on their shared goals.

Continue reading here: article

☝️ Person to follow

I brand myself as an authentic, creative, and strategic partner. I have been managing people and projects for 15 years. I have pivoted careers from customer service to social work to ed tech to project management. Now, in conjunction with my full-time work as an implementation project manager at a SaaS company, I coach people who are looking to transition careers. I work with my clients to create customized, actionable plans to help support transitions based on several factors including but not limited to transferable skills, schedules, timelines, budgets, and goals.”

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-dodd-pmp-9407982

What's new from PMI?

• Generative AI Overview for Project Managers course Learn the foundations of generative AI in project management and earn 5 PDUs
• Talking to the Machine – Prompt Engineering Essentials for Project Professionals Thought Leadership Report Delve into the essentials of prompt engineering for project managers, offering insights into leveraging GenAI for automating, assisting, and augmenting project work
• Check Out the Global Project Management Job Trends 2024 Report

• Unlock career success with insights from the 2024 PMI Global Project Management Job Trends Report. Discover how project professionals and organizations across 8 regions navigate economic uncertainty, rapid tech advancements like AI, and dynamic environments. And gain valuable insights to thrive in today’s ever-changing landscape. Read the report.
• Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide. The second edition of Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide is now available. The updated guide makes business analysis accessible in your professional and daily life, helping you apply business analysis skills to solve problems. Available as a free digital download for PMI members or to purchase in print or digital through our bookstore. Learn more.

What's trending at CAPM/PMP study group next week?

Date: TUE, May 28

Topic: PMP exam study group - PEOPLE

Speaker: Torge Oeverdiek

Link to event: https://www.linkedin.com/events/pmpexamstudygroup-people7199046370832355328/

Date: WED, May 29

Topic: CAPM - Weekly Study Group

Speaker: Gabor

Link to event: https://www.linkedin.com/events/capm-weeklystudygroup-topic-tbd7192993055048708096/

Date: THUR, May 30

Topic: PMP - Weekly Study Group - Topic: 8 Weeks Study Plan

Speaker: Gabor

Link to event: https://www.linkedin.com/events/pmp-weeklystudygroup-topic-tbd7192991431962021889/

How does being disciplined help in career advancements? → 4 min read by Rahul Pai

How do you practice & develop discipline?

1. Set realistic goals - Setting clear & realistic goals is essential in order to work towards it at a sustainable pace. For. e.g. Setting a goal of upskilling in a technology in less than a week is far less achievable than doing it over a span of 3 months by means of disciplined learning. As John C. Maxwell said, "Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time."

2. Set Routine - Setting a routine allows you to be aware of the activities & allocate time & efforts accordingly, thus helping become disciplined at your tasks. Also sticking to the routine, ensuring you don't take up things outside of your planned routine also helps stay disciplined.

Continue reading here: article

💡 Recommendation zone

🚧 FREE CAPM/PMP Exam Prep Flashcards - Update January 2024

🦸♂️ AGILE Mindset to PASS PMI Exam’s by 1st Try

📚 How to Study for CAPM & PMP Exams - (Free on YouTube)

📙 8 weeks PMP Exam Prep** Program - 1-on-1 Coaching

📘 8 weeks CAPM Exam Prep** Program - 1-on-1 Coaching