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List of 500+ Stakeholders

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List of 500+ Stakeholders

Stakeholders have the power to:

  • provide funding or take it away
  • fill your workshops/events/exhibitions/etc. or leave them empty
  • offer major decisions that push the organization forward or into the ground
  • execute the project deliverables or completely screw up the deliverables
  • manage project team members' progress or allow the project to run awry
  • keep your vision/mission alive or completely skew your mission/vision

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Why, as an Artist, You Should Think Inside the Box

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Graphic designers and videographers, how often have you heard the following:

  • It would be really great if...

  • Could you just make this tiny edit?

  • Do you mind adding this one thing?

This my friends, is called scope creep.

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Auditing a Closed Project: Questions That Address 47 Processes

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Auditing a Closed Project: Questions That Address 47 Processes

Below are some of the questions I've asked other project managers in regards to their closed projects:

  • What were the biggest headaches with the project you supported?
  • If you could do it again, what aspects would you change?
  • How did you deal with team members that stopped communicating?
  • How much did planning help with the project?
  • What last minute surprises occurred that threw you off guard?
  • What were some great outcomes of the project?

People Will Judge Your Profile, Presentation, and Packaging

Coined by Cheskin, he recognized that "when people give an assessment of something they might buy in a supermarket or a department store, without realizing it, they transfer sensations or impressions that they have about the packaging of the product to the product itself...Cheskin believed that most of us don't make a distinction - on an unconscious level - between the package and the product. The product is the package and the product combined (Gladwell, p. 160)."

So what?

Lessons Learned from Project Closeouts

Lessons Learned from Project Closeouts

David Kassel states in his textbook, Managing Public Sector Projects, “…the project close-out period can be one of stress and anxiety as both the project management team and the contractor sprint to the finish line…” (2010, pg. 199)

I used to have a hard time with the end of projects because:

  1. The execution phase sucked out all of my energy
  2. I find it hard to let go of something beautiful I helped create
  3. Organizations I worked for had no formal close-out processes, so it was considered additional work
  4. I've built such strong relationships with my team members

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Understanding Agile User Stories

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Understanding Agile User Stories

The clouds parted.
An angelic chorus rang throughout the room.
It clicked and the lightbulb turned on.
I understood user stories!

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A Matrix for Time Management

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A Matrix for Time Management

Looking back on last month, I noticed a few things:

  • I had a total of 4 to-do lists. If you know me, that 4 is such an insignificant number.
  • The lists were split into 3 categories: Urgent, Medium Priority, Low Priority. All I crossed off were the urgent tasks

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Raise Your Hand If You're A 20-Something & Are Scared Of All The Potential You Hold.

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Raise Your Hand If You're A 20-Something & Are Scared Of All The Potential You Hold.

Dreams give us a direction but they stay in our heads.

We need to change dreams into visions that have actionable steps behind them. A person can dream for days but nothing will get done until you take the first step.

Need some help? Here is a snippet of an article that I read this morning that got me motivated:

2) Use "Minimum Viable Effort"

Want to floss more often? Okay, just floss one tooth. Sound silly? That’s fine. Just like your mom told you: focus on baby steps

When Multitasking Is Effective

When Multitasking Is Effective

Pair a cognitive activity with a physical activity. It seems like common sense, but sometimes folks need a reminder. Here are some examples of my favourite multitasking activities:

The Benefits of Doodling

The Benefits of Doodling

Did you know that doodlers and fidgeters recall 29% more information (especially DULL information) in comparison to those who keep their hands idle?