Great Practices

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Neha Shingane, a Social Impact consultant who is passionate about inclusion and storytelling. Today, we’re going to focus on the storytelling side of things and how this can be applied in a PMO and Project Management environment. We’ll find out what a story is, and what it’s not, and why it’s more important than ever to be able to tell stories e...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Mark Wyssbrod, CPA turned principal NetSuite Consultant about the symptoms, challenges, and successes of making a change if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Learn the startling statistics of how many people like (or don’t like) their jobs, an equation of professional happiness he’s calculated out over the years, and why you’ll never be start...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Rich Maltzman and Jim Stewart, co-authors of the book Great Meetings Build Great Teams. We’ll discuss why meetings are such an important part of building a strong project team, the benefits of doing them well and the consequences of doing them poorly. You’ll also find out what Kano Design Theory (very interesting, by the way) has to do with peop...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Colleen Romero, Vice President of Marketing and eCommerce at Healthway. Listen in as Colleen discusses what culture is and the signs to look for if your project teams have a culture that is healthy or toxic. We discuss steps you can take to fix a toxic environment, and better yet, how you can prevent a toxic environment from happening in the fir...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Paul Terlemezian, Founder of Georgia Learns Now, LLC and a business consultant that identifies and solves real problems that plague businesses today. Listen in as Paul discusses the challenges of project teams working together (especially when their members have different opinions), his slingshot theory on how to accelerate project team growth,...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Jerry Sutton, Director of Learning & Organizational Development at Bobby Dodd Institute about ways you can expand your talent pool. Find out how the Bobby Dodd Institute certification program has allowed disabled people to find employment in the technical Industry, how businesses and employees have benefited and where you can find local reso...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Jen Gordon, a User Design and User Journey expert about how to get the necessary approvals on your projects to keep things moving forward. Find out the challenges that come with receiving approvals in highly regulated industries and how understanding people, process, and technology will make the experience easier for everybody. Plus, you’ll find...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Jerad Martin, Owner of PDC Homebuyers. Find out how this business owner / construction project manager is able to balance resources with project workload, has learned the importance of saying no, and one great practice on how he vets out people that work for him. Plus, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that there is such a thing as a free l...

In this episode of great practices. I'm talking with Dan Huber, an experienced practice manager with a history of working in the software industry for decades. Listen in as Dan talks about his recent passion, artificial intelligence. You'll get a better understanding of what AI is that you've probably been using it longer than you think. The pros and cons of AI and what you can do now as a project...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Tim Sweet, Founder and Principal of Team Work Excellence (TWE). Tim is a leadership advisor with over 25 years of experience in operations management, process improvement, business process reengineering, and risk reduction. Listen in to this episode as Tim talks about the importance of alignment, walks us through his 6-Point-Framework for Team E...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Tom Clement, Global VP of Sales at OpenText with over 25 years of experience in selling and delivering technical projects. Listen in to this episode as Tom discusses the what and why of technology project investments, the best time for a project manager to be assigned to a project, the top 3 challenges (and solutions) he has seen when it comes t...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Troy Robinson, Sr. Director of Engineering with over 25 years of experience in software development. Listen in to this episode as Troy discusses the difference between Waterfall and Agile development methods, how the Scaled Agile Framework (or SAFE) fits into these models, and what PMOs and Project Managers can do to help, or hurt, projects they...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Chris Carter, Chief Engineer and Executive GM at Toyota North America by day and Academic Program Director at Georgia Tech by night. Listen in to this episode as Chris discusses the history of the Project Management Certificate Program at Georgia Tech, how it’s been recently revamped to include experiential learning with modular design (don’t wo...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Dr. Michael Woodard, Learning & Talent Development Thought Leader, Adjunct Professor at William Woods University, Author, Speaker, and an all-around nice guy. Listen in to this episode to get Dr. Mike’s take on why training is so important for PMO Leaders, a framework you can follow to make sure your project managers know what they are doing...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Joe Pusz, Founder of The PMO Squad and The PMO Leader. Listen in to this episode to get PMO Joe’s assessment of the current state of PMOs (you’re going to be shocked by the dismal statistics), why PMOs are in such a bad state, and what you can do as a PMO Leader to make 2023 a Transformative year instead of just a Transitional year. Plus, find o...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Anna Morgan, recruiter by day and job search strategist by night. Listen in to this episode to get a recruiters view of the PMO and Project Management job prospects, what you can do to find a new position e (hint, it starts way before putting your resume together), what you should never do when looking for a job, and how to make the most of phon...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Eric Jones, owner of Coffee Cup Coaching, a coaching firm that helps people to pursue their passions, live their potential, and stop struggling in life and careers. Listen in to find out the difference between a coach and a mentor and signs that you may need a coach. Plus, you’ll learn the best way to find a coach as well as the positive qualiti...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Mark Burnett, owner of ECONO-Project EX, a firm that helps deliver complex projects with confidence. Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, listen is as this son of the Caribbean talks about the challenges of delivering projects across 19 countries! We discuss why all projects should be given the proper respect, how standardization is the key to succes...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Amanda Sutt, CEO and Creative Director of the Branding and Marketing Firm called Rock Paper Scissors. Listen in as we discuss how to manage projects and creative people when things aren’t always black and white, learn her secret to increasing the capacity of her team by up to 50%, and how putting just the right frameworks in place unleash her te...

In this episode of Great Practices, I’m talking with Janet Thomas, VP of Human Resources at Mueller Water Products about what makes for a great Employee Experience. Listen in as we discuss the effect rampant turnover has on managers and teams, understanding regrettable vs. non-regrettable turnover, and some questions to ask during a “Stay Interview” to make sure you are retaining top talent. ...

In this episode of Great Practices, listen in as Troy Felder, Regional Senior HR Business Partner for McKesson, provides a great definition of Talent Development, discusses the 3 Es of how people grow, explains how to keep your PMO team aligned on the Talent Development journey, and a couple of Talent Development traps and pitfalls you’ll want to avoid. Plus, find out if you deserve to be in the “...

In this episode of Great Practices, listen in as well-versed IT Leader Rob Milstead talks about how much time you should spend preparing for meetings with Executives, a framework that will make every meeting effective, as well as how a small shift in attitude will move your PMO from a group of task administrators to a group of value deliverers. Plus, see how close Rob gets to an interpretive dance...

In this episdoe of Great Practices, find out what the typical day of a salesperson looks like, the best time for a project manager to get involved in a project, what project managers do that help (or hurt) a deal, and discover the secret to creating a great working relationship with customers and salespeople alike. Plus, listen in as our guest Sal DeMarco attempts to hijack the podcast and make it...

In this episode of Great Practices, we’ll be talking with Larry Mohl, Founder and Chief Transformation Officer of Rali, a company that helps shift mindsets and behaviors around initiatives that matter. Since your PMO manages initiatives that matter, tune in to find out the 4 Change Ability factors that should be included in your projects, how to transition Change Management from an individual spor...

In this episode of Great Practices, we’ll learn about some of the Worst Practices people have done over the years when it comes to managing their email. Warning: You may be guilty of one or two yourself! We’ll uncover the four fundamentals of good email management including; Having an Easy to Understand Filing System Utilizing a Good Process Using Tasks (and not Your Inbox) to Manage your Day Unde...