Disobedient Talk

The triple constraints familiar to project managers – time, cost and scope – form the basis of much of the literature that discusses project management. Also called the iron triangle which includes quality in the middle of an equilateral triangle, this forms the heart of…

There may be “fifty ways to leave your lover”, but many organizations can’t find even one way to cancel or suspend a project. Despite often being ‘the right thing to do’, cancelling a project – or even suggesting that a project should be cancelled –…

As one of our clients was lamenting recently, a statement he made struck me. He said ”the launch of this project was proceeding so well, and then this debate suddenly surfaced!” When I heard this, I was actually relieved. One of the more significant issues…

A daunting concept has been rattling in my mind recently…and it has been rattling loud enough for me to restart this Intelligent Disobedience blog. I look forward to sharing and hearing your thoughts on these entries that I intend to post on a regular basis!…

We have all said it to ourselves, often many times. It would be easier if I just fixed __________. (fill in the blank as you see fit). Things would be easier if we just standardised or worked on getting _______ right. (Go ahead, you know…

We need fewer Communication Plans and more Listening Plans The communication plan has become an element of focus, especially with the realisation that Change Management needs to be a greater part of the effort that brings projects to successful outcomes. Many leaders face challenges with…

As the instigators of change, organizational leaders require a whole different kind of resilience. All leaders can be subject to the whims of their senior leadership, who are trying to balance significant and conflicting priorities. They also have to deal with the workers on the…

A number of people have asked if we have hints or tips to help convince change sponsors to spend more time working with their teams. Being mindful that sponsor’s time is limited due to the responsibilities they have, there is a factor which we find…

For an initiative to be successful, the requirements of senior sponsors need to be understood, as well as those of the people who will utilize organizational outcomes. Performing this requirements collection successfully is critical for success – but many organizations do not do this effectively…

As the instigators of change, projects often present challenges to an organisation. However, we have become aware of a different project challenges. In this project, the senior leaders of the organization are engaged in a serious battle…over the name of the project! Why would that…

So what exactly is Kerfuffle Planning? And what does it have to do with Risk Management? Traditional risk management involves anticipating the business implications and conducting anticipatory planning for activities to reduce the probability or impact of those implications. However, in practice risk management frequently…

In some project environments, organizational leaders get bogged down because they expect their managers, sponsors or other key stakeholders to take some action and it doesn’t come to fruition. As a result, initiatives that would otherwise succeed come to a screeching halt. Resilient leaders who…