Technology, Schmechnology

[Contact Us](mailto:contactus@projectmanagement.com) [About Us]( [Update Profile]( June 27, 2018 Are you a PM Luddite? As our month-long look at technology nears its end, we also look at the future of tech teams, raise the perceived value of your IT, harness the power of AI and help with system of record upgrades. Plus, help getting stakeholder buy-in and a 12-point requirements framework. Our blogs share five essential skills for contract managers and five tips for better decision making, while readers ask for help with essential PM skills and multi-project management in our forums! Advertisement [Win your share of $710,000 in prizes for PM innovation]( Are you a project management innovator? Individuals, teams and organizations who have introduced innovative practices in the management of their projects, programs or portfolios are eligible. The deadline to enter is July 31st! [Apply today]( in one of our four categories for chance to be recognized as a brilliant thinker and innovator. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller []PM HEADLINES [I’m a Project Management Luddite. You Can Be One, Too.]( What does it mean to be a project management Luddite? It means that you don’t specifically need a great deal of technology to manage projects well. [The Future of Technical Project Teams]( As technology projects continue to be subjected to ever more frequent change—and as modern approaches to work evolve in increasingly diverse ways—what’s the future for the project team? [Winning Respect and Mindshare for Information Technology]( The degree to which information is intrinsic to your product determines your firm’s success with information technology. Here’s a hidden success factor to raise the perceived value of your IT. [How to Harness AI in Your Organization]( There are now AI services, products and capabilities that make it available “off the shelf.” That means your organization no longer has to develop AI programs from scratch. With that change in mind, consider the following ways you can bring AI to your organization… [Getting Buy-in From Different Project Stakeholders]( Early on in your project/change management process, you need to plan for how you’ll get relevant buy-in from everyone. To ease this process, there are a lot of different tools at your disposal... "Passion surprises. One doesn't search it. It can happen to you tomorrow." - Isabelle Adjani [Tactics for Success with System of Record Upgrades]( System upgrades are popular projects and have certain common success tactics. When you are upgrading a system of record, however, the stakes are greater. Be ready for a SOR upgrade by using these tactics for success—especially those related to requirements. [The 12-Point Requirements Prioritization Framework]( Projects facing multiple requirements, budgetary constraints and tight deadlines often need to prioritize stakeholder requirements. At some point, it’s necessary to make decisions on which set of requirements need to be implemented first and which ones can be delayed. []THE PM POLL Is there a question you've been itching to ask? [Create a poll]( today to get some PM help from your peers! [Q: Would you rather manage waterfall or agile projects if you only had one choice?]( - Agile - Waterfall - I can't choose between them TOOL SPOTLIGHT Statdash is a communication tool for working with team members on activities, tasks or projects and visually sharing statuses with clients or stakeholders. It eliminates the frustration of continually tracking down team members to get their status. [Learn More]( [Search for your solution on our Tool Finder]( []BLOG IT ProjectsAtWork by Aaron Smith Many technologists are probably less people savvy, while great communicators rub their eyes at the site of code. And business vision? Better left to the MBAs. It's unrealistic to expect any one person to excel in all three areas—but a successful project must. Read more about [Meaningful Work](. Eye on the Workforce by Joe Wynne Stakeholders are not treated as a formal part of your project workforce, but maybe they should be at times. When should you consider them as part of your workforce? Joe imparts some advice on [Getting Those Approvals](. Voices on Project Management by Dave Wakeman Dave doesn't have a classic project management background, so he spends a lot of time thinking about ways non-traditional project managers can offer up great ideas to people with more traditional backgrounds. [This Much I Know Is True]( has more. The Money Files by Elizabeth Harrin Contract management is a skill that many of us have to have by default, because we don’t have contract management personnel available to our projects. Read [5 Essential Skills for Contract Managers](. Plus, Elizabeth shares [5 Tips for Better Decision Making](. Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice by Kiron Bondale We need to assess a project to determine which practices can be used as is, which need to be tailored to fit and which are simply not applicable. So what’s the problem with not hitting the “sweet spot”? Find out in [Don't bring a knife to a gunfight!]( Game Theory in Management by Michael Hatfield Science fiction is full of horror stories of technology gone wrong, and the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence make it easy to imagine terrifying outcomes. But PM isn’t all that different. So says the PM Terminator in ["Ahll Be Bach."]( People, Planet, Profits & Projects by Rich Maltzman Rich has shared the idea of modeling and the concept of a “world breakdown system” used by scientists to slice up the globe (and atmosphere) into chunks that we can reassemble into reliable data. Sounds like a work breakdown structure, right? [Backward Pass—Forward Fail?]( has more. PM View from Rail Transit Programs & Projects by Henry Hattenrath Henry [continues his series]( with Part 5 about a second book that affected the development of his skills in the business of managing projects and program of projects: Human Factors in Project Management by Paul C. Dinsmore. The Critical Path by Kimberly Whitby It's official....summer is here for many of us in the world! From a self-paced online learning course to two upcoming virtual events to the PMI Global Conference in October, Kimberly keeps you cool with [Community News—Summer 2018 Edition](! []Q & A Did you know that help is just a click away? Our discussion forums give you access to the ProjectManagement.com community: more than 500,000 experienced minds and growing! Ask your question today or stop by to help out other members in need of advice, including these recent and ongoing discussions on... [Move for Money?]( "Would you drop everything to earn twice as much overseas?" [Troublesome Trend]( "Have you ever 'ghosted' a company?" [Essential PM Skills]( "What are the most essential project management skills that PMs need to effectively manage projects? If you can list them in order, what would be the first three essential skills?" [Multi-Project Management]( "I am the head of a new product introduction area. I am managing more than 20 projects at the same time. What tools and strategies can be applied to track, supervise and identify risks?" [Engaging Tech Teams]( "What are the best techniques to engage technical teams in commercial matters?" [Shareholder Influence]( "How did you successfully influence shareholders? I'd like to hear if you have successfully followed this process, and how did your story go?" "Success isn't about the end result, it's about what you learn along the way." - Vera Wang []PM ON DEMAND Did you know that we have an extensive library of PDU-earning webinars? Here's just one of the latest valuable offerings you can check out... [Identifying and Developing Future Leaders]( This webinar highlights the need for developing an integrated framework for leadership identification and development. It outlines the key steps that are recommended for companies looking to implement a successful leadership identification and development program. As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. How can we make your experience better? Is there something you haven't been able to find? Something you want to see that we don't have yet? [Let us know](mailto:cameron@projectmanagement.com). We'll handle it. If you do not wish to receive ProjectManagement.com's PM Insider Newsletter, you can [unsubscribe here]( or send an email to unsubscribe-pminsider@reply.projectmanagement.com and let us know. We will exclude you from future mailings. You can also change your e-mail address and other settings in [My Account](. ProjectManagement.com is located at 14 Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073.