Time Limit

“Diversity without inclusion is exclusion. So to ignore and to believe that there is no culture is excluding the opportunity to bring someone into a new culture or a living, breathing culture.” As a project manager, you’re in a unique position to shape company culture. So how can you use that influence to build a diverse and inclusive workplace? It starts with the way you show up for and lead your team. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks with Yvette Pegues—a DE&I executive and keynote speaker and the cofounder and CEO of Your Invisible Disability Group—about how to create an organizational culture that’s intentional about diversity and inclusion.  Listen to their conversation to learn: What role project managers play in defining company culture How to foster a sense of belonging on your team and why it’s important Actionable ideas for breaking down barriers to inclusion in your organization How remote work affects workplace culture and inclusion Tactical tips for creating an inclusive team culture, even when everyone’s remote See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Be more of the coach and less of the time-tracker.” Creative project management isn’t always easy—especially if there’s friction between project managers and design teams. So how do you give creativity room to thrive while ensuring design projects deliver on time and budget? In this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks with Greg Storey about how project managers and designers can leverage their unique skills to build strong partnerships with each other. Prior to his role as COO at LexBlog, Greg worked in design leadership at IBM and InVision and ran his own design agency.  Whether you’re a project manager leading a design team or a designer managing creative projects on your own, listen to their conversation to learn: How the design role fits into the creative project management process PM skills that can help designers manage their projects better Why communication is such a critical part of creative project management How to work together to ensure design reviews go smoothly Tactics you can use to build buy-in and understanding with your design team Simple questions that will help you provide the right kind of support to designers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I want every one of our PMs, and our directors actually, to have the ability to jump on something—to give that extra 20% that’s needed for a given week without having to let other balls fall.” Agency operations is all about the numbers and processes that drive success. But it’s hard to run a profitable business if your team’s overworked or your clients are unhappy. That’s where project management comes in. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks with Sparkbox VP Rob Harr—who heads up operations—about what it takes to make a digital agency profitable and how operations and project management work together to deliver project success. Listen to their conversation to learn: What agency operations is and how it shapes organizational culture How to boost profitability and efficiency without losing sight of people Simple math you can use to manage common staffing challenges One huge way project managers help operations run more smoothly How to know if operations is the right next step in your project management career See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I didn’t go to business school. I didn’t have a mentor guiding me. I had to kind of fall on my face a little bit. EOS introduced me to a simpler way to run a business.” Starting your own business is a big step for any entrepreneur. But how do you know you’re ready to grow beyond a one-person operation and lead an actual team? In this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks with Chris Dreyer, CEO of Rankings.io, about how he started a successful SEO agency and why the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) has been an important tool in his leadership belt.  Listen to this episode to discover: When it’s time to hire your first employee Strategies for structuring your team and business for growth How to build employee trust and be an effective leader The key mindset most successful CEOs have in common The benefits of EOS, with tips on how to implement it in your company One time-saving trick you can use to prioritize work and find focus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I invite my team to listen in—to be part of those reactions when people look at our games—because it’s so important to have a shared understanding.” When most folks think about project management, game design probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But every video game that’s developed needs a project manager at the helm to ensure the final experience is both functional and fun.  In this episode of Time Limit, Brett chats with Tim Leinert of Mindforce Game Lab about his journey from traditional project manager to managing video game projects for a digital healthcare startup. Listen to their conversation to hear: Questions to consider when developing a video game project charter How to manage a game development team and still make time for strategic planning Simple tips for keeping communication and culture alive on your project team Where video game projects tend to get off track from the plan How to determine when a game design project is done Advice to become a video game project manager See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“There’s a very big difference between being busy—getting little meaningless things done—versus making real progress toward your goals.” How do you motivate your team and increase productivity?  It starts with stepping back from the to-do list and looking at what you want to accomplish as an organization, as a team, and—yes—even as individuals with lives outside the office.  In this episode of Time Limit, Brett and TeamGantt cofounder Nathan Gilmore talk about how to take a big-picture approach to productivity so you and your team can thrive in every aspect of life. Listen to their conversation to learn: Simple strategies to increase productivity for yourself and you team Why having a plan is an easy way to improve team productivity The connection between goal-setting and team performance How moving to a 4-day workweek impacted productivity at TeamGantt How to recognize and handle productivity issues on your team One thing that may be getting in the way of your team’s productivity See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Empathy as a verb is a choice—and how you choose to engage in empathy is going to change from person to person based on each individual’s desires and needs." Empathy isn’t just critical to good communication. It’s the heart of effective leadership. Yet empathy often gets pushed aside in the attempt to project a “perfect” professional image.  With many people working from home in a year that’s been anything but normal, it’s time to break down the walls. No matter where you work or what kind of projects you manage, being empathetic can help you build deeper trust and connection with customers and coworkers alike.  Thankfully, empathy is a skill anyone can develop and improve. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks to empathy consultant Sharon Steed—CEO and founder of Communilogue—about empathy and communication in project management. Listen to their conversation to learn: What empathy is and why it’s important in the workplace Why practicing empathy at work leads to a more inclusive culture How to develop empathy as an individual and organization One question that can help you become a more empathetic project leader How to inspire empathy in your team and beyond How to improve empathy in your communication See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We tend to think we can do things a lot faster than we really can. We also tend to think that the risks won't really be as bad and that the benefits will be really good." Anyone who has ever estimated a project, or even a single task, knows that it’s tough work. Not only are you making guesses about time spent or pricing, you’re probably also making guesses about the scope of the project itself. One question uncovers another question, and a detail you needed to know. But are you on the right path to get what you need to create a truly realistic estimate?  You might think you are, but the answer is probably no! Check out this episode of Time Limit, where Brett talks to Jacob Bodnar—the VP of Operations at Maestro—about biases in estimating, as well as in project management itself. They also discuss: The science of bias Project management bias The planning fallacy Optimism bias How to use your team as a check and balance when it comes to bias How to get to a place of understanding and deal with issues head on how to define a project and what you do/don’t know Where to find “unknowns” How to rule out the optimism; framing The language you should use in estimation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“In order to be a remote project manager, you really have to boost your project management skills.” Whether you’ve been managing projects remotely for a long time, or you were flung into it when Covid-19 forced you into it, you know that keeping details, tasks, people, and projects on track from afar can be a challenge. There are, of course, some tactics you can employ to make the job easier, but what it comes down to is that remote project management requires you to lean on your PM skills and intuition. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett welcomes Ben Aston from thedigitalprojectmanager.com to talk about remote project management. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that covers: The basic requirements of remote project management How to manage remote meetings How to run retrospectives or post mortem meetings remotely How to connect with your team remotely How to show your value as a PM from afar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“An important PM skill is to be able to facilitate conversations around business value in order to strategize and look at outcomes.” Goals. We all have them. Or at least we should. In the world of project management, goals manifest in different ways. As project managers we are often mired in goals of all types: organizations, project, and even personal goals that help to guide us.  But how are we setting and managing goals to get the most out of every aspect of our work?  In this episode of Time Limit, Brett sits down with agile consultant Anita Sagar to discuss project goals and professional goals. The conversation focuses on the project management mindset around goals, and how to shift project metrics from outputs to outcomes, and how to tie those outcomes to your overall success and career trajectory. This information-filled conversation covers: How organizations set, document, and communicate project goals  The value of revisiting goals mid-project How to focus on goals vs. outputs Focusing on quality rather than quantity How to discuss outcomes and get more out of retrospectives How to quantify your skillset as a PM and advance your career The value of certifications See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Project managers are probably one of the most key influencers for strategy. And they can either make or break any project”. Strategic decision making is a part of almost any job, but it’s all-encompassing when it comes to project management. PMs are not only faced with making strategic decisions to deliver a project successfully, they are also well-positioned to help stakeholders make decisions that will impact their projects. One set of decisions plays into the other, and PMs hope they all work together. It’s widely known and mostly accepted that there’s a general lack of control in the PM role, but an area that any project manager can control is in charting and managing a project strategy that will guide projects through change, issues, and even progress. And that’s where stress comes in! In this episode of Time Limit, Brett sits down with Yoon Chung from Veritas to discuss the project manager’s role in decision making, and doing so in stressful situations. The conversation covers: How project management is a strategic role Why asking questions is so important in project management How to create an atmosphere where the PM is more strategic The types of strategic decision project managers make and facilitate The challenges PMs face when it comes to decision making on projects Tactics to use when facilitating decisions on projects How to know if you are making the right decision How to handle stressful situations How to pick up on team stress See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

“It's a moment to understand who's on board, who's not on board right away instead of getting halfway through a project and a stakeholder pops up and I is like, ‘Wait a second, this wasn't what I was thinking.’” Project kickoff meetings provide an opportunity for teams to understand goals, set expectations, discuss strategy, and get excited about a new project.  The thing is, there’s no single way of running a project kickoff. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett sits down with Kayla Keizer, project manager at Montreal-based digital design agency Plank. Kayla shares her unique experience and approach to creative kickoff meetings. Topics discussed include: What is a kickoff meeting? The purpose of a kickoff meeting How to plan a kickoff meeting Kick off meeting agendas

“I love the very quick and fast pace of an agency and my projects.”  Project management roles are pretty similar across industries, in that PMs are mostly responsible for facilitating projects and teams to a successful delivery while keeping a keen eye budgets and deadlines. That’s certainly the case for agency project management, but for some reason it’s just a little more different. Is it the fast pace? The clients? The huge network you have in a global agency? The creative culture? Or maybe the way a PM is viewed and utilized in an agency?  In this episode of Time Limit, we talk to Donna Sargeant, who is a program manager at Wunderman Thompson, a global creative agency that helps its clients meet their business goals through the strategy and execution of digital and print projects. In the interview, Donna provides a glimpse into agency life as a project manager, and we touch on: What does a project manager do at a marketing agency? How to get into agency project management Project management roles and team structure How PMs work with account managers Agency process Additional resources mentioned in this episode: Check out Donna’s session at the Digital PM Summit 2020 

“You need an innovation process so that once the individual has really vetted their idea and believes there's a market for it...you need to be able to transfer that to the organization at large, where they can execute on it.” “Innovation” is an exciting idea for many, but often a tad scary for project managers who are tasked with keeping project on time and under budget. But innovation doesn’t have to break all of your project plans if you have a well-structured innovation process and solid governance in your organization. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett sat down with John Carter, who invented Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones, helped design Apple’s New Product Process, and authored Innovate Products Faster. His take on how organizations, teams, and individuals can go from creative spark to an executable idea—without wrecking well-laid project plans—is not only insightful, but it’s comforting. There’s real proof here that making lofty ideas a reality doesn’t have to be confusing or even lengthy.  Through the course of the interview, John and Brett discuss: Innovation planning How organizations should invest in innovation How to budget for innovation and even new ideas How governance impacts innovation Innovation process for organizations and project teams Can you make innovation happen on the side? How to set goals to be more innovation, in your career or within an organization ‍ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

”Everyone has a stake in change, everyone has a role in change, and everyone should be bought into the change. “ Change is hard, there is no doubt about it. But it’s even more difficult when it’s led poorly and the people who are deemed responsible for that change were never brought into it properly in the first place. That’s why solid leadership and guiding a team through change is important.  In this episode of Time Limit, decorated corporate pioneer and global authority on change Al Comeaux shares his thoughts and experiences working through change in organizations like Travelocity, GE, and American Airlines. He also covers some themes and lessons from his new book Change (the) Management: Why We as Leaders Must Change for the Change to Last. The interview with Al covers a lot of ground, including: What is change management The failure rate of change management Why leaders need to be an active part of change initiatives How an organization’s leaders can lead change How to plan and manage change Stories about failure in change management at large organizations Four things winning leaders can do to successfully lead change How to communicate change Using SMART goals to facilitate change Managing process change from Waterfall to Agile Resources mentioned in this episode:   Change (the) Management: Why We as Leaders Must Change for the Change to Last  

“[Measuring productivity] is way more qualitative than quantitative in the age of knowledge workers.” Productivity means something different to all of us. It’s dependent on the work we’re doing, the frame of mind we’re in, where we are, and so many other factors. This personal element to productivity is the first thing we dive into with productivity consultant Theresa Ward. Theresa speaks from her own experience, her well-read knowledge base on the topic, and her work at her consultancy, The Fiery Feather, where she helps clients with process, productivity and team culture. The interview happened to align with World Productivity Day 2020 (which falls during the global coronavirus pandemic this year). Parts of the discussion are timely—like how we’re staying productive during current global events—but the overarching advice is evergreen, and touches on the following topics: Finding when you are most productive What is deep work? How can you approach deep work to be more productive? Tips to cut distractions and stay focused Finding motivation to get work done How stress impacts work Theresa mentions a handful of great resources in the episode: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating by Brian Tracy Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System That Has Transformed How We Work by Francesco Cirillo Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It by Kelly McGonigal

"Human beings are conversational animals and we live our lives one conversation at a time." Conversations matter. Whether you’re pressed to make an important business decisions, feel the need to educate someone on a topic, or even just want to commiserate, the way you approach and frame your words--spoken or written--will impact the outcome of the conversation. On this episode of Time Limit, our guest Daniel Still man digs in on how to design conversations to achieve the best outcomes possible. As a conversation designer and consultant, Daniel works with clients and organizations of all shapes and sizes to help them frame and sustain productive and collaborative conversations to deepen their facilitation skills. Th basis for the interview is Daniel’s new book, Good Talk: How to Design Conversations that Matter. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including: What is conversation design? How do you architect a conversation? Finding the language to frame a conversation How to make someone feel heard Working with a team to improve conversations Tips to improve conversations Practicing active listening How to design a meeting to get what you need out of it Designing conversations for the diversity of neurological and sociological abilities that people have in order to get the best contributions.  How to address difficult conversations Facilitation tips and tactics ‍ Resources mentioned in this episode:: Good Talk: How to Design Conversations that Matter by Daniel Stillman Quiet Leadership by David Rock

“When we look to do our jobs (as project managers), there's no single lighthouse saying, ‘Everybody this way.’ And what you come across is conflict in ideas, and conflicts in ambition, and conflicts in groups that ultimately go to war.” Does project management ever feel confusing or annoying to you? Whether you’re a project manager or not, your answer is probably YES for a number of reasons.  In their new book, award-winning project professional Susie Palmer-Trew and best-selling author Peter Taylor (The Lazy Project Manager) cut through all the cruft and get to the core of what project management is really about. Project Management: It’s All Bollocks! is a quick, irreverent read that’s full of to-the-point guidance on everything from aligning yourself to your role and managing stakeholders to handling change and so much more.  In this episode of Time Limit, Peter and Susie discuss their new book and dig in on: How to embrace the role of project manager Why project management can be “confusing and annoying” Whether project management certification is worth it The future of project management Tips to help you manage your projects under time and resource constraints How you can become a part of #ThePMTribe Resources mentioned in this episode: Project Management: It’s All Bollocks! by Susie Palmer-Trew and Peter Taylor The Lazy ProjectManager by Peter Taylor #ThePMTribe  

“I had really wanted a volunteering opportunity for a while. I knew that I had skills I could give to a charity, I just needed to find the right one.”” Have you ever thought about using your project management powers for good causes. Well, maybe you are in your day-to-day job, but there’s always an opportunity to help a group or charity who are looking for help. Project management skills are needed in every corner of life, so bringing those skills to the table to an organization who needs help can not only help to level-up that organization, but make you feel like you’re making an impact with your own personal expertise. In this episode, we talk to Sophie Brydon, a member of the digital project management community, about how she’s offering her PM super powers to help a new charity in her region, The Hygiene Bank. Check out this interview to get a great sense for: How you can get involved with a charity or nonprofit What PM skills translate to volunteer work How bringing your volunteer experiences back to your job can make you a stronger PM How to set up and execute plans within an organization made up of volunteers How to manage your time between work and volunteer work Resources mentioned in this episode: Deliver Conference  The Hygiene Bank

“If there's an accountability problem in an organization, there's also an internal relationship problem between the people working together in that organization.” You’ve heard it 1,000 times: Team accountability makes projects run smoother. It’s true, it does. But why? Accountability is a personal issue. We are accountable to others, and it’s up to us and only us as individuals to hold ourselves accountable. To others. To our organizations. To our work. To ourselves. There’s a lot more to it, and this interview with accountability and leadership expert, author, and speaker Sam Silverstein covers a lot of ground. It may even make you rethink the way you think and talk about accountability.  What is accountability? The values that define an organizational culture How leaders can be accountable, and help people be accountable Team accountability and what it takes to get there Inspiring greatness in others   Resources mentioned in this episode: No More Excuses and Sam’s other books on leadership and accountability Accountable Leadership Is Leadership that Creates a Safe Place to Work on Sam’s blog

“Design Operations is tactical, it’s strategic design thinking, it's project management, but it's really this lens on combining business and design thinking to one role.” A new role has been emerging in the tech and product space, and it’s one that looks a whole lot like project or program management but focuses on design. It’s called Design Operations, and it’s picking up a lot of steam, so you may have seen it rolled out in your organization or others. We wanted to dig in on the topic to explore what is design operations, what does someone in design operations do, and how does design operation help projects and teams? That’s a lot of questions! Thankfully, Philip Rowe, a UX Program Manager at Google, joined us on the show to explain it all. With a experience working as a project manager and a UX designer, Philip is perfectly positioned to discuss the topic. He and Brett cover a lot of ground in the interview, including: What is design operations? How design operations works at Google How teams interact with design operations folks The skills needed to take on a design operations role Design Thinking and other design-focused processes Cultivating a healthy team culture OKRs and how they’re used at Google Resources mention in the interview: Design Operations: Scaling Design Teams & Amplifying Impact, Philip’s presentation at the Digital PM Summit 2019 What Great Listeners Actually Do The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes by William Ury  Guide: Set Goals with OKRs by Google

“The answer to When should you create a plan? is Always.” There will be times in your career as a project manager when your team or stakeholders want to forego a plan in favor of “just getting work done.” It happens all the time. Some times it works, but let's face it: most times it doesn’t. That's why you always need a plan. In this episode of Time Limit, founder and CEO of project management consultancy 120VC and author of The Irreverent Guide to Project Management, J. Scott, joins the show to talk about planning and estimating, and following a solid method presented in the book for delivering projects on time and under budget every time. If you ever find yourself defending the need for a plan, this episode is for you. If you think you don’t need a plan, this episode is also for you. The conversation covers: How to blend processes successfully The necessity for solid project management training materials When to create a project plan The values of planning in both traditional and Agile methods How to collaborate on project planning Mistakes that PMs make in planning How to get better at estimating Time-saving tips to strengthen your estimates plans stronger Resources mentioned in this episode: J’s consultancy, 120VC J’s book, The Irreverent Guide to Project Management ‍

“The nice thing about people being away from you is that you cannot micromanage them. That actually frees you up as a manager to go and do the stuff you need to do.”   There’s no doubt that where you work will impact how you work. In an age where remote work has become more and more popular, you’ve probably explored how you can manage projects and people from afar. In this episode of Time Limit, management consultant and author Johanna Rothman joins us to talk all about remote work. The conversation ranges from theoretical to tactical, and offers a ton of takeaways on: How to categorize your work environment, whether you’re in the same building as your team or not The benefits of managing distributed teams The importance of team and project facilitation The value of distributed teams in an Agile environment How to get team buy-in when you’re distributed The value of team-based learning The best ways to communicate as a remote or distributed team How to collaborate with teams from afar Guidance on how to handle remote meetings   Resources mentioned in this episode: Johanna’s book, From Chaos to Successful Distributed Teams: Collaborate to Deliver Johanna Rothman's website

How are you feeling today? If you’re a busy project manager, there’s a really good chance that you’re feeling stress--or you have recently. And as the end of the year approaches, the pressure to wrap things up, deliver on year-end goals, and make everyone happy are probably building up. But you can’t let that stress get to you, because that leads to burnout. That’s why we brought Lynn Winter on the show to talk about how you can deal with burnout--and how you can help others to do the same. No matter the time of year, you’ll want to check this episode, which covers: How to define burnout--figure out you are burn out and how you can look inside and fix it Are PMs more prone to stress? Valuing the project management role Signs of burnout at work Things that we can do in order to beat burnout Facts about how employees deal with stress and burnout How to set boundaries

“PMs have a tendency of being lone wolves and I think going out into the community to understand what other challenges people are facing is a really great way to level set about where you are in the context of the field itself.” It’s true: project management isn’t an easy job. And, depending on where you work, you can end up feeling like you’re on an island. So where do you turn when you need to vent, learn different perspectives, and grow your professional network? In this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks about project management community with the organizers of an Austin, TX-based digital project management meetup. In the conversation, they discuss: The value of community for project managers Events and topics that resonate for project managers Meetups and larger events that PMs find useful Advice for starting your own meetup in your city How to make time for community, and yourself Resources discussed in this episode: Kickass PM Meetup Project Management Institute Events Scrum Alliance Events ‍

"You manage tasks but you lead people." As a project manager, you lead projects and teams. Or do you manage them? What is the difference, actually? And will knowing the difference help you to be a better project manager? In this episode, Brett speaks with internationally recognized project leadership coach, trainer and consultantSusanne Madsen. Their conversation focuses in on a topic that many PMs and managers tend to focus in on: How to be a great leader. They also discuss Susanne's book The Power of Project Leadership, which is now in its second edition and is up for a PMI award, and the themes within, including: Leadership vs. management The path to leadership The mistakes project managers make: Encouraging leadership Finding time to level-up Resources discussed in this episode: The Power of Project Leadership Susanne Madsen's website

“What you have to do (when presenting design) is find out what stakeholders already care about, and frame what you want to convince them of within that context.” Managing a design project often means managing people and their opinions. You need to lead those sometimes disparate opinions to a final decision and move on in order to keep your project on track. It can be tough, but UX expert Paul Boag has some helpful, proactive approaches to help your design projects run smoothly. In this wide-ranging conversation, Brett and Paul zero in on tactics to manage design projects, but they also talk discuss: The difference between PM and DPM The basis for how digital projects operate How to conduct project discoveries The PM's role in digital projects, and how they extend their roles Getting to know stakeholders Managing parts if the design process Managing stakeholder feedback Resources mentioned: Paul Boag’s Digital PM Master Class Why I can’t convince executives to invest in UX (and neither can you) by Jared Spool

“Focus some attention on your people and knowing those people, and understanding what their core strengths are because those are their drivers. Those are the things that really motivate them to show up and get stuff done.” If you lead projects, you’ve likely had battles with motivation in project management—whether it’s to find motivation to complete your own work, or to mobilize an entire team to meet a goal successfully. You may have won a battle here and there, but sometimes it can feel like the topic of motivation can become an all-out war. But by instilling some basic values and using some helpful tools to help you figure out what motivates people, you can win that war before it even starts. On this episode, Brett interviews Ruth Pearce, who is an accomplished project manager and coach, and the author of Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management. In conversation, they cover: Strengths-based project management The strengths that PMs possess Techniques used to motivate team members (and yourself) How to you keep your team motivated in the face of tight deadlines or other challenges How to build influence Quick tips and tactics to keep people motivated Resources mentioned in this episode Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management VIA Character strengths survey (this is a free link for our listeners) Ruth Pearce’s website (includes a blog and other valuable resources) Article on ProjectManagement.com: Team building for success - from the Project Manager up!  Article on ProjectManagement.com: Shifting Change: Insider Tips from Project Leaders PMWorld 360 E-zine 

“Very basically a PMO normally stands for a project management office. And they're there to basically help organizations get better at delivering the projects that they have.” If you’ve ever wondered what a PMO is, that quote from this episode of Time Limit is your answer. But take heed, because there’s a lot of complexity to PMOs. That’s why we invited PMO expert and Director of PMO Learning, Lindsay Scott, to join us to fill us in on: The benefits of a PMO and why you might need a PMO The types of PMOs that exist When to set up a PMO PMO roles and responsibilities The career path to get from PM to PMO Typical PMO structures Education and certifications for PMO Resources mentioned in this episode: PMO Learning PMO Flashmob The Art & Science of Leading Projects TeamGantt’s Live Classes

"Trying to implement things from a framework, you've got to have expectations that you will need to adapt things, try things out." Sometimes your process is rock solid and it just works. Other times, you find room for improvement. Whether you’re adapting formalized practices like Scrum or Waterfall, or crafting your own process based on what you know what works (or what doesn’t work) for you, your team, stakeholders, and project. But there will always be challenges and things to consider. In this episode, consultant digital delivery lead Suze Haworth shares her thoughts on crafting process, including: What leads teams to transform process What adapting Agile means What embracing Agile practices means to project management role The challenges you might encounter when adapting process Practical tactics to help you employ a new process

“Ironically, a lot of these planning meetings are about planning a very well directed project, but often not a lot of time or preparation goes into planning for the meetings.” If you’re a Time Limit listener, you’re likely stretched for time. And that means everything can feel rushed. But if there’s anything you can learn from this episode, it’s that taking the time to plan your work and your meetings will save you time--and anxiety--in the long-run of your projects. In this episode, we interviewed Rich Maltzman and Jim Stewart, co-authors of the new book How To Facilitate Productive Prioject Planning Meetings.  In this focused conversation with two very experienced project managers and educators, a vriety of topics around managing meetings is covered: Common barriers PMs face when creating plans The need for empathy, and its new inclusion in the PMBOK Helpful meeting facilitation tactics How to handle meeting “goblins” Tips to facilitate remote meetings How to pull a plan together even if you don’t have the time for a planning meeting Resources mentioned in this episode:  How To Facilitate Productive Prioject Planning Meetings The Long Distance Leader by Kevin Eikenbetter and Wayne Turmel Debbie Downer

Creating estimates and plans can be tough, especially if you don’t have the time to do them well. But, if you’re working on a team, you should leverage them. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett interviews best selling author, international speaker and CEO of Priceless Planning, Dr. Sidjae Price, about ways to get to well-rounded estimates and plans with teams. But it’s more than that. In fact, this conversation covers: Dealing with generational gaps while managing projects Taking human factors and cultural norms into consideration when estimating and planning Tips on creating a solid planning process Handling change Resources mentioned in this episode: Priceless Planning The Art & Science of Leading Projects

“The more you think about how things look to other people and how might they see the world, the better you're going to work together as a team.” There’s a lot that goes into making a team work well together. Of course there are those magical instances where you get a group of talented people together and it just works. But more often than not, you have to take a measured approach to make the magic happen. In this episode, Brett interviews Neil Vass, an agile delivery manager for Co-op Digital, about the complexities of leading teams. The conversation is productive and full of tactics and resources, and covers: Practices for staffing teams How to identify a teams’ strengths and weaknesses How to get teams aligned around organizational and project goals Ways to motivate team members, even when you are not a line manager Exercises to help with team building Low-effort, high-impact practices to help you keep the team feeling positive and productive Links and resources mentioned in this episode:  Co-op Digital's blog  More on the role of a delivery manager  Resources on building empathy and communication in teams: A user manualfor me by Cassie Robinson and Our Empathy Survey Says - Awesome Retro by Stephen Mounsey The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth The quote Neil mentioned, which was by Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Whether you’re a seasoned PMP or a brand new project leader with no formal training, you’ve likely thought about ways to level up your skillset to make you a better PM and your career. But where do you go to learn? Sure, TeamGantt is a great starting point for classes, resources, and templates, but there’s more. In this episode, Brett talked to PM trainer Rachel Gertz about PM education, and a few related topics: Focusing on the right things as a PM, not just your plans or process How to continue to learn and grow as an experienced PM The value of certifications Where project management is headed Managing risk, and not trying to control everything The advantages of being in command of facts, which allows you to be relaxed The conversation went in a few different directions, but always came back to the value of being open and ready to learn. Resources mentioned in this interview include: The Digital PM Summit Deliver Conference Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process by Nancy Lyons and Meghan McInerny Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande Project Management for Humans: Helping People Get Things Done by Brett Harned

It seems like the natural project management career would lead to people management. But why? Managing projects is a far cry from managing people. And doing both at the same time? That sounds like madness. But people do it every day. In fact, this week’s guest is one of those people. Tera Simon works at Globant where she leads projects and project managers, among other things. In this episode of Time Limit, Tera and Brett discuss: Why people want to be managers The challenges of managing people Resources for new managers What it’s like to manage project managers Resources mentioned in this episode: LeAP training: https://www.sarclearningcentral.ca/programs/LEAP

”This is a part of our work lives, quite frankly. What I like Putting a label on is that it helps you to understand a framework and how you can navigate through it.” You’ve been there: leadership doesn’t tell you things, rumors happen, ...Social politics are a part of our work lives, whether we like it or not. And did you know that there’s a positive aspect to them as well? In this episode, Brett talks to trainer, facilitator, and project manager Crystal Richards all about navigating the sometimes rough waters of social politics at work, including: How to detect good vs. bad social politics How to observe and navigate social politics as a new team member How to untangle messes created by social politics Ways to build relationships at work Using social politics to do good

If you think running projects can be difficult, you should try running a business! On this episode of Time Limit, Shawn Van Dyke digs in to the many highs and lows of running a construction business. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that touches on a lot of points that will resonate for you, no matter your industry or whether you’re a business owner or a project leader. Topics discussed include: Challenges you might face on projects, particularly in construction Changing the way you act, work, and think when running a business How to use the Paperwork Punch List:28 Days to Streamline Your Construction Business Achieving work-life integration Finding the time to keep up with project work and administrative work

Ever wonder what it would be like to go out on your own? Imagine that: the free wheelin’ life of a freelance project manager. In this episode of Time Limit, you’ll get an insider’s take on what it’s like to run your own freelance project management business. This week’s guest, Patrice Embry, shares her path into her successful freelance career, as well as several other topics, including: How to quickly adapt to new teams as a freelancer How to motivate team members and make them accountable for their work when you have zero responsibility over them Challenges to look out for if you’re taking a freelance gig or hiring a freelance PM How to stay current How to keep yourself organized with several projects and clients

It’s a fact: many project managers fell into their roles. Some more quickly than others, but the fact is: there are qualities that make a great PM and even better managers. In this episode, Sam Barnes, engineering manager at Marks and Spencer, shares his own winding path into PM and talks about where his experience led him. It’s a personal tale with unexpected twists and turns--one that you may relate to whether you’re an accidental PM, trained PM, or part-time PM. Along with his story, Sam also shares: Qualities to embrace in your career as a PM Growing out of PM, and what other areas you might explore How PM skills are transferable to other roles Advice for carving out your own career path

What’s the first question you’d ask an Agile expert? Tough one! But in this episode, Brett asked Leading Agile’s Certified Scrum Trainer Dave Prior the tough questions about Agile transformation, and even blending Agile approaches. It’s a good, short conversation that gets straight to the matter and may help you on your own Agile journey. Topics discussed in this episode include: The rise of Agile Where Agile works well and where it breaks down Blending Agile with traditional methods The path to Agile transformation and the roadblocks you might encounter How to learn about Agile when you don’t have the time to be certified Links and resources mentioned in this episode: Dave’s Classes at Leading Agile Leading Agile Sound Notes Podcast Dave’s blog and podcast

On this episode of Time Limit, Brett talks to Elizabeth Harrin, founder of GirlsGuidetoPM.com, and author of 5 PM books, including Collaboration Tools for Project Managers. Not only did Elizabeth write the book on how PMs can implement tools and overcome obstacles, but she also showed up to the podcast with really valuable, practical advice and ideas. Topics covered in this episode include: Common communication issues and how to address them The qualities of a solid collaborative environment How technology is impacting project management, and what the future may hold Practical tips for being a good communicator in the face of limited time Links and resources mentioned in this episode:   Collaboration Tools for Project Managers   Girl’s Guide to Project Management Project Management Rebels Project Management Cafe Facebook Group

In this reboot of Time Limit, we share the idea for our new format and jump right into an interview with award-winning international speaker, author, and consultant Colin D. Ellis.  Show Notes: “Great leadership provides the foundation for successful project management.”It’s a quote from Colin D. Ellis’s first book, *The Conscious Leader: How to create a culture of success for your projects, your team and yourself*, that speaks volumes about how project managers are set up to succeed…or fail. It also speaks to the culture of an organization, a team, and the work individuals can do to contribute to and shape that culture. In this interview, TeamGantt’s director of education speaks with Colin about:  How culture is formed How individuals can impact culture—in both positive and negative ways How to making hiring decisions when “cultural fit” is part of your criteria How to work on culture when you’ve got limited time to focus on it Links and resources mentioned in this episode:  Colin D. Ellis’s website Colin’s newsletter (and four free project management resources) The Conscious Project Leader

This week, the guys talk about what motivataes them and how they keep their teams motivated.

Nathan, John, and Brett are back to talk about working remotely and how we handle a remote team at TeamGantt.

Nathan and John are joined again by PM guru Brett Harned to talk about estimating projects.

Nathan and John talk about working hard without burning out, and how we handle our work hours at TeamGantt.

Nathan, and John are joined by good friend and digital project manager extraordinaire Brett Harned to talk about PM Methodologies and which ones you should think about for your projects.