Every one of us need to improve our productivity in order to produce more results. Productivity is a relative concept…It all comes from your subconscious mind. To be more specific, the term “productivity” has a different meaning for each and every one of us.

For example, for me, being productive means producing the results I’m expecting and for which I’ve planned and worked hard for. For someone else, it could mean taking care of the house, cleaning dishes, making food, generating income for the family, and so on.

Now, for us project managers and online entrepreneurs, productivity is often influenced by how well we manage our time, how smart we approach our tasks, and more than often, what tools we take advantage of. In today’s article, we’ll talk about 10 cool tools that will help you improve your overall productivity:

Trello (Desktop, Android, iOS)

Trello is an awesome tool that allows you to keep track of your projects. It organizes all your projects into cards and boards. It informs you on what’s being worked on, what individuals are working on it, and also where there’s something going on. If you need add-ons for Trello, I recommend Bridge24 for Trello.

It’s an extremely easy-to-use, visually appealing, and customizable tool which will allow you to be better organized and take care of everything that’s going on.

Asana

Asana is a productivity tool designed for teams. The app helps various teams organize themselves by providing many types of solutions including task assignment options, stay-on-task tools, and many more.

It’s probably one of the most reliable team management software on the market, and it’s totally worth the price. When you first sign up, it’s completely free. After a while, you’ll have to pay 21$ for a team of five members. If you need add-ons for Asana, I recommend Bridge24 for Asana.

Evernote

Evernote is one of the most versatile app when it comes to note-taking, reminders, info saving, and syncing it so you can find everything on each and every device of yours. Be it tablet, PC, phone, you can find it extremely easy.

It can also clip web articles and save them for later reading. All the interesting information can be one-click saved and organized in such a way that you’ll actually come back and read or do whatever you’ve thought about few days ago.

Hoot Suite

Hoot Suite can be extremely useful for every individual or business that has a social media presence. Be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, using Hoot Suite will allow you to manage all of your social media activity in one easy-to-use dashboard.

This dashboard lets you delegate social assignments, schedule posts, organize all kinds of lists and followers, and also measure your overall performance.

Buffer

Buffer allows you to manage your Facebook pages, Facebook groups, Instagram pages, Twitter posts by offering you an easy way to save all the content you like and place it in a specific order.

The app automatically posts your scheduled content while you’re doing something else. All you have to do is add more content on the sequence, and everything is passive.

Assignment Masters

Assignment Masters provides all kind of writing, editing and proofreading services for students, academics, scholars, writers and content managers. You can order any type of services. The range is so large that it is even difficult to describe. Just visit them and try to check this service. In addition, the price is affordable, your privacy will be in safe hands and they provide profound support 24/7.

Toggl

In order to be productive, you need to keep track of your time and organize it as well as you can. Luckily, there is an awesome time-tracking app called Toggl. This tool allows you to track the time it takes for each task you complete, build reports, and analyze what’s working and what’s wasting your time.

Everything you do during the day is important. But, if we follow the 80/20 rule, we can skyrocket our productivity and overall results. Having a time tracking tool is the right choice, because it keeps you focused and sharp.

StayFocusd

StayFocusd is a free to use chrome extension which allows you to block certain time distracting websites. One common choice people use to block is Facebook. You can also limit your time to a specific number of minutes or hours per day. It’s up to you. The app only reminds you that you’re not supposed to be wasting time.

It’s like someone reminding you all the time that you should be productive right now instead of losing precious time of your day with things that don’t lead to long term success.

MiniNote

MiniNote is one of those apps that will make your life easier. It’s a tool that allows your day-by-day routine to be planned, organized, and taken care of in an easy fashion by allowing you to create to-do lists and keep track of your progress.

The check-list appears in the top right of your screen, and its role is to remind you of everything you have to get done today. The moment you finished a current task, you can automatically tick it off.

Rescue Time

Here’s another effective time-management app. Rescue Time, unlike other time tracking apps, helps you create an efficient feedback of your day. The app remembers the time you’ve spent on each software, website, application, and at the end of the day, you can read the report.

This app helps you track your own time-consuming activities, and will help you create more productive days for the future.

Blinkist

Blinkist app may be presented as a different type of productivity tool. Successful people read. That’s a fact. If you ever read books, you’ll find this app extremely useful when it comes to shortening the time of your lecture.

The application contains over 1000 bestseller non-fiction books, all summarized and split into few efficient packs of ideas. You can easily “read” a book in 15 minutes during your coffee break!

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Planview, a software development company – specializing in project management software, understands what it takes to be a successful organization. You need clear communication and a culture of accountability. Without proper forecasting, these are impossible goals. Innotas’, newley acquired by Planview, trademarked predictive portfolio analysis – needed for better planning. With its tools for IT and PM, this is the platform to strategically manage resources and collaborate between teams. For 5 years, they’ve won Gartner’s Magic Circle Award. With changes to the Workbench and a new Impact Analysis tool, the software development team at Innotas continues to improve this software.

1. Resource Workbench Update

The first thing you’ll notice are the changes to the look. Innotas improved the presentation of the Timesheet approval and Self-service administration. They also remodeled the system for permissions. This makes it easier to gather dates and generate reports. Finally, they made changes to the staffing predictions. Boost your ability to address needs of your highest value objectives. Efficiently asses hiring needs and fix bottlenecks.

2. Impact Analysis Release

Innotas’ Impact Analysis is a top down view of your entire portfolio. See all your resources, applications and projects as a network. Model changes and map them across the network. This one tool shifts PMOs and IT Managers from reactive to predictive. With improved impact statements, you’ll be better equipped to manage risks.

Conclusion

Organizational success hinges on efficient portfolio management. Innotas is an effective platform for strategic forecasting. Use the Impact Analysis to ensure changes align with your road map. Once you begin implementing changes, use the workbench to track progress. Innotas’ blog refers to these changes as “looking around the corner” planning.  Use these tools to anticipate outcomes and achieve amazing results. Follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.

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 “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” ~ John Rohn. You and your team have worked hard. You have kept your project on track, and finally, you reach phase #5, closure.

We’ve been exploring the project management phases as introduced by Roli Pathak in her article, Top 5 Project Management Phases. She said the closure phase, “includes a series of important tasks such as delivering the product, relieving resources, reward and recognition to the team members and formal termination of contractors in case they were employed on the project.” You’re almost there, but let’s take a look at what’s remaining before your project is complete.

Exploring Phase #5 – Closure

You have some routine administrative tasks to finish so that you may close your project successfully. The project size will dictate the extent of documentation and resource reporting you must do, but each project will have some of these items on a closing checklist.

1. Planned Activities Checklist – to know that you’re ready to close the project, your first step is to go over the activities checklist one last time – ensuring each item has been completed.
2. Budget Reporting – Assess your final project budget, and create a report. Be meticulous regarding proper departmental coding, descriptions, etc.
3. Vendor Contract Closure – If you hired external vendors, be sure to terminate those contracts.
4. Resource Overage Reallocation – Should you have unused resources upon project completion, make sure you release them, so that other departments have access to them. Resources could include money and equipment, or perhaps personnel on loan from another department for this project.
5. Reflection Review Session – Conduct a session where each team member may freely discuss everything he/she learned. Keep a pros and cons list of what did and didn’t work. The valuable insight you gain will help you perform better with this or other teams in the future. For some ideas on who to invite and what questions to ask, check out this list from Project Management Methodology.
   • The lessons learned session is typically a large meeting that includes the following groups:
     • Project team
     • Stakeholder representation – including external project oversight
     • Executive management
     • Maintenance and operation staff
   • Here are some questions to ask in this session.
     • Did the delivered product meet the specified requirements and goals of the project?
     • Was the customer satisfied with the end product?
     • Did we meet cost budgets?
     • Did we meet schedule expectations?
     • Did we identify and mitigate risks?
     • Did the project management methodology work?
     • What could we do differently in the future to improve the process?
6. Recognition – Your project group has accomplished the objectives as defined in your planning documentation, and have met or exceeded the expectations of your executive management and other stakeholders. You have pleased your client with the deliverables your team provided. Celebrate your success together! Here are some questions from Project Management Methodology you can ask to determine your success rate.
   • Did the team achieve all objectives?
   • Do the stakeholders and customers view the project/product in a positive manner?
   • How well does your team think you managed the project?
   • Did your team work well together and know what was going right and wrong?
   • There are 2 types of recognition that can take place after you close a project.
     • Informal Recognition – This is a type of recognition you as project manager could initiate on the departmental level. Consider showing appreciation to your team with a lunch break party or an informal get together after work.
     • Formal Recognition – This type of recognition may come from your executive management team. They could make a company wide announcement via email newsletter, at a town hall or quarterly meeting. Depending on the project and its public scope, your company may mention you and your team in the local paper or publications specific to your industry.
7. Project Documentation – Gather all the documentation from the inception of your project, so that you can store it for safekeeping in one location. Make sure you leave as thorough a record as possible. Check out these ideas from Project Management Methodology regarding items to include in your closure documentation.
   • Project Notebook
   • Project Plan – including the Project Charter, Project Scope Statement
   • Risk Management Plan, and Quality Plan
   • Correspondence
   • Meeting notes
   • Status reports
   • Contract file
   • Technical documents
   • Files, programs, tools, etc. placed under the use of Configuration Management
   • Any other pertinent information to the project
8. Post Implementation Assessment – Your client will test the product or service your team delivered. It may be a few months until you know your true measure of success. You may be responsible to present a post implementation assessment. This final documentation allows your executive management to ascertain, to a precise degree, your team’s achievement.

Wrap-Up & Resources

Finishing a project well will certainly give you and your team a great sense of accomplishment! To learn even more on this final project management phase, check out Closing phase – Fundamentals of project management.

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Congratulations! All that hard work and you’ve finally proven your value. Now you’re ready to move from associate to manager. Take a deep breath and get ready for the hurricane. There are many books, seminars and mentors available to guide your journey. Popular PM software provider Mavenlink’s recent blog turned best practices into a checklist. What a great place to start!

Hurricane You Say?

Successful management is a habit. The first days at the helm are going to be chaotic. You’ll forget to eat, you’ll forget to sit down. Mavenlink’s advice is spot on. Build yourself a checklist and put it on your desk. Follow it religiously. Start your career right and never look back. Here is my experience with this checklist.

1. Start Each Morning Out With A Simple “Good Morning”

Mavenlink points out the power of this simple beginning to the day. You are in charge of pushing your team to the highest performance level. Senior management will fill your email box with metrics before the coffee finishes brewing. Don’t rush into these demands, there’ll be plenty of time for that later. Drink your coffee and greet your team without mentioning work.

2. Listen

Mavenlink reminds us of the power of active listening. Buddhism refers to the practice of deep listening. Put down the phone or laptop and make eye contact. Listen to what they’re saying without thinking about your response.

3. Address Your Department’s Missions, Goals, Processes, and Procedures

Know your department’s mission. Use this to build your own team mission. Incorporate both goals and mission into your communications. Keep the team involved in the progress daily, weekly, and monthly. Steal from elementary school teachers and build a visual display of your goals and the team’s progress. As Mavenlink suggests, measurable goals support teamwork.

4. Hold Team Meetings So That Communication Is Freely Flowing

Carve out time each week for the team to be in the same room. Go in with an agenda and let the team take ownership of projects. Let the team members ask questions and find answers. Here Mavenlink reminds us that these meetings need to end with clear cut action plans.

5. Set Expectations, Roles & Responsibilities From The Beginning

Meet with each team member and discuss the mission and goals. Help them take ownership of their piece of the pie. Mavenlink asserts the power of a sense of purpose. This will build loyalty and create enthusiasm.

6. Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Take time to celebrate success. Corporate culture too often wanders into negativity, keeping people very too focused on their failures. One of my favorites is Mavenlink’s suggestion to use handwritten cards. I will never forget the expression on an employee’s face when I gave them a handwritten thank you card. And not just for the big things, notice the little things too.  

7. Lead By Example

You own the culture. Mavenlink’s charges us to make decisions confidently. Live the values that earned you this position.

8. Smile

Nothing undermines team success like poor morale. As Mavenlink points out, happiness and enthusiasm are contagious. Negativity is a weed in your vegetable garden and a smile on your face is a weed killer.

9. Don’t Lead by Fear or Create an Environment of  Anxiety

Mavenlink’s warning about scare tactics is accurate. You might see short term gains, but people don’t learn from punishment. Use positive reinforcement to correct people. Teach people skills and be forgiving if they don’t get it right away. 

10. Do Not Look at People Merely As a Number

Everything in a manager’s life is a number. The paradox is that you can’t manage to the number. Mavenlink urges us to create meaningful growth plans. If you take the right approach, you will see the numbers.

11.  Be Humble. Be Grateful.

The title doesn’t make you perfect. Acknowledge your shortcomings, appreciate your team’s feedback. There’s tremendous power in answering a question with “I don’t know”. Mavenlink adds that we should acknowledge the strengths of other people.

12. Ditch The Ego & Unnecessary Politics

Leave your ego at home. Let your work stand as the testament to your skill. Don’t look to others for validation. Avoid drama at all costs, keep the focus on the goal and the mission. Mavenlink points out that doing this will make you happier.

13. Nurture Growth

Mavenlink reminds us that boredom hurts performance. A mentor explained to me once that a truly successful manager creates other managers. Encourage your associates to push themselves. Create opportunities for leadership roles. Give them a chance to provide recommendations. 

14. Promote Education

Mavenlink urges managers to create an atmosphere of wonder in your team. Keep your associates engaged in the latest innovations. Uncover opportunities for them to learn. This is a feedback loop, and their learning will keep you at the top of your game.

15. Adopt A Work/Life Balance Philosophy

Mavenlink knows that this reduces burnout. Our jobs sustain our lives outside of work. Respect your teams family time and you will have happier employees. In return, they will rise up when you need the time out of the office.

16. Be Respectful

We spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with our co-workers. Make the time together as positive as possible. As Mavenlink points out, this includes peoples time. Don’t expect people to get everything done now, prioritize tasks and clarify timelines. Trust trickles down – how you treat your employees is how they will treat customers.

17. Ask Questions

Here, Mavenlink acknowledges the importance of constructive communication. In conversation with associates, keep your talking to a minimum. Ask them about the mission and let them answer. Let them tell you about how they are doing in attaining their goal. This reinforces ownership and nurtures accountability.

18. Keep Your Door Open

Mavenlink says that, that is the power of your visibility. Success is a two-way street. If I want my people receive my feedback, I must encourage them to provide me feedback. Post your schedule, communicate when and why you have to close your door – “Conference call, I’ll be available in an hour”.  

19. Get Your Hands Dirty

Mavenlink refers to genchi genbutsu, the Toyota system of productivity. Good managers are not afraid to get in the middle of the work. This is a difficult balancing act. Your excellent work earned you your promotion. Learn how to show your team that you know how to do the job without doing it for them. Don’t be afraid to wade into difficult situations and help them find a way out.

20. Be Real

Mavenlink wants you to know the importance of laying it all on the line. You’re responsible for the success of the company and the careers of your associates. Clearly, communicate expectations and measures of success. Do not shy away from accountability.

21. Stay Focused

We ask our team to accomplish a week’s worth of work in one day. Mobile phones and laptops make this unreal expectation approachable. Don’t forget they are tools. Mavenlink sums it up with a reminder to take time for strategy and planning. 

22. Stay Calm, Cool and Collected

Mavenlink talks about the importance of your emotional state. You’re your team’s emotional anchor. No matter the situation, remain unflappable.

23. Don’t Replace Email With Social Interaction

Read Ernest Hemingway’s philosophy on writing. Communication with your team should be direct and simple. Business buzzwords are great for reports, but pointless when communicating with your team. Use your calendar and schedule time to meet with everyone on your team each day. Again, Mavenlink reminds us, don’t hide in your office. 

25. Know What Motivates Them

If you want your team to work achieve greatness, they must buy what you are selling. It might seem surprising, but not everyone works for money. Find out what motivates them to come to work. As Mavenlink puts it, get to know the engine that drives your people.

26. Don’t Micromanage

Mavenlink uses 2 words here – delegate and trust. If you expect your team to trust you, you must trust them. Trust people to do their jobs. You manage too many people, and not enough time, to stand over their shoulder and monitor their work.

27. Let Them Be Brilliant

Just because it worked for you, doesn’t mean it will work for them. Create space for them to explore new technology and ideas. Encourage them to create new methods and procedures. As Mavenlink puts it, create the freedom for people to be brilliant.

28. Be Transparent

What happens when senior management visits your team? Every team member must know the goal and the team’s progress. Quiz them about the things they should know and give them what they need to fill in the gaps. Mavenlink suggests that the managers job is to support the sharing of knowledge.

29. Host Team Building Events

Cultivate a team culture. Create opportunities for team members to become invested in each other. Plan an in office party. Hold a meeting on the grass out front. Mavenlink reminisces about meetings at coffee shops. You don’t need to go zip lining through the mountains to encourage this in-it-together feeling.

30. Get To Know Your Associates

One of my management classes called this “Win the Heart”. Learn who your employees are – as people. Learn about their families, their successes outside work, their hobbies. Acknowledge milestones – birthdays, weddings, etc. Attend funerals, give wedding gifts. 

Good luck! Managing a team is a rewarding experience. Take the time now to build good habits and reap the rewards. 

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If you are a project manager, you might be wondering if you need to purchase insurance. Project managers need to purchase insurance. At the very least, all project managers should have liability insurance. If you do not have liability insurance, a lawsuit could take a large portion of your income. Several insurance agencies have policies that are suitable for project managers. Before you contact an insurance company, you should be knowledgeable of your coverage options.

1. Project Management Protective Liability Insurance

Project management protective liability insurance is an optional coverage option. The liability insurance does not have a standard form, and the project management protective liability limit applies separately to each project. The policy offers the insured liability protection for any incidents that are caused by the contractor’s work. The policy is supposed to reduce the hostility that usually arises when a claim is filed.

2. Insurance for Projects

Project managers define the project’s objectives. After defining the objectives, they acquire the resources that will make the project come to fruition. Ultimately, the project manager is responsible for the success or the failure of the project. A myriad of contractors and subcontractors are used to complete a project. All project managers should purchase professional indemnity insurance.

3. Professional Indemnity Insurance for Project Managers

A negligence lawsuit can bankrupt a project manager. Fortunately, professional indemnity insurance can cover negligence claims. A professional insurance policy can cover defamation, breach of confidentiality and intellectual property infringement. Some policies can fix a mistake before the issue becomes a problem for a client.

4. Public Liability Insurance

As a project manager, you will likely have several visitors in your office. Unfortunately, some of your visitors might be clumsy. If you do not have public liability insurance, you could be held responsible for any accidents that happen in your office. When you purchase public liability insurance, the insurance will cover the compensation claims.

5. Employers Insurance Coverage

Employees can get hurt, and they can sue for damages. The claims are usually due to injuries that occur inside or outside of an office building. If you do not have employer’s liability insurance, you might be sued by your employees. The insurance will pay for work-related bodily injury claims.

6. Office Equipment and Property Insurance

A natural disaster can destroy your furniture and office equipment. If your valuables are destroyed in a disaster, office equipment and property insurance will cover your technical gadgets. The insurance will also pay for plants and furniture. You might think some items are not worth insuring, but you might be underestimating their value.

7. Business Interruption Insurance

If an unforeseen event interrupts your schedule, you can still work outside of your office. The event may be caused by a flea infestation, fire or flood. Business interruption insurance will cover the cost of setting up your company elsewhere. The insurance will also cover any lost revenue.

8. Directors and Officers Insurance

Shareholders can sue higher level managers. Directors and officers insurance will cover higher level managers. If directors are sued, the insurance will pay for the compensation.

9. Consultants Insurance Coverage

Project managers have several insurance options, and there are several insurance companies. Usually, the most affordable insurance options can be purchased through an online insurance brokerage firm. A reputable online insurance brokerage firm will have knowledgeable representatives and affordable prices. The best insurance broker websites have great reviews. Before choosing an insurance agency, you should make sure that you have a thorough understanding of the policy. If the premiums and deductibles are reasonable, you should purchase the insurance.

Final Thought

As you assign project management roles to your employees, you should always be mindful of your insurance coverage. You will likely work with thousands of customers, contractors and subcontractors. When you follow the insurance requirements for consultants, you will ensure that your company’s finances are always protected.

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Over 250000 companies rely on Teamwork’s SaaS PM solution Projects. The most recent update continues to balance simplicity and function. This update makes a total of 12 changes. These include improvements to the card view, project organization, the calendar, tasks management, and avatars.

1. Card View

Visual representation of your projects is important. Teamwork’s Project card view quickly shows your active projects. Now, you can see the avatars of the people working on each project.

2. Color Coding Projects

Another enhancement to the view is the ability to color code projects. Teamwork now lets you find you projects even quicker with color coding. 

3.Tasks: Templates, Sub-tasks, and Dependency Quick View

Task templates are an effective tool for speeding up the creation of tasks and managing them. You’ll see that your templates now appear on the sidebar. It’s now a simple click to access your templates. Furthermore, templates now have their own page. This makes it easier for filtering and sorting.

Next, they simplified subtask creation. Simply hover over a task and click to indent it. No more pausing during your brainstorming, just make one list of things to do. Afterward, creating subtasks is just a simple hover, point, and click away.

Finally, once you’ve created all your subtasks, you’ll notice that a new symbol appears next to the task. Hovering over the symbol generates a tool-tip. Click on it and quick view gives you details on who it belongs to, the project, etc.

4. @Mentions: Avatars and Roles

Collaboration on successful projects requires clear communication between people and teams. Teamwork uses “@mentions” to send comments. Now, this function includes entire teams. For example, you can assign a group of people to the marketing role.  If you need to communicate with them, simply type “@marketing” and everyone on the team receives the message.

The other change you’ll see with @Mentions is the inclusion of the person’s avatar. Start typing a name and see (possibly) the face of the person you are mentioning or a circle with their name.

5. Project Creation: First Projects and the People Section

Teamwork added a new “People” tab in project creation. This eliminates extra clicks associated with assigning people to projects. Simply click add project, start typing a name and the system filters it for you.

Next, Teamwork simplified the creation of the first project. Now all of the extras – description, company, people, etc. – are in the “More Options” tab. New users only need to name the project. You can always come back later for the other stuff.

6. Calendar: Add Event & Calendar Views

In an effort to simplify the invite process, Teamwork is making changes to the “Add Event” tab. Start typing a person’s name and the filter narrows the list for you. Once you’ve built the event, you’ll now see the avatars for everyone who’s attending.

Viewing an event no longer requires leaving the calendar. Hover over the event on the calendar and you’ll see a magnifying glass on the pop up. Click the magnifying glass and an event preview appears on the right side of the screen. From here, you can edit the event.

Conclusion

Teamwork’s desire to be scalable to all projects and all teams hinges on simplicity. This update is another important step in that direction. By decreasing the number of clicks, this update increases what you can accomplish a given screen. At the same time, visual enhancements improve the efficiency of gathering information about your projects. Using this update supports the Teamwork promise that once you use Projects, you can’t imagine managing without it. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, & RSS.

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Recently, Mavenlink shared with us their 5 most popular articles. One of which was an article that showcased 5 TED talks about leadership. These TED talks discussed how to be an effective leader, be happy at work, be friends with stress, how kids can teach themselves, and the evolution of humans. Spoiler alert! The best talk was saved for last, after you have watched it you’ll never be the same. As these talks are informative and valuable for the project management field and Mavenlink participates in this field, as a software provider, I thought it would be interesting to examine Mavenlink, a review of sort, according to the perspectives in these talks. In other words, how does Mavenlink look through the TED lens? Specifically, is Mavenlink, according to TED, the following: an effective leader, positive, friends with stress, self-organizing, and, a good fictional story?

1st TED Talk that Mavenlink Showcased, Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Sinek stresses, repeatedly, the importance of communicating the ‘’why’’, to not only your team but to everyone who’s listening. According to Sinek, if we, as leaders, communicate why we do something we are going to attract people who believe the same thing we do; on the other hand, if we simply explain what we need do, that is an approach that is significantly less effective. For Sinek, in order for a group to follow your idea, or concept, they need to understand its purpose or reason. If they can relate to or agree with it, they are more likely to follow what you say. On the flip side, if you explain first, what needs to be done, then how to do it, and you end with the why it’s done – people are less likely to buy into your idea. They are less likely to follow your lead.

Ok, Mavenlink tell us about your why? Why do you do what you do? As found on their website, Mavenlink aspires to connect & serve. Mavenlink‘s why: the business landscape is global, interconnected and moving fast. Their how: have the right tool – Mavenlink’s tool of course. And lastly, their what: as in what can you do with that tool; you can do more than just get by. You can thrive. So what do they believe? To quote Mavenlink: “Every company can be successful; intense pressure is forcing change; technology helps with scaling and growth”. Your turn! Do you believe what Mavelink believes?

2nd Talk: Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work

Achor discusses, in a lighthearted manner, how you perceive the external world will ultimately be predictive of your attitude towards it. To expand, for most, every time we feel we have succeeded we go on to set another goal. And what happens is, we can end up feeling like we never can be good enough. We must do more. We end up always chasing a never ending goal. As Achor eloquently says, ”Happiness is pushed over the cognitive horizon …”.

Achor’s point, train your brain to be more positive. And how do you do such a thing? You’ll have to watch the video to learn the 2-minute fix. After your brain has been trained to be in a positive mode, it’s 31% more productive. For example, a doctor that trains his/her brain to be positive can be 19% faster at a diagnosis in comparison to a state of negativity, neutral or stress. Perhaps this is something that every doctor should incorporate into their daily routine.

Mavenlink, what’s your positivity? Again back to their philosophy, Mavenlink’s positivity is their belief that companies can be successful. Their positivity also includes, helping business’s manage budgets and timelines. Do you need some of this positivity?

3rd Talk: Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend

Say what! Stress is your friend. Another angle on positive thinking. If you use stress as a mechanism to help you prepare for a challenging job, the research is on your side. The research shows that stress can have little to no harmful affects on your health; under one condition – you must believe, whole heartedly that it’s beneficial for you, rather than harmful. For McGonigal, if you, “Change your mind about stress then you can change your body’s response to it’’. Another point that McGonigal makes is that caring creates a resilience to stress!

Does Mavenlink care – in a way that creates a resilience to stress? Mavenlink cares by providing their clients with an ever evolving support center that not only goes above and beyond the needs of their users but is ahead of the competition.

In addition to McGonigal’s talk, there’s a series of videos about stress. These talks will walk you through how 10 mindful minutes can change your life; how the sun can be good for your health, and finally how changing your life means changing your mind.

4th Talk: Sugata Mitra: Kids Can Teach Themselves

Yes, you read it right! Mitra argues that in privileged schools, students provided with the latest education technology will marginally benefit from it. Mitra’s argument is that technology, like computers and the access to the internet, should be provided in impoverished rural areas. Because, the children in these areas have the capacity, with this technology, to self-organize for learning. His study revealed that 6 – 13-year old’s, who had never seen a computer and had no idea what the internet was, could self instruct. Then, they were capable of teaching others how to use the computer. These children in rural areas had close to the same learning curve as found in school. The only requirement was they had to be in a group.

As demonstrated by Mitra’s research, the youth have the ability to self-organize for learning. Mitra sees this as a better mode of learning rather than with teachers, because teachers can create a context where learning is imposed. For Mitra, this is a less effective way to educate.

Now, does Mavenlink self-organize for learning? Well, there may not be 6-13-year old’s working there but this software company definitely facilitates self organization. Perhaps you have heard of scrum: a team directed approach to complex projects – can we see this as self-organization for learning – how to complete complex projects? Mavenlink’s software compliments this type of project management, and more.

5th Talk and Perhaps the Most Profound, Yuval Noah Harari: What Explains the Rise of Humans?

Harari walks us through how humans compare to the rest of the animal kingdom; we have the capacity to collaborate flexibly and in large numbers. Makes sense when you take a second to think about it. But also, we are the only species that believe fictional stories in which organizes us, or controls us – if you will, on a collective level. Take for example, fictional realities – considered fictional as there’s nothing tangible about them – they occur in our imagination. The example: there’s a god in the sky and if you follow certain laws and rules when you die you will go to a paradise – heaven. People adhere to these religious laws, in large numbers- they believe the story. Again, it’s a fictional story because our imagination participates in believing these stories – not that there’s anything wrong with it. In comparison to an objective reality, like trees, animals, buildings…

The same is true about money. Money, has no objective reality – it’s a green piece of paper. But everyone believes this green piece of paper has value. Hararir believes that money is the most successful story invented and taught by humans as it’s the only story everyone believes. Not everybody believes in things like God, human rights or nationalism. But money, yes.

His final point, humans control the world because we live in a dual reality. All other creatures live in an objective reality. The tangible reality, like mountains, trees and other animals. Humans live in this reality too, but we also we have created another reality – fictional stories – like nations, gods, corporations. It’s these fictional realities which are the most powerful entities in the world. These fictional realities, which exist in our imagination, are what effect the objective realities like rivers, vegetation, animals. If this concept is unclear at this moment, take the time to watch this talk. It’s worth every minute.

So what’s Mavenlink’s fictional story and do you believe in their fictional reality? There’re many who do with over 1.6 million projects managed. As well, Mavnelink was given the title of, “Cool vendor” by Gartner – the world’s leading technology research and advisory firm. I think it’s safe to say they believe Mavenlink’s story too.

To Conclude

There you have it, Mavenlink through the lens of TED.com. According to this lens we see the following: Mavenlink is a great leader; positively works with companies to facility successful projects; Mavenlink cares for their clients – as a result reducing stress; self-organizing is possible with Mavenlink’s software; and Mavenlink has a story in which has an impact on the objective world. Do you agree? I would like to hear what your thoughts are. Let me know in the leave a reply section below.

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The next phase after you and your team have moved through initiation, planning and commenced with execution is phase #4, the monitoring and control phase. Will Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” This project stage is certainly an active one, so endeavor to engage wholeheartedly in making sure you and your team stay on course!

In her article, Top 5 Project Management Phases, Roli Pathak introduced phase 4 by saying that the monitoring and control phase occurs “at the same time as the execution phase. She mentioned that this phase “mostly deals with measuring the project performance and progression in accordance to the project plan. Scope verification and control occur to check and monitor for scope creep, change control to track and manage changes to project requirement. Calculating key performance indicators for cost and time are done to measure the degree of variation, if any, and in which case corrective measures are determined and suggested to keep a project on track. To prevent project failure, consider why projects are likely to fail and the ways to prevent failure.”

Exploring Phase #4 – Monitoring & Control

I mentioned in Project Management Phases: Exploring Phase #3 – Execution that phase 3 and 4 coexist. It’s during the monitoring and control phase when you must reconcile projected performance stated in your planning documentation with your team’s actual performance. Should you identify any areas where things don’t match up, take time immediately to make adjustments. As you make these little corrections along the way, you can prevent larger milestone and deadline disruptions from happening.

Check out this illustration of all the phases to see how monitoring and control fit into the larger picture.

Department of Information Systems Arkansas | Project Management Methodology

Let’s take a closer look at some specific items Roli mentioned that you as a project manager must examine in order to help your team execute the project plan successfully.

• Scope – As you know, scope includes the specific objectives, deliverables, task assignments, any anticipated expenses, other resources and the target date to complete your project. Roli cautioned about “scope creep.” Aspects of scope creep include changes or deviations from the established scope. As you monitor, you may find instances where your team may have lost focus or could have misinterpreted the plan. You can step in to nudge your team back on course, redirecting the situation before it becomes a problem.
• Change Control – Control of the process is paramount to delivering on stakeholder and decision maker expectations. Your job is to anticipate and expect issues. If you have already taken time to jot down possible fixes to potential problems, you will be able to address and resolve issues more quickly. However, the caution here is that you never want to make any unnecessary changes, as that could introduce problems where there weren’t any and trigger a delay that was initially avoidable.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPI) – Key performance indicators are performance metrics you can use to evaluate and measure your team’s progress. Be sure to check often that your team is completing project milestones on time and that they are doing so within budget. There is always the possibility that projected resources end up not being enough for your team to get the job done. You can address these situations faster if you have been actively reviewing the metrics and progress reports.
• Cause – It is not enough to know that problems exist. You must ascertain why there’re problems, so that the same issues do not resurface again during this phase. To get some ideas about what may cause issues during your project, check out Top 10 Reasons Why Projects Fail.

Performance Coaching

Your position as project manager means that you are accountable to decision makers while also being responsible for leading your team to success. That’s a lot of people to make happy!

Keep in mind that you will get the best out of your team if you do not just monitor the process, but if you also make sure to manage and coach your people! Be visible to your team, encourage open communication, so that they feel comfortable, knowing you support them with any assistance they may need.

An empowered team will perform well, making progress updates for executive management and stakeholders much more pleasant. For some ideas on how you can help your team, take a look at, Top 12 Skills that Project Managers Need to Succeed.

Wrap-Up & Resources

Executing your role well is key to your project’s success. There’s a lot to consider as you strive to deliver the best possible outcome for all parties involved.

For some additional info on this phase, check out Monitoring & Controlling Phase – Fundamentals of Project Management.

You can also review Project Management Pest Practices and The Common Project Management Pitfalls for ideas on how to excel during this stage of your project life cycle.

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Remember that kid in elementary school who had all the answers? It was pretty annoying when he hogged all the teacher’s attention. But, now you are a PM in-charge of the projects and dreams are yours for the making or breaking. Having half of that kid’s knowledge at your fingertips would be pretty wonderful right? Founded in 2009 by former Facebook employees Charlie Cheever and Adam D’Angelo, Quora is your chance to forgive that kid for all the times you tripped him at recess.

What is Quora?

In 2001, Wikipedia introduced the concept of a decentralized encyclopedia. Curated by users, this revolutionized the gathering of information. Quora expands on this idea with a simple question and answer format. Users of the site register using real names. Once registered, you can ask or answer any question. Other users reward the accuracy of information by voting. The know-it-all kid, the wise old mentor and the thoughts of industry leaders in one package.

A Historical Conext That Leads to Quora

The principles of project management are transcendent. Accomplishing great things requires a sharp and disciplined mind to organize the tasks, manage the resources and make sure the team meets the goal. Until the WWII, it was easy to handle one-time projects using Henry Gantt’s charts and Frederick Winslow Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management. Managers juggled projects and operations without much consideration. After WWII, with improvements to technology, projects became complex and massive. These new projects demanded the attention of a full-time professional. The technological advances that continue to march unabated today make PM one of the hottest job titles. PMs are some of the highest salaried professionals, but this comes with a high level of stress. Success and failure are in your hands and it’s important that you continue to keep your skills current and sharp. Let Quora help you with that. 

The Right Software for Your Project

When the Project Management Institute (PMI) opened its doors in 1969, the Project Evaluation and Review Technique and Critical Path Method dominated the industry. Newly minted PMs and pros shared information easily using the PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). But computers added algorithms to the PM’s toolbox and the high-speed internet brought immediate connectivity. Today hosted software solutions offer a platform adapted to every kind of team and every imaginable project. Quora cuts the time searching for the right tool in half. When you search project management software in Quora, you will get the answer to the best way to choose the right project management software. This curated list addresses real life applications across the industry. Quora provides everything you need, not too much or too little, to make an informed decision.

Pitches from The PM Companies

Quora is not only for PMs, you will learn about to the best project management software for small creative teams. The founder of Aha! explains his new product and includes screen shots. This is targeted advertising, pitching directly to your audience. With 65000 views, this one thread is more effective than ad banners and less expensive. Another benefit that Quora provides to the PM industry – companies can promote their product – or inform the reader about it.    

How to Become a PM Expert

An industry is only as good as it’s experts. Beyond centralizing information about project management, the goal of PMI was to professionalize the job. With this in mind, they created the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Today, PMP certification is respected worldwide. If you’ve been leading teams and want to pursue certification Quora has what you need to know about becoming certified. Find out about what the certification means from those who have walked the path. You can also pursue project management from an academic angle, further enhancing your skill with a master’s degree. Quora provides excellent guidance on research topics, thesis topics, and dissertations. Everyone knows the power of guidance from those who’ve walked the walk.

Don’t Become Obsolete

Attaining expertise isn’t a finite exercise. Thanks to computers, PM is a rapidly evolving industry. A PMP and Master’s demonstrate dedication, but it seems as if your knowledge becomes can become dated before the ink dries. Quora keeps your finger on the pulse of the industry. This thread, for IT PMs, is a running commentary on the changes to the industry. This blog from Wrike, contains a list of must read threads. Feeling frustrated and burned out? Try this discussion.  The debate between “waterfall” planning and Agile shows up in a lot of these threads. Quora covers that too: no need to check out a library worth of books.

Conclusion

Success depends on flexibility and your willingness to learn. Quora is your road map. If you are a PM wanting to make sure your next project is your best performance, consult with Quora. If you are a PM solution designer eager to fill a gap, make your presence known on Quora. Just because it worked yesterday, doesn’t mean it’ll work today.  

For a quick tutorial on how to use Quora, we have it for you. Check out this video below.

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When do Your Best Ideas Come to You? Most people seem to have flashes of brilliance and insight when they are driving, lying awake in bed at night, or in the shower. A great idea comes to you and it’s so colossal and important that you’re sure you will have no problem remembering it. What typically happens to these ideas? They are most often forgotten, even the ideas you were sure were going to make you rich! You promise yourself that this will never happen again. You buy a small recorder to keep with you in your car, put a pen and paper on your nightstand – you never want to miss one of these breakthrough ideas again.

It’s the same thing when you’re going through the life-cycle of the software projects you manage. Someone comes up with a great idea that will make the next similar project easier to implement. You forget to write it down and it falls between the cracks. Or, someone identifies a process that is broken in the way the projects are executed. You tell them you appreciate their feedback and then forget to write it down. Another great idea down the drain.

As a project manager it is important to make time at the end of a project for you and your project team to identify and reflect upon the lessons learned. These lessons should be recorded so that the knowledge gained can be added to the project management planning templates and shared with others.

In order for your project team members to add insight during the project debrief, you as a project manager must communicate to them that you want them to capture information about lessons learned from the outset. How else will they know to take time out of their busy project schedule to write their learning down. Here are some suggestions to help project managers plan a software project that incorporates lessons learned from previous projects.

1. Tell Everyone That They Are Each Expected to Bring Some Lesson Learned to the Final Project Review

In order to plan a software project that is based upon lessons learned, as project manager, tell your team that there is going to be a post-project review or debrief. Inform them that you very much appreciate their feedback, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and comments on what could be done on the next project to make it run even smoother.

2. Reduce the Barriers to Communicating Feedback About the Project and Lessons Learned

Your goal is to make capturing lessons learned as easy and non-obtrusive as possible. Is there a simple form you want everyone to fill out? Or a location on a shared drive that you want people to record their ideas? The goal is to keep ideas flowing as freely and quickly as possible. As project manager you encourage everyone to help improve the next project and/or process.

3. Value Open Honest Communication Whether Positive Feedback or Constructive Criticism

One of the ground rules is that there must be absolute candor with no repercussions on those who take part in this exercise. This is something you will quickly learn when it comes to how to plan a software project that utilizes lessons learned. The environment must be a “safe place” where people can freely speak their mind. In order to learn how to plan a software project utilizing lessons learned you must be open to hearing both positive feedback and constructive criticism, even about your own performance as project manager.

4. Make Providing Feedback About the Project Fun

Once you have established a safe place for people to candidly speak about what could be done to improve the next project, the next step is to make it fun. You can do this in a number of ways. Consider having a contest that rewards different categories of suggestions. For example, you could reward “the most ideas”, “the most outrageous idea”, “the most time-saving idea”, or “the most money-saving idea”.

The award doesn’t have to be huge or expensive. The goal is to make it fun, something that stands out from their day-to-day routine. This could also include some type event where you bring everyone together to reward performance of those project team members who made the biggest impact.

5. Follow Up on People’s Feedback, Implement Positive Changes and Share the Lessons Learned

To end, it is critical when you plan a software project that you follow-up on the lessons learned. It will seem insincere to ask your team to provide suggestions, reward them for their behavior and then ignore their suggestions. If this happens, the team will soon see that these are lessons learned in name only and quickly lose interest.

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