The Agile Transformation (Part 2) – Challenges

Posted on: July 27th, 2017 by Jim 2 Comments

As mentioned in the previous article, Agile involves moving to a new way of working on projects, a new paradigm if you will. Therefore it brings its own set of issues that must be dealt with. Here are a few of the more common ones: Organizational Culture Organizations are typically top-down in nature, in that […]

[ More... ]

The Agile Transformation – Part 1

Posted on: July 12th, 2017 by Jim

What pushes organizations to embrace Agile and what projects waterfall won’t serve. Organizations that run projects are increasingly looking at transforming the company toward using the Agile methodology. For one example, GE – who is heavily involved in the “Internet of Things” – is having not only developers but also managers trained in . But […]

[ More... ]

A Brief Introduction to Agile Scrum

Posted on: June 20th, 2017 by Jim

Agile:   Is an approach to managing work Is supported by a manifesto that outlines principles and values Has a key phrase – inspect and adapt   There are several types of Agile (XP, lean, etc.) but the most popular is called Scrum. Unlike traditional project management which is command-and-control based, in Agile there is […]

[ More... ]

The PMO – What’s In It For You

Posted on: June 13th, 2017 by Jim

I was recently asked to do a talk on the Project Management Office (PMO) and how it is “here to help you but not do your job.” As part of that, I spoke on the state of the PMO (based on studies) and where it is going in the future. Before we talk about who […]

[ More... ]

Learn about Agile at the Small Business Expo, Washington DC April 19

Posted on: April 13th, 2017 by Jim

I’m going to be speaking at the Small Business Expo in Washington, DC on April 19th. It’s free. I’ll be speaking that day on “Introduction to Agile.” In 45 minutes you’ll get a pretty good idea of what it is (and is not.) Also, what are the top three challenges to introducing it into your environment […]

[ More... ]

Tech Startups and Agile – A Perfect Fit

Posted on: April 4th, 2017 by Jim

Check out my blog post today on the International Institute for Learnings’ blog page: To begin, let’s differentiate large traditional organizations from tech startups by identifying some of their typical attributes. Large established organizations tend to be more risk-averse and have detailed processes in place. Usually, they apply the classic “waterfall” methodology to manage projects. […]

[ More... ]

Join my Introduction to Agile (Scrum) webinar

Posted on: March 29th, 2017 by Jim

Join me on Thursday, 4/20 at 2pm EDT for an “Introduction to Agile (Scrum) webinar. This 45-minute presentation will serve as an introduction to Agile, specifically the Scrum variant. I will provide a quick overview of the other types and then delve more deeply into Scrum. We’ll look at the various roles involved, what a […]

[ More... ]

In-house PMP Exam Prep Classes

Posted on: March 8th, 2017 by Jim

Contact info: (c) 781-223-7218 (e) jstewart@jpstewartassociates.com Why send your team for PMP training? Establish a consistent baseline of best practices Have all team members speaking the same language Stay up-to-date with your competitors whose PM’s are PMP’s Post-class, begin to develop a common set of templates Know that your project managers are well-versed in project […]

[ More... ]

Planning for Your Facilitated Workshop

Posted on: March 8th, 2017 by Jim

I wrote a post a while back on using facilitated workshops to jump-start your project planning. As I work on my book, it occurs to me how important it is to plan for your planning session. Not only do you want it to run like clockwork, you want as few people as is humanly possible […]

[ More... ]

Announcing webinar – Lessons Learned in Establishing a PMO

Posted on: March 7th, 2017 by Jim

I’ve given this webinar a number of times successfully to various groups including PMI chapters. These lessons came not only from a couple of Project Management Offices I established last year but also from many years of providing best practices to organizations. Join me on Monday, March 27th at 2pm EST (11 am PST) for […]

[ More... ]

Project Fundamentals Training

Posted on: March 6th, 2017 by Jim

Often project managers do not understand the basic fundamentals of project management. In my course (2 – 4 days) I instruct on everything from charter to scope to schedule to risk. This project fundamentals training is designed to be an in-house class for your team or teams. The best part is that the class is […]

[ More... ]