James Lewis

I find the Agile vs Traditional debate very interesting. Many times, especially when hearing non-practicioners discuss PM, I find that I’m not so sure they know what they are talking about. Specifically, there are differences between Agile and Waterfall approaches to project management.

Could some of the government PMs enlighten me… is it…[Read more]

Hi Hector.

ITPM might be a good option for you, it would expose you to standard PM practices, which are valuable in both IT and non-IT fields. This would also mean less IT technical specilization, and would allow a higher ceiling to growth (think PM policy or even e300 senior program management)

It is important to define how performance will be measured (specific, valuable metrics rather than nebulous or activity driven ones), and then measure against these criteria.

Workforce motivation can be driven through measurement, and right now the measurement just doesn’t value things that employees do that actually contribute to mission or…[Read more]

That certainly is a valid and strong argument for the use of agile. But, outside the end user / customer, how do you include other stakeholders in your demos? If there are situations where your end users aren’t wholel responsible for requirements (like with political factors), how do you include stakeholders who don’t get the chance to participate…[Read more]

Jaime really nailed it there.

Personally, I believe that lacking direction means that PM to PM processes vary. So, it’s difficult to compare apples to apples.

Beyond that, requirements are typically established by someone else, by a contractor, or have some version of policitical flavor which is near impossible for a PM to achieve. When…[Read more]

Does having a certificate hanging on the wall of your cube really mean that you’re QUALIFIED enough to actually manage a minor project, let alone a multi-million dollar program?

Considering there really is no standard of comparison regarding price or quality or knowledge/skill development behind these certifications other than alignment to a set…[Read more]

For the major PM tools that are available, I’d say that they all have strengths/weaknesses, but typically do the important stuff equally well.

The real failure of these tools (which are typically expensive investments) is the inability of the user to fully understand what they are entering, and what is being outputted. Or for that data to be…[Read more]

oops, I’m new to GovLoop, I didn’t know we had to be friends for me to send you a private message!

I guess I’ll start here. I’ve been involved with several organizations (DOT, USDA, SEC) who have decided that establishing an agency level PMO was needed in order for improved program/project results. In most cases, this is because they have faced…[Read more]

Does having a certificate hanging on the wall of your cube really mean that you’re QUALIFIED enough to actually manage a minor project, let alone a multi-million dollar program?

Considering there really is no standard of comparison regarding price or quality or knowledge/skill development behind these certifications other than alignment to a set…[Read more]