John Reiling Strategy is all about identifying and creating areas of competitive advantage. Project management is all about executing those strategies. This post examines two economics concepts – Absolute Advantage and Comparative Advantage – which provide structure for analyzing and achieving competitive advantage. What Is Absolute Advantage? Absolute Advantage is a concept invented by Adam Smith in … Read more
Michael Porter of Harvard has developed a model for the competitiveness of industries among nations. Considering international variables is useful to governments, investors, strategists and project management pros. The post reviews Porter’s Diamond Model and provides some examples of the principles. Finally it offers ideas how PM professionals can use it to be more effective … Read more
It can be a daunting task to look for an agile project planning tool. You will find a plethora of options – even free agile project management tools. This post focuses on three hosted agile project management software tools – from Atlassian, Microsoft, and Google. You will find comparisons of key attributes, pricing, and strengths … Read more
Innovation and new ideas are great – but how do you get the word out? This is a challenge, especially for implementing innovation strategies. This post examines a widely held theory about how innovations are absorbed and accepted by people, and the implications for implementing strategy. Diffusion Innovation Theory Model Diffusion of innovation theory is … Read more
While scope, cost, and time are always a concern in project management, success with them does not by itself mean project success. Fulfilling the project’s purpose gets you a lot closer…but that’s high level. Implementing a successful project requires tradeoffs – in external areas that require external help. What Is the Engagement Triple Constraint? The … Read more
Most project managers are familiar with the Triple Constraint, or Iron Triangle. It focuses inwardly on the project constraints of Scope, Time, and Cost. But what about an ‘outward’ focus – one focused more on strategic elements that also define whether the project is a success or not? This post examines an outwardly focused set … Read more
The Triple Constraint, or Iron Triangle, is a great tool for implementation. It applies well in practice especially to project management – but also is useful in the practice of strategy. While it originated in project management lexicon, it has strong applicability in the two-way dialog between strategists and project managers. What Is the Triple … Read more
You can manage projects in some tough environments – and one of the toughest is a turnaround environment. This post asks what is a turnaround strategy, outlines structured approaches to turnarounds, and reviews implementing through a focused and well-structured portfolio of programs and projects. What Is a Turnaround Strategy? Turnarounds are needed when an organization … Read more
“Low code no code” refers to digitization through more efficient means – through “citizen development”. It is a growing trend that shows potential for growing and evolving over the next decade and beyond. This article explores some things that are happening in this growth area, why it exists, and implications for strategy and project management. … Read more
In many ways, strategy and project management are very simple. It really comes down to just a few basic principles. One of them is focus – what is sometimes thought of as the 80:20 rule, or doing the 20% of things that bring 80% of the results. The 80:20 rule works, whether in our personal … Read more