Author Archives: donmcalister

Unknown's avatar

About donmcalister

I retired at the end of 2011, after a 39 year career in the Aerospace industry as a Propulsion Engineer, Engineering Manager and Program Manager. My professional interests and expertise are in the areas of Program, Risk and Knowledge Management. I'm passionate about life-long learning in a wide variety of topics and I'm committed to sharing my knowledge and ideas with those who are interested. I'm an Aerospace Industry Consultant. I serve my community as a Rotarian. My hobby is playing as a jazz keyboard.

The Myth of the Powerless Project Manager

Posted on January 28, 2013 by donmcalister

It’s not uncommon to hear from worried Project Managers (PMs) that although they are held accountable for the success of their project, they aren’t given the necessary authority to control it. They say their Sponsors are no-where to be seen … Continue reading →

Posted in Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | 8 Comments

Better Thinking About Project Management Practices and Tools

Posted on January 9, 2013 by donmcalister

This is the first of a series of blogs I’ll be posting on the subject of Project Management Practices and Tools. In this post I offer my thoughts on how better thinking about Project Management (PM) Practices by Project Managers … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | 3 Comments

Project Decision Making – Simpler Is Not Always Better

Posted on December 16, 2012 by donmcalister

Some years ago I bought my first scanner. In trying it out for the first time I used a document master that included text, a sketch and a signature. When I selected the “Scan” button, I was prompted to select … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Leave a comment

Project Management Rescue Tips – Smoke Jumping

Posted on December 3, 2012 by donmcalister

Every year, wildfires ravage huge areas of the world’s forest and grassland resources. One of the specialized tools employed to fight these wildfires in remote areas of Russia, Canada, United States, and a few other parts of the world, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A Leadership Learning Moment

Posted on November 16, 2012 by donmcalister

          Learning to Be A Leader There is much to learn in the leadership arts But just one most important part. You can rent peoples muscles and minds But to be their true leader you will … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, poetry | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Managing Project Risk By Looking Inside Your Team

Posted on November 4, 2012 by donmcalister

In a September 2012 post I introduced the idea of “Implicit Metrics.” Implicit metrics are all about the nature and health of the project team operating environment and the ways in which it affects the interactions and knowledge transactions between … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Today I Met A Wounded Warrior

Posted on October 19, 2012 by donmcalister

I had the honor of speaking with a wounded warrior today. His name is Nelson Holman and he’ll celebrate his 93rd birthday in October 20th. He sustained his wounds on December 7, 1941, while serving on the USS Pennsylvania at … Continue reading →

Posted in Heroes, poetry, That's Life | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Project Management Decisions – Logical or Emotional?

Posted on October 11, 2012 by donmcalister

For those of us who pride ourselves on making logical, data-driven decisions, recent neuroscience research says we’re kidding ourselves. A recent discussion posted by Paul McFadden in the LinkedIn Group, “NeuroLeadership in Project and Program Management Leadership” captured my attention. … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Are You Managing All of Your Project Baseline Risks?

Posted on October 1, 2012 by donmcalister

During the initiation and planning phases of a project we establish the baselines. Once the preliminary scope, schedule and cost baselines are defined we then conduct a risk assessment to identify the critical uncertainties associated with those baselines and incorporate … Continue reading →

Posted in Program & Knowledge Management | Leave a comment

Ideas for Better Project Metrics

Posted on September 16, 2012 by donmcalister

Project metrics are a suite of parameters that we choose during the planning phase and then monitor and analyze during execution to help us make course corrections. They inform us of our performance against the plan and trigger us to … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment