Category Archives: Best Practices

Chaos & Creativity

Posted on December 27, 2016 by donmcalister

        If our lives were as simple as we often wish they would be Black and white…yes and no…and complexity free. Then the world would be easier to bear don’t you think? Or would the boredom of … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, coaching, Leadership, Life, mentoring, Personal Development, poetry, Risk Management, teaching, That's Life | Leave a comment

Self-Inflicted Project Management Wounds

Posted on March 8, 2016 by donmcalister

  Forensic assessments of failed and troubled projects often reveal that the direct causes of the problems, and/or the contributing factors, are self-inflicted. The damage caused by these project management “friendly-fire” incidents can be significant and long lasting. Consider these … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, coaching, Knowledge Sharing, Leadership, Program & Knowledge Management, Project Baseline Management, Project Management, Risk Management | 2 Comments

Our Work Lives & the Relevance Imperative

Posted on July 8, 2015 by donmcalister

I’ve spent a lot of time recently, thinking about our psychological need for relevance, and the huge impact it has on the way we live our lives. I’m speaking here about personal relevance, which I will define as the degree … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Life, Personal Development | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Simple Approach to Building Better Project Plans

Posted on January 22, 2015 by donmcalister

  Often, new Project Managers, and even some experienced Project Managers, facing the challenge of planning a large, complex project, are overwhelmed by how to get started. I’d like to offer a simplified approach to this daunting task. There is … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Program & Knowledge Management, Project Management, Project Planning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tips for Managing Your Assumption Risks

Posted on November 5, 2013 by donmcalister

A major element of project management is the identification, analysis, and handling of risks. There are many types of risks that Project Managers must consider, but there is one type, that in my opinion, is not given the attention it … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Program & Knowledge Management, Risk Management | 3 Comments

Better Project Initiation with Mutual Learning

Posted on July 29, 2013 by donmcalister

Project Initiation (PI) is a critical step in the project management process. An inadequate PI effort can put the project in a hole from which it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to escape. Poor PI leads to poor … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management, Project Management, Risk Management | Tagged | Leave a comment

When Risks Must Be Treated As Issues

Posted on July 12, 2013 by donmcalister

Conventional Project Management wisdom is that risks are unfavorable things that could happen, but have not yet happened, whereas issues are unfavorable things that have occurred. Yet, in the real world of managing complex projects, thinking that there is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Program & Knowledge Management, Project Management, Risk Management | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Leadership Lessons from My Father

Posted on June 17, 2013 by donmcalister

    Since today, Sunday, 16 June 2013 is Fathers Day in North America; I decided to share a few things I learned about leadership from my father. I’m pretty sure that my leadership style and whatever I’ve accomplished as … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Heroes, Leadership, Life, Love & Courage, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | 1 Comment

Project Managers Must Know When to Break the Rules

Posted on June 5, 2013 by donmcalister

One of the major challenges, faced by Project Managers is achieving a workable balance between compliance with company policies, procedures and standard practices, and being responsive to external customer requests that require “bending” those rules. In theory, standard policies, procedures … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management, Project Baseline Management | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Building Leadership Skills – A “Novel” Approach

Posted on April 17, 2013 by donmcalister

I’ve always been, even as a young child, an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. I admit to enjoying fiction novels more than non-fiction books and articles, although I do read a lot of the latter. In the past, … Continue reading →

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