Category Archives for Uncategorized

Projects: Creating Products, Services, and Results

People use the term "project" loosely. Someone may say, "I need to finish my filing project today." But what is a project and what's the difference between creating products, services, and results?

What is a Project?

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a product, service, or result. —PMBOK

Projects are Temporary

Projects are temporary. Projects have a beginning and an end. In contrast, teams perform operational tasks on a daily basis. Team members scan documents, handle customer calls, and pay invoices. 

Continue reading

My Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2018

Oh, what a year! Thank you for being a part of the Project Risk Coach Community. I hope you have found my articles practical and helpful. In this article, I'm sharing my most popular blog posts of 2018.

So, just how many of you came to the Project Risk Coach website in 2018? 

Year	Visitors
2018	113,206
2017	57,560
2016	42,000
2015	33,000
2014	21,000

One of my 2018 goals was to have 75,000 people visit the Project Risk Coach website. Thanks to you, I had more than 113,000. Visitors spent an average of 4 minutes and 47 seconds per visit. 

Where were the visitors from? Here were the top countries:

1. United States
2. Australia
3. The United Kingdom
4. India
5. Canada

Most Popular 2018 Blog Posts

You may have noticed that I wrote more about project risk management than ever with a sprinkling of general project management articles. Hopefully, you've gained further insights for identifying, evaluating, responding to and controlling your risks.

1. 7 Ways to Identify Risks
2. Evaluating Risks Using Quantitative Risk Analysis
3. 6 Tools and Techniques for Controlling Risks
4. How to Identify Scope Risks
5. How to Develop a Human Resource Management Plan
6. How to Develop a Quality Management Plan
7. How to Develop a Project Charter
8. Evaluating Risks Using Qualitative Risk Analysis
9. How to Determine Project Budget Reserves
10. 7 Things You Ought to Know About Identifying Risks

2019 Project Risk Coach Plans

I am grateful that the demand for my consulting services, particularly in the P&C insurance industry, has been great in 2018. In 2019,  I will be creating more online courses with a focus on project risk management and helping individuals prepare for the PMI-RMP Exam.

I also plan to speak and conduct workshops at a few PMI Chapters in 2019 

I see my primary audience as practicing project managers in the United States with a college education. Most are between the ages of 30 and 60 and most work in the financial industry.

Irrespective of where you live or what you do, I hope you will find the Project Risk Coach as a go-to resource for project management tips, tools, and techniques.

Please Take My Reader Survey (It's Quick)

Please help me help YOU. It is my sincere desire to provide greater value to you in 2019. Click here to complete a quick survey.

My Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2017

My aim this year was to help more project managers than ever. It happened. Allow me to share the results of my most popular blog posts of 2017.

One of my goals was to have 50,000 people visit the Project Risk Coach website. Thanks to you, I had more than 57,500. Visitors spent an average of 4 minutes and 29 seconds per visit. My visitor traffic continues to grow at a steady pace. I experienced a significant increase in the last quarter of 2017.

Where were the visitors from? Here were the top counties:

• The United States
• The United Kingdom
• Australia
• India
• Canada

Most Popular Blog Posts of 2017

You may have noticed that I wrote more about project risk management than ever with a sprinkling of general project management articles. Hopefully, you’ve gained further insights for identifying, evaluating, responding to and controlling your risks.

1. How to Develop a Project Charter
2. 7 Things You Ought to Know About Identifying Risks
3. How to Determine Project Budget Reserves
4. 7 Ways to Treat Risks
5. The What, Why, and How of Projects
6. How to Improve Results With Better Risk Statements
7. 7 Ways to Identify Risks
8. How to Think Ahead With a Project Plan
9. 7 Benefits of Keeping a Project Journal
10. How to Build and Use a Risk Register

Focus of 2018

I am grateful that the demand for my consulting services, particularly in the P&C insurance industry, has been great in 2017. In 2018,  I’d like to teach more with individuals and small groups, both online and face-to-face.

I see my primary audience as practicing project managers in the United States with a college education. Most are between the ages of 30 and 60 and most work in the financial industry.

Irrespective of where you live or what you do, I hope you will find the Project Risk Coach as a go-to resource for project management tips, tools, and techniques.

Please Take My Reader Survey

My Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2016

Wow! It’s been a great year. So much so, I’ve decided to leave the corporate world to help more project managers than ever. Thank you for making this possible.

Approximately 42,000 visitors came to The Project Risk Coach in 2016, up from 33,000 visitors in 2015. Also up from 21,000 in 2014. As you can see, the visitors have doubled in two years.

Visitors spent an average of 4 minutes and 19 seconds per visit.

The top countries were:

• The United States
• The United Kingdom
• Canada
• India
• Australia

Top Blog Posts for 2016

Here were the top 10 posts and the number of visits:

1. How to Develop a Project Charter – 4,184
2. The What, Why, and How of Projects – 3,229
3. How to Determine Project Budget Reserves – 3,091
4. Evaluating Risks Using Qualitative Risk Analysis – 1,993
5. 7 Things You Ought to Know About Identifying Risks – 1,786
6. 10 Surprising Ways to Make Your Project Customers Happy – 1,224
7. How to Build a Risk Register – 1,060
8. 7 Sharp Ways to Improve Project Quality – 849
9. How to Break Down Your Project – 833
10. Free Stuff – 813

Focus for 2017

As I’ve thought about 2017, one word continues to come to mind – ENGAGEMENT. While I enjoy sharing with thousands of people around the world, I want to engage more with individuals and small groups, both online and face-to-face.

I see my primary audience as practicing project managers in the United States with a college education, a large percentage with either a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree. Most are between the ages of 30 and 60. I plan to focus more on project managers working in the financial industry.

Irrespective of where you live or what you do, I hope you will always find The Project Risk Coach as a reliable resource of project management information.

Please Take My Reader Survey for 2016

PLEASE TAKE MY 2016 READER SURVEY

I want to ensure my platform does the best possible job of answering your needs and interests. And that means I need to know more about you. To do that, I’ve created my 2016 Reader Survey.

Would you please take a few minutes to fill out the survey? By doing so, you will ultimately be helping yourself. Why? Because you will be helping me create content even more interesting and relevant to you.

Your input is important to me. The survey is easy to fill out. And you can finish in three to four minutes.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Regards,

Harry Hall

The Project Risk Coach

You Can Unlock the Power of Integration Management

If you were asked to describe project managers with one word, what would it be? Planner? Leader? Organizer?

These are all great descriptors, but I’d like to offer my favorite — Integrator.

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock (edited in Canva)

The word “integrate” means to “combine (one thing) with another so that they become a whole.” Like a child putting Lego pieces together to build a house, project managers put the project pieces together to create unique products and services, transforming their organizations.

Photo – Adobe Stock

We see integrators in many facets of life. General contractors integrate foundations, walls, roofs, windows, doors, electrical systems, heat and air systems, and water systems to create houses. Coaches integrate ball players with different skills and experience to create winning teams. How do businesses deliver products and services? Operational managers assimilate people, processes, technologies, and external resources, which are interdependent, one with another.

Practically speaking, how do project managers perform integration management?Continue reading

How to Respond to an Active Shooter

You are walking down the hall at work and you see someone with a gun. How should you respond?

Let’s first define active shooter. The United States Department of Homeland Security defines active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.”

Active shooters embark on these acts of violence for different reasons including but not limited to:

• Problems at work
• Problems in a relationship
• Victim of bullying
• Vengeance
• A need for attention

So, how should you respond?Continue reading

Mama was a Model

The Seminole County High School dedicated the Annual to Dorothy Hall in 1970.

I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. -Abraham Lincoln

No one loved me like Mama. She was a kind, gentle, southern woman who touched many lives.

Mama was a model, not a fashion model, but a model for others to follow.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines model as “an example of imitation or emulation.” By the grace of God, I seek to imitate her life each new day.

What was she like? She had an appetite for life and helping others. Allow me to share some of the things she loved.

A love for teaching. One of the most significant influences in my life was my mother’s love for teaching. She taught high school chemistry, physics, and biology. Ms. Hall, as her students called her, taught in a challenging and captivating fashion.

Mama had a passion for preparing her students for college and life. She won the “Teacher of the Year” award numerous times. Her students loved her dearly.

I remember seeing cars enter our home driveway many times. I would wonder – who is that? Another student from the past was bringing their family to meet my mother. These students had grown up to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other contributing members of society.Continue reading

My Top 20 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2014

Well, it’s the time of the year when I evaluate my blog in preparation for the coming year. I want to make sure that I understand your topics of interest.

Thank you for a great year! I had more than 20,000 visitors this year. For some bloggers, this number is small. For me, I am amazed that this many people from all over the world visit my site. Visitors spent on average four and one-half minutes per visit.

Photo courtesy of DollarPhoto.com

The top countries included:
• The United States (8,102)
• India (1,446)
• Canada (1,197)
• The United Kingdom (1,137)

The top organizations were cable and communications companies.

Here are my top 20 blog posts and my observations:
1. Evaluating Risks Using Qualitative Risk Analysis (updated 1/27/15)
2. Evaluating Risks Using Quantitative Risk Analysis (8/3/14)
3. How to Determine Project Budget Reserves (2/14/14)Continue reading

How to Use the Degree of Agreement Technique

Figure 1: Degree of Agreement Process

Sometimes, we are asked to get parties to agree on a proposal filled with conflict. Asking individuals to vote yes or no can pit one group against another.

Is there a better way to get everyone on the same page and achieve consensus?

A few years ago, I was asked to facilitate a meeting where stakeholders were at odds with one another. The company wanted to add a new sales position to the sales force. However, the new position would have a direct impact on the existing office personnel in many of the remote offices, reducing hundreds of people’s responsibilities.

I was told, “You are going to have your hands full trying to get this group to agree.” I took that as a personal challenge and looked forward to seeing how things would evolve.

Consensus isn’t just about agreement. It’s about changing things around: You get a proposal, you work something out, people foresee problems, you do creative synthesis. At the end of it, you come up with something that everyone thinks is okay. Most people like it, and nobody hates it. -David Graeber

Continue reading