Category: Management

Story Points vs. Man-Hours For Project Estimation

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Estimation, Management, Scrum
When a new project is about to start, the project sponsors definitely want to know how much time it will take to complete it. If, on the contrary, you’re already involved in an ongoing project, project stakeholders probably are eager to know what amount of work you as a team will be able to complete during each subsequent iteration. We usually use different estimation techniques to provide the mentioned information to the project sponsor or stakeholders in both cases.… [ Read the rest...]

Delegation 101 for Project Managers

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Leadership, Management
If you work as a manager on the project, you probably have so much work on your plate every day that your to-do list is never empty. The tasks keep coming, your to-do lists inflates, and usually, your working hours do the same. At some point, the amount of work to be done becomes so big that you physically can`t complete everything on time.… [ Read the rest...]

How To Encourage People To Work Overtime

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Communication, Leadership, Management
I believe that every project manager, sooner or later, faces the need to request project team members work overtime. This part of my job really embarrasses me. I hate to be trapped in such a situation when I have to take people’s personal time, the precious moments of their lives which they could otherwise spend with their families or friends, or just for themselves.… [ Read the rest...]

How to Overcome Procrastination at Work and in Everyday Life

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Leadership, Management, Time Management
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were supposed to accomplish a task but couldn’t start doing it and eventually put it off till the deadline comes? I bet you have. Time to time, all of us fall prey to a behavior called procrastination. So what is procrastination? According to Wikipedia’s definition, procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline.… [ Read the rest...]

How to Work From Home and Stay Productive During Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Management
Novel coronavirus outbreak and subsequent quarantine measures taken by many countries forced companies and organizations to turn their people to work from their homes. And if for those companies (and people) who have an experience of remote work this doesn’t become an issue, for those who never supported work from home this sudden transition may be painful and problematic.  In general, remote work has been showing constant growth over the last years supported by active popularization in media.… [ Read the rest...]

How To Deal With Difficult People On Your Projects

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Communication, Leadership, Management
I can only guess what type of projects you work on and what challenges you have, but there is one thing I know for sure: you have definitely encountered difficult people on your projects. The truth is that throughout your entire life and career you keep meeting people who put you down.  However, when you come across an unpleasant stranger in your daily life, it’s not a big deal.… [ Read the rest...]

What Project Managers Really Do in Software Service Companies

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Management
I started my project manager`s career in a small IT service agency, where the role of a manager was very vague and management processes were not formalized. Later, when I was joining a bigger company, I felt pretty anxious about my new position because I didn`t quite realize what the role of project manager implies in a large scale software company.… [ Read the rest...]

What To Do If Your Project Team Is Starting To Get Bored

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Leadership, Management
Everyone wants to work on a meaningful project that is changing the world. Having a challenging goal, you and your team are going towards the long-awaited launch of the project and your public recognition. The mere anticipation of such a great goal and the final outcome gives you the fuel to move forward. But even the most successful projects turn down to a support stage at some point.… [ Read the rest...]

Why It Is Important To Conduct Project Exit Interview

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Management, Meetings
Exit interview is a common practice in companies where HR function is developed on a good level. In a nutshell, exit interview is a talk between a resigning employee and a company representative (HR manager, line manager, director). This talk if done properly can reveal a lot of useful information for the management of the company. I first heard about exit interviews when I was resigning from one of my previous companies.… [ Read the rest...]

Client Expectations Management: 2 Battles To Be Fought

Posted Andrew SoloveyLeave a commentPosted in Leadership, Management, Stakeholder Management
Recently one of my friends has asked me to consult him on the topic of Client Expectations Management. This request tripped me up because, on the one hand, client expectations management is something really critical for any business, but, on the other hand, I couldn’t remember any specific project management techniques and theories in this field. So, I decided to research this topic in order to share both my findings and my personal experience with you.… [ Read the rest...]