Psoda blog

As is the case in most organisations, there is often an unofficial hierarchy in projects. There are certain roles that you really, really don’t want to annoy and should get to know and keep onside. And it’s not always the people you think it will be! Project coordinators This one is pretty obvious, but you’d ... Blog

When I was a project manager, I often wondered if my project sponsor was actually interested in anything I had to say. It seemed like everything I gave him was met with “meh”. Then I ended up on the other side of the fence. It was a revelation and made me appreciate all of the ... Blog

I hate Tuesdays! Why? In one of my previous jobs, Tuesday was project report writing day. Enough said! It filled me with dread and although that job is long in the past, I still get that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach. It was such a tedious, dull and unrewarding part of the job. I ... Blog

If you’ve been even loosely involved in project management, you’re likely to have heard people talk about portfolios, programmes and projects. They’re part of the language of project management but it can be difficult to know the differences between them, even though they’re all related. A really good way to visualise the difference is to ... Blog

As a project manager I’m used to things not always going to plan. I also think of myself as being pretty resilient. Yet, the past week has seen my patience and tolerance disappear pretty quickly! I’ve been having a really bad week where it feels like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. It’s ... Blog

Today I’m really proud to announce that our new tech, PsodaVision, is live! It has been a long time in the making but it was formally released this week. We created PsodaVision to solve a problem we were facing. We needed to find a way to quickly and easily update our digital Psoda kanban board ... Blog

IT projects face any number of challenges – tight deadlines, complex stakeholder relationships, multiple systems and end-users, and difficult technical issues. The Ministry of Education’s Education Sector Logon upgrade had all this to contend with, and more. The project, described by the Ministry as the most complex IT project in the education sector in over ... Blog

As the largest single-site capital works wastewater infrastructure project in New Zealand in almost 20 years, the upgrade of the Watercare Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant can justifiably claim its title as an iconic development. Already the largest wastewater treatment plant in New Zealand and Auckland’s main wastewater treatment facility, the Mangere plant needed expansion to ... Blog

Complex projects come in many shapes and sizes, but few take four years, have a $6.8 million budget, involve 500 tonnes of steel gates and require 400 decompression dives. But then few projects are as complicated as renewing a 70-year-old asset located 50 metres beneath a lake, with the full force of the Waikato River ... Blog

Today I’m doing something a bit different in that I’m simultaneously releasing the blog and a new video. It’s a beast of a video and as the title suggests it’s a beginner’s guide to project management. What is a project? Project management is everywhere! From someone building their own home to a country putting on ... Blog

If we’re being honest, most project managers know if their project is starting to fail or is already failing. Whether they speak up or not, is another question. However, if you’re not the project manager you’re less likely to pick up on signs the project might be in trouble. So, if you’re involved in a ... Blog

We’ve all been there. Working on a project that just isn’t going anywhere. It’s burning money, people keep changing and the deadlines are being pushed further and further out. Everyone knows the project needs to be put out of its misery, but no one is brave enough to do it. Over the years, I’ve been ... Blog