Category: Project management

project manager skills NZ. A successful Maori woman leading a project stand up meeting.
Kia Ora and Kia Kaha: 10 Must-Have Skills for Kiwi Project Managers
So you’re a project manager in the land of long white cloud. Whether you’re wrangling sheepdogs across paddocks or leading tech startups in Auckland, the core skills needed for success stay the same. But with a Kiwi twist, of course! Here are the top 10 skills you need to be a “whai hua” (effective) project ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Project Management Horror Stories. A spooky carved pumpkin face
The 10 scariest things that can happen on a project - a Halloween special
Halloween is just around the corner and while you might be preparing for spooky costumes and haunted houses, project managers have a different kind of fear to contend with – the spine-tingling experiences that can turn a smooth project into a horror show. In honour of Halloween, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 scariest ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Mentoring for Women in Project Management
I was very pleased to be invited to present at the monthly PMI Women in Project Management Forum in February.  I chose a topic close to my heart – how mentoring can kick-start your career. My mentorship journey I’ve been fortunate enough to have had two great mentors in my life – both older men.  ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
The Top Uses of Digital Technology in the Construction Industry
Construction isn’t a particularly high-tech industry, or at least it hasn’t been until recently. Historically, the sector has been slow to adopt new technologies, either from a lack of demand or prohibitive upfront costs. As digital tech like project management has skyrocketed in the past few years, that’s starting to change. Digital tools like project ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Remote work in construction. A female construction worker working on a laptop.
3 Reasons Why Construction Businesses Should Switch to Remote Work
The COVID-19 situation has forced many businesses to make some changes to the way they operate. Because of strict stay-at-home orders by governments to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, some companies have opted for flexible work-at-home arrangements instead of stopping operations altogether. Using collaboration tools and remote management practices, these businesses will be ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Pandemics and Project Managers
I never thought that my first blog after my holiday would be about a pandemic, but here we are. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that COVID-19 is currently rampaging its way around the world. It’s disrupting everything in people’s lives – from travel to work to social gatherings and in most ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
What does a project dream team look like?
No one is self sufficient. This is why teams are crucial in project management. Teamwork is essential for the smooth running of projects. It allows for more successful project outcomes by helping to drive the team to its goal faster and more efficiently. However, for teamwork to be effective, there has to be strong leadership, ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Why You Should Implement Artificial Intelligence in Project Management
You can’t ignore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in project management. Put simply, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is an aspect of computer science created to solve problems that would typically require human intelligence and input. In project management, AI-powered systems can assist project managers with the day-to-day administration and management of projects. Enabling them to ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Ten tips for project manager interviewees
I took a quick straw poll in the office and interviews are up there on the list of things that stress people out. I’ll confess that I hate interviews. I always worry that I’m going to say the wrong thing or do something silly. So anything that helps make the process easier gets a yes ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Contingency planning – or how not to run out of blog posts!
It’s been a while since the last blog, thanks to a series of illnesses that has rampaged through my family. These unplanned events got me thinking about contingency planning . Something I haven’t taken too seriously to date, as evidenced by my lack of blogs over the last few weeks. You’d think being a project ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso - Fonterra's Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
At Psoda, we’re proud to support excellence in project management. That’s why we sponsor the Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award at the annual New Zealand Project Management Awards, presented by the Project Management Institute of New Zealand (PMINZ). This year we’re honoured to once again highlight a worthy recipient of the award – ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
I want to be a project manager
Welcome to the latest “Ask a project manager” blog. This week’s question is about how to get a project management job: Hello, I’m looking for some advice please. I’m getting ready to graduate soon and want to be a project manager, specifically within IT. I’ve got a general business degree and some office experience from ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
5 environmental projects that could help save the world
Whether you agree with the science or not, it’s pretty clear there’s something weird going on with our planet. We’ve got the Arctic burning, plastics in every step of the food chain, more plastics in the oceans than fish and storms that are increasing in strength. Not to mention the Amazon burning at unprecedented levels, ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Project business case. An image of various ideas on a blue sky background
Project business cases: 5 things you need to know
If you’re a project manager, chances are that at some point in your career you’ll be expected to write a project business case. This can be a daunting exercise, especially if you’ve never written one before. I remember the very first business case I ever wrote. I can honestly say it was the biggest bunch ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
Help! My stakeholders want me to fail
Welcome to the latest “Ask a project manager” blog. This week’s question is about coping with difficult stakeholders: I’ve just been given a project that, in all honesty, will make or break my career. It’s a fantastic opportunity but, and it’s a big but, the stakeholders are horrendous! They all want completely different things, they ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Will horizontal visibility unlock your project success?
What would you say if I told you you could increase your project success rates, shorten delivery times and reduce rework? And that the information you need to do it already exists in your organisation? You’d probably say I’m crazy, right? No. Organisations have a huge amount of really valuable project data which they’re just ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
An easy ten-minute guide to project health checks
Setting up a project health check programme can be a bit of a mission. You need to make sure you cover everything regularly without annoying the people actually doing the work. In this easy ten-minute guide I’m going to talk you through how to set up a health check programme that will deliver the required ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
How do I deal with a bottleneck boss?
Welcome to the latest “Ask a project manager” blog. This week’s question is about how to deal with a boss that’s a bottleneck. I’m a part time project coordinator/part time EA to a great boss who manages a team of 20 engineers. They’re all working on different projects and it’s my boss’s, aka my, job ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
12 more key project management terms you need to know
When you’re starting out in project management, it’s really easy to become lost and confused by the lingo. To help you through the early days, we’ve created Fundamentals of Project Management. It’s a series of videos which talk you through the basics of project management. Our latest episode is “12 more key project management terms ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
What is a PMO?
Welcome to the latest “Ask a project manager” blog. This week’s question isn’t about project management but about that lovely adjunct – PMOs. I’m a recent graduate and have an interview for a (very) junior role in a PMO. I’m really excited but I’ve not got much of a clue about what a PMO is ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
5 Key Challenges Construction Project Managers Face
Effective project management is vital to the timely delivery of a construction project. In an industry where each project has several stakeholders, budget constraints, and scheduling issues, a construction project manager needs to be prepared to face challenges and ensure the completion of a project. The issues construction project managers are tasked to handle may ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
How to rescue a project in trouble
Welcome to the latest “Ask a project manager” blog. This week’s question is about how to rescue a project that’s in trouble. Our questioner asks: “I’ve got a bit of a dilemma. My boss has asked me to take on a project that’s in real trouble and I don’t quite know where to start. I’m ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
An easy 10-minute guide to change management
All projects involve some form of change, whether you’re building a bridge, putting in a new IT system or modifying business processes. To put it simply, change management is the processes, techniques and tools you use to get people ready for the changes your project will be bringing. It shouldn’t be confused with change control ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
How do I keep my subject matter experts happy?
Welcome to the latest Ask a Project Manager blog. This week we’re answering a question about subject matter experts. I’m working on a large and complicated project at the moment, involving a lot of different subject matter experts. They’re not in my project team full time but are assigned to it on an “as needed” ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Project quality assurance. 3 people sitting on chairs, with Project planning, Quality management, Development analysis and Controlling plan in large letters behind them.
An easy 10 minute guide to project quality management
Quality management is one of the most misunderstood parts of project management. Unfortunately project managers often think it’s a policing activity that is there to “catch them out”. The truth is that in the simplest terms, project quality management is there to make sure the project delivers what it said it would. Nothing more. A ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
Speech bubbles with who, what, why, where, when and how
Who does what in a project?
Welcome to our new blog series ask a project manager, where I’ll be answering any portfolio, programme or project management related questions. I’m Rhona Aylward, Deputy Everything Officer at Psoda and I’ve been involved with portfolio, programmes and projects for over 20 years. I’ve set up PMOs, been a project manager, worked as a subject matter expert, ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade
The Role Of Emerging Technology In Project Management
For decades, task managers and their subordinates have been using project management processes to plan and implement large-scale projects. Though legacy approaches have changed over time, the emergence of cutting-edge physical technology and cloud-based software solutions are quickly changing the game. This post takes a look at the past, present, and future of project management ... Psoda Supreme Project of the Year Award Winner: Picasso – Fonterra’s Edgecumbe Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrade