Ask Cadence: The Project Management Podcast

This time, in "The 8 Biggest Problems" podcast, Cadence founder John Patton brings you problem number seven in the series: Changes to cost, schedule, and performance are not controlled.

Even project teams with the best intentions suffer the challenges of "Scope Creep," says Patton, and there are a number of contributing factors. For example, project team members often don't have a complete understanding of projects during ...

A common stumbling-block for companies appears well into the project planning and implementation stage, when roles have been decided but actual responsibility at the task level is lacking. We have detailed several causes and effects below, along with a best-practice solution to help you ensure that your project has the greatest possible chance of success.

While the overall project aim, timeline, team, and roles may have be...

A common challenge many clients face in project management is simply being able to get enough people onto the project team. To build crucial momentum, a successful project requires sufficient team members to take care of all aspects of the planning and execution.

What makes this problem especially insidious is that in some cases, it may initially appear that you have enough willing team members for your project. What becom...

A common problem that we regularly see with clients in a broad spectrum of industries is that many people simply don’t have the ability to plan their section of the work required for the project to be successful.

Planning isn’t a skill that comes naturally to most people. It requires determined, focused mental effort – as Henry Ford is reputed to have said: "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reas...

We see this all over the world and it is one of the most common problems clients talk about: our projects start slowly.

Reasons for these slow starts vary, and some are highly contradictory. For example, some complain that there is too much time, while others complain that there isn't enough time. Other common reasons given are that there are unanswered questions, they don't know enough about the project, or there are not ...

The planning phase is the stage that comes into play immediately after authorization and initiation, and it is critical to the success of your project. During planning, your focus is developing the roadmap your project team follows throughout the project's duration. In addition to developing a project management plan, this is the time to define scope. It is this piece, defining scope, which seems to cause the most trouble ...

The execution phase is the stage that comes into play immediately after authorization and planning. While previous phases have eliminated risks and problems, more will be discovered in this phase. While the project manager and team must be alert to finding these problems and solving them as early as possible, there is a class of problems caused by lack of process. In fact, some of these problems are caused by management w...

Cadence founder John Patton brings us this series based on his speech, "The 8 Biggest Problems with Project Planning and Execution ... and Solutions for Each." These eight problems come as a summary of the key issues Patton has witnessed in his experience as a seasoned project manager, and the wisdom he's helped his client organizations to apply in moving beyond them. Each week, we will offer a dissection of some of the ne...

It happens. The team is working hard and they’re trying to keep up. Everyone’s putting in the extra effort. Yet you’re running into a number of problems. In the middle part of the project, you can start to lose momentum. The team can start to lose some of their enthusiasm. And, if you’re not careful, you can even start to doubt yourself and your abilities. Cadence founder, John Patton, discusses how projects—and project ma...

In the early stages of a project, a number of issues can crop up that can shift the project manager’s focus away from getting the project kicked off and on its way to eventual delivery. It’s an important time, as a successful start sets the stage for a successful delivery. This segment is the first in a three part series that focuses on keeping your projects moving. In it, Cadence founder John Patton lays out the causes fo...

This week’s problem card asks, “we’re dealing with so many external influences demanding quick successes — how do you avoid jumping to implement in a way that drives success but doesn’t forget that you’re working on a project?” This week on the show, Connie Plowman joins us to take on this issue with tips on planning, strategy, and nimble project management that allows you to be responsive to organizational demands without...

This week’s problem card focuses on the busy executive that, for whatever reason, is not making tough decisions quickly and is beginning to impact the smooth march forward of the project. This week, Connie Plowman joins us to walk through the roadblocks to executive decision making, and outlines key steps you can take to make sure your leadership team is equipped with the right data to make the right decisions for your pro...

Organizations that invest in developing their project management initiatives quickly recognize the complexity that comes with newfound sophistication. To tackle broader and more robust initiatives, portfolio and program management offer a new basket of tools and skills for medium and large organizations to apply. John Patton and Pete Wright discuss the organizational impact of a portfolio and program management initiative ...