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The Building Blocks of Project Management
by Douglas B. Boebinger
Whether readers are new to project management or have years of experience, The Building Blocks of Project Management, shares important information about the methods and tools required to make projects more successful. As the name implies, this book outlines the “building blocks” necessary to properly initiate and plan every project, from a two-week assignment to a multistage multimillion-dollar undertaking spread over many years.
Readers will not only learn the six facets of project management— scope, schedule, cost, resources, risk, and quality—but also gain insight into the important soft skills of stakeholder identification and analysis, conflict resolution, and effective meeting management.
The book’s built-in case study, complete with examples of key artifacts/documents suitable for any project, and the 99 questions every project manager should ask, discuss, and resolve prior to beginning work, provide the reader with the practical tools needed to ensure consistently successful outcomes.
Doug Boebinger’s chapter in The Keys to Our Success
Doug authored a chapter, Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst, in the book, The Keys to Our Success: Tools, Techniques, and Ideas That Some of Our Best Project Managers Use to Be Successful, compiled by David Barrett and Kathi Soniat. Click here to view the book on Amazon.
View a short video in which Doug talks about the chapter he wrote for the book.
Doug’s Rants
Some of you may know me, Doug Boebinger (I’m sorry), and some of you may not (yet). For years now, I’ve spent my days flying from city to city, doing a wide range of project management-related courses and presentations. In my travels, I have been privileged to speak with an array of people from numerous companies, in just about every industry there is. From my courses, presentations, and personal discussions, I have come to various conclusions about a multitude of topics. When I get off on one of these tangents in my teaching, I typically refer to them as “Doug’s Rants” and the name has stuck.
The rants address various themes, systemic issues, and truths that people know in their hearts but can’t say out loud. Well, I’m going to say them out loud (via the written word). As I like to tell people, I play the role of the little boy in Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” If you don’t know the story, it’s short and insightful, and it’s required reading for anyone who needs to understand truth vs. conformance.
Emotional Intelligence – Isn’t that Jumbo Shrimp?
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to identify, comprehend, and manage your own emotions as well as the emotions of others.
It’s Basic Cause and Effect: The Project Triangle
For a project to be feasible, for it to even have a chance to be successful, the Scope – Time – Cost project triangle sides need to actually be able to create a triangle.
Did Agile Really Kill Waterfall?
The more tools you know how to use properly, the more projects you can accomplish successfully.
“I Hired You For Your Integrity, Now Lie To Me”
Why are we hired for our integrity and then told to “shut up and do it” when it just can’t be done?
The Typical Mistakes Teams Make Concerning Risk Management
How well do you understand, plan for, and apply risk management techniques?
Redefining “It’s Good Enough”
I’ve actually seen a case where doing more on a project than what was asked backfired.
Project Management Humor
When it’s better to laugh than to cry…
Interview with Doug Boebinger
on the Leadership Perspectives Podcast
In this episode of Leadership Perspectives with David Barrett, Doug Boebinger discusses “Black Swans.”
From the podcast description, “Google the words ‘Black Swan’ and you will read ‘an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalised after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.'”
The podcast aired early in April of 2020, and the discussion was quite timely as the COVID-19 pandemic had totally disrupted nearly all aspects of business and process management worldwide.
Click here to visit the podcast page and listen to the discussion. Listen to more of David Barrett’s podcast episodes on his website.