Herding Cats

Quote of the Day

An individual who is observed to be inconstant to his plans, or perhaps to carry on his affairs without any plan at all, is marked at once, by all prudent people, as a speedy victim to his own unsteadiness and... Read more →

The Practitioner's Handbook of Project Performance

Our two chapters in The Practioner's Handbook of Project Performance: Agile, Waterfall and Beyond, edited by Mark Phillip's Routledge, 2019 is now out. Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 are principles and practices of risk management contributed by me, Tom Coonce,... Read more →

Another Fallacy of the Week - #NoEstimates

You can make an estimate - one that is better than chance would produce - of how many children have been born into a Dutch or Danish family by counting the storks' nests on the roof of their house. In... Read more →

Best Project Management Blogs of 2019

The On Line PM Course blog has their Best PM Blogs out. Here's the list Read more →

Quote of the Day

When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk - Barack Obama Read more →

Project Success: The Basis of the Five Immutable Principles

People in the field talk about the "basic tenets" of project management. Where do these come from? Some say they come from hands-on experience, anecdotal best practices, and the good old "school of hard knocks." According to Webster's Dictionary, a... Read more →

Quote of the Day

The poor implementation of a good principle, process, or practice is NO excuse for not learning how to properly apply that principle, process, and practice. Read more →

Quote of the Day

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” - Eleanor Roosevelt. Read more →

Quote of the Day

As Americans struggle to make sense of a series of uncomfortable economic changes and disturbing political developments, a worrying picture emerges: of ineffective politicians, frequent scandals, racial backsliding, polarized and irresponsible new media, populists spouting quack economics remedies, growing suspicion... Read more →

Quote of the Day

There is one other thing we should discuss, and that is the difference between management and leadership. Management is figuring out how to get the job done. Leadership is deciding what needs to be done and inspiring the team to... Read more →

Quote of the Day

There's nothing more dangerous than an idea if its the only one you have. -Mark Twain Read more →

Quote of the Day

And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! MORAL. So oft in theologic wars, The disputants,... Read more →

Quote of the Day

It is more helpful to think like a farmer, than an engineer or an architect in designing [complex systems]... Engineers and architects need to design every detail of the system. This approach is possible because the responses of the componens... Read more →

Quote of the Day

He suffers from the distinct condition of being wrong British attorney general when speaking about a fellow member of parliament. Applicable to many conversations in our project management domain Read more →

Quote of the Day

If the facts (evidence) are against you, argue the law (principle). If the law (principle) is against you, argue the facts (evidence). If the law (principle) and the facts (evidence) are against you, pound the table and yell like hell... Read more →

Quote of the Day

Only the generalist survive An immutable principle of evolutionary biology. Read more →

Quote of the Day

A story, probably apocryphal but I love it, was when Napoleon was told about a man who had a severe social impediment, which was that whenever there was any ambiguity, this man would take the wrong interpretation. It would intensely... Read more →

Five Immutable Principles of Project Success (A 5 Part Series)

This series of articles provides answers to the questions asked by the five (5) immutable principles of any successful project. Answering these questions is the role of the project management team. What Does DONE Look Like? How Do We Get... Read more →

Quote of the Day

"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success." - Pablo Picasso Read more →

Quote of the Day

To argue to the person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead - Thomas Payne Read more →