Recently in Exertus Procuraster Category

'Tis the time to look back at 2010 and take stock of what we've accomplished and where we could use some improvement...Actually, here in Taiwan, the real New Year's celebrations don't occur until next month. But, New Years or not, a palindrome date[1] is as good a time as any to look at your life backwards and forwards, realign your priorities, and resolve to make positive changes. My personal, LPM-related New Years Resolution is to become a more efficient delegator.When I look back at 2010, I am proud of what I've accomplished for my clients and myself. But one...

In an article for The Register, Ken Young lists four essential characteristics of project managers.[1]  All four characteristics also apply to legal-project managers...with some minor twists and caveats.    "PMs do it in the right order, standing in front of complicated charts" The first phrase certainly applies to legal-project managers (and makes for a good, geeky t-shirt saying), but the second phrase? Not so much. Other than perhaps large e-discovery matters, most legal projects do not require complicated charts. A legal-project manager standing in front of complicated charts is probably new to the discipline. He may be someone with a...

In a recent post to his Lexician blog, Steven Levy reminds us that, just as the map is not the terrain, the artifact is not the project.[1] He points out that: "[t]oo many project managers, bad project managers, don't get this. They see their job as the production of such artifacts. They turn out beautiful Gantt charts, multi-page budget worksheets, process maps, and hundreds of other such museum pieces." Yes, if you work with enough project managers long enough, you'll eventually come across instances where a project manager sits fiddling with his daily dashboard report while the project burns down around him.I've always liked the...

How do project managers obtain not mere competence, not mere qualifications, but excellence in their work? You've earned your PMP. So what? Whether you made the effort to get recognition of your expertise or because you feel it will help your career, it is still just a check box. Something that an employer or client might look for or notice and look upon favorably--perhaps even require. Still, there are a lot of PMPs and more are being pumped out each year. It is still a big pack to stand out from. Too many people obtain one credential or another and feel entitled...