Work is part of life and we all know how indispensable it is to one’s survival and success. As the need to work is constant, people also have to be constantly motivated. Unfortunately, motivation is something that is not constant and it doesn’t come easy. Oftentimes, people don’t stay motivated that long and feel worn out and too tired to continue to work. As a result, they become unproductive and, in some cases, even lose their job.

Types of motivation

Everyone knows that motivation is a driving force for a person to do something or behave in a particular way. However, there are many types of motivation and it is important to identify them to understand it more clearly. There are basically two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

• Intrinsic motivation. This type of motivation refers to all the things that can motivate a person based on internal rewards. This includes all motivational drivers such as self-improvement, the joy of learning, and self-actualization. People are intrinsically motivated because […]
  

It is inarguable that a project management team’s success is the result of the concerted efforts of its members. However, one fact that cannot be overlooked is the role of the team’s leader in driving his members to work. His leadership skills can make or break a team, and motivate or discourage them. It is important, therefore, for leaders to have the right skills for project management to bring the team to success.

What are the necessary leadership skills for project management?

Basically, most leadership skills apply across all industries and fields. Project management leadership skills don’t have to be singled out. Here are some of the necessary ones.

1. Good communication. Communication is important in every aspect of life. At work, it involves meeting and interacting with different types of people from different backgrounds. This makes it important for leaders to be able to articulate information in a clear, understandable, and complete way. Good communication skills set visions, goals, and expectations clear between all parties. Equally important is the […]
   

There are many different project management methodologies that teams use for their projects. One of them is the scrum methodology, which involves incremental and iterative practices. The term originated in the game of Rugby where a scrum refers to the cluster of players that try to get the ball. In project management, it is the short meetings held every few weeks that lead to a project’s completion. Using this methodology, organizations deliver output more frequently, compared to the more traditional waterfall-style approach. This means that the output is not given in one instance but progresses through a series of iterations which are called sprints.  Each sprint lasts from one to two weeks. It is at the end of each sprint where the team submits a deliverable product increment.

The Roles in Scrum methodology

A scrum project involves three roles which are the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and the Scrum Team.

The Product Owner represents the interests of the customers and decides on the next tasks of the team. This person […]

Risks are inherent in every situation and are defined in different ways, depending on the field or industry they occur in. The most common definition of this would be that risks are undesirable outcomes or uncertainty. A risk is an uncertain event that will have an effect on how objectives will be achieved. It also refers to the possibility that projects will not be achieved because of unexpected occurrences. Similarly, it could also mean that projects will not be achieved because something necessary did not happen.

Risks are more highly possible if the following situations are present:

• The team’s project technology is new
• The organization and its members’ experience and exposure to similar projects is low
• The time between planning the project and actually starting it is longer than usual
• The length of time to finish the project is long

Risk management process is important

Since risks are inherent in every situation, risk management should be implemented by all teams to mitigate and manage risks. Having the right risk management […]

Work productivity is very important. It is always a must for every employee to make each minute of paid time worthwhile. After all, each minute of every hour is being paid for, so employers naturally want to get their money’s worth. However, this has become more elusive these days because of so many distractions, even while people are in the office. It is ironic to know that this is happening even with the advancement of technology and the invention of tools to make work easier. Shallow work, or the distracted and on-and-off multitasking activities of workers, is what they call it. From the name itself, it results in a completed day of work with not much achievement. Sadly, it has become the norm for many workers.

Introducing deep work

Deep work was coined by Georgetown University associate professor of Computer Science and self-help author, Cal Newport. He refers to it as a person’s ability to work without distraction or interruption and being in a state of concentration. Doing […]

Remote work is definitely one of the fastest rising trends in the area of employment. It is preferred by some workers because it gives them more time to focus on their work, rather than on getting dressed and commuting. In fact, a 2015 Gallup poll revealed that 37% of the labor force in the US works remotely and that number is steadily rising. People who work remotely adopt a working style that doesn’t confine them within the walls of a traditional office. This means that they perform their jobs anywhere and it doesn’t even have to be specific.

The remote work scale

In order to understand how remote work works, it is important to get to know the remote work scale which ranges from ‘not remote’ to ‘fully distributed’.

1. In-office (not remote)

At this end of the scale is the most common work set-up which is in-office where an entire team of workers is situated in one office. It doesn’t offer flexibility in the hours that workers spend in the […]

Project management is done through different methods and one of them is agile methodology. In this methodology, project management teams break up a project into stages called sprints and collaborate with their stakeholders. This is done to improve the outcome of the project and come up with the desired result. The agile methodology starts with the client explaining the end product they want and the problems that it will solve. Then, the team begins their work, following the process of planning, executing, and evaluating.

The agile methodology works under its four main values:

• Choose interactions and individuals over tools and processes
• Accept change more than sticking to a plan
• Work together with customers more than discussing a contract
• Use software more than documentation

This methodology is not only used in project management but also in marketing, education, software development, and construction.

What are the principles of agile methodology?

Every project is unique and calls for different approaches. This is why agile methodology provides users with its 12 guiding principles […]

Employees who are the backbone of every company need to feel fulfilled in their jobs and important to their teams. This is achieved through transparency. Unfortunately, studies reveal that transparency is not one of the thrusts of many companies and organizations. In fact, it has been found that only 42% of employees are actually aware of their company’s vision, mission, and goals. This could mean that many companies failed in making clear and setting straight what they are really about. Given this fact, how can employers expect their employees to be productive when they don’t even know what the targets are of the organization they currently work in?

Transparency is crucial because it just doesn’t make people feel better but it also makes people work better. It helps define roles and identify an organization’s values, structure, and objectives. In project management, transparency is about knowing the performance of a project or its processes. It further reveals the information used for making decisions, as well as the details of […]

Project management software used to be so expensive and out of reach for many small and medium-sized enterprises. Companies used to spend millions on acquiring tools that help them better manage their projects and make sure they stayed within their budget. Well, gone are those days! As today, numerous software of this kind are already available and have been made affordable even for businesses that are managing just a few projects. Thanks to this cloud-based software, task management has become easier, more efficient, and less stressful.

The software industry brims with different kinds of software for project management, ranging from free versions with limited capabilities to pro versions that are acquired on monthly or yearly subscriptions. Each tool has its own features which dictate their price on the market. Free versions don’t have as many capabilities as the paid ones but most of them are enough for smaller businesses. The subscription versions are mostly used by larger companies that undertake more projects.

Before project managers decide on the software to use, here is a list of the […]

There is no doubt that project management throughout the years has been constantly evolving. This is so not only because of the tough competition among project management providers but also of the fact that more and more businesses are seeing the advantages of such industry. However, the question remains if project management will be able to cope with the constant changes and ever-changing demands of many businesses.

The answer to this is a resounding yes. Project management is one of the few fields that can be applied and incorporated into various industries. Therefore, it has kept itself growing in order to meet the demands of its clients. Furthermore, because of its rapidly increasing popularity, there has already been numerous project management software created to help increase the efficiency and productivity of project management teams. Aside from that, no single project management method is perfect for all projects which is exactly the reason why this field relentlessly searches for new solutions, tools, approaches, and methods.

Project management will only grow

Again, […]