Do you feel intimidated by that huge and complex task in front of you? Do you feel squeezed between customers, steering committees, funding bodies and ever too sparse resources and low budgets? Maybe you just got your first job in the industry and got thrown right into a project, without any preparation?
Then you have come to the right place. While dry books on project management might help you understand the deep theory, they are often of little use when it comes to master every-day problems. We at Projects made easy want to help you to find down-to-earth and pragmatic solutions. We want you to manage your projects more efficiently and make them a success. This is no dark arts or alchemy, once you know and understand the basic methods.
Definition of a project manager: A device for turning coffee into spreadsheets
Marcus Raitner http://fuehrung-erfahren.de/
Although this is a funny phrase, do not worry: Project management does not have to mean boring bureaucracy and tons of unnecessary paperwork and formalities. Efficient project management ist all about using the right tools and methods at the right time. Effort spent early will often pay off later in the course of your project. That way, you will increase your success while ideally reducing your overall workload.
Sounds too good to be true? Give it a chance!
There is no way to not-manage projects
Even if you are not aware of any projects in your life, there certainly are some. More than you might think: Basically everyone is a project manager once in a while, both in professional life, but also in private life.
Project management might sound like a term reserved to huge complex tasks, to be achieved by the combined efforts of huge teams. And indeed some schools will argue that something should only be labelled a project if it meets certain criteria of organisation and a certain level of complexity. However, in principle, every task with a goal, a deadline, and some sort of plan and organisation, is a kind of project.
Did you ever plan a birthday party? Or a wedding? Then you certainly thought about what needs to be done to make it a success. And you had a plan in which order things need to be done. You might have put some thought in what could go wrong, how much food and drink you need. Then there is a limited budget and certainly there are some stakeholders … and of course auntie Annie who always has some special wishes when it comes to the food and to the seating.
Bingo. There you go. You were acting as a project manager! And unconsciously you were using project management methods on a very basic level.
You simply cannot not-do it. But you can do it better and more efficiently.
Let us start on this adventure together
As of today, we will publish new articles, descriptions of methods, tips and tools and real-life examples on a regular basis. This is not going to be boring or saturated with over-the-top theories. We are down to earth and pragmatic. We want things to get done. Efficiently. Successfully. Promise.
So, do not waste your time but start with us today!
Alex, Ricarda and Andrea
Alexander Blumenau (*1972) is a portfolio and project manager. With over a decade of international project experience he has been in charge as head of R&D in high-tech industries.
Originally Alexander started his career as a scientist and holds a doctoral degree in Physics. Besides his interests in project management, company processes and structures, he works as a free author and arts photographer.