The Cranky Middle Manager Show #312 The Future of the MBA Ken Starkey
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #163 The PMPodcast – Cornelius Fichtner
Posted on 08. Oct, 2008 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Wayne Turmel talks to PMPodcast host Cornelius Fichtner about project management and keeping your project aligned with the larger needs of your company. Also a project manager whose job was to keep the Picts out of England….   Oh, and if you want to take part in a stealth project in December, let me know…….details in the show.
PMPodcast host Cornelius Fichtner
Don’t forget our new book, 125Quotes for Whacking Weasels…. a great gift for your team!
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the Cranky Middle Manager Show. Today we’re talking Project Management with the host of one of the best PM podcasts out there, the PMPodcast. It’s only taken us two years to make this happen. I was on his podcast earlier last month, you can hear that conversation here. Also we salute Aulus Platorius Nepos. Keeping everyone in a blue face and skirt out of England involved a major project and the usual cost overruns.
2:50 I have been stoically silent about the US election this year, and will continue that policy, tough though it is. However, since Canada, the US and the UK are all in election cycles, the quote of the week is a little nugget to chew on from my boy Francis Bacon.
Big News. In conjunction with the Technical Management Institute, we’re putting together the first Cranky Middle Manager program- “Becoming the Kind of Manager You Always Wanted to Have”. It’s for technical folks who are moving into management. More details to come, but we’re doing a stealth pilot of the program in the Chicao area the week of December 15th. If you’re interested in being part of that pilot group, drop me a line. More details to follow….
5:15 Welcome our guest Cornelius Fichtner. What are the biggest challenges for project managers….it’s the “diversity” of what we’re doing…which is a nice way of saying there’s too much going on at once.
9:30 What happens when a Project Manager loses sight of the needs of the organization as a whole? You’re doing the project for the sake of the company’s larger purpose.. of course it helps if you actually know you’re the project manager.
13:20 How is managing a project different from managing people? The main thing is that when you’re managing a partner, you have a direct reporting relationship. In a PM role, you are in a matrix.
17:18 One of the most critical things a PM has to know, is who are the stakeholders? You need to know everyone who’s going to stick their nose in.
18:59 What is the importance of good project management in the overall economy of countries? No pressure, gang.
25:09 Working across divisions and functions is going to be critical to the success of your project and lowering of your blood pressure. Everyone needs to know the overall goals.
Resources
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