Entries by Bonnie Biafore

When is Project Risk Too Risky?

An organization’s risk tolerance influences decision-making, resource allocation, and stakeholder alignment, so you need a clear understanding of how much uncertainty the organization is willing to accept. With so much riding on risk, here are approaches for assessing an organization’s risk tolerance.

Create Standards for Communication Response

Have you ever sent an urgent email and panicked when you don’t get a quick reply? Or maybe you receive a text message asking how you’re doing and then get a second text 3 minutes later asking why you haven’t responded. In projects as well as personal life, it’s a good idea to get people on the same page about which communication methods to use for different situations and what response time to expect. In this video, Bob McGannon and I provide some ideas on how to set these standards.

Is It Time to Shut Down Your Agile Project?

Agile planning involves allocating an amount of money (or time) to produce functions that deliver business improvement. When that time or money runs out, the project ends unless a business case to continue is made and approved. This Project Pointer highlights other situations when an agile project should be stopped – even one that appears to deliver business value.

An Overview of Clear Communication

I’m revisiting communication this week because someone made me realize that I wasn’t communicating clearly in an earlier article. Ironic, huh? In projects (as in the rest of life), effective communication can prevent a lot of problems and make things run more smoothly. Here is an assortment of tips on communicating clearly followed by links to courses when you want to dig deeper.

Fine-Tuning Scope for Project Success

The fate of most projects is determined long before the first task is assigned. It’s decided early on during conversations where scope is shaped. Getting scope right initially doesn’t just avoid problems later on; it builds the case for why the project deserves to exist. This article provides approaches to help you define scope in a way that maximizes success.

Is Email a Communication Tool?

Spoiler alert! Email isn’t a communication tool. In this video, Bob McGannon and I explain why email isn’t good for communication and what it is good for. We also describe the best way to use email (as well as other text-based tools).