UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley

I have been lucky enough to witness (and in some cases be a part of) several overturns of conventional wisdom.  I remember hearing how quality “costs money” and “we can’t afford higher quality.”  Now, it’s common to think about quality and value perception strategically. I remember working with factory schedulers where they were driven by [...]

Your team members get a bit wiggy in giving you an accurate estimate for a lot of reasons.  Maybe they have no idea how long the task will take, or maybe they’re afraid they’ll get pulled away to fix the CEO’s email account for the third time that week. You can help your team members [...]

For years I’ve been using a rubber chicken in my consulting work to burn into people’s consciousness the concepts of personal accountability and a belief in an internal locus of control. Holding the chicken at shoulder height, I release it and ask why the chicken fell to the floor. Victims blame gravity. (Some people even blame [...]

In many organizations leadership is often only related to management positions that are associated with authority and direct reports. Most of the time when a project manager takes on the project manager’s role he/she does not have direct reports and therefore often lack the authority in an organization to reward with bonuses and promotions, or [...]

Managing a global team and working as a team member in one should be a very rewarding experience for everyone involved. The “global team” is the penultimate design for any project team, leveraging the diverse perspective of everyone involved.

Global corporations need talented project and program managers to execute on strategically aligned initiatives every year, to help them compete in a global marketplace. There is a growing need for PM’s who can work successfully in an increasingly globalized workforce.

Robert Maltas UCSC Extension Spring 2010 PMO Course Student Are you a senior project manager who just had a request to start a PMO land in their email inbox? If so, follow these suggestions to quick-start your winning PMO proposal. Who do you have to sell the idea to Find out who are the key [...]

Rachel Phillips UCSC Extension Project Leadership and Communications Student Many of us are accidental project managers. So here are some survival tips. Know Your Goal – Before starting a project, decide on a goal by taking input from your project team and the key constituencies, i.e. people who are affected by your project. Create a [...]

Shirley Gruber UCSC Extension Project Leadership and Communication Student In Project Management, as in any management role, strong leadership and effective communication are key requirements for success.  This applies to all types of organizations, from small, non-profit volunteer efforts to large and influential corporations.  In fact, with the right leadership, a handful of people can [...]

By Sarah Fleming UCSC Extension Project Communication and Leadership course student Do you know if your organization is projecting on the right projects? If there are any questions in your mind about that, a key question to ask is “What are project management leadership and communication best practices for aligning project work to the needs [...]