Programme Management

lightbulb with a trail of fog/smoke

From ‘a meh thing’ to amazing! How PMaaS can help build innovation into IT Projects

Insights, Programme Management

Experience and anecdotal evidence suggest that Bex isn’t alone in seeking a little bit more. In many organisations now, IT project teams feel that the necessary fixed scope, set budgets, tight deadlines, limited resources and defined roles and responsibilities, leave little or no room for experimentation and innovation.

The thing is, if you’re getting the results, do you need the added sizzle of innovating?

I think that you do.

From ‘a meh thing’ to amazing! How PMaaS can help build innovation into IT Projects Read More »

Man with Swizz army knife.

Every IT project needs a Dale!

Insights, Programme Management

This is one of the things I love about Stoneseed, our team, and the culture we have evolved. When we talk about someone behind their back, it’s always positive and hugely complimentary! 

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, Dale Beeton is Stoneseed’s Head of Client Engagement and, as our clients will attest, he is one of those “extra milers” that make a real difference – and not just from a business perspective.

Every IT project needs a Dale! Read More »

A pizza in an oven

IT Project Management: Nailing know-how, but are we wondering why?

Insights, Programme Management

The trainer was explaining the team’s fairly unique binary approach to scrum sprints, which effectively boils down to them having two duration categories – A) one week long and B) three weeks long.

The new hire found this interesting and enquired about the reason behind this approach. In her last job, length and number of sprints would be decided at a goal setting meeting, a twelve-week scrum project could have 15–20 Scrum sprints, which could be as short as a handful of days and as long as a month.

So, “Why?” seemed a reasonable question but it was met with either blank expressions or an unsatisfactory explanation. The trainer did not know, nobody on the team could answer either.

IT Project Management: Nailing know-how, but are we wondering why? Read More »

A man staring at a blank wall but there's text on the imagine that says transformation and has bar underneath the writing going from 0% to 100%

Total Enterprise Reinvention? Sweeping digital transformation will need new brooms!!!

Insights, Programme Management

The next couple of years will see extensive Digital Transformation and regeneration of many, if not most, businesses and organisations.  

It’s not a bold or groundbreaking prediction, I mean, it’s happening already! Game changing technologies are revolutionising business operations and outcomes the so-called Industrial Revolution 4.0 is well underway, Accenture are even talking of an advanced group, The Reinventorsm who, they say are embracing “Total Enterprise Reinvention” – a “deliberate strategy centred on a strong digital core.”  

Digital transformation, regeneration, reinvention – there’s quite the frisson of excitement where it’s happening … but I do foresee a problem that few are talking about …   

… the digital elephant in the room is …  

… where are all the IT Project Managers coming from to manage all these HUGE IT projects?

Total Enterprise Reinvention? Sweeping digital transformation will need new brooms!!! Read More »

A crystal ball with the year 2029 on it with someone's hands hovering over the crystal ball.

It’s 2029 and IT project management is the planet’s most in-demand skill

Insights, PMO, Programme Management

In a recent blog, TOP 3 WAYS TO RETAIN IT PROJECT TALENT AND HOW TO REMAIN EFFECTIVE WHEN YOU CAN’T I shared a Director People’s story of how a candidate had flipped this perennial interview question and asked, “Where does the company see me?”

There must be something in the air! This week, another HR Director called to canvass my thoughts – An applicant had trumped this by asking … WHERE DO YOU SEE THE IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY IN FIVE YEARS?

Great question! BIG QUESTION!

Like us all, the candidate was mindful about the impact of AI, but there’s an exciting prediction from the “Future of Project Management” (a collaborative “living” thought leadership initiative) about where Project Management might fit within organisations by the end of the decade – read on to find out more!

It’s 2029 and IT project management is the planet’s most in-demand skill Read More »

3 hands, one of them holding up 1 finger another holding up 2 fingers and the other holding 3 fingers

IT Project decision making: How the best choice between two options can often be the third!

Insights, Programme Management

The “Crucible Moments” podcast is a fascinating listen, especially as Roelof Botha (whose thoughts are the inspiration for this blog) isn’t the main subject. He plays the role of presenter; the main guest is Jack Dorsey (former Twitter CEO who now runs the financial services company Block). The central narrative of the podcast is the evolution of Block from its origins as Square, and how they created Cash App, a ‘third’ option, which is now responsible for half of Block’s revenue. The strategy of expanding the number of options for consideration was instrumental in helping Block identify and eliminate what wasn’t working and focus on more profitable projects.

IT Project decision making: How the best choice between two options can often be the third! Read More »

An open book with a little animated rocketing flying out from it.

An interesting thought experiment: open-book IT Project Management

Programme Management

Empowerment, autonomy, ownership – these buzzwords have rattled around for a few years now in relation to IT Project talent.

Most project managers, business analysts (etc) would agree that they have the power to schedule their own time, track their own progress and tasks and choose how they work, to some extent. It usually leads to improved performance – after all who knows how to do a job better than the person who does it day-in, day-out?!

What if you could take this improved individual performance and amplify it across your whole project or portfolio?

An interesting thought experiment: open-book IT Project Management Read More »

A man changing gears whilst driving

Changing our minds – the evolution of IT project strategic thinking and decision making

Insights, Programme Management

Interesting perspective from a Chief Experience Officer, Sandy, on how her organisation is making decisions – “we’re like a car that’s forgotten it has a steering wheel and more than one gear”.

I love this metaphor. I can see the car missing turn offs and short cuts and the noise and smoke from driving along in first gear!

What she means is that when the project team faces a challenge, or has a strategic decision to make, instead of weighing up what the problem really is and what would be best, it is culturally beholden to the in-house resources it already has at its disposal.

Sandy thinks it may be a hangover from the pandemic.

I suppose we all managed with what resources we could lay our hands on, became insular in our thinking, even adopting a scarcity mindset as we adjusted to the changing reality.

Changing our minds – the evolution of IT project strategic thinking and decision making Read More »

A green book that says Merger and Acquisition on it, laid on top of a desk

How mergers and acquisitions can cement IT as a strategic business partner

Programme Management

Despite the slow economy and provisional estimates which suggested lower mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity at the start of 2023, there were 365 mergers and acquisitions involving UK Companies during Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2023 according to the Office of National Statistics.

There were inward M&A (foreign companies acquiring UK companies) in Quarter 1 2023 was £12.7 billion; and the total value of outward M&A (UK companies acquiring foreign companies) in Quarter 1 2023 was £2.9 billion.

How mergers and acquisitions can cement IT as a strategic business partner Read More »