Project Management on Trayix

Complexity is the new normal

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Ask a project professional whether projects feel harder than they used to, and you’ll get a knowing look. PMI’s 2026 Pulse of the Profession report puts a number on it: 81% of project professionals say projects have become more complex in recent years. We doubt many readers are surprised. The more useful question is what to do about it.

Complexity isn’t just more work

More tasks is a scheduling problem. Complexity is different: many parts that affect each other in ways nobody planned. A change to one system alters a process in another department, which changes how customers behave, which changes demand on the first system. Plans built as lists of tasks handle this badly, because the trouble sits between the tasks.

Building business acumen in project teams

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000

PMI’s 2025 Pulse of the Profession report found that only 18% of project professionals demonstrate high business acumen. If that number is even roughly right for your team, it explains a lot: projects that deliver what was specified but not what was needed, and steering committees where nobody can say why one initiative outranks another.

What business acumen means for a project professional

It isn’t an MBA. It’s knowing enough about the business to make good decisions without asking permission every time. In practice, that means understanding:

From project management success to project success

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

A project can finish on time, on budget, and on scope, and still leave the business no better off. Most of us have seen it: the launch party happens, the status turns green, and six months later nobody uses the new system. The Project Management Institute (PMI) is now saying plainly that this isn’t good enough.

Two kinds of success

PMI’s 2025 Pulse of the Profession report calls for shifting focus and accountability beyond project management success to project success. The difference is simple to state. Project management success means the team delivered on time, on budget, and on scope. Project success means the intended value and outcomes were realized.

Tailoring the approach to each project

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

A one-size-fits-all method has a certain appeal. Everyone learns the same templates, the same gates, the same vocabulary. The cost shows up later, when a three-week internal change carries the same paperwork as a multi-year infrastructure program. The alternative is tailoring: choosing the approach for each project based on what that project needs. It takes judgment, but you can structure it.

Assess the project first

Before choosing a lifecycle, understand the work. We look at six factors:

PMBOK 7: from processes to principles

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 09:00:00 +0000

For years, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide taught a generation of practitioners to think in processes: five process groups, ten knowledge areas, and the inputs, tools, and outputs that connected them. This year, the Project Management Institute (PMI) published the 7th edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, and it takes a different shape. It’s built on principles and performance domains, not on processes.

From project manager to product manager

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:00:00 +0000

When an organization moves from funding projects to funding persistent product teams, project managers start asking what’s next for them. It’s a fair question. If projects stop being the unit of work, what happens to the people who managed them? The answer isn’t “they disappear,” but it isn’t “nothing changes” either.

Several paths

Project managers have more options than they often realize.

Product manager or product owner. These roles decide what the team builds and why. They own priorities and answer for results.
Delivery lead. Some teams still need someone to coordinate dependencies, remove obstacles, and keep work flowing. This role resembles a Scrum Master or release manager, with a broader view.
Portfolio and PMO roles. Someone still has to see across teams, manage capacity, and report on value. Project managers with a strong grasp of planning and governance fit well.
Program or change leadership. Large efforts that cross several products still need coordination.

None is a demotion. They are different jobs, and the right one depends on what you enjoy. If you like deciding what to build, look at product work. If you like making teams effective, look at delivery. If you like seeing the whole picture, look at portfolio.

Top 5 reasons why projects fail

Fri, 03 Oct 2014 22:09:44 +0000

Many project management office (PMO) consultants, program managers, and project managers will tell you, “Yes, many projects and programs have unrealistic and inflexible deadlines.” Many of them have been assigned to so many projects at once that, without time management, efficiency has become a thing of the past. Managing multiple projects, competing priorities, and tight deadlines is everyday work for many corporate employees. Have you ever had a chance to step back, think, and find a way to be proactive? Guess what? This isn’t going to change anytime soon. So we shouldn’t overlook the reasons why some projects fail. In this article, we’ll help you identify the causes and suggest solutions for your next project.

Waterfall isn't the enemy

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Every few weeks, someone in a steering meeting declares that waterfall is dead and agile is the answer. Then someone else asks how agile will work for the data center migration. Both people have a point, and neither has the whole picture. The useful question isn’t which approach wins. It’s which approach fits the work in front of you.

What waterfall does well

Waterfall (and its cousin, the stage-gate process) assumes you can know most of what you need up front, then build it in order. When that assumption holds, the approach works well. Consider a regional bank that must meet a regulatory change by a fixed date, with the requirements spelled out in the regulation itself. Little is uncertain about what to build. The risk is in coordination, documentation, and proof that you followed the rules. A plan with clear phases and sign-offs serves that work.