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“Can we add more people to get this done faster?” This question has become a long-standing joke in the world of project management. It is often used sarcastically, especially by development teams, to suggest that Project Managers do not understand how real software delivery works. However, asking this question is not a sign of poor… Continue reading Can Adding More People Speed Up Projects? | Project Management Insights

I wrote about the power of right-sized solutions—those that fit the customer’s current needs without overwhelming their present environment. Read the post here But there is another angle to this conversation. Sometimes, the solutions we propose must not only work for today, but also carry the customer confidently into the future. A few years ago,… Continue reading Choosing Stability Over Shine: A PM’s Lesson in Long-Term Value

There’s a strange trend in today’s job descriptions. Companies want candidates with 20 years of experience, deep expertise in legacy technologies, hands-on mastery of new and emerging tools, and preferably someone who is still “young and energetic.”We keep searching for finished products instead of potential. This mindset shows up inside projects too. Many PMs expect… Continue reading Why PM’s Must Let Their Teams Fail (Safely): The Path to Innovation & Value

Project management is not just about projects. It’s equally about people. Among the many stakeholders we work with, the project team is the backbone. They are the ones who put in the effort, solve the problems, control the risks, and keep the project moving. A PM may create the plan, but the team brings it… Continue reading The Missing Skill in Project Management: Giving Meaningful Feedback

I once bought a gorgeous dining table—solid, elegant, and expensive. There was just one problem: it was too big for my dining area. I convinced myself I could make it work, so I shifted things around until it somehow fit. Even though it looked impressive, it felt forced, oversized, and not truly meant for that… Continue reading Pitch Solutions That Fit Today, Not Just Tomorrow: A PM Lesson from a Dining Table

You’ve estimated the effort.You have person-days by phase.The next question is: “So how many weeks will this project really take?” This is where effort meets calendar.And this is also where many projects slip. Let’s look at a simple way to convert effort into a realistic, defendable schedule. Step 1: Start with Effort by Phase Assume… Continue reading How to Turn Estimates into a Realistic Project Timeline

Effort estimation is one of the most uncomfortable tasks in a project.Say a number that is too high, and stakeholders feel it’s overestimated.Say a number that is too low, and you struggle later. The truth is, no estimate is perfect, but it can be structured, transparent and defendable. That is enough to gain trust and… Continue reading Effort Estimation in Software Projects: A Simple Framework for Project Managers

When we talk about project planning, we often focus on scope, timelines, and resources. But there is one number that quietly decides whether a project is truly healthy or not: GM – Gross Margin. For many project managers, GM feels like “finance territory”. But in real projects, your decisions on scope, effort and change requests… Continue reading How to Use GM in Project Management: A Practical Guide for IT Projects

Understanding GM Impact When You Add SMEs to Recover Delays When a project schedule slips, the first instinct is often to bring in a subject-matter expert or an additional specialist to speed things up. This usually helps the team move faster, but it also comes with a trade-off that many project managers worry about: the… Continue reading PM’s Role in protecting Gross Margin- a proven method

What to do when there are schedule delays in Fixed Price projects especially because FP models demand strict scope, clarity, and predictability. S – D – T – P If a project timeline goes off track, the PM can quickly diagnose: Is it Scope? Dependency? Team? Planning? Requirements & Scope Clarity Issues These delays arise… Continue reading PM’s Simple Checklist to handle Delays in FP Projects