Considering the number of people they deal with every day, project managers are ripe for professional rejection. But although unpleasant, rejection can be seen as a critical warning and/or badge of honor. This post, featuring an exclusive interview with Halley Bock, author of Life, Incorporated, will explore the types of professional rejection, how you should take it in different situations, and what it means when you&rsquo...

In a 2016 Fast Track piece, we covered a disconcerting study conducted by The Project Management Institute (PMI). The research illustrated that organizations around the world waste an average of $122 million for every $1 billion spent on projects as a result of poor project management practices. Called Pulse of the Profession®: The High Cost of Low Performance study, the study indicated that the amount of waste had i...

Greetings from SXSWedu! This evening, I will have the privilege of moderating a panel titled Tech Skills Gap: What Can Employers and Educators Do? I'm representing DeVry University's Career Advisory Board and will be joined by Robert Paul, president of DeVry University, Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, and Sara Ley, digital learning and technology leader at GE. Without giving too much away,...

The year was 1998. I had just graduated from college and was working as an entry-level account coordinator in a large PR agency in New York City. I worked hard, but my days ended at 6PM when I left the office. Within the next year, though, Ethernet access at home had become a reality. Suddenly, I was expected to be on call for my boss for any and all client needs. I was irate. I felt I did not make enough money for this. I...

This week, my organization the Career Advisory Board announced the results of our sixth annual Job Preparedness Indicatory survey, which identified gaps between the skills and traits candidates have and the skills and traits employers seek to fill open positions. Gaps were measured by assessing skills that are most important but least common among entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level job candidates. This year’s...

I’ve never liked open offices. Never. I remember the first time my CEO announced that we’d all be giving up our private offices. A part of me felt like I was about to lose my home. The next step? Goodbye cubicles. Now, we all sat together like one big, happy family, and any illusion that you could have a confidential conversation or crash on a deadline without interruption was shattered. I wonder sometimes if th...

With exciting trends impacting the field, the new year promises to be an eventful one for project management. The Project Management profession is evolving. Just this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gave project management its own occupational category, a major sign that Project Managers are more important players than ever. Here, we feature some of the most intriguing Project Management developments heading into...

Flexwork is pervasive and employees obviously love it, but is it universally good for business and work management? The Fast Track investigates. According to a recent survey conducted by WorldatWork and FlexJobs, over 80 percent of American organizations have implemented some type of flexible work arrangement. Shockingly, though, only three percent of those same organizations are measuring whether flextime actually makes...

Digital transformation is a transformation because it affects everyone within the organization from the c-suite on down. But at this point in time, is it more of a theory – something that organizations aspire to – or a reality? A group of recent studies provide insight into the degree to which non-IT employees desire and are helping to move the needle. Age Discrepancies Are Real To start, Capgemini Consult...

Project management thought leader Moira Alexander chats exclusively with The Fast Track about issues such as the difference between Project Management and change management, the unique requirements of remote project management, and the most effective use of software tools to complete project management and non-PM related tasks. Moira Alexander is the founder and president of Lead-Her-Ship Group, as well as a project mana...