the Corporate Geek

Study on the Image of the Project Management Profession

Ciprian Rusen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:56:57 +0000

Richard Newton and I thought for quite some time about making a study about the image of the project management profession. We both noticed that there is a gap between what project managers do and what they think they do, between how important they feel as part of their organizations and how important they actually are. With the help of a quick survey, we want to understand how big is this gap and see if there's anything we can do to bridge it.
If you work as a project manager or have worked with project managers, then please take 5 minutes of your time to answer a few questions.

The Search for Creativity in Developing Your Own Resume

Ciprian Rusen — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:02:01 +0000

Recently I've spent some time reflecting about my career, what I've managed to achieve and figuring out what should be my next step. While doing this, I've read my LinkedIn resume and couldn't help notice how boring it is. Even though I did my best to include the biggest highlights of my career, it doesn't seem able to truly put them into the spotlight and make me stand-out from a crowd of project managers. Nor does it truly reflect my personality and project management style.

Then, I asked myself (and Google): how can I create a resume which says the big picture about me and my career in just a few seconds? Read on to see what I managed to find out.

Presentation Zen - Review Based on a True Story

Ciprian Rusen — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:27:52 +0000

"Presentation Zen - Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery" by Garr Reynolds is no longer a new book. Launched back in 2008, a hit since day one, this book promised to change the way people create and deliver presentations in today's business world. I read it shortly after its launch, been charmed by it and did my best to follow its principles. Want to know if the book held its promised and actually delivered better presentation skills for its readers? Read this review based on my true story.

PM Crash Course for IT Professionals - A good book for IT projects?

Ciprian Rusen — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:16:15 +0000

Back in 2009, when I've first heard about 'PM Crash Course for IT Professionals: Real-World Project Management Tools and Techniques for IT Initiatives', by Rita Mulcahy and Martha L. Young, could not help but be excited. The book seemed to be an interesting read for project managers working on IT projects and I really wanted to learn more from Rita Mulcahy's experience on this type of projects. Therefore I ordered the book and read it as soon as I've found some time. Does this book manage to be a good guide for IT project managers? Read this review to find out.

the Best of the Web for Corporate Geeks - August 2010

Ciprian Rusen — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:15:45 +0000

This month we've got a really "long" episode with articles worth reading, from project management luminaries, CEOs, magazines and marketing luminaries. If you've got some time to kill, browse through all the recommendations. It will be time well spent as July has been a really good month in terms of great thinking shared around the web.

Bridging the Divide: Project and Change Managers in Business

Richard Newton — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:16:05 +0000

There are two isolated communities involved in delivering innovation and enhancements in business. Each community knows of, but remains relatively uninformed about, the other. The first community is that of change management practitioners, the second is that of project managers. In a business context at least, there is significant gains to be achieved by bringing these communities together. This article is a request to try and close the divide.

Why Project Managers Are More Likely to Become Linchpins

Ciprian Rusen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:40:56 +0000

Since I've read Seth Godin's "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?", my mind could not stop making connections between linchpins and project managers. Therefore I could not rest without writing an article on the topic and share the reasons why I believe project managers to be more likely to become linchpins in their organizations.