Against all odds – learning from great projectors: Ferdinand Zeppelin

With this article we´d like to start a series of pioneers and projectors to learn from. You are all encouraged to write about great projectors out of your context so we may learn from them and improve our way of performing projects. “Projector” is a term introduced by Daniel Defoe in “An Essay upon Projects” […]

The end of a species called „homo economicus“ – or did it ever exist?

In economics we learn a lot about a species called “homo economicus”. Those beings are seen as consistently rational and narrowly self-interested agents who usually pursue their subjectively-defined ends optimally. Many theories and concepts in economics (and project management) are based on this concept, yet the species seem to be extinct in real life. Despite […]

Resilience – a new perspective for individuals, projects and organisations

A word gains increasingly attention in social sciences: resilience. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as: “The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”. It was first used in the material sciences, where resilience is defined as ability of a material to absorb energy when it is deformed elastically, and release that energy upon unloading.  In […]

Lean Project Management – old wine in new bottles or a real gain?

Like all other management disciplines, project management is subject to new concepts and developments – and not free of fashionable words. “Lean” project management is such a concept that is marketed as new concept for project managers and organisations as a “must have” for success. Lean should not be mixed with “meager” or “slim”, it […]

The importance of Project Management

In this five minute video, Paul Hodgkins shares his views on the project management profession; the differences he sees between project, programme and portfolio management and the importance of positioning project management as a ‘life-skill’.  

Forming project teams – the right mix is key to success

It is well known, that teamwork is essential for projects. Many research papers, books and standards (like the IPMA ICB) highlight this fact. Bruce Tuckman´s stages of team development – forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning – are well known in the community and explained in nearly all project management trainings. However, little attention has […]

Projects and project management in Serbia

Last week I visited Serbia. It was my first visit and I realized how limited my knowledge about this country and the region is. The city of Belgrade impressed me a lot, a major hub at the confluence of Sava and Danube river. This is figurative for Serbia, because the country is a confluence of […]

How can fundraising encourage IPMA growth?

A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause, charity or non-profit organization. Fundraising is the process of gathering voluntary contributions of money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit […]

One size does not fit them all

Organisations often apply international standards such as the ISO 21500 “Guidance on project management” on all projects irrespective of their size, complexity or situation-specific characteristics. This is dangerous and may cause more threats than opportunities. Standards are generic. Typically they cover a wide range of project types, sectors and situations. They are not intended to […]

The 4th edition of GeCCo breaks all records

Global eCollaboration Competition (GeCCo 2015) organized by the IPMA Young Crew has gathered 96 young project managers and broke the record of the previous years. On November 7th and 8th, 16 virtual teams from 18 countries took place in competitions’ 4th edition. Every year the organizing team does its best to provide unique content and […]