Projects at Work
HOME   •   BRIDGES   •   PROJECTS   •   HOW-TO

Trial By Fire

Many a project manager has said the job feels like they’re always putting out fires. Well, projects are like fires in fundamental ways: no two are exactly the same, and conditions can change at any time, requiring corrective actions. From training to communication, here are some shared principles that hold true for fighting fires and managing projects.

The very worst fire plan is no plan.  The next worse is two plans.  — Author Unknown

 

Let no man's ghost return to say his training let him down.  — Firefighters Saying

 

Soon after being accepted as a member of a fire department, cadets are typically enrolled into training classes. Their training regime may consist of basic classes, hazardous material teaching, awareness classes, and several others that are relevant to the challenging role of being a firefighter. New firefighters also are trained early in their career on communications protocols, the chain of command, and standard operating procedures. The need for a common …


Please login or register below to read the rest of the article

Subscribers login here:

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up here:

    You must have JavaScript and cookies enabled to use this website. Please enable javascript and refresh this page.
    How do I enable JavaScript in my browser? | How do I enable cookies in my browser?
  • First Name
    Last Name
  • Choose a password (at least 4 characters)
    Confirm your password
  • ProjectsAtWork is accredited under Return Path's Sender Score Certified™ Program. The Sender Score Certified Program helps to increase successful email delivery by requiring senders to adhere to a set of specific email standards. For more information, please see www.senderscorecertified.com.
  • please enter the text below:
  • You must have JavaScript and cookies enabled to use this website. Please enable javascript and refresh this page.
    How do I enable JavaScript in my browser? | How do I enable cookies in my browser?

ADVERTISEMENT

RELATED ARTICLES

Communications 101: Stakeholders
One For The Team
Project Leader Health Check

RELATED COMPARISONS

SURVEY
Agile Maturity Survey

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

SPONSORS
CA Technologies
I I L
Innotas PPM
Jama Software
Oracle
Project Pain Reliever
RMC Project Mgmt
Sciforma Webinar
Strategic Project
Telerik Agile PM
UC Irvine Extension
EVENTS

Neil S: "I totally agree with you Vincent. The process is as only as good as the people …" on The Gates of Development
February 10, 2012

Andreea T: "Hi Tom, this article is very well written in my opinion and illustrates the prin…" on Agile 101: Larger Teams
February 10, 2012

Cristina M: "Excellent article!" on Agile 101: Larger Teams
February 10, 2012

Shyam S: "Dear Ty, Absolutely great thought. The organisation which I worked with in my…" on Are You a Shusa?
February 10, 2012

TAGS

Agile Budget Certification Change Collaboration Communication Conflict Decision-Making Innovation Knowledge-Sharing Leadership Lean Planning PMO PPM Professional Development Reporting Requirements Risk Scrum Stakeholders Virtual Teams

ADVERTISEMENT

 

TOP CONTRIBUTORS

John D'Entremont

Project Manager, PMP
John D’Entremont, PMP, is a project manager in the financial industry, w…

Glen Alleman

VP Program Controls, Lewis & Fowler
As VP, Program Controls, Glen brings his 30 years experience in program …

Andy Jordan

President, Roffensian Consulting Inc.
Andy Jordan is a well known author and speaker on project management and…

Tom Mochal

President, TenStep Inc
Tom Mochal, PgMP, PMP, TSPM is the president of TenStep, Inc. (www.TenSt…

Janis Rizzuto

Contributing Editor, ProjectsAtWork
Janis has been writing for ProjectsAtWork for more than a decade, starti…

Aaron Smith

Editor, ProjectsAtWork.com
Aaron has been the editor of ProjectsAtWork since 2001, leading its evol…

BLOGS

TOOLS & TRAINING

     

Changepoint helps businesses gain competitive advantage and increase profitability through complete portfolio visibility, planning insight, process automation, and improved resource utilization throughout a customer’s lifecycle.

     

EPM Lives WorkEngine provides easy to use Microsoft SharePoint Project and Work Management applications for everyone in an organization, from teams that want to work within individual workgroups, to organizations that want to utilize enterprise tools

     

With Genius Project, leading project and portfolio management software, an organization can easily manage project in a collaborative way. Turn around time is quick, and as a result, project visibility and execution are enhanced.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Gaining Control Over Your Business Portfolio - February 15 at 8am PT / 11am ET Webcast. Join Forrester Research's Margo Visitacion and Sr. VP Lori Ellsworth as they discuss how a growing number of companies are turning to PSA and PPM tools to empower services, IT, sales, NPD and teams through a single integrated solution.
Go beyond PMP Certification with the new UC Irvine Extension Advanced Project Management Specialized Studies Program. Courses are available online and on-campus - earn PDUs and establish expertise while learning from a leader in PM studies.
Pass the PMP® Exam—GUARANTEED! Earn the internationally recognized PMP® certification and expand your career. Take a 2-Day or 4-Day Accelerated class from RMC and pass on your first try! Classes are open in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Columbus, Denver, Louisville, Minneapolis, Portland, St. Louis, Seattle, DC, and more.
Got 5 Minutes? Check out PM Central, the project management solution for SharePoint. Our free, hosted demo site will let you see and use advanced project management built on Microsoft SharePoint. Go beyond standard SharePoint team sites with resource management, budgeting, task scheduling and more. Try it today!
The Business Case for Project Portfolio Management - This whitepaper presents industry best practices and real-world examples of how companies are using PPM solutions to help drive innovations with their organizations, all while delivering on key performance goals of being on time, on budget, on quota and on target. Download Now.
The Transformational Power of Smart Trust: March 1, 2012 - Join Stephen M. R. Covey, author of Smart Trust, for this live Webinar as he shares the 5 actions successful leaders and enterprises are taking to prosper, as well as findings that verify how enduring success, vitality, and happiness are directly related to the level of trust in our relationships.