Author: Paul Every
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In the world of project management, there’s no shortage of project leadership styles to choose from. From the servant leader to the transformational leader, from agile coaches to scrum masters – the profession has spawned more role definitions than you can shake a Gantt chart at. However, when it comes to the day-to-day reality of…
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How the best sponsors and steering committees create project governance conditions for success without stifling delivery. Following my recent newsletter on balancing board oversight with delivery team autonomy, I’ve received some fascinating insights from fellow project professionals. One response particularly stood out – a description of what truly effective project sponsorship looks like in practice.…
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Project planning isn’t about producing immaculate Gantt charts or speaking fluent methodology. It’s about helping people deliver the right outcomes, earlier, with fewer surprises. In professional services—where billable time, client trust and regulatory scrutiny meet—practicality beats theory every time. In this article, I’ll explore Waterfall, Agile and the increasingly popular Hybrid approach. I’ll keep it jargon‑free and focused on what…
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Understanding the J-Curve of Change and why timing your celebrations of project success matters more than you might think
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Project management can feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. One moment you’re confidently striding forward, the next you’re hitting walls you didn’t see coming. After years of working with professional services firms on countless projects—from small internal improvements to large-scale transformations—I’ve noticed a pattern. The projects that succeed, regardless of their size or complexity, all…
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The landscape of professional services has shifted dramatically over the past two years. As a freelance consultant who’s been experimenting with artificial intelligence tools since their mainstream emergence, I can confidently say we’re witnessing a fundamental change in how we approach our daily work. The question isn’t whether AI will impact your consulting practice, it’s…
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A Quick Recap: Why So Many Firms Get ‘Stuck in the Middle’ In my previous article, Business Process Management: Why Most Professional Services Firms Are Still Stuck in the Middle, I discussed why many professional services firms become stranded between Levels 2 and 3 of the BPM maturity model. At this stage, organisations have repeatable…
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“Brilliant process management is our strategy. We get brilliant results from average people managing brilliant processes. We observe that our competitors often get average (or worse) results from brilliant people managing broken processes.” — Senior Toyota Executive In an era where artificial intelligence promises to revolutionise how we work, and digital transformation dominates boardroom conversations,…
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If your organisation manages multiple projects but lacks structured oversight, then a virtual PMO solution could provide the flexible, expert support you need. The most successful organisations recognise that project delivery excellence doesn’t require all resources to be in-house or on-site. Just as hybrid work has become the norm for employees, hybrid support functions like…
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The “law of the instrument” also called “Maslow’s hammer” after Abraham Maslow’s famous quote: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you treat everything as if it were a nail” This remains one of the most persistent challenges in modern business. This cognitive bias continues to shape how organisations approach problem-solving, particularly in…
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I was discussing the question of responsibility vs accountability with one of my clients recently and they were having difficulty distinguishing the two. This was one of the contributory factors why many of the strategies and projects they initiated failed to achieve the outcomes expected. So, what is the difference between being responsible for something…
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Assertive communication is always important in a business environment, but often falls short. Employees typically complain about not knowing what is going on and / or being given too much irrelevant information. Communication during transformational change programmes is even more important. It is essential that messages are always adapted to suit your audience. This can…