This is part 3 of our special, "19 Techniques for managing people who do not report to you." Jay Christensen and Rod Sharman join Pete Wright to discuss issues and concerns, with special focus on how to manage resolution of issues in a visible way.

This is part 2 of our special, "19 Techniques for managing people who do not report to you". Jay Christensen and Rod Sharman join Pete Wright to discuss roles and responsibilities on your projects, and ensuring that commitments are clear and visible through the Responsibility Matrix and Schedule.

This is part 1 of our special, "19 Techniques for managing people who do not report to you." Jay Christensen and Rod Sharman join Pete Wright to discuss the importance of goal statements, clear objective statements, and a well-publicized project profile in getting the support you need to deliver project results.

You can help your organization understand the roles and skills required for the project management function -- you just have to know where to start. This week, Jay Christensen joins Pete Wright to help outline the planning elements you'll need to add to communication what will and will not be done on your project -- and by whom!

When working to build your team, you may find yourself in a sticky political mess when you find different groups in your organization are prioritizing your project differently. Consistent prioritization is key to alignment on projects and requires the right mix of authority, will, and communication. This week, Jay Christensen joins Pete Wright to point you in the right direction as you help your organization master project prioritization.

You have a problem. You escalate to your sponsor or steering committee. Their response? Don't worry, they're sure you'll be able to solve the problem without impacting Cost, Schedule or Performance! As frustrating as this response may be, listen in this week as Jay Christensen unravels the motivation behind this typical response, and gives you the tools you need to present the right solutions, just the right way!

Are you a project manager seeking support from the functional managers who have their employees on your teams? Are you a team member looking for more support from your functional manager as you work on projects? This week, Jay Christensen joins Pete Wright to take on both of these issues and give you the strategies you'll need to solve a tricky political puzzle.

It's one of the most common things we see on troubled projects, and sometimes the trickiest to navigate: No sponsor or steering committee supporting your projects. This week, Jay Christensen joins Pete Wright to dive into the issues that lead to this on your projects, and how you can find the support you need to get your projects back on track.

The problem card this week says it all: "Three project teams working on mandatory compliance projects to 18 countries, all three high priorities. Tasks from all three due all the time. How do I manage projects and priorities across overlapping critical projects?" It's a question for all over-worked project people, and John Patton and Jay Christensen join Pete Wright to tackle it on the show.

It may seem like stakeholder meddling, but external influences competing for attention on your project can be a symptom of a much larger problem. This week, John Patton and Jay Christensen help you focus on the lifecycle, using a few key tactics to ensure all your project stakeholders are working with you to keep the project focused -- not distracting you from getting your project work done.

Any number of challenges can slow a supplier delivering a complex product on your project. From engineering challenges to methodological roadblocks, it's your job as project manager to keep resources flowing into the project smoothly. This week, John Patton and Jay Christensen dissect this issue and give you a clear process to help keep your external suppliers on track.

From the problem cards this week, "The project is off to a slow start -- how do we gain traction and get this project moving?" Turns out, it's all a matter of focus on the life-cycle. This week, John Patton and Jay Christensen take to this issue with Pete Wright and give you a path to a solution that will help you get your project started on the right footing.

Thinking about Agile and how it might help your development projects? Looking for more detail on how the Agile approach maps to the Cadence Methodology? Coming in August, Cadence's Jay Christensen will be delivering a one-hour webinar dealing with the detail of Agile development with the Cadence Methodology. In today's show, Jay gives us a preview of his research and teaches us where misunderstanding in the Agile process can lead to poor implementation and sub-par results.

If you're facing an abrupt career change, you have a wide road before you. You've crafted your resume. You've done the networking. But have you really positioned yourself to be the perfect candidate for that perfect project management job? This week on the show, Jay Christensen and Wil Mercer join host Pete Wright to talk about how to develop sharp skills and jumpstart your work in project management.

If your teams have suffered as a result of layoffs or reorganizations, you're weathering the project economy. If you are juggling scope changes and resource reallocation, you're weathering the project economy. If you are faced with delivering difficult news more often than results, you're weathering the project economy. This week, join Jay Christensen, Wil Mercer, and Pete Wright as they discuss the issues facing today's teams and give you strategies to help you weather the project economy.

We have been getting this question with great frequency: what is this Agile thing, and how does it map to the Cadence project management methodology? As it happens, Agile maps cleanly to the Cadence Methodology and — if implemented appropriately — can yield benefits on certain projects. Listen to Jay Christensen and Wil Mercer discuss this issue on this week's show.

Passing the PMP exam and earning the coveted certification that results is becoming increasingly important for project management practitioners. In celebration of our own Wil Mercer's newly minted PMP, we thought it appropriate to sit down and ask about the process and share some tips and tricks for studying for -- and passing -- this exam.

We welcome John Patton back to US shores with a deep discussion on his experiences and learnings at the recent PMI Global Congress EMEA. If you were unable to make it, tune in and get the highlights with Ask Cadence!

Wrapping up our discussion on implementing a project management methodology in your organization, this week John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright for a final discussion on just what it takes to get the job done. How long will it take? What barriers will you encounter in the process? How to you create and manage a sound implementation plan which leads to success and adoption by the organization?

If you're considering implementing a project management methodology, it is important to know where you stand against the standard set by the Project Management Institute. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to provide a framework around what it takes not only to implement a methodology, but to create a path for governance in the organization that will provide for long-term growth in institutional excellence in the process.

Part 2: Every team has them. They may be well-intentioned, but for some reason or another, they're blocking progress on your project. Whether they are raising inappropriate questions in your status meetings or just refusing to get their work done, you have to find some way to deal with them to avoid losing control of the project. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to provide the tools and techniques you'll need to keep your project moving full steam ahead.

Every team has them. They may be well-intentioned, but for some reason or another, they're blocking progress on your project. Whether they are raising inappropriate questions in your status meetings or just refusing to get their work done, you have to find some way to deal with them to avoid losing control of the project. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to provide the tools and techniques you'll need to keep your project moving full steam ahead.

Part 2: What information do you need as a project manager flowing into your operation in order to know what's happening on the project, and how to make corrective action as appropriate? It's easy to get overwhelmed with project data -- this week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to help you find strategies for managing project information to stay in control and not become over-burdened.

What information do you need as a project manager flowing into your operation in order to know what's happening on the project, and how to make corrective action as appropriate? It's easy to get overwhelmed with project data -- this week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to help you find strategies for managing project information to stay in control and not become over-burdened.

There are very few key roles to be filled in even the most complex project environment, but each of them is critical to successful implementation. From project manager to technical leader to sponsors and more, each serves to ensure the success of the team members delivering on their project objectives. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to define these key roles and give strategies for using each to its highest potential.

This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to outline the key elements of a methodology implementation for project management, from an adaptable life cycle approach to strategic steering and project prioritization.

There is no perfect way to implement a project management methodology. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright as they unravel the complexities of project methodology implementation and outlining the best practices that define successful companies in their journey toward project management maturity.

While a "Standard" tells you what to do, a "Methodology" tells you how to do it. So says John Patton and Scott Lissit, who join host Pete Wright today to work through the issues, strategies and fears of taking on a project management methodology in organizations. This is part 1 of a series on the importance of flexible, adaptable structure in project management, no matter how complex the project environment.

What if your projects are affected by the recession? What if your team is broken up, reassigned, or restructured? What if you're asked to make cuts to budget or redefine deliverables? This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright as they provide structure around project managers in the midsts of market shake-up.

When the economy turns sour, it is easy to let fundamentals slip. When you find you are in danger of making reactionary decisions in place of strategic ones, it is critical that you step back, evaluate, and review the overall state of the business. This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit join host Pete Wright to review the importance of project management in a recession, and the role of smart portfolio management and prioritization in strategic decision making.

What do you do when you're working on a project and your vendors are behind, unresponsive, or incompetent? This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit will show you how to take vendors to task when appropriate, manage them smartly, and target a mutually beneficial relationship.

When it's time to make the tough decisions, does everyone have to agree? This week, we wrap up our two-part conversation between John Patton and Scott Lissit on project management by consensus, the perils and pitfalls of finding agreement on projects.

When it's time to make the tough decisions, does everyone have to agree? This week, we begin our two-part conversation between John Patton and Scott Lissit on project management by consensus, the perils and pitfalls of finding agreement on projects.

This week, a listener email: "I have now moved on to a new company, a global bank in Europe. I intend to continue using the cadence methodology and would like to introduce it to the Bank. Do you have any advice on how I can pick up new projects quickly while instilling a sense of trust with my new project team?" It turns out it's a bigger question than a single episode can answer. This week we offer part 2 of our discussion on porting project management from one company to another with John Patton and Scott Lissit.

This week, a listener email: "I have now moved on to a new company, a global bank in Europe. I intend to continue using the cadence methodology and would like to introduce it to the Bank. Do you have any advice on how I can pick up new projects quickly while instilling a sense of trust with my new project team?" It turns out it's a bigger question than a single episode can answer. This week we offer part 1 of our discussion on porting project management from one company to another with John Patton and Scott Lissit.

You're the lone project manager in your group. Your organization is resistant to change. How lead the charge for project management as a key success factor in your group without alienating people creating ill will toward project structure? This week, John Patton and Scott Lissit cover politics, tools, and strategies for helping you move your organization toward project management maturity.

Executives have to manage the portfolio of projects across the organization in spite of staffing changes, potential layoffs, operations scaling and other complicated market conditions. The decisions they make about projects and programs inside the organization will have a ripple effect with broad reach. Join John Patton and Scott Lissit this week as they cover the issues that come with increased demands, and give you suggestions to make the right portfolio decisions and deliver results.

Companies are being driven to take on projects with fixed due dates in spite of having to complete engineering development tasks which they have never attempted before. What are the costs of implementing your project while your engineering team is struggling to invent? Join John Patton and Scott Lissit this week as they cover the issues that come with these increased demands, and give you suggestions to streamline project management and deliver results.

The election for the 44th president of the United States of America has reset the bar against which campaigns will be measured. From unprecedented volunteerism to savvy strategy, the 2008 campaign season offers telling lessons in progressive project management. On today's show, join Cadence CEO John Patton and Scott Lissit as they draw their own project conclusions as the polls, and this season, draws to its close.

If you run large projects, you have seen team members come and go. But what do you do to keep your project moving forward while you transition to a new team member who might not have all the project background? This week, John Patton and Wil Mercer give you key on-boarding strategies to get new team members performing quickly.

In spite of your best efforts, you have a team member who refuses to commit to their tasks. How do you get to the bottom of the problem diplomatically, while keeping your project moving forward on schedule? This week, John Patton and Wil Mercer sit down to give you proven strategies to keep communication flowing, and your project on schedule.

You are moving into a mass production deadline on a significant project, but there's a non-trivial technical problem that your team still hasn't solved. What do you do with your project in this state of jeopardy? This week, John Patton and Wil Mercer sit down to tackle this very real problem on Ask Cadence, episode 29.

When two key executives are locked in a power struggle that affects your project, how can you resolve the issue and keep your project on track? This week, Cadence CEO John Patton and seminar leader Wil Mercer discuss the potential pitfalls, and give a few key lessons to help deflate tensions, improve communication, and allow you and your team to get back to work.

Continuing our discussion on the importance of OPM3 to modern project management, we sit down with John Patton and Scott Lisset of Cadence Management Corporation to discuss how companies can get started with OPM3, and where the new standard will have the most impact on project, program, and portfolio management operations.

This week, we sit down with John Patton for an introduction to OPM3. This new organizational benchmarking tool can be prove to be a daunting undertaking. Patton serves to clarify each component of the tool, and provides a discussion on the practical implications of getting started with OMP3.

When the pressure is high it is easy to let the planning process slide in favor of diving in and getting the work done. But, at what cost? Cadence CEO John Patton and director of seminar delivery Scott Lisset discuss the risks of ignoring planning, and give a few key lessons and project sizing guidelines that will help reduce frustration with the appropriate level of work.

There are some things you simply cannot control. This week, Cadence CEO John Patton and Director of Service Delivery Scott Lissit address one of the most frustrating of these for project managers: What do you do when your sponsor hands you a project with an unrealistic objective? Listen to the show this week and get a better understanding of why this happens to project managers, and suggestions on how to turn it around so that you can deliver results.

This year marks 25 years that Cadence has been driving the field of formal project management. On this week's show, we sit down with Cadence CEO John Patton and reflect on the business, and the event that shapes the Cadence impact around the globe: International Methodology Update.

Once you have your project management system in place, how do you measure deeper results of project success beyond major milestones? This week, Rob Bremmer and guest Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions join the round table to discuss active and passive metrics for managing project success.

How do project managers and team members keep up with the changing dynamics of large, long-term projects and keep skills sharp at the same time? This week, Rob Bremmer and guest Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions join the round table to continue our series on finding the training you need in a volatile market.

Organizations dealing with cuts to their training budgets are suddenly forced to think creatively about getting teams the training they need to build results. This week, Rob Bremmer and guest Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions and ASTD join the round table to continue our series on finding the training you need in a volatile market.

What do you do when your organization is forced to trim training budgets? You get creative! This week, the regular team is joined by Dr. Sean Harry from Career Management Solutions to take on the importance of training even in a volatile market, the process of creating a skills inventory, and where to find resources to continue to learn even when you don't have the budget to pay for it.

When working with customer-based extended teams, how do you remain responsive and reactive when you don't have visibility of customer project planning efforts? This week, John Patton and Connie Plowman take on this issue and give advice on how teams can get control of broad teams through communication and collaboration.

The problem card this week asks for help when a team is handed a new project and a timeline for delivery that most would feel is too tight to plan. John Patton and Connie Plowman work through the implications for the team -- and for you as project manager -- and show just how critical the planning function is, even when planning time appears to be minimal.

The problem card this week asks for help when a team member evades the work of the project and turns in sloppy work to the team. There are a number of reasons this might be happening on your projects, and this week John Patton and Connie Plowman work through the implications for the team -- and for you as project manager -- and outline a few simple strategies to address them.

This week, how do you drive for accurate and efficient communication when your department or operating team is growing faster than work can be delegated? This week, John Patton and Connie Plowman take on the problem of dynamic operational teams in trouble, and provide insight in how managers can keep the right people involved and informed while being more effective leaders.

When team members jump into your project uninvited, do you have an opportunity to leverage many hands into light work, or a politically charged vehicle for self-promotion? Join Cadence president John Patton and COO Connie Plowman on Ask Cadence this week and gain insights into managing extra-team enthusiasm appropriately and professionally to get the job done.

The attached Excel Spreadsheet is the Workload Planning template referred to in Ask Cadence Episode 12. Download all the Cadence supplemental templates from cadencemc.com.

When operations and project collide in day-to-day worklife, it's often a complicated juggling act determining where staff attention should be directed. This week, Cadence CEO John Patton and COO Connie Plowman share their expertise in managing the juncture between projects and operations and the benefits of workload planning.

When a key manager holds the keys to your project schedule, how do you deliver results without creating a politically charged situation around your project? Join Cadence president John Patton and COO Connie Plowman on Ask Cadence this week and gain insights on "managing up" appropriately and professionally to get the job done.

On this week's show, Jay Christensen and Rob Bremmer discuss the challenges that come to project managers who fail to take the time and initiative to know and understand their customer. Whether from confusion within sponsorship ranks in the organization or project manager planning in a vacuum, the results are the same: misunderstanding of the customer causes misunderstanding of the project.

On this week's show, Jay Christensen and Rob Bremmer discuss the challenges that come to project managers who plan their projects without any input from the team. Whether it comes from a subconscious need to be a star, or a lack of organization of resources early in the project, this problem can be disastrous to long-term commitment to project activity. Listen now for strategies to address this problem proactively and discover who ultimately owns this problem to deliver results on your critical projects.

On this week's show, Jay Christensen and Rob Bremmer discuss the challenges that come with team members who don't fully support your project. Do they have a full understanding of the project objective? Do they understand the potential impact of the project on the organization? Listen now for strategies to address these team members proactively to ensure they are delivering at their best on your most critical projects.

With more projects than people in today's project environment, organizations are often forced to assign team members to project teams who are not equipped with the skills required to contribute most effectively. This skill gap can have a severe negative impact on project deliverables and put project managers in a difficult position when working to get their projects complete. On this week's show, Jay Christensen and Rob Bremmer address key organizational symptoms that can lead to an environment in which the skill gap occurs, and how to address these symptoms proactively to ensure the right team members are delivering at their best on the most critical projects.

This week, our Cadence graduate writes, "Complete requirements for the project are received before the project is due to be complete." Without complete organizational understanding and sponsor/customer agreement, this project problem comes up time and again. Experts Jay Christensen and Rob Bremmer walk through the nature of the problem and how you can put a keen eye on resolution by getting back to basics, holding the reins of communication tightly, while addressing the needs of the team. Listen to this week’s Ask Cadence for more on getting your teams talking, and thanks to those who have written in with this challenge!

This week, our Cadence graduate writes, "communication is a key problem on our projects." In that simple statement, she sums up the baggage that comes with all projects in some form or another. Without a proper framework, inexperienced teams can become mired in process, and cause the project to suffer. Experts Jay Christensen and Scott Lisset walk through the nature of the problem and how you can put a keen eye on resolution by getting back to basics, holding the reins of communication tightly, while addressing the needs of the team. Listen to this week’s Ask Cadence for more on getting your teams talking, and thanks to those who have written in with this challenge!

Keeping a keen eye on scope is a key responsibility of every project manager. The ability to address any element that affects project performance risks triggering a cascade of changes to cost and schedule, that can have dangerous consequences to the project as a whole. Experts Jay Christensen and Scott Lisset walk through the nature of the problem and how you can put a keen eye on resolution by getting back to basics, holding the reins of scope tightly, while still listening to the core customer. Listen to this week’s Ask Cadence for more on getting your projects started right, and thanks to those who have written in with this challenge!

A universal understanding of project scope is critical to overcoming confusion in project start-up. This week’s problem comes from a project manager dealing with just that; multiple sponsors and members of leadership competing for input into project scope. Experts Jay Christensen and Scott Lisset walk through the nature of the problem and how you can put a keen eye on resolution by getting back to basics and listening to your project customers. Listen to this week’s Ask Cadence for more on getting your projects started right!

This week we are thrilled to launch the innaugural episode of Ask Cadence!, tackling your gorilla project management problems, one week at a time.

This week, Scott Lisset and Jay Christensen take on the perennial problem: lack of key skills on the project team. What can you do when your defined tasks don't match the skills of your team? Listen to this episode for strategies to get your project needs met and keep your project moving!