By Lakecia Carter, PMP

What comes to your mind when you think of Project Management? Do you view it as a means to an end, a way to get things done, a way of life? When was the last time you thought of Project Management as an art? The “art” aspect of Project Management is what I call the soft side: Leadership, Motivation, Inspiration, Relationship, Team Building, to name a few. In my experience as a project manager, my opinion is that 90% of a project manager’s job is Art and 10% Science. Creativity and Innovation are born out of the 90% – not the 10%.

Good news is you don’t have to become Einstein or come up with all of the ideas by yourself. Great news is that you can lead a team that drives and delivers innovative solutions to your clients. You can do this by recognizing and responding to basic human behaviors that can influence creativity in Project Management. Here are three ways you can spark creativity in your role as a PM:
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By Lakecia Carter, PMP

Do you remember when your family purchased your first microwave? In 1986, there were roughly 25% of households with microwaves and my family was one of them! No more waiting to preheat the oven, no more waiting to heat food on the stove! Then, came all of the “microwavable” meals – even more convenience! How amazing was that?! Our society has been termed “the microwave society” because we have been spoiled by instant gratification. Do you ever feel like you are expected to be a “microwave” PM? Your stakeholders seem to want estimates before requirements, deliverables faster and sooner – no matter what the effort! Well, there’s no such thing as a microwave PM – BUT as PMs, there are some things we can learn from a microwave!
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By Lakecia Carter, PMP

I was reading an article on fire safety and came across an old familiar concept that I learned as a child. “STOP, DROP and ROLL” is a technique to follow if your clothes catch on fire. The principles are quite simple: Stop – Do not run; Drop to the floor; Cover your face and roll over and over to smother the fire. Do not stop until the flames are extinguished”. I began to think about how we ought to respond when our projects catch on fire. Of course, I don’t recommend that you “stop drop and roll” on the floor in your next project team meeting. Rather, I think we can apply the same principles in how we respond to project issues. Every issue is not a fire, but I’m sure you have experienced project fires before. The challenge is not the issue or fire, but putting the fire out quickly before it spreads. Here’s how we can apply this simple principle to driving issues to closure quickly.

STOP

Stop and assess the issue and the impact quickly. If you run while your clothes are on fire – you risk spreading the burns and harming yourself even more. Same applies to project issues. If you don’t take time to understand the problem properly, you may end up making the problem worse.
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By Lakecia Carter, PMP

There are thousands of PMPs making a positive impact on organizations around the globe. I am sure you are one of them! On the contrary, many PMPs are struggling in the industry for a variety of reasons. Some hard-working, experienced PMPs aren’t getting the jobs they are qualified for. Some PMPs are watching top projects go to the non-certified PMs instead of them. Others aren’t progressing in their careers as they planned. What do you think is the problem here? What is the difference between a “game-watcher” PMP and a “game-changer” PMP? How does one move past the certification into greater levels of leadership and influence? One of the answers to these powerful questions lie in one word: RELEVANCY.

The Wikipedia definition states: “Relevance is a term used to describe how pertinent, connected, or applicable something is to a given matter. A thing is relevant if it serves as a means to a given purpose”. PMPs are expected to exemplify a high standard and serve a clear purpose on the projects they lead. However, the only way PMPs can achieve this purpose is to be connected to people and projects in a way that achieves success and results.

As a PMP, there are 3 things you can do to experience the Power of Relevancy:
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