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Paula Dieli
Paula Dieli

91 Followers

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Apr 13, 2021

Weathering the storm

We got through 2020 but that doesn’t mean 2021 will be a slam dunk. As the world (hopefully) emerges slowly from the pandemic, a lot of uncertainty still exists. The companies we work for are navigating this uncertain world and trying to predict the future. Customer requirements may have changed…

Pmo

2 min read

Weathering the storm
Weathering the storm
Pmo

2 min read


Mar 23, 2021

Sharing best practices

We can be so focused on our day-to-day work that we forget to step back, review the work we’ve been doing, and think about how we might share with our colleagues some of the things we’ve developed or enhanced. What work have you done lately that made things better for you, your direct reports, or the teams you support? What about that new scheduling template you used to extract milestones from your team? Or the virtual offsite agenda you tried out that really got people to open up and participate? Or a more productive way to use an online collaborative tool for retrospectives? Our new remote work situation is as good a time as any to offer up a new best practice to your colleagues with the goal of enabling others to be more productive. And let’s face it, it feels good too!

Pmo

1 min read

Sharing best practices
Sharing best practices
Pmo

1 min read


Mar 9, 2021

Time for a break?

I was taking a walk with a former colleague recently–and yes, we were socially distanced and doubly masked up! We were having that conversation that I’ve started having with friends where you ask each other where you’ll travel to first when the pandemic lets up and it’s safe to travel…

Staycation

2 min read

Time for a break?
Time for a break?
Staycation

2 min read


Feb 23, 2021

Thinking big

I often hear program managers say they want to be more strategic but at the same time they tell me how busy they are just keeping their head (and those of their direct reports) above water, getting the many things done on their continually increasing task list. I get it–your…

Pmo

1 min read

Thinking big
Thinking big
Pmo

1 min read


Feb 3, 2021

Who’s got your back?

Everyone wants to know they’re supported. That goes for program managers too! For them, that person is usually the executive sponsor. Ideally a program will have one single executive sponsor, one “throat to choke” as the saying goes. I have run programs with co-sponsors, and if they communicate well and…

Pmo

1 min read

Make sure an exec sponsor is on board
Make sure an exec sponsor is on board
Pmo

1 min read


Jan 20, 2021

Fewer, better programs

Effective program management requires that you have your finger on the pulse of everything that’s going on related to the program and are available to the program team as needed. The number of programs a program manager can handle simultaneously varies but they know when their plate is full, so to speak. When you get to that point — when the number of requests for support is greater than what you can handle, rather than take on more programs with less than optimal support for each, I’d rather see ruthless prioritization so you can do your best work on the most important programs. Otherwise you run the risk of leaving your team members feeling unsatisfied and with an inaccurate view of the real value of program management.

Pmo

1 min read

Fewer, better programs
Fewer, better programs
Pmo

1 min read


Dec 29, 2020

Program management is sexy

While running the PMO at Zendesk, one of my program managers was trying to decide whether to stay in the PMO or move to another department — into a role that was also a good fit for her qualifications and experience in a domain that she loved. The department head…

Pmo

1 min read

Program management is sexy
Program management is sexy
Pmo

1 min read


Dec 16, 2020

Less is more

While running the PMO at Zendesk, one of my most naturally instinctive program managers came to me one day in frustration, worried that there were too many people in her program meeting. It had started out well enough, but after a few weeks, given the importance and visibility of the…

Program Manager

1 min read

Less is more
Less is more
Program Manager

1 min read


Dec 1, 2020

Like milk and cookies

An effective partnership between program management and operations is a key part of ensuring a company runs well. A good example of such a partnership is planning — long-range, annual, or quarterly. Whether doing planning at the corporate or the organizational level, operations and program management usually partner closely on…

Pmo

1 min read

Like milk and cookies
Like milk and cookies
Pmo

1 min read


Nov 17, 2020

Program management—not a job for heroes

Program managers are all about getting others to do things. They know who the domain experts are and they harness all of that wonderful expertise to get a program across the line. They facilitate rather than do the work themselves. They are objective, focused on the program and how it…

Pmo

2 min read

Program management—not a job for heroes
Program management—not a job for heroes
Pmo

2 min read

Paula Dieli

Paula Dieli

91 Followers

Obsessively passionate about helping software companies run well.

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