Best Laid Plans...

  Thank you for joining me on my writing journey. Each month I'll be sharing my thoughts, tips and stories on all things project management. Perfect for senior leaders who want people at the heart of their projects. In this edition, I'll be talking about the role of a corporate consultant and how it can impact your project. When people ask me what I do, the simplest answer is: I enable. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Enable? Isn’t that something we say about bad habits, like when Aunty June keeps giving her cat ‘just one more’ treat?” Nope. Not that kind of enabling. I’m talking about the kind that takes place in the trenches of day-to-day work, helping people and organisations succeed, grow, and occasionally keep their sanity intact. I enable: Team members to be stars in their function (without burning out in the process). Organisations to unlock new capabilities (the cool kind, not just another endless spreadsheet). Teams to achieve lasting change (instead of the “new...

Ghost projects are real — and they will haunt you. A colleague told me recently he was still being pulled into meetings for a project that had officially wrapped two years ago . It started small — an innocent “quick question” about a system change. Then another request, this time about a process document no one could find. Before long, he was fielding budget queries, approving changes, and sitting in weekly calls for something that, on paper, was long since delivered. The project was done. But it had never really ended . And that’s the problem. Most organisations put huge energy into launching projects well and pushing through delivery milestones. But the close-out? Too often it’s an afterthought. The work just… fades. No clear finish. No celebration. No proper handover. No “we’re done here.” This is how you end up with the dreaded never-ending post-project support phase — the zombie project that quietly drains time, resources, and goodwill. Here’s the thing: how you finish matters ...

Dolphins Catching Sharks (…and Other Corporate Mysteries) Let’s be honest: most technical teams treat risk the way cats treat bathwater—with a very healthy suspicion and a slow, careful retreat. And who can blame them? In a world of code rollbacks and production meltdowns, a bit of risk‑aversion feels downright sensible. But here’s the problem: that same caution tends to spill over into our conversations. We avoid difficult chats like they’re radioactive. We hesitate before tackling a sticky subject, especially if it might feel confrontational. And yes, we all know that gut‑churning dread before saying, “Hey… can we talk?” The trouble is, dodging those conversations doesn’t make the issues go away. It just hands them a comfy chair, a coffee, and lets them grow into bigger problems later. Here’s the good news: with a bit of preparation, those conversations don’t have to be terrifying. You can plan your approach, arm yourself with clarity and confidence, and take a lot of the stress ou...