ITtoolkit.com Articles for General Management Productivity and Skills Building
SELECT ARTICLE CATEGORY: PROJECT MANAGEMENT IT MANAGEMENT GENERAL MANAGEMENT
Projects and IT
plans depend on more
than just project and technical skills. It takes a wide
range of management skills to fill every need. Our
general management articles offer insights
into the global skills most often needed to deliver projects and IT
services .
Also see:
Management Models
Management Basics:
Staff, leadership, time management....
Communication: Meeting management.....
Customer Service: Working with customers,
end-users....
Skills Building: Developing professional
skills....
MANAGEMENT BASICS
Top 5 Management Mistakes (And How to
Avoid Them)
Every manager makes mistakes. Once mistakes happen, there are
only two options - to own up to them and to fix them.
more
Make the Most of
Time Management
Time management involves a balancing of schedules, priorities, and
responsibilities through a series of carefully crafted tips and
techniques. more
Overcoming
Internal Barriers to Workplace Productivity
Technology is a key driver of productivity in the workplace, having
a significant impact on people, processes and results.
more
Strategies for
Team Participation
When you work alone, you will most likely be judged by results.
When you lead a team, you will be judged not only by results, but
also by your management and leadership skills.
more
Moving Beyond
Analysis Paralysis
As a process, analysis should never be given shrift in an effort to
"just get things done".
more
Leveraging Staff
in Remote Locations
As any manager knows, it's hard enough to keep staff motivated,
engaged, and challenged when they work outside your office door, let
alone when they work in different buildings, different cities, or
even different time zones.
more
Teach Your Staff
to Apply the Why
As a manager, it is your job to teach your staff to look beyond the
surface, or in other words, "to apply the why".
more
Fast and Easy
Steps for Cost/Benefit Analysis
Every IT plan, project and proposal should be backed up by one or
more viable "business benefit".
more
Productive
Management Planning Through Scenario Analysis
Scenario planning is a forward-thinking analytical process, whereby
predictable circumstances and related consequences are considered
and analyzed in order to plan for the future.
more
CUSTOMER SERVICE
top
Facing Up to Service Problems: Apology
is Sometimes the Best Policy
While we would all hope that systems never fail, purchase orders are
never lost, and projects are never delayed, sometimes, customer
service becomes a negative experience.
more
5 Keys to IT Customer Service Success
The customer must be served! That goes without saying, but in
the context of internal IT support services, just who is the
customer and how are they best served?
more
IT Service Techniques: How to Say No
IT customer service is all about helping people and solving
problems, and that implies an acceptance of any and all requests.
more
COMMUNICATION
top
Plan Productive Meetings with the Heads-Up
Meeting Agenda
Whatever the perspective of the attendees, as a meeting leader, your
obligation is the same.... to make your meeting as interesting and
useful as possible.
more
How to Perform the Post Meeting Performance
Assessment
Of all the steps taken to plan, prepare and hold a business meeting,
the most strategic work may very well take place after the physical
meeting has ended.
more
Leading the
Effective Conference Call
While conference calls will never fully replace the "face-to-face"
meeting, they are a necessary tool for communication in a fast paced
project environment.
more
How to Offer
Constructive Criticism
Every manager is called upon to review and evaluate staff
performance, offering constructive criticism.
more
SKILLS BUILDING
top
Soft Skills Series: What are Soft
Skills?
Soft skills are the tools of influence and implementation.
Without the necessary soft skills, IT and project management
professionals may miss important opportunities for internal
influence and operational success.
more
Soft Skills
Series: The Skills Assessment
In the second installment in our article series on professional
"soft skills" we examine the soft skills assessment process.
more
Soft Skills
Series: The Action Plan
In this third and final installment in our article series on
professional "soft skills" we lay out the steps for preparing a
customized Soft Skills Action Plan.
more
Are You Ready
for a Risky Project?
You have just been asked to take over an important project. Is
this cause for celebration or panic?
more
Taking an Active Role
in Your Own Performance Review
At first glance, it may seem that employee performance appraisals
are a one way street .... the manager talks and you listen.
more
Crafting
Technical Resumes with a Business Point of View
Look at the resume of any IT professional, and you will probably see
a "Technical Skills List", presenting technical skills and
certifications in specific detail.
more
Take Special Care of
Your Project Management Skill Set
These are changing times for the IT profession. There has been a
tangible shift in the professional skills landscape over recent
months and years, largely due to outsourcing, evolving technology
trends, and other economic factors.
more
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