Monitoring And Controlling Projects

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿'𝘀 11-𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗼𝘂𝗿 Operating multiple businesses and investing in others has taught us invaluable lessons on driving operating rigour. Here's a 11-point toolkit for leaders to ensure execution excellence: 1. 𝑫𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑲𝑷𝑰𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅: Automated D-1 report and intra-day metrics for high-velocity businesses published daily and hourly, respectively. 2. 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒍𝒚 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝑰𝑺: Maintain updated monthly trending P&L to track plan vs actual. 3. 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: Weekly 1-hour sessions to align on P&L trends for the month and solve gaps vs. plan. 4. 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒚 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔: 2-3 hours review of function-wise progress with <3 slides per team + last month’s P&L. 5. 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔: 15-30 min weekly team stand-ups for critical projects (max 3). 6. 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 1:1𝒔: Weekly (15 min) 1:1s with leaders working on multiple tactical projects with you; monthly (30 min) 1:1s with leaders working on long-term ones. 7. 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒚 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔: Share wins, plans, and challenges transparently while celebrating top performers. 8. 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Use WhatsApp/Slack for project updates to keep teams aligned and energised. 9. 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔: Prioritise responsiveness over brilliance as an attribute in people you work with—it keeps everyone moving. 10. 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝑯𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒂𝒓: Never settle. Use recruiters, insist on detailed business case presentations, and personally vet references. 11. 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔: Keep your <10 priorities handy and impose discipline on yourself—add one priority only if you are willing to drop one. These practices help minimise distractions, maintain quality execution, and ensure teamwork. Hope it helps!

If I wanted to break into Data Analytics in 2024, these are the 4 types of projects and skills I'd include in my portfolio. A lot of people will tell you a magic formula-- "you need exactly 3 Tableau projects, 2 SQL projects, and an Excel project"🤡 I promise you, no one is out there looking to see Excel projects in portfolios LOL! Instead of focusing on checking boxes to complete the perfect formula of the right number of tools and projects, focus on the types of analyses to show the right quality of skills: 1. An EDA (exploratory data analysis) Skills Shown: investigation, problem solving, curiosity, data viz, developing insights and trends, communication 2. A Dashboard Skills Shown: data viz, developing KPIs and metrics, storytelling, answering business questions, pushing to prod 3. A Full Stack Project Skills Shown: Data cleaning & prep, ETL, data modeling, data viz, business recommendations, and storytelling 4. A Funnel Analysis Skills Shown: Data prep and wrangling, translating a business problem into data, project scoping, developing insights, making business recommendations to stakeholders, and storytelling (check out my payment funnel analysis in my course Solve Real-World Data Problems in SQL!) You could accomplish all 4 of these types of analyses in 1 big project. Or you could show them all separately. It doesn't matter how you do it. But whatever you do, stop taking courses and start doing THIS!⚡️ Happy Monday to all my BDEs⚡️💕

I See a Huge Gap in Project Management Today It's not the tools. It's not the certifications. It's not the frameworks. It is leadership. Real, human-centered leadership. We have too many PMs: → Who can build the perfect plan, but freezes when the room gets tense. → Who can report a risk, but cannot navigate stakeholder politics. → Who can run the meeting, but cannot steer the decision. Projects do not fail because the spreadsheet was wrong. They fail because: → No one spoke up. → No one questioned the assumption. → No one led when it counted. The gap is not knowledge... It's confidence. It's emotional intelligence. It's knowing how to guide people when the pressure is high. Project management is not just about execution. It's about people. It's about presence. It's about trust. The next generation of project managers will NOT be measured by how well they track work. They will be measured by how well they move people forward, with clarity, empathy, and purpose. Project management is eighty percent people. And most of the industry still treats it like a process. That is the gap. That is the opportunity. That is where the best PMs rise. We do not just manage tasks. We lead humans through uncertainty. We hold the tension. We protect the momentum. We create clarity where none exists. And the future belongs to those who can do both. Where do you see the most significant gap in project management today?

Running procurement without Contract Management is like driving blindfolded. You might get somewhere, but the crash is inevitable. Contract Excellence | 11 NOV 2025 - Contract management is the process of overseeing contracts throughout their entire life cycle, from drafting, negotiation, execution, compliance monitoring to renewal, termination or closure. Procurement secured a great price...Fantastic! But without robust contract management, that "win" is fragile. Here's why: 7 Reasons Why Contract Management is Non-Negotiable for Procurement. #1. Value Protection ↳Ensures negotiated terms are delivered. ↳Prevents price creep and scope drift. #2. Risk Mitigation ↳Manages regulatory/internal compliance. ↳Ensures obligations e.g insurance are met. #3. Visibility & Control ↳Stops maverick spending dead in its tracks. ↳Provides a single source of truth for contract administration. #4. Efficiency Gains: ↳Automates renewals, approvals, and alerts. ↳Frees procurement from firefighting to focus on strategic sourcing. #5. Supplier Relationship Health ↳Enables proactive performance reviews. ↳Promotes collaborative issue resolution based on agreed terms. #6. Data-Driven Decisions ↳Provides performance and compliance data. ↳Enhance smarter sourcing strategies, supplier development, and future negotiations. #7. Unlocks Innovation ↳Facilitates clear terms and good governance. ↳Creates stable foundation for suppliers to propose innovative solutions Contract Management is a crucial bridge between negotiation & value realization. Without active contract management, even the best deals unravel: 🚫Savings promised is lost in invalidated invoices. 🚫Performance guarantees is forgotten 🚫Compliance requirements is Ignored 🚫 Renewal deadlines are missed True procurement success is measured after the ink dries. Don't let your hard-won deals vanish into a black hole. Integrate contract management deeply into your procurement lifecycle. Only way to capture and sustain the value you fought for. Neglecting Contract Management turns procurement into a transactional function! Embracing it elevates procurement to a strategic value protector and business partner. ♻️ Repost to help someone in your network. ➕️ Follow Frederick for more procurement insights. #Procurement #ContractManagement #RiskManagement #ValueCreation

Because what procurement does remains a mystery... The document shows a day in the life of a procurement manager: 🕰️ 8:00 AM – Morning Market Scan ↳ Checks dashboards for commodity prices, freight indices, and overnight exchange‑rate moves ↳ Why: a five‑cent jump in copper or a fuel‑surcharge spike can blow up today’s POs (purchase orders); knowing early helps you act fast 🕰️ 9:00 AM – Supplier Stand‑Up ↳ Fifteen‑minute video sync with top suppliers to confirm today’s shipments, capacity changes, and quality alerts ↳ Why: daily visibility limits surprises and allows for peace of mind, knowing parts will actually land 🕰️ 10:30 AM – Cross‑Functional Huddle ↳ Quick sit‑down with demand & supply planners to review forecast shifts, new promos, or engineering changes ↳ Why: aligning demand signals with purchase volumes prevents last‑minute expedites and angry finance emails 🕰️ 11:30 AM – Strategic Sourcing & RFQ Prep ↳ Benchmark alternate suppliers, draft RFQs, and model total‑landed‑cost scenarios ↳ Why: a live pipeline of options boosts negotiation leverage and hedges against single‑source risk 🕰️ 1:30 PM – Contract Negotiation ↳ Hammers out lead‑time guarantees and price‑escalation clauses with a key supplier ↳ Why: better terms today equal smoother S&OP cycles and healthier margins tomorrow 🕰️ 3:00 PM – Firefighting Window ↳ A port delay or force‑majeure notice drops; reroutes orders to backup suppliers, update logistics, and alert production ↳ Why: rapid pivots keep factory lines running and on time in full (OTIF) targets intact 🕰️ 4:30 PM – Data Clean‑Up & Scorecards ↳ Updates lead times, MOQ (minimum order quantity) changes, and supplier OTIF metrics in the ERP; review scorecards for under‑performers ↳ Why: clean master data is the foundation of accurate inventory planning 🕰️ 5:30 PM – Continuous‑Improvement Debrief ↳ Quick Kaizen recap with the team, including cost-saving ideas, process tweaks, lessons learned ↳ Why: small daily wins compound into big annual savings and stronger supplier partnerships Any others to add?

Why is the role of a Project Manager so often misunderstood? Too often, it’s seen as just managing budgets, schedules, and contracts. While technical execution is critical, it’s only part of the job. The real challenge, and where projects often succeed or fail, is in managing people, expectations, and relationships. As PMs, we’re aligning teams, navigating conflict, and communicating across stakeholders with competing priorities. That’s where the real leadership happens. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this: Every mistake anyone on my team has made is interesting, because it’s my fault. I hired them. I set the expectations. I built the structure. That shift in mindset changed the way I lead, for the better. It’s easy to look good when everything is running smoothly. But show me how you lead when things go sideways, that’s what defines you. Most people are peacetime generals. I’m looking for wartime generals. That’s why I’ve leaned into what I call the PR Principles—Project Relationship Principles—inspired by Dale Carnegie’s timeless ideas and sharpened by field experience: 1. Make people feel seen, heard, and valued 2. Lead with clarity and consistency 3. Stay solution-focused under pressure 4. Recognize contributions at every level 5. Build the team, not just the timeline Strong teams and healthy project cultures aren’t accidental, they’re the result of intentional leadership. When you combine technical execution with emotional intelligence, you don’t just deliver projects. You build momentum, loyalty, and trust that lasts beyond the job.

Estimating time and effort for data projects doesn't have to be a shot in the dark. Here’s how you can nail it: 1. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗜𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻: Start by breaking your project into smaller tasks. The more detailed your breakdown, the easier it is to estimate accurately.     2. 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮: Look back at similar projects. How long did those take? Use past experiences as a benchmark to forecast future timelines.     3. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺: Involve your team when planning. They bring different perspectives and expertise that can highlight tasks you might miss and provide realistic time estimates.     4. 𝗕𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Always add a buffer. Unexpected issues will arise as they always do! Factor in extra time for these unforeseen challenges. A buffer of 10-20% is a good assumption to be on the save side without bloating the project artificialy.     5. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁: Estimates are not set in stone. Regularly review progress and adjust your timelines as needed. Don't forget to cummunicate any changes to your stakeholders.     6. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: Leverage project management tools to track progress and stay on top of deadlines. You could use tools like Jira, Trello, or Asana. 𝗜𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 Imagine you’re tasked with developing a dashboard for sales performance. Start by breaking down tasks into requirements engineering, data extraction, cleaning, analysis, visualization, and stakeholder feedback. Leverage historical data from similar projects, involve your team in discussions, and use estimation techniques to refine your timeline. Don’t forget to add contingencies for data anomalies or last-minute changes. By following these steps you’ll be setting realistic timelines and hitting your targets with confidence. What techniques do you use to estimate time and effort for your data projects? ---------------- ♻️ Share if you find this post useful ➕ Follow for more daily insights on how to grow your career in the data field #dataanalytics #datascience #projectmanagement #timemanagement #careergrowth

Most leadership visibility happens at the start. Planning. Strategy. Kick-off. Then it fades during execution. And that’s where problems begin. Because execution is where reality tests decisions. Assumptions get challenged. Constraints appear. Trade-offs become necessary. Without leadership present in that phase, teams default to: – Playing safe – Over-correcting – Or delaying decisions None of which improve outcomes. Strong leadership during delivery doesn’t mean controlling everything. It means being available where decisions matter. Providing clarity when direction is tested. Making trade-offs visible. Protecting focus when pressure builds. Execution is not a linear process. It’s adaptive. And adaptive environments need active leadership. Not distant oversight.

Is everyone on the same page? Beware misalignment that could be derailing your data, analytics or AI projects. One of the first causes of misalignment happens in the project ideation phase. It's not uncommon for projects to begin with enthusiasm but suffer from vague goals, that not everyone understands or agrees on. It's easy for people to just decide they need an analytics platform like #PowerBI without any thought as to how they will use it. Then there's the matter of stakeholders. Too often, crucial players who need to be involved from the start are overlooked or identified too late in the process. This oversight leads to missed requirements and unexpected resistance later on, which can drop a bomb into an otherwise healthy project. Another misstep I think is the lack of alignment process. Without effective early alignment meetings that clearly outline the project’s drivers, impact, scope, benefits and timeline, stakeholders might not fully commit to the direction or outcomes of the project. It's easy to fall into the trap of "we need this Copilot" with no consideration of why it's important and what value it has. Finally, handling objections is a common stumbling block. Misalignment caused by the above issues leads to objections that aren't addressed effectively, causing further delays and, in some cases, jeopardizing the project's success. I think we could all do better in data and AI at anticipating and managing business stakeholder objections proactively. Some tips I've learned and observed over the years for effective project alignment in Data and AI projects: 💡 Size doesn't matter. Even small projects like a simple report can be undermined or suffer blowout due to a misalignment issue. Don't underestimate the potential impact of skipping this step. 💡 Identify your stakeholders. This could be as simple as a list of key people or as complex as a comprehensive stakeholder map that includes individuals at all levels of the organization. In Data and AI projects these are often IT, the end users, source system admins, managers and executives driving the initiative to name a few. 💡 Set up alignment workshops early on that focus on detailed discussions about project drivers like the challenges faced by the org and their impact, the scope or objectives and the new capabilities the org will receive. 💡 Use visual tools like diagrams, whiteboards, kanban and timelines to help stakeholders understand and agree on the project attributes. 💡 Proactively identify potential stakeholder objections, put yourself in their shoes and prepare clear, well thought out responses. Common objections to Data and AI projects are around cost, data privacy and security, resistance to using new tools (e.g. Excel vs Power BI), unclear benefits and doubts about data accuracy and quality to name a few. What do you think are the first steps we should take in a Data or AI project and what challenges can we expect? #Data #AI #ProjectManagement

The strongest leaders I've observed all have a strong focus on the details of their goals. This isn't micromanaging: they’re protecting outcomes. Outcomes are the scoreboard; details are the plays. By sampling a few critical execution details: milestones, owners, leading indicators, decision logs, you can tell whether the plan is real, whether risks are being addressed, and whether the forecast is credible. That scrutiny surfaces weak assumptions early, when course corrections are cheap, and it builds a culture where teams come prepared with evidence, not just reporting out the status. Equally important: keep the conversation anchored to outcomes. A crisp “path to green” forces clarity about what must be true by specific dates, not just activity completed. It also prevents comfort work from substituting for impact, focuses trade-offs, and makes mitigation plans falsifiable (“we’ll know it’s working by this signal, by this date”). The combo of outcome focus plus selective details, is how leaders stay out of the weeds while still catching the things that actually change the final result. Below is a compact prompt list for leaders to use in reviews. It keeps the discussion tied to outcomes, execution control, and mitigation strength. 1) Are we on track for Green? What would have to be true for this goal to be a final Green outcome (dates, owners, milestones)? What leading indicators tell us we’re trending the right way (and how are they moving week over week)? 2) Is the team on top of their projects? Are we making the right decisions today based on the information we have? What’s the confidence trend and why? What are we de-scoping or trading off to hit the goal (and what risks does that introduce)? 3) If challenged, will mitigations get us there? Is there a blocker? If so, what’s the unblock plan, owner, and date? When will we see the leading-indicator move if the mitigation is working? What specific signal triggers escalation or a switch to Plan B or C? What questions did I miss?