5 Questions about Project Management
with Gareth Watson
Coffee Talk
Before we leave the office for the weekend, we stop for a quick coffee talk with our project management colleagues to chat about their best practices. Well, not literally, but that's how we designed our interview series "5 questions about project management". To be fast, intense and refreshing like a good cup of coffee.
Today, we’ll talk to Gareth Watson. He is the founder of Lgo Knowledge Ltd., a project management consulting company supporting clients in using project management methods like PRINCE2 and others. Gareth Watson also teaches Merlin Project to individuals and corporations.
1. What is your favorite project management method?
Depending on the size and kind of the project. I prefer Kanban methods, particularly SCRUM. However some of the projects we look after have lots and lots of governance and tracking so we use PRINCE2 at high-level and teams use Kanban in the phases.
2. Do you use project management software for bigger projects? If so, which one?
Yes, Microsoft Project.... Only joking there is only one tool we use: Merlin Project. I have tried to use some online tools but they are a pain for me as I am constantly on the move, and want the data with me with no lag!
3. What is your favorite routine in a project?
Checking my issues/risks. I keep an extra set of items that I need to keep an eye on, these could be work areas that could cause a delay or need some extra attention, rather than wait for them to hit me I watch closely until we're back on track.
4. What is the most underestimated factor for project success?
Attention to detail and consideration consequences. People close to where the real work happens have huge insight into what's going, trying to get this knowledge is key. Getting them to keep an eye on detail and to always thing "If I do this, what would happen, and what will that cause to happen" is key!
5. What is your biggest time waster?
People creating mountains out of mole hills! Some things could seem so important to one team they go crazy and start emails, calling, chasing. This can take up loads of time, answering many emails, from different people on the thing when they get a little campaign going!
