Are you a project manager who needs to pitch the concept of remote project management to your PMO director? Or are you a PMO director of CIO or corporate exec building your project management model and you need to pitch the virtual project management team model to your CEO or the rest of your leadership team?  I’m sure there are many resources out there that tell you why remote project management is a good idea or why virtual project teams work.  Hint…if you read the phrase carbon footprint in the article anywhere run away…it’s likely outdated.  I’m not saying you want save resources and a few trees and percentages of the ozone layer by going remote, but the term carbon footprint has almost a “disco” ring to it….so avoid that as part of the argument.
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Here are a few arguments that can be made for remote project management from my perspective as I’ve been doing it successfully for most of the past 12 years or so…

I will be the first to say that remote work works for me. It works great, and I've been doing it productively, effectively and successfully for years.

But I realize that is not necessarily for everyone, it may not work on all types of projects, and it may not work in all companies, countries and industries. But it works for me in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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To make a broad statement like “I can work from anywhere” is simply not true. It's like Green Eggs and Ham. Would you really work a project in a boat, with a goat, in the rain, in the dark, on a train, in a car, in a tree, in a box, with a fox, in a house, and with a mouse? Probably just “in a house.” But not with a mouse. Although I have performed project work in several of those other places listed above. But not knowingly with a mouse... So many of the others are fallacies, but they make a great story...

Project meetings – necessary evils in the world of project management. But meetings are meetings, right?  No.  All attendees come to meetings because you invited them so they have to, right?  No.  If you say it’s important, everyone needs to take note and be there, right?  No.  You’re the project manager so what you say goes, right?  No.  People view meetings as a nice break from the daily routine and a chance to stay up to date on project information, right?  No.
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These are five, among probably many more, myths about project meetings that I’ve seen through the years.  Meetings have to happen, yes, but getting people in the seats is not a given…and for many it isn’t even likely.  Let’s examine these further…

If you aren't PMP certified then I can almost guarantee you that you are not earning enough as a PM. How can I do that? Because I know that on average certified project management professionals (PMPs) earn up to $20,000 more annually. That's a lot of money - that's $400,000 over a 20 year period - enough to purchase a big house with a lot of land in most states!

Is it time you were certified? I'm thinking the answer is yes. Get PMP exam trained ready AND certified all in the same 5 day work week with Cheetah Learning - and you also have a 100% pass guarantee with Cheetah. 

Use code BRADPMP for 5% off your training or 10% off for either team signups of 3 or more OR if you agree to send a short write-up of your exam prep training with Cheetah. It's an amazing adventure and you can start now - and be a better leader in just 5 days - no more training needed at all - and you'll pass... it's guaranteed. Trust me, their training process is life changing. Good luck!

As my wife continues to force the country genre on this classic rock guy, I actually find some connections with many of the songs and how they relate to life in general and, in some cases, to project management.
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Other than the fact that the term “blue jeans” is usually proceeded by the word “them,” as in “she looks good in them blue jeans,” and of course all of those blue jeans seem to be painted on, or that they seem to have lots of time for conversations with strangers in bars and little regard for continued employment, as in “I may get fired but that’s alright, I’m doing what she likes…,” I can usually relate to many other concepts and principles presented in the songs.

One Tim McGraw song really hit home for me – “Portland, Maine”. First, because I was first made aware of Portland, ME about 15 years ago, and my first thought was that the state was a typo. Then I’m thinking, “Where the heck is that?” I had to go away and research and found out that there actually was a place called Portland, Maine...

Customer happiness is Job 1.1 for the project manager.  I would say it’s Job 1.0, but I’ve always said that Job One is effective and efficient communication and I don’t feel it’s a good idea for me to flip flop.  I am not a politician.  So, if customer happiness is Job 1.1, then CEO happiness has to be right up there…like Job 1.2 or Job 1.3.  What I’m trying to say is Happy Wife, Happy Life…and Happy CEO, Happy Career/Salary/Corporate Ladder/Corner Office.

​So, if you want your CEO to be happy, there are four ways – according to me – to get there that we, as project leaders, can make that happen.  No guarantees, of course, but these four tips should help your cause...

Approximately every month or at least every quarter, I like to feature the best or new or "one's no one knows about but should" Project Management tools and services.  That can be task management, PMP training and certification, risk management, PMO leadership services and about anything and everything in between. These inform the public and bring extra traffic to the sites offering these software tools and services (articles usually get several hundred daily views, daily social media promotion from me and my followers and thousands of monthly views). I was recently named the "#1 Provider of PM Related Content in the World" having produced more than 6,000 PM related articles, eBooks, white papers and videos. I can help your software or service get the traffic it needs and this is the right place to start. Exposure!

If you offer one of these PM related tools or services and feel that more people should be trying it or know about it, let me know.  Contact me.  And if you use one that you think is great or has great people and service standing behind it, then put me in touch with them.  There are many, and if we don't get the word out, the right people might not find them. Here are some examples of past ones I've done...

• 5 Project Management Tools and Services to Check Out in June 2018
• 6 SEO Tools Social Media Marketers Must Try
• Four Top Project Management Tools and Services to Check Out in May 2018
• 14 Project Management Tools You May Not Know About
• 12 Project Management Related Tools to Consider for 2016
• Project Management Related Tools And Services To Consider For 2016 And Beyond
• 5 Cybersecurity Tools and Services to Consider for 2016 and Beyond

(NOTE: most of the features I do going forward will feature 4-6 providers, include a product description of appropriate length, several screenshots and embedded do-follow links and will run permanently on my site in the blog section with a link in the software review/overview section.) 

Let's get the word out about you!

Cheetah Accelerated PMP Exam Prep – Online

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NOTE: Use code BRADPMP for 5% off PMP training - 10% if you agree to send me short write up about your experience or if you are registering a team of PMs

1. The purpose of this program is to help you become PMP certified – you take the PMP exam immediately after you complete the four week program.

2. You must first successfully complete the Cheetah Exam Prep® for the PMP® Pre-Course in two weeks that includes registering to take PMI’s PMP exam with PMI and scheduling your exam with Prometric test center. As an added bonus, successful completion of the pre-course satisfies PMI’s required 35 hours of education.

3. Once PMI accepts your eligibility application, you are to schedule your exam in 4-weeks and then fax a copy of your acceptance letter and your confirmation with the date you have scheduled the exam to your Cheetah Exam Prep® for the PMP® Pre-Course Coach.

4. You must schedule your exam BEFORE you start the 4 week prep program as this keeps you focused and on track.

5. The Cheetah Exam Prep® for the PMP® Online (4-week) Course was designed to enable you to use the same techniques we use in class, on your own, over a four week period.

6. This is a course to help you become PMP certified and it is designed to push you to complete the work and take the exam.

7. You are given all the tools to prepare for the exam, including access to our world class PMP exam prep coaches during this program.

8. In the pre-course you set your schedule to set aside the 12 to 14 hours of study time per week so you can successfully pass the exam after the PMP Exam Prep 4-weeks of comprehensive preparation.