Managing by the Numbers: How Project Managers are Using ROI to Leadwith Bill Brantley

Mandatory training that people don’t hate? See how to take a failing, mandatory program and turn it into something leaders value. Turn resistance into engagement, while gaining ideas you can apply to your own mandatory training, change initiatives, and long-running programs. Using ROI to Redesign a Federal Supervisor Training Program For 17 years, Dr. Bill Brantley worked across multiple U.S. federal agencies, including OPM, Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In one of his most challenging assignments, he was asked to rescue a failing mandatory supervisor training program. He chose to manage it “by the . . . continue reading

Risk Project Management: The Value of Project Production Analyticswith Ivan Damnjanovic

Project risk management is evolving fast, but many organizations are still stuck in outdated practices. Discover what is working, what is failing, and how data-driven models and production thinking can transform the way projects handle uncertainty and performance. When we talk about project risk management today, we usually mention risk registers, contingencies, and maybe a Monte Carlo simulation or two. Ivan Damnjanovic argues that this isn’t enough. To manage risk effectively on modern projects, we need to understand how work is actually produced—and use production analytics, not just administrative metrics, to guide decisions. The Limits of Today’s Risk Practices Most . . . continue reading

2026 D.C. Regional Project Management Day of Service

The 2026 D.C. Regional Project Management Day of Service (PMDOS®) proved once again that when skilled professionals come together with a shared purpose, meaningful change can happen—fast. On February 21st, 72 project management volunteers partnered with 29 nonprofit representatives to support 18 mission-driven projects. This is included five University of Maryland graduate students and two subject matter experts. In just one day, these teams built actionable plans designed to accelerate critical initiatives and expand each organization’s ability to serve its community. This year’s event showcased the power of collaboration, expertise, and service. By pairing experienced project managers with nonprofits facing . . . continue reading

How Curiosity Can Drive Success in High-Intensity Projects : The Well-being Experimentwith Linda Ozokwelu

Moving projects forward without burning yourself out isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for performance, decision quality, innovation, and ultimately the profitability organizations care about. When project managers ignore their own wellbeing, they quietly put both themselves and their project outcomes at risk. From Burnout and Shame to Small Experiments Linda Ozokwelu knows firsthand how quickly execution can drain your energy. Early in her career, she led a team of 70 employees in a specialty pharmacy, focused on operations and customer service. Even before her feet hit the floor each morning, her mind was racing with dread, stress, and a . . . continue reading

Advance Your Career with UMD’s Online Courses

Advance Your Career with UMD’s Project Management Courses Are you looking to expand your project management skills or catch up on PDUs to maintain your PMP certification?  The University of Maryland’s Project Management Center for Excellence offers a wide range of online, self-paced courses designed to help you stay current and keep growing in your career. With more than 50 courses and 17 professional certifications, our programs are built by industry experts and UMD faculty to address real-world challenges in today’s workplaces.  Some of our most popular certifications include: Agile Project Management  – Navigate complex projects with adaptive frameworks. Construction Management  – . . . continue reading

Have We Reached “Peak” Agile?with Mark Lines

Agile hasn’t failed—but many organizations are frustrated with how they’re using it and are wondering what comes next. Explore why some teams feel they’ve reached “peak agile,” what’s driving the backlash, and how more flexible, disciplined approaches can bring back joy and effectiveness in project work. Why Some Organizations Are Pushing Back on Agile Many companies are quietly rebelling against agile. Some have let go of agile coaches, reverted to old ways of working, and see little return on the large investments made in training and frameworks over the past 20 years. Attendance at major agile conferences has dropped, partly . . . continue reading

Mentoring the Next Generation of PMswith Tessa Trach

Mentoring is one of the most powerful ways project managers can shape the next generation—and it doesn’t require a certain age, title, or number of years in the field. What Mentorship Really Is (and Isn’t) For this conversation, a mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor or guide. A mentor typically has more experience in some area—career, skills, or life—but they don’t have to be older or more senior in every way. You can mentor a peer, be mentored by someone younger, and often play both roles at once. Mentorship can be formal or informal; you rarely “propose” with a . . . continue reading

Re-Imagining Project Management with Joseph D'Mello

Re-imagining project management means confronting our history, choosing our destiny, and deciding whether we will shape the future of the discipline—or let technology and others shape it for us. Three Quotes to Frame Project Management’s Destiny We start by looking at project management from both the inside (years in industry) and the outside (consulting and teaching). This helps us see patterns without being locked into one viewpoint. The conversation is framed around three quotes: “If you ignore history, you’re condemned to repeat it,” “Don’t let your history interfere with your destiny,”  “If you don’t control your destiny, someone else will.” . . . continue reading

Mastering the Art of Persuasion in Project Managementwith Kevin Coleman

Project managers live in the middle of competing priorities, shifting requirements, and strong personalities. In that environment, how you communicate can matter as much as your schedule or risk log. In this article, we’ll explore how persuasion differs from manipulation and influence, and how you can apply practical persuasion principles in your projects. Video presentation link is included at the end of this article. Persuasion, Manipulation, and Influence At first glance, persuasion, manipulation, and influence can look similar—they all involve one person affecting another’s thinking or behavior. The real difference lies in intent and honesty.   What Is Persuasion? Persuasion . . . continue reading

Effective Strategies for Communicating Bad Newswith Leah Onuoha

In the complex world of project management, delivering bad news is an inevitable task. Whether it’s informing stakeholders about a budget shortfall or letting a team member know they are being reassigned, bad news requires not only clarity and empathy but also a strategic approach to minimize impact and maintain trust. Video presentation link is included at the end of this article. Communicating Bad News: A Core Project Skill Bad news is unavoidable in project work. Team members get promoted off your project, budgets fall short of new requirements, customers are disappointed, and sometimes people even lose their jobs or . . . continue reading