I admit it.  I’m a black-hat thinker.  I think I always have been but many years ago, my first partner gave me a copy of Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats”.  The book is tiny but the impact was profound.  De Bono was interested in how people think and in how people could train themselves to think more creatively; more laterally.  There’s no one hat that’s perfect of the six, each has its own attraction…

In Canada, operating a private motorboat requires having a Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card.  Now, after you get over chuckling about which bureaucrat made up the term, the basic principle is quite sound.  If you are running a boat with a motor, you need to get this competency card.  I’m proud to say I’m the holder of such a card to use my Chaparral motorboat during the summer. Getting my operator’s card required passing an exam…

I came to call it the “Triangle Audit” and my experience with the process dates back almost two decades to when our firm HMS started doing Research and Development Tax Claims. Project Managers are often faced with this process and not just for R&D claims but also for Defense Contract Audit Agency or other government compliance reasons.  Let’s take a look at what the Triangle Audit looks like from the project manager’s perspective and how…

It’s a brand new year! The Christmas tree is down and the ornaments packed away. The relatives have left and the New Year’s champagne is gone to the last drop. Now, you can return to work rested and ready to jump into the new year and get those projects back underway! Not so fast. For most project managers, there is a big checklist of start-of-year activities which are impossible to avoid. These challenges can be…

For everyone who has followed the EPMGuidance.com blog this year I wish you the very best of the holiday season.  I hope you and your families are happy and safe this season and I look forward to our discussions in 2017. Chris Vandersluis Author: EPMGuidance.com