Project wastes are elements within a project that, instead of delivering value, create more problems than benefits. These wastes not only drain productivity but also lead to delays and defects in delivery, as well as negatively impacting team morale and customer satisfaction. 

The very first step toward Lean Project Management is recognizing and eliminating these wastes. However, in project environments, waste often hides in plain sight, camouflaged as "necessary work." Let's explore how to identify these hidden wastes.

Over-Delivery happens when teams deliver too much or too soon beyond what the customer needs. For example, a team spends weeks creating detailed 50-page reports when a one-page executive summary would have been enough. In another case, a development team completed an entire feature set months before the client's business process was ready to use it, forcing costly rework later. Building "nice-to-have" system features that no one requested or will ever use. These situations often exhaust teams and create extra handoffs that add complexity rather than value. 

Over-processing occurs when work is done at a higher level of precision or complexity than necessary. For example, creating a polished presentation for a readout may not improve the substance of the discussion if a well-formatted working document can do the job. Excessive approval chains through five different managers only slow things down when a simple decision can be made.  

Mistakes occur when quality control is insufficient, leading to poor output that must be fixed after delivery. In one project with a missed configuration check that caused backup jobs for a critical client system to fail, the remediation consumed two weeks and delayed the rest of the rollout. Errors like these don't just cost time—they damage trust with the customer.

Waiting means Idle time is another of the most corrosive wastes. When expectations are unclear, dependencies remain unresolved, or required inputs arrive late. An untracked approval queue caused by a firewall rule change caused an entire cloud migration team to sit idle for three days! No amount of hard work from the project team could recover that lost time.

Void Motion refers to movement without progress—team members are busy, yet their work does not generate value. This could be people hunting for information they need but cannot locate, or performing actions disconnected from customer outcomes. In one case, an engineer manually compiled weekly status reports from five different tools—a task that could have been automated in under an hour.

Transportation (Unnecessary Handoffs) waste occurs when work or information moves between people, teams, or systems without adding value. This might involve passing a document through three managers before it reaches the decision-maker, or repeatedly transferring data between incompatible tools. In one enterprise rollout, a change request had to pass between four different departments—none of whom altered it—before it was finally actioned. Every extra handoff is an opportunity for delay, miscommunication, or loss of context.

Inventory waste covers unused or disorganized materials, code, and documentation. If you see outdated templates, forgotten spreadsheets, and half-finished project plans and technical guides, these are inventory waste. These wastes not only create confusion but also require ongoing storage, maintenance, and security oversight—costs with no return. In software projects, unmerged code branches that linger for months are another costly form of inventory waste.

When these wastes accumulate, the impact is measurable: over-delivery burns out teams, over-processing creates activity without outcomes, mistakes erode trust, waiting fosters bottlenecks, void motion drains morale, transportation delays decision-making, and excess inventory clutters workflows.

Lean Project Management addresses this head-on by making waste visible and deliberately removing it. The goal is not simply to "work less," but to ensure that every action serves a clear purpose, directly advancing project goals and customer outcomes. In my experience, when teams learn to see and eliminate waste, they recover capacity, accelerate delivery, and dramatically improve the quality of what they produce. The change is not just operational—it transforms the way teams think about value itself.

Recently, everyone in my department has been very busy writing plans, justifying requirements, coordinating efforts, and conducting demonstrations. The planning meetings quickly fill up our calendars. However, the actual product delivery and user adoption are not looking optimistic. This situation reminds me of a fundamental concept in project management: Lean.

In Lean project management, it is essential to identify and eliminate waste within a project. The focus is on delivering the right results more efficiently by adding tangible value and cutting out what doesn’t contribute positively.

Lean approaches the problem by streamlining planning, simplifying communication, and validating ideas early on. It also embodies a mindset of continuous improvement (Kaizen)—delivering, learning, and adjusting quickly to keep projects lean, focused, and effective. If not, busy work will eventually lead to failure. 

The main problem is “Do people acknowledge the waste? How can we recognize the waste?” We will discuss next. ​

​Analyst Academy provides clear guidance on creating presentations in a practical and typical file format. The five designs can cover 99% of our presentation .Their website also offers informative videos worth watching.

​John Maxwell is a well-known leadership author and speaker. Today, we'll talk about his new book, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message (2023), and learn from him how to become a great communicator. We cannot overstate how important communication is for advancing your career, influencing people, and bringing ideas into reality. But how do we communicate effectively?  

First, look at the 16 principles discussed in the book.  

• The law of credibility speaks with authenticity and transparency. Focus on the audience: What do they care about? What do they want to know? How can we help them? How can we make them feel comfortable? It's all about valuing the listeners.  
• The law of observation says, "To know the road ahead, ask those coming back." This principle emphasizes learning from great speakers while adapting communication styles to align with your personality, knowledge, and character.  
• The law of conviction encourages talking about something you genuinely believe in. Passion and conviction make your words more impactful. 
• The law of preparation states that effective communication requires thorough preparation. A well-prepared message resonates more with the audience and leaves a lasting impression.  
• The law of collaboration highlights that great communication is not just about speaking; it's about engaging with others. Work with your audience, involve them, and foster meaningful dialogue.  
• The law of content emphasizes that strong content is the foundation of effective communication. Ensure your message is clear, valuable, and structured to keep the audience engaged. 
• The law of connecting explains that communication is about building relationships. Find common ground with your audience and create a personal connection to make your message more memorable. 
• The law of leveraging suggests using your strengths to communicate effectively. Whether humor, storytelling, or personal experiences, leverage what makes your communication style unique.  
• The law of anticipation advises pauses and pacing changes to emphasize key points. Communication is not just about content but also about timing and delivery.  
• The law of simplicity stresses that keeping a message simple and easy to understand is crucial. Avoid unnecessary complexity and focus on clarity.  
• The law of visual expression reminds us that nonverbal communication, including facial expressions and body language, plays a significant role in how a message is received.  
• The law of storytelling explains that people remember stories more than facts. Use storytelling to illustrate your points and make your message more relatable and impactful.  
  
• The law of the thermostat states that a great communicator sets the tone of the conversation rather than merely responding to it. Be in control of the energy in the room.  
  
• The law of change-up encourages paying attention to the rhythm and variation of your words to create energy and excitement. Monotone speech can make even the best message ineffective.  
  
• The law of adding value stresses that every time you communicate, you aim to provide something valuable to your audience. Whether it's new information, inspiration, or clarity, ensure they leave with more than they came.  
  
• The law of results reminds us that the ultimate test of communication is the outcome it produces. Are people inspired? Are they taking action? A great communicator measures success by the impact of their message.  ​

No one becomes a great communicator overnight. To truly master communication, practice is essential. When you speak, you want people to listen, stay engaged, and feel that your message is relevant and helpful. By refining your communication skills, you can become a trusted advisor and gain the support of others.  

In today's world, communication is more valuable than ever. Even with thousands of hours of practice, there is always room to grow. But the journey is worth every step.

 Portfolio managers can use a project quadrant to evaluate projects. The example project quadrant uses two scores: one measures the functionality complexity, and one measures the technical complexity. Each score has a value ranging from 1-10. The four quadrants are defined as follows:

• Quadrant 1 - Low Technical (<5), Low Functional (<5)  This quadrant typically includes the improvements of an existing product. The dev resource can be outsourced to control the cost. The budget guideline is around 15% of the overall budget. 
• Quadrant 2 - Low Technical(<5), High Functional (>5)  This quadrant contains the project using existing technology to address new business initiatives. The engineering resources can be outsourced to control the cost. However, more investment is needed in product management and business analyst. The budget guideline is around 30% of the overall budget. 
• Quadrant 3 - High Technical (>5), High Functional (>5)  This quadrant contains the project using new technology for new business initiatives. The investment should be allocated across the board. The budget guideline is around 30% of the overall budget. 
• Quadrant 4 - High Technical (>5), Low Functional (<5)  This quadrant contains the project using new technology to support existing functionality. The investment should be on engineering resources such as solution architect or application lead. The budget guideline is around 25% of the overall budget. 

The budget allocation can be changed per business stagey. The evaluation of the project requires development team engagement and sign-off. ​

​An AI agent is an autonomous system that utilizes artificial intelligence to perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with its environment. These agents can learn, adapt, and react to inputs while working towards specific goals. Examples include chatbots, self-driving cars, personal assistants, and recommendation systems, which often improve over time through experience.

Recently, Microsoft announced its AI agent for project management called the Multi-Agent Runtime Service (MARS). This service claimed to contain more than 40 agents that can handle various project management tasks, such as work breakdown, market research, and content summary. In the reference section, we have included a radio link for you to watch the demo [1]. The demo was particularly impressive for several use cases:

• Generating Status Reports: This feature seems useful as it collects all completed tasks and summarizes them automatically. This could be beneficial.
• Consolidating Comments: During the collaboration, numerous comments came from various sources and were from different places. Consolidating these into a summary can provide valuable insights.
• Task Analysis and Focus: Analyzing tasks and summarizing what we should prioritize and focus on next is a good concept.​

The agent concept is promising, as specific tasks can be automated, reducing our reliance on humans for those jobs. However, we must be cautious about which AI agents we choose to adopt for project management for the following reasons:

• Cost: While AI agents can automate some tasks, we must consider the costs involved. For instance, creating meeting minutes from a WebEx recording can be expensive and may not be practical in project management settings. 
• People Development: Project management requires fundamental skills, and relying too heavily on AI can hinder skill development. For example, using an AI agent to generate meeting minutes may undermine a project manager's ability to grasp discussion points quickly. Should a project manager depend on an agent for this instead of honing their skills? Additionally, we see some agents can search for components to assign to bug tickets. If someone is unsure which component to use, they should already have received training rather than being left to navigate a complex landscape. Efficiency in organizations means that looking things up should not become a constant necessity.​

While there is excitement around AI's potential, it's essential to examine the limitations behind that excitement. Currently, AI agents cannot complete tasks as effectively as humans can. Therefore, while AI agents are valuable, careful consideration must be given to which agents we choose to develop and implement.

Because work time takes a significant portion of people's lives, the experience at work significantly impacts people's quality of life and satisfaction. As a leader, the project managers (PM) should enhance everyone's experience by clearly describing their roles, showing respect and trust, and illustrating individuals' impact. Hence, everyone feels challenged and valued rather than bored, unsupported, or ignored. Here are some practical guidelines to follow:

• Understanding people's motivation and skills helps assess whether their talents and experiences are fully utilized, appreciated, and acknowledged. People perform best when they feel motivated, so aligning task assignment with what team members are eager to do is essential.
• Getting feedback enables us to understand people truly. We can gather more accurate information by listening, observing, and asking the right questions. For example, you might ask, "What have you recently learned that you find interesting? Are there any tools or technologies we should consider using? Are you happy with the tasks assigned to you? Are there any tasks you would prefer to take on?" These questions can provide insights for our next steps and demonstrate our care and support for their well-being.
• Addressing attrition because it is a costly issue. We must look for early warning signs and incorporate proactive measures daily to prevent team members, especially valuable ones, from leaving. ​

A cohesive and productive team is a priceless asset. Following these guidelines can create a work environment where everyone feels valued and motivated.

A recent article from Harvard Business Review titled "We Are Still Lonely at Work" reminds us of the loneliness that many people many experience in the workplace and how it can significantly impact job satisfaction and performance.

To help evaluate whether we might be feeling lonely at work, the author suggests asking ourselves the following five questions:

• Do I understand who I am within the organization? This relates to knowing your role, understanding how your contributions matter, and whether people recognize your brand and reputation.
• Do I feel lonely at work? This question addresses whether you feel left out or disconnected from in-person interactions that facilitate sharing information, discussing ideas, and collaborating on work. Having support and a sense of teamwork is essential.
• Do I have enough people who would "have my back"? This involves having strong ties with colleagues who you can rely on to get things done, provide advice and suggestions, or even offer mentorship.
• Do I feel left out by others? Consider whether you get invited to participate in projects or discussions. It’s important to recognize that your unique skills, knowledge, and connections can contribute to the team.
• Am I satisfied with my work relationships? While this question is somewhat vague, it boils down to assessing whether meaningful connections exist and if they bring warmth and care to your daily life.​

If you do feel lonely, it’s important to start building personal brand and fostering new relationships next.

A detail-oriented person is someone who pays close attention to the minor aspects of projects and tasks. They maintain a clear understanding of requirements and ask questions to ensure they grasp everything thoroughly. Such individuals can work with minimal supervision and efficiently manage complex logistics, schedules, and processes. We can evaluate candidates based on the following aspects:

• Resume: Is it well-written?
• Experience: Does the role require analytical thinking and a detailed plan? How do they handle complex processes and projects?
• Behavior: Do they take notes, listen attentively, and seek clarification? Do they provide specific details or examples?

As a project manager, it's important to foster team building. One effective way to do this is by playing icebreaker games during meetings while everyone waits for all participants to join. We've gathered a collection of icebreaker games that we hope will be helpful to you.

If I Were a… This is a simple game where we imagine what we would like to be if we could be anything other than human in this world. You can choose to be a fruit, a cartoon character, an automobile, food, a plant, an animal, a movie star, a piece of jewelry, an appliance, an object like a keyboard, a color, or even a toy. Let your creativity flow! After choosing, share why you would like to be that specific thing.

Ask Questions Asking questions is the simplest way for people to start conversations. The questions should be general enough so everyone has an answer. Here are some typical examples:​

• What’s your favorite activity to do during your free time?
  What are your next travel plans?
• Is there a fun fact about yourself that nobody knows?
• What is the most memorable experience or life story that you would like to share with us?
• What‘s your favorite quotes? 
• what’s your favorite podcast? 

Grouping People We know that we often enjoy connecting with people who are similar to us. To facilitate this, let’s use an icebreaker activity where participants can form groups based on common interests. Here are some ideas: 

• Invite everyone to find a group with others who live in the same ZIP code.
• Provide a list of hobbies for participants to choose from, such as traveling, outdoor activities, and reading. 

These topics are quite relatable, and we're sure people will easily form their groups based on shared interests.

Puzzle This game is suitable for a small group of five or six people. Each person can be given a piece from a magazine picture, and then you can work together to complete the puzzle.

White Elephant Gift Exchange The white elephant gift exchange is a fun game where everyone brings a gift of similar value for swapping. Here's how it works:

• Everyone places their gifts in the center of the circle.
• Participants draw numbers to determine the order in which they will select gifts.
• Players have the option to either choose a gift from the center or take an already unwrapped gift from someone else. 
• Each gift can be taken from its owner up to 2 times. After two exchanges, the  gift can no longer be swapped.

To make the game even more enjoyable, it's helpful if participants know each other's names, especially when they want to take a gift from someone. To facilitate this, consider having a brief introduction round at the beginning. Each person can introduce themselves and share their name. You might also want to write down everyone's names on a board for easy memorization.The goal isn't to challenge participants, but to help everyone remember each other's names while having fun!

Before traveling or taking a leave of absence, please complete these suggested steps to prepare for your time off:

1. Give notice in advance to coworkers and managers.
2. Set up a calendar event to block the leave days. Ensure the event on the personal calendar is set up as an "All day" task and has time to be "Busy." Create an all-day event without blocking the time on the team calendar. 
3. Delegate the current tasks and the hosted meetings to another person when the leave is longer than 2 days. If necessary, create a knowledge transfer document to outline the delegation details, including the jobs, meetings, and delegated contact details. Select a project team member to host your meetings who can send meeting minutes per PMO guidelines. 
4. Delegate approval authority and arrange to cover contact for different function areas. 
5. Create an out-of-office auto-email reply. Be careful to avoid setting server-side rules. Instead, use the company-recommended application to prevent duplicate auto-replies that could flood other people's inboxes. 
6. Set your online application status, e.g., update the status in Slack with the /Status command (/Status Clear) 

With these settings, you can ensure all have been taken care of before your leave. ​

Based on our research, we find the followings are the top mistakes PMOs are making: 

• Can't keep the balance of managing more projects vs. controlling the quality of service. The more projects you'd like to maintain, the more responsible you will have. There should be a good awareness of the bandwidth and capability before taking any new project into PMO. PMO needs to prioritize projects and only approve the projects with proper assessment. Avoid burnout. Maintain the quality first. That's where PMO values live. 
• Lack of flexibility. PMO defines standards. However, PMO has to apply the standard with flexibility according to the deep understanding of the customer needs/WIIFM (what's in it for me), organization culture, and the project-specific situations. Failing to do these can cause standard abuse, thus bringing unnecessary overhead and conflict. We define a standard to help rather than restrict. 
• Measure the wrong thing. The ultimate measure should be values that PMO brings to the business, not how people follow PMO standards.
• Failed to show the business results. The organization does not easily get PMO value. As a result, PMO needs to advocate its value. PMO creates values and has to show them.

To test if you are on the wrong path, think about the value PMO brings to the organization and what happens if organotin lose it. PMO presence relies on unique value, not the standard, relationship, or process. ​

Risk comes from unknown and uncertainty. Therefore, the questions should around those two topics: 

• What do we don't know and what are the major sources of uncertainty in future?
• What are the external risks (e.g. economics impacts, competition, reorganization)? and the internal risks (e.g. team dynamics, lack of knowledge or experiences, logistics, office politics)?

A team leader can establish a routine for seeking advance advice from team members. This could be done through an email or a brief message asking for suggestions on improving teamwork.

The quality of the advice will depend mainly on having a team with diverse backgrounds. After gathering these suggestions, bring the topics to a team discussion to inspire new ideas. As a project manager, engaging everyone to unlock their potential and cultivate a sense of ownership is important. Additionally, it's helpful to break down problems into manageable parts and organize discussions to stay focused on the topics at hand.

A crucial part of this process is keeping notes and ensuring that all feedback is acted upon or addressed. If feedback is taken seriously, team members may be able to participate in future discussions.

Sprint planning meeting creates a plan for Sprint in agile project management with engagement from product owners, scrum masters, and the development team. PMO suggests that the scrum master take ownership of the sprint planning meeting and follow the guidelines to run the Sprint planning. 

Before the Spring Planning Meeting

• Schedule a 1-hr session before the Sprint starts.
• Make the request in email for the team to get ready for the sprint planning meeting with (1) product owner providing the list of to-dos for the next Sprint, (2) all the team members logging all the tasks they are working on or planning to do with the up-to-date status, (3) dev manager assigning all the tasks to the dedicated team member. The goal is for the team to have a clear scope and prioritization and effectively estimate the workload during sprint planning. 

During the Sprint Planning Meeting

• Start from the big picture by confirming all preparations are complete, including tasks in the current sprints, tasks in the plan, and the backlog. 
• Confirm the Sprint objectives by going through the tasks requested by the product owner. The team understands the requirements and thoroughly reviews the tasks with the scope, impacts, and dependencies. 
• Go through the current task and plan for work for each team member. 
• Review the tasks per Epic to make sure the sprint objectives are met. 

After the Sprint Planning Meeting

• Send meeting minutes with a report of the tasks assigned and the decisions made.

After the Sprint planning, all new requests must go through the change control process. This helps The project team stay focused on the planned tasks. 

Project managers need to stay well organized to effectively lead project execution. Here are six tips for new project managers:

• Use a Notebook and Pen: Write down tasks that require your attention and take quick notes during meetings. This will help you focus on the discussion and create minutes shortly after the call.
• Maintain a Calendar Book: While electronic calendars are useful for scheduled appointments, a physical calendar book is handy for quickly planning and flipping through dates.
• Keep Your Desk Clean: Ensure your workspace contains only essential items: your computer, keyboard, notebook, pen, and calendar. A tidy desk promotes productivity.
• Follow the 2-Minute Rule: If you can complete a task in two minutes or less, do it immediately to prevent it from piling up.
• Add Buffer Time for Deadlines: When setting deadlines, include extra time to account for unexpected delays. Avoid pushing deadlines unless absolutely necessary.
• Limit eMail Reviews: Review your email only twice a day, and no more than that, to avoid unnecessary distractions.

By following these tips, project managers can enhance their organization and improve their efficiency in managing projects.

The project scope refers to a detailed list of deliverables or features associated with a project. It's essential to clearly define the project scope before starting any project. A well-articulated scope description helps effectively manage stakeholder expectations. To clearly outline what is included in the project and what is not, we recommend dividing the description into two sections:

• The Scope outlines the list of deliverables.
• Out of Scope refers to the areas not included in the project.

The key is not taking things for granted. If there is an assumption or any constraints, you will also record them in your scope statement. Never assume people would know. Follow the change control process if any scope changes occur after the project kick-off. Scope change, or Scope creep, impacts the project plan, but it might not be as bad as it might be because of customers' increasing demands. Be clear of the Scope, but be ready to handle the changes. 

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People say that you don't take ownership of your project because you lack a proactive plan of action. The key difference lies in whether you are focused on managing day-to-day operations or if you have a clear future vision and understand what needs to be accomplished.

To address this issue, consider creating a to-do list at the beginning of each week. This list can help you assess whether your tasks are reactive or proactive.

I was disappointed to realize how bias affects people's judgments in the workplace. Once someone decides they don't like you, they will seek evidence to support their mindset, even if that evidence is not valid.

The story revolves around a junior project manager overseeing a complex project. The PMO removed him from some dev team meetings to help him focus on project execution. However, this decision later worked against him, as colleagues criticized him for not actively engaging with the team and missing meetings even though this change was planned in advance. They claimed he was not curious to learn from the group or follow up on matters, which wasn't true. In reality, the project was being executed successfully; it's hard to believe he could achieve that without any follow-ups with the team.

The takeaway here is never to underestimate the importance of your relationships with others. Everyone carries biases—in fact, it's a reality we all face. The key is to ensure those biases don't influence perceptions and decisions.