(This post contains affiliate hyperlinks. Please read my full disclosure.
We live in extraordinary times. Many people will work from home for their first time.
It is great to work from home, I promise. It is a shift of mentality. We are all in this together.
I thought it was okay to share some paid and free resources that might be of use to you to keep your projects and teams moving along, no matter where you are located in the next weeks.
Mike Clayton has created a 7-step response plan for project managers* that will help you prepare your projects and teams. He writes, “Hope isn’t a strategy.”
Zoom* is an online tool I use to hold meetings. You can get a basic plan for 40 minutes of meetings (or unlimited time if there are only two of you)
They have removed the restriction that restricts schools from certain countries. If you are part of an education community, you can check if this applies to you. However, Zoom calls by phone are not allowed. This is a free option. It will work best if all members of the team have speakers and microphones built into their computers.
If Zoom is not your thing, there are many software companies that offer free or reduced-cost options or upgrades. If you’re interested in Microsoft Teams or Vectera, then you can check out what you could use to help your team switch to remote work.
My project management bingo cards are now free! You can share them with your team and use them on your conference calls. You can get them here.
I keep busy with work and play iPad games to deal with my health concerns. I am currently playing the Bridge to Another World adventure games series. I have also begun to compile a list of the things I have done to move my projects along and prepare for lockdown, if necessary.
I bought Easter cards, even though I don’t usually send them, because it’s unlikely that we’ll be seeing each other over Easter. Being a project manager, I am task-oriented. It is helpful to be able see that I am actually doing something. Look ahead. Plan. This is something you are good at.
I signed up for online training (not project management, but blogging). You might be able to spend extra time at home learning if you have the opportunity. You can find a few webinar recordings here. There are over 170 free webinars to watch on projectmanagement.com (some more interesting than others).
PMI has extended the deadline to take the PMPA(r) exam for the current Project Management Professional exam. The new exam will be available in January 2020, and not July 2020. Perhaps it’s the right moment to practice exam questions* until you can go to a testing centre.
A few articles have been updated about working remotely. Learn 4 simple tips to make virtual meetings more effective, as well as tips from Nancy Settle Murphy’s book Leading Effective Online Teams.
My 1:1 mentoring support for project managers is not promoted often. My slots are usually filled through word of mouth recommendations and current clients.
In light of all the other things going on and people reaching out to me to inquire about it, I’ll try my best to open up more times. To find a slot, you can visit my diary.
Take care of yourself and your team.
* These links are for affiliate partners. This means that if you click on them and then buy something from the website, I may make some commission at no cost to your. This helps me continue to provide tons of free resources to the project management community. These are products that I use and highly recommend. We appreciate your support!
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Resources for Remote Work (2020).