Canada’s role in international aid: The NGO perspective

Generally speaking, Canadians are proud of being a courteous and helpful people, almost to a fault. We are taught that we're a cultural mosaic, accepting of everyone in a spirit of inclusiveness. For much of our history we have taken...

Vendor management: Tips from an Insider

Introduction I was out for dinner the other evening with some friends. One was recounting a story at his workplace about a vendor who had delivered some work well behind schedule. It was also wholly inadequate to meet the needs....

Motivating the project team

Introduction I am sure that every project manager will tell you that one of the keys to delivering a successful project is ensuring that the project team is motivated. A motivated team is a productive team. It is also a...

Governance Q&A: Managing waiting lists, line-ups and wait times with overloaded staff

I recently joined an agency where staff are overloaded, and people who approach us for services are told there will be a four-month wait for a first appointment. But some people have been on the waiting list for over a...

A summary of highlights: Project management overview

Introduction Lola went to a party last week. Besides being the first free time she had since starting her database development initiative, it was a party to celebrate the launch of the project! After a number of months of very...

Project evaluation: Measurements of success

Introduction It is increasingly common for funders to request a project evaluation. They want to know that they got some bang for their buck. This is especially true in the not-for-profit and public sectors, where the budget is tight. Lola...

Project communications in one thousand words or less

Introduction Lola arrived late for our dinner meeting. She was flustered as she whirled into the restaurant. She had made the critical mistake of answering her telephone just before leaving the office. The person on the other end of the...

Governance Q&A: When being told to do something feels wrong

I am a program manager, delivering human service programs in my region. I have been told to do something that feels all wrong. I can't break confidentiality to tell you what it is. I went through our code of conduct...

A hitchhiker’s guide to project change

Introduction The previous article discussed the reasons for scope change and how to recognize when changes may be on the horizon. The key question that it did not address is "how". How does the team manage change? This article revisits...

The tri-process model for trans-organizational system (TS) effectiveness

Many academics and government experts are exhorting community developers, practitioners, and private sector managers to partner and collaborate. Although some inter-organizational systems, such as industry councils, have been around for many years, few primers exist as to how to do...
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