Author Archives: Charlene Aldridge

Repeating the hints learned in 2022 ….. for effective execution of a project or initiative ____________________________________________________________________________________ “There is no harm in repeating a good thing.” – Plato, ancient Greek philosopher The phrase “rinse, repeat” indicates “an action or process that needs to be repeated.” It is used to indicate that a certain pattern of stepsContinue reading “Rinse, Repeat”

“Plans are worthless. Planning is essential.” Dwight D. Eisenhower As we continue our discussions on effective execution of any project and initiative, a critical element to success requires robust project management, as we have discussed previously. An element of a good project plan is directly related to mitigating risks that will delay or worse, sabotageContinue reading “Managing Risks and Project Management”

“Quality means doing it right even when no one is looking.”— Henry Ford It is so frustrating when a software solution becomes available…. whether a new solution or an upgrade…. and it just does not work as intended. Why does this happen so frequently? In many cases, this is due to lack or inadequate testingContinue reading “Testing Before Execution”

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I haveContinue reading “Managing Change and Scope Creep”

“Everybody who’s been successful has gotten lots of help and input from many, many people.” – Carol S. Dweck, Author of “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” The Project Team was excited that the project was almost completed. Then, they were surprised when they presented it to the End Users and there were major concerns.Continue reading “End User’s Input”

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” Conrad Hilton Momentum: Merriam-Webster defines it as “strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events.” As we continue our discussions this year on effective execution, one of the challenges Organizations may face isContinue reading “Keeping the Project Moving Forward”

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright A Client once commented: “People are seemingly constantly asking how the project is progressing. We are never going to get this project done with the interruptions.” My response was simple: “Are you providing regular updatesContinue reading “Communication and Execution”

“Managing projects requires managing dependencies.” – Charlene Aldridge, President of Aldridge, Kerr & Associates, Inc. Did you hear about the Builder that attempted to install the sinks before the foundation was laid? Or the IT Engineer developing enhancements to software before the original software had even been designed? Or that same Builder attempting to paintContinue reading “Dependencies and Execution”

“Highly effective teams have clearly articulated roles and responsibilities.” – Author unknown The Abbott and Costello comedy routine “Who’s on first?” entertained us with a great example of confusion and lack of communication! Unfortunately, that type of confusion often occurs when Organizations are working to implement a desired task. As we continue our discussions onContinue reading “Clearly Defined Roles & Responsibilities”

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen R. Covey Have you ever seen someone working on a project and never seem to get it done? This may partly be due to not focusing on the priority tasks needed to complete theContinue reading “Focusing on Priorities”