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LatestNº40

5 October 20264 min readCareer

Why Accidental Project Managers get overlooked

The person holding the project together is often the one without the title. Invisible work doesn't get rewarded.

Read edition 40

39The hero project manager: how rescuing undermines your teamEvery project has a hero. They look like they are succeeding, right up until they are not.7 Sep 20264 min · Team & people 38Slow down to speed up: how to protect your thinking timeWhen did you last spend a full hour thinking about your project rather than reporting on it?4 Aug 20263 min · Stress & wellbeing 37How to build a resilient project teamYou cannot plan surprises out of a project. You can build a team that absorbs them.8 Jul 20263 min · Team & people 36Why psychological safety is the foundation of every great project teamMost failed projects did not fail on planning. They failed because somebody knew & said nothing.7 Apr 20264 min · Team & people 30The three mistakes that make projects feel chaoticIf a project feels chaotic from day one, it is usually one of these three, & usually all of them.2 Sep 20254 min · Delivery & control 28How to run an effective PMODone right, a PMO is a project manager’s best friend. Done wrong, it is a thousand extra forms.2 Jun 20254 min · Delivery & control 27How to be assertive at work without causing conflictBeing assertive is not being difficult. It is being clear early enough that it never has to be difficult.5 May 20254 min · Communication 26How to get promoted from project manager to senior project managerThe step up is not bigger projects. It is a different job, & most people find that out too late.7 Apr 20254 min · Career 2110 essential soft skills for project managersSoftware is taking the scheduling & the document control. This is the list it cannot take.5 Nov 20245 min · Team & people 20Time management for project managersTime management is a fallacy. You cannot manage time, only your own energy inside it.7 Oct 20244 min · Stress & wellbeing 19Stress management techniques for project managers62% of construction workers call their job stressful. Not all stress is the same, & that matters.2 Sep 20244 min · Stress & wellbeing 18How to set a clear project visionWithout a north star, every decision gets relitigated. Setting one takes a morning.28 Jul 20244 min · Delivery & control 17Why soft skills matter more than technical skills in project managementThe hierarchy buried in “hard” & “soft” skills is backwards. Our job is people, & people are the hard part.1 Jul 20245 min · Team & people 16Why small wins matter for project teamsMarginal gains took British Cycling from also-rans to world records. The same principle rescues stuck teams.3 Jun 20244 min · Team & people 15Simple wellbeing habits for busy project managersThe wellbeing industry has made looking after yourself complicated. It comes down to three things.7 May 20243 min · Stress & wellbeing 14How to improve communication on a project teamYour architect wants images, your engineer wants tables, your client wants a call. Translation is the job.2 Apr 20244 min · Communication 13How to manage change on a projectChange is not the problem. Undocumented, unpriced & unagreed change is the problem.4 Mar 20244 min · Delivery & control 11Emotional intelligence in project managementConstruction looks like a technical industry. The projects that go well are led by someone reading the room.8 Jan 20244 min · Team & people 10How to manage anger at work when the pressure is on45% of British workers regularly lose their temper at work. Anger is normal; what you do with it is the skill.5 Dec 20234 min · Stress & wellbeing 09How to accelerate your career in constructionYou do not have to wait & serve time. Three routes that put you in the wider conversation faster.6 Nov 20233 min · Career 08How to use flow state to get more doneMultitasking is a misnomer. What we actually do is switch, & switching costs more than we think.2 Oct 20233 min · Stress & wellbeing 07How to close out a project properlyWe work on projects for years & are still notoriously bad at ending them. Ten things that fix it.4 Sep 20234 min · Delivery & control 06How to stay calm when a project gets chaoticEvery project hits the stretch where the list only grows. Six things that keep you level through it.7 Aug 20233 min · Stress & wellbeing 05How to motivate a project teamThe carrot & the stick date from the industrial revolution. Here is what actually moves people.17 Jul 20234 min · Team & people 04How to run better project meetingsEmployees spend 31 hours a month in meetings & half of that time is wasted. Eight rules fix most of it.29 May 20234 min · Communication 03How to define roles and responsibilities on a projectAsk "is that your job or mine?" at the start, or spend the rest of the project arguing about it.1 May 20234 min · Delivery & control 02Why your wellbeing is essential for project successProjects run on people, so why is looking after the people the first thing to go when a programme gets tight?3 Apr 20235 min · Stress & wellbeing 01Why every project needs a week 0The week before the work starts is the cheapest week of the whole programme. We keep skipping it.13 Mar 20233 min · Delivery & control

Coming to the archive

13 editions · new ones added into November

Every past edition is being added to the archive over the coming weeks. Subscribers already have all of them.

24The neuroscience of high performing project teams15 Oct 2026
23Is now a good time to become a project manager?20 Oct 2026
3420 ways to manage project stress better22 Oct 2026
12Want more diversity in construction? Fix the industry for the people already in it27 Oct 2026
29The day my life changed, and how BuiltWell was born29 Oct 2026
41How to prepare for a promotion conversation2 Nov 2026
25How to move into project management: 6 things to consider first3 Nov 2026
31Are you an accidental project manager?5 Nov 2026
32Is project success without stress possible?10 Nov 2026
35Which project management qualification is worth it?12 Nov 2026
22The future of project management: trends for 2025 and beyond17 Nov 2026
33How to manage your projects over the Christmas break19 Nov 2026
42How to write a personal lessons learned7 Dec 2026

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