How to gain PMAAStery over your IT projects

I just heard on the radio that “self-mastery” is going to be the big personal development trend for 2025.

Stands to reason! Many of us are feeling that so much is beyond our control these days it makes sense that we should focus our attention on the one thing that we can control – ourselves! I’ll see you at yoga class!

Even Ivanka Trump, yes Donald’s daughter, posting life lessons on Instagram wrote: “Cultivate self-mastery. As Marcus Aurelius said, “You have power over your mind—not outside events.” Focus inward; true strength lies in controlling your response, not the world.” Hope she shares that in the family Whatsapp!

Perhaps our IT Project lives would benefit too from a little self-mastery, controlling the controllables and especially our response to challenges. Actually, at Stoneseed we’ve been practicing something similar for years! Helping IT project teams to master their challenges with Project Management as a Service!PMaaStery!

THE ART OF MASTERY

Coincidentally, the subject of mastery came up in my Facebook memories this week … a picture of me, 12 years younger, holding a copy and raving about a (then) newly published book called Mastery. It’s worth a read.

We can all take a leaf out of the book Mastery; in which author Robert Greene shares the secrets to mastering any skill. Greene had researched power and read the biographies of high achievers from all fields, from all periods of history, plus he had worked as a consultant to many powerful people in business and the arts. He had noticed that many successful people, historical and contemporary, shared certain common traits.

He told Forbes: “They had a way of thinking that was exceptionally fluid; they could adapt to almost any circumstance; when confronted with problems, they could look at them from novel perspectives and solve them. They could do all of this with surprising rapidity, as if they had developed an intuitive feel for their work. The icon of this would be Napoleon Bonaparte.” When confronted with IT Project problems, gaining PMaaStery follows a similar path: find a partner who’ll adapt to almost any circumstance; look at problems from novel perspectives; deploy with surprising rapidity; a partner with an intuitive feel for your work … The icon of this would be Stoneseed!!

FIVE WAYS THAT STONESEED CAN HELP YOU GAIN PMAASTERY OVER YOUR IT PROJECTS

1 – ACCESS TO EXPERT PROJECT TALENT ON DEMAND

A standout benefit of PMaaS is the ability to access seasoned project managers or business analysts when you need them, without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire. IT projects often require unique skill sets for a period of time and with PMaaS, companies can access, for example, project managers who have specific experience relevant to their field or project, ensuring that the team has access to expertise tailored to their goals and aligned to fluctuating project demands.

2 – POTENTIALLY REDUCED OVERHEAD COSTS

Managing costs is a priority in every business, and PMaaS offers a way to keep overheads low. Hiring full-time, highly skilled project managers or business analysts can be costly, particularly for teams with sporadic or changing project needs. With PMaaS, you only pay for what you need, whether that’s for the duration of a specific project or on an as-needed basis. This approach allows companies to optimise budgets by reducing long-term salary expenses, and other costs associated with full-time hires. In the UK, a recently announced increase in employer National Insurance contributions has led to firms, where budgets are tight, reassessing their resourcing options.

3 – SCALABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

Traditional project management resourcing models can struggle to adapt to the dynamic needs of the IT industry. A huge advantage of PMaaS is its scalability! Whether your project needs are expanding or contracting, PMaaS can quickly adapt by bringing in more resources, or scaling back as needed. This flexibility allows IT teams to handle projects with ease, avoiding the inefficiencies and costs associated with rigid staffing structures. For growing companies or those facing seasonally variable demand, this adaptability ensures that projects are resourced appropriately at all times. Find out more about.Stoneseed’s innovative “Turn it on, turn it off, turn it up or turn it down” on-demand resource model.

4 – FRESH EYES

Having “third-party” PMaaS resources join your project delivery introduces a type of impartial oversight that can be highly valuable. A PMaaS provider worth its salt (Stoneseed, basically) offers unbiased guidance, a fresh pair of eyes that can see things that have become invisible to inhouse teams and introduction of “external” resources can even hold project teams accountable to milestones, budgets, and timelines without internal biases. This independent perspective ensures that project standards are maintained, potential issues are addressed objectively, and all stakeholders receive transparent updates on project progress. The added layer of accountability helps build trust and confidence across teams, clients, and stakeholders.

5 – CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

This one often gets overlooked. A hallmark of many PMaaS engagements is the facilitation of continuous improvement. At Stoneseed, our talent strive for perpetual improvement, it’s become part of our culture and it rubs off on teams we work with. I’d say to any team that has the benefit of experienced external resources – become a knowledge sponge and soak it up at every opportunity! At the conclusion of a project, our PMaaS talent has been known to conduct post-project analysis and feedback sessions to identify areas for improvement. This process encourages reflection, enabling teams to implement lessons learned and refine processes for future projects. Stoneseed’s PMaaS teams are dedicated to “knowledge transfer”, sharing best practices and valuable insights with in-house teams. This transfer of knowledge helps build in-house skills and project management competency, strengthening your team at no extra cost – what a return on investment!!!

CONCLUSION

The author of the book “Mastery”, Robert Greene told Forbes: “Mastery, I learned, was not something genetic, or for a lucky few. It is something we can all attain if we get rid of some misconceptions and gain clarity as to the required path.” It’s the same with PMaaStery!

So, get rid of your preconceptions, gain clarity about your project outcomes and attain the resources that you need! Oh, and worth mentioning that Greene also wrote “The Art of Seduction”, so if you’ve been seduced by IT Project Management as a Service , we’d love to hear from you – call 01623 703837 or email [email protected]

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