QTalo Insights

News, updates, and professional development tips

A smiling veteran project manager, Tony Jones, in a group setting, emphasizing the importance of people and process in successful project management.
People, Process, Then Technology: A Veteran PM's Guide to Successful Projects
Veteran PM Tony Jones reveals why people and process should come before technology in project management—and how skipping this step can lead to wasted time and resources.
A professional-looking woman with long black hair smiles warmly at the camera. She is dressed in a blue blazer over a white blouse. The background shows she is in a boardroom with several stakeholders dressed in business attire.
The Art of Stakeholder Management: A UX Research Lead's Survival Guide
Managing project stakeholders as a UX lead can feel a bit like juggling while walking a tightrope. Diana Riggieri shares advice from her experience.
Animation-style image of Brad Holt sitting by a computer and smiling in a suit, symbolizing success with Microsoft 365 project tools.
My Journey: How I Leveraged Microsoft 365 Tools for Smarter Project Management
Traditional spreadsheets can be so satisfying, seeing your tasks laid out neatly and organized — at least until it all falls apart. Luckily, there's a better way.
Thumbnail for the blog post The Evolution of One PM's Toolkit. The image shows an animated illustration of a confident professional, smiling in front of a screen displaying analytics. The individual, dressed in a suit, appears engaged and optimistic about data results, conveying a sense of reliability and expertise.
From Manual Updates to AI Insights: The Evolution of One PM's Toolkit
Brett Miller's journey from spreadsheet warrior to strategic leader at Amazon offers valuable insights for PMs ready to embrace the future.
Thumbnail for the blog post A Project Manager's Guide to Staying Sane. The image shows an animated man with a friendly smile and a clipboard in hand, standing in front of a wall covered with colorful sticky notes. The notes suggest a busy, organized workspace, embodying the essence of task management and prioritization. Includes themes such as productivity, organization, and project planning.
Addressing Information Overload: A Project Manager's Guide to Staying Sane
Thako Harris has developed practical strategies for turning information overload into organized action.
Thumbnail image for the blog post Integrating Your Ticketing System with Enterprise Tools. The image is of a man with glasses sinking into a pile of work papers
From Ticket Chaos to Workflow Harmony: Integrating Your Ticketing System with Enterprise Tools
Explore how to use your ticketing systems to safeguard projects against delays and inefficiencies.
Business woman with arms crossed in front of a chart.
The Project Manager as Business Strategist: Elevating Your Role Beyond Traditional Boundaries
Discover how applying project management skills can help optimize operations and drive growth.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "PM as Firewall." The image shows a determined-looking person with short dark hair and glasses, dressed in a beige suit and tie. Their expression is serious and focused, while a large fire blazes in the background. The flames give the impression of chaos, but the person appears composed, as if acting as a firewall or protector against the surrounding turmoil. The setting suggests a professional or office environment amidst intense pressure or conflict.
The Project Manager as the Firewall: Safeguarding Your Engineers' Productivity
Learn how you play a critical role in protecting your team’s most critical assets.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Prioritize like a Pro." The image shows a stunned looking project manager sits in front of a computer monitor with dozens of digital notifications and screens floating in the air around him, representing the excessive amount of items that PMs have to triage every day
Prioritize Like a Pro: Effective Task Triage Techniques for Project Managers
Struggling with task overload? Effective triage can transform chaos into order. Learn techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix and time blocking to boost your productivity.
Thumbnail for the blog post "The Hidden Costs of Tool Overload." The image is of a Latina woman looks overwhelmed as she stands in an office setting overloaded with various tools like hammers and wrenches, representing the overwhelming number of digital tools that project managers are shouldered with
The Hidden Costs of Tool Overload: Why Less is More for Project Managers
PMs are crucial to scaling organizations, but tool overload can hinder efficiency. Learn how streamlining tools can boost productivity and reduce stress.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Why Manual Status Reporting No Longer Works." An image of an overwhelmed project manger sits in front of multiple screens all filled an overwhelming amount of project data and graphs
Why Manual Status Reporting No Longer Works
Despite numerous workflow tools, PMs are overwhelmed by manual tasks; better solutions empower them to focus on driving progress and making proactive decisions.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Ready to Adopt AI into Your Business? Look to PMs to Implement it the Right Way." 3D character of a Black business woman smiling and holding up an AI silicon chip
Ready to Adopt AI into Your Business? Look to Project Managers to Implement It the Right Way
Project Managers bridge the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders to ensure AI initiatives are both innovative and effective.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Using AI to Empower PMs, Not Replace Them." An image of a smiling project manager stands confidently, with hands on her hips, wearing a flowing superhero cape held on with a pin that reads AI in bold letters.
Using AI to Empower Project Managers, Not Replace Them
AI has the power to enhance the critical role of project managers by automating tasks and providing valuable insights while preserving the essential human touch.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "How PMs Drive Successful AI Adoption." An image of a hand holding up a jigsaw puzzle piece representing the human touch needed when solving for AI adoption in business environments.
The Human Touch: How Project Managers Drive Successful AI Adoption
PMs can directly impact successful AI implementations by leveraging human-centric skills to bridge technology and people, while aligning AI initiatives to business goals.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Decision Making in the Face of Conflicting Information." An image of a project manager stands confidently in front of multiple screens of data visualizations
Decision-Making in the Face of Conflicting Information
Master decision-making amid conflicting information by prioritizing data, validating sources, leveraging diverse perspectives, and using structured frameworks.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Resolving Data Discrepancies in Project Reports." A project manager scours data graphs and charts with a microscope
Resolving Data Discrepancies in Project Reports
Conflicting data in project reports can cause costly errors. Learn to identify and resolve discrepancies to ensure accurate information and build stakeholder trust.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Balancing Technical and Business Requirements." A 3D rendered image of a male executive in a zen-state seated yoga pose with their eyes closed, holding a technology icon in one hand and a dollar sign icon in the other to represent the need to balance business requirements with technical requirements in project management
Balancing Technical and Business Requirements: A Guide for Program Managers
Discover how to balance technical specs with business goals. Learn strategies for requirement gathering, cross-functional teamwork, and prioritization to ensure success.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Navigating Conflicting Stakeholder Priorities in Project Management". A 3D rendered image of a nervous female executive in a small boat holding a map and glancing at a shark fin in the water, representing the challenge of navigating various stakeholder demands
Navigating Conflicting Stakeholder Priorities in Project Management
Be the referee: Practical solutions for managing conflicting stakeholder priorities during standup meetings.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Lessons Learned from Successful Execution Stories". An amusing image of a very relaxed and confident looking project manager in sunglasses lying overtop of a 3D bar chart.
Lessons Learned from Successful Execution Stories
Success Stories Unveiled: Discover lessons from organizations achieving remarkable results through strategic execution
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Technology and Tools for Streamlining Execution". A happy and determined project manager speed skating in a suit. An amusing take on how streamlining technology can speed up project delivery and drive success.
Technology and Tools for Streamlining Execution
Optimizing Execution: Explore technology and tools to streamline strategic execution for technical program managers.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators for Strategic Execution". A close up image of a project manager's face, with reflections in their glasses showing that they are looking at charts and data that related to KPIs
Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators for Strategic Execution
Unlocking Success: Learn the importance of defining and tracking KPIs for strategic execution in technical program management.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Harnessing Agile Strategies for Dynamic Execution in Technical Project Management". An image of a team of project managers and engineers participating in an agile meeting
Harnessing Agile Strategies for Dynamic Execution in Technical Project Management
Unlocking Agile Strategies: Learn how agile methodologies drive dynamic execution for Technical Program Managers (TPM)
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Mentoring Your Way to Better Managers: The Project Manager as a Role Model". A mentor and a mentee sit side-by-side in front of a computer
Mentoring Your Way to Better Managers: The Project Manager as a Role Model
Unlock the power of mentorship in project management, shaping future leaders while leaving a lasting legacy of excellence.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Project Manager's Guide to Actually Enjoying Vacation". The image shows two individuals sitting on lounge chairs at a beach, facing the ocean. They are shaded by a large umbrella and appear to be enjoying refreshing drinks with straws and garnishes, such as a lime slice. The scene is brightly lit with sunlight, featuring a clear blue sky, gently rolling waves, and tropical palm leaves framing the view, evoking a relaxing and serene atmosphere.
Project Manager's Guide to Actually Enjoying Vacation
Discover essential tips for taking a stress-free vacation: delegate, communicate, and unplug to ensure a well-deserved break.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Breaking Time Barriers: How QTalo Reshapes Global Project Management". A project manager smiles as she flies through the sky like a superhero, breaking time barriers as she goes
Breaking Time Barriers: How QTalo Reshapes Global Project Management
Discover how QTalo tackles time zone challenges for project managers in global teams, revolutionizing synchronous meetings & simplifying workflows.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "The Pitfalls and Peaks of Slack for Project Managers ". The image depicts a cartoon-style man sitting at a desk, appearing stressed or concerned as he looks at his computer monitor. An hourglass filled with sand is placed prominently on the desk, symbolizing the passage of time. The man wears glasses, a suit, and a tie, and his office setting includes books, papers, and plants, creating a busy yet professional atmosphere. The sunlight streaming through the windows adds warmth to the scene, contrasting with the man's anxious expression.
The Pitfalls and Peaks of Slack for Project Managers
Slack can be a trusted resource for project managers, when used effectively.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Riding the Wave of Change: The Evolving Landscape for Project Managers". The image portrays a cartoon-style office worker in a rock climbing gym, wearing a button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves and suspenders. He looks up at a towering climbing wall covered in colorful handholds, contemplating his next move. This scene serves as an analogy for facing work challenges, symbolizing the complexity and effort required to navigate professional obstacles, with the climbing wall representing the hurdles to overcome in a career or project. The vibrant colors of the holds and the worker's determined expression emphasize a mix of ambition and focus.
Riding the Wave of Change: The Evolving Landscape for Project Managers
Today, being a project manager is all about being a versatile leader who can navigate through ambiguity and foster innovation.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Fine Print Matters: 5 Tips for Asking Vendors About Their Security Practices ". The image depicts a cartoon-style office worker sitting at her desk, looking overwhelmed as numerous software application icons hover around her in mid-air. Icons for apps like Slack, Gmail, Google Drive, Excel, Jira, Notion, and others float chaotically, symbolizing the challenge of managing multiple tools simultaneously. The worker has a stressed expression, with her hands raised in exasperation. The modern office setting, complete with large windows and a cityscape view, contrasts with the chaotic energy of the scene, creating an analogy for the frustration and overwhelm office workers often feel when juggling various software applications to stay productive.
Fine Print Matters: 5 Tips for Asking Vendors About Their Security Practices
We'll share the insights that you can gain from diving into the details of terms and services along with questions you should ask any vendor that you work with.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Navigating Uncharted Waters: The Accidental Project Manager". The image shows a cartoon-style man sitting in a bright and organized office environment. He has a friendly and calm expression, wearing glasses, a neatly trimmed beard, and a blue button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves. The workspace around him features neatly arranged desks, a calendar, artwork on the walls, and office supplies. Natural light filters in through large windows, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that suggests a productive and pleasant work environment.
Navigating Uncharted Waters: The Accidental Project Manager
Explore the transformative journey of accidental project managers and the road to mastering leadership and project management skills.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "Harnessing the Power of AI for Project Management: Key Tips". A 3D animated image of a woman at a desk using AI tools
Harnessing the Power of AI for Project Management: Key Tips
We're exploring practical AI applications, as we seek to normalize its presence in the project management space.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "10 Essential Tips for Navigating Chaos in Project Management". A 3D image of a stressed out project manager teetering on top of a 3D bar graph representing the chaos and risk involved in project management.
10 Essential Tips for Navigating Chaos in Project Management
Navigating the dynamic and often unpredictable world of project management demands a strategic blend of skills and attitudes.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "6 Tips for Unifying Scattered Knowledge ". A frazzled project manager sits in front of her computer screen, enveloped by a complex maze that speaks to the notion of trying to track down scattered data and knowledge across a multitude of platforms, apps and tools.
6 Tips for Unifying Scattered Knowledge
In today's fast-paced project environments, the challenge of managing scattered knowledge has become more prevalent than ever.
Thumbnail image for the blog post "4 Tips from Project Management Experts to Combat Task Overload". Image of a monitor with a Project Management app on screen with a busy schedule. Image meant to support QTalo's White Paper
4 Tips from Project Management Experts to Combat Task Overload
In the ever-evolving landscape of project management, one pressing issue has emerged as a major obstacle to success: the burden of excessive tasks.