Views from the tower

When an organisation is experiencing continual, complex change (and let’s face it, most are!) it can lead to a steady flow of demand for new projects from different departments. Overall, it’s a good thing – it means there are new and exciting things happening. But the...

  Ah, spreadsheets, notepads, and emails. The three musketeers of project management tools. But let's be real, they're like the dinosaurs of the office world - big, bulky, and not very efficient. And let's not forget, they're also pretty boring too. It's like...

  We've all heard of Zoom fatigue, right? With remote work becoming more popular, it seems like we're constantly jumping from one virtual meeting to another. And we're not imagining it - a recent study by Harvard Business Review found that remote employees are having...

We know that risk management can be a tedious and complex process, but what if we told you it could be fun? We had already started writing this article when we spotted a post on the Association of Project Management (APM) blog titled 'Risk Management is fun'. Well,...

At Sharktower, we're all about celebrating diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry. We know that there's still a long way to go when it comes to gender equality, but we're super proud to be doing our part in advocating for more women in tech. In honour of...

As a project manager, you are always on the lookout for ways to improve your project management skills and streamline your workflow. One way to do this is by incorporating AI technology into your project management process. AI can help you save time, reduce errors,...

Well, just like that, 2022 is almost behind us. We hope you’ve had a good year; despite the knocks and challenges the world has thrown at us all over the past 12 months!  In keeping with tradition, and to set us up for 2023, we’ve put together a quick look back at...

Project assurance is a process that is becoming more and more crucial, and not just in large organisations with central PMOs. In this blog, we take a look at how to identify when you need to up your assurance game; what good looks like; and how...

Managing change projects might feel like a nightmare some days – but it doesn’t have to. In the spirit of Halloween, let’s take a look at common (slightly scary) problems project managers face, and share some Sharktower tricks and treats to make things better.  ...

When you manage projects, you need an understanding of what’s going on, whether through reports from your teams or checking how planned activities are progressing. For this to be effective, everyone involved in project delivery must be able to collaborate and have...

In the past, projects tended to be relatively low on the agenda of senior leaders. Often, the nature and characteristics of projects was much simpler and less complex, enabling leaders to take a more passive and reactive approach. Fast forward to today, and with more...

  In February 2022, Sharktower was acquired by data-first consultancy Proteus. Here, we give an overview of the background, the evolution and the future of our combined business.   The background - Taking control of change Proteus was founded over 20 years...

Are you tired of wrestling with spreadsheets in your project management endeavours? And we're not just "spreading" rumours - there's a better way! Say goodbye to the struggles and embrace a new era of efficiency with Sharktower. In this blog post, we'll dive into the...

if you're heading up business transformation and change projects n 2022 and beyond, chances are you're responsible for some of the most challenging yet influential projects your organisation has ever invested in. When all eyes are on you to deliver on expectations, a...

As the yuletide rolls in around Sharktower, here at HQ we’ve been reminiscing about another year of helping businesses manage change and deliver value. From project milestones to business objectives, 2021’s new features helped even more teams navigate stormy waters...

Nothing can increase the likelihood of project success overnight. But if you’re looking to improve your value outcomes, and you don’t yet have a project management platform to generate the insights for you, monitoring project performance metrics manually is something...

2021 hasn’t exactly been packed with good news stories. While Covid held its ground in much of the world, climate change dealt many countries a secondary blow with floods or wildfires. Thank goodness a giant ship got stuck in the Suez, or we might have had nothing...

We recently spotted a Linkedin post that really struck a chord. At the time of publishing this article, the post has had 8,500+ reactions. So it’s clearly striking a chord with others too. Most business leaders understand the negative impact of badly-timed meetings...

Whether you've never heard of it, or you understand a bit of it, project assurance is an increasingly important process - and not just in large organisations with central PMOs. In this article, we explain more about what it is, how to go about it, and why many...

It’s no secret that organisations perform better when there is clarity, alignment and commitment to shared objectives. So why are we still so bad at it? According to the PMI, a lack of clear goals is the most common factor behind project failure, while BCG reports...

When you're making progress and smashing outcomes, managing change and transformation projects can be a dream job. But when things don’t go as well as they should, it can quickly become a nightmare. In the spirit of Halloween, Team Sharktower have been thinking about...

This article is Part 2 of  'Getting your ideas off the ground'. Before you get stuck into these 7 techniques, you may want to check out Part 1: Planning the destination As a startup or scale-up, unless your small business is related to project management (as ours is),...

There’s a common misconception that if you’re running a start-up, you have a singular objective or goal. If only, right?! In reality, start-ups and scale-ups are typically managing a range of ongoing projects and initiatives. That could be developing new products,...

  Hi everyone, welcome to the 10th Startup Summit! We're proud to be Silver sponsors at this year's event, and share some insights and experience to help you take your business to the next level. Read on for handy guides, tips and templates. And if you'd like to...

If you've clicked on this article, chances are you belong in one of two camps. You already suspect that Gantt charts are more bother than they're worth (in which case, read on and enjoy) You're a Gantt chart enthusiast who's outraged that we're against them (in which...

How many times have you been a situation where the project goals, scope and budget have been approved, and everyone rushes into project delivery. Then, before you know it, you’re pulling all-nighters and dragging in extra resources to try to hit a deadline that’s no...

When it comes to project experts and transformation leaders to follow for inspiration, we’re spoilt for choice. And with a growing list of old and new faces, where do you start? To help you, we've compiled a list of our current favourites that you should be following...

Everyone has a favourite tech-based tool that makes life or work easier. But if you’re working remotely or only have a small team, it’s easy to get out of the loop when it comes to what’s new, easy-to-use and free to try. So here’s a round-up of Team Sharktower’s...

When you’re heading up a change programme that spans three different areas of a business, you need a way to bring everything together consistently in one place. But with dozens of project management and delivery platforms on the market, how do you choose one? We spoke...

When you’re overseeing projects that involve different people from different organisations across various time zones, how do you ensure everyone’s on the same page? By adopting Sharktower, Fraser Macdonald from the Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF has been...

Scotland is internationally recognised as a welcoming and inclusive nation, and we're fortunate that Sharktower HQ is right in the centre of Edinburgh, a city which has a thriving LGBTQI+ community and scene.   Our diversity is something that we’re very proud of. Team...

Across every sector, organisations are under ever greater pressure to digitise services, scale innovation, and create new revenue channels. In particular, a research report from software company Mulesoft caught our eye, stating that the need for IT innovation has...

With Edinburgh (and the rest of Scotland) starting to open up again, the chat at Team Sharktower has turned to our favourite places to eat and drink in the city most of us call home. Sharktower HQ is right in Edinburgh City Centre, so we're spoiled for choice when it...

According to PwC’s Women in Tech report, only 23% of UK STEM roles are held by women. And when it comes to leadership positions, that figure drops dramatically to 5%. At Sharktower, women make up 40% of our overall team, and 50% of our leadership team. And while we’re...

In previous blogs, we’ve talked about how Sharktower can help you create interactive project plans, manage resources more efficiently and connect all the working parts of your projects in one platform. But when the overall aim is project and programme-wide success, of...

A few people have asked about the different ways to trial and evaluate Sharktower, so we thought it might be useful to explain. A quick overview Sharktower is more than just a different way to format the data you already have. It’s a new way to approach project data...

Just as every business is different, so is the data you need to make confident, pivotal decisions. That’s why you need flexible reporting and insights that work for everyone – from senior stakeholders to the C-suite and investors.   Get a different view of your data...

Are you delivering change projects with software that’s older than you are? Sharktower’s CEO Craig Mackay took a walk down memory lane to look at the vintage tools it’s time to retire. But first, LEGO. As anyone who follows me on Twitter will know, I’m a big LEGO fan....

If you’ve been looking into project management software for your business, you’ll know there are dozens of options out there.  Most offer some form of task management and basic governance, but if you want a future-proof option that’ll help build a data-driven culture,...

If you manage or oversee change delivery projects, you’ll be familiar with RAG reports. But how much can you really rely on them? A RAG status can alert you to a problem, but without real context and understanding of what drives the metrics, project managers still...