The PM Playbook | Between The Milestones Newsletter

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Between The Milestones

The PM Playbook’s weekly newsletter for real project managers solving real problems. Each issue delivers practical strategies, leadership insights, and honest stories from the trenches. It is designed to help you lead better between the big wins.

Tags: project leadership

Showing 12 results:

When Priorities Compete

How to Manage Conflicting Demands Without Losing Focus Read Time: 5 minutes The client wants one thing.The sponsor wants another.The engineers have their roadmap. And you?You are caught in the middle, trying to keep the project intact while every direction pulls you somewhere else. Let’s talk abo...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 23, 2025 project delivery project leadership stakeholder management

Why Good Status Updates Build Trust

How to Report Progress Without Sounding Defensive or Boring Read Time: 5 minutes You are running the meetings.Sending the decks.Filling in the tracker. And yet...Stakeholders still request updates that you have already provided.The team seems surprised by the decisions they approved.And leadershi...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 23, 2025 project leadership project reporting stakeholder management

When Teams Don’t Trust Each Other

How to Rebuild Collaboration When Alignment Is Broken Read Time: 5 minutes The tools are set.The goals are clear.The plan is sound. But something is off. Teams are not sharing updates.Cross-functional meetings are tense.Handoffs often feel like battles, rather than collaboration. This is not just...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 23, 2025 project leadership stakeholder management team dynamics

Leading Projects You Don’t Fully Understand

What To Do When You’re Managing Work Outside Your Expertise Read Time: 5 minutes You got assigned the project. But as you look at the scope, the acronyms, and the architecture diagrams, you realize this is not your comfort zone. Maybe it’s technical. Maybe it’s regulatory. Perhaps it’s in a space...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 23, 2025 cross-cultural leadership project leadership stakeholder management

The Project Is Over. The Impact Isn’t.

Why How You Close a Project Matters More Than You Think Read Time: 5 minutes You hit the final milestone.The handoff is done.The retrospective is over. The project is complete.But your job is not. Because the next time you work with this team, client, or executive, they will remember how this one...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 human-centered leadership lessons learned project leadership

Being the First Project Manager

What to Do When You Are Defining the Role While Doing the Job Read Time: 5 minutes You got hired to bring structure.But no one agrees on what that structure should look like. You introduce a timeline, and people ignore it. You ask for accountability, and people say, “That’s not how we do things h...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 change management project leadership team dynamics

You’re Doing More Than You Signed Up For

How Project Managers Handle the Invisible Work That Threatens the Actual Work Read Time: 5 minutes You have a clear project.You have a defined scope.You have a timeline you are trying to protect. And then it starts. “Can you jump on this real quick?”“This isn’t technically your project, but…”“We ...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 human-centered leadership pm soft skills project leadership

Why You're Always Chasing People

The Overlooked Work of Getting Others to Do What They Have Already Agreed to Read Time: 5 minutes You assigned the task.You got the nod.You even added it to the system and included it in the standup. And still, nothing happened. So you follow up.Then you follow up again.Then you wonder if you are...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 pm soft skills project leadership team dynamics

The Calm One in the Chaos

How Project Managers Lead with Presence, Not Just Process Read Time: 5 minutes Everything is on fire. The client is panicking.The dev team is behind.Leadership wants answers—now. Everyone is reacting.And then all eyes turn to you. You are the project manager.Which means in moments like this, you ...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 human-centered leadership project leadership team dynamics

The Work No One Sees

Why Project Managers Feel Overlooked and How to Talk About Your Impact Read Time: 5 minutes Have you ever had someone say,“So… what do you do?” You hit the deadlines.You organize the chaos.You keep the work moving when everyone else is distracted.And still, your role feels invisible. Let’s talk a...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 human-centered leadership pm soft skills project leadership

Stepping Into the Mess

How to Recover a Project That is Already Off Track Before You Even Touch It Read Time: 5 minutes You just got assigned a project. It is already behind.The team is burned out.Stakeholders are frustrated.And no one wants to admit how bad it is. You are not starting from zero.You are starting from c...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 human-centered leadership project leadership project recovery

Scope Creep Starts Quiet

How to Stop Extra Work From Sneaking In and Blowing Up Your Project Read Time: 5 minutes It always starts small. One more request.One minor change.One extra feature that will only take a day. And then, three weeks later, your timeline is broken, your team is frustrated, and you are somehow the on...

by Daniel Hemhauser — Jun 22, 2025 project delivery project leadership stakeholder communication

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Your Weekly Guide to Real Project Leadership

Between The Milestones

The PM Playbook’s weekly newsletter for real project managers solving real problems. Each issue delivers practical strategies, leadership insights, and honest stories from the trenches. It is designed to help you lead better between the big wins.

Tags: project leadership

We Launch On July 9

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