Learning and development professionals have a unique place within an organization’s structure. They are often tasked with the difficult objective of educating a technical or project-based workforce while not experiencing that environment first hand. That’s why they are so appropriately placed to act the role of the consultant, where they work with other professionals in their field to build and develop talents, knowledge bases, skills, and abilities for the overall success of the company and the individual.

L&D pros are challenged with limited budgets, small teams, and an overall gap in demonstrating return on investment (ROI). To tackle these challenges, and others, L&D professionals must demonstrate business impact. Challenges can come from projects, people, process, and even just from learning to manage stakeholder expectations. Here are 3 specific L&D challenges that are often revealed in the attempt to make sure everyone involved is getting what they expect out of the L&D experience.

It’s an ongoing conversation that women have long been overcoming challenges in their work lives. These challenges include a stubborn pay gap, less opportunity, higher standards, and gender bias. While society has taken many steps over the past several decades to enable women to achieve their career goals, the struggle remains and the conversation must continue. This article dives into some of those challenges that women in leadership face day to day, and what we can do as a community to create a more inclusive work environment.

Subject Matter Experts (or SMEs) are critical to helping your team and your business understand some of the more technical aspects of the work everyone contributes to day in and day out. While they are an important part of the mix, sometimes working with SMEs can be a bit of a challenge.

Engaging the stakeholders on a project is essential! There are a number of simple ways to keep them engaged, positive, and empowered throughout. You might be surprised that it’s actually less work than you might think. So read on to find out what the best ways to align and inspire your stakeholders for long-term project success.

If you’ve never hired an outside consultant, you may question why a business would spend money to outsource help when it can delegate the task to someone inside the company. However, in many circumstances, the most effective solution comes from outside the firm, and a consultant can prove his or herself well worth the investment. An outside consultant can bring a ton of experience and a refreshing new outlook to the equation.

What can history teach us about being better project managers in today’s workplace?

An article published in the International Journal of Project Management earlier this year took on the task of combing through fifty years of project management (PM) research to answer this very question. Because PM research is often organized in silos—with practitioners sticking to their own fields—there has been a need for a more holistic perspective on the practice of PM itself. So the authors of “Emergent trends and passing fads in project management research: A scientometric analysis of changes in the field” mapped out data to identify key trends that have emerged and faded in the last five decades.

If you’re a project manager, or about to begin a project with a team, we have some data that might scare you. While statistics vary across industries, the general consensus is that the number of projects that fail is too high.

Being savvy in project management makes a big difference for corporate professionals in the learning and development environment. Understanding the keys of project management, while also understanding how technology plays an important part in the learning platform is essential. There are a number of factors that play a role in effective project management, but placing a priority on those that are often overlooked can help create a more useful and interactive platform. Pinpointing these keys and capitalizing on them will enhance project management efficiency.