Zach McDowell
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Zach McDowell

Director, Product Marketing

Zach is a senior product manager for Planview PPM Pro and Planview Projectplace. He has managed teams across three continents at Planview and largely focuses on driving innovation for mid-market project management and PPM. He led one of the largest releases in Projectplace’s 20-year history and continues to grow and support its global user base.

Planview and Argo Consulting: Helping Manufacturers Lean In

Unplanned downtime costs industrial manufacturers an estimated $50 billion each year. What does an hour, a week, or a month of downtime cost your business? Adopting Lean principles and tools can greatly improve maintenance processes, which is why Planview and Argo Consulting have partnered together.   As a global operations consultancy, Argo Consulting leads manufacturing firms worldwide through a results-focused process that improves target costs...

How to Set up a Project Plan Online in Minutes

Regardless of whether you’re an accidental project manager or a seasoned veteran, building a project plan online takes time. While modern software has made it easier than ever to plan projects, successful planning starts with you––the project manager.   A good project manager is always looking for ways to improve project planning and delivery. There’s a lot of pressure to deliver value while being on time...

How to Improve Workflow

We spend a lot of time thinking about work, but many of us don’t spend enough time thinking about how we do that work. We all want to be more productive and efficient–but in order to do that sustainably, we have to examine the processes we use to get work done. In other words, we...

Optimizing Remote Team Productivity

The year 2020 will go down in history for many reasons, but one of the most lasting changes will likely be the rapid transformation that so many companies have made to relying on remote teams. While certain industries and companies had already been primed for this transition, others have been grappling head-on with the challenges...

The Science of Kanban Visualization

Can visualizing your work really make that big of a difference in your productivity? The science of Kanban visualization points to yes.  What is visualization? If you’re trying to be more productive, intentional, or efficient in your work or personal life, you’ve probably heard about visualization. Visualization is a term that simply describes the process...

Team Tools That Drive Planview’s Remote Workforce

With a growing number of part-time or full-time virtual teams, many managers and team members must address a new concern: How do we collaborate and stay productive when working outside of a traditional office? Effective team tools — along with a few good routines and shared processes — can enable individuals and teams who are working remotely to stay productive, collaborate efficiently, and deliver work fast.   Almost half of Planview’s employees work outside...

Project Collaboration: 5 Strategic Ways to Avoid Silos

The era of digital transformation is requiring organizations to move faster and adapt to changing market and customer demands more quickly. Slowing the pace, however, are organizational silos that discourage effective project collaboration and prevent a company from staying agile and responsive. Organizational silos occur when employees or entire departments don’t want or don’t have...

Leading Remote Teams: 6 Effective Strategies

Remote work has become the new normal for many organizations over the past few years. If you’re a manager who’s used to leading remote teams, then you probably know the usual tips and tricks: Make a schedule. Take breaks. Shower. But working remotely — especially if you’re part of a team — is about more...

Project Planning and Delivery: 6 Steps to Get Work Done Faster

Your customers and team members depend on your project planning acumen to provide work of value—whether that’s a well-attended conference, a timely cybersecurity patch or a benefits package that attracts top personnel. Though planning is essential, what matters most to the customer is getting that promised value faster. In other words, project planning and project...

Agile Project Management: 5 Tips for Starting Your Journey

No transition from milestone-driven work to Agile project management is without its challenges. The Agile methodology is known for empowering teams to work more efficiently and effectively, but these results seldom happen overnight. That’s because making the switch to Agile project management isn’t a one-time action, it’s a journey that requires the support of executives,...