Articles To help Project Leaders
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In the 1980's, serving in the South African Defense Force (SADF), I interacted with WhenWe's. WhenWe's were ex-Rhodesian soldiers who had fled south and joined the South African Defence Force. Apparently, in their minds, everything in the SADF was wrong and required their critique. The tell-tale sign of an ex-Rhodesian was "When we were back in Rhodesia, we did xxx."
They lived in the past - all the time. (Many times the same thing happens when ex-South African's get together in the USA and talk about how great the past was. If it is so great, then why aren't you there? It makes me sick and hence avoid them in future.)
Today, while driving, I saw a bumper sticker that says "I love Uganda" on a car with a Connecticut licence plate. Really?Then why aren't you there? The fact is that if you love Uganda, then you would be there, instead of enjoying the benefits in this land of milk and honey.
Many people won't put their money where their mouth is.
My wife and I made the conscious choice to change our language as we settled into our lives in the USA. Not all South African immigrants are willing to do it. If you continue to refer to South Africa as "Home" after you have moved half way around the world then you are not committed to your life choices. You can't talk about going "home" when you don't live in the country, want the benefits of a different country and then denounce every decision taken by politicians.
Whether you commit to pursue your dreams and live in the USA, commit to lose ten pounds, or make something of your life, you must put your money where your mouth is.
The point is that commitment is like pregnancy. You are, or you are not. The present is now. Not past, nor future. If you are not in the present and in the real world, then you are a spectator to your life.
If you won't commit and recognize that you are in the present, and act on it all the way through, you will be doomed to forever say "When we.."
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We often seek to implement "best practices" so that we get the best results in the most efficient and effective ways possible.
Research shows that "best practices" are not as transferable as we would like. The procedures and practices that worked on project x normally don't work on project Y, because the practices are specific to the situation and project organization of the project.
The question is "Where do I get best practices?" The answer is "Keep your eyes and ears open."
For example, I was leading a project that was recognized for exceptionally smooth vendor relationships. This organization had a history of problematic relationships with external vendor in the past and everyone was expecting similar problems on this project.
However, in this case, the assigned project managers were able to cross company boundaries and establish productive relationships for the mutual benefit of both companies.
I know that you are thinking "Well, how can I do this as well? What are the steps they followed so that I can do the same thing?" The steps followed in this situation probably won't work for you, because best practices are usually not universally transferable.
The steps followed are less important. The important lesson here is that when you come across a situation that is clearly a best practice - investigate it yourself and add it to your personal toolbox of skills.
How can you investigate it?
1. Speak with the project manager who achieved the results. What was his intention in creating this relationship? How would he do it if he could do it over again?
2. Speak to the project manager on the vendor's project team. What is her experience and steps followed?
3. What are the common obstacles the prevent getting the results of best practices in similar situations?
4. How can it be implemented more widely? (Many times it is not possible to change a large organization, but you never know how much influence you have until you try.)
5. How can you leverage your investigation to benefit your career and performance review? Can you speak about the results of your findings to a IT Town Hall meeting, or Project Management association meeting? Can you write about it on your blog?
Although "best practices" are elusive - there is no excuse to not continually pursue improvements in your personal repertoire of project management skills.
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Imagine you have the opportunity to meet an important person for your career advancement. You want to make a great first impression as well as lay the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship in the future. How can you maximize this opportunity?
Here are the best practices to follow:
1. Before the meeting, do your homework. Research the person. Simply conduct an Internet search on the person's name and see what you can find out in a few minutes. Think of how you can reference this during your meeting.
2. Imagine yourself in that person's situation. What challenges do you think she is facing today?
3. Take a guess of what drives her? What do you think her Motivational Value System (MVS) is. Red? Blue/green? How can you use this information during your meeting in your language and examples?
4. Be prepared to talk about her in the meeting. (All of us love to talk about ourselves and our accomplishments.)
5. Be prepared to talk about yourself, if asked. What have you done, where have you been, what do you offer, where are you going in life and on this project? (For example, I have written two books to help project managers, have served a term as Director of Marketing for SNEC-PMI and study psychology in my spare time.)
6. Who does she report to? Who reports to her? What programs is she responsible to ensure are delivered in the organization?
7. What does she want? Is she facing a problem and looking for a solution?
During the meeting, listen actively. Focus on listening to words and phrases she uses and be fully alert to listening. How accurate are the results of your homework?
After the meeting, reflect on what you learned and think of ways to work together in future for mutual benefit. Make notes of what you learned during the meeting, so that you can refer back to them when you meet again - assuming that you don't work together frequently. Consider this a "Client Contact Management" aspect of project leadership.
Don't leave a "Meet and Greet" opportunity to chance. Be proactive. As a project leaders in a large organizations, you frequently have to establish and nurture new relationships across the organization. Get good at it - it is a valuable skill and will pay off when you get the call of "I like what you did here, I want you on my team."
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Where were you on October 18, 2004 at 2:45 PM? You probably don't remember. I wouldn't remember either, if it were not for the events of that afternoon. My knees went weak as Dr. Kennedy said "Wayne, you have cancer. I am scheduling urgent surgery for Friday at noon. Be there".
(Apparently Dr. Kennedy slept through "Empathy 101" in medical school.)
Among the multiple reasons that I support Relay for Life is that I am living with cancer.( I can't bring myself to proclaim that I am a cancer survivor, although anyone who continues to live after a diagnosis is technically a survivor.)
American Cancer Society hosts the Relay for Life across the country, each year. The Annual Relay for Life event is an opportunity to build relationships with other people that are also contributing time and money towards cancer research. I trust that the results of research will be better treatments and methods of prevention, such as vaccinations in the future.
Eighty years ago, people feared polio, just as we fear cancer today. In 1952, there were 57,000 new cases of polio in the USA. Today, very few people in the USA have seen polio first hand due to the success of vaccines and mass immunization that started in the 1950s. I believe that funding research will result in future generations asking "What is cancer?" because it will be as rare as polio is today.
Living with cancer is expensive and stressful. Every test result is an emotional event. Every cancer treatment costs me money, because medical insurance doesn't cover a lot of the treatment expense. Innocuous aches and pains lead to concerns of "Is this more cancer?"
The bottom line is that I did not ask to be diagnosed with cancer. I was just a regular Joe until Dr. Kennedy's diagnosis. You could be the next person to hear "You have cancer." It doesn't just happen to other people.
Please join Wapping Walkers if you are in the South Windsor area, or donate towards our team.
If you and I don't support cancer research, then who will?
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We all have intentions and plans to accomplish goals, then look back at the end of the week and say "What was I so busy with that I did not find the time for the important things in life? "Was there really no time to get some exercise?" "How can I stop all the urgent demands on my time, or at least get better at coping with the urgent so that I still accomplish the important?"
There isn't a single right answer. (I wish there was.)
Here is what I have found, and hope that it can help you.
1. Identify things that come up, "urgently" and see if they are recurring, so that you can allot time to them in your plans. For example, I regularly have to take action on issues with my son's teachers. Therefore, I allot an hour a day to managing the school teachers, so that it has less disruption on the time I have allotted to important things.
2. Say "No". This can be very hard. If you are involved in many activities, such as volunteer work and regular paid work, then you frequently find that many things take longer than you estimated. You can't add more hours to your day, which means that you can only do one day's work in 24 hours. When someone asks you for additional time, which you don't have, then you have to say "No". (If you operate from a Blue MVS (Motivational Value System), you should practice the words to use, so that you feel more comfortable with saying "No". For example, "Sorry, I can't take this on right now, because I am already at capacity."
3. When you plan your day, estimate the amount of time each task will take. A to-do list only lists the work to be done, and if you have 10 to-do's and each one will take 60 minutes, then you are destined to not have enough time to get all of them done, before you even start. Therefore, you must work according to priorities, and your important things in life need to be high enough on the priority list to get done.
4. Build your self-esteem. I find that a lot of people can't say "No", because they lack self-esteem. (I also used to be like this, until I learned how to build my self-esteem.) As your self-esteem increases, you are less likely to tolerate urgent requests on your time.
5. Discern what is really urgent, and what can be deflected. Many times people will come to you with an urgent request, and you find out that the request could have been deferred because it wasn't urgent or it can be done by someone else. In your life, what happens if you say "This doesn't look urgent to me at the moment. What will happen if I get to it in the morning?"
6. Get clear on what is important for you, then break it up into actionable chunks, then schedule them on your calendar. The important things in life are normally large tasks, such as "Stay healthy" or "Write another book". You can't accomplish them in a single day which means that the urgent daily little tasks of life could bump them off your calendar if you let it happen. However, if your current important goal is to "Write a book" then schedule one hour on your calendar to work on it, and defer "urgent" tasks. Urgent tasks can wait one hour, then you can focus on them.
7. It gets easier to say "No" the more you do it. When you put your important goals as a high priority, then it is easier to deflect "urgent" requests for your time, and you begin to see the results as you feel better about accomplishing your important goals, which increases self-esteem.
8. Keep a log for a week. If your goal was "Exercise on Monday, Wednesday and Friday" but it did not eventuate, what got in your way? It is OK - be honest with yourself - you will survive the scrutiny. Was it a legitimate urgent demand on your time, or an excuse to not exercise?
9. Look at the results of your Strengths Deployment Inventory. What tends to draw you in as an "Urgent" task? Are you more prone to being seduced by certain tasks that appear to be "urgent"?
The bottom line is that only you can keep the important things in your life as important, or allow yourself to perpetually be involved in "urgent" work that is less important. You can't earn a degree or write a book if you don't spend time doing the daily tasks that lead to success, and you are the only one who can decide the best way to spend your next ten minutes.
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| | Wayne's World - April 16, 2012 - Random collection of impressions from Wayne's World.
1. Relay for Life 2012 is gaining momentum. If you would like to donate a bit, and participate, then please go to www.wappingwalkers.com and support our team.
2. North Korea reduced the...
| | | What would you do you do differently if you could live your life over again? - Assuming that you had the option to live your life over again, what would you do differently? The more you think about this exercise, the more value you will get out of it.
Heck, even if you could apply the wisdom that you have today to y...
| | | Closing a project - All projects should come to an end. The definition of a project is "A distinct piece of work that has a beginning and an end."
Some projects that should come to an end, never do, and limp along for longer than they should. I won't address ...
| | | Amex demonstrates that a customer is worth less than $39 - Update: When I called to close the account, the representative asked why I am closing the account. I told him that it was due to the unreasonable late fee. Then he said "Well, I am sure you have your own reasons for closing the account." I ...
| | | Easter eggs, bunnies and blood - Today is Maundy Thursday. In a few hours my family and I will attend the service at Wapping Community Church. Tomorrow is Good Friday.
Sunday is Easter morning and we will attend the sunrise service.
Our house is stocked up on diet-bus...
| | | Checklist for Your Reputation - I recently had the privilege of working with an exceptional project manager.
Why do I rate her as exceptional? For these reasons, and the positive effect she had on the program.
1. She took over a project when it had no direction and wit...
| | | Saranac High Peaks Chocolate Orange Robust Porter - what a rip off - I don't know about you, but I hate getting ripped off.
Yesterday I used $6.54 of my hard earned money to purchase a bottle of Saranac High Peaks Chocolate Orange Robust Porter, and boy was I ripped off.
The label (and the marketing in th...
| | | What gets in the way of learning? - To be more valuable than you are today, you need to learn new skills. Either improve your current skills, to be more of an expert (for example, learn more the best practices in program management and Program Management Offices), or learn sk...
| | | Wayne's R&D Approach to Life Long Learning - Don't you wish life was easier? "If only I was more knowledgeable about x, then life would be easier."
Here is my distilled approach to making your life easier, if you are puzzled in a new situation. Let's say you want to emigrate to a new...
| | | US Teachers going to China - Fox news reports that China is hiring US teachers. This prompts responses from Wayne's world.
1. Hard not to say "I told you so". Chinese are working hard to be the future leaders, while some US public school systems are more concerned wi...
| | | Wayne's Week. Feb 18, 2012. - Wayne's week has been a whirlwind of activity.
1. The ICD-10 Summit, hosted by EDIFECS was fabulous. It was well organized and very helpful to create the framework for healthcare industry collaboration on ICD-10.
2. The highlight of my w...
| | | ICD-10 Summit at The Resort at Marina Village - I am at the ICD-10 Summit hosted by EDIFECS. This is a great conference and would be great anywhere. Hosting it at The Resort at Marina Village at Fort Myers, Florida just takes it up to a superb experience. The resort is "just right". Ever...
| | | What's on Wayne's Mind? - In case you are wondering what's on my mind today:
1. Growth is uncomfortable at best, painful at worst. We are stronger and better, more seasoned and better able to contribute to fellow beings after a growth experience but it would be nic...
| | | South Windsor, CT, Public School system - If your child, or anyone you know has a child that is struggling with special education needs in South Windsor, like ADHD, or learning disabilities, and you are not working with Jeen Melendez, then you are causing yourself unnecessary grief...
| | | The hard calls. How do you deal with them? - Had to make a hard phone call this morning. What calls don't you want to make?
Here are some calls that I don't want to make.
1. To the appliance company. "Hi, just want to report that my wash machine is broken. Please fix it, under wa...
| | | Counter-intuitive Membership dues increase from PMI. WIIFM? - I was just informed that PMI (Project Management Institute) membership dues are increasing by $10 per year, because the organization has grown membership so much and it costs more to service the larger membership.
Um! What is the incenti...
| | | Don't overestimate what you can do - "We overestimate what we can do in one year, but severely underestimate what we can accomplish in fiv e years" is a quote that I heard.
This month, my family celebrates eleven years since we arrived in the USA with six suitcases, $400 in c...
| | | Traits that undermine a person's ability to manage projects well. - Traits that undermine a person's ability to manage projects well.
1. Inability to build rapport with team members, project sponsors and stakeholders. This is usually determined in the interview stage when a candidates are being screened. I...
| | | What makes an IT Project Manager successful in the real world? - I presented the results of my study into "What makes an IT Project Manager successful?" at SNEC-PMI this week. These are expanded on, and augmented in "Beyond The Certification."
1. Get a mentor.
2. Take the offensive. Take the lead.
3. C...
| | | Win/Win/Win 2012 - The South Windsor Rotary club auction for 2012 is underway. I am a proud member of this club.
We host the auction every two years and the proceeds fund a lengthy list of good causes in South Windsor and surrounding areas. Scholarships, pu...
| | | Beef up your resume with a professional certification - Here is a transcript of an interview on the value of a professional certification to beef up your resume.
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Have you earned an certificate and if so, how has it helped your career?
Yes. Two certifications that have helped my career treme...
| | | The future of adult education for working professionals - I have written about my journey into the hobby of homebrewing. I learned most of what I know from online forums, youtube videos and supplemented my knowledge with published books. I contend that the way of part-time, brick-and-mortar adult ...
| | | The good things in life - This past week, between Christmas 2011 and New Year, was very relaxing for me. I had time to reflect on the past, dream about the future and sleep late in the present.
Although it is cold and dark most of the time here in Connecticut, my ...
| | | Thoughts on the new year - As I enjoy the New Year long weekend, reflecting on the activities of the past year and decade, my mind considers what can be achieved in the coming years.
We overestimate what we can accomplish in the coming year, but severely underestima...
| | | Now why would I want to do that? - 1. I was just offered a radio interview that requires me to pay for. Now why would I want to waste good money for an interview on Talk Radio? When last did a project leader tell me "Wayne, I did not hear your radio interview, and I am devas...
| | | Leveraging Social Media for young professionals - In a competitive job market, how can you use social media to distinguish yourself? Comprising photos of the Spring break in Fort Lauderdale on your Facebook will make you stand out, but not to your benefit when the hiring manager views them...
| | | South African Expats living in Connecticut - The holiday season is upon us. A long weekend awaits, and it is special because this is the Christmas of 2011. As South African expatriates, (and US citizens), living in Connecticut, it is an interesting time. I have had these conversations...
| | | The Mechanics and the secret. - As I observe and work with developing project managers, I notice that although the mechanics of project leadership are relatively easy to learn, there is a secret sauce that distinguishes the achievers from the rest of the pack.
It might s...
| | | Wayne's World - 12/19/2011 - In case you were wondering what's going on in Wayne's world on Dec 19,2011.
1. The snow storms in the winter of 2011 was unlike prior years. It was heavy and many buildings collapsed under the weight, including a firehouse in Meriden, CT,...
| | | The dumbest things you will ever hear.. - These are some of the dumbest things you will ever year (courtesy of special ed departments and HR)
1. "I have a cure for ADD".
2. "All children born in July are slow. My grandson is born in July is slow and so are all other children born ...
| | | The smartest guy isn't at the front of the room - When you attend a conference or learning event, you assume that the guy at the front of the room is the smartest guy. After all, he is billed as "The expert". You paid good money and traveled here to hear what he has to say.
I was enlight...
| | | Wayne's world - November 2011 - Well, what a crazy start to the month. In case you were wondering what is happening in Wayne's World, here is a rare view into my world.
1. Winter Storm Alfred took out our power and heat for seven days. Wayne's world went back 100 years a...
| | | How to run a "lessons learned" exercise - After Winter Storm Alfred, many institutions are conducting "lessons learned" exercises. Police Departments, businesses, utility companies and households are asking "What could we have done better, if anything?" We do "lessons learned" all ...
| | | Winter Storm Alfred - Looking back, one week later - Last Sunday, we awoke to a winter wonderland. Gorgeous views of snow-covered trees. Typical of February in New England. However, it was the aftermath of the historic 2011 October storm - Alfred. I could see that it was like no other storm w...
| | | Latest position paper, to help organizers of professional association workshops - Project managers work with people to complete projects. However, project managers are usually not formally trained in human relationships. Many project managers come into the profession based on superb technical skills and excellent technic...
| | | Life lessons from the First Prize winner - I recently won the first place blue ribbon in the 2011 Southern New England Regional Homebrew Competition.
I did not set out to create an award winning beer, and the journey I travelled over the past year is a repeatable model that you sh...
| | | The secret for success: Whatever gets you through the night. - When my son was very small, (he was born prematurely) and sick, my wife and I read everything we could lay our hands on about neonatal psychology to educated oursevelves and do the best we could.
We discovered:
1. Most books and advice (at...
| | | 2011 Foliage Enjoyment Trip - Every year we travel up North to enjoy the foliage. It is a road trip that we all enjoy. We take Freddie with us because he travels well in the car and then we don't have to worry about him for the whole day while we are travelling.
Yester...
| | | Speak! - Freddie (our cockerpoo) has been trained to "Speak!". He barks in response to a hand gesture and is rewarded with a treat.
When you are in charge of hiring speakers for your Rotary club, PMI Chapter meeting or Professional Development Day ...
| | | The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. - Recently, I was part of a WhirlyBall team. (Unfortunately the other team won the games - we believe one of the team members is an undercover profesisonal player.)
We played four games in one evening. Here is more or less the progression.
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| | | PMI Westchester Presentation - Sept 2011 - Great audience of enthusiastic professionals at PMI Westchester last week as we discussed the results of my work that lead to writing "Beyond the Certification".
Everyone is intrigued to find out "What does it take to be a project manager...
| | | How to find out what you don't know - the art of exploration - When you accept the responsibility to lead a project, program or major workstream, then your early steps include finding out what you don't know. You can't determine the scope of work or plan for it, if you don't know who your stakeholders ...
| | | Watch you language!! - How often have you been told to "Watch your langugage!!" (usually suffixed with "young man") and accompanied by "the look" from a scolding parent.
Now is a good time to review your language, because your language influences relationships a...
| | | Relationship Unawareness - Study after study shows that a critical factor in successful projects is the ability of the project leader to build and maintain professional relationships.
Easier said than done. How exactly do you proactively build and maintain profesis...
| | | Who needs customers anyway? Not iParty. - It is impossible to understand the stupidity of some retailers.
I am leading the water-sports event for our upcoming church picnic. I need to purchase water balloons for the balloon-toss competition.
I went to my local iParty, just afte...
| | | Hear Ye. Hear Ye! - As project managers, we need to listen. We all have filters and our tendency is to hear what we think we should hear based on our frame of reference.
However, a good project manager listens, especially when someone tells you something tha...
| | | What lessons have you learned over this summer? - Botha Basement Brewery status - 8/27/2011.
Thanks to Rich at Brew and Wine Hobby shop, Northern Brewer and the kind wisdom of brewing friends, my hobby has been productive over the hot summer with two saisons in the bottle, one saison(ish...
| | | Are your metrics moving you forward, or holding you back? - Here is my latest article on the total cost of metrics: ...
| | | Wayne's Week - In case you were wondering, here are highlights from the past few weeks.
1. Freddie (our cockerpoo and little bundle of joy) went in for scheduled dental surgery. The vet called before the surgery to confirm that he was about to be neutere...
| | | Contemplations from Botha Basement Brewery - Time: 14:30
Date: June 18,2011
Place: Botha Basement Brewery / Home Office
Setting: Enjoying a few of my superior and exclusive hand crafted Ales that have conditioned to perfection.
Weather: Perfect. Sun is shining and the gazillion feet o...
| | | Credibility and lessons learned from surviving cancer - You earn credibility when you are a cancer survivor. How are you passing on the lessons that you have learned, to help other people? When you have "Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt", and you tell someone else about the journey, then y...
| | | The Cancer Profile Two-Step - I am speaking at the Relay for Life event in South Windsor later today. Come on down if you are in the area, and contribute in some way.
I am sharing this, because the cancer profile two-step is so predictable, I always enjoy it when I see...
| | | Relationship Awareness what? - Last week I went to New York City (NYC) and trained, and am now a bona-fide SDI facilitator. So what? If you look at my webpage with certificates, you may think that I collect training certificates for a hobby. (On a tangent that we won't e...
| | | Letting go is so hard - dumping stuff - You have to dump things that are holding you back. You have to learn to let go, which can be very hard to do.
Last weekend, I threw out a computer desk. It was in my way and we have accumuated so much furniture that I find myself walking ...
| | | What is there to celebrate about cancer? - If you were to tell a loved one, or someone newly diagnosed with cancer that there are things to celebrate about cancer, what would it be?
As a cancer survivor, still undergoing infrequent treatment, I have been selected to speak at the o...
| | | Can you hear me now? - We communicate, all the time. As project managers, it is said that over 90% of our work is communication. However, much of what we think we are communicating, is not communicated at all.
How many times have you got the wrong impression fro...
| | | Project Management Day in the State of Connecticut - SNEC-PMI is Making Southern New England Better through Project Management. One of the ways we are doing this, is by making more people aware of the value that the profession brings to business, non-profit organizations and anyone who manage...
| | | Workshop: Organizational Politics for People Who Hate Politics - I attended this 1/2 day workshop by Rick Brenner this afternoon, prior to our annual full-day 2011 SNEC-PMI conference that takes tomorrow.
The title is: Organizational Politics for People Who Hate Politics and here are some take-aways fr...
| | | BIAB - The first experiment - My hobby (creating outstanding hand-crafted beers) has many parallels to managing projects and is helping to crystallize my advice for life success for a future book.
Last week, I did my first Brew In A Bag (BIAB). I am very disappointed w...
| | | Was it as good for you as it was for me? - In the same evening this week, two presenters delivered their messages to the same audience. I had the privilege of being in the audience.
Presenter #1 had zero technology. No PowerPoint slides, no handouts. Just her amazing energy and ent...
| | | April 2011 campout - We had a great weekend campout this past weekend, with the Boy Scouts. Weather was good during the day and the overnight rain was a good experience for the scouts. Now, they know how to select a site and pitch a tent to stay dry when it rai...
| | | Positive Energy gives off Negative Vibes - Two fellows just rang the doorbell. My lovely wife answered the door, and one opened the screen door to enter the house (uninvited). My wife told them to close the door so that our bundle of joy (Freddie the cockerpoo) would stay inside.
...
| | | What's in your library? - What are you reading today, to increase your expertise and value tomorrow? I just finished reading Million Dollar Consulting (4th edition) yesterday, by Alan Weiss, and am currently reading the following:
1. Million Dollar Speaking (Alan W...
| | | Communication - We held a very successful event at Westchester PMI Professional Development Day this past weekend. I presented on the topic of communication.
As often happens, the presenters learns as much, or more, than the audience. When a few people ...
| | | What is in your future? - Holding my crystal ball up to the light in the first days of Spring, I see the following:
1. A week from today will be a fantastic event at the Westchester chapter of PMI. Thanks to outstanding efforts from dedicated volunteers, the 2011 P...
| | | What's Wayne been up to? - I have been sick for the past two weeks. Therefore, had no energy to blog, brew exotic new hand crafted ales, or write facebook notes. However, I did come across interesting food for thought. This sure beats anything you will find on daytim...
| | | Ice fishing - I went ice fishing yesterday, with great guys, in New Hampshire. It was the first time in my life that I took part in this hobby, first hand. Good experience and I have the photos to prove it.
How many fish did we come back with? Let's see...
| | | How to successfully transition executive project sponsorship - There will be turnover on any substantial IT project. Project team members come and go, subject matter experts move to new roles in the organization and as the executive project sponsor your focus is to keep a watchful eye on the final resu...
| | | Show me the plan - After leading and being part of more projects that you can remember, you develop a sixth sense for the health of a project. You get the sinking feeling in your gut when you observe certain behaviors and situations on the project.
For examp...
| | | Wayne's Wisdom, courtesy of Botha Basement Brewery - I am enjoying a hand crafted beer (ok - the 2nd one for this evening thus far), and pondering the events of this past week. As my Oupa often said "Life is a great game."
This past week:
1. I heard that a dear friend is getting divorced af...
| | | Rules of the Road for 2011 - I drove up to the drive-thru ATM, to deposit a check and withdraw cash. What do I find in front of me? A person who drove up, against the flow of traffic, which then put him on the wrong side of the ATM. No problem, he gets out of his truck...
| | | Wishing you a Happy and prosperous 2011 - January 1, 2011 - I hope you have a happy and prosperous year ahead of you. If you are like me, you will face challenges and opportunities in the new year, just like in years past. Loved ones will encounter health issues, inflation will mak...
| | | The scouting experience - I attended scout leader training this past weekend. We learned various components to be good scout masters that allow us to deliver on the promise of scouting for our scout troops. I have been involved in Boy Scouts of America for the past ...
| | | Masters Degrees in Project Management in USA - I am posting this here, for convenience to my readers. I have no financial interest in it. Andrea McDougal compiled an unbiased and updated list of every school that offers a master's degree in project management in the US. I trust that it...
| | | Improving your career options in 2011 - As we approach winter and the holiday season in the USA, now is the time to reflect on the past year and plan for 2011. There is no time like the present and the perceptual "down time" for the next few weeks is perfect for this annual ritua...
| | | Tips to balance project management work and family commitments - As a project manager, it can feel like you are the only person on the project who takes on additional responsibility to see the project through tough challenges. In other words, exemplifying "The buck stops here" mentality and putting in wh...
| | | Wednesday Humor - Humor to lighten up your day.
1. If you share a printer in the office, then you know that many people print out stuff and then just leave it on or around the printer. Today, like other days, I retrieved my printed documents off the shared...
| | | Generally, we are on track. Really? - Project managers deal in specifics, not generalisms. For example "Task #47 - Develop the module to interface with system ABC by next Wednesday" is clear and measurable.
My gut tells me that a project is probably in trouble when I hear gen...
| | | Why? - You have to ask yourself "Why?" when you find that some things just don't make sense. Do you also ponder on questions like these?
1. I recently acquired a top of the line, used exercise bicycle for an unbelievably low price. It is in great...
| | | Biking merit badge - 25 miles yesterday - Did 25 miles on the vintage Firenze GL5000 yesterday. 15 speeds are not enough up some hills. However, it is so sweet to fly downhill in top gear with warm muscles pumping, cruising past the slow lane. ...
| | | We want to change, but not to change too much - Thoughtful and truthful sermon at Wapping Community Church. We all want the benefits of change. We want:
1. Eat better.
2. Budget better with our money.
3. Yell less at the children.
4. Be better people
Going further for my audience, we c...
| | | Riding upwind - I am helping with a merit badge for Scout Troop 880 (The best troop in South Windsor, CT). Yesterday was windy and colder than ideal riding temperature. In this photo we are getting ready to set off for a 15 mile ride.
You can see my Fire...
| | | You know you are a homebrewer when ... - You see a coffee urn at a conference and wonder how you can turn it into a brew kettle.
You see a plastic bucket of paint and consider how it would work as a primary fermenter.
Your idea of a great time in the bar is to taste test as many...
| | | 2010 PMI NA LIM #4. Day 3 - Wrap up. Well worth it. - The 2010 PMI NA LIM is over. Today was a fabulous day.
The first great session covered the work that PMI is doing to link practitioners and academics. The challenge is "How do we get academics in need of project management research topics...
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