tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51500217777240501342024-03-12T20:33:44.371-07:00Gazza's CornerTips on project management, leadership and technical stuff.Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.comBlogger65110tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-36902462200042440292015-09-05T20:13:00.000-07:002015-09-06T02:28:10.077-07:00Can't wait to finish your project? Don't skip these essential steps!<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>I hate sanding. </b></span></h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No, I take that back. I really <i>dislike </i>sanding, but I hate the <i>thought </i>of sanding.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have done a lot of woodworking projects over the years, from building a few simple things of my own design, to refinishing nice pieces of old furniture. They were all DIY projects, and I must say that I like the finished product, or at least the <i>anticipation </i>of it, which is why I ended up starting all of those projects in the first place.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZwkdQVh914/VeuQSBOoUpI/AAAAAAAACN0/JuJJ5eCsFDU/s1600/Fotolia_48222550_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZwkdQVh914/VeuQSBOoUpI/AAAAAAAACN0/JuJJ5eCsFDU/s400/Fotolia_48222550_XS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, I will first say that I <i>did </i>finish all of those projects, but I readily admit that there were times in each project where I felt like, oh, I don't know, maybe<i> taking a few shortcuts</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because I <i>really, really hate </i>sanding.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I enjoy stripping back old furniture as layer after layer of old paint or darkened varnish slowly peels back to show the fine grain lines of the wood beneath. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I even put up with the occasional chemical burn if a bit of the stripper got past my gloves or brushed my arm. Of course, work stopped and I washed it off pretty quickly, but I was always keen to return and finish stripping the piece.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I take a lot of pride in my work - corners should be square, there should be no bumps, rough bits or holes in the wood, and the finished surface should feel perfectly smooth to the touch. You have to strip off <i>all </i>of the old finish, or it will become immediately obvious when you put new varnish on the old furniture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, where I struggle the most, and feel the most temptation to take a few shortcuts, or even do a half-ways job of it - is when it comes to <b><i>sanding</i></b>. You know, rubbing with those bits of paper with sand glued onto them, scraping off the rough bits of wood, removing the last bits of the previous finish, and making everything smooth and uniform, ready for the next stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sanding is <i>messy</i>, the dust goes everywhere - and it can take a long time to do as you go through finer and finer grades of sandpaper. 80 grit - then 120 - then 150 - then 220 and sometimes finer depending what you are doing. You have to clean the surface between sanding rounds as well - so each time you start with a better and better surface, and don't immediately gunk up the finer sandpaper with old dust.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When you are in the middle of it, it can seem like everything else before this stage went really quickly in comparison.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Especially if you hate sanding.</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The problem is that </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sanding is possibly the <i>most important</i> <i>part </i>of finishing the project, and is often neglected or done poorly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The paint will cover it</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How many times have you heard someone say, "Oh don't worry too much, the paint will hide the flaws."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have heard that lie plenty in my life - and that is what it is - a straight-out <b><i>lie</i></b>. I think it was started by someone who, like me, really hated sanding, and just wanted to get on with finishing the job.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because, let's face facts - when you have been working hard and are most of the way there and there are only a couple (painful, annoying or difficult) things remaining between where you are now and the finished product, it is very, very tempting to try and finish up those bits in the middle really quickly, maybe skip some of them, or just ignore them completely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because, as that infamous person said, "The paint will cover it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Sure - that nail head will disappear when you paint."</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Nah, that chip will just blend in."</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Don't worry about removing all of the old finish." </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Nobody will notice those small holes."</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Lies</b></i>, all of them. Well, they might actually be true when the lights are all off and you are sitting in the dark on the other side of the room - but that may be the only exception. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The truth is that the paint or varnish hides <i>nothing </i>- it actually highlights every single flaw you left behind. At some point of the day, in the changing light, you will be able to find every one of those flaws. And if you are like me, they will bug you - and be a constant reminder of a job not done to your best standard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other truth is that old, tired paint on old, battered furniture kind of fits together - sure it looks terrible, but what do you expect of an old piece of furniture? However, as soon as you put fresh paint on it, your <i>expectations </i>increase - and your eyes catch even more flaws than you did before. So if you did nothing more than repaint the wood piece, it actually will look <i>worse </i>than before, because it looks like you didn't care about doing the job properly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which is why - as much as I hate sanding,<i> I know that I need to do it</i>. Not only that, I need to do a <i>really good job of it</i>, or it will show - <i>always </i>- in the finished product.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9uChG5oA56M/VeuQpZnjhVI/AAAAAAAACN8/xgLSrT6d6Go/s1600/Fotolia_48222562_XS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9uChG5oA56M/VeuQpZnjhVI/AAAAAAAACN8/xgLSrT6d6Go/s400/Fotolia_48222562_XS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Surface Preparation - The foundation for success</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On DIY projects, sanding is a key aspect of <i>surface preparation</i>. Proper preparation of the surface helps to ensure that your finishing coat, be it paint or varnish, will adhere properly and last a long time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, you also have to get the 'bones' right - if you are building something new, corners should be square, you should use quality materials, and use your best craftsmanship when you put it all together. If you are refinishing something old, you need to make any required repairs and prepare the surface before you apply any new sealant.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But lest we get too focused on DIY, it is important to note that this same principle applies to your work projects as well, no matter your industry. </span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">True Grit </span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Every </b></i>project has its own elements of '<i>surface preparation' </i>that make the difference between a successful project and one you may be embarrassed about (i.e. a failure). These are the things that help make things 'stick', and allow you to successfully embed the changes delivered by your project into the organization so they last.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just like you need to work through the various grades of sandpaper from coarse to fine, you need to engage in key project activities in a certain order as well. If you don't, you can end up working too hard (starting with too fine a grit will take longer to get the job done, and use a lot more sandpaper), or destroying what work you have already done (using a coarse grit after a fine one will introduce deep scratches). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Note that this is not 'gold-plating', which involves extra, wasted effort on minor details - I am talking about <i>essential things</i> that make a material difference to project outcomes. There are three things that are commonly neglected to varying degees (particularly on failed projects).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mKvqA0dyhCA/VeuPQ5SdMxI/AAAAAAAACNs/JmTXDXNUIZs/s1600/Sandpaper-message.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mKvqA0dyhCA/VeuPQ5SdMxI/AAAAAAAACNs/JmTXDXNUIZs/s400/Sandpaper-message.png" width="283" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stakeholder Engagement [Starting Grit: 80 / Finishing Grit 320]</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On every good project, your
stakeholders should be involved right from the start. The problem is, on
some projects that is also when the engagement stops. "Tell us what you
want, and we'll deliver it to you sometime in the next year or so." Then, at the appointed time (often several months late), you handover the completed project outcomes to the stakeholders. "Ta-da!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are significant problems with that approach, aside from the fact you probably delivered something that did not quite match their expectations, because you did not keep in touch. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stakeholder engagement starts out like coarse grit sandpaper - it is the foundation you need to build upon to set the project up for success. It is important to start this early - there is no point in trying to engage your stakeholders at the end of the project, if you have mostly neglected them up until now. If you maintain open communication with your stakeholders, you will be keeping them engaged, as well as having them there to support you in making decisions when conditions change. If you have consistent, positive engagement with your stakeholders, you will smoothly progress through the 'grit' stages, from coarse to finer and super-fine, so that by the end of your project, your project outcomes are well received and delivered with a silky-smooth finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, should you fail to keep your stakeholders in the loop, you will revert straight back to 80-grit when things get tough. If you have not kept them close and up to speed, bringing them in for key decisions (or </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">during a crisis) can set you back to square one, with coarse <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">scratches all over your project (not to mention your reputation).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It won't necessarily take that much time out of your week to keep your stakeholders involved and aware of what is going on, but the cost of neglecting to do so can be high. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Change Management [Starting Grit: 120 / Finishing Grit 320]</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Change management is important to any project involving people - and the last time I checked, people request projects be done, and the outcomes are for people. Granted, some project deliverables may be mass-market products for the nameless masses, but even then there are aspects of change management that need to be considered. Are you retooling a production line? Who needs to be trained on how to manufacture the new product? Will you be getting questions from customers about the new product or its benefits?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most projects have some level of impact on your organization, or that of your customers, particularly if you are improving processes or changing how things are done if you introduce a new system.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This area can be a bit of a challenge - as we don't always how how things are going to change, exactly, when the project starts. However, you need to plan and prepare from an early stage of your project, developing and updating your communication plan and other tools as you learn more about the potential, specific impacts of your project, as well as continuing to learn more about your affected stakeholders. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you start early and keep smoothing off the rough edges as you go, you will usually end up with satisfied stakeholders, happy customers, and site references for your next big job. (You may also end up with a nice polished wood desk to put your feet up on).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you try to introduce "change management" near the end of your project (if at all), it will be a lot rougher on the stakeholders and project team alike. Nobody likes surprises, or being advised of changes last minute - particularly when they affect people's jobs or how they work. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It would be like pulling out a sheet of 120 grit and messing up the fine work you have done so far...but if you really botch it up, it could be far, far worse...think 80 grit, or perhaps even a metal rasp gouging chunks out of your fine piece of crafted wood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc5wf5Wcp7w/VeugPkcNHOI/AAAAAAAACOM/dQSHv2Uigh4/s1600/Fotolia_79821645_XS-flat.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc5wf5Wcp7w/VeugPkcNHOI/AAAAAAAACOM/dQSHv2Uigh4/s400/Fotolia_79821645_XS-flat.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc5wf5Wcp7w/VeugPkcNHOI/AAAAAAAACOM/dQSHv2Uigh4/s1600/Fotolia_79821645_XS-flat.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Training [Starting Grit 220 / Finishing Grit 320]</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some people may say that training is part of change management, and that is true - there are many facets to managing change. However, I have separated it out here because some people may think that all you need to do when you deliver the project is train people at the end, hand things over, and you are finished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While training of your average users will occur near the end of the project, preparation for that training needs to start well before then. You can't train people too early, or they will forget, and you will then need to retrain them. Train them at the right time - which will be close to the end of your project, generally - about when you would expect to be moving on from 150 grit to 220 grit, and then finishing up on a polished note with 320 grit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, if you neglect to prepare for and deliver appropriate training, or do half a job of it, it will be like someone stole your toolbox and you won't be able to finish off the job properly. You might get stuck with a 150 grit surface, with all of that shiny varnish showing up every fine scratch and flaw.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Go With The Grain</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When you are working with wood, you soon learn how important it is to sand "with" the grain - moving parallel to the lines in the wood. When you do this, the scratches of the successive finer and finer grit papers finally blend into the features of the wood, resulting in a 'polished finish'. However, if you sand <i>across the grain </i>- even with a relatively fine sandpaper, the scratches become very noticeable. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, people would just like to get through the project as quickly as possible so they can just "get it done". This is even more likely to happen when you are running behind schedule.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If your project has been going on for a long time, or has had many high-intensity periods, people get tired. They may be worn-out and are less likely to focus on details, or may want to skimp on the work left to be done. They may see these <i>extra </i>tasks on the project plan as unimportant, because they cannot see how they will make a difference in the big picture.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But make a difference they do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It takes <b>true grit</b> - <i>persistence </i>and <i>commitment </i>-
to make sure that your team does not take shortcuts or omit any key steps
because of time or cost pressure - or simply because people are getting
tired. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If they side-step the process, it can be just like dragging a sheet of sandpaper sideways across the grain, leaving tell-tale scratches. And just like sanding wood, if you take shortcuts like that to get off the board, it can end up taking even more effort to correct the problem and get the desired finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stay with the grain, do all of that "other" important work, like maintaining your stakeholder relationships, developing a good change management plan, and doing a decent job of training affected people. The results will be worth it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I still hate sanding - but I know that I have to do it properly as part of the final <i>surface preparation</i> - or it will show through and regularly remind me that I could have done a better job. Sometimes, the flaw is so visible or annoying that I need to repair it right away, and varnish is the most unforgiving substance on the planet. (Which is, frankly, a horrible job, as it requires stripping back to the bare wood and doing it all properly again...but some projects are like that).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On your projects, due care and attention to detail is important from start to finish - and make sure not to let the rough bits get through. Give the same level of committed effort to '<i>surface preparation' </i>as the rest of your project, and this will help ensure that things go smoothly so you can finish your project and hand it over with pride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck on your projects, and remember to keep some sandpaper handy to deal with the rough patches.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Email: <a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank">Gary Nelson, PMP </a></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gazzasguides.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.gazzasguides.com" border="0" height="85" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aTVjRmtmQCM/VeusM_FBXAI/AAAAAAAACOc/36VQIwydY2U/s400/Blog-footer-image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-67716546164789319652014-11-07T23:47:00.001-08:002015-06-30T01:57:21.676-07:00Why we should choose to have less choice<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>[<a href="http://podcast.gazzascorner.com/2014/11/049-why-should-we-choose-to-have-less.html" target="_blank">Also available as a podcast</a>]</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone likes to have <b>choice</b>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No, that's not quite correct. These days people <i>demand </i>choice, especially in the arena of consumer goods and services. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The <i>more </i>choice the better, it would seem - or at least the manufacturers would have you think so, as you try to pick out a new cell phone from the hundreds of similar models available on any given day. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pT0ljNU0ONA/VF3AUX9TQUI/AAAAAAAAB_k/nK2TYf1FFA4/s1600/Choice%2BFotolia_43362365_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pT0ljNU0ONA/VF3AUX9TQUI/AAAAAAAAB_k/nK2TYf1FFA4/s1600/Choice%2BFotolia_43362365_XS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fotolia_43362365_XS</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But the truth is we don't handle choice all that well. Choice means <i>change </i>and <i>uncertainty </i>- and offering too much choice can literally stop you in your tracks - or make you leave the shop dazed and confused, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">without buying anything</span>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let's look at another example - a common product consumed by millions every day, to which many seem utterly addicted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, I am talking about <b>coffee</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Up until the late 1970's / early 1980's in North America, there was just <i>coffee</i>. Plain old coffee with a few, limited choices - filtered, or percolated. You could add milk (homogenized, 2% or skim), full cream, or just black - and a few lumps of sweetener if you preferred (sugar, honey, or artificial sweetener).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Somehow, people managed to get by - for hundreds of years - with simple coffee choices. However, if you think about it, there was actually a lot of choice to work with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 brewing styles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 liquid mix type options </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3 sweetener type options</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">= (2 x 5 x 3) = 30 basic combinations to satisfy your caffeine cravings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, of course it was not really that simple. You also needed to consider <i>quantities </i>- large, medium or small coffee, how much milk, and don't forget whitener powders - and how many spoons or sachets of sweetener. Oh, and don't forget the different types of coffee beans, and a few flavored coffee beans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Suddenly, you could easily have 300-400 different combinations that somehow need to be filtered through before you finally get your cup of coffee.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's enough to make you quite anxious - so you'd better have a coffee to settle those nerves. <i>Agh!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, we all managed pretty well with that level of caffeine choice. Because once you had tried a few variants, you generally found one you liked, and most people stuck with that. Suddenly, there was no more "choice" when you ordered coffee - you selected your preferred combination, and all would be well until they ran out of one of your ingredients, and you had to make do with 2% instead of full cream. For many, it was an unsettling event, because they had to make a <i>new </i>choice, and <i>choice </i>meant <i>change</i>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Getting that old cup of coffee was pretty quick too - someone usually had a pot on a warming plate, and a waitress would come and 'warm up your cup', then you carried on your conversation while sipping your plain, old fashioned cheap cup of coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because plain and cheap it was - and frankly, pretty horrible compared to much of today's coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thank goodness for the widespread adoption of expresso-based coffee - it definitely changed our lives. But aside from the huge increase in price and upward trend in quality, was it really for the better?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A Better Cup</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, the pace of change has us rushing around trying to do more things with less (and less time) than we have ever experienced before. We are expected to produce our outputs faster - and so in turn, we expect those who serve us to be faster too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That might be fine except for one big problem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the same time that more demands are being placed on everyone, everyone also wants to have more <b>choice </b>while they are at it. We want it all, in seventeen color options, twelve sizes to choose from - and we want it to be the best quality, the cheapest price and we want it delivered this afternoon, between 3:45 and 4:05pm (otherwise the delivery will be free, it says so on the sign).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YghkLZdxRdk/VF3DvqDLDFI/AAAAAAAAB_4/AQ_DBYdIgu4/s1600/Colour%2BChoice%2BFotolia_59505063_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YghkLZdxRdk/VF3DvqDLDFI/AAAAAAAAB_4/AQ_DBYdIgu4/s1600/Colour%2BChoice%2BFotolia_59505063_XS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fotolia_59505063_XS</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or at least, we think we want that much choice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Think back to your projects for a minute.</b></i> Are you more successful in getting a change request approved when you provide the project sponsor twenty-seven different options and costs - or when you offer them only two or three options to choose from?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It must be twenty-seven options, right? Because we all want as much choice as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Wrong!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your sponsor does not want to work that hard - they simply don't have the time to review all of the combinations, because they have other priorities and projects to attend to. So they leave the meeting in disgust, confused about all of the options, and uncertain about your ability to lead the project. Not a great outcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what do you do? You sift through those twenty seven options, rationalize them at the project team level, apply some stringent criteria, a dash of <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2014/11/a-practical-case-study-in-cost-benefit.html" target="_blank">cost-benefit analysis</a>, and you manage to whittle the list of potential options down to two or three (but no more than four). Better yet, as you reduced the set of options, you also spent more time discussing and documenting the various costs, benefits, risks and other factors that apply to each option.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So the next time you meet with the project sponsor (giving them ample reading time ahead of the meeting), you sit down with them, discuss the smaller set of options, and the pros and cons of each. The sponsor quickly makes a decision, and signs off the request. They leave the meeting ten minutes early with a smile, because that's just enough time to get a nice coffee from the cafe on the corner before their next meeting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More choices cause <i>anxiety</i>, <i>stress </i>and <i>uncertainty </i>- because most people simply can't handle a large number of options very well at all. We want it <i>simple</i>, and we want the decision to be <i>easy</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drive-Thru</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not only does too much choice cause anxiety and stress, it also wastes a lot of <i>time</i>. Think of all the time you stood staring at the shelf when you were shopping for an item that had a lot of choices available. You would take one box off the shelf, stare at it, read the details, then pick a similar looking box off the shelf. You would study that one, hesitate, put one of them back, then pick an other. Thirty or forty minutes later, you have only managed to move a few steps along the aisle, and are no closer to making a decision. Twenty-three more options left to consider.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"But wait</i>," you say -<i> "The more choice there is, the longer it takes to consider the options. That's just straight math. And you don't want to make a bad choice!"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well true, but how do you know if you will actually make the best choice anyway? Plus, standing there for so long just makes a person thirsty. Time for another coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cT_H5BegDQ0/VF3CEwSSEnI/AAAAAAAAB_s/esn2AhO6fC4/s1600/Coffee%2BFotolia_46409905_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cT_H5BegDQ0/VF3CEwSSEnI/AAAAAAAAB_s/esn2AhO6fC4/s1600/Coffee%2BFotolia_46409905_XS.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fotolia_46409905_XS</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Years ago I was in Houston, heading off to the customer office with three colleagues. It was a bit of a ritual to stop and get a good expresso coffee on the way to a customer site; especially as the coffee was covered under your daily meal expense limit. Otherwise it was too expensive to have every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We were running a few minutes behind, but the driver pulled into the drive-through lane of a popular expresso coffee chain anyway, driven to have that quality caffeine fix. The line of vehicles moved very slowly, which made us more and more anxious as we realized we were going to be late - the question now was by how much.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"They are so sloooow," one colleague complained.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"It would have been faster to go in," commented another.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"What's taking so long?" asked the driver, banging one hand on the steering wheel. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, we got up to the window, and I realized the nature of the problem as my colleagues placed their orders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Grande Trim Half-Caf Mochachino, two sugars and a twist of lemon."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Vente Caramel machiatto, triple shot, full foam, with the caramel swirl on the top."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Vente triple shot americano, whipped cream on top and three sugars on the side."</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then it was my turn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Vente. Hazelnut. Latte" I quickly rattled off, then turned to my colleagues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"You know, the reason the line takes so long is because coffee orders like yours are so complicated. It's your fault!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They were not impressed, but I had learned something important. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes <i>too much choice</i> can be a <i>bad </i>thing. This is especially true when the customer is upset you are late, and even more so because you wasted that extra time getting your <i>fancy </i>coffee. As the meeting starts, they sit glaring at you, sipping the filtered office coffee they had made especially for you. Not the best way to start the first day of meetings with a new customer.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Simple Choice</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A year later, I was in Memphis working for another end client. My colleagues who had been working there for a while took me out for dinner and to see the sights. We wandered into the famous <a href="http://www.peabodymemphis.com/" target="_blank">Peabody Hotel</a>, which is well known for its house ducks who live on the roof. Every day they are escorted down the elevator, then waddle out onto the red carpet and over to the fountain in the lobby. They spend a good portion of the day paddling about in the fountain, and then in the late afternoon, they hop out of the fountain, and follow the bellman back into the elevator, and back up to their other home on the roof. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I never managed to be there at the right time to see the ducks, but I loved hearing the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we exited the lobby, we crossed the street and began walking down a poorly lit alley. I had worked with these people for several years, so I was not overly concerned, but something did not feel right walking down an alley in Memphis in the evening. Memphis was known at the time to have some violent neighborhoods, and I didn't know enough to tell if we were going into one. So I held back, just a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But my colleagues walked on, motioning me past the second dumpster, and down a brick stairwell. We entered a very crowded BBQ restaurant called the <a href="http://www.hogsfly.com/" target="_blank">Rendezvous</a>, and politely made our way through the crowd to the hostess desk. Within a few minutes, we were escorted on a winding trail through the restaurant, then seated at a large table. The place was packed full, with barely enough room to pull the chairs back from the table. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As soon as we were seated, a brusque older waiter pushed between the tables and put a loaf of cut white bread on the plastic red-and-white checkered table cloth. He pulled out a pen and a pad of paper from his apron pocket, and sized up the table.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Sweet or unsweet?" he asked.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He was talking about iced tea. Each person quickly replied with their selection. Someone tried to order a Coke and he just glared at them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Um, sweet, I guess," they stammered. He nodded.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then he pointed his pen at each person around the table. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"You'll have one pound of ribs. You- big guy, pound and a half at least. You - one pound. You - two pounds. You - one pound," and so on as he worked around the table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Wet or dry?" he asked, pointing his pen at me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"What?" I asked, not knowing what he meant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The colleague to my left whispered "BBQ Sauce on your ribs, or dry rubbed spices. Choose dry."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Um, Dry please," I said, then the others made their selection.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He nodded, and tucked the pen back into his apron. "Be out with the corn bread shortly."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And that was it. A full meal ordered - and we only made two small choices each. The rest were made <i>for </i>us - and we were not even <i>allowed </i>to choose a different type of drink. At first, I was a bit annoyed - but as dinner arrived and I worked my way through the best rack of ribs I have ever had in my life, I decided it didn't matter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just like the scenario with the sponsor of your project, sometimes having <i>limited choice</i> is the best thing for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choice is a double-edged sword. If you have too few options, you won't be confident that you are choosing the right thing - you may feel you are missing something important. But too many choices can quickly deadlock your thinking process, as you get bogged down in confusing and often conflicting details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The key is to reduce the dizzying number of options down to a manageable few - as soon as it is practical to do so. A shop keeper who provides too many options risks losing sales, just as a shop with only one or two options for an item might lose out to a competitor with a couple more product choices. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In many situations, simplifying the options comes down to <b>trust</b>. When you research a larger group of potential options and reduce those down to a manageable number for your sponsor to review, they should be confident that you have done your research, and have discarded many of the less appealing or impractical options in a sensible fashion. As you present the clear pros and cons of the remaining options, it makes their decision-making that much easier, and their trust and respect for you will likely grow as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, if you did not do a good job of providing a reasonable (defensible) set of final options for your sponsor to consider, they may not trust your judgement the next time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In day to day life, we really don't need that many choices. What is the big difference between all those different cellphone models, anyway? Will you use all of those features? Probably not. Just pick the blue one and be done with it - you will save at least an hour you could be spending eating ribs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or maybe you just want to sit down, unwind and have your vente half-caf machiatto with a caramel swirl on top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey, not <i>all </i>choice is bad!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our waiter in the Rendezvous was actually quite famous - the "grumpy waiter" was well known in the city, and I was glad to have been served by him. He passed away a few years later - a loss to the city, but I am sure the ribs are still just as good.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck with your projects, and if you ever make it to Memphis, make sure to go to the Rendezvous restaurant.<i> </i>I recommend <i>sweet </i>and <i>dry </i>- and that may be the only choice you need to make!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Email: <a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank">Gary Nelson, PMP </a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<img alt="http://www.gazzasguides.com" border="0" height="121" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7pKsjwnG0/U5qh1dL52hI/AAAAAAAAB3U/49pvFlctNOU/s1600/Gazzas+Guide+and+Books+Logo-CROP.PNG" width="400" /></div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-76153389035031781032014-11-02T01:21:00.000-07:002014-11-15T01:33:45.271-08:00A Practical Case Study in Cost-Benefit Analysis - did you want Popcorn with that?
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>[<a href="http://podcast.gazzascorner.com/2014/11/048-practical-case-study-in-cost.html" target="_blank">Also available as a podcast</a>]</i> </span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cost-Benefit Analysis</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>A process by which you weigh expected costs against expected benefits to determine the best (or most profitable) course of action.<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/cost-benefit-analysis">http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/cost-benefit-analysis</a></span></i><br /><br />A few years ago I was at a customer site in Independence, Missouri. It is a classic American town, sitting on the eastern edge of Kansas City. One of the advantages of working for a company with a wide-spread customer base was that I had the opportunity to visit a lot of different places. <br /><br />When money has been spent to get you there, you had better make the most of it - so you maximize the hours you spend with the customer. However, when the working day is done there is an opportunity for personal benefit and exploration as well. So wherever I went, I made sure to learn about the local history and try to see a few attractions.<br /><br />It's all about maximizing the <i>value </i>for the <i>cost </i>- which is the primary basis for <i><b>cost-benefit analysis</b></i>. In this case, the personal cost was not financial, but in time away from family - so it was worth my while to see the sights that I could in the time that I had. Especially when somebody else had already paid to get me there.<br /><br />With a population of 119,000 Independence is more like a small city, but they have preserved their identity and character despite the closeness to their larger next door neighbor, Kansas City (pop 467,000). It's just what you might expect from a town called <i>Independence</i>.<br /><br />Although I was only there for a few days, I made the most of my visit and thoroughly enjoyed having a look around the place while I was there. Few attractions were open after working hours, but I did manage to fit in a tour of the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/hstr/index.htm" target="_blank">Harry S. Truman national historic site</a> before it closed for the day. It was a nice southern-style building - not huge, not opulent - but it was a good, solid building with nice architectural features.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ8DZWtvlvA/VEsSpG-sxPI/AAAAAAAAB-E/IiLTN2vZ4vc/s1600/HarrySTrumanSite.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ8DZWtvlvA/VEsSpG-sxPI/AAAAAAAAB-E/IiLTN2vZ4vc/s1600/HarrySTrumanSite.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: Wikipedia (cc) Nationalparks</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In fact, it was his family home. We were only allowed to tour the downstairs, as Bess Truman wrote into her will that in order to protect her family's privacy, the second floor was to remain closed until the death of her daughter, Margaret. Though Margaret died in 2008, the second floor has remained closed in order to better preserve the home.<br /><br />For a President who took America from its traditional isolationism into the age of international involvement, it was a sign of his firm connection with his roots that he and his family lived in this same comfortable house since his marriage in 1919 until his wife Bess died in 1982. Having visited a number of other presidential national historic sites, this was the one that I liked the most. Unlike the imposing columns and the expansive property of Mount Vernon, this felt like somewhere a <i>real </i>person lived - not someone larger than life.<br /><br />The next evening, I finished work too late to see any other historic sites, so I decided to see a movie. At least, that was the plan.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'd like a ticket, please</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Someone at the office had recommended a theatre that was a short drive away in Overland Park. There were closer theatres, and it was about a half hour drive, but they said it would be worth it.<br /><br />So off I went, picking up a sub sandwich on the way. I still had it in the bag when I arrived at the theatre - I wanted to make sure I would be there early enough to get a ticket and the movie was starting in an hour. The way the person at the office had talked it up, I was a bit concerned about a full house.<br /><br />I parked, locked the car and walked up toward the ticket window of the <a href="https://local.yahoo.com/info-17916338-rio-theater-overland-park-overland-park" target="_blank">Rio Theatre</a>. It was a building with an art-deco style facade, with plenty of neon lights wrapping around the sign board showing the name of the movie.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUtD8mQkkwk/VEtTi6nNeII/AAAAAAAAB-U/TSr0WiDFWVA/s1600/Rio%2BFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUtD8mQkkwk/VEtTi6nNeII/AAAAAAAAB-U/TSr0WiDFWVA/s1600/Rio%2BFront.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image source: local.yahoo.com </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I reached the ticket window, a young man smiled at me through the glass.<br /><br />"Can I help you?"<br /><br />"I'd like to but a ticket for the 7:00 movie, please."<br /><br />"That'll be eight dollars."<br /><br />I opened my wallet and handed him a twenty. He passed back a ticket and twelve dollars in change.<br /><br />I was tucking the change into my wallet when he said "Um, we need three more."<br /><br />"What?" I asked, looking at first at my wallet, then back at him.<br /><br />"We need three more people before we can open the door."<br /><br />I looked to the side and saw eight people waiting in their cars. The parking lot was otherwise empty. "Why?"<br /><br />The young man sighed. "We need at least twelve people or it costs more in electricity to run the projector than we take in ticket sales."<br /><br />"Huh," I said.<br /><br />"If we don't get enough, we will refund you," he half-smiled. "Don't go far."<br /><br />"Okay..." I said, as I turned and walked back towards my car. I looked at the other people sitting in their cars. A couple glanced in my direction.<br /><br />I went back to my car and unwrapped my dinner. As I ate, I watched the ticket window. About fifteen minutes later I was finishing up my sub as four more people arrived. They seemed to study the playbills off to the side of the ticket window for a long time. <br /><br />Come on, come on, I thought, checking my watch.<br /><br />Finally, they walked up to the ticket window. Money was exchanged, tickets were handed over and five car doors opened.<br /><br />The art deco theme continued inside. I bought some refreshments and went inside the theatre itself and took a seat near the back. It was well appointed, with hidden lighting along the walls. There was open floor space along the sides, and I sat in a spacious dark brushed velvet seat as I took in the art-deco framed rich velvet curtains at the front. It wasn't over-done, and you could easily imagine people dressed to the nines coming in for an evening's entertainment of moving pictures. I looked all around the theatre while the lights were still on, taking it all in.<br /><br />I was almost disappointed when the lights dimmed for the movie.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNz1Eb4_99o/VEtUdakwNrI/AAAAAAAAB-k/SXqmzQGmkMU/s1600/Rio%2BScreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNz1Eb4_99o/VEtUdakwNrI/AAAAAAAAB-k/SXqmzQGmkMU/s1600/Rio%2BScreen.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image source: local.yahoo.com</span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />An hour and a half or so later the movie finished and the lights came back on. The movie itself was OK, but being able to experience the obvious care and attention to detail in this beautiful art-deco style fine arts cinema was, to me, more than worth the price of admission.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is it worth it?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On your projects, there will be many decisions to make that incorporate cost-benefit analysis. From the initial decision to start your project (or not), through scoping, requirements analysis, stage gates and all of the many change requests that may arise, opportunity assessments and risk response decisions, there will always be some level of cost-benefit analysis.<br /><br />You also apply it regularly in your own life - for example, when you walk by an <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2012/06/developing-exceptional-requirements.html" target="_blank">ice cream store</a>, you may pause to consider whether to go in. <br /><br /><i>Is a sweet, creamy cold dessert worth parting with a few dollars? </i><br /><br />Of course! So you go in and look at the board above the counter. <br /><br /><i>What flavor to choose? </i><br /><br />Well, there are so many good ones - why not have more than one? Suddenly you have two cost-benefit decisions to make, all at once. If you buy two or three scoops, you get more taste variety for your tongue, and sure the cost is a bit more - but are those extra calories really worth it? <br /><br /><i>Maybe I should just get two scoops, not three. </i><br /><br />So you wrestle with the options, and settle on two scoops. You can't have just one scoop, you reason - it would be lonely (or any other weak justification for having that second scoop). But you feel better (or less guilty) about not having the <i>third </i>scoop, even though you had enough change left over to get it.<br /><br />In your projects, just as in life, there will be trade-offs, compromises, and value judgments. Some may require formal business cases with explicit hard expected benefits and deliverables for the estimated cost. Many more decisions will be less formal, in the day to day decision making of the project manager. But it is rarely going to be black and white.<br /><br />In addition to any financial benefits from your project, you also need to consider other factors such as:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will this give you a lead in the market?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will this provide an enhanced customer experience?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will this improve safety?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will the benefits outweigh possible risks?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will it give us an ongoing return? What will it be?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will this save money on the project, or in operations?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will it keep the stakeholders happy? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do we even want to do it? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and so on.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Often, you will be considering the expertise and opinions of others when you do your cost-benefit analysis. This may be in the form of your best friend being a sounding board about that third scoop - or you may be presenting a case to your Project Board, who will make the final decision based on the best available information for significant decisions.<br /><br />But when it comes down to it, in your projects and in life, when you factor in the various considerations, diagnoses, opinions, research and the myriad options that can feed into a decision - the basic question is simply "<i><b>is it worth it?</b></i>"</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The truth is that we don't always know what the right decision will be, even when we make it with the best available knowledge. The theatre had their own baseline cost-benefit decision they had to make at every showing of a movie. On most nights it would not even come into play - but on a quiet Wednesday night, that is the scenario I came across.<br /><br />They had a hard-cost factor to consider. The electricity cost to run the projector for a movie was around $100, or so the young man at the ticket booth claimed. They needed 12 tickets to be sold to be close to covering that cost; it was their baseline threshold and without that many seats sold, there would be no movie. <br /><br />For me, the cost-benefit formula was a bit different. When I first arrived at the ticket booth, I had just been planning to see a current movie, at a reasonable price. My colleague had talked up the theatre, so I was willing to drive thirty minutes to go to the Rio, rather than the one five minutes away from my hotel. By the time I got there, it would not have been worth driving back to a different theatre. So I waited, uncertain if I would be able to see the movie and getting slightly annoyed. But it was still was worth waiting, rather than giving up and heading back to the hotel.<br /><br />It had never occurred to me that there also might be something special inside the theatre. The person at the office had said it was a nice theatre, but had not gone into specifics. Had I known what I would see inside (forget about the movie for a minute), I may have been prepared to make a different decision.<br /><br />Looking back at it, and considering how far I had come to see this one-screen theatre (half an hour plus several thousand miles from home), the likelihood that I may never come to this area again, and what I would experience inside the theatre, I would have been prepared to make a different cost-benefit decision up-front.<br /><br />I would have been happy to pay for <i>two </i>or even <i>three </i>tickets, just to make sure the movie ran - and so I could have that opportunity to experience the art deco interior.<br /><br />On the other hand, I am not sure it would have been worth buying up a <i>fourth </i>ticket. It was a very nice theatre - but $24 to see it would probably have been my limit. Also, as they only took cash, that was a limiting factor as well - I needed some money left over for popcorn and a drink.<br /><br />Decor is nice to look at, but a movie without popcorn is just not the same.<br /><br />Good luck with your projects, and if you ever get to Kansas City, make sure to go to the <a href="https://local.yahoo.com/info-17916338-rio-theater-overland-park-overland-park" target="_blank">Rio Theatre in Overland Park</a>. It will be well worth it - even if you need to buy an extra ticket.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Email: <a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank">Gary Nelson, PMP </a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<img alt="http://www.gazzasguides.com" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7pKsjwnG0/U5qh1dL52hI/AAAAAAAAB3U/49pvFlctNOU/s1600/Gazzas+Guide+and+Books+Logo-CROP.PNG" height="121" width="400" /></div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-19635968159218238782014-10-24T01:37:00.000-07:002014-11-15T00:37:24.097-08:00Why we all need a little Project FIRST AID<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>[<a href="http://podcast.gazzascorner.com/2014/11/047-why-we-all-need-little-project.html" target="_blank">Also available as a podcast]</a></i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently attended an Outdoor First Aid course at Camp Waingaro, which is an old scout hall nestled in 19 hectares of New Zealand bush. Quite a long way from anywhere - or at least it felt like it when I found that I could no longer get a cellphone signal. It was a beautiful site, surrounded on three sides by a creek that wound its way down the valley.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I initially thought it would be something of a refresher course, as I had attended first aid courses before, but in many respects this was an entirely new experience.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Granted, the last in-depth First Aid course I took was over 30 years ago - but as it turned out I had remembered most of the basic concepts I needed to know over all of that time. The first day of the course was a lot of theory - with some practical exercises using CPR dummies, various bandages, how to deal with choking and so on. Of course, some practices and techniques have changed over the years - in fact, some first aid practices seem to change every few years as they learn more and best practices change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On occasion, I have had to use my first aid skills in the past - beyond the basics of blisters, small cuts, splinters and burns. One was a full-out mountain rescue involving a victim 200 feet (61m) down a steep slope, his near-vertical evacuation and the treatment for scrapes, lacerations and embedded gravel. Years after that, I had to deal with a victim who had become engulfed in flame. It was a long drive to hospital as we worked to cool and protect his burns. Fortunately, both victims fully recovered.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it had been a long time since my initial training, I was nervous when I first arrived at the course, but I grew progressively more confident throughout the day as we covered familiar topics. However, things changed when we got into the practical outdoor scenarios the next morning. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.projectkidsadventures.com/tuthp" target="_blank"><img alt="www.projectkidsadventures.com/tuthp" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-da9w8wBow0k/VEVbFBmVF4I/AAAAAAAAB9s/pVty_9dZYvs/s1600/Chapter%2B11_colour_web.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) 2012 Mathew Frauenstein</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it all hit the fan,</span> I felt like I knew almost nothing.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not all practice is the same</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fairness, I had retained most of the basic first aid knowledge I had learned. How to splint, how to bandage, how to check for shock - and the dozens of other key things you need to be able to do when you come across an injured person. I am reasonably confident that if someone came up to me with a moderate injury, I would be able to do an acceptable first-aid treatment on it - hey, I had done it before, a number of times. All good, right? <i>Bring on the scenarios!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It was not quite so easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scenarios were setup for us on the fly - and even though the accident makeup was pretty basic, the situations themselves were common ones - and so by their nature, disturbingly believable. We all took turns playing the role of victim and rescuer/first aider. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If that had been all there was to it, it would have been relatively simple - in theory, anyway.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But - as we all learn sooner or later - theory falls down flat when you hit the practical stuff.</span><br />
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Note</b>: It is very
hard to remain "unconscious" while you are getting numerous bug bites,
lying face down in the gravel. However, if I had moved, I would have
spoiled the scenario - and affected their treatment response. Ouch!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our scenarios did not involve <i>one </i>victim or even <i>two</i>. The first scenario involved <i>four</i> victims with various injuries, and two bystanders who caused more problems - with one quickly becoming another victim. Pretty messy - and the dozen would-be first aiders frankly botched the overall situation pretty badly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time to regroup, and go back into class for a lessons learned session. </span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's not just "First Aid" </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What we were beginning to learn was not just the first aid skills for helping a victim - but the <i>management</i> <i>and coordination of a team </i>while in an emergency situation. We were practicing trying to keep things together until higher-level medical help could arrive. That, or evacuate to a safe point; in the bush you could be a long way from help - hours or sometimes days depending on the conditions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What occurred to me as I was driving home from the course and scratching my bug bites was that many of the same skills we were required to exhibit under pressure were the same ones we use on projects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, when you get right down to the bare bones of it, every one of those scenarios had the characteristics of a <i><b>project</b></i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each scenario had:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Requirements (Scope) </b>- "Help the injured victims, and do what we can to keep them safe and alive." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Time </b>- There was not a lot of
it, as we had to stabilize the patients quickly. We needed to get them to help as
soon as possible- which in reality could also involve a lot of waiting.
Time will run fast - and slow - while you are waiting for help to come.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Uniqueness</b>- every scenario was unique, and outcomes were unpredictable. Victims had been advised to change their reactions throughout the 20-30 minute scenarios, depending what the first-aiders did to treat them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Planning </b>- We had
to constantly plan and re-plan on how we were going to deal with each
victim, how to manage the rest of the group, what to do if we had to
wait for hours or days for help, and so on. No gantt charts, but it was
planning just the same.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Scope Creep</b> - for
example, in the shape of a rapidly rising creek or river, where everyone
suddenly needed to be moved to higher ground. Conditions do change, so you need
to be able respond. <i>For once, no formal Change Requests needed to be signed off by the Project Board!</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Stakeholders </b>- The victims, the other members of the group and witnesses (who all may be distressed and either interfere, help or become another victim), and Emergency Services (who were hopefully on the way soon after being contacted).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Assessment of skills</b>/</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Task Assignments</b></span> - Who is the best person for the job? Don't use your best first-aider as a runner, and if someone vomits at the sight of blood, get them to help the one with the sprained ankle instead of the amputee.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Leadership </b>- A key element of handling any situation - and as we found out in our first couple scenarios - if you are missing this, the whole situation can fall apart fast.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Prioritization (triage) </b>- Who was injured the most badly? Who needed help the quickest - the one gushing blood, the one with a sprained ankle, the one who chopped off his arm, or the one with a head injury? At first glance it may seem obvious, but you also need to take a second look (a secondary survey) to make sure you didn't miss something serious. Re-prioritization may often be required.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Communication </b>- With the patient, with each other, with the leader, with emergency services. Regular updates were required throughout the scenario, between the first aiders and to all the stakeholders. <br /><br />Note<i>:</i> The <i>lack </i>of communication in the scenarios was just as important - today we live in such a connected world it it hard to imagine not being able to make a cell phone call. However, the geography of the camp and the lack of cell signal was a visible reminder that you need to be prepared to communicate in other ways - and that you will probably need to send the fastest runners to go for help.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cost </b>and <b>Resources </b>- We had limited supplies and people to help, and the the primary currency for cost was in saving lives - though you won't always be able to save them all.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Execution </b>of the plan (not the patient). </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition, we had to deal with: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Stakeholder engagement </b>- If there are people milling around not helping (or getting in the way), get them <i>involved </i>with something they can do to help - or <i>keep them out of the way</i>. Keep them occupied and in a safe area away from the emergency scene - so they don't become (or create) another victim.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Coaching/Positive encouragement</b>
- Everyone responds better with a clear head and a sense of optimism - both the patients and the first aiders. "Hey buddy, we saved your arm
and are keeping it cool so they can try to sew it back on later" or
"That splinter's not too big, we'll get that cleaned up." <br /><br />The situation
might also require you to <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2014/03/is-your-project-team-like-light-switch.html" target="_blank">bolster the spirits of your team</a> - First Aid is hard, draining work. If they wear out and get discouraged, the patients will be at risk - and so will your team.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So yes, in a very real sense, we were dealing with <i><b>projects</b></i>. Certainly not Waterfall (though you might have someone fall over one), and not exactly Agile - but high-urgency, unplanned, emergency projects where conditions can and do change from minute to minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a thought-provoking weekend, and </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took a way a few essential lessons that you can apply to any project. A</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ll it takes is a little FIRST AID.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">F.I.R.S.T. A.I.D.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Every project needs a little First Aid - and you might argue that some projects need it more than others. So let's open up our kits and begin.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[F]ind out what the problem is</b> - and if there is <i>more than one </i>problem. You may be able to clearly see the challenges in front of you, but what about the guy behind the tree with an axe in his leg? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On your projects, this is all about determining the scope / requirements - what it is we are trying to do, what are our goals, what are the pain points and problems the project is intended to solve. Do you have a clear handle on what you need to do? Better check the bushes to make sure you didn't miss something important. In other words, you need to <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2012/06/developing-exceptional-requirements.html" target="_blank">validate your requirements</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[I]dentify who is the best leader for the situation</b>, and who can take charge of each case or patient. This might not be pre-determined, as your regular "<a href="http://gazzaconsulting.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/leadership-ten-attributes-of-effective.html" target="_blank">leader</a>" may be incapacitated or unavailable. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On your project, <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2012/08/leadership-on-developing-teams-are-you.html" target="_blank">leadership roles can and do change</a>. Sure - you are the Project Manager, but you need other people to take on different leadership roles as well - each of your team leads focused on different deliverables, for example. Besides, I am sure you will want to take a vacation some time, or might be down with the flu. In those situations you will need to have a second-in-command to keep things running while you are away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[R]ecognize your limitations</b>. You can't solve every problem or fix every situation, at least not on your own. You need the skills of a <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2013/10/have-you-exploited-your-project-team.html" target="_blank">competent team</a> around you, and you need to share the load.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When administering CPR they recommend you take turns every 200 compressions - that is a change-over every <i>two minutes</i>! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Pah! That's not very long - I can do it longer!"</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Warning - </b>If you 'tough it out' and stick to it for 10 minutes, it will take you 20 minutes to recover. If you swap every two minutes, it will take you only two minutes to recover. If you only have two rescuers including yourself, two-minute stints can keep the patient alive for a long time. With only the two of you taking ten minute stints, in twenty minutes you will both be <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2013/07/too-high-too-fast-project-asphyxiation.html" target="_blank"><span id="goog_817498279"></span>exhausted</a> <span id="goog_817498280"></span>- and your patient will be at a greater risk of dying because you over-did it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2012/10/from-playground-to-olympics-what-not-to.html" target="_blank"><b><i>Don't be a 'hero'</i></b></a> - let others help, and you will collectively avoid burnout. You may even save a life - or your project.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[S]tabilize the situation</b>,any which way you can. If your project is running off the rails, it is essential that you regroup, assess the situation and <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2012/07/lather-rinse-repeat-why-we-need-to-re.html" target="_blank">re-plan</a>. When you identify what the current burning issues are, you have a better chance of dealing with them. Letting things run along un-checked is definitely not acceptable - and the best way to get back into some semblance of control is to gather your team together to tackle it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In an emergency situation, it is not only the patients you need to stabilize - it is the whole situation and all the people in it. If you have other [healthy] people you are responsible for (children or adults), it is important to make sure that they are care for - and most importantly, keep them out of trouble. Boredom can kill - sometimes literally.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[T]ake a deep breath</b>. One or two, or maybe count to ten. Taking a moment to pause and reflect will reduce stress in any situation. Smell the roses, take a short breather when things get overwhelming on your projects. You will find that things are not necessarily as bad as you think.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Tip:</b> Those deep breaths are good, but not too many too close together. (In other words, don't hyperventilate - or you may need some First Aid yourself!)</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[A]ssign tasks to others</b>. Unless your project is very, very small, you will have a team of people to work on your project. It may be big or small, but it is essential that you delegate and assign responsibility for various project tasks to be completed. You can't do it all on your own, and it is a delusion to think that only you can do it the best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In an emergency situation, it is critical to have an assigned 'patient leader' for each patient, even if more than on person is required to assist. The patient leader will be helping the patient but also keeping track of vitals and other information about the patient, ready to pass that on to the situation leader, so they can communicate with emergency services and get you any additional items or help you may need.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you have a complex scenario with multiple locations, you need to extend that a level further, and add a site leader who is keeping up to date on the status of all of the victims in a specific area. They then report back to the main situation leader on a regular basis. Sounds a lot like a project team, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The key is to be very specific in the assignments, so there is no uncertainty around what you have asked them to do - and by when.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[I]nspire confidence</b> in your team and stakeholders. If you are supposed to be in charge but look like you are falling apart (or don't know what you are doing), you won't be doing anyone any good. Fumbling with a bandage and dropping it in the dirt in front of a bleeding victim may not give them much confidence in your ability to keep them alive.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Confidence </i>is good - but it requires careful balance. If you act over-confident a lot of the time, it can come across as arrogance. Conversely, a person who is a fumbling, quivering mess is not well-suited for the leadership requirements of that role.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Note:</b> We are all human - and in some non-emergency situations not being afraid to show your weaknesses can actually develop a stronger team. That is why you build up a team after all; each person has different skills and strengths, and the combination makes a stronger whole. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you have the <i><a href="http://gazzaconsulting.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/leadership-ten-attributes-of-effective.html" target="_blank">strength</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://gazzaconsulting.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/leadership-ten-attributes-of-effective.html" target="_blank">confidence</a> </i>to share some of your weaknesses - and show you respect the corresponding strengths in your team members - you can go a long way together.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>[D]o your best.</b> If you can't remember what was on page 57 of the "what you should do" manual, use your common sense, best judgement and make some stuff up to get you through.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the time, we were all so
busy trying to do the right things right that we didn't have time to
think about anything other than making it through each scenario with
(hopefully) "live" patients at the end. We made lots of mistakes - so I
am glad we were not actually dealing with real victims. But that is what
practice is for - to learn what to do before you need to use your new skills in earnest.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The point is to be as <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2013/02/do-you-have-enough-rope-lesson-in-being.html" target="_blank">prepared</a> as you can, and keep on trying. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The outdoor first-aid scenarios that followed were increasingly complex, but we began to work a little better together as a team as the day went on. It was also obvious that we were a long way from being experts, and we could all use a whole lot more practice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 'textbook' over-confidence from the classroom was long gone, and the reality of the situation was beginning to sink in. You don't know what you know until you actually try to do it, and hopefully you will learn from your mistakes and move on with more confidence in your abilities as you practice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Probably the most important lesson, however, was that of <i>recognizing your limitations</i> - none of us were as good at responding as we thought we would be, and we all had a lot more to learn. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The same can be said of our projects - just as you have 'practicing Doctors', we should really consider ourselves 'practicing Project Managers'. We will never be perfect, but with practice we can all hope to improve and apply those lessons learned on the next project.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck with your projects, practice those skills, and keep your First Aid kit handy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Email: </span><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gary Nelson, PMP</span></a></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
</span></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.gazzasguides.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.gazzasguides.com" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7pKsjwnG0/U5qh1dL52hI/AAAAAAAAB3U/49pvFlctNOU/s1600/Gazzas+Guide+and+Books+Logo-CROP.PNG" height="121" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-34335328750244193582014-08-15T03:28:00.001-07:002014-08-17T02:57:51.800-07:00Guest Post: How To Plan A Project - My Light-bulb Moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>By Bryan Barrow</i></span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At some point in your life you will have had what people describe as a âlight-bulb</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">â moment. That point where darkness is suddenly replaced with blinding illumination and where everything is revealed, removing doubt, providing insights and boosting belief.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is another way of thinking of the light-bulb moment that is familiar to anyone who has seen an âA-Listâ celebrity walk down along a red carpet. Itâs the popping of not one, but hundreds of flashes all going off within seconds of each other as the paparazzi lean in to take that perfect shot that they rely on to earn a living, and, if they are lucky, make a fortune for years to come. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The effect is so dazzling that it can cause a physical response even for those who were not there at the time. Watch the new coverage of a scene like this and you will often be warned beforehand that the video contains flashing lights. However, the true impact of the light-bulb moment comes when the scene illuminated by the flashbulb is frozen forever in that blinding light, every detail lit up and perfectly exposed so that future generations can see through the photographerâs eyes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I canât say that I have ever had been photographed by the paparazzi. At least not to my knowledge. But I can tell you that I have felt the physical sensation of dozens of light-bulbs going off all at once, leaving me feeling dizzy with delight and boosting my belief that, without a doubt I had found a solution to a long-term problem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picture the scene: A hotel conference room set out cabaret style, with 20 large round tables set some way away from the main stage. Around one of those tables there were ten people, drawn from different parts of the project management community. I was one of them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were there for a workshop on facilitating project kickoff workshops. The company that I was working with had recognised that too many projects were starting off without a clear plan of action and wanted to ensure that all project in future had a kick-off meeting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phil, the workshop leader, had started to talk about a couple of approaches to planning as a team. I waited for the inevitable mention of planning using sticky notes. I wasn't wrong, but I was disappointed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iâd long since lost faith in planning using sticky notes. I knew that it had its fans, but it also came with several major drawbacks including lack of consistency, an over-reliance on subject matter experts and a tendency to overlook the planning for quality assurance and good governance. In my view it was good, but not good enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My own preference was for a product-based planning approach. At that time I had had some success in using a RACI matrix to drive the planning of new projects as this overcome some of the shortcomings of planning with sticky notes. However using the RACI matrix didnât deal with one key problem; that of having to rely on subject matter experts. It also added a new problem; that of having to hold multiple workshops or reviews to get through the long list of possible products in order to agree those needed for a given project. In todayâs fast-moving working environment the idea of having several workshops was a no-no, even though developing through iteration was the ideal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was only really half-listening when Phil moved on from the discussion about planning with sticky notes to talk about another method for collaborative planning, this time using Index Cards. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phil took us over to a table with about 30-40 index cards of different colours, folded in half and set out in neat rows, like tents in a field. Phil described the approach as an alternative to putting notes on the wall and left it at that. However it set off a whole series of thoughts, insights and ideas that were a physical shock. This was my light-bulb moment. Not the âsingle light going onâ type. No, this was the full âriot of flashbulbs poppingâ variety:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> In one instant I saw how the cards could mirror the freedom and flexibility of sticky notes for capturing ideas directly;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> In the same instant I could see how those same cards could be pre-prepared to minimise the need for writing and to maximise the thinking time in the workshop, making the workshop faster and more productive;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> If we can print the name of the product on one side, we might as well print the product description on the other, making it easy to explain what the work products were, for those who were new to the organisation or to project management;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> I could see how we could make the workshops much more collaborative than RACI workshops in drawing on the different perspectives of the participants, so that we got a much more rounded picture;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> In the same instant I saw how to build in compliance with project and company standards by making some of the cards mandatory for all projects;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> If we can construct the timeline and we have historical effort estimates from previous projects then we can quickly come up with an initial estimate of the overall project duration;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> If we can construct the timeline then we can also start to look at dependencies between teams that might affect the timeline, so that we can manage dependencies between projects, including dependencies on resources;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> If we know which work products are required to achieve the milestones, we can determine straight away which resources are required, so we can create an initial resource list immediately;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash! </b> If we know the costs of the resources, then we can create an initial project budget which will be much more realistic, as it is based on real data. It should create a more accurate expenditure profile as it already incorporates timings, resources and dependencies;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Flash!</b> If we can build in mandatory activities to ensure good governance right at the start then we can reduce the risk of projects going wrong later on.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ideas just kept on coming and my mind lit up as I saw how powerful a process this could become. I scribbled down the formula for how to plan a project exactly as I saw it take shape in my mind: it was something simple, collaborative and easy to replicate time and time again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hereâs the image that was burned into my brain, the formula for planning workshops that I still use to this day:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step One:</b> Clarify the Goal. Spend the first hour of the workshop on defining the goal, clarifying the scope and understanding what success means, for the business and for the team. This clarity is essential. If you donât have the right goal you will aim for the wrong target. If you donât have the right reason for attaining the goal you wonât be motivated to pursue it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step Two: </b>Introduce the planning exercise. Explain how the Index Card Planning exercise will work. Make it clear to the participants that they are responsible for planning the project and that your role is to facilitate. Set the expectation for the outcome of the workshop but leave it to the participants to drive the development of the schedule. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step Three:</b> Construct the High Level Milestone Plan. Having clarified the goal and its importance to the business, divide the project into suitable workstreams and, for each workstream, define the milestones that could be used to signify success on the route to the goal. Let the participants describe the milestones in their own language because it will help them to take ownership of the plan. Once the team have identified the key milestones, walk through the results and get agreement. Take pictures of the result so that you can review them later.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step Four: </b>Construct the Detailed Plan. With the high level milestones identified, select the Work Products that are needed to achieve each milestone. These Work Products can be pre-printed to eliminate the time ordinarily spent writing. The Work Products can be based on any methodology. Leave it to the participants to select the Work Products, so that they are responsible for planning; let them work as a team to agree on what is needed. Once the Work Products have all been identified, review any that have not been selected and gain agreement that they are not required. Go through the timeline and identify any key dates and dependencies. Again, take pictures so that you have a permanent record of what was produced.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step Five:</b> Review the results of the workshop. Ensure that mandatory Work Products relating to quality assurance, project governance and risk management have been included; this will ensure that good governance is built in right from the start. Go through the risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, constraints and decisions and see if there are any more to add. Agree the follow up actions; in particular, confirm that you will send out the results of the workshop so that people can add in any final thoughts or comments. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two days later I held my first workshop using the new formula. The outcome was not just a success; it went exactly as I saw it in that first flash of inspiration. I still use that formula today and it still inspires me. It can inspire you too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TfEMsKPtAk/U5jXnD8t5BI/AAAAAAAAB2s/7MZA5kAwWNA/s1600/Bryan+Barrow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TfEMsKPtAk/U5jXnD8t5BI/AAAAAAAAB2s/7MZA5kAwWNA/s1600/Bryan+Barrow.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(C) Bryan Barrow, 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bryan Barrow is a widely recognized Project Risk Management consultant and Speaker, and the founder of Nova Consulting Ltd in the UK. Over the past twenty years has worked with Project Management Offices, Project Directors and both public and private sector organisations , helping them to improve project planning and rescue troubled projects. He also provides coaching and mentoring to help develop the skills of the next generation of project leaders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barrow is the author of <a href="http://indexcardplanning.com/how-to-plan-your-project-using-index-cards.htm" target="_blank"><b>Index Card Planning</b></a> and <b><a href="http://bryanbarrow.com/products" target="_blank">The Project Planning Workshop Handbook</a></b>. He publishes his subscription-only newsletter <b>Project Leadership Tips</b> every month. Subscribe at <a href="http://bryanbarrow.com/">bryanbarrow.com</a></span><br />
<br />Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-77638398653767487272014-08-09T03:21:00.001-07:002014-08-13T03:22:18.663-07:00If only every Project ran like an old Honda Civic<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>[<a href="http://podcast.gazzascorner.com/2014/08/045-if-only-every-project-ran-like-old.html" target="_blank">Also available as a podcast</a>]</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was in my late teens, I bought my first car. My friends were all doing the same - we all had our licenses and we wanted to put them to good use. Of course, not having a lot of money, we each ended up buying older, cheaper cars. I bought a 1974 Mazda RX4 from a family member, one friend bought an old Chevy Nova, another had an old sports car, and one had bought a 1977 Honda Civic.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCP7QCW42c8/U-NM0yJkbOI/AAAAAAAAB54/QWzR3lle-Do/s1600/1978+Honda+Civic-scale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCP7QCW42c8/U-NM0yJkbOI/AAAAAAAAB54/QWzR3lle-Do/s1600/1978+Honda+Civic-scale.png" height="182" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CC Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1973-1978_Honda_Civic_5-door_hatchback_01.jpg</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All of these cars were made near the end of an era- close to the last generation of vehicles you could actually fix yourselves. All of them even had <i>carburetors </i>- no fancy fuel injection, and definitely no computer control systems. My car had only an AM radio, which I updated to AM/FM (but no cassette deck). When these cars were made, most computers filled a small room, and Personal Computers were not yet available.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wheels = Freedom </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, we were all very happy to have our own set of wheels, so we took good care of our cars - washed them regularly, learned how to do our own repairs, change the oil and spark plugs, the whole bit. Besides, we couldn't afford to send them in to the shop for anything but the most significant of problems; the rest we did ourselves, brake pads, shocks and all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although we had our own cars, we helped each other and worked like a team. We learned from each other, and each became the "go-to" person for a particular specialty. Brian went into auto mechanics in a big way, eventually extending it into a career that included welding and being able to fix just about anything. He quickly became the expert in everything automotive, and for anything major we all went to him for help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />As you would expect, Brian was the one with the <b>best </b>car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, at the time, we didn't think so. My RX4 was sleek and fast, the Nova was solid and gutsy, and our other friends' cars were sporty. We all kind of felt sorry for our mechanic friend Brian who <i>only </i>had a little red Honda Civic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I mean, a 1977<span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span> Honda Civic wasn't really a <i>serious </i>car. Sure it was small, and good on fuel - but it wasn't much for show, not really. Not something you would want to take a girl on a date with, compared to any of the other cars we had. It wasn't gutsy, it wasn't fast, it wasn't much more than a tin can on wheels. Four or five people could pick it up and move it (and occasionally we did).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But over the years, Brian proved us just how wrong we were about his car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We smiled when he put a tow-bar on his Civic.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And yet, Brian spent several summers in a row, tree planting in the mountainous interior of British Columbia. Everywhere he went, he drove his little Honda Civic - up and down steep logging roads, across creek beds - all while towing a home-built tent trailer nearly as big as his car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>When his car broke down every so often,</b> Brian was able to get it up and running again in a matter of minutes - he was never stranded anywhere for long. He kept a toolbox in his car that he refined over time - and he kept that little car humming along, no matter where he went. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>When he had trouble with the ignition key</b>, Brian just bypassed it and installed a push-button to start it, decades ahead of those hybrid cars. It may not have been very secure, but hey - who was going to steal an old Honda Civic?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>When he went to the beach</b>, Brian strapped his wind-surfer on the roof rack, and off he went - often with a car full of people. He could just squeeze in four passengers, all with their seat-belts on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>It even proved itself to be a stunt car</b> - when it end up driving on two wheels after hitting a snowbank on the way back from camp one winter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The car became a legend to us</b> - it was practically invincible. It could go anywhere, pull anything, carry almost anything (including firewood and bags of manure). It was his pickup-truck, his 4X4, his go-anywhere-and-do-everything car, and he loved it to bits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brian finally admitted the car was perhaps close to its limits on one trip as he drove up the Coquihalla - the toll highway with a 20km long</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, continuous steep grade</span> that once disabled my RX4 and killed hundreds of other vehicles. He had his windsurfer strapped on top, the tent trailer fully loaded and hitched on behind - and five people stuffed into the car. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The car crawled up the hill at little more than a jogging pace, but it finally made it - all the way up, over and beyond to the campground, then all the way home again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a marvel of engineering - and persistence, of both car and driver. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If only we all had an old Honda Civic on our Projects</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We learned a lot of lessons from that old Honda Civic and our patient friend, aside from the practical car maintenance skills. Practical lessons that we took with us into our lives and various careers - and of course into my projects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The legend of that car was spread far and wide, wherever we went - it became our informal mascot, and a symbol for achieving what others might think impossible. We grew together as friends around our cars, and that little car became the most respected of them all. It taught is the value of persistence, and looking beyond the surface to what lay beneath - be it a hunk of metal with tires, or someone you just met.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We could all use something as tenacious, persistent and resilient as that old car on our projects. Whether you use some kind of a mascot as a rallying point, or develop a vibrant common spirit that is instilled throughout the team, every project needs that little something to keep you going when the times get tough. We all sometimes need encouragement to realize you can do it (whatever your goals are), despite the odds.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, that old Honda Civic has probably been long recycled by now, and besides there was only the one that Brian had, so it would be hard to share it with all of you. However, I give you your own <b>Honda Civic</b> today, to help you survive your projects - in the form of some practical lessons we learned from it. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>(H) ave faith.</b> Even small teams can deliver amazing results, as long as you support and believe in them. Conversely, a team that does not believe in themselves will accomplish little. If your team is lacking in self-confidence, help them build it up through a series of small successes. The Honda Civic tackled each new challenge with caution, but Brian had confidence that they would make it through - and they always did, together. Over the years, that little Honda Civic even went places that heavy 4X4s dared not go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>(O) verlook the small flaws.</b> No car or person is perfect, so don't expect them to be. If you look past the surface imperfections you will see a vast range of possibilities. I am pretty sure Brian looked at his little Civic every morning and saw the heart of a Monster Truck lurking within. You should do the same with your team - look past their quirks and odd habits and you will see their potential.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>(N) ever give up. </b>Brian never did - and as a result, his car never let him down. They had to work together to achieve it, just as your teams do. You can't do much on your own, but together in small groups you can accomplish amazing things - as long as you don't give up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>(D) o the impossible</b>. Everyone else is doing the ordinary, while most of our greatest inventions were simply impossible - until someone made it happen. Projects exist to create change, to make something new or to make things better. Nothing is impossible unless you let it be so. Brian took it as a personal challenge to see just how far he and his little Civic could go - and he regularly amazed us all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>(A) lways look ahead.</b> Sound advice when you are driving of course, but it applies equally to your projects. You won't make any progress rehashing past failures; you need to put the past behind you. Learn from it, certainly - but don't live in the past. You can't navigate while you are watching the rear view mirror. Whenever we got back from a group trip together, Brian was already looking forward to the next one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><b>
</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>(C) hallenge yourself.</b> Without challenges, we don't grow in capabilities and confidence. Stretch your limits and get outside your comfort zone, and you will be surprised how far you can go. There is no doubt that Brian challenged his car to perform to the extreme limits - and beyond. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>(I) nvest your time. </b>Whether it is a hobby you enjoy, a new skill you are trying to develop, or trying to build up a team, there is no substitute for time spent. There are no true short-cuts in life; what you spend time practicing, you get better at. Brian invested countless hours in the maintenance and upkeep of that car, and from that he developed the skills and self-confidence to do almost anything mechanical. His skills expanded into a career working on all kinds of equipment - even building boats. If you want to build a better team - spend time with them. Spend time working to improve your own leadership skills, whether it is in the form of additional training, working with a coach or mentor, or simply applying what you have learned.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>(V) ehicles need people</b> - and so do you<b>.</b> On its own, the Civic was just a lump of old metal on rubber tires, slowly rusting. What made it special was that <i>Brian </i>made it so - his care, attention and dogged expectations that it could do what he wanted it to do is what set that car apart from all the rest. On our own, we are each a lonely individual slowly growing old - it is in our relationships with other people that we truly live. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>(I) mprovise</b>.You won't always have all of the answers, or the right tools at hand. Don't be afraid to step out on a limb and try something new. At one camp, we had walked all the way down the mountain from the tent site to go for a drive into town for some more supplies. Brian found out he had left his keys back in the tent - all the way back up the hill. Not wanting to walk all the way back up and down, he borrowed the keys from another Honda Civic - these happened to open up Brian's hatch-back, but not the side doors or ignition. With the back open and access to his toolbox, he climbed over the seats and quickly bypassed the ignition key with a push-button switch, and we were on our way into town.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>(C) ongratulate yourself</b> for finally making it there in the end. Whether it is for making it over the summit of the Coquihalla Highway, finishing your project or accomplishing a goal you set for yourself or your team - take a little time to celebrate. Life is short - enjoy it, and recognize a job well done. </span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We learned many lessons from Brian and his old Civic. Of course, the car was just a car when he bought it - but under Brian's guiding hand, it grew into something much greater. It was a part of our shared experience, and it had more heart and character than all of our fancier vehicles put together. Brian finally let the Civic go, years after he had bought a newer vehicle and the Civic was turning to rust in the yard. But its memory - and legend - lives on in each of us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4vtNvgTxZbw/U-XuGemI96I/AAAAAAAAB6U/6xWkES5KP8A/s1600/1978+Honda+Civic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4vtNvgTxZbw/U-XuGemI96I/AAAAAAAAB6U/6xWkES5KP8A/s1600/1978+Honda+Civic2.png" height="147" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://www.oldparkedcars.com/2010/10/1978-honda-civic-1200-hatchback-first.html</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck, and may all your projects run as well as that old Honda Civic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Email: </span><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gary Nelson, PMP</span></a></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.gazzasguides.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.gazzasguides.com" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7pKsjwnG0/U5qh1dL52hI/AAAAAAAAB3U/49pvFlctNOU/s1600/Gazzas+Guide+and+Books+Logo-CROP.PNG" height="121" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-61996875630182409232014-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:002014-07-08T12:57:03.374-07:00Guest Post: What the World Cup Teaches Us About Project Management<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>By Nick Sharpe (P3M)</i></span><br /><br />Whether you like it or not, there has been no escaping this year's World Cup. Despite the disappointment of England's untimely departure, the competition continues to dominate the front and back pages. Whilst he is nursing the pain of the USA's recent exit, P3M's resident Yank and marketing expert Dan ("Editor") has asked me to reflect upon the âlessons learnedâ from Brazil 2014.<br /><br />Here's a list of 10 shameless analogies to project management from this year's tournament:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMmVr5wudB8/U7xGedt5vRI/AAAAAAAAB44/ZltVw45h8ZM/s1600/Tickets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMmVr5wudB8/U7xGedt5vRI/AAAAAAAAB44/ZltVw45h8ZM/s1600/Tickets.png" height="233" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ticket to understanding elements of your project management</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">potential may lie in this year's World Cup <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(image courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/viajor/" target="_blank">Jorge in Brazil</a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>via @Flickr, re-used with permission. Changes were not made to the image.)</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The twelfth man</b> - Whether it's been the sun, the samba or the Selecao, there's no denying that the support for this year's cup has been fantastic. Amid the hype, the USA's coach Jurgen Klinsmann gave a master-class in stakeholder engagement with his <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/world-cup-2014-signed-jurgen-klinsmann-note-urges-american-bosses-to-give-employees-day-off-to-support-us-soccer-team-9564305.html" target="_blank">letter </a>to America's bosses ahead of their game against Germany. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The death of tiki-taka</b> - Methodologies come and go. As Spain's exit shows us, the trick is to have the <a href="http://p3mglobal.com/capability-development/#methodology-development" target="_blank">flexibility to choose an approach that fits the game and gets a result</a>. This serves as a word of warning to those always following the flavour of the month. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>"No tactics without technique"</b> - The English national team have once again failed to make it far on the biggest stage. Over-drilled and under-skilled, Hodgson's men proved that no matter how good the tactics, <a href="http://p3mglobal.com/competence-services/" target="_blank">a team needs a fundamental level of competency</a> before it has the capability to achieve its goals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Beware! Underdog bites!</b> - In a group of three former world champions, Costa Rica were the lowest risk on the register at the start of the tournament. That hasn't stopped them becoming an issue.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Beware! Striker bites!</b> - What struck me about Suarez' misdemeanour was the public outrage incurred: not by the monster munch itself, but by his silence on the subject, before making an apology. Whether there's an appeal process or not on your project's evaluation, no communication is bad communication in times of crisis.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Home advantage</b> - Brazil may not have been at their scintillating best so far in the tournament, but it comes as no surprise that half of the teams to reach the quarter finals are South American. Familiar working conditions, lofty aims and high expectations have undoubtedly spurred the hosts - and their neighbours - to outperform the rest of the world.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>A game of two halvesâŠand extra time and penalties</b> - The number of games that have gone into extra time this year has probably been more popular with the fans than with the players due to the heat. Overtime has seen the levels of performance drop and the number of mistakes increase as legs tire and concentration is lost.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>"Rome wasn't built in a day, but I wasn't on that particular jobâŠ" </b>- What do 'Big Phil' Scolari, Didier Deschamps and van Gaal have in common apart from a team in the quarters? Charisma. The value of strong leadership for team work, conflict resolution, communication and - ultimately - project success, is undoubted and immeasurable in value.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Calamity in Qatar</b> - Whilst Brazil seems to be getting over its teething problems, Sepp and his cronies continue to baffle with their handling of plans for the World Cup in Qatar. If you want an example of how not to do a risk assessment, how not to engage stakeholders, how not to monitor compliance, or how not to run a project: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qatar-world-cup-mistake-2014-5" target="_blank">look no further!</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>On scope, on time and on budget? </b>- Despite its successes, criticisms that will mar the legacy of the Brazilian World Cup have all come from three classic project management perspectives. First, delivering all that entails an international tournament in a country with more pressing socio-economic and political issues was the cause of the widespread riots that threatened to kill the fever of the cup. Second, spray painted turf at Fortaleza <i>(Editor's Note: <a href="http://youtu.be/ivDrMViAdjI?t=2m41s" target="_blank">not to mention rickety structures</a>)</i> was a symptom of widespread under delivery. From the pitches, to the stadiums, to the transport infrastructure, Brazil did not come close to meeting requirements on schedule. Finally, the cost of the World Cup will ultimately be judged against the benefits that the tournament brings to the nation over the next few years. <i>(Editorâs note: Against the backdrop of Rio de Janiero playing host to the next edition of the Summer Olympics, the impact could face even more scrutiny. Given what has transpired in Greece in recent years, the <a href="http://olympics.time.com/2012/07/09/amid-economic-turmoil-some-greeks-look-back-at-2004-olympics-as-losing-proposition/" target="_blank">legacy of hosting the 2004 Summer Olympics</a> is negligible and forgotten, especially in light of losing out on so much economically without the burden of the World Cup hosting gig to boot.)</i> Whether the impact of this World Cup demonstrated value for money in Brazil will be a question that overshadows the tournament's place in history.</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax1aJHBmijo/U7xGdhfdjxI/AAAAAAAAB4w/5KOZKAKlfDA/s1600/NickSharpe.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax1aJHBmijo/U7xGdhfdjxI/AAAAAAAAB4w/5KOZKAKlfDA/s1600/NickSharpe.png" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=101363686&locale=en_US&trk=tyah&trkInfo=tas%3Anick%20sha%2Cidx%3A2-1-2" target="_blank">Nick Sharpe</a> joined <a href="http://p3mglobal.com/" target="_blank">p3m</a> global as a University of Exeter graduate in 2013, working in a consulting capacity to drive improvements in the Project Management methodologies of their clients. Nick has worked with clients in the recruitment, telecoms and energy sectors, and with HR, Business Services and IT departments.<br /></span>Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-30691709673774726582014-06-13T00:22:00.001-07:002014-09-30T10:52:31.204-07:00What's the big deal with Team Sports, anyway?<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[<a href="http://podcast.gazzascorner.com/2014/07/044-whats-big-deal-with-team-sports.html" target="_blank">Also available as a podcast</a>]</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was a child, I didn't like sports. </span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, that's not exactly true - I loved swimming and spent almost every day during my young summers in the water at our local pool, and was part of the swim team. Wrinkly skin, and a persistent smell of chlorine - it was a wonderful way to spend a good part of your summer's day. Besides, when your town had an outdoor pool that was only open for 3-4 months out of the year, you made the most of it. The rest of the year it was either too cold, or just plain closed, as the pool was left drained for 6 months of the year while the temperatures plummeted from freezing down to -40 degrees Celsius in the coldest months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the winter, starting sometime in November, the outdoor ice rinks were getting into full swing. I spent a few winters trying to perfect long, graceful glides around the temporary oval of a Speed Skating rink on our Elementary school field, while my younger brothers were just starting getting into ice hockey at the PeeWee level.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think I managed two or three years of Speed Skating before I stopped going, while my brothers went on to play hockey with a passion - and still do today, over thirty years later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My favourite sport fell back to swimming, which I pursued through to Bronze Medallion, and still enjoy today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The key thing about swimming is that it is very much a <b>solo </b>sport, even if you are on a swim team. Separate swim lanes, individual competitors - even when they held "team" races like a relay, you were still the only person in your lane at one time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>I did not enjoy team sports at all</b></i> - not even Hockey, which is close to sacrilege for anyone born in Canada.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg4T9ARwg_0/U5Q-Ib8La2I/AAAAAAAAB2U/xfbYbR1msbI/s1600/Fotolia_59510276_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg4T9ARwg_0/U5Q-Ib8La2I/AAAAAAAAB2U/xfbYbR1msbI/s1600/Fotolia_59510276_XS.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(C) Fotolia 59510276</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One for All and All for ... Someone Else</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I say I didn't <b>enjoy </b>team sports, that is exactly what I meant. Of course, everyone had to try a range of sports in school during PE and I was no exception, but as a general rule, I did not enjoy it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wasn't trying to be difficult, but a combination of poor coordination and being smaller than the sporty kids left me on the sidelines or regularly ridiculed when I tried each sport. Even though I tried to improve my skills through practice, in a small town it was hard to get away from the sporty kids, who were also my ever-present horde of bullies. When there were only 30 kids in your grade level in the town, it was even harder - the kids you played with all tended to be from your class. The result was the sporty kids got better playing after school, while I continued to be sidelined, or ridiculed further at my attempts to improve. Eventually I just gave up trying.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Needless to say, those experiences left a sour taste that lasted for years - long after my coordination and abilities caught up with my growing frame and I tried my hand at darts, golf and other skill-based solo sports, and some hoop practice with a basketball. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had come to see most team sports as a place for jocks and the sporty ones - but not for me. I didn't even bother to watch professional games on TV - except for the hockey playoffs when the level of excitement infected even me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The "I" in Team</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is no "I" in team, or so the saying goes. It is all about the <i><b>team</b></i>, not being an individual, blah blah blah.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But for me,</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I just couldn't see the <i>point </i>of team sports - as far as I could see, it had no value. People running or skating about, whacking balls or pucks around, bashing each other and trying to get an object through - or into - some type of net.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Even though I was part of a hockey household with wildly varied dinner times as my younger brothers dashed about to hockey games here, there and everywhere, I just didn't "get it". I could see they had fun - and more than a few trips to the emergency room over the years. Dislocated joints, broken bones, concussions, but I just could not see why they continued to play, year after year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While recovering from a dislocated shoulder, my youngest brother <i>forgot his left hand </i>on the bathroom counter one evening. He had been brushing his teeth, and his left arm was so weak he could not even lift it. He had to step back into the bathroom and pick up his left hand with his right, smiling sheepishly as I passed him on my way in to brush my teeth. Even then, he couldn't wait to get back onto the ice rink.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes I thought I must be the only sane person in the room. My brothers had to be nuts to get back out there after each major injury.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just last year (in his forties), the same brother lost the end off of one finger trying to catch a slap shot in his glove. I shook my head when I heard about it, half way around the world. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">hockey team will always be "short-handed" from now on.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I came to believe, through observing my brothers and other people over the years, the <b>"I"</b> in Team must be "<b>Insane</b>", where sports was concerned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A Change of Heart</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you have read any of my other articles, you will find that I feel quite strongly about the positive value and virtues of teamwork. So how can I reconcile a dislike of team sports with being a strong supporter of teams today?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, a few things have happened over the years to give me a change of heart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The first was in 2001 </b>(at the age of 34), when </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was managing a system implementation project outside a major eastern US city. I was sitting in a bar on a Friday evening with a work colleague, winding down from a long week's work. An American College Football game was playing on the TV behind the bar, which I was busy ignoring as I dipped deep-fried cheese sticks into sour cream and jalapeno jam. My colleague had ordered them to share, and they were fantastic - hot and spicy, but perfectly balanced with the sour cream and some celery. My colleague had also brought us to the bar to watch the football game, as she was a big fan of football, held parties during the SuperBowl, the whole bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She was busy yelling at the TV in between jalapeno cheese bites, encouraging the players or complaining about bad plays. She noticed my comparative dis-interest, and asked if I watched football much.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Not really," I said, feeling awkward. She had brought me to watch the game, but aside from knowing the basic rules, I didn't go out of my way to watch it. I had only been to one live football game in my life, and someone else had bought the tickets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She took it as a challenge to help me enjoy the game, so she explained the rules in more detail and commented on each play as the game unfolded on the TV behind the bar. We finished the plate of jalapeno cheese sticks and ordered another. I soon found I was paying more attention to the game than I was to the fried cheese sticks, and they were starting to get cold. I was, for the first time in my life, <i>enjoying </i>watching a football game - but it wasn't the score or the throwing of the ball itself that interested me. It was the <i>interaction of the players</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Something had switched on inside my head - I was seeing organized sport in a whole new light. I could see the coordination within the team, the players working together, trusting someone to be in the right place to catch the ball just as they were tackled. I could see the results of a well-executed play that relied on the whole team working together - and the failed play where one player tried to do it all on his own.</span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In that one evening, I had suddenly gained the ability to appreciate watching football, albeit from an unexpected angle. I was now seeing the game with a <i>leader's eye</i>.</span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The second revelation </b>was not a particular event, but more of a gradual progression since that evening in 2001. Over the past 13 years, I have come to appreciate almost any other team sport - as long as I know the basic rules.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am now able to relate the teamwork I see every day on my projects to the teamwork I see on the sports field - whether it is basketball, rugby, baseball, soccer or any other team sport, even Cricket.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although I still don't go out of my way to watch that much sport on TV, if I am watching it with someone else, I will enjoy watching it with them. Of course, live is often better than TV, so every now and then I will actually <i>buy </i>tickets for the family and we will go watch a live rugby game. I even went to a Cricket match with my teenager, and loved it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The best joy of all, however, is now watching my own children play team sports - soccer and hockey. Not much ice in New Zealand so it is Inline Hockey, but hey - Hockey runs in the Canadian blood, even if it skipped a generation.</span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span>
</h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was younger and did
not appreciate team sports, I saw them as unimportant and without value.
I literally could not understand why anyone would enjoy them - let
alone watch them on TV for hours on end every week. Yelling at a glass
screen where the players could obviously not hear you made even less sense.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, what I came to realize - and finally accept - was that even though sports was not important to me, it mattered to <i>others </i>that I cared about. And you know what? That was OK.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So my final revelation is this: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>There is <u>only</u> value where you <u>place</u> value.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each of us determines the value system for our lives - those things that are important to us, such as family, friends, code of ethics, causes we believe in, and so on. We may inherit them from our families as we grow up, but over time we fine-tune our value systems to model what is the most important to us. This helps us shape how we fit into the world - at least, as we perceive it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our value system also strongly affects how we interact with others, and how we behave towards each other in a variety of situations. The foundation of a strong team is a core set of common values, and learning to appreciate that other people have different values than yourself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most common source of misunderstanding and frustration is where values do not align, and you cannot seem to sort out the differences. However, the value of a <i><b>great </b><b>leader </b></i>is being able to take that group of people with different skills, beliefs, backgrounds and attitudes - and then craft them into a <b><i>Team</i></b> with a common vision and shared values<i>. </i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The principle is always the same, whether it is on a construction site, in the project office, or on a large patch of muddied grass.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jdfYSlSDSrk/U5qk1Xv5yvI/AAAAAAAAB3g/CJXydSvxU0E/s1600/Fotolia_62470185_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jdfYSlSDSrk/U5qk1Xv5yvI/AAAAAAAAB3g/CJXydSvxU0E/s1600/Fotolia_62470185_XS.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(C) Fotolia 62470185</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck on your projects, keep an eye on the ball - and no matter where you go or what you do, support your favourite <i><b>Team</b></i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Email: </span><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gary Nelson, PMP</span></a></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.gazzasguides.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.gazzasguides.com" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7pKsjwnG0/U5qh1dL52hI/AAAAAAAAB3U/49pvFlctNOU/s1600/Gazzas+Guide+and+Books+Logo-CROP.PNG" height="121" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-46741956557421042452014-05-26T01:22:00.000-07:002014-06-13T01:54:11.443-07:00Dis-Orientation: The importance of Project Vision<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[<a href="http://podcast.gazzascorner.com/2014/06/043-dis-orientation-importance-of.html" target="_blank">Also available as a podcast</a>] </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Prov-29-18" id="en-KJV-17243"><i>Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18</i></span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the
most important things you will do as a leader or Project Manager is to
communicate a compelling <a href="http://www.gazzascorner.com/2013/08/roadside-checkup-how-clear-is-your.html">vision </a>to your team or organization. It not only sets the
direction for the team and the project, it also begins to pull a group
of individuals into a cohesive unit - and eventually, if all goes well,
into a high-performing team.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Without vision, all is lost - or has the potential to be, unless you bring things back on track. This not only applies to your projects, it applies to "real life" too, as I learned first-hand many years ago... </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4gFRLQiy0T0/U4JF6SAlNtI/AAAAAAAAB1w/EDujS6Ykbas/s1600/Fotolia_49516437_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4gFRLQiy0T0/U4JF6SAlNtI/AAAAAAAAB1w/EDujS6Ykbas/s1600/Fotolia_49516437_XS.jpg" height="320" width="311" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image (C) Fotolia 49516437</span></span></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Up to the Snow </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In
1992, I went skiing with a work colleague and his wife on Mt Ruapehu, a
large volcano in the center of the North Island of New Zealand. I had
been once before, but this was their first time on the mountain. It was a brilliant, sunny winter day - clear and crisp, and you could see all the way to the west coast from the Turoa ski lodge. The sky was a deep, intense blue you can only get with pollution-free air.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When you drive up to the ski lodge there is a sign for a pullout about half way. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No matter the apparent winter conditions, </span>you have to stop and put chains on your car tires before driving any further. The
altitude near the peak is high enough to support a permanent ice cap
all year round, and the winter roads are often slick with black ice when they
are not covered in snow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One
interesting fact about skiiing on a Volcano: When you line up to buy your lift tickets and rent
ski gear, there are signs all around telling you that they can give you a
30 minute warning in the event of a volcanic event. If an event does
happen, you are supposed to stay on the ridges, and not try to ski out down the gullies. Makes a lot of sense, really - water, mud or lava will flow down the low points in the
gullies first.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It
was not an idle warning - when I was there in 1992, there was a large hot water crater
lake, surrounded by ice. A small 'burp' from the volcano could make the
lake level rise, melt the ice and cause a mud flow called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahar">Lahar</a>. In 1953, the crater lake level rose in the middle of the night and caused a massive Lahar down the eastern side of the mountain, through the Whakapapa ski field. It wiped out a ski chalet and a railway bridge near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangiwai_disaster">Tangiwai</a>, minutes before a passenger train dove into the chasm, killing 151 people. It was the worst <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangiwai_disaster">railway disaster</a> in New Zealand history.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Note: The large hot water lake in the crater is smaller than it used to be; in 1995 and again in 1996 a series of eruptions reshaped the top of the mountain. The eruptions started September 25, 1995 - near the end of the ski season. People were still skiing while it vented ash. Things quietened down through the summer, and the ski fields were preparing to open for the season when another eruption cycle started on June 17, 1996. There have been other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ruapehu#1995-96_eruptions">minor eruptions (2006) and a lahar (2007)</a> since then.</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Duly warned, we put on our skis and made our way over to the ski lift. I took off my prescription glasses and put them away in my small backpack. I pulled out</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> a pair of regular polarized sunglasses with a sport strap and slipped them on. I could not see as clearly, but I had skied that way before - things were a bit fuzzy but I could see shapes well enough</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> to stay on the trail and avoid running into things at least. With the strong NZ sunlight, I needed to protect my eyes from the harsh UV rays and snow glare more than I needed sharp vision.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I quickly learned that skiing on Ruapehu was different than every other mountain I had skied on before. The first, obvious difference was the lack of trees - Ruapehu only had rocks poking out of the snow here and there, otherwise everything was white. It made it a lot harder to see where the runs were - a lot of the time, you had to rely on simply following the tracks made by other skiers. There were no clear edges to any of the runs - unless you counted the occasional cliffs and drop-offs, which were still white-on-white. Fortunately, it was fairly easy to follow the tracks of the other skiers. With my polarized sunglasses, I could clearly see the sharp edges of white and shadow in the snow, even with my blurred vision.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The three of us skied together the whole time - but as they were more experienced, they were often waiting for me at the bottom of each run. At around 3pm we paused near the top of one run to admire the clear, perfect view of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Taranaki">Mt Taranaki</a> - a classic volcanic cone, far away on the west coast. Looking to the left, we could see some cloud approaching from the south, getting close to the mountain. We were getting tired and hungry anyway, so we decided to call it a day and head back down to the ski lodge. The runs were already emptying out - and as slow as I was, no one had passed me in a while. For long stretches of time, the only people I could see were my friends up in front. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we descended, the cloud enveloped the mountain. It was not a thick cloud, more like a dense fog - there was still plenty of light coming through it from above. That, however, was the problem - everything was now a brilliant, diffuse white, and because of the fog you could not see anyone or anything beyond about 10 metres. We slowed down so that we would not suddenly come across any large rocks (or cliffs) at speed, but the visibility rapidly deteriorated.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My colleague and his wife seemed to be OK up in front, but I was having increasing difficulty in seeing where I was going - I could only see where to go by following their dark shapes ahead of me. The faint outlines of the ski tracks in the snow had long since disappeared in the white glow, with no shadows remaining. Only the occasional black rock here and there reassured me the outer edge of the run was still on my right. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At one point I took off my sunglasses because I thought I could see just a hint of shadow, or difference in the snow without them - with my astigmatism it was still a blur, but it was the best I could manage. I couldn't stop to get my prescription glasses out of my bag - my colleague and his wife were getting ahead of me. By now we were very worried about getting down to the lodge. The glasses probably wouldn't have helped much anyway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />We continued to ski like that down the hill with them leading, just ahead, but they got faster and faster as they got more nervous. I was struggling to keep up - and to see. At one point the pair completely disappeared into the fog, so I sped up even more to catch up. I suddenly felt very alone, vulnerable and disoriented.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A moment later, I was airborne - white all around, above and below me, with no sense of movement. I was not even sure I was still upright.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Project Vision</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are many books and countless articles about leadership, and nearly as many about the importance of setting a vision for your team. Vision is not only about having goals - although setting goals is an essential part about getting things done. Vision is much <i>more</i> than that - a well-communicated vision generates <i>emotion </i>and <i>passion </i>within the team. It creates a common identity, a strong sense of purpose and direction. With good leadership, a compelling vision and a skilled, engaged team working together, there are practically no limits to what you can accomplish together.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most powerful thing a team can buy into is <b>Purpose </b>- <i>why </i>we are doing this project, <i>who </i>it will help, and <i>how </i>we can make a difference. When people understand, accept and embody these themes, they will commit themselves wholeheartedly to the common vision - be it a short-term project, or the long-term future of your company. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The opposite to this is also true - if you do not have a compelling vision driving you, pulling you, pushing you onwards, you are likely to have a team busy spinning their wheels and accomplishing nothing. Sure - they may look busy, they may even produce mountains of paperwork as proof-of-life, but if they are not pulling in the same direction, you will soon find out you are going nowhere.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ooof! </span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After a brief eternity, I landed skis-first on firm snow and promptly fell over. I was at the bottom of a curved gulley, used as a natural half-pipe for snowboarders. A few of them were doing their last runs of the day and whooshed on by me.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My colleague and his wife were standing at the side of the gully waiting for me, and came over to help me up. They had seen the lip of the gulley and had skied gently down the side. In my haste and blurred vision, I had not seen the edge at all, and flew nearly 3 metres out and 3 metres down to land on packed snow in the middle of the gully - shaken, embarrassed, but not hurt. We skied the rest of the way out without incident - we were now below the main cloud level, and we could see our way a more and more clearly with thicker cloud above and improved contrast.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having clear vision - both in the literal sense, and on your projects - is essential to success. Whether your goal is to simply get down off a mountain, or to deliver a complex multimillion dollar project on time and meet your stakeholder's needs, you simply can't do without it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And sometimes Vision, or the lack of it, can literally mean life-or-death.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wait a minute, you say - aren't you overdoing it, just a bit? I mean how hard can it be to find your way back down to the ski lodge?</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The dazzling white cloud that made it so hard for us to see was actually the leading edge of a storm that lasted for two days. We only had our clothes, skis and small packs with water and snacks - we were not prepared to bivouac in the snow. It would have been all too easy for us to get off the trail, and miss the ski lodge completely.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two years earlier, on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4024086/Survivor-returns-to-Ruapehu">August 13, 1990</a>, a group of 13 soldiers and Naval ratings on a winter survival course were not so lucky. They were caught in an intense blizzard with high winds and zero visibility, but were not prepared for it. They had become disoriented near the summit, and dug snow caves for shelter while two men went for help. Rescuers found them three days later, huddled in the snow and suffering from exposure. Six frozen bodies were found only 150 metres from the Dome Hut, where they could have taken shelter and survived - <i>if only they could have seen it</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U-VHisHeXRc/UCI_v3M8X0I/AAAAAAAABFs/FfDcUCkcPfc/s1600/Ruapehu1.JPG" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #c0a154; color: #993322; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.285999298095703px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U-VHisHeXRc/UCI_v3M8X0I/AAAAAAAABFs/FfDcUCkcPfc/s400/Ruapehu1.JPG" height="147" style="background-color: white; border: medium none; box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498); padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck with your projects, dress warm - and never forget the importance of a clear and compelling Vision.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Email: </span><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:gary.nelson@gazzasguides.com" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gary Nelson, PMP</span></a></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
</span></span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.gazzasguides.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b5fzDVgLfMk/UeEw7XwcfRI/AAAAAAAABgA/18kC-JNcnTQ/s1600/GG_Logo1+160x160.png" /></a></div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150021777724050134.post-58714578720170847082014-05-13T02:49:00.000-07:002014-05-27T00:22:34.576-07:00Project Management Kids Camp 2014: Developing youth to become empowered, successful citizens of tomorrow<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The following is a great initiative that I learned about at a recent PMI Leadership Institute Meeting in Dubai. I met and talked with several board members from the <a href="http://pmi.org.pl/">PMI Poland Chapter</a>, and was greatly impressed with the passion and energy they have put into promoting Project Management Life Skills for children over the past 10 years. They are now expanding and adding a new camp in another region of Poland this year.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think you will find this inspiring - and I hope you can help in some way!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>- Gary </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Project Management Kids Camp 2014: Developing youth to become empowered, successful citizens of tomorrow </span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summer Camp is something that many children and
families look forward to every year. Experiencing the great outdoors, camping
in tents or cabins, swimming in a lake, roasting marshmallows over an open
fire, and participating in a wide range of activities with dozens of other
children are some of the things that these lucky children have to look forward
to every year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BFagQvhXA4s/U3EiCwbR4MI/AAAAAAAAB0g/JpqZQ-nsJPg/s1600/Kids-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BFagQvhXA4s/U3EiCwbR4MI/AAAAAAAAB0g/JpqZQ-nsJPg/s1600/Kids-0.png" height="216" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But what about the children who cannot afford to go
to camp, especially those who do not have a family?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Every year since 2004, the <a href="http://www.pmi.pl/">PMI Poland Chapter</a>
(Gdansk Branch) has run an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">English Camp </b>for
orphaned children ages 9 to 14 (<a href="http://english-camp.pl/?lang=en">http://english-camp.pl/?lang=en</a>). <i>The Summer English Camp started in 2004, and Winter English Camp was added in 2009. </i>At the camp, these under-privileged children enjoy many of the things that
other children do at a typical camp, but they also get to do much, much
more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The camps run by the <a href="http://pmi.org.pl/">PMI Poland Chapter</a> are
fun, but they also provide lasting value to the children who attend these events.
When most children head home after a typical summer camp is finished, they take
with them fond memories and new friendships. The children who attend the PMI
Poland Project Management Kids Camps will leave with fond memories and new
friendships, but they also take with them a range of life skills that will set
them up for success for years to come.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://pmkidscamp.pl/">
</a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The <a href="http://pmi.org.pl/index.php/component/content/article/83-frontpage-slideshow/894-zostan-sponsorem-project-management-kids-camp">Project Management Kids Camp</a></b> is designed to teach essential life skills to
children, using project management concepts as a solid foundation. Each year,
between 20 and 30 orphans will get the opportunity to go to camp, with the
numbers dependent on financial contributions from sponsors. The camp is
not-for-profit, and is organized and run entirely by approximately 40
volunteers who donate their time and passion each year to ensure that these
children have a fun time at camp, while also developing new skills. Not all of
the volunteers are from Poland; there are a number of volunteers who come from
other countries and even from overseas to donate their time and skills to the
camp.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Following 10 years of success in running the summer
camp program in GdaĆsk, the PMI Poland Chapter is now expanding the summer camp
program. The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Warsaw Branch</b> will be
running their first <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Project Management
Kids</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Camp</b> in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Serock</b>, which is being held from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">July 20 to August 3, 2014</b>. They are
looking for volunteers to help run the camp, and sponsors to help support the
orphaned children to attend the camp in Serock.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The main theme of the camp in Serock this year is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Make a Movie</b>, as the children will work
together through the 14<span style="color: red;"> </span>days of camp to create a
film of their own design from the early concept stage through to the finished
production.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Volunteers and sponsors are welcome to support
either camp in Poland, but we are looking to make sure the first Project
Mangement Kids Camp in Serock is a resounding success - and in order to achieve
that goal, we need <u>you</u>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About the camp</span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Project management skills are not something that is
limited to a select few experts; the basic skills involved in working on and
managing projects can benefit many aspects of everyone's work and personal
life. Developing these skills at a young age not only enables these empowered
learners to be more successful in school today, it also sets them up to become
successful in any career they choose when they graduate and enter the
workforce.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Zcuse8KpFM/U3EiDSsOumI/AAAAAAAAB0w/Gm1mmaKxdhg/s1600/Kids-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Zcuse8KpFM/U3EiDSsOumI/AAAAAAAAB0w/Gm1mmaKxdhg/s1600/Kids-1.png" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the Project Management Kids Camp at
Serock, the children will engage in a wide range of fun activities as they work
together in project teams to produce their own movie. These will include:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Learning project management concepts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Learning and practising English</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Sports</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Dance</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Music</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Cooking</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Photography</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Robotics</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Workshops in graphics, arts and handicrafts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The children will gain self-confidence and
practical experience as they develop scenarios, create soundtracks, design and
select scenery, take photos, record video, create posters, invitations and
marketing tools to promote their movie. But above all, the greatest benefits
will come from developing collaboration skills by working as a team to achieve
a common goal - and to enjoy the shared sense of accomplishment as they
showcase their movie at the premiere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Through participating in these activities, these
children will learn essential project management and life skills such as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">team building</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">communication, critical and creative thinking, planning</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">management</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">budgeting</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">scheduling</b>.
As the children learn and practice these skills, both during and after the
camp, there is no telling how far they can go!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How can I help?</span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The PMI Poland Chapter is need of both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">volunteers </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sponsors</b>.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Volunteers</b>:
If you are able to volunteer your time and skills to the camp, please contact <a href="mailto:agnieszka.krogulec@pmi.org.pl">Agnieszka </a>or <a href="mailto:pwieleba@gmail.com">Piotr </a>for more information about how you can contribute. They are
looking for a wide range of skills in order to deliver a successful camp, and you
do not need to be a project manager in order to volunteer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sponsors</b>:
The cost to send a child to camp is approximately <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2000 PLN</b> per child ($660 USD/ 390 GBP / 480 Euro). Any amount you are able to donate to support an
orphaned child going to camp is welcome, but if you are able to fully sponsor
one or more children, that will help ensure their place at the camp. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are also many benefits of being a sponsor, in addition to the key satisfaction of having helped to make an orphan's life better by providing them an opportunity to gain valuable life skills - <u>an opportunity they would not have without your support</u>. Thanks to partnerships with other PMI Chapters, the PMI Poland Chapter can offer sponsors such opportunities as participation in PMI conferences and seminars in Warsaw and <a href="https://www.pmi.org.uk/">London</a>, or publications of their articles in magazines and newspapers in Poland and the <a href="https://www.pmi.org.uk/">UK</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GyF1MCMM0KQ/U3EiDcEGZhI/AAAAAAAAB00/D05sVhk7dRQ/s1600/Kids-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GyF1MCMM0KQ/U3EiDcEGZhI/AAAAAAAAB00/D05sVhk7dRQ/s1600/Kids-2.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Photos: English camp in Gdansk | Used with permission of the PMI Poland Chapter - <a href="http://pmi.org.pl/">pmi.org.pl</a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For more information on volunteering for the
camp or the benefits of becoming a sponsor, please contact the PMI Poland Chapter:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="PL" style="mso-ansi-language: PL;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="PL" style="mso-ansi-language: PL;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PMI Poland Chapter Project Sponsor - </span></span></span></i></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="PL" style="mso-ansi-language: PL;">Agnieszka Krogulec</span></b><span lang="PL" style="mso-ansi-language: PL;"> (<a href="mailto:agnieszka.krogulec@pmi.org.pl"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">agnieszka.krogulec@pmi.org.pl</span></a>)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Project Management Kids Camp Fundraising
Lead - </i></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Piotr
Wieleba</b> (<a href="mailto:pwieleba@gmail.com"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">pwieleba@gmail.com</span></a>) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The next
step belongs to you</u></b></i> - are you prepared to help make a positive
difference in an orphan's life?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Related links:</span></b><br />
<a href="http://pmi.org.pl/"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">PMI Poland Chapter</span></a><br />
<a href="http://pmief.org/"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">PMI Education Foundation</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.pmi.org.uk/">PMI UK Chapter</a> </span><br />
<br /></div>
Gary Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08730013754496401222noreply@blogger.com0