Project Management Blogs

Microsoft Project on Steroids II

jalme — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:06:00 +0000

4. CV (EVM) is EV (EVM) – AC (EVM) (You can use CV if you used BCWP in point 3). For summary tasks, we use the formula (but you could do a rollup-sum):

5. SV (EVM) is EV (EVM) – PV (EVM) (You can use SV if you used BCWP in point 3). For summary tasks, we use the formula (but you could do a rollup-sum):

6. CPI (EVM):

The thresholds used here are only an example. These values can be changed to reflect what you consider good, average, warning, and bad values.

7. SPI (EVM):

The thresholds used here are only an example. These values could be changed to reflect what you consider good, average, warning, and bad values.

Microsoft Project on Steroids

jalme — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:25:00 +0000

Microsoft Project is a great tool to track project performance using Earned Value, but you must adapt it a little bit to have more knowledge inserted. Therefore, the following section will describe modifications made to the Microsoft Project Template and the rationale behind each one.

These are the fields that were customized in the template:

1. AC (EVM) is simply ACWP. For summary tasks, we do a rollup-sum:

2. PV (EVM) is BCWS:

3. EV (EVM) is [Baseline Cost]*[Physical % Complete]/100 (You can use BCWP if you are careful enough to change Tools->Options->Calculation->Earned Value->Default Task Earned Value Method to Physical % Complete and then create all your project tasks, or for each task change the Earned Value method to Physical % Complete). For summary tasks, we do a rollup-sum:

Next week we will continue with this subject.

Regards,

Earned Value and Microsoft Project

jalme — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Microsoft Project help describes Earned Value analysis as “a method for measuring project performance.” It indicates how much of the budget should have been spent in relation to the amount of work done so far and the baseline costs for the tasks, assignments, or resources.

At the root of Earned Value analysis are three key values:

The budgeted cost of individual tasks as they are scheduled in the project plan based on the costs of resources assigned to those tasks plus any fixed costs associated with the tasks. This is the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS). BCWS is the baseline cost up to the status date you choose. Budgeted cost values are stored in the baseline fields, or, if you've saved multiple baselines, in Baseline1 through Baseline10 fields.
The actual cost required to complete all or some portion of the tasks up to the status date. This is the actual cost of work performed (ACWP). Normally, Microsoft Project correlates actual costs with actual work. Only if you enter actual costs independent of actual work or change resource pay rates will the actual cost be out of step with the scheduled cost.
The value of the work performed by the status date measured in currency. This is literally the value earned by the work performed, and is called the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP). This value is calculated for each individual task, but is analyzed at an aggregate level (typically at the project level).

Earned Value analysis is always specific to a status date you choose. This may be the current date or any date before the current date.

Microsoft Project gives us out-of-the-box AC, PV, EV, CV, SV, SPI, and CPI, among others. However, the key to using Earned Value is the way we interpret the values. So when EV>0 and PV=0 what should be the result of SPI? For anomalous situations, SPI calculated by Microsoft Project is always 0. This will difficult the analyses of eventual insertion errors.

If PV>EV>0 and PV=Task Baseline Cost (this means that the task in the initial plan should be finished but due to a delay is still progressing), what should be the result of SPI? For Microsoft Project, it’s EV/PV, but in this case we have a task that is recovering and PV will stay constant with an increasing EV, so SPI is going to improve until the task is finished. This will present us with some misinterpretations since at this time it is better to have SPI with a value that enables us to identify recovering tasks.

Next week we'll talk about customizing Microsoft Project to provide more valuable information.

I'm back

jalme — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:54:00 +0000

Well one year after my previous post and I'm back with more ideas to share with everybody. Keep tuned for this week post.

Regards,
J

Introduction to EVM - The Cherry on Top of the Cake

jalme — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 15:54:00 +0000

As an added bonus, Earned Value enables us to predict future project performance based on the CPI and SPI.

To predict future project cost we can calculate two indicators:

Estimated Cost At Completion Optimistic (ECAC Optimistic): Planned Cost/CPI. This assumes that the resources productivity will be constant.
Estimated Cost At Completion Likely (ECAC Likely): AC+(Planned Cost-EV)/(CPI*SPI) if SPI between 0 and 1. This assumes that if a task is late than the productivity will be affected and is equal to CPI*SPI for the remaining work (Planned Cost-EV). Otherwise ECAC Likely=ECAC Optimistic.

To predict future project duration the indicator is Estimated Duration At Completion (EDAC) and is equal to Planned Duration/SPI.

As a rule of thumb, you should only use the predictions if the task progress is at least 15% or 20%.

Because SPI and CPI at the leaf task level, don’t present much information due to short duration and different resources assigned to different tasks predictions should be done at an intermediary level, usually at the phase level. It’s not common to use prediction at the project level since the CPI and SPI vary from phase to phase (the productivity of a test phase usually is not related the productivity of a envisioning phase).

See you all next week.

Introduction to EVM - The Toppings

jalme — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 18:01:00 +0000

Until now, we have been talking about the key values related to a task. But what about work packages? Let us assume the following example:

Since no resources are assigned to the Work Package, we can’t calculate AC, EV and PV directly. You can think of it this way, since the work performed on a work package is the same as the sum of all the work performed so far on the leaf tasks, AC, EV and PV is the sum of all the AC, EV and PV of the tasks that are contained by the work package.

In the case of CV and SV we can either calculate it by using the rollup sum of AC, EV and PV or we can rollup sum CV and SV of the leaf tasks of the work package.

For CPI and SPI we have to calculate it by using AC, EV and PV of the work package. We cannot rollup sum the task indexes.

Until now, we have assumed that the work actually done (EV) is the same as planned. But in some cases it might be different. The way EV is calculated is the planned budget of the task times the physical percent complete. The physical percent complete is an estimation of the resources working on a task and must be given when inserting the work hours in the timesheet.

Introduction to EVM - The Frosting

jalme — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 15:26:00 +0000

The example of last week presents us with some good and bad news. But how much more productive were we and how much behind schedule are we? The EV technique presents us with the results by calculating:

Cost Variance (CV): CV=EV-AC;
Schedule Variance (SV): SV=EV-PV;

So in our case we saved 440€ in work (CV) and we are 880€ behind schedule (SV; and since we are one day late this actually is correct since it represents the value of a day work of the two resources). If we calculate only the Accounting Variance (AV) we would report 1360€ (PV-AC). What is the meaning of this value regarding project performance? Would it be better if we where less productive therefore decreasing AV? If you know please e-mail me because I don’t.

Therefore, we can draw the following conclusions:

CV greater than 0; This means EV greater then AC representing a better productivity than planned (if you prefer it can be interpreted as greater speed of work);
CV=0; This means EV=AC representing the planned productivity;
CV lesser then 0; This means EV lesser than AC representing a worst productivity than planned (if you prefer it can be interpreted as lesser speed of work);
SV greater than 0; This means EV greater than PV representing more work done than initial planned;
SV=0; This means EV=PV representing that same work done as initially planned;
SV lesser than 0;This means EV lesser than PV representing less work done than initial planned.

The Earned Value technique calculates also two indexes:

CPI (Cost Performance Index)=EV/AC; Represents the level of productivity or speed of the work;
SPI (Schedule Performance Index)=EV/PV; Represents the speed of evolution of the schedule;

From the usage of these indexes, we can draw the following conclusion:

CPI greater than 1; productivity is greater than expected;
CPI=1; productivity is the same as expected;
CPI lesser than 1; productivity is lesser than expected;
SPI greater than 1; schedule speed is greater than expected (ahead of schedule);
SPI=1; schedule speed is equal to what was expected (on schedule);
SPI lesser than 1; schedule speed is lesser than expected (behind of schedule).

Next week: Introduction to EVM - The Toppings

Introduction to EVM - The Cake

jalme — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 17:36:00 +0000

Financial Pitfalls

Never wonder why each week the project is always on budget but the project always finishes costing more or finishing latter?

Imagine that you have a three-day project with one task done by one resource. You plan accordingly and at day 1 you plan 8 hours, at day 2 you plan another 8 and at day 3 another 8.

On day 1 the resource reports 10 hours. That’s great you are ahead of schedule! The other day it reports another 10 hours. At this time you are ecstatic you have done the project and saved half a day (life could not be better). At day 3 the resource reports another 10 hours. Wow… What happened? You go talk to your team member and he tells you that the project was sub estimated and the work instead of taking 8 hours to finish each day it took 10. This is bad news. How could you have seen this coming? Always busy with so many projects and the accounting numbers never reflect what’s happening on the field.

This happens when analysing only the accounting variance (work planned minus work performed). However, there is a better way.

What is the Earned Value Technique?

The Cake

The Earned Value technique is broadly used as a performance measurement method for projects of any size. It enables a project manager to assess if there are variances from the base project plan that require some sort of corrective action.

This method presents an overview of the health of the schedule, cost and scope of a project and reflects the actual performance of the project. This is accomplished by calculating three main values for each task on the project plan:

1. Planned Value (PV): also known as Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS) is the value of the cost (calculated at the initial planned cost) of the work planned to have been done so far;

2. Actual Cost (AC): also known as Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP) is the value of the cost (calculated at the actual cost) of the work done so far;

3. Earned Value (EV): also known as Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP) is the value of the cost (calculated at the initial planned cost) of the work actually done so far. Some people like to think of it as the “physical progress of the work”.

The following figure illustrates the concepts based on our three days project:

Let us assume that our resource costs 100/h. The grey bar represents the initial plan. The key values are:

1. PV at day 1 is 100*8; at day 2 it’s equal to PV at day 1 plus 100*8; at day 3 it’s equal to PV at day 3 plus 100*8;

2. AC at day 1 is 100*10; at day 2 it’s equal to AC at day 1 plus 100*10; at day 3 it’s equal to AC at day 2 plus 100*10;

3. EV at day 1 is 100*8; at day 2 it’s equal at EV at day 1 plus 100*8; at day 3 it’s equal to EV at day 2 plus 100*8.

The figure bellow displays in a graph the three key EV values:

So lets see what would be our conclusions each day. Since AC is greater than EV this would tell us that our resource is doing more work to get the same results. At day 2 that situation maintains and at day 3 the same result. So you could have act since day 1 to try to solve the situation. Another curious conclusion is that if we look closer at the results EV and PV are always the same. This tell us that we are actually on schedule and the project is going to finish at the planned date since the work actually done is always the same as the work planned. Great, now we can get a clear picture of the current project status instead of just hopping for the best.

Lets look at one more example.

Resource 1 costs 100€/h while Resource 2 costs 10€/h. As we can see, we are currently one day late and the current date is Day 3. Instead of starting working at Day 1 the resources only started at Day 2 and reported only 4 hours each instead of 8. The figure bellow displays in a graph the three key EV values:

So PV at day 1 is equal 100*8+10*8. PV at day 2 is equal to PV at day 1 plus 100*8+10*8. EV for day 1 is zero since no work was done. At day 2 EV is EV at day 1 plus 100*8+10*8. AC at day 1 is zero, at day 2 is AC at day 1 plus 100*4+10*4.

These values represent two things:

1. Since the work actually done (EV) is greater at day 2 than the work reported (AC) then we are more productive than expected;Since the work planned (PV) at day 2 is greater than the work reported as finished (EV) then we are behind schedule.

2. Since the work planned (PV) at day 2 is greater than the work reported as finished (EV) then we are behind schedule.

Next week article: Introduction to EVM - The Frosting.

Earned Value Management Applied to Small Projects Case Study

jalme — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 22:34:00 +0000

The project where the previously described EVM model was applied was in a IT project with the goal of deploying a business supporting infra-structure for a company in the financial market. The project FTE is 1.4 (FTE Max 3.5) with a total of 1135 hours.Illustrated bellow is the project lice-cycle and main deliverables.

The project plan consisted of a total of 34 tasks and 4 people composed the team.

Each Friday the timesheets were submitted so the project progress could be assessed using EVM at Monday morning. The indexes were analyzed at the phase level and predictions were generated.

For illustration only purposes we present bellow the progress of the EVM indexes at the top project level and the main responses.

The actual analysis was done at the phase level but this figure is a good example on how to act based on the CPI and SPI thresholds.

In this project the most important variable to control was cost and the project predictions were mainly cost estimates. The estimates were calculated at the phase level and added to get the total cost estimate. The evolution of the cost estimates are depicted in the graph bellow.

From the graph I would like to emphasize the following facts:

After 50% of the work the predictions were within a 10% interval;
The highlighted section of the graph depicts a zone that predicted a big cost overrun if we didn't do anything. Due to the actions undertaken by close risk monitoring and control the final cost was well on target.

Next we will analyze the error rate of the predictions by looking at the accumulated frequency. The green line represents the frequency of the predictions with a specific error, and the red line the accumulated frequency of the predictions with an error inferior to a specific value.

The graph shows that 80% of the predictions had and error inferior to 10% when compared with the final cost.

Conclusion

The usage of EVM in small projects is most valuable since, was we could see in our case study, the oscillations in cost and schedule in small projects can happen very quickly, demanding very close monitoring and control.

EVM provides powerful early warnings that used in conjunction with a good risk management process enables project managers to detect deviations from the targets and act accordingly.

Based on the concepts of EVM the project manager can calculate predictions of cost and schedule that can be very accurate.

EVM can be applied to small projects by using methods that with little effort can provide the full power of EVM. These methods are:

Top-level EVM analysis done at the project life-cycle phases;50/50 rule or similar for progress report;
Using index thresholds triggers linked with a risk management process;
Use adjusted SPI instead of SPI.

Earned Value Management Applied to Small Projects Basic Model (Part 2)

jalme — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 13:24:00 +0000

When a task is recovering (a task is recovering when it was supposed to have finished but it is still being executed) EV is going to progress towards PV and PV is always the same causing the progression of SPI towards 1 (the baseline is extending until the task finishes). The following figure illustrates the idea:

The SPI value is expressed in percentage in the right Y axe.

This example illustrates one of the biggest concerns in EVM since SPI in this cases moves way from the real trend of the schedule and if we want to predict future performance based on the classic SPI the predictions will each time be better since SPI is always approaching 1 (that is perfect schedule performance).

In this case we propose that SPI is calculated using the classical way for all the cases except this one. During the recovery period we want to calculate an “Adjusted SPI” that provides a correct prediction therefore: EDAC=Baseline Duration/Adjustedt SPI

Considering that the SPI for a task that is finished is:SPI=Baseline Duration/Actual Duration

In the case of a recovering task our best estimate for the Actual Duration is EDAC and instead of using Baseline Duration we must use (Actual Date-Baseline Start) so SPI does not maintain the same behaviour of approaching 1. Therefore: SPI=(Actual Date-Baseline Start)/EDAC

Replacing EDAC we get: Adjusted SPI=(Baseline Duration/(Actual Date-Baseline Start))*SPI

The next graph compares the evolution of SPI with adjusted SPI.

With the Adjusted SPI we can now calculate with confidence the future project performance and get a clear view of the status of the project. This approach has the advantage of being very easy to calculate using any of the project management software packages or the simplest spreadsheet.

J

Earned Value Management Applied to Small Projects Basic Model (Part 1)

jalme — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 16:14:00 +0000

Commonly EVM has seen a very good acceptance in projects of very big dimension (usually called multi-million dollar projects) and unfortunately it’s also been a general practice to disregard the use of EVM in small projects (up to 4 Full Time Equivalent in a 6 to 12 month period) due to the benefit perceived of using it doesn’t compensate the effort/cost associated. This is particularly true in the IT area.

The aim of this article is to demonstrate that the usage of EVM for small projects is feasible and the benefit provided by EVM largely compensates the effort/cost of applying it when using a practical approach. This paper will describe the usage of EVM in those situations and will finish with a case study.

Proposed Approach

Project Life-Cycle

The project life-cycle for small project is of great importance, since it enables the analysis of the EVM values at a higher level providing more meaningful information and more stable indicators. Because the project life-cycle phases groups’ tasks of the same nature, this provides a very good basis for considering each phase the best level in the WBS to perform analysis of the indicators and generating cost and schedule predictions.

Progress Report

To track progress I use the 50/50 rule. This is a fast and easy way of tracking progress if the tasks don’t exceed a reporting period (usually one week). The advantage of this method is that team members only have to report hours and task closure (the start of the task is implied by entering the first set of ours) not interfering in the quick pace of small projects.

If the task does exceed several reporting periods than I recommend using an apportioned relationship to other discrete work packages or a combination of percent-complete estimates with milestones used as gates.

Decision Making

For small projects or big ones one of the main issues is that when looking only at the accounting variance (PV-AC) this doesn’t reflect the health of the project and problems are not identified early, forcing the project team to develop workaround plans to handle situations that could have been avoided.

So the main question is how to identify potential problems and when to act.

When analyzing the EVM indexes one might acknowledge degradation on the performance of the project or maybe a trend that could lead to a decrease of the performance of the project. But the main question remains: is it time to act? If so what to do?

The model that I use associates activation limits to the EVM indexes. For example if CPI or SPI:

For better control graphical markers were assigned to the specific index thresholds (bright green, green, yellow and red).

In each review period (usually one week) the indexes at the phase level must be analyzed and eventual problems should be looked at following a couple of rules:

If this deviation is a risk trigger or expected as part of a response to a risk activate the proper response (could be do nothing)
If the deviation is not explained by the identified risks than search for the cause (In small teams this is usually done quite fast due to the reduced number of communication channels therefore lower complexity – analysing CV and SV of the lower level tasks) and identify the risks that could happen due to the identified cause. Next plan for a proper response.

Risk Identification and Response

As much as possible during risk identification the risk thresholds should use the EVM indexes to enable association of actions to specific values of the indexes.

Predicting Future Project Outcome

To predict future project performance Estimated Cost At Completion was calculated in it’s optimistic form, ECAC Likely and EDAC were also used (If the progress is bigger than 15% otherwise the previsions should be equal to the baseline):

Estimated Cost At Completion Optimistic (ECAC Optimistic): Planned Cost/CPI. This assumes that the resources productivity will be constant.
Estimated Cost At Completion Likely (ECAC Likely): AC+(Total Planned Cost - EV)/(CPIxSPI). If SPI between 0 and 1. This assumes that if a task is late than the productivity will be affected and is equal to CPI x SPI for the remaining work (Planned Cost-EV). Otherwise ECAC Likely=ECAC Optimistic.
To predict future project duration Estimated Duration At Completion (EDAC) as used and is equal to Planned Duration/SPI.

SOX and EVM

jalme — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 13:55:00 +0000

Hi,

Want to know what is the relationship between the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and Earned Value? There is a great article about it at http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?articleID=6099&TopicID=3

Now that more and more European companies worry about SOX implementation this should provide a good understanding about the usage of EVM to increase transparency of the organization results.

J

Human Resources Management

jalme — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 21:08:00 +0000

Hi,

The art/science of managing people on a project environment is one of the most important aspects of project management. The project team quality is as good as the quality of the actions of the individual team members, in the sense that if you have low quality team members you'll never accomplish a high performance team but if you have it than it's easier to build a good team (but not guaranteed).

This leads me to the topic of individual motivation and behaviour. The individual behaviour of each team member is crucial for having good team dynamics. A thing that I call work ethics is central to the concept of individual improvement and team building.

I define work ethics as the basic behaviours that you are counting on that each individual will use to help him to produce the results that are expected. I'll count behaviours like "if you can do it now don't leave it for later" (proactive), "if you can't comply warn the appropriate team members", "ask for clarification whenever you feel you needed", “if you have something in your mind tell it”…

These behaviours are not trained in schools (at least not in Portugal) and usually only more senior personal is capable of presenting this kind of behaviour consistently.

In this environments the project team but especial the organization must play a key role in shaping and helping to adapt the team members to the organizations work ethics to sustain a good work environment while increasing its efficiency.

What is your opinion? Post your comments.

J

Pragmatic view of Project management

jalme — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 14:36:00 +0000

Does a project charter need to be constructed for every project that is small and usually executed by the organization?

Although a project is a unique endeavour there are in some organizations certain project types that are always executed (for example in a telecommunication industry the expansion of capacity of communication nodes is always seen as a good business opportunity and the proposal work is always done).

The charter in this case is a pretty standard document stating the business opportunity and the usual constraints that the project must take into consideration. Only a certain level of review needs to be done by the sponsor to acknowledge that the unique characteristics of this project are stated in the charter. This is a very quick task but with a very high return since at this phase the sponsor can alert the project manager for risks that must be accounted for during the planning phase.

As we all know as soon as a potential problem is uncovered more likely is that the cost of treating it will be lower. In the software industry the cost at the early phases can be from 10 to 5 times less the cost of handling a problem when it is too late.

J

Process oriented project team

jalme — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 16:13:00 +0000

This week I was discussing the need for milestone visibility. Strange topic to be discussing, but it happened! The conversation begun as I was making a point to allow the PM tool (in this case MS Project) to calculate the milestone date based on the tasks dependencies and how easy it was to have this information available and updated. My audience questioned why should the project team need milestones!

Better to have questioned why do we need to breath.

Milestone visibility to the project team was view as a side issue. The team needs to focus on the technical work and not on the management issues like budget and dates!!!

This out-dated view of the world is still alive.

Currently not to have any kind of process (like milestone updates) on a project so the project team can have as much time as possible to make the technical work can lead only to one outcome. Soon or later the time spend on the correction of error/quality problems is going to increase due to errors made early on the project making the project end-date to be missed.

Imagine this, only the project end-date is set. The team starts to work and it actually releases the product on time but with many problems due to low quality control so the end date can be reached. Because no intermediate control points where established no prediction of this situation was made.

As we all know errors are easier and cheaper to correct early on the project than later, for this reason processes as milestone control can help visualize schedule variances and make the team more accountable for there performance early on the project.

Compare the no process approach with a team that early in the project establishes a set of milestones and control it early. The team will follow up any variances and take any corrective action so the target dates are accomplished not only the end date. This will in the long run increase quality and project visibility to the outside stakeholders.

J

PMBOK Third Edition Released

jalme — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 23:17:00 +0000

The Project Management Body of Knowledge - Third Edition was released. Go get it!

J

Ford cancels Everest

jalme — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 08:27:00 +0000

Ford canceled the $200 million Everest project (Web purchasing project).

The article of ADMag lists several causes for the failure including end-user expectations, integration issues. In the project management side several questions arise. Was there any early warning indicators that could have helped Ford detect the slippage and cancel or correct the project? Did the strategic decision to implement the system made sense now that the old one is considered to go on.

Great article!

J

Irish Government with Project Management in mind

jalme — Fri, 29 Oct 2004 20:55:00 +0000

This week the Irish Minister for Transport acknowledged that project management is essencial for improving the productivity of the state.

J

Project Management Pitfalls

jalme — Sun, 24 Oct 2004 16:06:00 +0000

Project Magazine published a PCI study that tries to assess project success and failure rates both within corporations and across Project Management Institute chapters.

The main focus of the study is on "Do Senior Managers and Corporate Culture Support, Obstruct or Ignore Project Work?"
J

Agile Software Development

jalme — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 15:44:00 +0000

AgileAlliance published in 2001 a manifesto with the principles that all software development projects should use.

In the meantime a current is emerging that states that PMI principles and the agile Project Management are in some way incompatible.

What the author doesn't seem to understand is that the PMBOK presents the tools and techniques that a PM can use for his/her project but ultimately is up to the PM to decide how to do the work (communicate with the team verbally or written, build iteratively or in one big bang approach).

There is also a miss conception of what is the project management process and the project life cycle. The last is the set of specific phases that constitute a project to improve management and this is dictated by the specific application area (in this case software dev). The first one must adapt to help attain the project goals.

J

Project Management

jalme — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 22:47:00 +0000

Hi all,

This is the first post of a blog with the goal of discussing and exchange ideas about this very broad topic.

Hope you enjoy,
J

Time To Move PPM To The Cloud?

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:29:50 +0000

Situation: You think the cloud could be a solution for you, but youre still not sure... Recently, we spoke with Scott Chapman,the President and CEO of Project Hosts, the leading provider of online Project Server, SharePoint and CRM solutions, with Microsoft competencies in Project an...

Do You Need a Project Management Survival Plan?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:49:10 +0000

Situation: You need a fresh perspective on Project Management in general. Steve Starke, VP of Program Management at Thomson Reuters, has written a new PM book entitled,S.T.O.P. The Project Management Survival Plan which outlines a new framework for managing projects based onsurvival prin...

Do You Need a Delegation Document?

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:02:12 +0000

Situation: Its unclear which decisions you can take and which ones must be escalated. Often we begin with a general understanding that the PM can approve expenses within budget and at times there is an approval threshold, but not much more is said about decision-making. Action-oriented PMs of...

T- shirts Seem to Be All the Rage

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:52:38 +0000

Situation: Ya need something casual to wear that makes a PM statement. I just noticed on facebook that PMI is promoting a new set of Ts. Heres the announcement and link - Show off your project management pride! Reward your favorite project team members with new T-shirts from PMI! Pro...

Do You Need a Team Operating Agreement?

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:47:28 +0000

Situation: Team members keep stumbling over simple, common sense, standard practices. A Team Operating Agreement seems like overkill for a lot of us. Ive personally seen dozens of these over the last several years and many are just a fluffy box-checking exercise.The whole this seems a bit muc...

Is Your Team Really a Team?

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:09:06 +0000

Situation: You need to get people more in sync. Recently, I interviewed Harlan Bridgeson one of his chapter inProject Pain Relieverentitled,My team isnt really a team.I asked him a few questions about how you get people to recognize the problem. Then we dropped in a condensed version of the s...

Does Your Team Spend More Time Fighting Than Working?

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:37:00 +0000

Situation: You need to get people working together a bit better. Recently, I interviewed Gina Abudi on one of her chapters in Project Pain Reliever entitled,My team spends more time arguing than working. I asked her a few questions about how you get people to recognize the problem. Then we dr...

Do You Make $105K/yr as a Project Manager?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:29:26 +0000

Situation: Youre curious about how much your peers make... Today, PMI released the results of their most recent research into how much Project Managers make. The median income globally was $92K and $105K in the US (both in USD). The full press release can be found below. ...

How Should You Tell Your Story?

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:37:24 +0000

Situation: A story would really help your cause, but youre not quite sure how to make it work. A story can make a huge difference in your effectiveness as a Project Manager. While you dont want to over-think it or turn telling the story into a complex process, there are a few things that are ...

Who do I have to please?

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:05:24 +0000

Situation: Every problem can make you feel like you have to please a thousand different people who all want different things. However, the problem isnt only who do I please? It is also, which needs are truly important? (This is a partial chapter excerpt from the book, Project Pain Reliever) ...

Ice Cubes

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:06:00 +0000

My seven-year-old decided he wanted to participate in the science fair, and he came up with his own sciene experiment. It was to test how ice cubes are made.

His hypothesis was that when you put a cup of water in the freezer, you get back a cup full of ice cubes. At first, it seems funny, but then after a minute of thinking more about it, he has never seen ice come out of a refrigerator in any other way. Why not? Why wouldn't water freeze in the

Entrekin's Theorem

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:23:56 +0000

Main Theorem

"In any given technology project, there is no such thing as a technology problem. There are only human problems."

Corollary 1

Unless we are severely resource constrained, we are typically only limited by our ability to work together

Corollary 2

Our ability to work together includes our ability to imagine, co-imagine, co-create and work in parallel

Action and Reflection

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:39:22 +0000

Lately I find it harder and harder to step back and reflect on what we are doing. I get so caught up in the inertia of big projects and day-to-day activities and fire-fights that there's not enough time to step back and see things in a disinterested way.

The work culture does not value reflection - it values action. If we are taking action, then we are deemed capable and productive. If we step back and take the time to reflect, we are shirkers, or even

Courage (rather unusual)

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:17:27 +0000

I came across a fine quote by Victor Serge from his Memoirs of a Revolutionary. Serge was an active participant in the communist revolutions in Russia and Europe, and then he became one of the first outspoken critics when it made its totalitarian turn.

I think the quote speaks quite well for itself, so I will not attempt to explain it here.

“I give myself credit for having seen clearly in a number of important situations.

MyDevice and Public Computing

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:06:34 +0000

I have been thinking more and more lately about the boundary between what I call MyDevice and just about everything else.

For the sake of clarity, MyDevice refers to the computers I use that are personally mine, that know who I am and what I have access to. This landscape has changed lately and continues to change. Until not too long ago, this was my workstation or my laptop or both.

But now we have to include two new cla

Can a checklist save your @$$?

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:19:33 +0000

After reading Atul Gawande's book, the Checklist Manifesto, I was compelled to create my own checklist for Software Development Projects.

If only I'd had it 15 years ago!

Gawande's is a terrific and simple book about his project to improve surgery around the world. No small goal, but if anyone can make a dent in that problem, he can. What I love about Gawande is t

Documents are worthless - documentation mean everything...

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:44:07 +0000

Esienhower once said something to the effect of "plans are worthless - planning means everything." He carried more planning responsibility than most of us can imagine, so I'd guess that he didn't mean this lightly.

I have come to believe there is a very strong corrolary for documentation. I would say something like this: "documents are worthless - documenation means everything."

When NOT to plan

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:36:16 +0000

The assumptions around planning for technical projects keeps changing, especially when it comes to software projects. More and more the approaach seems to be that we should just go build something, put it in the customers hands, and learn from what happens.

I'm a big fan of taking action. I think it's crucial to get out there and do something and then adjust and learn and adjust and learn.

But in some cases, we still need to stop and t

Why Did We Start This?

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:14:28 +0000

It's not a new problem, but it sure does seem to be persistent.

A group of people get together to do something, perhaps solve a problem, perhaps build something new, and they come up with an idea and start working on it.

Sounds very agile, very active, like something a doer would do. A take-charge kind of talent.

But pretty soon this group of people starts to fly past the idea stage and to get emotionally tied to

How to say "Yes" without hanging yourself

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:12:29 +0000

When the stack of projects starts to grow on you, the good news is that you still have work to do. In other words, when the list of projects starts to dwindle down toward zero, you might want to make sure you have a reason to show up next week.

On the other hand, when the list of projects grows beyond your ability to perform well, you have an altogether different problem. Perhaps you have a new compelling even that drives a whole slT
ew of new pr

How to say Yes without digging a hole

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:34:13 +0000

When the stack of projects starts to grow on you, the good news is that you still have work to do. Think about it this way: when the list of projects starts to dwindle down toward zero, you might want to make sure you have a reason to show up next week.

On the other hand, when the list of projects grows beyond your ability to perform well, you have an altogether different problem. Perhaps you have a new compelling event that drives a whole slew o

Bad Decisions Anonymous

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:17:30 +0000

If we are dependent on the recommendations and decisions of others (and when is that not the case?) how do we learn to detect flaws in those recommendations and decisions?

There has been a lot written about an assortment of cognitive biases that can get us into trouble, and here is a pretty good summary (pgs) of the different flavors of such biases. T

Dead Cat Swinging...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:54:41 +0000

It's a relatively old post, but still a good one on the notion of a minimum viable product by Jon Radoff: http://radoff.com/blog/2010/05/04/minimum-viable-product-rant/

This is another great example of the need to have Engineering and Product Management on the same page about what they are doing and why. "We're going to figure this out as we go" -- "okay...cool....wai

Tch is short for Teachers

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:23:00 +0000

A new site has launched that creates a place for teachers. It provides motivating and practical tools through an innovative use of video. Check it out here: www.teachingchannel.org.

This site is a great example of using positive deviance techniques. The videos show hwo teachers have developed techniques that inspire students to learn difficult material. You can interact with the video, get a

Mac? PC? Neither?

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:07:58 +0000

On the personal technology front, I'm happy to report that there is a genuine alternative to the tedious fracas of the Microsoft juggernaut of Windows and Office versus the Apple cult of Mac and ..... Office.

Over the last week, I've been running ubuntu/gnome on my netbook and I am greatly pleased to report that it is a delight. It's is fast, secure, easy to use, and it's.....open source.

The available Linux alternatives to Offic

Imagine a visit to where they 'get' strategy execution

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:55:35 +0000

Good morning Mr. Getzit, I appreciate the opportunity to interview for this position. Hi Larry glad you could come in. Please have a seat and let me give you a little background on our company and the position you are interviewing for.

Human Resources Role in Strategy Execution

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:37:38 +0000

Seems a new buzz word in the field of Human Resources is talent management. I asked a few HR buddies of mine what talent management means. Basically they said itâs for Human Resources to make sure that the company has the talent needed to carry out its strategy.

'TIS THE PLANNING SEASON, with a New Year's resolution that needs to focus on execution

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:32:56 +0000

At this time of the year people start thinking about resolutions for the New Year. Get off the couch and exercise to lose a few pounds. Realistic plans in December but how effective was the implementation after the snow melts? There are a lot of empty fitness centers in March. Organizations are going through the same New Year resolution process right now by preparing and presenting business plans for 2

Organizational Obesity - Companies need to go on a project diet

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:49:53 +0000

As the holiday season approaches many of us think about watching our weight, but probably do little to actually maintain it. As an alternative this year I would suggest we turn our attention to the project weight of organizations across our global landscape. When I was a kid my parents told me that most things done in excess are not healthy and therefore thought me constraint, moderation and discipline. Having recently visited a few organizations and spoken to various executives and employees

Project Definition - Why, What, Who, When and How?

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:09:09 +0000

I was recently contacted by an organization to conduct an assessment of a major project that was going south. I was told the project started seven months ago and consistently missed planned milestone dates since its inception. While the outcome of my assessment was a recovery plan to get the project on track the major component missing from this project was clear definition of the project. The project definition phase lays the groundwork for obtaining information about the project and provide

What Makes a Project Management Office (PMO) Effective?

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:09:25 +0000

The Project Management Office has been around for quite some time, but to be effective an emerging trend is developing indicating that the PMO needs to influence and impact the strategic, developmental and tactical levels of an organization's integrated project management process.

Change Management - a missing link

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 15:56:31 +0000

When I manage a project or provide project management training or mentoring I often refer to The Project Management Institute's Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) nine process groups (Integration, Scope, Time, Quality, Risk, Procurement, Human Resources, Communications, Cost and Quality) for guidance which is extremely helpful. But there is a missing link so I have added another process group to the toolkit called change management.

Project Team Blending

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:29:38 +0000

As project manager's we need to have a knack for rallying teams toward a common goal rather quickly. Over the years I have used the following key principles and activities to blend teams and provide the folks I coach and mentor with guidance to blend the teams they are leading.

Find the Hot Button

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 19:47:47 +0000

Currently I am mentoring three project managers who work in a project management office for a financial services company. The PMO has a meeting every two weeks with the executive team to review strategic investments. One major problem that the PMO team has is poor attendance by the executive team at the steering committee meetings. The chief operations officer, chief information officer and vice president of quality attend most of the time. The chief executive officer and chief financial officer

Take Control, Control Changes

Sat, 21 May 2005 11:54:54 +0000

I just finished a project assessment at the request of a client who said her top project was the implementation of a new system. The project was approximately 18 weeks behind schedule when I was asked to conduct the assessment. Although there were about five major problems with the project's health such as lack of executive sponsorship and poor allocation of resources, the most critical issue that needed to be addressed was project control.

Professional Sports Teams Get Lessons Learned

Fri, 13 May 2005 08:30:30 +0000

Last week I distributed a lessons learned document to my project sponsor, project team and end users. The project kicked off about four months ago and we have converted two of eight warehouses from one warehouse management system to another in that time frame. The organization I am engaged with does not have a project management process in place so lessons learned is a new concept to them, however at a recent project status meeting one team member asked, "Don't you do lessons learned at the en

Play Ball

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 08:01:01 +0000

Yesterday I was teaching a class on project management and used a baseball analogy to explain the role of the project manager and that the project manager is just one of many team members that must perform their job in order for the project (team) to succeed.

No Time to be Efficient

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 18:18:18 +0000

Last week I was facilitating a meeting that consisted of an organization's leadership team to develop a more efficient pricing model.

It's a Quadrangle not a Triangle

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 18:29:51 +0000

When I first got involved in project management the mantra was to manage the triangle of cost, schedule and quality. If you could manage those pieces you were well on your way to a successful project. Boy has times changed.

Technology is not Always the Right Fix

Sun, 26 Dec 2004 11:27:12 +0000

Awhile back I discussed this initiative I was working on and mentioned that this organization 'bought the car without taking it for a test drive." Initially I asked about rhe return on investment and expected benefits but was told not to worry about it so at the outset of this initiative my goal was to put a project plan in place to give the team a roadmap and activities to work on and give the organization a tool to track and monitor progress. In other words what do we need to do to get the pro

Atlantic Global Solution V4.3

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:46:47 +0000

I am pleased to announce that version 4.3 of Atlantic Global Solution is scheduled to be performed overnight on Monday 20th September with no down time, before going live on Tuesday 21st September.

Day 1 of Gartners PPM & IT Governance Summit 2010

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:04:38 +0000

Day one of Gartner’s PPM & IT Governance summit is now drawing to a close, with just the last few seminars and the networking reception to look forward to. If you were lucky enough to be in attendance hopefully you were able to meet Rebecca Thomson, Eugene Blaine, Paul Gleghorn or Ian Needs, all of whom were in attendance of the [...]

Gartner PPM & IT Governance Event 2010

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:19:14 +0000

Atlantic Global is to attend the Gartner PPM and IT Governance 2010 event. The events is due to take place on the 16th and 17th of June in London UK. For more information on the event itself, who’s attending and the agenda please click on the links below. for more information to register

Atlantic Global Release Version 4.1

Tue, 18 May 2010 09:58:19 +0000

Atlantic Global Solution Version 4.1 Release Date: 13/05/2010 Atlantic Global are pleased to announce the release of the Atlantic Global Solution v4.1. This interim release focuses on enhancements to the existing modules, User Interface Improvements, Reporting Improvements and simplification of the Risk and Issues Management functionality. SaaS customers will automatically be upgraded to the latest version [...]

Product Roadshow 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:43:02 +0000

Atlantic Global would like to thank the all visitors and participants who attended the 2009 Atlantic Global Product Road Show. The latest features of the new product upgrade were showcased, and visitors got an advanced preview of the new mobile browser application that’s due for release shortly.

Atlantic Global OnDemand Release 3.1

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:58:57 +0000

Atlantic Global are pleased to announce the release of Atlantic Global OnDemand v3.1. The latest version sees improvements to the software, including the following: • New Reporting Improvements • Improved Resource Availability Search • Improved Cost & Charge Rates • Improvements to Project Profiling • New ‘Quick Start Wizard’ (Timesheet Configuration Guide) Use the hyperlinks above to access additional details. Alternatively, download a full guide [...]

Corporate Visibility and Environment

Thu, 29 May 2008 10:58:51 +0000

Managing PPM as a Change Project The only constant in business today is continuous change. A META Group study showed that half of Global 2000 companies adopt some form of project portfolio management but less than 10% of these increased the portfolio value by 30% or more. Each of the other attempts became yet another [...]

Kick Start The PPM Process Part 9 of 9

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:50:13 +0000

Building a Risk Management Framework The ultimate success of your project will depend on resolving the issues and risks associated with implementing a PPM process and solution in your organisation as well as quantifying benefits and savings. You need to be sure that the chosen solution is fit for purpose and will solve business issues [...]

Kick Start the PPM Process Part 8 of 9

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:08:16 +0000

Establishing Proof of Benefit What is Proof of Benefit? A proof of benefit (PoB) is in effect a configurable test environment that enables the business to understand from a real-world perspective how PPM will be delivered to the business. The PoB brings together the software application and processes into one single environment. The software side of the [...]

Kick Start the PPM Process Part 7 of 9

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:00:53 +0000

Measuring ROI and ROO ROI/ROO Analysis The rationale behind any project carried out by a commercial organisation should be either to deliver cost savings, or an improvement in revenues, or both. However, it is only effectively managed projects that retain a link to strategic initiatives that can deliver on the above. Cost savings can either be [...]

Leap's Viral Sensation

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:13:34 +0000

One of the top viral videos on YouTube right now in the technology space is Leap Motion, with almost 2 million views in two days. Why has this San Francisco startup's video received so much attention? Let's disregard for a moment the hip, visual appeal of minimalistic design reminiscent of Apple and Google products, paired with trendy, relaxed background music. Leap boasts “motion control technology that is radically more powerful and also significantly less costly than existing technology” (ahem, Kinect!). What I've found most impressive is that Leap’s accuracy is so precise that it tracks movement to 1/100^th of a millimeter. You’ll witness this in the video- it’s impressive!

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Microsoft’s Kinect is the rival motion sensor technology used as an add-on in the Xbox 360. We actually had it at our booth during the Microsoft Dynamics Convergence trade show and it was a hit. Let’s also not forget the Wii, the first video game with wireless movement detection launched back in 2006. It uses a player hand-held device in tracking. But, the difference here with Kinect and the Wii is that they are currently solely used in gaming (although exciting news has been announced about Kinect R&D extending into retail space).

Leap Motions’ sights are set much higher since the device is used to control computer behavior. This will lead to endless opportunities that are certainly something get excited about. Have you heard or thought of any ideas that would benefit from the Leap? I'll tell you my personal favorite idea: exercise workout videos! I’m sure they’d be a hit here in Austin! It would be a great marriage between tech and health!

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YouTube

technology

startup

Apple

Three Ways To Set The Right Goals

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

A common thought people have when considering a time-tracking application, or any time management system, is how to keep track of those intangible goals. By that I mean those goals that don’t have a clear beginning and end, that are ongoing but for an indefinite period of time. Obviously, it is simple to determine how much time we spend engaging in these activities, but how do we track time against them to determine efficiency? Unless you can do this, it becomes easy to spend either too much or too little time on a task to produce a benefit. All this considered, the issue actually lies with the goals themselves, not the time management methodology. Here are three ways to set achievable, trackable goals.

1. Become S.M.A.R.T.

This advice is fairly common, and for good reason. S.M.A.R.T. goals are, by definition, simple to track and determine progress for. What is that definition, you ask? S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Thus, if you can convert all your goals into S.M.A.R.T. goals, they will lend themselves well to any time management system. By introducing a time constraint, it is possible to measure progress as a function of the overall time required to complete the goal. In other words, you can recalibrate efforts to an appropriate level if you are progressing too slowly or expending too much energy on a goal that does not require it.

2. Clearly Prioritize

Whenever you set a new goal (or begin setting goals in the first place), developing a hierarchy of priority can help immensely. There are many tools for this, including the popular app iOS “clear.” By contextualizing goals in terms of relative importance, it is easy to determine allocations of time and energy. If they are S.M.A.R.T., you can also determine whether or not you are spending the right amount of time on a lower priority goal. At first glance this seems obvious, but the reality is unless we take the time to actually sit down and prioritize, odds are that we don’t actually know what is most important at any given time. Particularly when you are working on multiple projects in different areas of a business, prioritizing will save a lot of hassle and will give you the ability to say “no.”

3. Communicate

A goal that is not communicated faces a bigger hurdle to success than one that is. As humans, we often need to have our feet held to the fire before we can produce our best work. So, whether it be in a team meeting or simply in a quick email to a co-worker, let someone know what you are doing and why you are doing it. Even if they do not have a stake in the outcome, the knowledge that someone else is expecting you to complete a goal will increase the pressure (in a good way), and also the likelihood that you will finish. Disappointing yourself is one thing, disappointing a co-worker or manager is something else entirely!

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The Importance of the Back-Up

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:08:27 +0000

On Tuesday, I tagged along with James, our marketing director, to an Austin chapter meeting of the Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains User Group ( GPU G). A quick background: GP is just one company in the extensive family of Microsoft Dynamics software solutions. Our time tracking solution enhances GP accounting software and, in an effort to increase our involvement as a partner, we were interested in learning about how to strengthen our bond with the local GP community.

Regardless of whether or not you have a need for GP, I’d like to share a valuable tip that all businesses can (and should) use. Landon Russell, Chairman of the Austin GPUG, routinely presents a segment called “Landon’s Tips”. Tuesday’s topic hit on a great point I thought worth reiterating here on our blog: the importance of backing up your data. Don’t wait until it’s too late before you think about storing valuable information in another location. Use a secondary drive or, even better, employ an offsite location. You can save yourself and your company from a whole world of trouble. Simple as that.

I’d like to wrap up this post with a very entertaining and informative YouTube video that Landon shared with us about how backing up information saved the popular Disney/Pixar movie, Toy Story 2.

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Assemble!: What The Avengers Can Teach About Business Tools

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Seeing as how The Avengers had the best opening weekend in history, it is clear that there is something enticing about the idea behind this film. And there is! For one thing, Marvel Comics has built up character backstories for years that people identify with either through comic books or the movies. But that is only one aspect that is appealing. The other is the interplay between these powerhouse characters and the fact that, though incredibly powerful on their own, only by combining their unique strengths can they overcome a massive, world-altering threat. It is this characteristic that businesses can learn from, particularly as it relates to the tools they use to solve their business problems. Can businesses really learn from comics characters? Absolutely! Lets delve a little deeper.

The Avengers Are Mighty Individually

Though it can be argued that certain Avengers are more powerful than others (Hulk, anyone?), it nevertheless remains true that each can stand on their own and still represent a potent and efficient fighting force. The same can be said of most quality business software. If a program is entirely dependent on another to be of value, then it is subject to weaknesses that might not befall a more independent system. Further, many programs like this do not represent a significant value, and are often upsells for a core product. While they might increase the functionality, they normally do so at a disproportionate cost. If a business chooses to abandon the core-product, the add-on will become worthless as well. Sunk costs like this can be very damaging.

They Work Better With A Leader

[Minor Movie Spoilers] In the beginning of The Avengers, the heroes are all tossed together and almost everyone gets in a conflict. These characters are all used to being at the top of their game, and they are all strong leaders. However, once they fall in line behind a certain spangly-bannered someone, they become much more organized and effective. In business, there are going to be certain programs that the organization is more comfortable working with. If other programs are proprietary and do not play nice with the programs that the business already feels comfortable with, then their value decreases dramatically. It is always easier to access information in just a few places. The more dashboards that employees have to go through, the more difficult it is to understand and execute on the information available.

Avengers Cover Their Weaknesses

The best part about the avengers is that, when they team up, they can overcome weaknesses. The Hulk has a group that can keep him in check and point him in the right direction. Iron Man has a moral authority to keep him grounded. Hawkeye has people to distract enemies while he shoots arrows from afar. The point is, they accentuate and enhance strengths while minimizing weaknesses. Business tools can and should do the same thing. If there is a facet of a comprehensive program, such as Microsoft Dynamics, that doesn’t quite work to solve your needs, another piece of software can be configured to jump right in so that you can keep going and get your work done. In the end, it’s all about minimizing problems and boosting efficiency.

Are your business tools super-powered? If not, take a look and see what will give them the juice they need to take on problems you face every day. That way, when a metaphorical planet altering invasion of space monsters occurs, you will be able to handle it.

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Get Techie On Mother's Day

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:14 +0000

If you’re like us here at Journyx and are infatuated with all things tech, why not spread a little of that geeky-love to Mom this weekend? There are many high-tech presents out there that will show Mom how much you care! Consider her interests: does she spend time outside at the grandkids’ soccer practice? She’ll appreciate a solar-powered Kindle cover! Strapped for cash? No problem! There are many options that won’t cost you a penny. What about putting together an Instagram album of the most meaningful moments you’ve captured from family events? Any Mom would appreciate the thoughtfulness of this gift!

These are just two ideas I snagged from the gift guide, “Tech Gifts For Mother’s Day”. It’s a list that hopefully will inspire a nice gesture that Mom is sure enjoy.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

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Lightspeed Advantages

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Competitive advantage. The term brings to mind long meetings spent listening to various market reports, conjectures about competitor pricing and strategy, and of course looking at the clock every five seconds wishing that the conversation was over. Long-term forecasting of the competitive landscape is not without value, yet it does have one disadvantage that is baked right in: unless competitors are handing you actual plans and numbers, you are essentially engaging in advanced guesswork. Unfortunately, those guesses can easily prove false or inapplicable.

So, is there any sort of advantage that is definite, measurable, and applicable to every competitor regardless of industry? I am so glad you asked.

I term it the “lightspeed advantage” because it implies that you are able to pivot from bad situations and escape to clear, profitable waters at the speed of light. Remember when Han Solo made his lightspeed jumps away from the empire? Well, there is no reason that your team can’t be like the Millenium Falcon.

The key is to keep track of all of your resources, both human and monetary, so that you know exactly what you have available and when. Then, you must be sure to check those resources against your backlog of completed projects (you have been keeping a backlog of projects, right?) and determine the types of projects that have the greatest opportunity for profitability. That way, when opportunity presents itself, you will know your constraints and can bid with an almost nonexistent margin of error. If a project or customer doesn’t fit your criteria, move on to one that does.

This may seem like an obvious advantage, but think about it: while competitors are tied up dealing with projects outside of their scope, constantly vying for attention and eating up resources, you have completed two or three projects and are working on more. The difference is in the specificity. You knew you could complete the assignment with your proposed budget and deadline before you even began. The stakeholders are happy, your team is happy, and you are rich.

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Growing Your Career with Mad Men

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’ve caught Mad Men fever. That's an Instagram of me "Draping" in the office. Really, who hasn’t been infected with this highly epicurean, uber-stylish and intelligently executed television series set in the swingin’ sixties? I've learned a few lessons from the show that might help with career life and thought I'd share them with you today.

Networking is a necessity.

That hasn’t changed and it never will. Business over cocktails is a regular occurrence on the series and we can definitely relate to this in our world today. There was a scene where a huge merger was initiated over cocktails between three men at a table in a restaurant. You’d be wrong if you assumed this is just Hollywood pizzazz - that type of interaction doesn't just happen on the screen.

Recognize new opportunities.

An eye for opportunity is invaluable, especially working for a technology company. For example, a technology company would need to decide if it's a good idea to develop a mobile app. Take Harry Crane, a former copywriter from Sterling Cooper, the advertising firm where Mad Men takes place. He was able to spot the potential of television as an up-and-coming medium, and negotiated a new start to his career as the head of the television department. If you can recongnize the power in something new, be smart and get behind it. Hopefully you’re at a company that allows for creative initiatives whether it’s re-establishing the current focus on prospects or just giving a shot at a new office get-together.

It’s okay if you’re the only female copywriter.

Alright, I’m looking at you, Peggy. I can relate. Part of my means of staying connected with the tech industry is by jumping in at tech events, where women are unfortunately still in the minority. It’s easy to feel intimidated walking into a room where almost everyone has more experience and is older. At least a few times in your life, no matter your status, you will find yourself feeling out of place like Peggy. And again, like Peggy, if you learn to curb fear and uncertainty, you will be unstoppable.

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Startup Time!

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Journyx provides efficient timesheet software for businesses large and small. We have covered many of our software's advantages in the past, from key integrations to small business advantages. One of the topics we discuss the most is the importance of building a backlog of data from which to learn, and we stand behind that. The value of a backlog of information is maximized if the business begins tracking time from the outset. However, many businesses do not realize the necessity of a robust time-tracking tool until much later, relying instead on less sophisticated paper-based methods or simply not tracking time at all. Any startup should definitely integrate time tracking as a core process.

For one thing, the disparity between what the startup founder thinks will take the most time and effort and what actually takes up the majority of a company's time is often quite different. Even if a business is being “bootstrapped” and run by a small number of people, it is incredibly valuable to know what the greatest time sinks are for your company, and where more attention is needed. In many cases, it is not readily apparent that specific tasks are preventing other, more important duties from being performed. A time-tracking tool, and the discipline to use it, will reveal such issues quickly. Startups that can pivot to tasks with a greater ROI are often the ones who find the greatest success.

Another benefit of time-tracking for startups is derived from the first. By knowing exactly which tasks are time drains, you can determine what jobs can be outsourced and which ones require a dedicated employee. Take a company website, for instance. If the team is relatively inexperienced and spending a great deal of time coding the site, it might be a good idea to outsource the project so that they can focus on jobs that play to their strengths. If, on the other hand, the team is struggling with ongoing website maintenance issues, and the site goes down for extended periods of time, it might be better to go ahead and hire a programmer full-time. Remember, both skill set AND time should act as determinants for resource allocation.

I know what you’re thinking: one of the greatest challenges for startups is lack of cash. How can you afford an advanced time tracking solution? Well the good news is that Journyx provides its Timesheet application for free to all businesses with ten users or less. We want you to be successful, and we believe we can help. Get your time under control so you can determine the best path for your business, from startup to mature company.

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We Did Something Out Of The Ordinary

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

If you work in an office, you know how hard it can be to get employees to participate in team building events. Usually they're boring or awkward or irrelevant - or a combination of all three. At Journyx, we won't settle for that! Last Tuesday, the Journyx team got together and polished off some very tasty Torchy’s Tacos and watched TED Talks. (Notice the "T" theme?) We watched two popular TED Talks in our conference room as we munched on our lunch. Here are links to the Talks we watched - you still have time to grab your taco!

Steve Jobs: How To Live Before You Die

Nigel Marsh: How To Make Work-life Balance Work

It’s worth it to do something fun and out of the norm for your office that will get your team excited (or at least bring them together). Sometimes the workplace can seem disconnected. Bonding is great for co-workers and has statically been proven to jumpstart efficiency. With an event like this, who can complain? Especially if you fill your mind AND your tummy at the same time!

What are things you’ve done in your office to open up the workplace? Anything you want to try?

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Beat the Bandwagon: Pinterest Tips for Businesses

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:56:05 +0000

Let’s discuss the social media darling you’ve probably heard a lot about lately: Pinterest. Though female consumers have led the way to this site becoming incredibly powerful, it won’t be long until corporate brands start making an impact on this site. Businesses with strong visual elements are already doing well on Pinterest. Watch this video by Magnet Media to learn some basic tips for how your business can use Pinterest effectively:

What if your business is not inheritably visual? You can still think of other ways to include visuals in your marketing materials. Some key places include…

Your blog
Your website
Your landing pages
Your collateral

When I first asked writers on the Journyx blog to include a picture with every single blog post (or some other media element), I was met with resistance. But with sites like Pinterest demanding brands show their ideas in a visual way, my instincts to make the Journyx blog more multi-media driven were right. Think back to when YouTube first came onto the web. At first, it was just a place for young people to film their lives and entertain each other. But now YouTube is the go-to location for online video content for all types of brands and businesses.

How can you present your business in a more visual way? Is your brand already on Pinterest? We are!

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Chainlink Profitability

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Businesses are consumers to professional goods and services just as people are consumers to personal goods and services. Businesses are susceptible to many of the same problems that any consumer faces. One of these is the purchase of tools that ultimately prove extraneous, either because another tool in their repertoire already fulfills a key need, or because the tools are useless as a standalone. The truth is, with enterprise-level software, standalone functionality often doesn’t cut it. If a tool cannot communicate with other important business applications, then ultimately it makes business systems clunky and inefficient. Like a link in a chain, individual software may be strong, but unless it is chained together with other strong links, it isn’t useful.

Obviously, the less sophisticated a business is, the easier it is to get by with simple, standalone systems. The problem is that the number of businesses that fall under the category of “simple” is very low. Let’s be honest, businesses only really seem easy from the outside. Even the most basic business has managers, founders, and executives throwing their hands up and asking, “What’s next?”

There is no one solution that will fit every company and that is kind of the point. Choosing software that recognizes its limitations and allows for linkages with other software to addresses those weaknesses is a very sound strategy. Popular business software such as Microsoft Dynamics follows this principle, and that is one reason why many companies view it as a flexible and intuitive program. There is no reason to limit yourself when so many options are available to customize your software to fit your needs specifically.

The key is to find what works and what doesn’t. There are many ways to go about this, from looking up software reviews to following companies on social media, but one of the most effective is still a quick phone call. Businesses should be able to answer questions about their tools and how they can solve your problems. Calling a company also serves as a fantastic litmus test for customer service, which every company claims to excel at, yet comes up short in reality.

Eliminate “shelfware” and expand the capabilities of your business software through a little research, and you will find that business problems become much more manageable. Insight is a key competitive advantage, and even moreso given the cutthroat pace of our current economic climate.

Have you found any particularly effective software combinations? Do you have any tips for evaluating the efficacy of business tools?

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Three Key Takeaways from Microsoft Convergence

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:23:19 +0000

There were many things I noticed while attending Microsoft Convergence, but you can apply these key takeways to any trade show. They are sure to improve your convention experience and get the attention you know you want!

Don’t let your booth staff talk a visitor’s ear off

If anything they should LISTEN. This is the number one reason attendees don’t stop by in the first place. They don’t want a 10 minute sales pitch for something they might not want or need. It’s great to cast a wide net, but you need to train your team to target valuable prospects more selectively. Stop and listen to the comments from people who are interested in your business. James Brawner, Director of Marketing at Journyx, emphasized this point in his interview at the show.

Pace yourself

Be sure to let your booth staff take a break when necessary. You can have the best attention-grabbing displays and games, but if the staff is moping and tired, prospects will have a bad impression of your booth. If you want them to be happy go-getters then periodic breaks are the best way to keep that energy up!

Attend the functions afterward

I know, I just said pace yourself. But here’s why I highly recommend going to the after parties: deals happen there just as fast as on the booth floor. It's another opportunity to get in front of attendees or future partners, and that means more bang for your buck. So have fun with it! Well, not TOO much fun, of course – be professional!

Do you have any other ideas for getting the most out of conventions? Let us know some of your best practices!

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When "Quality" Isn't Quality

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Government contracting differs from traditional business ventures in many key ways, and one of those is the marketing of your product. As in any industry, differentiators will ultimately determine who wins the contract, yet it is important to realize that these differentiators are unique when dealing with government agencies. For one thing, you are not offering a good or service to a wide market; you are offering it to one particular agency. For that reason, specificity is much more important than in traditional marketing. You are only trying to capture the attention of one customer, so your marketing efforts should reflect their needs in detail.

You also must realize that these agencies can see right through buzzwords, marketing slogans, etc. because they are ultimately irrelevant to them. Using such words in your approach is not only useless, but potentially harmful, as they indicate that you do not know what they actually want. Offering to build “the highest quality airplane money can buy” will be less effective than saying “we can build you an airplane that meets your target specifications for $50,000 less than you thought it would cost,” for instance. These kinds of details will make a big difference when the time for proposal comes.

It is also important to acknowledge the human element of these interactions. Since the idea of a massive bureaucracy is so closely associated with government agencies, it is easy to forget that individual humans have a significant impact on where a contract is awarded. It is therefore very important to network with the agencies that you are interested in contracting for to get an inside view of requirements, and also to become a friendly resource for them. Successfully doing this can translate to a contract award since you will be remembered as a valuable asset when they are making final decisions. Don’t lose sight of whom you are trying to win over, and market to specific agencies, and you can significantly increase the odds that you will win the contract you want.

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Government Contracting

marketing

customer service

Five Aspects of Time Tracking Nirvana, Part Three

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This is the third installment of our 3 part series entitled “5 Aspects of Time Tracking Nirvana.” Please read part 1 and part 2 before continuing here.

Let’s jump right in to the final aspects of time management that automated software can help:

4. Timesheet Rules Handling

In nearly every business environment, there will be rules dictating employee time spent on work. This might mean that certain activities are disallowed at certain times, or that employees are only allowed to work a certain number of hours per week, or any other of a variety of regulations. For companies using a paper timekeeping system, these rules can quickly become arduous to navigate. Employees will be required to memorize or look up the rules every time they have even a slight deviation in their standard time entry, and approvers will need to be even more careful as they peruse the numerous timesheets submitted that might have slight errors. Again, minor errors at the data entry level can quickly snowball into much larger issues down the line.

Automated timesheets can effectively eliminate the vast majority of these problems. For starters, they can be arranged so that certain options are not even available to employees. This makes sure that those activities that employees should not engage in cannot be entered at all. Automated timesheet systems also allow for timesheet rejection notices and reminders that come without requiring the attention of a supervisor. Thus, employees will know immediately if there was an error, saving time for both themselves and their managers as well as minimizing the chance for entry errors.

5. Workflow Approvals and Process Auditing

At some point along the line most companies will want to get employee timesheets in front of a qualified approver to make sure that the time is being spent on relevant tasks and that there are no other issues. If a business is acting as a government contractor, the DCAA will also want to make sure that a qualified supervisor is monitoring employee time. In even modestly sized organizations, manual timesheet entry presents numerous issues in this regard. In situations that require multiple levels of approval things quickly go awry, requiring multiple copies of daily time entry to be stored and catalogued.

Automated time entry systems can be programmed to follow a designated approval path and, once there, allows timesheets to be shared as necessary throughout the organization. Further, it allows multiple layers of approval so if an employee is working on a project, but that is not his only responsibility, then the project manager can view data appropriate to him while another supervisor receives different or more complete data, depending on the needs of the company.

For an audit report, this becomes even more critical, as the ease with which timesheets and timesheet processes are identified can make an audit either extremely painless or convoluted. Automated systems create an easy to follow approval path and offer instant access to timesheet data. As long as employees follow baseline processes, no audit will ever be unnecessarily difficult.

Final Thoughts

Remember, every time tracking system is a tool. Unless a business has effective processes in place, no timesheet system can be effective. That being said, an automated time tracking system is a much better tool than a manual system. Businesses who implement them discover the numerous advantages of easily accessible employee and project data, allowing them to make more accurate adjustments and future predictions that will ensure maximum profitability.

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KOOP Teaches It’s Volunteers How to Use Journyx

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:30:39 +0000

We recently came across this helpful video created by one of our customers, KOOP Radio. KOOP is a community radio station owned and operated by its members in Austin, Texas. Watch the how to video they created for their volunteers below.

KOOP uses Journyx Timesheet software to track the hours of more that 100 volunteer DJs. KOOP has been our customer for two years now and we’re very glad to see them teaching their volunteers how to use our product.

Would you feel more comfortable logging your time as a volunteer for KOOP if you saw this video?

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Dorothy, Toto And The Diversity Of Human Interaction.

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:52:18 +0000

“How is your marriage?” “Well, we have 2 kids out of the 3 we planned. A mortgage at an y% rate. $x dollars in savings. And we are in our 10th year.”

It’s an answer. Hey! You could even mention a “emotional index” to indicate progress on the “mood”.

Not everybody would be happy with this answer. Pop quiz. Why? Anyone? Come one! Raise your hands!

“What do you do?” “Well, I add value to my customers so they can do the best work they ever did, even without them being good at what it is they do.”

It’s an answer. Hey! We could automate this, and let a machine put in some random keywords! Oh. And let a machine with a metal voice provide the answer. Automation! Yes!

“I-ED-VAL-U” “What? You are Ed Valley?”

Oh yeah. Me. Big fan of the 10 second elevator pitches.

“What is that organization like?” “”We are the best. We are the world. We are the children. In our last management survey, over 50% voted for these values.”

Oh really? Ah. The verbal diarrhea fest called “Name That Shared Value“. The more abstract the keywords, the bigger the distance with human beings.

I have a point. Yes. Really.

In projects we have learned that to make it all work we need to have a couple of essential conversations. With our team members, our stakeholders and ourselves. About the goals, the roles, what people have done before, the trip itself, the way interaction with the stakeholders is done, how we know how far we are. Stuff like that.

We, Project Managers, have learned ways to have or initiate these conversations. We have codified them. We have these conversations by using our tools like Gantt charts, risk logs, simulations, grids and many, many metrics.

We have created “templates” for our conversations. Need to have a talk about uncertainty? We have a grid and checklist for that! Just follow the script and the conversation is taken care off.

“Template” (or scripted) conversations are not bad.

They are helpful for when you are new, or when you are in a hurry and want to make sure you have everything.

But they also have embedded in them assumptions about the problem, the solutions and the path to take. They also have embedded cultural elements (flags!) in the language used and presentation provided. My main point with the examples at the start of the post.

You can have the same essential conversations without the template. You can facilitate the conversation among the people involved. Focus on the conversation and not so much on which template society says we must follow.

Perhaps you read “Project Management” and think “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.” Well. We can create a metaphor that is human, fun, playful and still addresses the same principles as the scripted approach.

Yes. Yes. For me this would be “The Wizard Of Oz“.

Or. Make use of Project Chakras. Or do Shrinkonian exercises.

If this is not your cup of tea and you are very comfortable with scripted versions of the conversation, that’s cool. No worries. Keep on doing what you do.

But! You’re not alone… (cue for creepy sounding background music.)

As a Project Shrink I am finding ways to deal with the diversity of human interaction. Diverse. As in. People are not all the same as you. Or me. Or Dorothy. And Toto.

There is a point to the language and illustrations used in this post. It is the illustration of diversity in interaction.

Waaaah.

See.

The Project Story Circle. Talking About Transitions.

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:38:24 +0000

“Once a photograph of the earth, taken from the outside is available, a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose.” – Sir Fred Hoyle in 1948.

What do you draw when you are visualizing a project on a whiteboard?

I draw an arrow from left to right that represents a timeline. Not always. But many times.

The way you visualize, determines your focus.

I’ve been playing with the simple but powerful concept of a Project Story Circle.

The project is represented by a circular arrow and is divided in half with a horizontal line.

The idea behind it is the following:

An organization has the need for something. A challenge has to be conquered. A group of people starts a journey and brings back their result to the organization.
The upper half of the circle represents time spent outside the project. Preparing for the voyage. And getting the results back to the place where it is needed.
The bottom half makes up for project time.
This will focus attention on the transitions organization-project and project-organization.
This will focus attention on the idea that you undertake the project long before the actual project starts and that it only ends when you have gone full circle; when the actual benefits are realized.

You can use this shape when discussing projects.

Where do people join the journey? (indicate on the circle)
In which parts are they active? (indicate on the circle)
Where do they expect problems? (indicate on the circle)

This basic shape is inspired by The Hero’s Journey, the universal structure of myths. What makes this narrative structure so interesting is not that many movies are based upon it. It’s more the reason why so many stories are following this flow. There is a certain appeal to it, we all recognize parts of how we experience our own life story.

One essential part of the Hero’s Journey is the transformation the hero is going through. In the storyline there is a defining moment when the hero is experiencing a major set back where he is hitting a brick wall. And this wall will be the turning point. During the bottom half of the circle you can also bring in the concept of the red convertible:

“I think a project can have a “red convertible” moment. It’s that breakdown, or more that revelation, in which you remember why you were doing something in the first place. … This transition is the “red convertible”.”

Talking about transitions is important. Transitions reveal patterns. And antipatterns. It’s the moment when contrast is at its peak. When everything remains the same, we don’t notice our rhythms and boundaries that much. When all of a sudden everything is changing, we start to notice what felt natural before.

I think the Project Story Circle can assist you in discussing those transitions.

The Organizational Journey. Mapping The Project Context.

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:20:25 +0000

Why is your project taking place right now? And not last year, or next year? Are there also any other projects taking place now? Why? What is the challenge? This can be either a threat or opportunity that is the cause / reason for the project. What is the legacy the organization wants to leave behind?

These questions matter. A lot.

Being busy in a project can be overwhelming. Before you know it you are only focused on this Big Adventure. Of course, your project is worth your time and attention. And of course, it is an incredible story, this temporary awesomeness that you and your mates are doing right now.

But it is just exactly that. A temporary story. When you’re done, you’re done.

Your project is part of a larger context. Longer journeys. Larger stories. And these stories shape your project more than you know. It’s like Star Wars. You can watch just episode IV. And enjoy it. But it starts really making sense when you watch the entire series.

Your project is an episode in two stories.

The story of you. The individuals that are involved in the project. An individual has an ambition and a reputation. And he has a role in your Big Adventure.

And the story of the organization.

You can address the Story of You with the Map Of You.

The same principles can be applied to the Organizational Journey.

By exploring the relationship of the project and The Organizational Journey, you and your team create awareness around why you doing things. Awareness beyond the normal “build this” specification. A sense of why you are doing what you are doing. This will help the team to make decisions that fulfill the organizations desires and be more in tune with its context.

Draw an empty map which basically looks like a bow tie. Put “NOW” in the center and “PAST” and “FUTURE” on both sides. Ask the participants to write keywords that answer questions as formulated in the first paragraph of this post.

Other Maps.

The Organizational Journey is part of a change/project management strategy focused on culture and using an “adventure travel” metaphor. For more maps and exercise, visit my list of Shrinkonian exercises.

Map Of You. How What You Do Today Relates To Your Personal Journey.

Tue, 22 May 2012 05:24:55 +0000

Why are you actually working on this project? How did you end up here? What do you add to the team? Any clue on why you were selected?

When the project is finished, what do you want to add to your resume? What additional skills have you required? What do you want your LinkedIn referrals say about you? How are you changed when the project is finished? What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

Relationship With The Project.

I talk a lot about a project being a Big Adventure, or a journey. A project is also a small episode in the personal journey of many individuals. Viewing what you do today in the context of a larger path will help you explore your relationship with the current project. Why do you do what you do? Why do you want to do things in the first place?

Relationship With Team.

It also addresses the relationships with your team members. They know a little more about your background. They see how you add to the diversity of the group. And it makes us all look more human.

From the many perspectives you can look at the project, the Map Of You will literally put you at the center. It is a tool to explore the relationship between what you do today and your personal journey (past and future).

Draw an empty map which basically looks like a bow tie. Put “NOW” in the center and “PAST” and “FUTURE” on both sides. Ask the participant to write keywords that answer questions as formulated in the first two paragraphs of this post.

This can be done as an individual exercise or as a group exercise.

What makes a “good” company?

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:35:55 +0000

My theme for 2012 is to simultaneously raise corporate and individual social consciousness. A few weeks ago I, together with Greg Balestrero, spoke at DigitalNow, a conference for executives of associations, on the topic of “The Rise of Corporate Consciousness: Integrating Environmental and Social Principles into Organizational Strategies”.

There are a lot of companies providing lip service to “Corporate Social Responsibility”, or CSR, as it’s called. However, in the last few years it seems we have passed a tipping point. Both customers and corporations are investing in products, services, and processes, focused on the sustainability of our world.

According to the Vision 2050 report of the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development), which is a consensus piece compiled by 29 leading global companies from 14 industries, we are on the path of growing to a population of 9 billion people by 2050 (http://www.wbcsd.org/vision2050.aspx). In addition, there will be a significant increase in the number of people in the so-called middle class. Based on current consumption rates these 9 billion people will need 2.3 earths to support their life styles. Obviously we do NOT have 2.3 planets!!!

Something needs to change. This can either be done by all of us making conscious changes to our life-style, product production, and use of the world, or it will happen through catastrophic change – either by our own hand through wars or other destruction, or by Mother Nature through disease (anybody seen the movie “Contagion”) or natural disasters. The path we are on is unsustainable!!!

Now the interesting part of our talk was that the session before ours – on leadership – was packed! Our session, on the other hand, had only one third of the participants. The sad thing is that we were not surprised. Most people either think the earth will last throughout their lifetime, and they feel no real sense of urgency. Or they think that there is nothing they can do to change what’s happening. What was encouraging was that over lunch one participant shared that his daughter of ten is not interested in going to Disney world since she thinks it is a wasteful place. Another participant mentioned that his daughter of 12 refuses to use plastic bottles for water or soft drinks for similar reasons. This underscored my belief that the next generation does care more about sustainability issues, and will help force change either by their consumer choices, their employer choices, or both.

There seems to be a belief, especially with some people in management positions, that there is a trade off to be made between sustainable practices and profit/ shareholder value. Numerous studies have shown that being “good” for society, employees and the environment, also increases overall company performance. These have been documented in books like Firms of Endearment, Good Company, and Ethical Companies, and on websites like “Great Place to Work”. There is definitely no proof that being a “good company” is bad for performance. In other words, shareholders WILL get more value if an organization cares about its employees, the communities it touches, society at large, and the environment.

2050 is less than 40 years away. I will be close to celebrating my 80^th birthday then. This is a problem that needs attention now – from all of us!! What are you doing in your job and your organization to increase your social consciousness so your organization’s business will be more sustainable – or even alive – in 2050? What are you doing to assure that we will get off the path we are on, headed for needing 2.3 planets worth of resources by 2050?

Please share your action plan with us so that others can be inspired and implement the same.

How New Product Leaders Optimize Development Teams

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:18 +0000

via Flickr by Dr Case

Global commoditization and complexity make innovation an urgent priority for firms of all sizes. And to promote innovation in a meaningful way, individual development teams must be the focal point of your strategy. Culture and vision are extremely important components, and developing them properly takes time and effort, but innovation improvement is mainly an organic, bottoms-up process.

When I wrote my book, I dug through 60 years of industry research and interviewed managers at dozens of companies. At the end of the day, I found ten core strategies that new product leaders – those generating significantly more revenue from new products compared to their peers – used to optimize team performance:

Leaders commit themselves to innovation, and they are willing to break down barriers wherever they find them inside the organization. The CEO leads the charge.
Leading firms form entrepreneurial teams to promote innovation, locating them on the “edges” of their organizations, closest to the customer. Development teams have primary responsibility for product success (they run their own show), and regular customer involvement is fully integrated (a la Agile development methodologies).
Teams need room to run; to experiment and even fail. Management controls progress and expenditures through the definition of a compelling vision, a supporting culture which is already in place, and regular updates with team members. Metrics appropriate for startups, not well-established businesses, are used.
Innovation depends on creativity, but since we are mostly critical thinkers (thanks to our educational system and the way most large companies operate), leaders close this gap through training and culture.
The best planning tool for entrepreneurial teams is a business model, not a business plan. Business models are flexible and adaptable; they provide a balance between the need to iterate and the need to maintain focus.
Teams are encouraged to get beyond traditional research and observe customers in real life. Mainly, they are on the lookout for big problems, or “pain points.” This observation process has a formal name, Ethnography, but most of us know it as Customer Immersion.
Innovation benefits from diversity and “cross functional” team compositions. Teams even reach out to partners throughout the supply chain to bring ideas and domain specific knowledge.
There is a great deal of effort put into the development of value propositions that are believable and stand out. Leaders use a sophisticated formula called a Strategic Positioning Statement, which includes a definition of target audience, a unique selling proposition, a “reason why” the USP makes sense, and a definition of brand character. The Strategic Positioning Statement is a tool from the consumer packaged goods industry.
Leaders don’t forget that humans communicate through stories. The more compelling the story about a product, the more likely it’ll get passed to others, activating social networks – the traditional kind like word of mouth and the new kind like Facebook.
Leaders use processes. A process is a systematic method of putting organizations to work against specific goals. Unlike simple planning, processes provide measurable feedback, obviously necessary for continuous improvement.

The Essence of Entrepreneurship

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:00:56 +0000

via Flickr by Norman Lear Center

I’m sure you know that in 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave a very memorable commencement address at Stanford University. He told three stories about his life. The first was a lesson about “connecting the dots.”

He said that you can connect dots looking backwards, but you can’t connect them looking forwards. For that, he said, “you have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” According to Jobs, that trust, that faith, never failed him.

In the last twenty years, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of studies to determine what makes entrepreneurs tick. Finding the answer is quite important, because it appears that entrepreneurs are a different breed compared to the rest of us (well, actually, I consider myself an entrepreneur), and, more importantly, they seem to be creating the most innovative products.

To identify the factors that make entrepreneurs who they are, researchers have looked at everything under the sun, including physiological, lifestyle and behavioral factors, birth order, parents’ marital status, age, and even religion. In the end, little of this made much difference.

Personal and family background and history did not prove to be significant. Neither did the way entrepreneurs were raised, where they lived, or the school they went to. There was no correlation with being rich, or being poor. In terms of skills or competence, nothing pointed clearly to entrepreneurship.

Some maintain that many great inventions happen more by accident. Well-known examples, like Velcro, Teflon, Penicillin, or the microwave oven, are usually cited.

Despite lack of research support, in Silicon Valley we favor personality traits: successful entrepreneurs are defined by words like passion, character, self-confidence, ambition, leadership, determination, resilience, adaptability, optimism, and motivation. These words are often used to describe entrepreneurial “spirit.”

In the Valley especially, entrepreneurial spirit is very real and highly prized. Companies of all sizes desperately want to capture it. It is a force that propels entrepreneurs forward with such determination that they are able to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Many believe that entrepreneurial spirit alone can mean the difference between success and failure for a new venture. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest this is true.

So it begs for a better definition. Was Steve Jobs giving us a clue when he was speaking at Stanford? When he was talking about trust in the future, a core ingredient in the way he lived his life, was he also talking about entrepreneurial spirit? Trust is different than personality traits like determination. It’s a belief system, like faith. Since he was a great entrepreneur, trust and faith in the future must certainly have played a role in his entrepreneurship.

I’ve interviewed a number of successful entrepreneurs and without exception they said they were searching for a way to leave their mark on the world. Maybe not using those words exactly, but they all wanted to make sure someone noticed and even cared about their time on this planet. I think that must have certainly been true for Steve Jobs.

How does this all fit together? Let’s agree that ideas are critical to success, but it’s the execution of ideas that create new opportunities. Ideas, in a vacuum, have no value. Anyone that has taken a long shower or driven down a long stretch of highway has had a marketable idea. I’d also venture to say lots and lots of people want to leave a mark, and a fair number of them are self-confident and determined. Very few, however, will drop everything and allow themselves to be totally consumed by their vision, continually executing against great odds, trusting only that that things will just work out.

Finding Customers: A Deceptively Simple Lesson from Sony

Mon, 07 May 2012 20:00:10 +0000

via Flickr by Jeremy Brooks

What’s the definition of a healthy company? One of the most important metrics to consider is how much revenue is coming from new products. Category leaders often have significantly higher new product revenue compared to their less successful peers. New products are the lifeblood of healthy companies, and it follows then, that finding new customers is a fundamental requirement, one that often falls to product management.

So, how exactly do you find new customers?

In the most basic terms, finding new customers is a two-step, iterative process. First, you have to decide on market segments to investigate, ones in which you think your product or idea will offer benefits, and then second, you need to test your hypothesis in each segment to see if you’re right. You try one, and then move to the next, on and on until you’ve aggregated a “total available market.”

Big companies spend a lot of money on segmentation and other research tools. Since the 1970s, large databases have collected information on individuals from a wide range of sources, public and private (e.g., financial and medical data). There is a detailed record on virtually every person in the United States, and in most other developed countries. These large databases allow you to access profiling information broken down into distinct attributes. The most common attributes are related to demographic and geographic descriptors, and after that, usage and transactions. These are definitive: you are of a specific age, you live in a specific zip code, you have a specific income level, and you either drive a given brand of automobile, belong to a certain country club, live in a specific neighborhood, collect jazz music, or you don’t. There are also subjective variables based on attitudes or needs, which, historically, were discovered through questionnaires. (One of the promises of Facebook is that it will bring both kinds of data to you, accessing a universe of 900 million prospects, with the click of a mouse.) And then there’s tools for testing your hypothesis as well. Familiar names like concept testing, prototype testing, test markets, and focus groups — and more esoteric names like multi-attribute models, conjoint analysis or choice modeling — are but just a smattering of the options available.

Modern research techniques can be compelling and even intoxicating, but in my experience, it’s easy to fall prey to the complexity of research and not see the forest for the trees.

When I talk about finding customers, I often use Sony as an example. Sony’s founder, Akio Morita and his team built twelve separate, major, disruptive businesses between the years 1950 and 1982. Yes, twelve.

Remember that few of the research tools mentioned above were available in Akio Morita’s time. Yet he was wildly successful. Was it luck? Not when you’re talking about such a high number of breakthroughs. He had found a repeatable and predictable process, the holy grail of new product development.

Akio Morita’s approach was to select a target group and simply observe them going about their daily lives. It was his belief that if you understand the actions of your target and what makes them do what they do, you have what you need to find the perfect product “fit.” (It also doesn’t hurt to have Akio Morita’s creativity.) It may seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how many marketing people I’ve met that have never “walked in their customers’ shoes.”

Field observation is “contextual,” meaning that the environment provides important clues in determining root motivation. One weakness of focus groups and questionnaires is that they lack such context. Another is that customers may not realize why they take certain actions – the mind has a way of running on automatic pilot, and so customers have a hard time verbalizing true motivation.

The Sony team was on to something. It found a deceptively simple way to pick up essential clues missed by other techniques. Today, the process of observing customers in the wild has a scientific name, ethnography, and it is a term that is being used increasingly by marketers of all sizes.

What Kind of Place is This?

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:48:15 +0000

When he does not get the results he desires, the singer of a classic song asks the question, “What kind of fool am I?” Or when entering an unfamiliar structure or organization, a person may ask, “What kind of place is this?” Both questions move the questioner into a new stage of learning or development.

I have found myself, like many others, just jumping into a new project with the attitude, “Just do it!” This is great to take action and demonstrate evidence of being a fast starter. However, there is more a complete project manager can do to prepare for a better outcome.

Assessing both the environment and the attitude of project sponsors is a vital step on this path. Having the skills and the best of intentions is not enough to guarantee success if the environment is toxic or management is not supportive. Equally talented project managers achieve vastly different results, largely dependent on the environment. Over time I developed assessment tools that enable both me and others to look at things differently…or at least to have data that supports our suspicions. One is the Environmental Assessment Survey Instrument (EASI). Participants in seminars or online courses find this tool effectively begins the learning process. For example, “I found this survey to be enlightening in many ways. The organization that I reviewed has a stronger Project Management Culture than I would have thought had I not answered those questions specifically, and conversely, has poorer Strategic Emphasis and Project Team Support than I would have predicted. This survey did serve to highlight some areas that clearly need improvement, but also encouraged me to consider issues and ask questions about the project and environment that I hadn’t considered before.”

Another tool is the Sponsor Evaluation Survey. Here is one reaction: “The total sponsor factor score is 67 which in the high range of Low Risk/Opportunity. This is great since it shows that the stakeholders’ performance is out there to support whatever it takes for project success. The Project was a complete success—receiving a score of 6–since over time the project contributed significant value and is exceeding expectations. In moving forward to build upon strengths and improve performance, such as coaching the sponsor, I recognized the one thing that we could use to build on is that we have a change process where we constantly improve, clarify, and update the requirements for a robust product. Sponsors are included in the process to acknowledge and concur on these changes.”

Upon completing these assessments, I urge people to review your answers to see how you scored your project environment relative to other participants. If you scored near the median, you are in the 50th percentile. The percentile table allows you to determine in what specific percentile you fall based on your average score in each of the ten components.

Use this data as a guide for preparing action plans following an ActionPlan template.pdf file. The blank template can be edited from within Adobe Acrobat. You may also create your own plan following the template but not using the supplied file.

For areas where you scored high, what action steps can you do to reinforce and expand the practices that led to that high score? Look for opportunities to share these best practices with others.

For areas where you scored low, what action steps can you propose to do differently or discover practices that will improve your score? Seek inputs from others who scored higher in these areas.

The benchmark scores help determine where you are compared to others. The surveys serve as great conversation starters. Use the data and action plans to communicate with others about the need and means to build upon strengths and improve project environments.

The intent is to assess your environment and then identify practices that can be adopted, adapted, and applied in your organization. A sample filled in template provides example action steps that may increase your competitive advantage. Describe efforts that contribute to creating an environment more conducive to project success. As the source for the environmental assessment, use the Graham/Englund book Creating an Environment for Successful Projects: Second Edition as a guide. For the sponsor assessment, consult our book on Project Sponsorship: Achieving Management Commitment for Project Success. Join Alfonso Bucero and myself to discuss these topics in Orlando at the PMI Seminar on The Complete Project Manager, happening June 18-21. All assessments and templates mentioned are available at www.englundpmc.com in the “Offerings” tab.

Best regards,

Randy Englund, Englund Project Management Consultancy

How To Land A Project Management Job

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:41:09 +0000

A great discussion about pursuing a project management role on the LinkedIn group recently spurred me to put together some more in-depth information for you today.

Sometimes it’s easy for me to forget that many of you may not know about the many routes available to you for landing a project management job.

Believe it or not, I have gone down all of these paths (each and every one) during my career at different companies. When you target a specific company or industry you want to manage projects in, there are going to be different strategies for moving your way towards your desired role.

Many of you may find out that one of these other roles are really what you love to do. The other roles I list here are disciplines in and of themselves. Business Analyst, Project Controls, and Operations Management are disciplines with their own bodies of knowledge and career paths too.

Go to LinkedIn and start searching for “project management” or “project manager” and the rest of these job titles. Use what you find to do new searches. You’ll find interesting companies and interesting people this way.

If you want to delve further into landing a project management job, I invite you to learn with me. I also invite all of you to leave comments on this post with your additions to what I’ve missed and any specific questions you have.

Let’s get started.

Technical Lead / SME

You are coming from a technical or subject matter expert background, meaning you have experience and skill at the craft work. These is a common path into project management, and I maintain that every project manager should have at least a foundational knowledge of the work being done by their teams. You can gain that base level of knowledge in other ways, but if you already have the experience you are set.

This path into project management is available in organizations of all sizes, usually starting out with small or medium-sized projects where you are comfortable with the domain knowledge. Usually it starts with volunteering to lead projects alongside your lead technical work, and there may be many months or more before you may have an opportunity to transition to a project manager in title. Don’t let that bother you, many of my promotions have been a direct result of me doing that job without any raise or title change for 3-12 months. It’s a sure way to prove to management you can do the job and do it well.

Titles

Technical Lead
Lead Engineer
… SME

Where

Organizations of all sizes
Small to medium sized projects

Next Steps

Volunteer to lead new projects (without title change)
Project Manager

Project Controls

This is one of the most overlooked and in my opinion, undervalued disciplines and means of landing a project manager job if that’s what you are going for.

You will find most of these roles in large organizations, or with contract work on large projects. The company may be tiny but if they are a subcontractor on a large government project for example, especially with Earned Value Management (EVM) requirements in place, you will find project controls roles. Aside from what I’ve already listed, there are also specialties in risk, configuration, and change management to consider.

From one of these roles you can learn more about the projects you support and start your way towards project management. You may also find out that you love doing project controls, which is fine too. These are disciplines all by themselves, and you can spend your entire career in project controls very happy and fulfilled. You may become a sought-after expert with project planning architecture and tools like P6, Cobra, MS Project, etc.

Titles

Project Scheduler
Project Controller
Project Coordinator
Business Analyst
Cost Engineer

Where

Large companies
Contractors/subcontractors on large projects

Next Steps

Volunteer to lead new projects (without title change)
Project Controls Manager
Senior/Lead roles
Project Manager

Entry Level Manager

In large established companies you may find a progression of roles when you search on LinkedIn, Indeed.com and elsewhere. Project Manager I, Project Manager II, Project Manager III, etc.

The benefit here is an organization who obviously values project management as a discipline, and has training programs and established career paths to help aspiring project managers grow in the discipline.

You will likely start out with smaller projects or assisting more experienced project managers, and as you earn trust and a good reputation in the organization, you will be given your own projects and larger projects.

Titles

Jr. Project Manager
Assistant Project Manager
Project Manager I

Where

Large, established companies

Next Steps

Project Manager
Project Manager II

Operations Management

Operations management was where I first started looking at project management as a formal discipline. I was the Operations Manager for a small start-up company, and realized much of what I did was project management.

In this role you have the budget and managerial authority to start new projects, for example internal process improvement or automation projects. Take something that isn’t working well and optimize it. Take something which costs a lot of labor hours and automate it with a software project. You can make a lot of progress on gaining experience this way when you learn and apply formal project management as a discipline to your work and the daily work of your teams.

You are going to have opportunities (and be able to create your own opportunities) in organizations of all sizes. Much of what is relevant to projects is relevant to operations, and vise-versa. Even if you don’t want to move to a strict “Project Manager” job role, applying project management principles to operations will never be a bad thing.

Titles

Operations Manager
Manager
Supervisor
Function Manager
Division Manager
Implementation Manager
Business Manager
Sales Manager

Where

Organizations of all sizes

Next Steps

Creating and leading your own projects
Project Manager

Whew. I know that was longer than my usual, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I hope you learned a lot from this article, and leave a comment too.