SoftPMO™ Solutions

Add a Twitter widget to SharePoint 2010 Online

2012-11-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

Overview

Embedding a public Twitter timeline to your SharePoint 2010 online website has never been easier. It only takes one line of code to make it work.

Similar to timeline feeds on twitter.com, integrated data feeds are dynamic, real-time, interactive, and allow your guests to easily reply, favorite and retweet directly from your SharePoint pages. Web page visitors unfold Tweets to see details. The embedded Twitter widget includes a text box which encourages visitors to tweet a response, or to begin a new conversation. Additionally, there is an option to automatically show media like photos and video, so when expanded the content is highly visible and shown centered and in front.

Widgets for timelines are created at Twitter.com and are designed to work for all devices and web pages. Timeline data loads fast and scales with web traffic and updates in real-time so you visitors always see the latest information.

Accessible Twitter Timelines

Any public timeline can be embedded based a user’s favorites, twitter lists, or any search, or hashtag query.

Interactive User Timelines

The example posted below is the timeline for @mypmbot. Every timeline comes with a button to follow at the top, which encourages SharePoint visitors to follow with just a simple click. There’s a box in the footer for tweeting, so users don't have to leave the page.

Here’s @mypmbot’s twitter timeline embedded directly into this Blogger page:

Tweets by @mypmbot

Create a User Timeline

To begin, log into twitter.com and navigate to the widgets area of your personal settings page. Once there, you are allowed to create and configure new timelines. Start by clicking the button called “Create new” timeline to build custom code for your SharePoint 2010 web page.

Fill in the fields listed on the form, all are optional except for ‘domains’ which is required.

The configuration you create is stored on the twitter server, and once you've saved the timeline JavaScript code is generated to paste into your SharePoint page, which will load the timeline.

The following is example code. It will not work on your website if you copy and paste it, for reasons described in the “domains” section documented here.

<a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/mypmbot" data-widget-id="YOUR-WIDGET-ID-HERE">Tweets by @mypmbot</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script>

Add Twitter Timeline to SharePoint 2010

Add Content "Editor Web Part" to a web page

After creating the twitter widget, log into SharePoint 2010, then select a page where you want to add the twitter timeline. In the example below, the widget is being added to the top-right corner of the web page.

Inset the "Web Part" into the top-right corner

To inset the web part, use the ribbon bar at the top of the web page like shown below. Select "Inset" from the menu, and then click on "More Web Parts".

Next, choose the "Content Editor" web part

Add the web part to the web page, and then save all changes.

Open the web page in SharePoint Designer

After adding the web part using a simple web browser, open the web page in SharePoint Designer. In SharePoint Designer, hover over the area where the web part was added, and then select the newly added web part feature. Make sure SharePoint Designer is in split preview mode, so the code can be viewed at the top portion of the editor.

Next, Insert the Twitter Code into the web page using SharePoint Designer

Insert the twitter code created at twitter.com, between the brackets as shown below.

<![CDATA[ INSERT CODE HERE ]]>

After inserting the code, save the web page. You are finished.

SharePoint 2010 web page with embedded twitter timeline

Add a public Twitter timeline to Blogger

2012-11-06T10:43:00.003-05:00

Laser Etchings

Overview

Twitter timelines can easily be embedded into any Blogger web page with just a few lines of code.

Every timeline is interactive and visitors to your site can reply, retweet, and favorite items directly from any page that contains the embedded timeline code.

Tweets can be expanded inline to see information and card details, as well retweet and favorite items and see totals. A tweet box is displayed to engage users to begin a new conversation, and when expanded rich media is displayed in the middle of the screen.

The timeline solution is designed for the web works with mobile and touch screen devices. Content is designed to load fast and updates in real-time. Timeline’s are created at twitter.com from the widgets settings page.

Accessible Twitter Timelines

You can embed a timeline for Tweets from an individual user, a user’s favorites, Twitter lists, or any search query or hashtag.

Any public timeline can be embedded based a user’s favorites, twitter lists, or any search, or hashtag query.

Interactive User Timelines

The example posted below is the timeline for @softpmo. Every timeline comes with a button to follow at the top, which encourages Blogger visitors to follow the user account with just a simple click. There’s a box in the footer for tweeting, so users don't have to leave the page.

Here’s @softpmo’s twitter timeline embedded directly into this Blogger page:

Tweets by @SoftPMO

Create a User Timeline

To begin, log into twitter.com and navigate to the widgets area of your personal settings page. Once there, you are allowed to create and configure new timelines. Start by clicking the button called “Create new” timeline to build custom code for your Blogger web page.

Fill in the fields listed on the form, all are optional except for ‘domains’ which is required.

The configuration you create is stored on the twitter server, and once you've saved the timeline JavaScript code is generated to paste into your Blogger page, which will load the timeline.

The following is example code. It will not work on your website if you copy and paste it, for reasons described in the “domains” section documented here.

<a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/twitterapi" data-widget-id="YOUR-WIDGET-ID-HERE">Tweets by @twitterapi</a>
<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script>

If you've already installed the ‘widgets.js’ JavaScript in your Blogger page to show Twitter buttons or embedded Tweets, you don't need to include this script again.

For additional information about configuring scripts, go here.

The JavaScript gets inserted into Blogger as a gadget. Click ‘Add a Gadget’, to insert the code [item 2 above.]

Insert the code snippet and save the changes.

Portable Website Solution using SharePoint 2010 Online

2012-11-05T21:04:00.002-05:00

credit: Arshile Gorky

Suppose you create an awesome website in SharePoint 2010 and want to deploy that solution to a different environment, or as a duplicate site within the same infrastructure. Can it be done? Most certainly, and it is easy to achieve.

With Microsoft SharePoint 2010, it is easy to create great website solutions that include comprehensive data sources, with forms, HTML, JavaSripts, workflows, and more. After website solutions are deployed they can be used right away, or turned into site templates which can be easily and quickly implemented in a similar environment, or to a different hosted SharePoint 2010 online domain.

Creating website template in SharePoint 2010 is powerful and easy.

This article provides an overview about SharePoint website templates, what they are used for, how to create them, and how to deploy them in different environments.

What is a SharePoint website template?

SharePoint website templates are pre-developed and packaged solutions designed to meet a particular business objective. Templates can be deployed as is for use right away, and they can be customized further, after deployment. SharePoint comes with many prebuilt website templates, like Team Site, Document Workspace, Basic Meeting Workspace, Blog site, and Group Work Site as shown in the following image.

In addition to the standard website templates that come with SharePoint 2010, users are enabled to build templates based on websites which are customized and built in SharePoint. This useful capability in SharePoint allows users to create websites and then to share those website templates anywhere other SharePoint installations exist, for example with other users, customers using different servers, and with people using SharePoint online.

When a website is saved as a template, a Web Solution Package file is created which gets stored in the SharePoint Solution Gallery. After the template is created, it can be downloaded for use on other SharePoint servers.

What gets saved in a website template?

SharePoint template files include the complete structure of the website – its libraries, views, lists, workflows, and forms. Additionally, documents, pictures, videos, JavaScripts, and HTML can be saved with the template. This enables a complete solution to be saved and rapidly deployed for immediate use.

Note: SharePoint website template cannot be larger than 50 MB.

Most files in a site are included and supported by the template packaging process. There are a number of files, objects and features which are not supported. The following table provides a list of items included and not included with a website template.

Included	Excluded
Lists Document libraries External Lists Data connections List and data views Custom forms Workflows Content Types Custom Actions Navigation Site pages Master pages Modules	Customized permissions Running workflow instances List item version history Workflow tasks associated with running workflows People/group field values Taxonomy field values Publishing pages and publishing sites My Sites

What can be done with website templates?

Website templates are powerful and provide multiple uses for website content in SharePoint. The following are some of the benefits for saving a website as a template in SharePoint.

Websites can be deployed immediately after saving them to the solutions gallery and activating them for use as template. New sites are created from templates saved to the solutions gallery. The process is easy: simply save the site as a template, and then activate it for use. That’s all it takes.

Website templates are portable and can be re-deployed to most any SharePoint infrastructures with similar features enabled.

Saving a website as a template

Go to the site settings page in SharePoint and save the website as a template. After the template is saved, a solution file is created and automatically stored in the Solution Gallery where it can be download, or activated for use.

Use the template to create a website

Upload the website template file to the target environment in the solution gallery. Activate the website solution and form the Solution Gallery so users will see it as an available template from the “Create site page in SharePoint”. Use the new template to create a new site, which will inherit the components of the site, its structure, workflows, and etc.

Create and deploy a portable website template using SharePoint 2010

Tweets by @mkaplanPMP

Basics: The SoftPMO Project Management Toolkit

2012-10-26T09:46:00.003-04:00

Both the Toolkit’s Guidebook and its customizable Process Templates are based on the SoftPMO™ Project Management Model.

The Guidebook and Templates lead the project manager through the project management process, step by step, using a straightforward approach that introduces a clearly thought out approach to defining and structuring projects of all kinds.

Tweets by @mkaplanPMP

Achieve IT Governance by Adopting Good Practices

2012-10-19T12:51:00.000-04:00

credit: Karbondiary

Good IT Governance Practice Enables:

Leadership to ask the right questions and interpret the answers
An appropriate IT governance framework to be adopted
Critical success factors to be addressed by leadership

Focus Areas—Ask Questions—Get Answers

Strategy ‘the right stuff’	Architecture ‘done right’
Delivery ‘done well’	Value ‘getting benefit’

Board members and executive managers in business and IT regularly consider IT strategy, IT architecture, IT delivery and IT value. They want to know if they are doing the right stuff, doing stuff the right way, getting the stuff done well, and getting benefit from the stuff.

Key areas to continuously consider by leadership:

Strategy	Doing the right things
	Investments aligned with vision
	Investments consistent with business principles
	Investments contribute to strategic objectives
	Investments are focused on real business needs and priorities
	Knowledge and understanding of total investment in/spent on IT

Architecture	Doing things the right way
	Investments are in line with the enterprise’s architecture
	Investments are consistent with architectural principles and standards
	Leverage synergies between investments
	Optimal use of IT infrastructure and other assets and resources

Delivery	Getting things done well
	Effective management, delivery and change processes
	Competent resources to deliver capabilities and changes
	Services are delivered reliably, available, and are secure

Value	Getting benefit from things
	Understanding of what constitutes value for the enterprise
	Understanding of the expected benefits
	Accountability and relevant metrics for realizing the benefits
	Effective benefits realization process

Use a Comprehensive IT Governance Framework

Good IT governance is almost impossible without leveraging an effective governance framework. An effective IT governance framework defines which decisions have to be made, who is involved in making them, how they are made, and exactly what the process is for ensuring that these decisions are carried out in the appropriate manner. The application of the IT governance framework helps significantly improve the business's return on investment. Leveraging the framework also ensures that results are monitored and that corrective actions are taken when expected results are not realized.

Develop an IT governance framework based on industry best practices. For example, ITGI’s: Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT). Implementing a framework helps to improve IT governance and returns on business investments. A framework needs to be continuous process focused on creating value.

Applying IT Governance to Achieve Business Objectives

In addition to asking hard, pointed questions—and putting a guiding framework in place—the effective implementation of IT governance involves changing culture and behavior.

Executive leadership needs to be committed to leveraging the IT governance framework and the value that it delivers to the enterprise. The goal is to target IT’s governance objectives, ensure they are clearly defined, realistic and communicated in plain English.

Effective partnerships need to be established between business and IT leaders, supported by IT’s interest in and understanding of the business, and sharing of technology-related issues and opportunities. An effective partnership enables a collaborative approach to strategy development and a shared focus on creating value from IT investments and managing risks.

Develop and implement a set of processes supported by roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. Establish an appropriate set of guiding principles, organizational structures and processes that fit the style, skills, and operational norms specific to the enterprise.

An IT governance framework leverages suitable analysis, communications tools, performance metrics and other benchmarks to help make the business’s and IT’s performance to be more transparent and enable direction and control.

IT aligned business Goals

Perspective	Business Goal
Financial	Ensure IT investment is directly aligned with an Enterprise Strategy, or a Profit Center/Support Center initiative
	Improve the focus of IT spending on strategic priorities by ensuring all leadership stakeholders have a voice
	Ensure investments have both a financial and operational impact analysis
	Demonstrate IT value and increase corporate profit margins
Customer	Provide a transparent IT decision making process that ensures the linkage to Corporate goals and objectives, and compliance mandates, is clear
Internal	Formalize exception processes to ensure proper controls are in place
	Ensure compliance with policies and standards

Maintaining IT Governance Best Practices

Effective management practices
Run improvement programs with a series of phases
Ensure improvements are sustained and adopted
Implement cultural change as well as new processes
Clearly define objectives and communicate them
Manage expectations at all levels
Implement easy changes, deliver value, and build from there
Obtain leadership buy-in and ownership
Avoid being perceived as bureaucratic
Avoid confusing checklists

Next in this series: 3. Measure IT Governance Performance

SoftPMO Project Execution Guide: Enterprise Edition

2012-10-18T10:28:00.006-04:00

A Step-by-Step Guide to Executing Projects that Deliver Business Benefit

by Michael Kaplan, PMP

Great ideas are often derailed from greatness as a result of a poor execution plan. This book on project management is organized in a well thought-out and easy to reference guideline. Users can increase their percentage for success by utilizing these proven methodologies and templates. This is a must read for those who want to move great ideas into successful outcomes!

~ Mitchel Laskey, CEO Brijot Imaging System

The Project Execution Guide provides a project management model and includes a comprehensive and standardized set of project management processes, templates and tools that enable a systematic and quality-based approach to realizing the effective and efficient management of projects.

This guide is designed for the first-time user of the SoftPMO™ Project Management (PM) process including the practiced Professional Project Manager (PMP®) inside any organization. The first-time user will find the ease of using a proven, well-organized, and highly structured approach, while the seasoned professional will find different approaches to getting the job done better, faster, cheaper or reach increased levels of efficiency.

Each section in the Project Execution Guide is designed for simplicity and was kept as brief as possible as to enable you to apply the information fast and with ease. If additional information is needed about Project Management, or any PMBOK® Knowledge Area, please refer to the PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® - Fourth Edition) for More Information.

"The SoftPMO™ Project Execution Guide is a refreshing and uncluttered approach that boils down project management process, tools and templates into an air-tight methodology that the beginner through senior project manager can apply and get off to a quick start and begin executing and controlling without having to waste time getting up a loooooong learning curve."

~ Doug DeCarlo, Author of: eXtreme Project Management

Layout of the Book

This guide has four main parts.

Section I: Introduction to the Project Execution Guide.

This section presents an overview of the PM process and the role of the SoftPMO™ Framework.

Section II: Learn about the PM Model.

This section prepares your project team for a successful project delivery by using SoftPMO™, and will teach you about the SoftPMO™ project management model before you start. If you require more information, please contact SoftPMO™ (support@softpmo.com) and we will help you locate a SoftPMO™ practitioner or a local SoftPMO™ partner to provide additional guidance.

Section III: Step-by-Step through the Project Method to Deliver a Project.

This section is the meat-and-potatoes of the Project Execution Guide, and presents the six steps of the SoftPMO™ project management process. It enables the project manager who’s been given a Project charter (authorization) work the project, step by step, until completion. These steps are process based and provide action-item guidance through the entire project from start to finish. Standard project management terms and processes are used, ensuring common and familiar language known throughout the project management profession. This section is organized from an instructional design point of view, and it is structured hierarchically by step, task, and activity. It also specifies inputs, outputs, and PMBOK® references.

Section IV: Appendices.

This section includes information on project templates, forms and people needed to successfully execute a project with the SoftPMO™ Framework.

Introduction to the Toolkit

Figure 1: SoftPMO Project Management Model for Executing Projects

The toolkit focuses on project delivery, and is divided into the six main areas of project delivery. These steps cover all tasks necessary to deliver a completed product, from Definition to Closure.

The first step revolves around defining the solution and selecting the right approach. The next step uses these definitions to create the project road map for successful execution. Subsequent steps manage the project schedule and risks, track the evolution of project requirements, and ensure business readiness while executing the road map previously established. The last step closes the loop—handing off the project, measuring project success, and evaluating project team performance.

SOFTPMO™ is a comprehensive model for project management activities, applicable to stand-alone and groups of projects, as well as to programs. Throughout this document, the word “project” refers to both simple, clearly-defined projects as well as complex, interwoven and integrated projects made up of multiple project “parts” or “sub-projects.” For simplicity, the term ”program” is not be used; however, it’s interchangeable with the term ”project” throughout this document.

Key Value Drivers

"Stakeholder satisfaction, timely delivery and staying within budget top the list of measures that indicate a project’s success.” ~ PricewaterhouseCoopers

Organizations that do not have a PM methodology reported lower performing projects.

Use of PM software positively impacts project performance; however, reporting for key project elements is often generated outside of the software."

By using the SoftPMO project methodology you are likely to:

Increase the likelihood of project success
Reduce costs associated with establishing project activities and disciplines
Communicate objectives, activities and progress more effectively
Achieve consistent approach, tools and processes
Optimize the use of resources for PM
Establish clear roles and responsibilities
Ensure clear accountability and commitment for key decisions and tasks
Enhance alignment of project objectives with business objectives
Satisfy timely and nimble ability to react to and deal with project issues

The SoftPMO Project Management Model is one of the four types of interrelated parts; the other three are the PMBOK® Knowledge Areas, the Project Management templates, and the Project Controls System.

Measure IT Governance Performance

2012-10-14T12:28:00.002-04:00

credit: Chong FeiGiap

Apply effective governance of IT and assess performance and identify precisely where and how improvements can be made—not just to the IT governance process itself but also to all processes that need to be managed within and around IT.

Define IT Governance Objectives and Measure Results

Set clear strategic objectives and use metrics to monitor results ensures that drivers for governance are recognized, and improvements are measured, and that expected benefits are realized. The metrics used will vary and depend on many factors such as the enterprise’s priorities and business drivers as well as risk tolerance. Use metrics and other measuring techniques, utilizing tools such as balanced scorecards and IT or business dashboards.

As IT governance evolves, metrics will grow increasingly broader and more granular, and will shift from an IT-centric focus to a business-centric one over time. The IT-focused end of the spectrum provides metrics such as infrastructure availability or cost per transaction, which helps to measure the performance of enterprise-wide IT infrastructure. As alignment of IT investments with business objectives progressively improve, IT’s contribution to business value will be assessed with more business-centric metrics such as revenue growth and cost reduction, improved competitive products and services, and improved customer orientation and service.

Assess IT Governance, Define Gaps, and Set Achievable Goals

Use a maturity model to provide a practical and organized means of measuring how well developed the processes are against a consistent and easy-to understand scale. By using a maturity scale, you can:

Compare current practices to best practices
Define target areas for improvements
Set attainable goals that add value and reduce risk
Plan process improvement projects that achieve defined objectives
Prioritize project work, organize by impact, and implement easy changes

Use Benchmarks to Measure IT Governance Results

While external competitive benchmarking is probably the most useful approach, there is also much to be gained from internal benchmarking to identify the attributes of successful and less successful IT-related business strategies.

Undertake benchmarking projects focused on improving stakeholder value over time. Benchmarking is designed and managed as part of a total business and IT improvement strategy. Benchmarking provides us some answers, and together with qualitative analysis and other tools, it helps management ask the right questions, identify key attributes of success and failure, and enhance stakeholder value over time.

Approach to Improving IT Governance

IT Governance is an operational function. IT governance is an ongoing effort that requires continuous communication, awareness and education. Improving IT governance is a management imperative and requires continuous process.

Planning process should be flexible and adjust as conditions change. Build on what the enterprise already has. Approach IT governance improvement in the following areas:

Define objectives and outcomes defined based on business need
Integrate IT governance with enterprise governance
Scope and time-box objectives and deliverables
Identify risk to be managed and adjust the scope to mitigate them
Define and adopt a governance framework
Assess the enterprise’s present capabilities
Agree to improvement opportunities
Implement initiatives to evolve and improve
Measure to improve and communicate success
Change the plan as business and IT strategy evolves

IT governance is an Executive leadership-sponsored commitment to establishing a comprehensive IT governance capability.

Return to: 1. IT Governance: a Continuous Program of Improvement

Tweets by @SoftPMO

IT Governance: a Continuous Program of Improvement

2012-10-14T11:40:00.007-04:00

A Primer on IT Governance

IT governance is "Specifying the decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the use of IT.”

~ Weill and Ross

IT Governance Delivers Value

Fundamentally, IT governance is concerned with IT’s delivery of value to the business and the mitigation of IT risks. Both are enabled by strategic alignment of IT with the business, and the availability of adequate resources. Management measures performance to monitor progress toward desired goals.

Delivering Value Requires Focus:

Strategic alignment—Achieve Business goals using effective IT governance structures
Value delivery—Create, maintain and extend existing value—eliminate non-value add stuff
Risk management—Address IT-related risk and use IT to assist in managing business risk
Resource management—Have the right capability to execute strategic plans
Performance measurement—Track achievements and compliance with external requirements

IT Governance addresses the following key areas:

Governing and Leading the IT Organization: IT has a policy setting body composed of the IT Senior Leadership team, and Finance; it owns the framework, establishes new governance mechanisms, and ratifies/creates new policies as needed. It is responsible for ensuring governance is operating.

Implementing and Enforcing Policies and Standards: IT has a series of governing bodies that set policies and/or standards for hardware, software, architecture, systems development and security/risk. These bodies craft policies and standards that are brought to the IT Governance Council for ratification. Once ratified, they are law.

Steering and Overseeing IT Performance: IT has mechanisms to ensure expenditures are aligned with corporate and business goals, that our vendor mix is optimized and performing well, that security programs are operating as designed, and that our infrastructure is meeting service level commitments.

Steering and Overseeing IT Initiatives: IT has mechanisms ensure that IT initiatives are fully aligned with corporate and line of business goals through the planning function, that funded initiatives are following governance processes, as well as fully embracing the systems development lifecycle.

IT Governance Involves Continuous Process Improvement

IT governance is a continuous process, as an integral part of enterprise governance, focuses on strategic objectives. Business unit leaders and IT management regularly assess their organizations to ensure they are delivering value and addressing risk. At regular intervals—and on a continual basis—performance is monitored and the results measured, reported and acted upon. On a continuous basis, strategy is re-evaluated and aligned with the business as necessary.

Key Players Involved with IT Governance

IT governance occurs at different layers. Project Managers and Team leaders report to and receive direction from their managers; managers’ report up to the CIO’s; and the CIO’s report to executives, who report to the board of directors. Reporting includes descriptions of any activities that show signs of deviating from targeted objectives. Each level, when reporting these deviations, includes recommendations for action that must be endorsed by the governing bodies above.

Stakeholders play a part in IT governance. At the heart of the governance responsibilities of setting strategy, managing risks, allocating resources, delivering value and measuring performance, are the stakeholder values, which drive the enterprise and IT strategy. Sustaining the current business and growing into new business models are certainly stakeholder expectations and are achieved with adequate governance of the IT infrastructure.

Next in this series: 2. Achieve IT Governance by Adopting Good Practices

Tweets by @SoftPMO

Development Plan for Internal IT Controls

2012-10-13T13:10:00.003-04:00

Information Technology (IT) Governance

Monitor the internal control for IT related activities and identify improvement actions.

Hanged Man

Objectives

Continuously monitor, benchmark, and improve the IT control environment and control framework to meet organizational objectives.
Monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of internal IT managerial review controls.
Evaluate the completeness and effectiveness of management’s control over IT processes, policies and contracts through a continuing program of self-assessment.

Challenges

Lack of consensus on definitions
Inability to measure governance capabilities in an objective manner
No systematic way to compare IT governance maturity across peer companies
Limited visibility into best practices to close governance performance gaps

Scope

Implement an Internal IT Control Framework to continuously monitor, benchmark, and improve the IT control environment and control framework to meet organizational objectives.
Implement Management Reviews to monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of internal IT managerial review controls.
Implement Control Self-assessments to evaluate the completeness and effectiveness of management’s control over IT processes, policies and contracts through a continuing program of self-assessment.
Implement Self-assessment, measurement and diagnostic tools

Approach

Shape the project management plan – plan and initiate the project
Develop the internal control framework – develop the framework method
Create the management review technique – build management review method
Define the self-assessment method – define self-assessment process
Build measurement and diagnostic tools – develop techniques, templates and guides
Prepare training materials – create training materials
Phased roll-out of the internal control framework – rollout framework in phases

Deliverables

1. Project Management Work Products

Develop the Scope of Work for the internal IT controls project
Create Business Requirements for the internal IT controls project
Establish a Schedule for the internal IT controls project
Build a Communications Plan for the internal IT controls project

2. IT Internal Controls: Process Framework

Create a policy for ongoing internal IT controls
Establish boundaries for internal IT controls
Ensure internal IT controls are implemented
Enable change management for internal IT controls
Evaluate performance of the IT controls framework

3. IT Internal Controls: Management Reviews

Develop internal controls that require managerial oversight
Verify and ensure reviews are appropriately documented
Create escalation processes for issues identified by managerial reviews

4. IT Internal Controls: Self-assessments

Define a plan and scope for conducting self-assessments
Create a communication Plan for results of self-assessments
Determine the frequency of periodic self-assessments
Develop and assign responsibility for self-assessments
Provide independent reviews
Compare results of self-assessments against good practices
Summarize and report outcomes of self-assessments

5. IT Internal Controls: Measurement and diagnostic tools

Build management awareness diagnostic tools
Create Maturity measurement tool
Develop control objective assessment forms
Create the Risk factor diagnostic tool
Build the control objective diagnostic tool
Develop the Introductory presentation
Create the Balance scorecard example

Industry Practice for Portfolio Prioritization

2012-10-12T06:57:00.001-04:00

What is Project Portfolio Management?

Terror Zero

Project Portfolio Management is a way of evaluating an organization’s projects. It can be compared to an individual’s portfolio of investments. The organization identifies its business goals and objectives, and then selects project “investments” that will best enable it to achieve those goals. The organization “invests” in projects by allocating scarce resources to those projects. It can “sell” its investment by removing resources and ending the project. It realizes returns on its portfolio by achieving its strategic objectives through the successful completion of projects, according to time, budget and scope estimates. The project portfolio is a dynamic entity – projects are continually being proposed and completed, and resources are continually being allocated to and re-distributed among projects. Like a stock market “ticker,” project data must be current to enable managers to make timely and effective decisions.

~ Michael Kaplan, Doug DeCarlo, Kathryn Mathias - May 1999

Building a High-Value Portfolio

Project prioritization is a key opportunity to generate value. A large percentage of budgets are devoted to maintenance and compliance, while only a small percentage is available for investment in innovation. To handle this challenge, it’s important to ensure portfolio investments reflect a balance of projects that maximize benefits for the business.

Key Questions

How do we ensure that projects selected align with business strategy?

How do we remove politics from the process of including projects into the portfolio?

How do we ensure that business cases provide accurate ROI assumptions?

How do we assess evolving risk environments during a project’s lifecycle?

What can we do to leverage our investment in complex portfolio prioritization?

Engagement and Change

Balance the Portfolio

Understand project value
Create leadership consensus
Stay current with evolving needs
Align the portfolio with priorities

Failure Points in Prioritization

Gaming the system by leaders
Disconnected operations plans
Misaligned strategic focus

Prioritization of the Portfolio is an Ongoing Process

Portfolio prioritization is on-going process that needs key stakeholder engagement and benefits from built in systems to react to evolving business conditions. Making sure the portfolio is filled with strategically mapped investments helps to ensure that Executives impact their organizations. To achieve this objective, leaders need to require a project prioritization approach is used that aligns to the organizations strategic goals and watches evolving changes throughout the life of the portfolio.

Keeping a Pulse on Issues

The process starts with learning about the business priorities and mapping them to the needs of the enterprise and the leaders’ investment portfolio. To synchronize the objectives, workshops are used which help to ensure bias of the portfolio is oriented towards projects that align with business strategy.

Business strategy is not always flushed out enough to create plans, so a tool is used to display goals and engage partners in making investments. Following this step priorities are converted into actionable projects. The tools help to identify the highest-value opportunities for improvement. By doing this, a pipeline of high-value projects that span the organization evolves. The organization is in a good position to leverage this information due to the the horizontal visibility of opportunities. Additionally, the Executive is well positioned with a solid understanding in the organizations priorities.

Aligning and Mapping Proposed Projects to Business Priorities

Many organizations use business cases for the project comparison process which helps to minimize politics and keeps the process objective. Depending on the strategic objectives, different tools are used to help target the portfolio toward needed project types.

The mapping techniques helps to minimize politics and maximizes communication, and engagement which results in consensus. For ensure the portfolio is accepted by a wide user base and accurate engage key stakeholders in the prioritization discussions and portfolio meetings.

Managing Change as Business Conditions Evolve

Portfolios need to be kept current as business conditions evolve. Financial cycles, internal and external business changes can alter a project’s business case. To handle this ongoing challenge, mechanisms must be setup and implement to ensure investments reflect current and future situations, not those from the beginning of the financial planning cycle. One approach to handling this, is to meet regularly and assess and evaluate the portfolio.

Portfolio Management Life-cycle

Learn about Business Priorities

Adjust the portfolio with the business’ needs
Drive the portfolio to increase strategic value
Secure representative business input

Standardize Selection of Projects

Employ and engage business leadership
Remove politics from project selection
Determine projects with best opportunity
Institute standardized business case criteria

Stay Current with Business Change

Maintain sponsorship through change and provide visibility
Ensure the portfolio reflects current business needs
Monitor and mitigate changes in project risk

Selected References:

2008 PMI. The Standard for Portfolio Management-2nd Ed.
2005 IBM Corp. IBM® Rational® Portfolio Management (for Initiatives).

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Mobilization and Planning of Programs

2012-10-10T17:01:00.002-04:00

Made Quarterly

An actionable approach for planning the work needed to mobilize and initiate a large program.

Executed in a linear path, with later activities leveraging outcomes produced by earlier work efforts.

Work includes implementing a governance structure, support office with the acquisition and build-out of facilities, tools, infrastructure, and technical environment. Also includes program and project planning, and establishment of financial controls and guidelines.

Activities:

Setup program management, define an organization structure, program support office, roles and responsibilities, a high level program plan, identification of resources, and financial controls.
Implement and establish the program support office.
Establish facilities, supporting infrastructure, and the technical environment for the project team.
Identify, acquire, and train staff needed to plan and handle the work of the initial phase.
Establish processes for program and project planning, which deals with developing and delivering work plans and timelines that set management expectations for the planned work effort, and schedules, resources, and the overall results for the Program and its Project components.
Identify and establish management practices and content, with a status about the progress for the Program plan, and provide management reporting against a number of defined milestones and quality points.

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Get Commitment Prior to Mobilizing the Program

2012-10-10T12:17:00.002-04:00

Program Definition and Commitment

Filibusteras by Carlos Buendia

Most of the work effort to begin a program is associated with the activities related to mobilization, which includes documenting program governance, understanding the scope and boundaries, defining resource plans, and creating an outline to manage financials.

All of this planning requires strategic inputs to get started, which are the outputs of the business strategy process.

As the program is defined, and the scope of work is agreed to, the programs constituent parts are analyzed and verified against the businesses strategy. A justification process assesses proposed work to ensure it is necessary and will contribute to overall success of the business. Finally, programs and their projects are identified, and scoped and authorization is given to start the mobilization work.

It is important to get started, and not wait for all of the strategic inputs. Initiate mobilization, even though there are a variety of approaches and processes within organizations for creating the strategic inputs. Create a concept document which defines and documents commitment and use it for guidance to get started.

It is important, as a precedent to get definition and commitment, prior to any work effort starting on the mobilization of the program. Review the documented guidance, and identify and review strategic work products and determine if mobilization can start based on readiness to move forward with the work effort.

If in the assessment it is determined that many strategic work products are missing, or incomplete; it may be required to determine and plan additional tasks to create them. And, it may be important and needed to include these tasks into the start-up plan, prior to beginning the mobilization work.

Moving forward with the start-up and mobilization of the program when significant deficiencies in the work products from the strategic business process exist, will increase the risk of failure of the program, or of major chances that rework will take place, and ensure that wasted work effort will take place, as the impact of these gaps is realized during the work effort of the Program.

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Use this Technique to Implement and Manage a Program

2012-10-09T17:28:00.002-04:00

Credit: Jason Greenberg

Purpose of Program Management

To provide a smart approach to enable a business’s strategy to be planned and executed through the effective execution and implementation of the changes in business operations.

Program management is the organized and coordinated management of projects designed to achieve a business goals and objectives.

Start the Program

Implement the program management framework to enable successful delivery of the program
Communicate with all stakeholders about the program objectives
Create a complete program plan that maps to the defined program statement
Create a detailed map of all project interdependencies in the program and any other programs being delivered and make sure they are document in each project definition statement
Summarize, condense and clarify the business case for the overall program
Develop and implement the plan and system for ensuring benefits are realized

Manage and Control the Program

Ensure communications are maintained and managed for the program so that everyone understands how to conform to the needs of the program objectives
Implement the project portfolio and check to make sure that it is satisfactorily transitioned into the business operating environment as desired
Confirm that the business environment is ready and satisfactorily prepared for the planned changes and can leverage the documented business benefits
Assess and monitor adherence to the program plan and verify that the documented policies and procedures are in compliance with business requirements
Check to ensure that benefits and risks are managed properly throughout the life of the program

End and close the Program

Verify that each project and program delivers expected benefits and are realized as stated
Sign-off on each project deliverable and make program process improvements as needed
Analyze each business areas planned performance targets, against each definition statement
Make corrective actions for areas which are out of alignment and verify implementation and results
Find additional opportunities for benefit, while examining value-added situations that might provide results from the projects being delivered
Ensure the learning process involved is articulated and documented
Close down the program at the end of the final phase

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Program Management Practice and Framework

2012-10-09T13:12:00.003-04:00

Enable a business’s strategy to be delivered through the proper and effective implementation of the changes in business operations.

Program management is the organized and coordinated management of more than one project to achieve a set of business objectives. It involves maintaining the program of projects, related to the portfolio, by determining, ascertaining, assessing, ordering, choosing, initiating, managing and controlling projects.

Program management is responsible for ensuring that projects support the program’s objectives and that all activities and dependencies are coordinated for the multiple projects, while managing the contribution of all the projects within the program to expected outcomes and benefits and to resolve resource requirements and conflicts.

Management Practice

Develop the program and project required to deliver business objectives established for the program. Define resources, establish governance and secure approvals from executive leadership.
Determine and assign accountability for project, benefits risks, deliverables and activities.
Document all dependencies and create an overall project timeline with established milestones.
Identify project and program stakeholders. Document and establish the communications plan and collaborative framework and technology and engage participants.
Frequently review and verify program management design to ensure that it continuously meets defined requirements and adjust as needed. Review program and project progress. Adjust timeline, resources and milestones and needed.

Value Driven Benefits

An optimized method for managing a program
A consistent, standardized, and efficient technique for managing program across the enterprise
Reliable and effective capability to focus on important projects within the program

Risk Drivers and Concerns

Incorrect and inappropriate project prioritization
Ineffective and disorganized project management approach to oversee the program
Misaligned project and program goals and objectives

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Accelerating Project Start-up

2012-10-09T10:57:00.001-04:00

The definitive workshop for ensuring that your project gets off to the right start

Forest by Jeff Langevin

Getting a project set-up, staff engaged and running is challenging. Why is it challenging? New people are joining the team, they need to figure-out how to work together; space, facilities and services have to be arranged. How does SoftPMO help? We get you focused early in the project on documenting ‘how the project gets managed’, and then engage the team to use the new processes.

At the completion of the Accelerating Project Start-up workshop, participants know how to start-up projects and have access to tools for getting the job done.

Note: The *Accelerating Project Start-up workshop includes 1 year online access to the SoftPMO Project Management Toolkit. When used in tandem with the toolkit, this workshop helps to ensure the successful start-up of every project.

Take this workshop if you are...

Ready to build the team needed to start-up and mobilize the project
Prepared to create project management plans for areas like communications, change, risk, finance, and procurement
About to get people together to manage the project and get it operational
Working to secure funding and resources needed to startup the project and get it mobilized

You will learn…

How to hold a project mobilization meeting and engage key project team members
When to commit staff and other resources to achieve mobilization and staffing objectives
How to get agreement on project plans to use and priorities for development
What it takes to modify project plan templates and shape them-up for use
How to enable key operational processes for the project and motivating project team members to use them
When and how to implement regular and predictable progress measures and reporting
About handling project deliverables and work products
How to run a Project mobilization workshop

The workshop outline…

Accelerating Project Start-up...
Introduction to the workshop and guidance about using the SoftPMO Project Toolkit
Understanding, defining and scaling Project start-up activities
Implementing Project start-up
Create the Start-up activity list
Develop Project plans
Organization, team roles, project planning, commitment, execution and delivery
Progress reviews, updates, status reporting, communications, and quality control
Dealing with exceptions: enable issue, action, change and risk tracking systems

This workshop contains…

The Project Start-up Guide
An Example Project Start-up Plan
The Project Management Toolkit*
Project Management Guidebook
Project Management Model
18 Basic Project Templates
26 Standard Project Templates
Example, Samples and Artifacts

*Includes access to the Toolkit for 1 year

5 Things You Never Want To Hear On A Project by Kevin Korterud buff.ly/QoeKFs via @pmvoices #risk twitter.com/SoftPMO/status…
— SoftPMO™ Solutions (@SoftPMO) October 9, 2012

COMMUNICATE, communicate, Communicate by Doug DeCarlobuff.ly/QcRLdR via @projconnections #pmot twitter.com/SoftPMO/status…
— SoftPMO™ Solutions (@SoftPMO) October 9, 2012

How to Set-up the Project Office

2012-10-09T09:40:00.001-04:00

The most comprehensive course for starting-up the Project Office

Jules Julien

This workshop, customized to fit the requirements of individual projects, helps project managers to set-up a project support office to oversee one project, or multiple projects. It is intended for organizations that need to rapidly deliver projects to meet business objectives. It is also intended for project managers who have experience managing their own projects and who now must oversee a group of projects.

The output of this workshop is a project management system for the project office, with active project files, customized to meet the unique needs of the project. Participation in this workshop also provides 1 year online access to the SoftPMO Project Management Toolkit.

In conjunction with use of the SoftPMO Project Management Toolkit, participation in the workshop helps to ensure that the project office is implemented in a manner that satisfies the needs and requirements of the sponsor and stakeholders, the project managers, and the project teams.

Take this workshop if you are...

Ready to build the team needed to start-up and mobilize the project
Prepared to create project management plans for areas like communications, change, risk, finance, and procurement
About to get people together to manage the project and get it operational
Working to secure funding and resources needed to start-up the project and get it mobilized

You will learn…

How to hold a project mobilization meeting and engage key project team members
When to commit staff and other resources to achieve mobilization and staffing objectives
How to get agreement on project plans to use and priorities for development
What it takes to modify project plan templates and shape them-up for use
How to enable key operational processes for the project and motivating project team members to use them
When and how to implement regular and predictable progress measures and reporting
About handling project deliverables and work products
How to run a Project mobilization workshop

The workshop outline…

The Project Office...
What is it?
Why is it used?
Structure and scope
PM system
Benefits
When is it used?
How is it run?

This workshop contains…

The Project Office Guide
An Example Project Office Plan
The Project Management Toolkit*
Project Management Guidebook
Project Management Model
18 Basic Project Templates
26 Standard Project Templates
Example, Samples and Artifacts

54: The Ripple Effect buff.ly/QbMx1O #pmot By the PM Blogger twitter.com/SoftPMO/status…
— SoftPMO™ Solutions (@SoftPMO) October 9, 2012

How to Interview the Project Sponsor by Doug DeCarlo buff.ly/QbLL54 via @projconnections #pmot twitter.com/SoftPMO/status…
— SoftPMO™ Solutions (@SoftPMO) October 9, 2012

Using SharePoint for a Project Work Site

2012-10-08T15:46:00.000-04:00

The Project Work Site, aka the virtual Project Management Office (PMO), is used by the project team and key project stakeholders to manage the project--it holds the project management system and contains the project management processes, guides, templates and artifacts.

How long does it take to set-up a Project Work Site?

The Project Work Site illustrated on this page was implemented to support an enterprise-wide IT program and took 1 person about 3 weeks to build.Project Work Sites can be developed using SharePoint, or Google Sites, and might integrate with products like Blogspot, SkyDrive, Google Drive, Office365, and Google Docs.

Project Work Site - Home Page (click to enlarge)

Once a site goes live, it becomes the information hub, and the primary source for all project content.

What kind of information gets published to a Project Work Site?
Project managers publish all sorts of information about projects—goals, objectives, requirements, status, key stakeholders, schedules and other important information.

Project Work Sites also contain project management plans, requirements, testing and user acceptance information.

The following image illustrates a Project Work Site for a sub-project.

Sub-Project Work Site - Home Page (click to enlarge)

The following 3-images illustrate the issue management module implemented to handle exceptions.

Issue Management Tracking (click to enlarge)

Issue Management Process (click to enlarge)

Issue Management Form (click to enlarge)

The Project Status Report (PSR) is an integral part of the Project Work Site--get the file here.

Executive Project Status Report (click to enlarge)

Key Lesson Learned:
User adoption is challenging. Getting project managers and team members to up-load project artifacts using a tool-set like SharePoint requires arm twisting.

Conclusion:
The start of a project is a busy time for everyone; leveraging the Project Work Site will greatly improve communications and enhance the exchange and delivery of information to all stakeholders.

Implementing a Project Work Site Template will significantly reduce the time and cost needed to setup the virtual PMO.

Consider using a Project Work Site to increase the likelihood of delivering a successful project and having happy customers.

Note: Be careful, if the work is rushed, or if corners are cut, the effect will be felt throughout the life of the project. However, the time and effort spent must be in proportion to the size and complexity of the project.

Related articles:

Do you use a Virtual Project Management Office?
How to Mobilize a Project Management Office in Six Steps
Learn How to Set-up the Project Office [Workshop]
SoftPMO Project Management Toolkit
SoftPMO Project Management Templates
Use Case: What Does the Distributed Team Manager Need?
Use Case: What Does the New Project Manager Need?

Glossary of Terms

2012-10-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

What is Project Portfolio Management?

smoke

The term "portfolio" is derived from the mutual fund industry. Owning mutual fund shares is fairly common, so most readers should be able to understand this idea easily.

Morgan Stanley's Dictionary of Financial Terms, describes a "portfolio" as:

Portfolio

If you own more than one security, you have an investment portfolio. You build the portfolio by buying additional stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or other investments. Your goal is to increase the portfolio's value by selecting investments that you believe will go up in price.

According to modern portfolio theory, you can reduce your investment risk by creating a diversified portfolio that includes enough different types, or classes, of securities so that at least some of them may produce strong returns in any economic climate.

There are a number of ideas, to be considered in the definition of a portfolio. For example:

A "portfolio" can contain many investment vehicles
The ownership of a portfolio involves choices, like, buying stocks, bonds, etc.
Making choices involves decisions– what to buy, when to sell, etc.
A portfolio, and its management, is goal-driven designed to increase in portfolio value
And, there is a clear risk to the use of the portfolio mechanism.

The ideas and practices from the field of financial portfolio management have been refined and applied in other industry sectors, and to many different types of "investment".

"Project Portfolio Management is a way of evaluating an organization’s projects. It can be compared to an individual’s portfolio of investments. The organization identifies its business goals and objectives, and then selects project “investments” that will best enable it to achieve those goals. The organization “invests” in projects by allocating scarce resources to those projects. It can “sell” its investment by removing resources and ending the project. It realizes returns on its portfolio by achieving its strategic objectives through the successful completion of projects, according to time, budget and scope estimates. The project portfolio is a dynamic entity – projects are continually being proposed and completed, and resources are continually being allocated to and re-distributed among projects. Like a stock market “ticker,” project data must be current to enable managers to make timely and effective decisions."

~ Michael Kaplan, Doug DeCarlo, Kathryn Mathias - May 1999

What is Program Management?

The co-coordinated organization, direction, and implementation of a portfolio of projects and activities that together achieve outcomes and realize benefits that are of strategic importance.

Source: Office of Government Commerce

The centralized coordinated management of a program to achieve the program’s strategic objectives and benefits.

Source: (draft) Program Management Standard, PMI

What is Project Management?

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. It’s a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals — and thus, better compete in their markets.

Source: Project Management Institute

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Manage customer expectations

2012-10-05T05:57:00.001-04:00

And We Shall Be Luminous Again

Get it in writing to avoid misunderstanding project objectives and requirements.

Good practice is to understand and document the project scope. Do your best to confirm customer expectations and needs are aligned. It’s in everyones best interest to ensure the project definition is approved in writing.

Always provide stakeholder's with a written statement of the work which defines the scope and benefits for the project. Make sure there is a common understanding so there is minimal room for differences later on down the road.

Avoid failure of projects to meet business and user requirements

It is very important to ensure that key stakeholder's and the project sponsor agree upon and approve the business requirements for the project, including definition of project success and acceptance criteria.

To make a difference, do the following:

Baseline the project plans so success can be measured.
Assign key stakeholders with project accountability.
Facilitate the creation of a master project plan.
Make sure there is effective utilization of project resources.

Avoid these high risk areas:

Misunderstanding of project objectives and requirements
Failure of projects to meet business and user requirements
Unclear understanding of the impact on interrelated projects

Arctic Wonderland by Sarah Anne Johnson

Increase the likelihood of your project delivering, business benefits.

Everyone understands the importance of establishing a common understanding and getting buy-in. especially when there is the need for the help of others. Good management and success is important and can’t be ignored.

Make sure you get commitment and participation from stakeholders in the definition and execution of your project. It's the best way to get buy-in and make sure you're on the right track.

What to Avoid:

Undefined, or ambiguous responsibilities and accountability for cost and success.
Insufficient stakeholder participation developing requirements and reviewing deliverables.
Reduced understanding and delivery of business benefits.

Ensure there is a common understanding for the project objectives across business and end users.

Obtain the commitment and participation of all stakeholders, including senior leadership of affected user departments and end users in the initiation, definition and authorization of a project.

What you accomplished is major and wonderful, but it is history. What matters now, is what you do next.

Get approval and sign-off on each deliverable

2012-10-04T10:44:00.000-04:00

Tristram Lansdowne.

Keep project and organization goals aligned

Approve and communicate the start of each new project phase. Make the start of new work contingent upon acceptance and approval of the previous phase.

Validate priorities before project execution

Ensure the sponsor agrees to approval points for overlapping phases.

What risks should you avoid?

Poor resource utilization and management
Incorrect prioritization of projects
Misalignment of project and organization objectives
Unknown and undetected project plan deviations

Base approvals on acceptance criteria agreed to prior to commencing work on the project phase or deliverable

Get approval and sign-off on deliverable's delivered in each project phase from authorized managers and users from the affected business functions.

Verify that project phases conform to the project definition

Assess the project at review points to make ‘stop/go’ decisions based on predefined critical success criteria

Implement a Project Management Framework

2012-10-04T10:34:00.001-04:00

Credit: Money confetti collage

Increase project success.

Reduce work effort to implement project activities. Improve communications, work and progress reporting. Provide a standardized approach for managing projects.

Establish a project management framework that defines the scope and boundaries of managing projects and the method to use for each project undertaken.

How should you go about doing it?

Integrate project and program management frameworks
Provide guidance on use and role of project office
Ensure there is a change control process
Document requirements for integrating projects
Implement a project management method

What risks should you avoid?

Different project approaches
Lack of compliance with reporting structure
Inconsistent tools for project management

Get Inspired!

2012-10-04T10:09:00.004-04:00

QuotesEverlasting.com

I get inspiration from just about anywhere I look. From enjoying the beach, to reading, here is some information about Albert Einstein who gives me very much inspiration.

Albert Einstein

"Albert Einstein ( /ˈælbərt ˈaɪnstaɪn/; German: [ˈalbɐt ˈaɪnʃtaɪn] ( listen); 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics. Einstein is generally considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

While best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"), he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory within physics." ~ By Wikipedia

by http://quoteseverlasting.com

Mentoring Can Improve Project Success

2012-10-04T09:52:00.002-04:00

http://www.resourcesystemsconsulting.com

GOOD MENTORING can improve project success

A mentor is a "wise and trusted counselor or teacher." ~ reference.com

According to Wikipedia, "In Greek mythology, Mentor (Greek: Μέντωρ / Méntōr; gen.: Μέντορος) was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus or Heracles and Asopis. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.
When Athena visited Telemachus she took the disguise of Mentor to hide herself from the suitors of Telemachus' mother Penelope. As Mentor, the goddess encouraged Telemachus to stand up against the suitors and go abroad to find out what happened to his father. When Odysseus returned to Ithaca, Athena appeared briefly in the form of Mentor again at Odysseus' palace.

Because of Mentor's relationship with Telemachus, and the disguised Athena's encouragement and practical plans for dealing personal dilemmas, the personal name Mentor has been adopted in English as a term meaning someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague."

By Wikipedia

"Good mentoring can improve project success rates. In ancient mythology, Odysseus entrusted a Mentor with the education of his son, Telemachus. The concept of mentoring has since been used to define a constructive relationship between individuals, with the purpose of providing support, guidance, and assistance to individuals in the achievement of their full potential. The role of the mentor encompasses friendly advisers, coaches, and teachers who are entrusted with the education and development of entire organizations. They possess advanced, or expert, knowledge in a particular field, and can expose organizations to new ideas and important trends in industry best practices."

Written by Jim Johnson

The Standish Group http://blog.standishgroup.com/project-management

Motivation Skills for Leaders

2012-10-04T09:48:00.004-04:00

Master these skills to motivate people and lead great teams that perform.

"Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well motivated individual."

~ Bill Gates

Project Managers everywhere want effective teams that are focused, and committed to the project objectives. A great team like this will perform and deliver results!

Project teams only perform like this when their project managers motivate them properly.

This is why it is important for project managers to be skilled at motivating teams to foster productive and healthy work environments.

By integrating good motivational techniques with the right work, setting goals, and using good systems for rewarding people, establishing the right kind of work environment, and team culture that is needed to prosper and achieve success.

A project manager that successfully integrates these key attributes together, the more likely the project manager will be at achieving higher motivation levels. Everybody wins including the project.

To achieve high levels of team motivation the successful project manager will master the following motivation skills. Improve these skill areas and team performance will soar!

Motivating people properly will help to build high performing teams. Skills needed to motivate people and build great teams include the following key areas:

Establish performance standards and expectations.
Ensure rewards and discipline integrates with performance and behavioral objectives.
Provide interesting work that is challenging, and allows for the right level of freedom.
Understand and provide rewards that are valued by project team members.
Engage with team members to define challenging, specific, and measurable goals that tied to project and business objectives.
Encourage team members to set high goals high, and realistic yet challenging achievement measurements.
Praise immediately for good work.
Provide clear and consistent discipline for sub-standard performance.
Understand what motivates each person on the team.
Ensure that competitive wages and other means of compensation are offered.
Use the same rewards for everyone when recognizing good performance.
Give project team members the right tools, resources, and training needed to achieve expected results.
Rotate and integrate work assignments so that team members can learn and leverage a variety of skills.
Understand the dynamic work environment before taking remedial or disciplinary action.

Understanding and learning how to motivate others will improve your team's success!

Steve Jobs and Management by Meaning
By by Roberto Verganti | 8:23 AM October 7, 2011

"Steve Jobs has always been considered an anomaly in management; his leadership style was something to admire or to criticize, but definitely not to replicate. He did not fit into the frameworks of business textbooks: there was orthodox management, and then there was Steve Jobs."

To manage by meaning is to recognize that “people are human: they have rational, cultural, and emotional dimensions, and they appreciate the person who creates a meaning for them to embrace."

People Don't Like Change

2012-10-04T09:15:00.003-04:00

"Managing change means managing people's fear. Change is natural and good, but people's reaction to change is unpredictable and irrational. It can be managed if done right."

~ F. John Reh

"For all those who hate change, especially when it comes to Google+ or any social network, +Lamarr Wilson has your back. I love how he asks Google to let him have some blackspace, just, well, you have to watch to see why. " ~ Robert Scoble

5 Reasons People don’t like Change

"We really don’t know how things are going to go after the changes are put in place. Uncertainty is scary!"
~ Carolyn Reid

Managing Change: Managing People's Fear
"Change is natural and good. Reaction to change is unpredictable, but manageable." ~ F. John Reh

6 Reasons Why People Don’t Change, and What to Do About That
“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” ~ James Allen