Keep Projects on Track

Nice set of tips for keeping your project on-track and staying focused on the goal. ...

... "You should be spending the bulk of your time talking to and corresponding with project constituents – your team, the stakeholders, vendors, consultants and key end-users. " ...

Via Baseline: Save Your Next Project

Cheat Sheet for Managers: 101 Ways to Rise Above the Pack

InsideCRM has an excellent cheat sheet for managers, covering topics such as:

- Body Language
- Meeting Deadlines
- Getting Along with Employees
- Managing Yourself
- Boosting Productivity
- Managing Finances and Resources
- Communicating with Clients
- Keeping Up with Change
- Resolving Problems
- Going Above and Beyond

I've read through the list and there are some excellent reminders and insightful tips here. This is the kind of list that's good to print out and read on the train, keep on your desk, and read periodically to renew your focus.

It's billed as a "common sense" list of advice, but I find that much of it is quite uncommon (you know what they say about common sense). Kudos for the folks at InsideCRM for putting this together.

Check it out...


The Manager's Cheat Sheet: 101 Common-Sense Rules for Leaders - Inside CRM

Project Management Wisdom: PMThink Readers Speak

We recently asked PMThink readers to contribute the best project management advice they've even received. Here's the compiled list:

"Great organizations, especially those that do well over the long haul, are masters of the obvious and the mundane." - Bob Sutton, Harvard Business Online, May 4, 2007.
(contributed by PMThink blogger Garry Booker)

"Always remember, there is only us" - Alistair Cockburn, on collaboration instead of "us vs them", in Agile Software Development 2nd Ed.
(contributed by John Rusk)

It's about the people...not the processes or tasks. You treat your people right, they'll make sure the project is right.
(contributed by Eric Brown)

"When people don't care about a project they can find a 100 good ways to make it not work that aren't their fault"
(contributed by Jason Bates)

"Make sure you really need a collaboration/project management tool before you try to use one." Many times a PM or collab tool is overkill for something that you could have accomplished in a phone call, a single email or a single document.
(contributed by Isaac Garcia)

Although the PMBOK puts the statistic a little lower, experience shows that -- "100% of SUCCESSFUL project management is communication" (whether it is used for team building, coordination of activities, collection/ dissemination of data/metrics and status)
(contributed by Laurie)

I always try to balance the interest of the people. Always find out how you can make person "A" agree on an idea that contradicts his own idea.
(contributed by Randy, PMP)

"Your success is driven in large part by your ability to leverage the community you build around you."- Scott Allen and David Teten , authors, 'The Virtual Handshake'
(contributed by Jason Bates)

"Never take anything for granted, never assume that something is happening, check"
(contributed by Frederic Casagrande)

"If you can't measure it, you can't manage it"
(contributed by Lucas Rodriguez Cervera)

I also noticed that Frederic Casagrande (who, incidentally, won our drawing) has a great list of additional tips for project managers on his website...

1. You can't manage a Project on your own.
2. Never take anything for granted, never assume that something is happening, check.
3. Seek to understand before you seek to be understood.
4. Delegate and remember there is more than one way to complete the same task.
5. Allow the team to take responsibility for the tasks assigned to them.
6. Manage the sponsor and don't let them manage you, you own the project.
7. Be realistic with the expectations.
8. Everything is resolvable, it just may take time to find that solution. If something goes wrong, don't take it personally, it's not about life and death.
9. Look at the whole picture and keep the end in mind.
10. Taking a decision and moving forward is always preferable to indecision and delays.

Frederic runs a nice blog site, Digital Addictions, with some additional great advice. Check it out at: http://casagrande.blogs.com/english/ - Or, if you prefer it in French, visit: http://casagrande.blogs.com/

With all this good advice from our readers and colleagues, project managers can't go wrong.

PMThink Contest: Help Other PMs and Win a Prize!

Here's an opportunity for PMThink readers to help the project management profession and win something in the process.

Here's what we invite you to do. It's simple:

Post a comment to this message stating, in a single sentence, what the best project management advice you've ever received was.

That's it.

PS: I admit, I came up with this question after posting a link to a YouTube video that showed other people's answers to this question. I thought it would be nice to also leverage the collective intelligence of PMThink readers.

In a week or two, we'll pick one of the comments at random (we'll number the comments and drop the numbers into a hat). The winner will receive a free subscription ($39.99 value) to The Project Management PrepCast™, courtesy of Cornelius Fichtner, who was kind enough to donate the subscription to the cause.

Here's information about the PrepCast™ from PMPrepcast.com:

The Project Management PrepCast™ is the first true and "pod-ready" PMP® podcast. Students are able to instantly download all 77 episodes and intensify their studies. The average episode lasts 22 minutes giving the students a total of 30 hours of quality PMP audio material. The podcast covers concepts, tools and techniques in preparation for the PMP® or CAPM® certification exam. We cover material in the PMBOK® Guide, and we include the necessary models, theories and formulas not covered in the Guide.

Of course, if you're already PMP-Certified, you can donate the subscription to a friend, or to the PMI chapter or SIG of your choice. They'll love you for it. Either way, we hope to collect a nice list of PM "best practice" tips for our readers.

PS: When we announce the winner, we'll give you instructions for how to claim your prize.

Sage Advice for Project Managers

Some great advice here...

Project Managers and the Law

In class last week, the discussion turned to the topic of Gentlemen's agreements and their place in project management. The formal answer is that there is no place for them - only what can be referenced in the contract should be done, and done as specified. But the conversation covered some of the greyer areas - suppose it's an internal customer, suppose you have a good long term relationship with the client, isn't the effort of drawing up a contract sometimes greater than the risk of not having one?
It does seem that the constant reference to what's legal does tend to slow down one's ability to deliver. And, as we see from political life, following the boundary between what's legal and what's not does result in a less congenial society. People of good will who want to do a good job and expect others to do the same often find the additional legal processes very burdensome.
So it's as well to be reminded sometimes what the consequences can be of not having the insurance that the law provides. This paper from 2002 by Frances Fowler gives a couple of interesting short case studies. It also gives some guidelines about a project manager's conduct to avoid getting caught on the wrong side.
Legal Aspects of Project Management

Effective Use of Office Politics

Guy gleans some simple truths from Penelope Trunk. Need to influence the organization on your project. Try this. ...

... "Office politics is about helping people to get what they want. This means you have to take the time to figure out what someone cares about, and then think about how you can help him or her to get it. " ...

Via Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World: Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk

Real World Project Management

There's a good interview on Projects@Work with Susan Snedaker, author of How to Cheat at IT Project Management.

Some key points (paraphrased):

• At status meetings, focus on outcomes instead of endless discussions on issues.
• To insure risks aren't overlooked, appoint a "risk management" person on your project team and/or specify checkpoint milestones on your project.
• To control scope, use past lessons to remind stakeholders of the potential impact of scope creep.
• If you don't like dealing with people ---- well, get out of project management (or at least take a more specialized role on projects).

All good points! Here's the interview...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/236152.cfm

Lesson Learned: The Importance of Followup

I was just reading an article about how the DHS (Department of Human Services) never followed up on 17 of the 36 recommendations that were made after child deaths under their watch. The recommendations were supposed to lead to policy changes.

It's a harsh reminder that, while it's nice to gather lessons learned at the end of a project, the lessons are entirely useless if they're "put back in the drawer" with the rest of the project archives.

Lessons learned are supposed to either lead to permanent policy changes or changes in future similar projects. It's important to identify any actions to be taken as a result of lessons learned, along with a clear owner and target date. Ideally, project audits should look to see that lessons are followed up on.

This was an extreme case, but it should serve as a reminder to all of us who are associated with fostering best practice project management processes.

Project Failure Brings Great Lessons

Andrew Makar has an excellent article on Projects@Work outlining key lessons from a prior project failure. I even like his tag line stating that he is "focused on effectively translating project management theory into actual practice." Indeed, that's where the real lessons are to be found.

It looks like it's part of a series---at least a two-parter. This one has lessons about defining clear roles up front, keeping the same project manager throughout the project, maintaining a "living schedule," prioritizing elements in project scope shoulud tradeoffs be needed, and establishing a clear change control process.

I couldn't agree more. Read on...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/235962.cfm

Getting Projects Off On the Right Foot: The Pre-Flight Checklist

Something you don't hear much about, but is a critical success factor for projects, is what I call the "pre-flight checklist." As projects are completed, not only is it important to review lessons learned, but it's vital to have a checklist that can be updated as a result. This checklist would be the first thing a project manager would look at upon undertaking a new project.

This is especially true for agile projects, where adjustments are constantly made based on user feedback. Of course, not everything would go on the checklist, but any item that could save time later on a future project is well worth adding. Why reinvent the wheel?

If warranted, there could even be a checklist for various types or categories of projects.

This checklist is different from a pre-project assessment (another underrated tool), where preset questions pertaining to objectives, risk, value, organizational alignment, and more, can be asked.

As the adage goes, projects fail at the beginning, not the end.

Project-Lessons-Learned From Walter Reed

There are more lessons to be learned from the experience at Walter Reed, but here's a good one ... sustaining quality (of service and infrastructure) in the face of closure. If you haven't already, you may be faced with a project to dismantle, decommission, or divest part of your organization. Be ready for this situation. ...

... "When we plan to shut down an operation, the longer the lead time between decision and action, the more discipline we have to apply to making sure that that operation is not victimized, directly or indirectly, by our natural instincts. " ...

Via Snohomish County Business Journal: Lessons

The Nervous Project Manager

"I just wanted to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you."

They say it's always good to hire a rich lawyer and buy from a poor salesperson. We might add to that to hire a nervous project manager. I'm of course half joking. Still, it's important to be vigilant about the things that can go wrong, and to confirm that issues are being addressed as required, especially in hot areas such as communication, testing, contingency plans, etc. The devil is often in the details.

This does not mean micromanagement. On the contrary, it's best to delegate work packages to the experts. But it's also important to be aware of what's going on in your project, and circulate regularly among your team. If details are being overloooked, often a gentle reminder is all that's needed.

At any rate, I'd rather have a nervous project manager than one who's running on autopilot.

The Five-Minute Project Manager

Sometimes the best project management tips come from other fields, such as this free "Five Minute Guide to Project Management" from a creative arts website.

Simple, to-the-point, and yet quite effective, this brief guide reminds us of the basics that so often get forgotten in the midst of earned value, critical path, and other favorite topics of PM nerds.

As the article discusses creating a project plan and formally managing subsequent revisions as part of a "contract" between you and the sponsor, let's not forget the importance of defending the right plan.

I was having lunch with a group of CIOs the other day (following a presentation I had done), and all agreed that the number one killer of projects was an unrealistic plan, often agreed to under duress by an intimidated project manager.

Several CIOs present shared success stories of making a case to other senior executives by way of a high level project schedule, outlining the steps needed to achieve results. Often, that's all it takes. Some people I've spoken with have had some luck backwards-scheduling as needed from a given target, either to demonstrate the futility of the desired target, or to raise discussion as to which items can be eliminated.

Anyway, I digress. Here's the article about the PM basics ...

creativepro.com - The Art of Business: Project Management for Creative Professionals

Child's Play: Project Management Lessons From the Classroom

Ah, there's someone else that finds project management lessons in everything. It's a sickness I tell you.

Elizabeth Harrin has an article on Projects@Work about project management lessons she extracted from teaching a group of nine year olds in Paris. Whether it's the importance of giving clear instructions, understanding your stakeholders' environment, or negotiating win-win solutions, everything you need to manage a project you probably learned in kindergarten.

Read on...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/235373.cfm

Periodically Recenter on Your Principles

Take a break. Reconnect with your principles. ...

... "Am I doing everything possible in my current project to hold to the principles that got me into all this? " ...

Via tompeters!: Succeed

Project Management and Driving: Staying Tuned In

It had occured to me the other day that project planning is a lot like driving a car. If you constantly look down at the road in front of you, you won't be prepared if traffic suddenly stops or changes pattern. It's better to look out at the near horizon.

And if you listen to the radio for the traffic reports, you'll be able to avoid problems before you even see them.

It's the same with project management. We need to focus on the current planning horizon as far as we can reasonably see (usually we can only see three-to-six months out with any degree of accuracy). And it's equally important to stay "tuned in" through networking, reading what's happening in your organization and the world, visiting your customers and stakeholders, and practicing MBWA (Management By Wandering Around).

The more we're tuned in to internal and external activities that could impact the success of our projects, the better position we'll be in to address problems proactively and head off a traffic jam or a change in pattern.

Project Controller: The Project Manager's Best Friend

Halleluyah! Finally, there's an article saying what I've been saying for years. With projects becoming more and more complex, and leadership and stakeholder management requiring more attention than project managers have time for, there's a need for another role to manage the "control" aspects of the project.

This article by Robert Wourms on Projects@Work details how organizations such as State Farm have had success doing just that. Bring on the Project Controller. As a member of the leadership team for PMI's new standards for program management and portfolio management, I witnessed first hand how valuable this role was, as it freed the program manager up to actually lead the program.

The article shows how the project controller's role can include tasks such as:

1) Educating the team on processes
2) Facilitating Planning and Control sessions
3) Developing the project schedule
4) Controlling progress
5) Tracking and analyzing costs
6) Managing Issues, Risks, and Changes
7) Documenting and delivering status information

So what's left for the project manager to do? Plenty. Supporting this, the article offers a valuable table outlining the role of the project manager vs. the program controller. Read on...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/221443.cfm

Unconsulting: Common Sense Lessons for Project Managers

At someone's recommendation, I just finished reading Unconsulting, by David Newman. Fascinating and energizing book for anyone in business.

His book is partly inspired by Peter Drucker's statement, "Only marketing and innovation produce revenue. All other business functions produce costs." To this end, Newman offers that "the bottom line is meaningless if the top line is weak." He points out that, according to studies, "Companies with the same earnings per share that got there from SALES were worth about 30% more than companies who got there with COST CUTTING."

Newman, who, according to the book's back cover, has been called "a younger version of Tom Peters with less hair," offers 95 common-sense "in your face" tips.

A few more key points, paraphrased from the book:

• When consulting, talk to people (especially the impact points such as customers, suppliers, etc.) to gain anecdotal data to gain texture, context, and perspective.
• 95 percent of problems can be addressed by making significant changes to 5 percent of the processes, people, or technology.
• Simplicity defined: Find the shortest way to the best answer.
• Be with the client, not of the client. Rock the boat. You're there preceisely for that reason and to give advice. You're there to do your thing for them, not be a "yes" man (or woman).
• There is no cookie-cutter. Don't sell canned solutions. Listen to the client and look at unique angles to each engagement.
• Bill Cosby says, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
• Don't isolate talent management and organizational development to one department. Institutionalize it in all your management.
• The unconsultant handles an engagement in this way:
  
  "I'll ask some questions, do some research, guide the discussion, help set clear and specific objectives for the work, offer options, tools and answers each step of the way, and then we'll do the work together."
  
  All in all, very refreshing stuff. And a good model for project managers as well. I highly recommend this book. It's not available on Amazon.com, only on Newman's site, but well worth getting. Also, see the wealth of free white papers on his site, as well as his blog...
  
  David Newman: Professional Speaker Motivational Speaker and Keynote Speaker and Business Consultant

Project Management System: Stakeholder Visibility

Transportation industry project management system enables visibility through the project lifecycle to stakeholders. NJIT research team collaborates with users in Houston to customize the system to its needs. A number of installations have been completed across the country. ...

... "The Houston program provides detailed and easily accessible information on transportation projects in the region for TIPs and regional transportation plans. With TELUS, the process is open to citizens and stakeholder groups, not only for project selection, but for tracking project schedules, funding commitments, and related issues. " ...

Via NJIT: NJIT Researchers Help Texans Employ Transportation Technology ...

Leading and Influencing: The Project Manager's Secret Weapon

There's an excellent article by Frank Saladis on allPM about how to lead and influence others. Topics such as boosting your credibility, practicing empathy, and maintaining organizational awareness are discussed, as well as some good tips for engaging team members and obtaining buy-in.

From my experience, these are the things a project manager needs to get right. The rest is just details.

Here's the article. Well worth reading.

Positive Leadership in Project Management – Team Building, Influencing and Leadership By Frank P. Saladis, PMP :: ALLPM Project Management :: Project Manager - Project Management - Information - Forum Manager- PM Tools - Articles -PMI

IT Project Management Book For the Ages

For those managing IT projects, an invaluable resource is Jolyon Hallows' comprehensive book, Information Systems Project Management. Be sure to get the 2nd edition (link is below). It's a bit expensive, but Amazon has it used as well for less money.

Even though I've been managing projects for years, I always like to check out various books to gain new perspectives. This one is exceptional. It offers practical advice with"what if" situations covering most political quandaries, handy checklists (there's a great one on scope considerations), and concise "real word" tips on using various methodologies.

If you're an IT project manager and only buy one book this year, this is it. Of course, if you buy two books, you can check mine out as well. :-)

Amazon.com: Information Systems Project Management With Infotrac: How To Deliver Function And Value In Information Technology Projects: Books: Jolyon Hallows

Einstein Project Management Tip #4: Think Value

And so we continue our series on project management tips from Albert Einstein. Here's another...

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."

This sums up perfectly the problem with most projects today. They focus on "success" without fully defining what success means. Project managers and PMOs track schedule and budget metrics. Then, at the end of the project, some capture customer satisfaction, almost as an afterthought.

What really needs to happen is to insure value to the customer, and this usually goes way beyond being on time and on budget. We spoke about the need for clear goals. Surely that's part of it. We also need to deliver in small, frequent iterations to provide the quickest value and get more immediate customer feedback.

Customer satisfaction should be measured and tagged as an index throughout the life of a project, just as Earned Value uses indices to track cost and schedule performance. This allows course correction to be made in areas such as goal clarification, communication, and other areas needed to provide good value.

And when the product has been delivered, be sure that the customer can maximize the benefits of the product through proper training, tips & techniques, next steps, or any other items that will help them get the value expected.

These are the very items I've attempted to address with my Service-Oriented Project Management (SOPM) framework, with its four phases of Understand, Prepare, Iterate, and Transform (UP-IT).

More Einstein tips coming soon...

Einstein Project Management Tip #3: Silence is Golden

Here's our next installment of project management tips from Albert Einstein, the ultimate "PMThinker."

Everyone knows Einstein's famous equation, E=MC2. But he had another one that was also enlightening...

"If A=Success, then the formula is A=X+Y+Z. X is work. Y is play. Z is keeping your mouth shut."

How true this is. Often, a project manager's natural tendency is to be vocal and forward. And sometimes, this is indeed warranted. But more often than not, it's a good idea to show restraint and wait to hear all sides before offering your views.

This should not be confused with the vital need to ask plenty of questions. Rather, this refers to the need to think through the issues and hear all sides before voicing definite opinions. Sometimes, silence is golden.

Einstein Project Management Tip #2: Think Flexible

In keeping with our Einstein theme, here's our next project management tip from the great thinker himself.

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."

While Albert Einstein was referring to the laws of mathematics, surely this applies equally to project plans. We lay out in fine detail what we think is the ultimate plan that supposedly reflects reality. We make what we think are valid assumptions. Then, the minute it is published, things change. Life has a habit of doing that, despite our best intentions.

But we still need to go through the act of planning if we are to think through the risks and have a good chance at success.

Therein lies the paradox. We need to plan, and then we need to constantly revise the plan to match reality. Then we need to plan again. It's a continuous iterative process of course-correction. Perhaps it's why Eisenhower said, "Plans are nothing. Planning is everything."

For most projects, the old adage,"Plan the work and work the plan" should be taken in a different context than its original intention. We need to plan the work, and then we need to "work the plan" (meaning "continuously adjust the plan so that it remains adaptable") , as opposed to merely working "to" the plan.

Stay tuned for more Einstein project management tips.

Einstein Project Management Tip #1: Goals Rule

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of PMThink (yep, we've passed the one-year mark and now have over 1,000 posts - meeting our goal for the first year), I've decided to have a little fun by tapping the mind of the greatest "thinker" of all time----Albert Einstein.

To many, Albert Einstein is synonymous with the word "genius," and rightfully so. In fact, the part of his brain responsible for mathematical and visual/spacial thinking was discovered to be 15% greater than the average human. In addition, it lacked the usual groove that runs through that area, which supposedly enabled his neurons to communicate more effectively. In other words, he's someone worth learning from.

Over the next few weeks, I'll enter some posts highlighting his quotes as they apply to project management. Think Einstein doesn't have anything to do with project management? Think again. Here's the first one...

"Confusion of goals and perfection of means seems, in my opinion, to characterize our age."

The same could be said for project management today. With all the focus on execution and delivery, many project managers fail because they make a huge assumption that the goals and requirements are clear. As we strive to perfect the ability to finish on-time and on-budget, let's not forget the need to make sure that the goals of the sponsor are crystal clear, since that's where most projects fall short.

Stay tuned for more "Einstein project management tips."

Project Management Lessons from Mars

Brian Muirhead, the project manager for the Mars Pathfinder program, had some good tips to share with Projects@Work this week.

Some key learnings, extrapolated from the interview:

• Innovation and bold ideas are often necessary to meet what often seems like an impossible challenge. The trick is to balance the cost and time savings with the risks.
• A diverse team is key. It's better to have people that are different, with complementary skills, than have a bunch of people who think and act the same way.
• A small core team that can share issues, problems, and resolutions, with one person at the helm, is an effective way to run a project.
• Trust, honesty, and personal committment are traits that need to be prevalent throughout the team.
• Test, test, and then test again. Don't rely on luck. If you can't test using the exact situation, then simulate it as best you can, testing as much as is possible.
• A team is only as good as it's weakest link. It's up to the project leader to identify those people that aren't up to the task and remove them or find an area that suits them better.
• Ensure team members have opportunities to make personal connections and grow.
• A project manager must simultaneously provide the glue (keeping the team cohesive and focused) and the grease (removing barriers).
  
  Here's the full interview...
  
  http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/232113.cfm

One-Page Project Status Report; Keeping it Brief

There's a great writeup in Projects@Work about project status reports, including tips on meeting format and frequency as well as a format for a one-page status report.

According to the article, there are 5 Project Status Best Practices:

1. Consistency — The status process should be basically the same for large and small projects, and consistent with their measures of success
2. Escalation — The status process provides a mechanism for escalation of key issues.
3. Simple — One page with the ability to drill down for details when necessary
4. Public — Status is available to all (as appropriate) in order to communicate issues, risks and corrective action measures
5. Inclusive — All projects are required to provide status on a consistent set of metrics

For busy managers who see loads of project status reports, it's much easier to have a consistent, brief summary of what's really happening on each project. They don't need a dissertation on all the details, nor will they get a clear picture just looking at performance metrics. Much like on a business case, most just want the executive summary. Simpler is better. Less is more.

For those looking to improve their status reports (and their credibility with management), read on...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/231704.cfm

Software Selection Process; Everything You Need to Know

There's a good writeup on ProjectPerfect offering guidelines and principles for selecting software---from the gathering of internal support through the evaluation and selection process itself.

It's definitely a valuable read for anyone involved in the software selection process.

Here's just a sampling of some of the great tips in the article...

• Tell the vendors at the start what the process for selection will be. They will appreciate knowing what the path is, and how you will reach a decision. It assists their planning as well. You will get far better service if they know when you are going to make a decision.
• Consider an external person to do the negotiation. If negotiations are tough and the vendor feels they have been squeezed dry, it is better for the person who did the squeezing to be gone so that there are less lingering traces of animosity.
• It is a bit like herding cats but you need to keep a single point of contact with each vendor. If vendors can see a chance to influence people at different levels you will soon find all sorts of pressures being applied to you.
• Treat it as a team selection decision, and make sure your team know the process. If you set the path and the criteria from the start, it will help manage expectations internally.
• It is useful to get written agreement from each vendor to comply with the process as a condition to being considered.
• Beware the trap of having their top technical person available all through the sales cycle only to be replaced at the point of implementation by someone who has been with the company for a week. If the vendor is also involved as an implementer, have the implementation team named in the contract.
• The purchase process should be costed into the budget just as the cost of the software and implementation are costed. There can often be many man months of effort required to manage the process and, if not done effectively, will cause major cost blowouts when the wrong software is purchased.
• Another factor touched on a number of times is that much of the work is sequential. There will be gaps in the process – for example between requesting a demonstration, and organising the people to participate. During that lull in proceedings, other work can be done that will contribute to later activities. A software purchase can result in a very complicated schedule.

Here's the full article...

A Software Purchase Process

Team Fun on the Cheap

Is your team suffering from infighting or poor morale?
Do you need a different way to celebrate a milestone on the cheap?

Consider the potluck. Dictionary.com defines the potluck as: A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all.




Although it might be a bit of work for the project management team, organizing a potluck is a cheap way to get the team together. It is especially fun when there are international team members who can showcase food from their respective cultures.

Some tips for organizing your potluck include:

• Schedule it for a Monday. This gives people time to cook over the weekend.
• Create a sign-up spreadsheet with categories like appetizers, entrees, etc., so people can attempt to even the spread.
• For those folks who don't like to cook or don't have time, offer the "bring a staple" option. Every potluck needs plates, utensils, napkins, drinks, table cloths, a clean-up crew, etc. I usually use the "fastest timestamp wins" method for these.
• Book a large enough conference room for several hours around lunch time OR
• If you have a huge team, consider also having people bring in breakfast items (then extend that conference room booking)
• Consider creating a "party favor" for all project team members. We had mugs made with our project name and then filled them with an assortment of goodies in nice party plastic bags (pretzels, candies, nuts, etc.). This was also a team building opportunity because people shared well after the event.

What other ideas do you have for team building events? Let us know!

Project Goals and How to Achieve Them

Sometimes answers come from the strangest of places. I've been reading Jeffrey Gitomer's excellent Little Red Book of Sales Answers, which went to #1 on Amazon.com this week. There are many eye openers, and more than a few tips that project managers can benefit from as well.

For instance, here's what he has to say about the 3.5 reasons why people don't achieve their goals (by the way, he defines a goal as "a dream --- with a plan and a deadline")...

1. Failure to write your goals down and post them in plain view.

2. Failure to make a plan to achieve the goals.

3. Failure to commit, or live up to the commitments they made.

3.5 Failure to make goals that were achievable in the first place

I can say with certainty that every one of these are critical. Many people don't put goals in writing, nor do they develop a plan to achieve their goals. And even if they do, it's not always a realistic plan that considers all the angles.

With projects, like anything we're trying to achieve in life, we must begin with the end in mind. Or, as someone else once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you're probably not going to get there."

The book is chock full of simple formulas like this, that are useful whether in sales, project management, or in life.

PS: See my post from April 8th, Project Managers; Secret of Success Found, for a neat little story about JP Morgan. I think we have a "keep it simple" theme going here.

Recovering Troubled Projects; Seven Steps to Turn it Around

I just read a good case study about rescuing a troubled project, written by Jim Stewart on Chief Project Officer (which, incidentally, has a nice selection of articles).

Here are seven tips Stewart suggests:

1) Don't continue down a failed path. It's never too late to add controls.

2) Don't be afraid to cut your losses and terminate a project that's not generating value.

3) Be sure you have experienced, trained project managers. Keep the good, trainable ones. Reassign the others.

4) Be prepared to make tough decisions. Bypass groups that'll slow you down. Remove troublesome spots (or people).

5) Have adequate and appropriate resources. Allow project managers to focus on project management, not day-to-day technical details or deployment.

6) Don't hesistate to reconsider everyone's role. Avoid redundancy and joint-leadership situations.

7) Re-plan the project with team input. Avoid an unrealistic plan set by management. While management input is valid, only the team knows what's wrong with the project and how long everything should take. Getting team input insures a realistic schedule and garners team buy-in.

Here's the full case study with the lessons...

Chief Project Officer: Case Study: Recovering a Troubled High Tech Project