At the start, the goal of this blog was to discover and discuss new things about Projects and the management of Projects. As it progressed, I realized that many things that seemed new and leading edge were actually lead to a consideration of some fundamental. The ISSUES in Projects seemed to revert to basics. The…
Posts – Old and New
Project Basics – 5 Things
Greg Alleman at Herding Cats often discusses the complexities of complex Projects. Occasionally, he comes back to some very basic concepts that everyone doing Project work should understand. Recently here, he outlines 5 Basics: Where are we going? How do we get there? Do we have enough time, resources, and money? What could get in…
E+R=O
It’s a formula used by some Personal Development people: E+R=O which says Experience + Response = Outcome It’s used to indicate that individual outcomes in life depend on our response to what happens – not on what happens. You can also apply a form of this to Project work. In spite of our planning,…
Offline for Awhile – Back Soon
More Project Schedule Options – Tom’s Planner, Liquid Planner, and Basecamp
I’m not a software reviewer. I let the professionals do that. But, I do appreciate learning about different software that can help do Project work. Many Project folks are stuck with (or stuck on) P6 and MS Project. That’s not meant as a slam to P6 or Project. That’s just how it is in the…
Blog Style Note: We vs You-and-Me
This blog has been written as a conversation. As if “WE” were talking about our work and Projects. I plan to begin shifting to a more You and Me tone from now on. Not changing away from conversation – simply changing the way we 🙂 are addressed.
When Does the WBS Become Just BS?
Structured Projects include a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to assist with tracking. This is a good structured way to disassemble a Project into it’s components. It’s true that you can’t really manage a giant amorphous blob. However, does WBS ever evolve into just WBS? A Project Scheduler once spent two weeks developing the BEST schedule…
Be Different and Be Creative
It’s sometimes easy for Projects to reject creativity. In this video, see some good ways to reject creative ideas. Thanks to Youngme Moon via YouTube. Go and be Different. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsyAtkjYcEk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]
Always Do What the Customer Wants?
We say that delivering a successful Project includes providing what the Customer wants. But what if we see something better for them? Should we: Do what they ask and keep quiet? Recommend something that is different and better but don’t push too hard? Suggest and remind and show and deliver a better result even if…
What about PM Fundamentalism?
Some who think about Project work are “Fundamentalists”. I agree that the basis of their thinking is often justified – there ARE Project practitioners who, by carelessness or ignorance, stray from the basics that are required to deliver a Project successfully. Similarly, ideas like “2.0” can be a useless concept that is adopted in the…