Stepping into Project Management - the journey continues

Happy Monday

2012-02-06T13:04:00.003-06:00

Entrepreneurship- An interview with Debarati Goswami

2012-02-03T08:58:00.001-06:00

This month, we take a look at a new venture that has taken aleap of faith, moved countries and in spite of hardships kept their hearts inone place.

Today we meet Debarati Goswami, the co-founder of Educocity and talk about her journey that has taken herfrom the usual employee role to an entrepreneur. She talks about the hardships if being an entrepreneurin India, the role that project management plays in their development processand their plans for 2012!

· You moved back from US to India to start yourown company- tell us about it.

Myhusband Bappaditya and I were both working with Apple Inc. as consultants forclose to 3 years each, when the entrepreneurial bug bit us. After having beenlocated in the Silicon Valley for quite some time, the ‘big’ question was whetherwe should start up in the US or in India. We listened to our heart and movedback to India in late 2009.

Wewanted to do something in the education space because the roots of a societylie in its education system. As everyone knows by now, our conventionaleducation systems are failing us miserably both in India as well as in firstworld countries like UK & USA. We thought it’s about time to do somethingso that students start taking interest in ‘learning’ rather than mere rutting.

Theneed for a common platform where everyone associated with any educationalinstitution, be it students, teachers or parents can come together and createan environment for learning was becoming more and more apparent. We wanted tobuild a city for education (Educo is the root word for education is Latin) Thus‘Educocity’ was born.

· How well is a collaborative platform like thisone being adapted in India? Or is your target audience outside India?

GUIDE is acloud based, collaborative, Learning Management Platform from Educocity.com. GUIDEstands for ‘Grow as YoU Identify Delight in Education’ and is all about makingthe process of learning fun and enjoyable, delightful yet more effective thanthe conventional methods.

Aconscious shift in pedagogical methods is taking place across the world. Pedagogy is changing from being prescriptive(where the teacher teaches, the students only listen) to collaborative (whereteachers and students interact among themselves and absorb the knowledge) Collaborationis no more a thing of the future, rather something we do day in and day out.While various ’collaborative’ software products are available in the market today,they are mostly content based. We believe GUIDE stands apart because it is aplatform that the users can use according to their needs instead of tying themup with a specific set of contents.

Indiahas been under the influence of ‘prescriptive pedagogy’ for too long. However,India is gradually opening up to the idea of collaboration within aneducational institution and taboos are dissolving. Some institutions are notcomfortable sharing their private data with the world. Also we have arelatively young user base, most of them being school going kids. Hence, ifinstitutions want, they configure GUIDE as a walled-garden wherein the safetyand privacy of the users are not compromised.

Indiais at the epicentre of our focus. However, at the same time, we are alsolooking at other advanced markets, which are easier to penetrate without muchuser training.

· What have been the few challenges in working inan entrepreneurial mode in India?

Indiais still in a nascent stage when it comes to entrepreneurial ecosystem.Professionally, the biggest hurdle we faced was amassing a seed-fund. Noinvestor is ready to invest in a concept and having at least a prototype inplace is a prerequisite for raising funds. Thus, boot-strapping is the onlyviable option most Indian entrepreneurs are left with. This makes the processlonger and more difficult and we have seen a lot of people quit theirentrepreneurial journey over it.

Also,in India, being an entrepreneur pushes you into a minority bracket and is stillconsidered as an unwise choice by the middle-class society. At times it cantake a toll on the family life, especially with parents and relatives. We are luckyto have a very sound support system in place. For others, it might be eventougher.

However,the current scenario is improving in leaps and bounds and we are hopeful thatIndia will catch up with its western counterparts in a few years from now.

· What does 2012 hold for educocity?

2012is going to be the most crucial year that our venture has seen till date. Wehave big plans lined up including an international launch. We are also lookingto raise some serious funds. For our venture hopefully this will mean an entirenew scale to operate in.

Wehave also already roped in a few important customers and we will startoperating at these sites as soon as these institutes open doors for newstudents in the 2012-2013 academic session.

· In all these years trying to develop theproduct, how have you managed the process?

Havingseen how a world class company like Apple looks like from within, we have beenvery particular about processes and quality adherence from the very beginning.

Wetry to keep the Product Management, Product Engineering and Service Delivery units all separate fromeach other since most of the time they have conflicting interests.

Wealso follow the Agile Scrummethodology to keep our development cycles short. This essentially means an iterative, incremental framework for project management. Scrum is perfect for alean organization like us. It reduces our process overheads drastically and hencethe team is almost always able to deliver faster. It also acts as the perfectremedy against deadline slippage due to scope creeps.

Weare also finicky about following checklists. Implementation checklist,development checklist, quality adherence checklist, test plan checklist, youname it we have it. This helps us to maintain the standards without much revieweffort.

· Tell me 3 things we should know about yourproduct.

Wecall GUIDE from Educocity a virtual cloud campus on rent,which essentially boils down to:

No software installation is required to start using GUIDE. It can be accessedover a web-browser and low-bandwidth internet which makes it available anytimefrom anywhere without being tied to a particular machine. If you want to try,just hit educocity.com and go for a ‘Try GUIDE Demo’ option.

No upfront capital investment is required from the educational institution’s end. Weonly charge on pay-as-you-go basis based on the total number of users. Thus,GUIDE is especially suitable for small to medium institutions who do not want tomaintain in-house IT department.

GUIDEis the most intuitive LearningManagement system you would have seen. The user interface is simple andclutter free and you can get started from the word go. There are no steeplearning curves and hours spent going through elaborate learning manuals. Webelieve in the beauty of simplicity.

You can also follow @educocity in Twitter or ask your questions, request a demo directly to @Debaratiz

Happiness

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-06:00

Enjoy this week and see what you need :)

Pic Courtesy

Interview with PMOT author 4- Lindsay Scott

2012-01-27T12:11:00.000-06:00

Wow, its been days since I published- this month turned out to be pretty eventful than I had expected.

This is the last interview of the series with the #PMOT author/s and today meet Lindsay Scott, Director of Arras People as she talks about her new venture of co-authoring a book.

It’s a big milestone to be an author- whydid you decide to be one?

My experience has been quite unique. I was approached by apublisher at the beginning of 2011 and asked if I wanted to co-edit a handbookrelated to the people aspects of project management. The book is called – TheHandbook of People in Project Management – and it’s going to be published in2013.Initially when I was approached I was surprised as I’ve never written a bookand certainly never edited one before. When I found out that my co-editor wasDennis Lock (the eminent project management author) I felt a little morecomfortable and decided to go for it. I was looking forward to the challenge ofdoing something completely different yet in a field that I felt totallycomfortable within.

Both Dennis and I had complete authority to decide thestructure of the book and we knew that it was going to be a huge book (63chapters, 800 pages, featuring over 58 different authors!). The book focuses onthe people aspects of project management so we have parts which focus on areaslike leadership, team management, conflict and behavioural skills. With myexperience working and blogging about project management careers andrecruitment I’m contributing to three chapters – on recruitment, pay andredundancy.

What was your schedule like while workingfull time and writing it?

One of the most interesting things about being part of acommission for a new (and large) book is the schedule and time involved. Fromthe initial commission through to the book being on the shelf will be over twoyears. During that time I’ve been responsible for setting the topics for thebook, approaching authors to write the chapters, reviewing the content andworking with Dennis whilst he edits the chapters. Later on in the schedule wewill look at the overall layout making sure the chapters are aligned, the indexcomes together and the overall design.

Fitting in this project alongside a full time job has itsups and downs. I’m lucky in one respect that I do own and manage my ownbusiness which is in the project management field. I’m working with people thatI already know and reading about subjects that fit into my day to day jobanyway. I tend to work via email and social networking sites so can be in touchwith authors around the world very easily. The downsides are trying to writethe chapters that I’m commissioned to do; there are never enough times in theday. Other authors also suffer from this as most are current practicing projectmanagers too. We’re lucky in one respect that we have a long timeline to workto but I’ve found that project managers work best when they have tightdeadlines so often the writing happens in the evening and weekends. The bottomline is, if you want to become an author – whether it is a book or just achapter – you need to show commitment, manage your time effectively, and createa space in your schedule when you can be creative.

How different is authoring a book fromblogging?

As I mentioned I’m also authoring three of the chapters(about 7000 words each) and it has been a great experience switching the styleof writing that I would normally use on the blog (How to Manage a Camel).In some ways it has been like being back at University creating a thesis. Therehas to be a lot of research beforehand, the chapters have to be correctlystructured so they ‘flow’ and I’ve been really lucky to have such a good editorin Dennis has he is a great writer with an excellent command of the Englishlanguage. One of the main differences between writing for the book and writingfor the blog is the use of informal language. With blogging I tend to write asI speak so there are a lot of localisms, English sayings or slang. When writingthe book these are removed so you really need to be conscious of what yourauthor “voice” sounds like and make sure the grammar is correct. I’ve learnedan awful lot so far and I’m still learning a lot!

Name a book/incident/person that inspiredyou to become an author.

I’d never really given it much serious thought about becomingan author before this opportunity landed in my lap but I’m a dedicated readerand love to read about project management. In the future I’d like to write afull book myself – something that focuses on the career aspects of projectmanagement. Some of the best books I’ve enjoyed over the years include; I haveto include Dennis Lock’s Project Management book it’s a definite guide to project management with so much detail where itsnecessary (especially around scheduling and plans). I love the refreshing styleof Peter Taylor’s Lazy PM and he’s done a great job of creating a breath offresh air into project management books. Finally I loved Rework from JasonFried and David Hansson simple to read, great ideas and I wish I’d come up with the layout and concept!

Lindsay Scott isa Director of Arras People, the project management recruitment specialists (www.arraspeople.co.uk) founded in 2002.The company focuses on finding the right project management talent fororganizations within the UK.Prior to Arras People, Lindsay was a Project Office Manager for HewlettPackard. She regularly blogs on How to Manage a Camel which is a blog focusedon project management recruitment and careers. She is also a committee memberfor the APM PMOSIG – a specific interest group for PMOs (http://www.apm.org.uk/group/apm-pmo-specific-interest-group)

You can find the interviews from this series here.

PMOT Author 3- Peter Taylor

2012-01-18T14:09:00.001-06:00

The PMOT author series continues and this time we have Peter Taylor.

Turns out, all you have to do is get the first one published and the rest follows. Peter has another coming out in 2012- watch this space.

It’s a big milestone to be an author- why didyou decide to be one?

Having my first book The Lazy Project Managerpublished by Infinite Ideas changed my professional life. I had long wanted towrite but never seemed to get the right idea but then I started speaking atvarious conferences and after a while I had ambitions to widen my audience andto get on to the international speaking circuit. It was only once I had a book tosupport and promote me that I began to be noticed.

A book lends gravitas and authority to itsauthor (assuming it's a good book and all the evidence suggests that ‘The LazyProject Manager’ is indeed a good book!) It can set agendas. It receivesreviews in trade media that raise the author's profile.

The book has helped me internationally, too. ‘TheLazy Project Manager’ has been a bestseller on the Amazon Kindle store in theUSA and I've had a huge number of enquiries for speaking gigs and consultancy asa result (I have presented in New Zealand, Brazil, USA, Germany, Poland,France, Romania, Sweden, Hungary, Netherlands and many more).

Honestly a book written by you to sell (or give)to clients is the best piece of marketing collateral you can own.

What are your published works and where can wefind them?

The Lazy Project Manager (Infinite Ideas)
The Lazy Winner (Infinite Ideas)
Leading Successful PMOs (Gower)
The Art of Laziness (Infinite Ideas)- eBook only

And in 2012 there will be Project Branding (Gower)and a new ‘Lazy’ book as well.

All books are available on Amazon and through my own website

How long did it take you to write your lastpublished book?

Well there is the writing then there is theediting cycle and all of my books have taken a varied time but, as an example,my current book ‘Project Branding’ has taken about 9 months to put together –mainly as this is case study based and this requires time to secure casestudies, support and encourage contributors, and in editing the case studiesbefore weaving them in to a coherent book. As a comparison ‘The Lazy ProjectManager’ was written much faster with the writing and editing processconcluding in less than 3 months.

What was your schedule like while working fulltime and writing it?

Again the two books were very different. For‘The Lazy Project Manager’ I took time off work and wrote solidly for about 9days to write the first draft. For ‘Project Branding’ is has been a low leveleffort in writing for a much longer period and this will be concluded with afew days ‘tidying up’ over the holiday season to complete this one.

How different is authoring a book from blogging?

Well I have to say that when I do write I oftenlook again at my blogs and often there are some ideas or material that can bere-used, in an expanded form of course. But really for a book I like to‘architect’ the major themes and chapters and then look at the way this flowsand connects in a logical and concise way. Once I have that then I write and,often, things change as you progress through the writing period but generallythe high level structure is fairly stable. Blogs can, in comparison, be short,sharp and specific and the next blog can be (in the words of Monty Python)‘something completely different.

Three things every #PMOT author should know?

Well three pieces of advice I would say to anyaspiring author is:

· Don’t wait until you have written the book totry and find a publisher. Do your research on suitable publishers and check outtheir requirements for submissions, and start applying.

· Use your network to get advice and makeconnections.

· Blog – and blog some more. It is great practiceand a wonderful source of ideas.

Is it difficult finding a publisher?

It can be. I have spoken to many people aboutthis since I released my first book and a lot have not been as lucky as I was.Actually for this very reason I have collaborated with the publishers of ‘TheLazy Project Manager’ and ‘The Lazy Winner’ and I now have a website that offerssome advice (text, videos and a free eBook on ‘Getting Published) to helpwould-be authors around the world.

No guarantees of a deal but my publishers haveoffered to at least have a chat with anyone who has a reasonable idea for abook.

And, of course, there are increasing ways toself-publish these days.

Name a book/incident/person that inspired you tobecome an author.

There are many books that I have enjoyed, andstill enjoy, that I could say were inspirations to me but if I have to pick oneauthor it would be Brian Tracy and if I have to pick one of his books it wouldhave to be ‘Eat that Frog’.

I like Brian’s books because they are short,easy to read and to the point, and I like ‘Eat that Frog’ because it deals witha problem that we all face.

Peter is a dynamic andcommercially astute professional who has achieved notable success inProject Management. He is also anaccomplished communicator and is a professional speaker as well as the authorof ‘The Lazy Project Manager’(Infinite Ideas) and ‘Leading SuccessfulPMOs’ (Gower) and ‘The Lazy Winner’ (InfiniteIdeas).

More information can befound at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com and www.thelazywinner.com and www.leadingsuccessfulpmos.com – and through his free podcasts in iTunes.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Being a CEO- Indra Nooyi

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

We all have been trying to dream big and think of achieving them, this year should be the year where we take hard core actions in getting them done.

The interview below hopefully will allow you take concrete actions and plan out what it takes to be a true leader. Listen to the 5C's almost towards the end of the interview!

The #PMOT author series will continue, I just had to share this video with you!

Interview 2: How to Become a #PMOT Author?

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

The second interview in this series of #PMOT authors is with Gina Abudi .

It’sa big milestone to be an author- why did you decide to be one?

I have a significant amount to share withothers based on 20+ years of experience. Most particularly, you see manyindividuals who have left - either voluntarily or not - their current job goingout on their own. They need some guidance on how to begin their businessadventure and how to sustain it. My current book does just that.

Whatare your published works and where can we find them?
I have been published on a number of websites andblogs, including Vistage, Business on Main, and a number of internationalwebsites/blogs and magazines. I have one published book to date and I have beena contributing author for another book. I’m hard at work on my next one! Mycurrent book is: The Complete Idiot’sGuide to Best Practices for Small Business, Alpha Books, 2011. Ico-authored the book with Brandon Toropov. It can be found here.

The book to which I was a contributingauthor is Gantthead’s Project PainReliever, J. Ross Publishing, 2011. You can find that book here.

Howlong did it take you to write your last published book?

Once I officially began the book, it onlytook about 4 - 5 months to write TheComplete Idiot’s Guide to Best Practices for Small Business. I did all the writing on weekends and in theevenings.

Whatwas your schedule like while working full time and writing it?

Not always easy! I restricted my writing to weekends and inthe evenings so as not to interfere with the job. It meant many late nightscertainly and weekends where I did not much other than writing!

Howdifferent is authoring a book from blogging?

In my opinion blogging is easier because Ihave no restrictions other than what I put on myself, and, of course, based onwhat I know my audience wants from the blog. When writing books, especiallywhen working with a publisher, you have guidelines to follow and sometimes youmay want to include information in the book that is not able to be included dueto space constraints, etc.

Threethings every #PMOT author should know?

Commit some time every day to writing - even if it is just 30 minutes a day
Stick to the timeline you have from a publisher. If you don’t have a publisher - create your own timeline and stick to it!
Have someone read the book with a critical eye. It’s hard for you to be critical since you are too close to it.

Isit tough luck finding a publisher?

Yes, it is.

Frankly, I sort of “fell into” it. I was askedto do a technical expert review a year prior to taking on this book and endedup having a conversation with the acquiring editor at Alpha Books about writing.He introduced me to a co-author who introduced me to his agent, who is now myagent also. That being said, you should still try to submit your work and keepat it. Don’t give up! There are alsomany small boutique publishing houses and many options for self-publishing.

Namea book/incident/person that inspired you to become an author.

There is no particular book, incident orperson that inspired me to become an author. I do read lots of books - bothfiction and non-fiction and business focused books. I suppose I could say that all my reading hasinspired me! For as long as I canremember I wanted to write. My dream is to one day write a fiction book - amystery!

Gina Abudi,MBA has over 20 years of consulting experience in helping businesses of allsizes develop and implement strategy around projects, process and people. Sheis President of Abudi Consulting Group, LLC and an adjunct faculty at Hesser College (NH)teaching in the business administration department. Gina regularly presents atconferences, forums and corporate events on a variety of topics. She has written a number of white papers,case studies, and articles on various management and project management topics,which can be found on her blog:http://www.GinaAbudi.com. Gina servesas President of the PMI® Massachusetts Bay Chapter Board of Directors. She hasbeen honored as one of the Power 50 from PMI^®.

Interview 1: How to become a #PMOT Author?

2012-01-07T00:53:00.000-06:00

If you are still celebrating the first week of this year,doing more in 2012 will matter or how to have a great year without setting a goal!

The next few posts will be about #PMOT authors and how theyhave managed it. We start with Elizabeth Harrin.

It’s a big milestone to be anauthor- why did you decide to be one?

I have always written; when I was younger I wrote stories and poems. Forme, there was never an option of not writing, and getting a publisher seemedlike a logical next step. My motivation for Project Management in the RealWorld was partly because I wanted to write a book before I was 30. We had thebook launch event a month after my 30th birthday, so I nearly made it!

What are your published works andwhere can we find them?

Project Management in the Real World came out in 2006. Social Media for Project Managers waspublished in 2010. They are available on Amazon and the other online stores oryou can get them through bookshops. You can pre-order Customer-CentricProject Management from the Gower website now, I think. That isn't due outuntil the summer, provided my co-author, Phil Peplow, and I finish themanuscript in time.

I have also self-published two books: Get Started Using Social Mediaon Your Projects is a practical ebook that walks you through the steps to -you guessed it - start using social media on your projects. You can get thatfrom my blog. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Ten Strategies to Stop FeelingLike a Fraud at Work came out just before Christmas. I wrote that because Igave a presentation on the subject and it seemed to impact so many people thatI felt there was more to say on the topic. You can get that at www.overcomingimpostersyndrome.com or from the Amazon Kindle store.

How long did it take you to writeyour last published book?

Social Media for Project Managers took about 6 months to write, if Iremember rightly.

What was your schedule like whileworking full time and writing it?

I do remember the last few weeks being horrendous. The deadline wasfixed because it was due to be launched at the PMI Global Congress inWashington and I was working full time and then writing every evening and allweekend. The hardest part isn't the writing, although that is tough. It's theco-ordination of everything else: quote approvals and permissions, footnotesand references, preparing images and tables, checking formatting, proofing overand over, responding to the copy editor's queries (I had to take out the word seniorbecause she felt US audiences would interpret that as meaning 'old' when overhere it means 'executive'), reading the galleys, doing launch interviews aheadof time. There is a lot more that goes into producing a book than just thewords.

How different is authoring abook from blogging?

In blog posts you make a point in 700 words. In a book, the wholeargument has to hang together over 70,000 words! Some of the worst books I'veread are when a blogger takes a collection of blog posts and puts them in onedocument and calls it a book. The structure needs to be completely different.

Three things every #PMOT authorshould know?

If you want to write, write.
Don't write a non-fiction book without selling it first. Just do a book proposal, as you will get feedback from the commissioning editor about how they want to make it fit into their list.
Don't underestimate the amount of work, and always add a month or two extra into your contract with the publisher so you give yourself some slack.

Is it tough finding apublisher?

No. Well, I didn't find it difficult the second or third time round.First time round I pitched to a big publisher who took a year to say no. Ishould have done better research because I realise now they would never havepublished a book by a nobody like me. I matched my next attempt at sellingProject Management in the Real World to a smaller publisher, the BritishComputer Society, and they rang me the next day. I have had a great experienceworking with them and my other publishers.

Name a book/incident/personthat inspired you to become an author.

That's tough. My mother would let me sit on her lap while she readromance novels, but it was my grandparents who gave me a journal for Christmasone year and that started me out writing.

Elizabeth Harrin is Head if IT Programme Delivery at Spire Healthcare,and Director of The Otobos Group, a business writing consultancy. She wasrecently named IT Professional Blogger of the Year by the readers of ComputerWeekly. Find her online at www.GirlsGuideToPM.com or on Twitter @pm4girls.

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T09:33:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!

This year starts the beginning of the SIPM Business Group.

As you know the beta site is doing really well and was builtwith the help of volunteers- all of them my friends, I always wanted to do morewith the site so more people know about project management first hand.Maintaining a site and keeping up with it (adding new features) requires a lotof time and some money.

So, the SIPM Business Group was born.

The Business Group offers three packages and customizedwork- we work with small and medium businesses including start ups.

The money of course allows me to pay my friends andvolunteers who have been with me for so long and at the same time grow the betasite. By the way, the beta site got a new name- it’s called CONNECT- The SIPM Community.

The Business Group offers:

Branding through social media
Search Engine Optimization (both on page and off page)
Customized website development (including design)

The special offers are posted through twitter.

January- February, we have a $350 on page optimizationoption for 60 working days. For more information, you can email at info@sipm.biz

And if everything goes right, the newbies can work on the project management side with their mentors forthe SIPM Business Group projects. So many of the newbies say they don’t get thechance to work on project management to try their hands and develop skills- this initiation hopefully will solvesome of it and provide everyone with a stepping stone.

You can only becometruly accomplished at something you love. Don’t

make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and

then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.—Maya Angelou

I hope this year brings in lots of luck, good opportunitiesand amazing work to you all.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-22T11:33:00.001-06:00

Almost ready to take off for the Holidays.

If you are celebrating Christmas- Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful New Year everyone. I will be back on Jan 5.

Till then- enjoy the e-books or simply be inspired.

Do Something

View more presentations from Sarah Kathleen Peck

Gift Yourself

2011-12-11T09:30:00.000-06:00

This holiday season, gift yourself first.

Here are some good stuff that will help you see yourself:

•Imposter Syndrome - Its worth every single minute of your time and it’s such an important factor to understand that this e-book is a must read. While you relate to the real life stories and see yourself in them, you know how to encounter it next time.
•Go through the book reviews and pick your favorite, even if you don’t want to buy the book, borrow it from the library. This holiday season, I have ordered books and 2 out of the 3 are after reading reviews and their effects on someone else.
•Make Sh*t Happen – Is by Jenny and doors open January 10 it will be $297 and open to 36 people who are ready to find their courage and change their lives.
•Gift yourself by building your own brand this holiday season- stand apart from the rest of the crowd, work on your credibility and see yourself grow.
•Find a mentor, there’s no replacement for a mentor.

Family/Work Balance

2011-12-06T11:36:00.000-06:00

Honest Confessions

2011-12-05T12:13:00.001-06:00

Being honest isn’t easy.

When I started this blog, I wanted everyone to know the hurdles and the real life story of what happens every day.

I have been honest but there are times when you tend not to write about the truth- the horrible days, the irritating moments and the failures. When you are aware that the blog is being read, you don’t want to feel vulnerable and to protect your work identity and private details, you skip it.

But here am I, someone who promised to tell the truth, don’t want to be miles away from the truth as well.

I have had bad days like most of us, really bad days at work- when someone doesn’t get the point, takes advantage of me being polite, back stabs you for not getting what they want, sabotages your projects just because they want to and hate you for you-can’t-figure it out. It’s all part of the game.

It’s all alright as long as you can take it or if it happens for a few days and you have managed it well. Mentors can be great assets during this time period, especially if you have in-house mentors. However, there will be always days, when nothing gets solved, you feel horrible, feel belittled and feel you are in the wrong place.

Team building and management is an art and when they don’t follow certain aspects of life, work life can becomes as stressful as it sounds.

Stress, deadlines, projects can all be handled if you have a great team and good support system at work. When it doesn’t, stop blaming yourself- you can do so much with your life.

Pick up your life and get going, get another certification, look for your next job, write the perfect resume and don’t blame yourself for not being the right fit. Sometimes, it’s just not about you!

Want to read up on what great project managers do, download the collection of interviews that happened in the blog by clicking here (its free).

Pic Courtesy: Google Images

Team Building Pt2

2011-11-27T11:18:00.001-06:00

Hope you all had a restful long weekend with your family andloved ones. If you celebrate Thanksgiving- I am sure this weekend was special.

The best part of your job, should be to love it . Let’s face it most of us don’t realise what the job is in hold for us, tillwe have entered it and figure out the reality.

You can opt to make your work meaningful but that certainly mean that it will happen unless of course your team supportsyou.

So, here are some more theories on team building:

Belbin Team Dynamics

The nine Belbin team roles:

Plant

Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficultproblems. However tends to ignore incidentals and be too immersed tocommunicate effectively.

Resource Investigator

Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Exploresopportunities and networks with others. However can be over optimistic andloses interest after initial enthusiasm has waned.

Co-ordinator

Belbin's Co-ordinator is a mature, confident and a naturalchairperson. Clarifies goals, promotes decision-making and delegateseffectively. However can be seen as manipulative and controlling. Can overdelegate by off loading personal work.

Shaper

Challenging, dynamic, thrives under pressure. Jumps hurdlesusing determination and courage. However can be easily provoked and ignorant ofthe feelings of others.

Monitor Evaluator

Even tempered, strategic and discerning. Sees all theoptions and judges accurately. However can lack drive and lack inspiredleadership qualities.

Team Worker

Co-operative, relationship focused, sensitive anddiplomatic. Belbin described the Team Worker as a good listener who buildsrelationships and who dislikes confrontation. However can be indecisive in acrisis.

Implementer

Disciplined, reliable, conservative and efficient. Acts onideas. However can be inflexible and slow to see new opportunities.

Completer-Finisher

Conscientious and anxious to get the job done. An eye fordetail, good at searching out the errors. Finishes and delivers on time howevercan be a worrier and reluctant to delegate.

Specialist

Single minded self starter. Dedicated and providesspecialist knowledge. The rarer the supplier of this knowledge, said Belbin,the more dedicated the specialist. However can be stuck in their niche withlittle interest in the world outside it and dwell on technicalities.

Strength Inventory Deployment

People are our/your working Environment

Discover how vital relationship skills are to businesssuccess

The cost of neglecting your people

Create a high performance environment

Understand People

Why people behave as they do

The seven motivational styles

Discover your own personal drivers

Recognise Different Styles

What can you learn from body language, hobbies, pets andwork place?

Predict how others will behave

Understand insecurity, self-doubt and de-motivation

Listening

Create Rapport

Match the other's style

Behaviours that bring dramatic results

Practical tips to get along with difficult people

Handle Conflict

Understand why people can be difficult

Discover your behaviour pattern in conflict

Recognize individual needs in conflict

How to deal with the angry customer/team member

The secrets of lasting agreement

Manage your impression

How does your style of working come across to others?

Some practical ways to close the perception gap

Actively manage your impression for better results

Feedback not biteback

Practical things to do when there are conflict andperception gaps

Feedback v criticism

Develop competency in giving and receiving feedback

Influence with integrity

Discover your current persuasion strategy

Learn five key processes of influence

Beware of fishing with vindaloo chicken

Organizational implications

Communicate organisational change and get commitment

Easy steps to improve motivation and job satisfaction

Become a facilitative leader and empower your team

Application

Implications in your professional life

Implications in your personal life

Decide action agenda

Forming - Storming -Norming – Performing

Developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. It is one of the moreknown team development theories and has formed the basis of many further ideassince its conception.

Tuckman's theory focuses on the way in which a team tacklesa task from the initial formation of the team through to the completion of theproject. Tuckman later added a fifth phase; Adjourning and Transforming tocover the finishing of a task.

Forming

The team is assembled and the task is allocated. Teammembers tend to behave independently and although goodwill may exist they donot know each other well enough to unconditionally trust one another.

Time is spent planning, collecting information and bonding.

Storming

The team starts to address the task suggesting ideas.Different ideas may compete for ascendancy and if badly managed this phase canbe very destructive for the team.

Relationships between team members will be made or broken inthis phase and some may never recover. In extreme cases the team can becomestuck in the Storming phase.

If a team is too focused on consensus they may decide on aplan which is less effective in completing the task for the sake of the team.This carries its own set of problems. It is essential that a team has strongfacilitative leadership in this phase.

Norming

As the team moves out of the Storming phase they will enterthe Norming phase. This tends to be a move towards harmonious working practiceswith teams agreeing on the rules and values by which they operate.

In the ideal situation teams begin to trust themselvesduring this phase as they accept the vital contribution of each member to theteam. Team leaders can take a step back from the team at this stage asindividual members take greater responsibility.

The risk during the Norming stage is that the team becomescomplacent and loses either their creative edge or the drive that brought themto this phase.

The rest of this article covers the final stage ofPerforming and Adjourning and Transforming.

You can read Part 1 here.

(Content courtesy)
(Image Courtesy: Google images)

Team Building- Pt1

2011-11-22T13:32:00.001-06:00

Have a team? Have trouble communicating them. Feel you are always on the wrong side?

And you want to win them over?

Here are some theories:

•Maslow’s Team Building Theory- his pyramid had 5 levels and you have to complete one to move on to the next. From the bottom:

Survival/basic needs
security/safety Needs
Social
Ego status/Esteem Needs
Self-actualization

So, identify your team members level, make them comfortable and let them move forward to the next.

•Theory X and Theory Y-Developed by Douglas McGregor, he described 2 opposing views of style that will influence management style.

Theory X- is the tradional view of direction and style
Theory Y- a self directed workforce that takes an interest in the goals of their organisation and integrates some of their own goals into these.

Theory X assumes:
•The average person dislikes work and will avoid it unless directly supervised.
•Employees must be coerced, controlled and directed to ensure that organisational objectives are met.
•The threat of punishment must exist within an organisation.
•In fact people prefer to be managed in this way so that they avoid responsibility.
•Theory X assumes that people are relatively un-ambitious and their prime driving force is the desire for security.

Theory Y effectively takes the opposite view.

It assumes:
•Employees are ambitious, keen to accept greater responsibility and exercise both self-control and direction.
•Employees will, in the right conditions, work toward organisational objectives and that commitment will in itself be a reward for so doing.
•Employees will exercise their imagination and creativity in their jobs if given the chance and this will give an opportunity for greater productivity.
•Theory Y assumes that the average human being will, under the right conditions, not only accept responsibility but also seek more.
•Lack of ambition and the qualities of Theory X are not inherent human characteristics but learned in working environments that suffocate or do not promote Theory Y behaviours.

•The color Works- Team Building Theory- The Colour Works uses a psychological model of behaviours that helps teams to understand similarities and differences in order to become more effective.

A 25-frame online evaluator measures our preferences for the use of all 4 colour energies.We will all have a dominant, a secondary, a tertiary and a least preferred energy.This detailed questionnaire is designed to measure these levels as it uses a sliding scale of responses rather than a simple YES or NO.The resulting profile is comprehensive - a minimum of 24 pages covering amongst other things strengths, weaknesses, stress points, blind spots, management style, preferred environment, communication needs, value to the team - often scarily insightful and unique to the profilee.

The order and intensity of your colour preferences places you on a 72-type wheel, made up of 8 archetypes, as follows:

THE DIRECTOR
Has the ability to focus on results. They decide what it is they want from life and set a strategy to achieve it. Their natural assertiveness means they will push both themselves and others to achieve goals. They are not put off by setbacks.

THE MOTIVATOR
Has enormous enthusiasm that he spreads to those around them. Their drive to succeed gives them a high level of motivation to achieve their dreams. They are not easily put off and find it easy to think positively about every situation.

THE INSPIRER
Has well-developed people skills and has a constant need to enjoy interactions with others. They are persuasiveand their quick minds produce creative solutions to others' problems.

THE HELPER
Has a genuine desire to help others and put their needs first. This makes them flexible and adaptable with a natural ability to share ideas and knowledge.

THE SUPPORTER
Has a true team approach. Their expert listening skills can uncover others' true needs and they are loyal to both their colleagues and their organisation.

THE CO-ORDINATOR
Can pull all the loose ends together to organise themselves and others in a structured approach. Their planningand time management skills make them thorough and reliable.

THE OBSERVER
Can write the book on product knowledge required for their job. When others need the facts to make a decision, they know them. They set the standards for others and analyse and collect the data.

THE REFORMER
Has a natural desire to monitor and judge performance. Their own approach is disciplined and logical and they back this up with a determination to succeed.

What are you using to effectively work with your team?

(Content courtesy)
(Image Courtesy: Google images)

Be happy- don't over plan

2011-11-17T09:33:00.001-06:00

When you know what you want from life, you can plan it well.

To make the changes take the baby steps one day at a time. It isn’t easy to suddenly start preparing for PMP and put 4 hours a day.

Pen down what you want next month and the coming year. Set your priorities, look at it realistically and then decide your goal.

Change is good and forming new habits are better. For me, I have planned my goals that I need to get done for the next 6 months- both personal and professional. I have listed them down and on a weekend chalked it out- what I can do instead of what I want to do.

Turns out, I need more time to do self studies and am always running out of time. All the travelling and hectic schedule was taking a toll on me and I missed being super- happy about life. Also, I tried reading while commuting to work which I used to successfully in Chicago when I took public transport. Now, reading in jam packed streets of India seems impossible. I tried, hated myself for not being able to do it and wasting 45 minutes everyday twice doing nothing.

So, I changed. I wanted the happy positive feeling that I could keep to myself for the rest of the day and also use the time. So, I started listening to podcasts- motivational stuff, things that will inspire me. I download them on Sundays, to keep me busy for the next 5 days. And I have enjoyed it very much.

I have also kept my list very lean- no additional distractions. Focus on things you can do and that will make you happy.

This is something I read and am sure you will like how people chisel their own career paths

I also read that when you have decided on something, don’t share it because chances are you won’t do it then. I read these 2 different articles in complete different context but in a way they made sense.

So, don’t make random new year promises this year. Don’t right down pages and then feel silly for not doing them. Keep it lean and keep it right and don’t judge yourself too often- I think you will be fine.

(Pic courtesy)

Google Plus

2011-11-16T21:40:00.001-06:00

Enjoy- my find from Google +

iWoz

2011-11-14T13:01:00.001-06:00

Getting your dream project isn’t always easy. This involveslearning, training perhaps even travelling and lots of will power and focus tomake sure you don’t deter.

Yesterday while reading Iwoz, I was blown away. The book ofcourse is all about Steve Wozniak and his brilliance but amidst it all Ilearned:

·Stay true to myself and my goals

·If others don’t get it, don’t look back, continue with your plans.

·Think differently

·If you have an opportunity, go for it.

·Have ethics at work, its good.

·Don’t lie or malign others, never under estimate your peers and respect the passion others have.

If you get a chance, make sure to read this definitely. It's an inspiration, an awakening and an insight into how great minds think.

Your day is waiting for you!

Newsletters- Do they change you?

2011-11-11T13:13:00.001-06:00

If you follow me on twitter, I tweeted about 2 fav persons whose newsletter I love.

I am not a fan of newsletters, I treat them more as a spam flooding my inbox because most of the times I really don’t care what you have to sell.

However, Jenny Blake and Elizabeth Harrin are exceptionals. If you are a newbie or out of college (I’m none of these) and love entrepreneurial journey- Jenny’s newsletters (and blog) are fantastic. Need a project management update and what’s new happening in the PM Town, Elizabeth as always is a great resource.

Another great resource that I have been ignoring for a while is Ramit Sethi. I read the partial free download of his book and his blog and loved it, so I signed up for the newsletter years ago. Honestly, I have almost never read his newsletters till last week. I didn’t want to buy stuff and thought his newsletters were informative, but I didn’t know if it was for me.

Till last week, I clicked on his newsletter and saw his tips on having a great resume- that got my attention.
I read the whole thing including the links and downloaded all the videos and information. The material was great. It was stuff he was giving away to registered newsletter subscribers that he usually sells as a course.

From all that I have read and heard (still have 3 more videos to go), here are some amazing things he said:

•Resume’s should be very specific (in everything). Pack in details, research your company (where you would like to work) and your job profile well. Don’t just randomly apply to jobs (and through job boards) and then blame the system for not having a scope for you. True- my last 2 jobs have been through referrals.
•Use LinkedIn as a Tool.
•Every month, keep a percentage of your salary for meeting other interesting people. While it may not be flying to the other side of the world, meet people in your locality who can be your mentors, career advisors, or just a great contact. Invest in yourself and your growth.

So, instead of signing up for all kinds of newsletters, look for those that helps you. De-clutter your inbox and focus on the thing you should be doing.

That is my goal for December. I have moved continents, lived in 2 cities commuting every month and postponed a lot of personal goals for tomorrow (the one that never comes).

This December, I am re-planning my life and my goals. I want to be happier, do things I have always wanted to do and find time for myself and my hobbies. Learn something new twice a year that isn’t part of my professional life (like Tennis and rock climbing).

Time to de-clutter and find yourself.

(Image Courtesy: Google Images)

Newbie?

2011-11-07T22:50:00.002-06:00

Just because you are an intern and newbie:

•Observe your boss to imitate them as much as you can and want to- you will get a feel of what they like.
•Be you, it matters even among the more experienced crowd.
•Ask questions, see document libraries, gather as much information you can from meeting, conversations etc.
•Don’t back out during all conversations and fault findings. Hold your own.
•Don’t let others tell you how much you are worth, you know better than that.
•No one has the right to make you feel inferior without your permission. Dont let that happen.
•When nothing seems to be working out, don’t loose hope. It happens, instead focus on things you can do. Get a certification, see the requirement, ensure your work is around fulfilling those requirements.
•Be careful about what you say in the office. And your social networking sites.
•Even if you feel nothing is working out, stay. Stay for 4-6 months to let everything fall in its place.
•Quitting is good, but not without a plan.
•Amidst all the chaos, try finding a mentor. She/he will guide you to navigate the mess.
•Try to keep a happy face, makes you look friendlier.

Here are some awesome links that might be interesting:
Best agile Books
More on Kanban
No such Thing As Bad Decision

CPR Technique

2011-11-01T12:06:00.001-05:00

This post has been taken from http://www.dhavalpanchal.com

The software world has misused so many terms from the medical profession that one more would not hurt.

CPR – Categorize, Prioritize, Resolve.
This is simple mnemonic that aids me to be methodical in my approach towards uncovering and resolving impediments.

Categorize:
How do you view your world?
To me lack of impediments is like moving in a frictionless environment. This state exists when
a. No work is being done
b. It is an ideal theoretical context

To challenge myself and my teams to look beyond business as usual, I look to creating a categorization mechanism that people can relate to. Lean concepts of load, flow and waste are very simple to understand and use.

There are other categorizing perspectives such as
1. process, tools, technology, culture
2. Not enough time, Takes a lot of time
3. Personal, Team, Organizational
4. Stop, Stall, Go!
5. One off, Always, Sometimes
There are no limits to how you may slice your world of work, expose perspectives and uncover impediments that were hidden.

Prioritize:
The purpose of prioritizing is two fold:
1. Identify impediments that have most negative impact on having ‘fun’ at work
2. Select a handful of impediments that should be worked through resolution.
For impact assessment, ‘dot-voting’ could be a technique to bubble up impediments that sap most energy from your team. (As has been done on the picture above)
Many impediments get treated as ‘Business as usual’ - often times because people are not sure how to influence or act towards resolution. Impediments that get ignored or not addressed fall through the cracks and ignored and accepted as norms for team/organization culture.
Recognizing where the team can take action, where they can influence and what is ‘the soup’ is very important to focus on what can be done over what should be done.

As a self directed exercise, the team members move impediment stickies to into an appropriate zone. Items that they feel they can act upon and attempt to resolve within the team fall into the ‘me’ circle. Items that can be influenced and require assistance from managers, organizationals, other teams etc fall into the influence zone. Items that can’t be acted upon or resolved via influence are in the soup. Many organizational scale impediments tend to fall into the soup.

Resolve:
Take action on resolving impediments that are in the ‘me’ zone. Act towards influencing others in your organization to assit with impediments in the ‘influence’ zone. Expose impediments that are in the soup to senior management, as they are best positioned to address these.

Identifying problems have a negative impact while resolving problems have a positive impact.

Videos that teach, not preach.

2011-10-24T08:44:00.001-05:00

This video speaks for itself.

Steve Job’s biographer’s interview in 60 minutes.

Part 1 and Part 2.

Lots more happening in the PM world these days, to watch Elizabeth’s diary click here and here .

Challenge Accepted!

2011-10-20T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is a guest post from Josh Nankivel from PM Student. If you are trying to begin your path in project management or are into it, Josh's blog is a treat. He also reached his half a million visitors this year! Congratulations.

This road sign is pretty much what the path forward looked like to me when I started my venture into formal project management.

Sheesh!

Perhaps you can relate. Since then, I’ve combined what I’ve learned in my own journey with the things I wish I would have known to start with and try to help other people who are starting out.

These are the steps you can start taking today to de-mystify your project management career.

Step 1 - You Are Here

If you don’t know where you are starting from, it’s pretty tough to move forward.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ advice for starting or advancing your project management career. Imagine a GPS system in your car that has no knowledge of your current location. It doesn’t work, does it?

You can leverage your background, skills, and interests in different ways to get started. If you have a technical background, there are tons of strategies to use that to your advantage. The same is true if you come from a general or operational management background. Even if you are just starting out and don’t feel you have much experience or background to leverage, it’s very important to acknowledge that and use your interests and natural talents effectively.

Write it down. In the course I teach worksheets are provided to help you clearly define your ‘current location’ as a foundation from which to move forward. You can even start with a blank page and just do a SWOT analysis of your current position. Going through this process will help generate ideas about what you might be interested in pursuing and how you can parlay what makes you unique into opportunities going forward.

Step 2 - Define Your Destination And Plot The Course

Imagine that same GPS unit knows where you are currently at, but has no idea or only a vague notion of where you want to go. Again, pretty hard to get there...

I recommend researching organizations to eventually target 3-5 companies that you would really love to work for, who have clear indicators they value project management as a discipline, are in an industry you love, and with whom you can leverage your starting point to quickly achieve your initial goals.

Aside from targeting the right organizations, this is the step where you start to examine how you should augment your tool kit with certifications, education, and above all gaining experience with projects in ways that will make you more competent and appealing to those target organizations.

Step 3 - Build Professional Relationships

Almost anything worth doing requires more than just one person.

When you get lost you want to have a circle of friends who know, like, and trust you that will help put you back on course. Networking is a scary word for most people, but I’m talking about building relationships here. And now that you have a clear set of routes planned for, you know exactly what kind of people you should focus on building strong professional relationships with.

The most important factor here is giving, giving, giving. If you want to get people to know, like, and trust you it’s all about being indispensable to them. Most people go about networking all wrong. They come across as a nuisance, expecting someone who barely knows them to spend time, effort, and social capital to fulfil a request.

You shouldn’t be requesting anything until you’ve delivered so much value to someone they feel obligated to repay all the favors you’ve done for them. Every person is going to be receptive and value different things, so you really have to know the people in your network if you want to provide them with real value. This isn’t something you can do halfway; do your homework and be specific. Set up whatever you are willing to do for them to make it so easy for them to say yes.

In fact, all they should have to do is say yes.

Here’s an example. In September a local recruiter who is part of my network of friends reached out to me because I’ve always been willing to point him to qualified candidates, and he knows he is going to get a quality referral from me. I have built up that trust over time by demonstrating my willingness and ability to deliver value to this recruiter.

It was a position for a Junior Project Manager position, and as it happens I knew someone else in my network who I thought would be a good fit. I made the connection between the two. Here’s what happened:

•The recruiter gained a high-quality candidate referral.

•The candidate got a nice recommendation and referral for a position he’d love to have a chance at.

•I reinforced my status with both of them as someone who loves helping other people get what they want, without any expectations or hassle.

Voila! The virtuous circle is complete. All 3 parties here gained value. This is my style of networking and it’s a continuous process, not an event. Will I ever ‘get back’ the value I gave to these two individuals? Perhaps not. It doesn’t matter. If you do this often enough over time, you get to be known, liked, and trusted. Pay it forward, and you’ll be amazed what opportunities open up for you at some unexpected time in the future.

Step 4 - Drive With Confidence

In the last part of my course I get to the logistics of the job hunt; resumes/CVs, coverletters, portfolios, interviews, and dealing with offers and rejections. If you’ve done steps 1 and 2, and are constantly doing step 3, this is the icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, most people think this is the cake. It’s not!

(When did Josh switch from car to cake analogies? Just go with it people, I’m eccentric like that :-)

The goal of the previous steps is to never go into this phase of the process cold. You will be better prepared than the majority of candidates for whatever position you are applying. The vast majority of people do not know what I teach or actually take action to implement this stuff. They do what everyone else does instead; apply and pray.

If you’ve done your homework and put sincere effort into the process described earlier, the hiring managers will already know who you are and will be excited to interview you. Imagine that!

In the best cases the clear ‘vibe’ I’ve gotten when I did this well is that the whole application and interview process was just a formality; they already knew they wanted to hire me. In fact, you’ll notice I didn’t mention anything about searching the job boards online. This isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but if you are doing the rest of what I’ve outline well you should never have to. The goal is to hear about new positions from someone in your network who knows, likes, and trusts you... and wants you to come work with them.

My Weekend

2011-10-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday was well spent.

Awesome lunch with friend over white lily tea, dumplings and peking duck. We did a bit of window shopping and some shopping and bought few movies to watch at home.

Among those was Eat, Pray, Love- I have the book and have watched the movie. Since the movie inspired my friend to travel around the world, we bought it to watch at home again together.

She actually met the real medicine man in Bali; during one of her trips.

We watched it later at night. It’s fun watching all about India while in India. It struck a chord to think that people travel to India because it awakens them spiritually, or calms them down and its said- life’s never the same ever after visiting India.

It was nice seeing India through my friends eye (she is from New York).

It’s been around 10 months since I have been back and I had plans and things to do when I return. Isn’t that why I returned? All I have been doing is getting sucked in work and life is the same. I had additional plans for my blog, spend time on a business goal I have been nurturing for a while and travel more. None happened.

And then I read and it reminded me of mine.

I have 2 out of the 5 checked! It’s a shame, though I have a little more time on my hand.

So, today I am re-working on my goals and things to do to keep me happy. It helps that I have a new haircut too.

Tools

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have had it for a year now. I seldom used it.

Until now.

Evernote has changed the way I read. I have it pretty much everywhere- web, desktop application, Iphone and even the web clipper (chrome extension).

I have to say, I use the web clipper the most because I like to remember the sites or article I enjoyed reading. I used to save links before in notepads or Google tasks, now I simply clip it and tag it.

The sync takes care of the rest. So, I can read them later at leisure say from my phone.
I also have been keeping the business cards virtually with Evernote, take a pic, attach it and write a note to remind yourself where you met, why should you connect and save it.

I haven’t used SpringPad, but it seems like a good one too.

Another new find has been Linoit. I have been looking for a Kanban board that I can use and Linoit just does that! You can use it the way you want. Like a reminder board with stickies, or simply stickies that come with a reminder and alarm feature, a mood board or a kanban board. And it’s free.

If you want to see the list of similar board applications click here .

5 steps to project scheduling

2011-10-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

This is a guest post from Sam Palani. Find out more about him at his site or connect with him on twitter.

5 Steps to get your Project Schedule Correct

When I was asked to come up with a guest post for Stepping Into Project Management (SIPM),
I wanted to come up with something that was close with the central theme of the blog, which
is helping Project managers on starting their journey on the project management space. As a
newbie project manager (or for that matter even as someone who has been managing projects
for sometime) getting your project schedule correct early on is critical as this will be one of the
important baselines against which you would track your project execution.

I also want to call out one common myth / misconception here - A Project Plan is different from
a Project Schedule - no matter what they tell you. I will not go into details on this post, but to
summarize - A plan will include your strategy on how you will get there i.e. the end goal (scope)
whereas a project schedule is as the name suggests a schedule of tasks along with their
respective

So it is critical that you get this correct as you take your first steps into project management.

Here are five simple but important steps that will help get your schedule correct:

Start with the WBS - First things first. Start with decomposing your scope into a work break
break down structure. While there are multiple rules around this, the general thumb rule is break
down your scope to work packages where each package can contain around 5-10 individual
tasks. Again this is a just a rule of thumb, the level of the WBS would largely depend on your
individual program or project. The idea here is to be able to tie back the individuals tasks that
will make up your schedule to the capabilities listed in the project scope.

Hint - Do not over do this to a level where you end up adding more complexity and management
overhead.

Get your estimates on track - The next logical step is to estimate the individual tasks that
make up your work packages. How many resources you will need and how much time it will
take take for these resources to get the task completed. Avoid doing any fast tracking or
crashing at this stage. This is based on the assumption that you will be doing a bottom up
estimation, that is starting from the individual tasks and rolling up at the work-package level.

Hint - Make sure your estimation process & model is communicated and transparent to the
project stakeholders.

Analyze your dependencies - Most certainly your individual task will not be executed in silos.
They will have dependencies. These dependencies and constraints can be in different forms.
Example a task may have a dependency on a particular task getting started or completed as
well as there may be tasks that are constrained to start or end on a particular date.

Hint - Don't attempt to do this alone, get your SMEs involved in this exercise.

Calculate your critical path - Once your have your tasks,estimates and the dependencies in
place. You are now ready to to get the critical path. You either do this manually or through an
EPM software that you are using. It does not really matter. It is also likely that you may end up
with more than one critical path. You will need to pay attention to all the critical paths identified.
It is also important to note that during the course of the project your critical path might change
so your schedule is more of a living document and not static.

Hint - Often there may be tasks outside your critical path that will influence your project
outcome.

Communicate - Now that you have done all the good work and have the project schedule
in place, publish it. Your project stakeholders including your team need to be aware of the
project schedule. The schedule would help little just sitting out there on your hard drive. again
a reminder that your schedule is a live document and gets revisited during the course of your
execution for instance every time you do risk assessment or change management

Hint - Include a link to your schedule in your project status communications.

So that’s it, you now have a schedule baseline against which you can monitor and control your
project.

Work and Jason Fried

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Why work doesn't happen at work- agree anyone?

PMChat

2011-10-03T22:39:00.000-05:00

PMChat has been gaining popularity and is a great way to stay updated, interact and learn more. Today's post is all about PMChat- details, where to join and what to expect.

This is a guest post by Robert Kelly; Founder and Managing Partner of Kelly Project Solutions. He has over a dozen years of experience leading complex, enterprise projects at companies including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Lenovo and currently at Red Hat. Robert’s blog, Kelly’s Contemplation, was shortlisted for Computer Weekly’s Top 10 Project Management Blogs for 2010, named a Top 10 Up and Coming Project Manager on Twitter, and contributor to ‘A Peek Into The Life of Project Managers’.

Regardless of their experience level, Project Managers are always on the hunt for new ways to grow, learn, and stay on top of their profession. It may be learning a new technology to join a new project. Some are looking to break into the field of project management and want to learn the basics, while others are PMPs and need PDU’s to remain that way. Wherever you may be in your professional career as a Project Manager, I would like to introduce a new medium to your development portfolio...#PMChat

Project Management Chat (#PMChat) is a weekly discussion hosted by Robert Kelly and Rob Prinzo each Friday from 12-1pm (EST). The topics focus on Project Management & Leaderships techniques, best practices, and so on. In addition to both Rob’s being named to the Top 10 Up & Coming Project Managers on Twitter, their partnership offers nearly 30 years of diverse experience to the #PMChat participants. To further add value to this platform, they will invite thought leaders from a range of project management and leadership arenas to co-host the forum. Additionally, KPS hosts a #PMChat Pre-Game show, via KPS Chatter on BlogTalk Radio, every week from 11:30-11:45 am (EST). During this quick, 15-minute radio show, you will hear both Roberts and their guest for the week discuss the topic that will be discussed during the Twitter chat.

Here is what folks are saying...
·“Thanks for inviting me to the #pmchat. Great stuff, SMART people! Have a good weekend!”
·“It was fun! This was my first-ever Tweet Chat. Went very well and learned. Excellent use of time! Thanks for hosting it.”
·“Thanks @rkelly976 & @robprinzo for an interesting #pmchat today. Great topic! Wish I’d had more time to participate. Next time!”

The #PMChat is truly a great opportunity to talk with some tremendous Project/Program Management professionals about leading challenges in this space. While other hashtags have become 1-way communication and retweets, #PMChat is truly a collaborative environment where people are sharign ideas, networking, and developing relationships.

Join us and see what all the talk is about!

Time Off

2011-09-26T09:31:00.000-05:00

I am taking a week off from blogging, while I do a fall clean up and travel for one of the Indian festivals thats very close to my heart.

My friend from New York is coming over for a 3 week visit to India and we have lots of catching up to do.

I'll be back in October.

Scrum

2011-09-19T07:58:00.000-05:00

Details on Scrum and everything you need to know.

CSM (Scrum Certified Master)

Requirements include:

· Familiarize with scrum basics

· Attend CSM course

· Asses your progress through online evaluation.

CSP (Scrum Certified Professional)

Requirementsinclude:

· Download the application and illustrate hands on experience

· Send the complete application for review andapproval to the Review committee.

· On approval you pay $250 for certification fee

CST (Scrum Certified Trainer)

Requirements include:

Have a solid understanding of the Scrum framework, a deep understanding of the principles and values that are the foundations of Scrum, and a clarity on what belongs to Scrum and what is an extension or complement;
Have extensive experience of implementing and/or coaching Scrum inside organizations;
Be active in the wider Scrum community, through actual and virtual interaction with other Scrum and Agile thinkers and practitioners;
Have training experience beyond just Scrum, be willing to explore new ways of working and be committed to continuous improvement.

SCC (Scrum Certified Coach)

experts in Scrum, both in theory and in practice. Theyhave an in-depth understanding of the practices and principles of Scrum andhave real experience on actual Scrum projects.

Does your ScrumMaster need a mentor?
Does your Product Owner need help learning how to work with a product backlog?
Are you having trouble breaking sprint backlog items into task lists?
Are your sprints consistently ending with unfinished work?
Is estimating so hard that your sprint planning lasts beyond its timebox?
Does your management underestimate the scope of organizational change necessary for Scrum to be successful?
Are you facing challenges with multi-team Scrum projects?
Is your organization having difficulty implementing the Scrum framework in conjunction with other methodologies?
Is the team encountering obstacles with organizational impediments?
Does your organization need coaching and guidance on scaling Scrum?

And there are more, you can also be aCertified Product Owner or developer.

Trainings in Town

2011-09-17T08:54:00.000-05:00

PMI Agile Practitioner Certification Prep Class

Derek Heuther is offering training classes now globally. Registration is open for Balitmore/Washington DC (Oct 17-19) and Phoenix from November 2-4. To register, click here

Cost $1495 per attendee and it covers the 1500 trainings hours required to appear for the certification.

Ruby On Rails- Training

A two day workshop on "BDD with Ruby on Rails" organized by Ostrya Labs on Sept 24/25th at Hyderabad (India).

The details of the workshop are available here. Contact Arun at at arun@ostryalabs.com for more information.

Scrum Certification- Lessons Learnt

2011-09-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

“Having coached many software development teams, I tend to value my contribution by what a team does when I’m not with them over what the team does when I’m with them.”
- Dhaval Panchal, Agile Coach and Trainer (source)

Trainings are supposed to be boring.

Unless something wakes you up. Or you are in a class that is surprisingly interesting.

Last week, I happened to be in one.

It was training and interesting-a scrum certification class (CSM) conducted by Solutions IQ.

If you are already certified in scrum or have taken courses you know the drill. If you haven’t, you can look over here .

You don’t have to choose either/or between a PMP and a CSM/CSP- you can be both. Scrum training actually offers you PDU’s as well for attending these classes. Cool!

I have heard so much about Agile and Scrum that I genuinely got interested and decided to go for it. You can check for nearby classes based on your location by looking into the website.

That’s how I found mine and it’s been a treat and I’m sold to Scrum. So much so, that I started my own board at work to monitor my work and see if it helps. Oh, I also have one at home for my personal goals stuck behind my study door.

Seattle based Dhaval Panchal has been an awesome trainer for the 2 days of training in Hyderabad, India – informative, knowledgeable, patient, helpful and always approachable. Given a chance I’d train with him again.

My favourite part of the class was the Paper Ball game- it teaches you more about the team dynamics than you would think. A group of random people who met 15 mints ago and has to abide by the rules of the game, severe time constraints and expectation of an end result can take the so called managers in for a spin. Who takes the control, who listens to whom, whose idea should be implemented, why am I being Ignored......the behavorial drama continues.

A class worth attending for sure. Thank you Dhaval.

(Disclosure: I paid for my certification; it wasn't sponsored by any organization).

Pic Courtesy: Google Images.

Tricks of the Trade

2011-09-08T09:03:00.001-05:00

Here's some cool stuff:

•If you like to organize your personal goals, professional certifications, hobbies and measure them over time Jenny Blake’s templates are awesome. And you can get them by signing up in her monthly newsletter.
•Do women make better project managers- want to know read this guest post
•Like to learn but not the boring way- say Hello to PMChat
•Industrial Psychology Perspective on Project management is here. Finally.

•Joined your first PM job and need to revamp your image. Your makeup tricks here.
•Need some white noise while you work, try this. No downloads required.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Who's your boss? Part 2

2011-09-05T10:21:00.000-05:00

This is part 2 of Who’s your boss? Read part 1 here.

The Buddy-Baseball caps, high-fives

What they do:

The Buddy wants to be your friend, not your boss. Too bad for him you’ve already got friends and wouldn’t want to hang with him anyway. From “happy” hours that seem more like a punishment to unfunny jokes that you’ve just got to laugh at (or else!) The Buddy really has a way of making fun into a chore. And don’t get us started on his habit of trying to start questionable relationships with subordinates. It’s just painful to watch.

How to make him love you:

Laugh at his funnier jokes, but don’t stoop to laughing at every joke – being a suck-up isn’t a great way to maintain your dignity. Say no thanks to all the invitations you can, and keep your own interactions with The Buddy on an extremely professional level – you’ll be helping him in the long run, and he’ll respect you for it. Protect yourself with a thick layer of decorum and common sense, because he sure isn’t going to do it for you.

The Miracle- An office that looks like yours, encouraging emails

What they do:

Fun, supportive, capable, and inspiring, The Miracle is truly an employee’s dream come true. She does what she says, always follows up, and usually can push you to do your best in a way that makes the hardest work seem like play. If you’re working for The Miracle you’ll know it, from the smile on your face at the end of the day to your rewarding paycheck at the end of the week. Just try not to brag too much!

How to make her love you:

Work your butt off and thank your lucky stars, since The Miracle doesn’t come along very often. Use this great opportunity to really see how far you can go, and at the end of The Miracle’s tenure, make sure you get a letter of reference.

The Monster-Thrown coffee cups, restraining orders!

What they do:

The question is more “What don’t they do?” The Monster lives to make your own life hell, and he’s good at it. From screaming at you in front of the customers to lying about your results to engaging in borderline criminal harassment, The Monster repeatedly demonstrates that has no pity, human decency, or shame. He’s the worst boss around, hands down, and we’re sorry for anyone who has to deal with him.

How to make him love you:

Unfortunately, with this one you just have to run. Get out. There’s no hope for improvement when you work for someone who has no scruples at al

The Number Cruncher- Incredible Excel skills, a calculator watch.

What they do:

The Number Cruncher’s best quality is her ability to break things down into measurable statistics — and sometimes, that means the actual employees, too. The Number Cruncher can only read math, and if your performance appears to be declining on paper rest assured you will get a lecture, even if you’ve been working as hard as you can. Ever feel like you are “just a number?” We’re here to confirm that you definitely are.

How to make her love you:

Give her something she can understand: Numbers. Track your successes (and your failures) with painstaking detail and fanatical devotion. Even if it’s a chore in the immediate future, your data mining will pay off and you will have something on paper that proves you’ve been working hard, even if your efforts haven’t been working. Who knows, her approach might teach you something!

The Innovator- Brainstorming sessions, expensive toys, subscription to Entrepreneur magazine

What they do:

The Innovator’s head is full of big ideas, and he wastes no time dreaming them up and then making sure they actually come true. Great for business, but it usually means you get no life outside the office because you’re the one actually making his dream come to life. The pros? This boss can be incredibly charismatic and inspiring, and truly cares about the work. The cons? Sometimes it seems like the only thing this boss cares about is work. Hope that’s all you care about, too!

How to make him love you:

Work hard and show commitment, but keep your sense of self outside of work. Remind the boss that the outside world does exist: Ask The Innovator about his weekend, his children (if he has any, which is a total mystery) about any hobby he has outside work. After you’re done chitchatting, give your all and The Innovator will respect your work and hopefully, your own need for work-life balance.

The Tuft Hunter- The CEO’s wardrobe, car, and haircut.

What they do:

In the old days, a tuft hunter was a nobleman’s parasite, one who tried to curry favor with the rich and powerful in order to gain favor or influence. The Tuft Hunter as a boss, however, is always looking for her own next promotion. Does that mean she’ll create an opening for you once she makes it up that ladder — or are you merely a rung on her own to be stepped on? That’s something only The Tuft Hunter knows. You’ll probably find out too late.

How to make her love you:

Do everything in your power to make The Tuft Hunter look good, and you’ll be one step closer to a promotion of your very own. Watch her back and tell her every bit of news that you come across from upper management and you’ll earn her respect and maybe even her loyalty — if she has any.

The Patronizer- Terrible computer skills, degree in law or medicine

What they do:

If you’ve worked for someone who explained how to turn your computer on or how to change the toner on the printer, you’ve experienced The Patronizer. The Patronizer makes sure you know exactly how much time and effort it takes for him just to grace you with his presence every morning. He leaves you to your own devices mostly, but is sure to micromanage the simplest and most mundane tasks whenever he gets the opportunity.

How to make him love you:

Keep your eye on the ball, whether it’s getting better at your job or getting a foot out the door. If you feel you are being made to look stupid, you can interrupt The Patronizer mid-sentence during one of his boring lectures by saying, “I already know how to do that, but I am interested what you think about …” If the condescending behavior just doesn’t stop, or if he’s being outright rude, it’s important to tell The Patronizer to knock it off. The Patronizer believes you’re beneath him, and when you show him you’re not, you’ll gain his respect.

The Nitpicker- Fierce attention to detail, red pens, lots of spare time.

What they do:

The Nitpicker is a micro-manager who likes to control all of your work, all the time. Did you save the company money on office supplies? It’s not nearly enough. Work hard on a killer presentation? There’s a punctuation error on the 10th slide. Nothing you do is ever good enough for The Nitpicker, and that can cause your own faith in your abilities to slip. You’ll spend all your time second-guessing yourself instead of innovating.

How to make her love you:

Instead of letting the Nitpicker drain you of all motivation, learn to work by your own standards. Try finding someone else in the company to be your mentor, because you surely won’t get coaching out of her, unless it’s to point out all your faults. You might also try working one step ahead of The Nitpicker, detailing every single thing you do, so you’ll be ready for the inevitable barrage of questions.

(Pic Courtesy: google images. Article source)

Who’s your boss?

2011-09-01T14:55:00.000-05:00

Love him, hate her...its a never ending saga.

Find out who they are.

The Robot- Empty desk with no family picture.

What they do:

All business, all the time: That’s The Robot. We’re not saying she’s not human, but we’ve definitely got our doubts on the matter sometimes. The sworn enemy of fun, levity, and emotion, The Robot would rather you just get to work. At all times. While it can be nice to have someone driving you to do your best, it would be nice to feel a little bit of emotional connection from time to time, right?

How to make her love you:

It may not sound like a lot of fun, but you’ll probably have to conceal your own feelings and buckle down to The Robot’s schedule. On the up side, she can teach you discipline and efficiency. Try making allies of your coworkers. They’re probably as frustrated as you are! Inside jokes and friendly chit-chat can make the day seem brighter.

The Softy- they give second chances.

What they do:

They think they’re making things easier on their employees, but in the long run The Softy’s kid-glove approach to management just makes it harder for great workers to succeed and easier for slackers to stick around. Being a boss involves making difficult decisions sometimes, especially when it comes to employees, but The Softy doesn’t seem to realize this.

How to make him love you:

The worst thing to do is hurt The Softy’s feelings, so try changing things up by commending them on his toughest calls, however rare. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way when The Softy learns that being the bad cop doesn’t have to be the worst job in the world.

The Weasel- Empty promises

What they do:

Promising one thing but delivering another, The Weasel will say anything — and we do mean anything — to get what she wants out of you. A raise? A promotion? Some time off? Sure, you’ll get what you’ve been dreaming about eventually if you take on extra work or a hellish new project. Or so she says, but we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath for The Weasel to actually deliver. Why should she? You’re already doing the extra work for free.

How to make her love you:

Completing all the grunt work will get you great distances with The Weasel, but just remember to trust nothing The Weasel says, ever. Or, at very least, get it in writing and double-check with whomever The Weasel answers to in upper management. A paper trail will be your best defense against lies and false promises. Maybe you’ll actually get that promotion!

The Mystery- Closed doors, Out Of Office messages.

What they do:

Who knows? The Mystery is an expert at the arts of subterfuge, denial, and … whatever it is he does. Either he’s on a business trip or in a locked-door meeting or plotting world domination all day or … something. Whatever it is, you’re left to your own devices to figure things out, minus any guidance at all. Too bad you’ll still be on the hook if things go wrong. The Mystery will be gone when it comes down to it.

How to make him love you:

Wait it out and give him space. If you stay patient (and we mean really patient) you may be able, like a persevering biologist in the jungle observing shy animals, to learn a little bit more about The Mystery’s habits.

The Viper- Backhanded compliments, fake smiles.

What they do:

Does The Viper wake up on the wrong side of the bed every single morning? It sure seems like it. From snippy comments about personal matters (“Are you pregnant? Oh, it just seemed like you were gaining weight.”) to undermining your efforts at work (“So you’re just learning Excel, right?”), The Viper has a real talent for making you feel bad about yourself. No matter how thick your skin is, it’s hard not to let her get to you.

How to make her love you:

We’re not actually certain that the Viper is capable of loving an employee, so it’s probably best to just stay a good distance away from her. Keep feelings to yourself, and share as little information about your life as possible, all the while being extremely pleasant. The Viper can’t hurt you if she doesn’t know where you’re sensitive.

Part 2 of Who's your boss coming next!

(Pic Courtesy: google images. Article source)

Virtual Style- are you doing it?

2011-08-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

Virtual workers have increased. You can find them in the coffee shops, airports, and pretty much everywhere.

Life is easy- a laptop and good internet connection is all you need. Needless to say, it isn’t bad sitting in your home office and still have the feeling of a job well done and your salary deposited.

If you are planning to turn virtual, remember:
•Plan it well. Have a good laptop, good speed internet (keep a back up or use USB internet connections for travelling).
•A portable hard drive with you, to back up your work. Or use virtual backups.
•Coordinate well with your team.
•Make sure your team has Skype id’s to communicate frequently.
•Share your work style; it’s important for people to have a close working relationship to get work done virtually and without hiccups.
•Spread out your breaks. Plan your day well. Keep a home office or a space where you work every day away from clutter and noise.
•It’s a state of mind. Don’t let people tell you it can’t be done.

(pic courtesy: Google images)

Interview with Microproject

2011-08-08T12:52:00.002-05:00

I'm lucky to have Andreas Sundgren (@AndreasSundgren) take the questions about Microproject- project management software.

If you want to go straight to the point and check out their product, see the videos here.

•Why the need to build this software?
After working for a long time in project based environments developing products we felt that there was no web based management service that catered to small teams specifically and that combined visuality with ease of use so we decided we would build one ourselves.

•How long did it take to release the beta version?
About three months of hard development.

•Tell us about the software.
Microproject combines the elements that we think necessary to run a project within a small team. It's built to be without learning curve and to fit all functions in a single window. At the same time it sports features that lets it be run with many small groups parallell which means it coukd also suit larger operations. The focus is to help the small team work more efficiently. We've limited functionalities when leaving messages etc to force focus on participants and we've combined the classic gantt view lay-out with an extremely simple to-do list functionality.

•Three things project managers should expect from this software
- zero learning curve
- visual overview
- intentional limitations implemented to create focus on result. Our motto is: Reduce, Focus, Deliver.

•What's next? Any new features coming up?
We're looking at improving the resource alert functionality further (among many other things) but also trying to find the best mobile applications to fit our philosophy.

All the best and thanks for stopping by!

A Peek into the Fabulous Life of Project Managers (e-book)

2011-07-25T11:39:00.000-05:00

The much awaited E-book is finally ready and you can download it.

It's free.

The E-book has contributions from:

Andreas Splett
Deepa Koshy
Elizabeth Harrin
Geoff Crane
Josh Nankivel
Peter Taylor
Raj Menon
Robert Kelly
Samad Aidane

The e-book takes you through the fantastic journey of all these project managers and their stepping into it. From their inspiration to their regular routine the book covers all you have ever wanted to know about being a Project Manager.

If you like what you read, share it and drop a line or tweet to the lovely contributors (you will find their contact info in the e-book). What an honor to have them all together.

For download, click here.

Product Interview With Water Flowon

2011-07-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

If you remember my last post, I wrote about a bunch of Project Management software’s, so today I asked WaterFlowon about their journey in creating this software.

Why the need to build this software?

We ourselves have several ongoing projects. We found that it is really a challenge to manage them in parallel without any effective tools. We are often lost in the email and phone call chaos, never having a good solution for managing our files and documents, although we have tried many methods. We tried shared drives, Drop-box, SVN + VPN, and Google Apps, but finally we gave up. There are just no tools on the market that can satisfy our needs perfectly. If we want to work smarter, and stop losing our digital assets in the future, we need a solid solution. Then, we came up with the idea of Waterflow, a tool with just our needs in mind.

How long did it take to release the beta version?
It took us 3 month to release the beta version, and we started to use it internally. We tweaked it, changed it everyday, and especially tried to make it much simpler, lighter and more secure.

Tell us about the software.
We hope it will be extremely simple, really useful and as light as it can be.

Simple
It should be simple, so simple that everyone can learn it in 10 minutes.

In the enterprise software industry, there is a common and strange phenomenon: companies have invested tons of money to buy expensive software for their staff, expecting it to improve the productivity of employees. On the other contrary, the staff refuse to use it, so they hire “experts” to do the training job, and if this still can’t persuade them to adopt the software, they write it into the rules of the company, so finally the staff starts to use it.

However, not more than one month later they return to where they were, or they complain about it every time they have to use it. We call it adoption failure. We don’t want to be put into that category. Why don’t people use the software? Things are very simple. You didn’t give them a tool, but rather a new burden. Why were you cheated by a burden instead of a real tool? When they can’t make things simple, they do not understand the problem, not to mention solve\ the problem. In fact, they solve a problem by creating a new and even bigger one. People will be easily cheated by them at the start, but never for the long term, as they can feel a problem even if they can’t tell where it is. We don’t want to make those kinds of software.

We tried to solve the real problems without creating new ones. We know that’s the source of the complexity, distractions and useless features. Just the opposite, we just identified the essential and got rid of the rest. This lead us to a simple endpoint.

Useful
As a tool, it should be useful. In my opinion, useful software is just that; people can use it to get their jobs done without any problems. It’s like air, you can’t live without it, but breathing it doesn’t cause you any difficulties most of the time. When things come to project management, we think our software can be really useful for the following:

1.Put every thing, files, artworks, and plans in one secure environment and enable stockholders to access it anytime anywhere.
2.Helps a team discuss anything securely and easily, and store everything discussed neatly. Any time you need them, they are at your fingertips.
3.Assign tasks and keep track of them. Track project deadlines and milestones, view late content, view upcoming and completed tasks, and reassign them to team members if necessary.
4.Organize events and meetings easily. With milestones with titles like: “meeting: discuss the launch date of our new company website”, you can add and track events and meetings effortlessly.
5.Manage team member profiles and contact details. When they have a problem they always know whom to turn to. When they want to have a talk, they have the contact information at their fingertips.
6.Manage multi-project parallels effortlessly. Waterflow will keep every project’s information neatly organized. Even one year later, you can go back to see that project, and you will feel like you were working on this project yesterday.

Light
Good software should be light, and never ask users to learn many things, or to follow this and that. Users know best how to deal with their jobs, so they can just use it their way and there are many ways to use it in conjunction with Microsoft Word and Google. We don’t want to lock you into anything either. People use Waterflow as a project management portal, as corporate intranet, client extranet, a secure collaboration space, a knowledge management base and even as a private online club space. Personally I use it to plan trips and weddings or to write books. We encourage you to do things your way and share your tips with us.

Three things project managers should expect from this software.
a.Use it as your project management portal to manage multi-project parallels effectively.
b.Use it as your corporate intranet or client extranet to work with your staff and your clients.
c.Use it as a knowledge portal to accumulate knowledge and make good use of it.

What’s next? Any new features coming up?

Goals- One thing: in project management the thing you can’t emphasize more is the goal.

It’s too easy to ignore the goal to instead do something irrelevant. You always have millions of things to do instead of the goal you need to reach, such as working on the things you like, working on short term interests, getting lost in a department war, walking too far toward the details, emphasizing the method too much, and even the technology itself. I could go on, but you get the idea and I don’t want to bore you. Doing the right thing is infinitely more important than doing things right.

Furthermore, if you want everybody to feel that something is meaningful, to engage in the project, to make the right decisions, to get their priorities straight, and so on, don’t waste any time or budget on anything not needed by the real goal. You have to make your goal clear and make sure it makes sense for everyone in your team. Then you can start to enjoy the power of a team composed of engaged doers.

Rules- Nowadays everyone in the world talks about less control, letting your team manage themselves, follow their passions and so on. It seems like we can do things without rules or as few rules as possible. We tried this theory ourselves and did a lot of crazy things to test it out. We let go of the normal office hour routine, let projects go without plans or milestones, and let people manage themselves.

Did we get the results we expected? No, we got the opposite results instead. People did things they liked rather than their duties, wasted their time on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever was at hand. People collaborated badly, as they tried not to interfere with the “freedom” of their coworkers.

What’s wrong with rules and what’s wrong with a world without rules? Could you image a society without law? You get the idea. Outdated rules are wrong. Ignoring the rules is wrong. Not changing your rules according your changing reality is wrong. Having rules isn’t wrong at all. If there are no rules, then nothing can be accomplished.

With updated rules:
1.Avoid mistakes happening repeatedly
2.Set a fire wall for the “bad guy” who wants to do bad things to your business.
3.Provide a heathy environment for the positive or kindhearted people to be more positive and nicer.
4.They can be guidelines to the frontline worker who wants to be a good decision maker.
5.Set solid, good examples for people to follow
6.Set solid, bad examples for people to avoid
7.Set the tune of your culture. You can easily build the culture you dream of by setting the rules and obeying them strictly.

These two features are completely new in the online collaboration tools market. We are excited about them, and I hope you will love them as much as we do.

As a giveaway, 10 winners get 10 year "standard subscription" of their product. Email or tweet me with text "Want water Flowon" .

Bird View Projects- A Peek

2011-07-18T08:56:00.001-05:00

Simple, clean and intuitive- this piece of online software makes it easy to work on projects!

To work with Bird View, you won’t need additional hours of training or blank stares to figure it out. It’s right there for you.

Create projects, add people and empower them with user access rights by a simple grouping of:
•No access- cant access any new project
•Participant- can see task and post comment on them
•Contributor- can see project task, edit assigned, and create new ones. Also can post messages.
•Manager- can create new projects, see all task including private, create and edit everything

Come with standard features creating projects, tasks, sub- tasks and assigning resources. Billing has 3 options provided:
•Specific rate
•Fixed cost

Need additional fields to cover your projects and business flow, simply "add" it to get:
•Text
•Numeric
•Memo
•Date
•Yes/no
•List

You can also provide “allowed values” for each of these customized fields. What fun!
With each task, include alerts.

The Dashboard is not cluttered at all and like most software’s shows your assigned tasks . Of course you can re-brand it with your own logo and organization name.

I started using it for my personal projects and will use it. If you have used basecamp before, it has a similar feel to it. A collaborative tool for projects where the members are all in hose , virtual or located at different places.

Thumbs up Bird View!

(Pic courtesy: Birdview)

Burger and PM Tools

2011-07-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been craving burgers for a month now and finding a good joint in Kolkata (India) isn’t easy. So, I finally gave up and made one at home this Sunday.

It tasted awesome, almost like Chicago.

And I read.

I have a list of book all piled up that needs reading. I finished off Seth Godin's Linchpin and next is Good to Great.

I have been doing plenty of things- working on the e-book that I keep on mentioning about and finally will be available this month. It’s my give away to all my readers, no tweets, comments or answers required and no lottery involved. The book’s awesome by the way- I’d pay for such insight and personal stories from these Project managers fro all over the world. This one is Free!

I have been dabbling around with Google Apps and the very new Google + this weekend. Liking the Google + so far. Google Apps has a bunch of project management software out there which have to be tried out very soon.

By the way, I have eben looking into a couple of these PM software’s this month:

•This one looks promising Microproject and let’s see if I can try it out. See their review here. Pricing details can be found here.
•Another’s called Planning Force and it’s a free downloadable software. For details, read up here
•Water FlowOn , see pricing here
•BirdView Projects , more on their plans here

Detailed reviews will be coming up later. They all look awesome so far and focus on the easy use and promise great results.

So, to tell the tale- I am creating projects! You never know the benefits until you get one. So, one project in one software!

(Image Courtesy: Google images)

3

2011-07-06T11:27:00.002-05:00

This July is special.

3 years ago I started this blog. Here is my first post from 2008:

I am an aspiring project manager.

When I was a kid, I wanted to become a teacher, novelist, professor, copywriter but I never dreamt of becoming a project manager. I had never heard about Project Management. How, I wish I did!

One thing lead to another and I stumbled upon this arena just by chance. I had completed my post graduation in Mass Communication and joined a small IT company in Chicago as a management trainee. While on one hand I got involved with marketing for the company, on the other providing a helping hand to the project side got me curious.

I never looked back again, few presentation and documentation later I switched to the IT department. Currently I work as a business analyst and part of the project management team and have had the opportunity to have some great mentors who trusted and inspired me.

So, why the blog? I have been reading blogs about project management for a while now; it was fascinating to see people sharing their knowledge. I have learnt so much from these blogs, that I am in debt to all these authors (If you see the blog list to your right, you will know what I mean).

However, most of the blogs don't advise you on how you can become a PM. Most of the bloggers are hugely successful Project Managers in their respective fields and sometimes talk about issues that might sound alien to most of us.

This blog, is my commitment to become a PM- to talk about my mistakes, my learning process and blog my journey with dollops of honest writings, scouting for some advises for me and everyone else who would like to be a PM.

The day I wrote this, I didn’t think I would continue it for the next three years. I am glad I did.

I met you in my journey. Thank you for making it so special.

There will be giveaways, so watch this space.

Steve Jobs and his brilliant Presentation Skills

2011-06-30T07:46:00.002-05:00

Linchpin- the book

2011-06-27T07:58:00.001-05:00

It’s a book you will read at one go and you should- an eye opener in every sense of the word.

How does it help new Project Managers?

It tells you how to avoid the “lizard brain” (your inner resistance) that takes over when in doubt, anxiety and stress. It’s the negative emotions that stops you from being the “Linchpin”.

Linchpin’s have 7 abilities:

·Delivering unique creativity

·Inspiring staff

·Possessing a unique talent

·Managing situation of great complexity

·Providing an interface among members of the organization

·Leading customers

·Providing deep domain knowledge.

Linchpin’s lead without being told or even holding a fancy title. Sound’s familiar? A quality must for aspiring PM’s.

He gives plenty of examples- like that of Richard Branson who encountered a situation where his flight was cancelled. So instead of waiting forever he went to the airports charter desk and chartered a flight. He then borrowed a blackboard and wrote $39 for seats. He went back to the gate, sold enough tickets to cover the price and reached his destination.

He gives example of the “lizard brain” and how a simple eye contact can get someone attacked. He talks about the Rotterdam zoo where Gorilla visitors have to wear glasses like those in 3D movies. And what the Gorilla sees painted on the outside the glasses- eyes looking sidewise. This has saved many attacks by the gorilla. Avoiding direct eye contacts doesn’t trigger the “lizard brain”.

A great book- informative and inspiring and a complete guide to understand why we choose the easy route of being a worker and not an “artist”.

(Pic courtesy: Google images)

PMI WB Chapter

2011-06-23T12:10:00.001-05:00

The new PMI chapter of West Bengal (India) launched this February.

The memberships are growing as is the effort to organize new events. This Saturday (June 25) they are hosting in the heart of the Kolkata IT sector a Seminar on Agile and chance to network among professionals over tea.

A free event for PMI west Bengal member, it will cost 300 (INR) for non-members.

The discussion will be based on Leveraging Agile Practices to Improve the PMO’s Effectiveness and Using the Measurement and Analysis Techniques.

You can find them in Linkedin as well.

Cloning Not Allowed

2011-06-20T23:34:00.002-05:00

The way you think is always different from the way the person sitting next to you in the coffee shop. And that is precious!

Your individuality is what you bring to the table.

So, should you maintain it? Yes!

•Don’t clone yourself like the rest.

•Be present- of what you represent.

•Don’t make the world flat- initiate and lead when required. Become the Linchpin (Read Seth Godin’s book if you haven’t)

•Be comfortable in who are and the difference. Someone working with a global background will automatically work better in a multicultural work environment. It’s an advantage, don’t hide it- flaunt it.

•Trying to fit in always might not be for the best- let your individuality show. It brings the zing factor to your life!

(Pic: Google Images)

Mark your calendars

2011-06-13T07:52:00.001-05:00

•On June 14th, ESI will host IMPACT 2011, its third annual virtual learning event. IMPACT 2011 is a 24 hour, free global event that provides attendees with access to numerous resources.Register here (it’s free).

•PMI Educational Foundation award grants up to US$23,750 for doctoral research grants in project, program or portfolio management. Grants are available to students worldwide. 30 June is the deadline to submit a grant proposal. If you have missed it this year, get ready for the next!

•Arras People Kicks Off the APM Road Show Season with a series of Project Management Careers and Marketplace talks at the Association for Project Management (APM) Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire branch meetings.

The series starts on the 12th July 2011 with John Thorpe, Managing Director at Arras People who will be looking at the Current Project Management Marketplace.The talk will cover current salary and rate levels; current demands in training and qualifications from organizations looking for project management talent; and key information from the Project Management Benchmark Report which covers the market in 2011.

On 21st September and 5th October where Dr Michael Hides and Lindsay Scott, respectively, will be talking about current topical areas in project management careers development and the marketplace.

•APM Conference 2011 will be held in London on 20th October 2011

•The updated exam for the Project Management Professional (PMP)®certification will be released on 31 August 2011.

(Pic: Google images)

Villanova University PMP Prep Course- Conclusion

2011-05-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

This is the last week of Villanova University PMP Prep review.

The course has been worth the time and though I haven’t paid for the course- I would given the material and depth of the classes.

The time spent for taking the course is worthwhile and it simplifies the PMBOK and the lessons very well with definitions and examples.

I haven’t gone around taking their end of the course exam though and wish I had the time (or better planning) to get to it.

Breaking the course work into smaller chunks and including workbook like lessons at the end of each chapter are the smaller tests leading to the big one.

You can’t login into the university online portal once your course schedule is over, however you have the book, CD’s and downloads to keep for future preps and use.

This was my first online course and I don’t mind taking another again.

Thank you Villanova!

Last 3 weeks available here.

Ask

2011-05-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

Today was a good and busy day.

I have tried my hands on creating a demo video and realized that it’s really tough. While I enjoyed the challenge and hated the retakes and editing involved, I couldn’t help but admire online trainers who do it often. It must be a lot of work to sit in front of the camera and record session after session.

None of us know it all but it never hurts to try it out.

Like the last email I received from someone who wants to get into project management and doesn’t know how to get it done. I responded like I do to most emails but his request was so well crafted, I told him I don’t mind taking Skype calls once in a while to help him out.

After all so many have helped me.

Ask- it’s never too late.

Week 3- Additional Tools like Graded PMP Simulations

2011-05-16T11:20:00.002-05:00

The Villanova course has been going alright so far. I’m still lagging behind but happy that the videos are of shorter duration and can be downloaded so I can move around with them.

The videos though a lot of them are not long intervals of mindless talking.

These pre-recorded sessions display the time duration, and it helps; so you can squeeze in a few of the lectures before watching your favorite TV show or going out for your run.

Two trainers (as far as I have watched it) have been doing all the talking- Cynthia Stackpole and C. Aron.

Aron lectures on chapters involving mathematical calculation and I personally liked his style and presentation better than Stackpole’s.

Videos include definitions from the PMBOK, however the course is not an alternative of reading the PMBOK, so make sure you still read it.

So, how is it better than other online courses that are being offered on the web?

Honestly, I haven’t taken a lot of them. What I like about this online course is that, it mails you reading materials as well- for you to keep. So, even when your online access is over, you can still use the CD and study materials to prep for your PMP. That’s a nice and thoughtful touch.

Included is also a graded is a PMP and CAPM Test Simulation which is not part of the course requirement or the score doesn’t affect your final grades.

I think it takes a while to get used to the course, its navigation and utilizing the resources completely.

To read Week 1 and 2 and the Disclosure, click here.

Sheryl Sandberg, Career and Women

2011-05-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

Week 2- It’s tailored for busy and fast moving professionals

2011-05-09T12:35:00.001-05:00

The best feature of this course is that is tailored for fast moving people.

The course comes with options:

•You have the hard copy- the course material and the 5 CD’s.

•You can access the material via the web, so you don’t have to carry around the reading material if you don’t want to.

•Download the files in either audio or video format (in compressed file format) and you can watch it offline as well now. Or upload it in your ipod and carry around with ease.

The Course

The course is available in chapter wise like structure, so you are not all loaded with too much information. The course if of 4 weeks which means, each week comes with its lectures.

•Week 1- 15 lectures

•Week 2- 8 lectures

•Week 3- lectures

•Week 4- 12 lectures

The video and the textual material compliment each other and so you can move back and forth drilling down the material or referring to the other when in need.

The videos are usually of shorter duration, precise and narrate the chapter well and in required details.

I have been trying to log on to the site and then listen to the videos, but since I have been lagging behind (blame the new job), I decided to download the videos so I can listen to them easily.

So, when readers like you comment or mail and let me know that you are waiting for the review because you are interested in this prep course, it does help me.

For week 1 click here.

Resources/Tools

2011-05-01T08:31:00.001-05:00

For the last 2 weeks, I have had my share of trying to find more time.

However, I managed to watch the Royal Wedding and fancied having one of those hats in my closet!

These few mentioned resources are great time savers and worth a try:
•Radbox.me- great tool to bookmark all your videos in one place, so you can watch them later from anywhere.
•Instapaper- save sites to read later.
•Ipod- great way to learn more, while you laze around, fly or wait in terminals or simply cook. I download podcast on weekends- some work related, some just for information or fun. If you don’t have one, no worries, just listen to it online.
•Evernote - when remembering is no longer a task, great resource for regular use. You can sync it also with your iphone app.
•Meebo- one stop IM, you can log into multiple accounts at the same time, I use it everyday.
•Tweetdeck- to time your tweets for the rest of the week. If you have interns working with you, opt for Hootsuite, lets you add more than 1 contributor to an account. So, now, you and your interns can all tweet for the same account without having to share passwords.

For those following the Villanova course; I’m lagging behind and hope I’ll catch up soon.

Communication 101

2011-04-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

You can communicate by writing a paragraph or a page OR simply by a pictorial representation/graph.

Now, which one you use will depend on a lot of reason:
•Analyze which medium drives the point home better
•What your target audience prefers- words or picture?
•Which is an effective mode of communication?

Now communication is not a standard template that caters to everyone. Communication is customizable. It is personal.

How you communicate with your client/team will depend on who they are and what they want from you.

So, how will you figure out what to give and to whom?

There are a couple of ways:
•See who they are- Browse their website and read about their corporate image to find out the company culture. Your presentation cannot be the same for a advertising agency and for a hi-tech industry. You want to be creative with the advertising agency and include more logic for the hi-tech one.

•Do I know you? - It helps to know who will be in the meeting. If you have names, please make the effort to find them out through Linkedin, Facebook and even Twitter. See what they like other than their jobs- it will help you strike a human bond- very essential. You’ll know what to talk (sports, films, gadgets). You will also know what impresses them- data, graphs, stories, case studies (hint: see their Linkedin profiles and analyze their background, their college degrees and even hobbies and groups they belong to).

•Show you are interested- Try to make them feel comfortable. If they are global clients, write a thank you note in their native language perhaps. Duh- you don’t need to attend language classes, just use Google Translate- works like a charm.

•Listen- Don’t just hear. Listen what they want, what is missing and what can be done. Let your clients speak, don’t cut them off while they are speaking just because you have handled the same question 50 times before. It’s disrespectful and makes your client look like an idiot. Take the time to listen and then solve the problem slowly- even if you have done it 50 times before, it’s the first time for your client.

•Smile and be there- Smile through the phone, it shows. Even if you are stressed out and busy don’t rush your client through his session. Make him/her feel special, like your entire job for the day is to listen to him/her. Who doesn’t like to feel important?

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Villanova University-PMP Prep Course

2011-04-18T07:53:00.000-05:00

I have signed up for the PMP prep course and I hope I can write as honestly as I can about it while I take this one month journey.

Week 1- Introduction

Once you are enrolled in the course, the rest of the process happens systematically without any glitches. The course is complimentary and I have to write about it in the blog. The Villanova team were gracious enough to mail me the course materials to India.

The course material includes a set of 4 books and 2 CD’s. Books include the detailed course materials almost in a workbook like structure.

It comes with an online access that is sent before the course begins. The login gives you access to all the materials as well the videos that you can choose to watch online or through CD.

So, even if you are on the move you can always access your course as long as you are connected to the web.

The course

It’s precise and well represented. If you want to prep in details you can always read the course material before. I went for the online video directly. While you listen to the video, you can also read through the texts available in the left side of the screen.

It’s to the point, simple and structured as you would expect the course to be.

I’ll continue writing about in the coming weeks, so till then enjoy your Monday and plan out what you want to do to get certified.

(Disclosure: this is a complimentary package, I haven't paid for the course)

Pic Courtesy

Wait- are you done?

2011-04-11T08:12:00.001-05:00

And giving up?

Stop, get out of the room you are in and get some fresh air.

Behind every successful person are some bigger failures and your life is no exception. So don’t think you aren’t made for the job, or you can’t make it.

It happened to me and perhaps it has happened to so many.

If you are feeling really low, talk to your mentor or your friend and let the feeling out.

Once done, walk back to your board/diary and write down objectively why things are happening they way they are and if you can change. Work on yourself and at least for a few days try taking yourself not too seriously.

Let time take its course and then see what changes.

Bottomline- stop freaking out and don’t give up impulsively.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Guest Posts and Podcast

2011-04-07T08:59:00.000-05:00

Hope you are having a great week, while I juggle my timer schedule and try to squeeze in more – here’s some guest posts and interview I did over the last few months:

Podcast 1

Podcast 2

Guest post at PM 4 Girls

Guest post at PM Bistro

Enjoy!

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Direction- leads your team

2011-04-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

As simple as it sounds- clear direction is a key component of any project.

I have seen organizations where everyone assumes the other person knows everything and can move ahead. This doesn’t make sense.

So if you are a new project manager, do your team a favor and make sure they have what they need to get the work done.

Don’t assume:

New member of your team know their role like the oldies do. They don’t, so tell them what you need from them .
Any given work, should come with direction of deadline, limitations, what needs to be done, where the information is stored, whom can they communicate with etc.
By sharing information and giving directions you save time and your project by clearing off complications and wasting time.
If you have written documents, share them. If you don’t email with bullet points, so the job role is defined.
If you haven’t done any of the above, don’t barge in one day and tell your team that they have been lousy and not done their job on time.

Practice what you preach.

(pic:Google images)

What's in a winner?

2011-03-28T09:07:00.002-05:00

What makes someone a winner?

You can say being at the right place at the right time, having a great networking, and all sort of things we all say…but to top it all here is the story you can relate to.

The drive, that’s the topper.

So, do you have the drive in you to become a PM? What have you done? Whom have you talked to? What risks have you taken?

Write down your goals and out it somewhere you can see- on the mirror, your car dashboard, your purse. Work towards it and don’t be shy to ask for help- everyone does. Go for it even if it ends up being a mistake- you will learn on what not to do.

By the way the SIPM site has lots of Experts from all over the globe available for mentoring, even some whom you can follow for a day so you end up seeing the real life of a project manager. How cool is that!

Be you, find yourself, work on your expertise and don’t be scared to do what you are not comfortable with.

For more inspiration, read here

(Pic courtesy: google images)

Be the winner!

Stand out for your dreams

2011-03-22T20:54:00.001-05:00

There are 5 things to keep in mind when trying out for a PM position:

·Consistency-the goal should be loud and clear in your mind, you have to know what you want to do and rest will happen with time and your effort. You will know when opportunity knocks if you know what you want in life.

·Focus- bad days will always be there, as well as bad bosses. Look out for the good ones who will look out for you and encourage you. Don’t get distracted on smaller job roles and not getting the right opportunity- your day will come, just be prepared for it.

·Knowledge- don’t compromise on this one because it’s all upto you. Read up, join groups, meet people and talk to them.

·Networking – its clichéd but it helps. Knowing the right people at the right time will open up doors for you.

·Be yourself-never under estimate the power of you. You are unique, so is your talent. Explore them, nurture them and train them for the moment. Don’t give up and fight for what you want.

Have a great week!

(Pic Courtesy: google images)

Rants, events, and trying to settle in

2011-03-16T03:52:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been exhausting. For those of you who don’t know, I moved to India and there has been nothing but continuous running around trying to set up the new place and make it a home.

I couldn’t write for so many days, didn’t know what to write about and nothing seemed to fit in. Yesterday, I cut my own bangs/fringes- an impulsive decision which turned out pretty ok.

For the last one month, I have read, thought and socialized with people I know and people I don’t know; attended week long Indian weddings and while its nice to play dress up- couple of days later all I want is to sleep at home.

I haven't tweeted in like a century and most of my plans are behind schedule because I couldn’t say "no" to events, friends and to myself.

So, now it’s "no" to everything- no more parties, no more weddings, no more entertaining friends at dinner with 7 course Indian menu.

I call it quits.

It's time to get back to what I like doing the most- project management.While I'm working on a couple of personal projects, it’s hard to explain to people why I blog. I don’t make any money out of it- I just keep on working at it. More time, more energy, more ideas- all gets poured into it including some from my pocket to keep the site running.

So, while I have few more guest posts to write and more things to do- I hope things will turn normal, boring and in schedule very soon.

Here are some of the reads to keep you busy till then:

A Project Manager Outside Office

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

A hard core project manager is allowed to have weekends like any other normal beings.

I went around looking for a new book case and fell in love with the mango ice cream! Kareem here realized how life at home can be for a generally overworked stressed out PM.

So do PM’s enjoy their life outside work relatively more than in stressed out battered cubicle?

If you need a more functional office, read up and have a great week!

(Pic Courtesy: E. Harrin's tweet)

Virtual Project Manager

2011-02-21T09:11:00.002-06:00

With virtual workers increasing everyday, it’s a no more a myth how you can be productive, free and still earn good money.

If Tim Ferris turned the concept into a complete rage, with technological advances its not considered weird anymore if you are constantly on the move with your gadgets.

So, are you the kind of project manager who wants to be a virtual nomad? Do you have the right personality to fit into the virtual worker mode?

With teams being spread all over the world these days, we are so tuned to working different hours and within different cultures that being virtual doesn’t seem very bad an idea.

“We’re also seeing a spike for project management – up 70% for this skill set. If I’m hiring a team of remote workers, I’d like to be in control, but have someone to manage the project. Lots of start-ups are hiring teams of developers all managed by a single resource” -Source

Here’s the toolset you might need if you decide to make the switch:
•Laptop
•Skype – for all communication
•A Blackberry/i-phone/windows phone to stay connected
•An external hard drive
•A virtual back up system
•Google docs for online file sharing

If you have always wanted the fun, flexibility, freedom, escape the cubicle and didn’t want to take the risk to start your own business, being a virtual nomad is as close as you can get with a steady salary slip.

Want to see a company that works completely virtually, click here.

(Pic Courtesy)

Happy V-Day!

2011-02-14T08:30:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine’s Day!

If today’s all about heart, the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation couldn't be left far behind.

CCF is a national, non-profit organization focused on pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart muscle. CCF is dedicated to accelerating the search for cures while improving diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for children affected by cardiomyopathy.

What they do is amazing- they have successfully created a platform where parents, medical practitioners and friends and relatives can all come together and share and learn from each others experience.

I have seen the emails- the pain, the troubles, the sleepless nights that the parents share and find strength in each other- its touching and sad to see the children go through so much when we adults take our lives and our “hearts” for granted.

CCF was founded by Eddie Yu & Lisa Yue, parents who lost two young children to cardiomyopathy, CCF has grown over the years and is managed by a small staff and guided by a medical advisory board. Today, CCF reaches out to more than 2,000 physicians and 1,500 families worldwide.

Lisa Yue whom I have known for couple of years now and met in New York City is true to the cause as is her staff.

The site is a center of knowledge about the disease from the medical glossary to dealing with a losing child.

So, to honor the cause- Ill be putting up the CCF logo on the side bar and if you wish, you can visit and support their cause:
•Making a donation
•Shopping
•Volunteering your time and skills

(Disclosure: SIPM receives no monetary gain by putting up this post, this is not an affiliate link)

As a special giveaway this V-Day, @Samadaidane is giving away 1 ticket to the PM Telesummit- all you have to do is tweet about the event and include my twitter id @Soma_b, so I can track it down. One lucky winner will be chosen and announced on Feb 28.

Top Trends for BAs for 2011

2011-02-10T08:04:00.002-06:00

ESI has announced the top ten trends for Business Analysts for 2011.

Since Project managers and business analyst work hand in hand, this information might be useful to both.

•Business architecture will be the primary focus for business analysts
•Business analysis will guide the surge in cloud computing
•Requirements management and development will lead in delivering smart business perspective
•BPMN (Business process modeling notation) will solidify its reputations as the industry standard
•Agile success will go to those willing to break with tradition
•BAs will be recognized as critical to change management to avoid troubled projects.
•Resurgence of Centers of Excellence
•Requirements management and development will be essential to regaining market share
•Requirements management and development will continue to struggle to define itself
•Requirements management and development will require better balanced competencies

You can also see a series of youtube videos done by Glenn Brûlé, CBAP, CSM, Executive Director of Global Client Solutions at ESI International

If you were wondering how BAs use project management terminology at work, click here for details.

If you are a BA and want to make the switch to Project Management, here are the sites you might want to consider for a taste:

Here’s a new Project Management Telesummit coming up and you can find details here.

Random facts about me- Pt 3

2011-02-07T07:47:00.001-06:00

I have strange habits that I create for myself to repeat the pattern everyday, so it either makes me happy or the repetition puts me in a schedule that increases my efficiency.

•I always wake up to a cup of green tea or black coffee
•When I go through uncertainty about some decision I start meditating, it calms me down. It stays with me for months or weeks depending on my ongoing life and its schedule.
•I eat right when I am the busiest, for some reason schedules make me perform better in everything.
•I have a nightly routine that I hold on to- I read magazines and listen to music before I go to bed for at least half an hour. Magazines are mostly either “Fitness” or “Vogue”, something that inspires you but also relaxes the mind, nothing serious.
•I am more regular writing blog posts when I maintain my schedule of doing it every Sunday morning between 9-11am.
•I love food, try different cuisines and love to experiment with my taste bud and cooking skills. Chopping veggies de-stresses me and I usually cook after I come back home from work, takes away the stress! I love watching “Food Network”.
•I don’t watch a lot of Television but it’s usually on most of the time while I get around doing all other things. I love watching CSI, Greys Anatomy, Oprah, Bones, House and the likes.
•I read and I love reading. Last book I read is The Snowball (Warren Buffets Biography) by Alice Schroeder (finishes 2 days ago).
•I take risks, lots of them. I like change and new things in life- whether it’s a haircut or shuffling the interiors of my home.
•I am very emotional but rarely impulsive, I think five hundred times before making a decision.
•I love reading quotations; so much that I used to have 3 diaries dedicated to it since I was in college. I don’t write them down any more, but I still love them!
•If there’s a job alternative I would love to have is to travel and write. I love architecture and interiors as much as I love nature.
•I love to work. I like the interaction with people, observing people and putting my head down and getting something down. I go cranky if I don’t work for too long.
•Things I absolutely must always have- internet and as Virginia Woolf said “a room of my own”.
•My friend circle is very small, close and connected and they inspire me everyday.
•Surprised by the fact that you can develop friendship with people over social media and without meeting them in person a lot.
•My ideal vacation would be by a sea side. Love beach and the casual ambience.

For more of my randomness, click here.

The Project Management Telesummit

2011-02-02T07:26:00.002-06:00

If you still havent heard the news, Samad Aidane is organizing a Project Management Telesummit, a live, online “virtual” event, which will be held from March 8-10, 2011. It showcases real world leaders in project management, and the latest and best thinking practices.

Over 15 leading thinkers will participate for three days. It will cost less than $100 (US) to attend. Each day will have five one-hour presentations from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Pacific Time). All sessions will be recorded so that you may download and play them back at any time.

I think the fact that it curtails all travelling and booking and the hassles of leaving home and work is amazing. You can simply log on and listen from home or work and the downloaded version gi ves you the flexibility to tune in later as well.

The booking is on and you can buy a ticket for yourself or for your friend, co-worker, boss by simply clicking here

Speakers include:
Tuesday

Rick Morris
Dana Brownlee
Jason Fair
Todd Williams
Traci Duez

Wednesday

Dr. Steven Flannes
Steve Martin, PMP, CSM
Geoff Crane
Peter Taylor
Tres Roeder

Thursday

Richard B. Sheridan
Patricia Garofano
Bernardo Tirado
Brian Munroe
Dr. Margery Mayer

If you have questions you can send them to @samadaidane.

Face it, work it and let it go.

2011-01-28T08:32:00.001-06:00

I would love to live with 100 things.

My goal for this year is still on and I have put behind my anger, discomfort, rage, irritation and bad habits to nourish the goodness in me with the hope that with the riddance of all bad, the energy will be positive which can only help me grow on a personal and professional level.

I have realised that happiness is an essential factor at work, specially if you would like to climb the ladders. No one can put hours at work unless you really enjoy the work and the team you work with. And happiness doesnt knock on your door really, you create the path to make sure it does knock loud and clear!

My personal list is more compact and organized and include simple pleasures like having my morning cup of tea in the balcony or medidating everyday. I try to forgive my past and people who have wronged me than hold on to grudges.

I am working on getting rid off the hindrances that I had created for myself over the years.

"The opposite of fear is confidence. If you don't feel confident, can you name exactly what you are afraid of?"-@LLBrandenburg

Isnt this so true?

The end of January marks the end of the initiation for this new yea;r however its never late to dig up your own fear to face them and move forward.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Change is good

2011-01-24T21:31:00.001-06:00

Life is always changing, and we all hope its for the good. Today, I am off to my new apartment and will take a while to set it up. So, till then keep yourself busy with some good read and happiness.

If you haven't tried our beta site here, here it is- free and professionals from all over the world available.

Wake up happy

2011-01-21T09:33:00.002-06:00

Inspiration is an everyday thing and these sites are a great way to wake you up with inspiration, information and a feeling of being connected.

These are greatt stuff to learn from management sites but great stuff to learn from:

Communication- the "it" skill

2011-01-17T12:30:00.004-06:00

The success to any business and perhaps career is the underrated art of communication.

Last week while visiting a jewelry shop, the experience was so good that I was amazed at how much I enjoyed spending the 40 minutes there. The rep was well trained and customized behavior towards their customers was marked by their growing business even during recession.

I had similar experience while shopping for a new refrigerator in Best Buy, the rep knowledgeable and personable stole the show.

Every client wants similar experience and we as project managers look forward to make sure our clients are here to stay.

Communication is not about transferring point A to point Z to another person; it’s about being there for your client, making your relation personable and making it an experience for the client.

This is one area where “you” can come alive. Observe mistakes committed by others and study the most successful project managers; most of them if you notice are unusually good at communications.

Bring in your own style and you to the table and chances are you will emerge a winner.

Emotions- do they need hiding?

2011-01-13T10:15:00.001-06:00

How expressive is your face? Can you hide- emotions, feelings, betrayal or sadness?

Does your emotions or display of emotions create problems at your job, your growth or your boss assessment of your maturity factor?

Emotions are natural for humans, so no matter which gender you belong to you have ample of it in you.

Yes emotions are considered negative feelings at work, something that shouldn’t dominate rationality and judgment based on facts.
So if you are standing under the same umbrella of overwhelming emotions, make sure you know what’s happening:

Know- Make sure you know you are going through some emotional time. It’s not wise to discuss personal emotional matters at work or with colleagues. You never know who will use what information to get ahead.
Measure- If you are feeling too much of emotions make sure you are in the right condition to go to work. While work can keep you busy and make you forget worries sometimes it can break you down as well.
Walk the line- The fine line of personal and professional needs maintaining. Don’t divulge or display emotional side of you unless required. It can work against you and can be used as instances where rational and objective decsion making is required.
Stop being a cry-baby- Don’t whine, if you have a problem- fix it. You will be applauded for it and noticed instead of whining all the time how you end up getting the problems in your life.
Solve it- Figure out what is the cause of the emotion and fix it. Talk with your mentor if its work related and dig deeper to know how you can navigate through it.

To understand more about emotions at work place, read here

Have you taken the right risk?

2011-01-10T07:59:00.001-06:00

So you are the aspiring PM and you know that everyone talks about taking some risk and you want to tread lightly about risks this year given the economy and yet you don’t know how much risk to take?

At some point or the other we all take risks. It’s risky and how much of it you can take is on you- your finance, your goals, your lifestyle.

So how much you can afford to take is something you have to decide before you go out for it.

Consult- Make sure you talk it out with your mentor or senior friends who have been in the same place. Listen to everyone’s opinion before taking your decision. No one knows how it to be in your shoes perhaps, so the decision is all yours. Speaking with others give you alternative views that you might not have considered.
SWOT- strength, weakness, opportunities, threats is something you should think about. Once the risk has been taken, there are rarely chances of reverting back.
Complications- Be prepared that the risk can evolve into complicated situations. Make sure you are ready to take on whatever is thrown at you.
Profit- Analyze the benefit of taking the risk, how much is it worth- financially or emotionally. What will you get out of it? Is it worth all the things you will have to give up?
Happiness- This will always be important because at the end of the day you can do so much if it makes you happy. If the risk is all stress and no gain, it might not be a beneficial risk. Best risk takers analyze it all well before going for it.
Don’t regret- if you have considered it all and taken the risk and then realize its not working out, don’t panic or get depressed. Be calm, think positively and find the best way out of the situation. Sometimes the best decisions or thoughts come in moments of stress or helplessness because you have nothing at stake.
Remember your goal- Remember why you took the risk, what was it all for. If you know what you want, you will come up with a solution that will still lead you to your goal perhaps in a different way.

You are a Project Manager, you should be able to analyze risk, mitigate them and still happily deliver your project on time, schedule and budget. If you can do this evryday in your professional life, why not do it in personal as well. Its just another project with another name!

(Image Courtesy: Google Images)

Want to have fun and learn more from real life Project Managers, check out this free site where more people are joining everyday learn from qualified Project Managers from all over the world.

Women- this new year

2011-01-06T12:23:00.003-06:00

This New Year came in like a gush of strong winds from nowhere.

I’ve been travelling in India for weddings etc and if you haven’t noticed I am trying to re-arrange my life and focus on things I like to do than those that I have to do.

This year is about observing and putting them in words, so if you are someone from somewhere who can relate to it, you know you are not alone in the journey/fight.

There’s so much happening these days in

India

related to the economy, jobs and growth factor and yet there are scenarios where people fight for silly reasons and dowry (a sum demanded by the groom’s family during marriage) and the culture remains prevalent.

You cannot point at India and say- this is what the country is because it’s not! It’s a range of people from progressive thinkers, to idea makers to traditional people who swear by the tradition that women have to do certain things irrespective of their job, talent or the money they make. They are restricted, instructed and considered a bad mother and wife if failed to stick to them.

Women become household glues that are bound to hold on to the family even when the rest have strayed away. Their talents undermined; their jobs ridiculous and openly discussed by some mother-in-laws how they don’t need daughter-in-laws who work because “my son makes enough”.

On the other hand, you will find bikini clad female professionals roaming around in the beach and looking for the next Europe vacation or BMW to buy.

The problems are here to stay unless women stop obstructing other women. In most cases it’s not men who don’t consider women equal, it’s the women who think women should be lesser than men- lesser qualifications, lesser salary and lesser in quality.

This year hopefully we can all create some differences, be aware of where we are and help someone get to the door- so they can see the world the way it is!

Happy 2011 to you all!

(Pic Courtesy)

Want to have fun and learn more from real life Project Managers, check out http://beta.steppingintopm.com/

Happy New Year to you all

2010-12-31T14:02:00.000-06:00

If your resolution is in place, so is mine

I hope the new year brings you joy, peace and happiness.

Happy New Year to all!

This Christmas look into your gifts

2010-12-25T01:10:00.001-06:00

This holiday season while you think about the new resolution list and the weight loss and office politics and job hunting and the much awaited salary raise and the calorie intake at family dinners- stop. Take a moment and think about what you really want.

What are you hoping in life? What makes you happy, what makes you go that extra mile? When was the last time you thought about yourself and not your office self?

We are so busy trying to manage projects and team and globally located teams and their endless problems that we forget why we chose our profession- what made us happy, what made the eyes sparkle, what brought the smile and contentment in life.

This year make the most of the time, respect yourself and make you emotional well being your priority. Look into:

what makes you happy?
do you stil have a hobby?
when was the last time you took a real vacation?
what was the last book you read?
what do you do to improve yourself emotionally every year?
do you enjoy going to your job everyday? or are you tired and exhausted every morning at the idea of going back to work again?
do you feel content with your life?
do you make time for your personal life and specially for you?

This Christmas while you open gifts, look back at the years and what has happened, dont regret mistakes instead learn from them and look into the future positively. Take time for you and make time for others to inspire them, help them and grow with them!

Merry Christmas to you all!

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

PM Town Updates

2010-12-12T23:29:00.001-06:00

Updates in town:

While you enjoy this, I am shuttling between cities in India, enjoying good food and missing my time away from the blog. With so much happening, I'll be post some pics here for sure!

Happy Thanksgiving to my team!

2010-11-25T18:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

This year, I’m thankful to so many of you, specially my readers for the site and the blog!

This post is dedicated to my friends -the dynamic designer, the chic developer and few others who helped me with my site, listened for hours about the ideas, brainstormed together and made it happen. They are the best!

So, thank you dear friends….happy thanksgiving!

I’ll be off for the next few weeks and will be back in December! Stay warm and stay happy J

Human Connection

2010-11-22T01:14:00.000-06:00

The last few days has taught me a lot.

I have visited more stores in the last few days than I have in the last 5 years. In doing so, I have talked to lots of people, researched things on the internet I wanted to buy and here’s the lesson- nothing beats human connection.

No matter what you do and who you are- the most powerful tool is human connection. It makes you turn back and take decisions you otherwise wouldn’t have perhaps.

If it’s your client, your team members or the newbie joining your team, make sure your gift of connection is never lost in the business.

This holiday season, thank someone, smile and help another being. It is being human and its priceless.

(Image Courtesy)

Technology- awe, wonder and my plan for next year

2010-11-15T11:56:00.000-06:00

This last week I was caught up in cold, flu and some major decisions that I am taking to make sure my list of 5 things to do before I am 35 actually happens.

So, while I a running around the city and getting things done, I thought you might enjoy this enchanting video that I have seen more than 10 for sure.

The original link is here. Enjoy the wonders of technology, while I jump back in the car and drive around to get more errands done.

It's also time of the year to consider what questions to put up for my new year special- if you have suggestions I would love to hear.

Lighting up your ideas

2010-11-05T20:32:00.000-05:00

This week I committed myself to know new ideas, to learn more about how others are doing things and be happy.

This week I decided to slow down and see where I am going, to try minimalism and be more aware of myself. To gather my thoughts and plan my action on what makes me composed and happy and less stressed out. To share, read and smile more often.

This is what I read in NY Times which lead to finding out more about Asana- a project management software in making.

This weekend is Diwali which means I am all about lights, happiness and yummy food!

Wishing all of you the brightness, sparkles and happiness every single day. Happy Diwali!

Who are you now?

2010-11-02T00:34:00.001-05:00

Some days are just ordinary.
Some days don’t happen the way you want them to happen.
Some days are plain old same.

I don’t have a blog post to post and I can’t think of any to write. Sometimes I will just read something and think about it. I’ll think how my life has been and what I have done and what I would love to do.

Some days are far away from project management.

I think loosing focus, letting your dreams go and just reading something for no reason whatsoever is pure joy. No certifications, no proposals, no more work.

Most of our actions are nothing but a way to cover up our insecurities, fear and disappointment.
What would you do- if you had the money, the life you want and everything you need to keep on going? What will you change? What will happen to your job?

Will you act differently? Who will you be? Who are you now?

(Pic Courtesy)

Who are you following?

2010-10-29T18:23:00.000-05:00

Does it matter?

It does, most of the times. Last year while travelling from India to London for the first time, after landing in Heathrow I was trying to find my way to get my luggage.

The guy sitting next to me in the flight was zigzagging through the airport, so I assumed he was familiar with the airport, so I just followed him, knowing that he will have to pick up the luggage as well.

Turned out, I followed him to the men’s restroom. I stopped, turned around and laughed at myself. What was I thinking?

This is what happens when you follow someone without thinking. Make sure you know what you are doing and why?

(Pic courtesy)

Be informed

2010-10-25T11:39:00.000-05:00

Todays post is a melting pot of some of the best articles:

If you are looking for mentors who can help you take the next step, try SIPM, there are no charges for membership and you get to meet PM's from all over the world who will take the time to help you for your next move.

Interview with Valerie Thorn

2010-10-18T08:20:00.001-05:00

I have always believed that Project Managers given their interest in running a business can do it really well.

Today’s interview is with Valerie Thorn BSc, FRSA- CEO and founder of AND Technology Research Ltd (UK) who personally has a 30 year practical experience in software and embedded engineering runs a company successfully.

That’s not all, she started her business when she was only 25!

Keep reading for inspiration, lessons learnt and what you should know if you are planning your own business.

Hi Valerie, please tell us something about your organization and how you started it.
We are AND Technology Research Ltd, a small private company – currently 10 staff situated in a small village between London and Cambridge in the UK. I started the company in 1980 when I was 25. I saw great potential in the use of distributed computing power within businesses, for communications and control. I began with some funding of my own and practical support of my parents and sister.

Since you have been managing a company and also running projects, which do you think is more challenging and why?
Running the company is in some ways just the same as running a project so both are challenging; however there are some differences Projects have an intensity and significant time pressures. For instance if you don’t start a project on time, then you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t finish on time; running a company in which you have a long term interest does not normally suffer from this sort of intensity. However overall I would say that the number of variables and the effects that your decisions have on people’s lives makes running a company more challenging.

How important are mistakes in trying to run a company?
If you don’t make mistakes then you don’t learn, what’s most important is how you deal them. The main thing to remember is that mistakes have to be managed or corrected for the best interest of the company, not for the best interest of the manager/owner. Personal conflict can inevitably occur but handling the conflict should add to the learning. So mistakes are important, you have to learn to recognise when mistakes occur, accept them, deal with them and not get hung up on them.

Do you think a good project manager can also be successful business person?
Yes I do, in fact they can make excellent business people, but they have to be able to cope with uncertainty. Project managers have to engage with a variety of project stakeholders and manipulate resources and time to make to project work. A good business person needs to be able to do this; however business people also need generally to cope with uncertain situations where either the resources or the time are just not as they would like them to be. They have to be a little more creative and inventive and be prepared to take the responsibility for risk.

Three important qualities that both project managers and entrepreneurs should have?

Vision and focus for what is to be achieved.
Organisational skills which allow them to stay focused but include enough flexibility to accommodate change
Ability to inspire others and to carry the message of the vision forward.

One thing you wish you knew when you started out.
The importance of the supply chain to a business. By this I mean, not just where your market is but how to navigate supply chains within the market in order to maximise business potential.

So, when organizations like you hire newbies- what are you looking for?
People who, given a necessary skill level, then demonstrate the potential to learn and to adapt to change, plus an ability to laugh.

Valerie is also an active participant in a number of creative and electronic industry organisations. Her career has involved creating digital and electronics based solutions for consumer, industrial and telecommunications products. AND has received numerous awards for innovation over its 30 year life-span and Valerie’s achievements in small business management have also been recognised. Valerie’s expertise lies in embedded software and the role played by software as Intellectual Property. She is engaged in research into technology management and innovation.

To know more about AND visit their website here.

(Pic Courtesy: Valerie Thorn)

Dear Sr. Project Managers/PMO Directors

2010-10-14T15:35:00.006-05:00

Dear Senior Project Managers/PMO Directors,
I have built my own door for someone to come knocking (Hint: If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door -Milton Berle). And I need your help.

I know you are busy- with meetings, stakeholder communications, more charts and graphs, keeping up with your coffee addiction and running PMO’s.

I’ll cut it short and say- I am looking for my next job/project/assignment. I'm diligent, smart and have positive review of my projects and client handling, it led to clients coming back for other projects as well.

So, I know what I am doing and where I want to go after I finish building the door. I like challenges, learning new skills, techniques and just when you think it is impossible- I will change your mind.

I take risks and listen to my inner voice. I deal with clients and team members as other human beings and love what I do so much that I don’t want to give it up.

I’m looking for an organization/PMO preferably in and around Chicago but don’t mind relocating within States or outside as long as I get to do what I love- more projects.

If you don’t have an empty chair in sight, feel free to forward this to someone else who might.

If you would like to know more click here or I can connect with you on Linkedin.

If you really want to know how I work, feel free to contact my co-workers or fellow bloggers independently who have known me for years now, that way you don’t have to worry about me taking them out to expensive lunches to make sure they give good reviews. They know me well enough to talk about my work, ideas, implementation skills, teamwork, independent thinking capability, decision making and completion of sucessful projects.

If you need an updated resume email me (steppingintopm@gmail.com)please.

Yours sincerely,
Soma Bhattacharya.

Interview with Raj Menon

2010-10-11T12:18:00.003-05:00

He is honest, insightful and encouraging. If you havent met him, you should. Meet Raj Menon who writes about leadership, he thinks "My job is to make it easier for you to meet your goals by giving you confidence, direction and guidance.” You can also find him in twitter

Your blog is in Alltop and that says a lot about the quality of your posts- tell us something about your blog.
Thanks Soma. Alltop included my site a long time ago under the leadership category, back when 13apples.com was lap31.com. I am not certain if my site is still listed as one of the upcoming and promising leadership blogs. That was a proud moment for me and I still cherish every win I have ever had.
The origin of the 13apples Blog started with a simple question I asked myself when I turned 30yrs old - am I ready to lead? You can say I was a bit paranoid. I looked back into what I had achieved in life and tried to figure out where I was headed. My writing was a way for me to find my path forward. I considered the site to be a pit stop for me. I was in a race called life and like any race driver I was in the pit stop to refuel, change tires, tune up, and zoom out to race another lap. As you can tell, I am a big F1 (Formula 1) racing fan, which is also where the original name for the site "lap31.com" came from as I was on my 31st lap in a race called life.

Why did you choose to write about leadership?
I believe that there is a leader in every one of us. As I was reflecting on my leadership lessons through my writing and life experiences, I thought of giving back to the world by exploring the mindset of leaders in every walk of life and thus provide every one who visits my site with the opportunity to awaken the leader in them, to share their leadership stories, to collaborate. Eventually it led to the site slogan "where leaders collaborate".

What are the qualities of a real leader, do you have a favorite?
It's tough to encapsulate all the qualities of a real leader in a few words or sentences. It's like asking "What makes a person good?". There are so many things - characteristic, environmental, situational, personal, professional, etc - to consider before summing it all up. To best answer this question, let me share with you what I believe are Leadership Mantras that everyone is inherently born with but needs to develop or fine tune:

Leadership is about people. We lead by creating an environment of trust, transparency, openness, empowerment and support; where failure is an opportunity to learn, where success stories are celebrated.
Leaders are social beings. They create collaborative teams beyond boundaries and borders, bridging cultural divides, in a globally diverse workspace.
Leaders inspire themselves by learning and listening so they can in turn inspire others by sharing and collaborating.

How did you end up being in project management? Is this something you always wanted to do?
Project Management was never a goal for me, at least not when I started out in the IT field 11 years ago. I was an ASP developer, moved on to PHP and to Java development before I was promoted to a Lead role to manage the company's first dot net project overseas. I continued to wear multiple hats, that of a developer and a lead for another 2 years till I realized that I needed to be a full time lead if I am going to be held accountable for the project. During 2004-05 I was doing Project Leadership full time which gradually helped me go up the ranks to a Project Manager and now Program Manager. In short, I worked my way to project/program management.

I know you are part of toastmasters, so do you also read a lot? What are the last 3 books you read?
Yes, I have been part of toastmasters since 2008. I spoke about my foray into toastmasters and the journey in a speech last year, which you can find at this link here . I do read a lot, especially these days.
I am glad you asked me about book coz I read 3 very insightful books recently. The interesting part is that each author led me to the next book.

Who's Got Your Back? by Keith Ferrazzi
Get It Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More by Steve Robbins
The Go-Givers by Bob Burg & John David Mann (I am currently reading their 2nd book The Go-Givers Sell More)

Any new plans for your blog?
I have so many plans but I am taking it one step at a time. With my salaried job, toastmasters, family life and networking, I struggle to find time to put my 13apples plans into supersonic speed. But someday I will when my life permits.

Some immediate plans are to increase my subscription base. I have around 30 amazing subscribers now but I want to grow that as rapidly as possible. I will also continue to have 1 post per week emailed to my subscribers. I am also working on an eBook that I will be distributing freely to my subscribers, around a new concept I am working on called the Circle of Influence. These are the plans in action right now.

By the way, congratulations on your PMP- how much do you think preparation time one needs to go for it?
Thank You! Frankly, I spent a year of ad-hoc studying which was mainly listening to the PMPrepcast (which you are promoting on your website as well). Ad-hoc studying will not really get you through the test. What made a difference for me was the 1 week I took off from work and put my brain and body into overdrive to piece it all together. However, that is not the method I would recommend. Instead, I would advice any PMP aspirant to put in 3 months of effort (2 hours per weekday) and a dedicated review time 2 weeks prior to the exam, mainly to attempt sample tests.

Three qualities you think every aspiring project manager should have?
1. Be Confident in Yourself
2. Respect People especially your Team
3. Be Accountable for your actions and Never Give Up

Thank you for your time Raj.
Thank You!!

So which side are you on- 80 or 20?

2010-10-07T23:23:00.004-05:00

This is a guest blog post from my friend and a budding Project Manager Sanchita Bhattacharjee and along with our love of Project Management; we also happen to share our last name.

She talks about the Pareto Principle, brushes on her discovery of project management and how she plans to implement it in her life.

The other day, someone asked me about the Pareto principle and I fell from the sky!

Faintly did I hear economist Vilfredo Pareto and Juran's names in the University corridors but that's all. Never really thought I could use it one day in the work I was learning myself- yes, Project Management.

Technically, The Pareto principle also called the 80-20 rule/Law of the vital few states that 'for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.'

What Pareto initially observed was that 80% of the land or wealth in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Not too sure if Gregor Mendel also inferred that 20% of the pea pods contribute to 80% of peas produced when he was playing with genetics in his garden:) Come to Software, even Microsoft noted that by fixing only 20% of bugs they were able to eliminate 80% of errors reported.

Interestingly when Business Schools started seeing more of it, it was concluded that actually 80% of your total sales come from 20% of your clients. So the next question comes up, how can we imply this in Project Management? A general response would be that in any project, the first 10% and last 10% of a project are the most crucial parts. In other words the Initiation and Delivery Phases will take up 80% of your time and resource.

An article I read somewhere highlights that ' 80 percent of your sales will come from 20 percent of your sales staff. 20 percent of your staff will cause 80 percent of your problems, but another 20 percent of your staff will provide 80 percent of your production. It works both ways.'

Even the very famous management consultant Richard Koch discusses how to apply the Pareto principle in all walks of life. So here is the deal, so far all of us have heard and believed in the 'work smart' technique. Perhaps, the same is based on focusing your energy, your attention of 20% of things which really matter. Stop being on the 80 side and keep struggling with causes which can be treated later. So first step would be to identify them. Even if you are missing out points and areas in your daily life, make sure they do NOT fall under the significant 20%. So work smart but on the right things.

To know more read on and do not forget to mention how YOU imply the 80-20 rule in your work and in your life!

The site will be unavailable this weekend, while I and my designer friend try to upload the new design to bring in a better visual experience for you.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)