Interview with Pawel Brodzinski

Pawel Brodzinski is a seasoned manager working in software industry whom most us know because we read his blog about software project management at Software Project Management more then often. With more than 1693 readers subscribing to his post (wow!), this is one site you should visit and bookmark.

While Pawel is passionate about building great teams, fixing broken projects and building quality software he seems grounded and ready to help- read the interview and you will know what I mean. To know more follow him on Twitter

• How did you get into to project management?

I went through a number of different roles in software projects and entering project management was a natural consequence for me. Having experience is software development and design, quality assurance, customer support and team management leading projects was just another step and not the last one as it appeared. I would say I try to focus on people (teams) and software respectively; project management is just a part of my story.

A funny thing is I had ‘project manager’ printed on my business card for a few months only, even though I keep leading different projects all the time. But that’s exactly how I look at the subject – it is very broad.

• Any incident you can share with us.

I guess I could tell tons of success stories and at least as many failure stories. I could mention a few projects which taught me the most. But the thing which completely changed the way I look at project management and software development was me changing a job for the first time. I had a very good track record at my first job where I got invaluable experience and I decided to move on. I joined the company where my goal was to clean up technical department (software development, quality assurance and project management) with a head full of recipes ready to apply. After all I knew it how it should work from my previous job.

None of these recipes were right. The company I joined was completely different. It was smaller: we were counted in tens, not in thousands. There were few big customers instead of thousands small and medium ones. And it was other industry than before. We worked on custom projects mainly, not on from-the-shelf products. Company’s financial situation was significantly worse. Top management had different priorities. Virtually every single thing was different. Why recipes should be the same then?

The thing I learned is there’s no silver bullet, especially when it comes to such a broad subject as project management. Every situation is different and the best solution will vary depending on your specific situation. It is impossible to find a cure until you exactly know what disease you fight with.

• Beyond the urge to learn what do you think is crucial quality to become a project manager?

Being a good organizer, especially in terms of self-organization. Good communication and interpersonal skills. High determination to make things done. That’s shortened version of the list of qualities a good project manager should possess I wrote some time ago.

Don’t treat it as the only way to become a project manager. Actually a lot of people choosing this role don’t suit it very much and that’s fine. Depending on a workplace a different character would work better.

• Tell us something about your blog, why did you start blogging?

Starting Software Project Management was a bit of an experiment for me. I generally like to write and I believed I have some valuable insight to share but at the same time I wasn't sure whether anyone would follow or how long I’d enjoy running the blog. I guess I can call it a success since the blog will soon be 4 year old, I earned decent readership and still have a lot of fun with it.

Subjects I write about aren't limited to project management since, as I've mentioned before, project management is only a part of what I do. I’m always open for a good discussion and I wish there were more comments on Software Project Management. I guess I should become more controversial but unfortunately that’s not my style.

• You talk about helping people often– how do you plan to do it?

Well, I write a blog, isn't that enough? OK, just kidding. I try to be active on a couple of forums, AskAboutProjects being my favorite recently. By the way I recommend it for everyone trying to find answer for project management related question. I always help people who contact me via email, Twitter or blog which sometimes results in pretty interesting discussions. I speak on relevant events from time to time, Agile Central Europe being the nearest one. I have a couple other ideas focused mainly on region where I live but at the moment they are still under development.

I believe help starts with small things. If you write a post which is liked or triggers hot discussion it helps. If you answer a question on forum which solves someone’s problem it helps too. If it is followed up with email discussion you help even more. If you answer some questions from students of local university it helps. If you draw audience attention with your presentation during an event it sure helps. Even if none of these things cost you much, and good presentation cost heck lot of work, they stack up. That’s how I look at it.

• Tell us something about you that we don’t know

I am a naive person. I wish people were more honest in business and much more often than not my straightforward approach ends up with worse deals than I could have got. It is also easy to impress me when I meet new people. I could tell a lot of stories about people who I thought were great when we met for the first time but later I completely changed my opinion about them and usually regretted I hadn't been more careful in the first place. I guess I just gave you a recipe to milk me in business.

Thank you Pawel for taking the time to do this.

(Pic Courtesy)

Are you happy at work?

Do you love what you do- your job or do you maintain it to pay the bills? How to be happy at work is what Karl Staib specializes in.

So, I ask him- what needs to be done to be happy and here are some great tips from him. Enjoy the interview.

How can work make you happy or can it? Most people I meet keep their jobs, so they have the money to do they like to do.

I believe work can make us happy. We need external elements to understand what excites us. For example I may love filming videos in my mind, but when it actually comes down to the preparation and execution I need to actually do it. The imagination is fluid, but actually doing the work is a whole different game. Our actions create results. It's these results that help us measure our development.

We need to do work that excites us. It's this work that we can connect with and also helps us bring value to other people.

Money is really far down on the list of things that make people happy at work. Relationships bring us the most happiness. When we share an experience we create bonds that support our development.

So, even if someone is not happy right now- what can they do to be happy?

I'm glad you asked this question. Happiness is really a state of mind. It's amazing how some people can connect to their work and others can't. I really believe it depends on the person's ability to reflect on the positive, make adjustments, and try new angles (finding a way to be creative at work) that help us build our happiness. It comes down to believing in what we do.

My favorite tool is a gratitude journal. Whenever I feel sad I write three things that I've enjoyed about my day. By refocusing my mind back on the positive I'm creating new synapses that build my emotional strength. Now it's become such a habit that I do it automatically, helping boost my mood, so I can do great work.

When you start your job and you are the newbie in the office and you don't have the best projects- how should you train your mind to be happy?

This is where happiness is overrated. We want a job to be perfect. We start our new job and we get the crap work. This is normal. We can't run the company in just 6 months. We need to find ways to develop ourselves at work while at the same time being so helpful that managers and co-workers notice you.

My suggestion would be to think of every task as a way to work on your emotions. If you are getting frustrated with the work use the "5 Whys" method. By asking yourself why 5 times you'll get to the root of the problem. 99% of the time the root cause will be your lack of emotional development.

What does happiness mean for you?

Happiness is helping business create an environment that loves its employees so much that they are dedicated to make their employees happy. Also hugging my son, going for a walk with my wife, and throwing the tennis ball for my obsessed dog. You should see how happy my dog is when chasing her ball; it just makes me laugh out loud.

Happy employees are productive employees- what should employers do to keep their employees happy?

Where do I start? Employers need to give their people the freedom to create great work. They also need to show appreciation for the hard work their people do and celebrate it as much as they can. They should also be given career and personal counseling. When you understand an employee's motivation it's easy to encourage great work out of them.

Relationships are the glue to work happiness. Most people leave a company because their manager is a terrible leader and/or they don't have any friends at work. Companies need to help their employees create better relationships that focus on employee's needs too.

Thank you Karl and hearing from you was certainly helpful.

If you want to know more, look up his site here or follow him on twitter

(Pic Courtesy)

The Style Quotient

This year I promised you that we will have the best of professional advice, so instead of pretending I know it all; I’d rather bring you to the experts.

So, what should you wear to work and how to get the right look- how about hearing from Mary Jo Matsumoto who is a designer of luxury goods that includes clothing, accessories, and perfume. She also works as an image consultant with a wide range of clients ranging from ladies who lunch to Fortune 500 mover and shakers. Her nationally syndicated lifestyle blog, TrustYourStyle.com has a feed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Lexis Nexis, Kindle and other major venues. The beauty editor at Affluent Magazine talks to us here today.

We all want to be stylish- how do you think it impacts our presence in our professional space?

Style tells a story without words. It's the first thing people take in before you open your mouth. It may sound basic, but dressing well and appropriately makes you feel better about yourself. I've seen this first-hand as clients who came to me feeling unsure of their dressing choices literally transformed in their career (and personal life) when they showed up at work looking pulled together and professional and began receiving compliments from higher-ups and important colleagues on their attire. When you show up looking like you can do the job, it sets off a nice chain reaction. People will have more confidence in you and treat you more respectfully. When you're treated with more respect, you rise to the occasion and perform better. Good performance is usually rewarded.

What according to you are the three staples that every newbie (male and female) should have in their wardrobe?

I believe in coordinating pieces that can be mixed and matched to really extend the look of your wardrobe. Here are the three basics to start with:

1) A nice white shirt that fits well and is well-made. White paired with a black or navy suit is classic and it will always make a more casual look pulled together.

2) A great jacket. Even if you have a job that doesn't require you to wear a suit, a great jacket will pull your outfit together. If you are just investing in one jacket, find one that has a well-made lining (that will extend the life of your jacket) and that looks great with skirts (for the ladies), dress pants, and can also be worn with more casual looks. I had to seriously convince one of my clients to spring for a beautiful tweed Armani jacket that cost as much as a more formal Armani suit he was buying. "But it doesn't even come with pants!" he argued. I knew that while part of his job was spent in a corporate office, he also had important meetings that took place on job sites where he needed to wear jeans. I also knew that these were important meetings on which millions of dollars were at stake and this well-made beautiful jacket worn with jeans would give him just the perfect amount of clout. I can't tell you the number of times he has finished up a meeting and called to thank me for recommending that jacket!

3) Shoes! I could write a book about this but I'll keep it brief. Try and find something classic, slightly conservative or at least not too decorative, so that it will go with as many of your business looks as possible. If you consider the number of hours you'll be wearing these, you'll think twice about buying a pair that is less than comfortable.

What should we look for while shopping?

The two key elements that separate a great look from an okay one are fit and quality. If you want to look your best you need to pay attention to the fit. Does it hang right? Do your pants graze your shoe at the right place? Do your sleeves hit your wrist at the right place? Is it too tight? Does it ride up? A good fit will enhance your appearance and minimize your flaws. It will be comfortable but not baggy.

Quality is not the same thing as price, but often it will be more expensive. Cheap fabrics will not last and you'll end up needing to replace them after (or in the middle of a season). If you save and buy something well made it can and will last you many seasons. Designer names often (but not always) equate quality. Consider the fabric. Does it feel good on your skin or scratchy? Then consider how many hours a day you spend at the office, plus add in the time commuting and going out with colleagues after work. I believe it's worth it to invest in clothing that will make you look and feel good.

Why are colors so important in a wardrobe? What do they say about you?

Colors telegraph self image. Darker colors are more serious than lighter ones, it's that simple. I think it's important to consider big picture career goals when you're looking to build or revamp your business wardrobe. Do you want to be liked or respected? If you're conscious about the colors you wear to work, you can affect your paycheck--I've seen it happen!

One client came to me frustrated because he was getting passed by for promotions repeatedly despite the fact that he was more experienced and knowledgeable than his colleagues who were being promoted. We sat down and talked about his career objectives. He wanted to be promoted to Vice President and hopefully one day be considered to run the company. I asked him how the people who were Vice Presidents dressed and how the CEO of the company dressed. We decided that instead of dressing like the Vice President that he hoped to be, to dress as if he were running the company. (This is not always the right strategy for every situation, but in this case it worked!) We picked out more somber colors, power colors if you will. In the past he had worn a lot of brown and gray--they did not compliment his complexion and they definitely did not stand out. He decided on 3 beautiful suits that were in a much darker color range than he normally wore. In a midnight navy suit, it was if he came into sharp focus. Not only was he promoted to Vice President within 3 months, but he was being groomed to be the next President of the company by the CEO himself!

Thank you!

An Armani jacket might not be the right fit for the newbies pocket but you get the point, dress your part! Yes, it helps most of the time. When I got a raise and was meeting more clients, my CEO wanted me to come dressed more professionally so I was ready to meet clients at moments notice. Point taken. I gave up my relaxed look to get the I-am-ready- look.

By the way, if you haven’t noticed, Mary’s site usually has some amazing give away’s every week and I recently won a cute bag. If you are planning on adding quality products to your wardrobe, try her site and then go shopping!

(Pic Courtesy- Mary Jo Matsumoto)

Interview with the Lazy PM

If working long hours, pushing the limits and getting back home late was not enough- we all wanted to be lazy. At least for a day!

Lazy as we think; is not always as bad as it sounds- ask Peter Taylor and he will tell you that.

I'd love to be lazy- so I ask him how can I be one?

I haven't read your book, but read the reviews and understand that you are saying through your book "The Lazy Project Manager" that being lazy doesn't mean being bad at your job. In fact, you can be lazy and productive- is that true? What did you mean by that?

'Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.' Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988)

By advocating being a 'lazy' project manager I do not intend that we should all do absolutely nothing. I am not saying we should all sit around drinking coffee, reading a good book and engaging in idle gossip whilst watching the project hours go by and the non-delivered project milestones disappear over the horizon. That would obviously be plain stupid and would result in an extremely short career in project management, in fact probably a very short career full stop!

Lazy does not mean Stupid. No I really mean that we should all adopt a more focused approach to project management and to exercise our efforts where it really matters, rather than rushing around like busy, busy bees involving ourselves in unimportant, non-critical activities that others can better address, or indeed that do not need addressing at all in some cases.

The Lazy Project Manager explores the science behind ‘productive laziness’ (yes there is some) and the intelligence behind ‘productive laziness’ (and yes there is some of that as well). It attempts to share with the reader some of my own experiences that have led to my style of project management where, it is often observed, that I appear to be less stressed, less busy and yet more productive.

‘Productive Laziness’ is the term that I use to express this approach and it is a style of working that is beneficial to an individual, through a better work/life balance, and to the project(s) that they are leading.

When someone is starting out in their profession (project management), no one will usually tell you to "be lazy". How can ‘newbies’ be lazy (if allowed) and yet be good at their work and impress their team?

Indeed, when starting out in a job or role for the first time there is often a belief (both from the individual and sometimes also the manager) that being extremely busy and putting in long hours can be productive. This is rarely the case over any length of time.

Now I am not suggesting that on day one you declare that you are off at 5pm regardless of what is going on, no I am just saying that by just being in the office or on site (in the clear visibility of management) does not equate to doing your job to the best of your abilities or on a productive manner.

No one will ever tell you to be lazy but they equally won’t tell you to be busy. The expectation is that you will get the job done to a good level of quality and within the expected time/cost frame. If you can achieve this and still leave time for other matters that will raise your profile and increase your personal skills and knowledge then all the better I say.

How did this concept of being lazy come to you? Have you always been "lazy"?

Well if I am truly honest it all began with an insult from my manager. At the time I had been working on a training program for our project managers and one of the common questions people asked me was ‘how do you manage to seem so relaxed and yet run a large business operation with hundreds of projects?’.

I was on my way back from Milan, Italy, and travelled with my manager. Now we have worked together for the last 15 years across three companies and he does know me very well. As we chatted about what would we like to do in life I mentioned that I enjoyed writing and speaking/presentations and that sort of thing could be fun to do. He agreed saying that I would probably be very good at this but that I was too ‘lazy’.

And there you have it – an insult? Perhaps but more an insight really, he had identified the key to describing my approach to work and life. From this came ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ and the world of productive laziness.

Now have I always been ‘lazy’ – no I don’t believe so. Certainly in my early days of project management I worked long and hard and definitely was a ‘busy, busy bee’ but after completing a major three year project I looked back and reflected on the effort I had put in to make the project successful. I realised that that much of what I had done was unnecessary and that I often created work for myself that was either not really essential or that others could have done (probably better that my efforts if truth be told).

The Lazy Project Manager was first a website in November 2008 and then a book in September 2009. Now I would love to share the world of productive laziness with the world through speaking engagements.

Wow! Tell me one thing that "laziness" should not be considered as?

An excuse to avoid doing something critical!

The Lazy Project Manager and the art of ‘productive laziness’ refers to the Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule), which states that for many phenomena 80% of consequences stem from 20% of the causes.

The principle was in fact suggested by management thinker Joseph M. Juran but it was named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of property in Italy was owned by 20% of the Italian population. The assumption is that most of the results in any situation are determined by a small number of causes.

So ‘20% of clients may be responsible for 80% of sales volume’. This can be evaluated and is likely to be roughly right, and can be helpful in future decision making. The Pareto Principle also applies to a variety of more mundane matters: one might guess approximately that we wear our 20% most favoured clothes about 80% of the time, perhaps we spend 80% of the time with 20% of our acquaintances and so on.

The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule can and should be used by every smart but lazy person in their daily life. The value of the Pareto Principle for a project manager is that it reminds you to focus on the 20 percent that matters.

The value of the Pareto Principle for a project manager is that it reminds you to focus on the 20 percent that really matters. These are the critical actions that you should prioritise on and that will deliver the most benefit to your project.

Three ways every project manager can be ‘productively lazy’?

Well where better to start than to focus the art of ‘productive laziness’ in the area of communication within the project.

The would be ‘lazy’ project manager will think very, very carefully about what they need to communicate and how they need to communicate it and why they are communicating what they are communicating.

The general guidance is that some 70-80% of a project manager’s time will be spent in communicating. That is 70-80% of your time!

So, if you play the productive lazy game at all, and you only apply it in one area of project management it makes blinding sense to do it here, in communication. This is by far the biggest activity and offers the greatest opportunity of time in the comfy chair.

Imagine if you would able to save some of that 70-80% of your time, how much more relaxed would you be?

Beyond this then consider how you are using your project team. Are they being truly utilised in the sense of applying their combined knowledge and skills? Could you use them more, delegate more, trust them more, and benefit from their experience more? I bet you could. Try it.

Finally, something I have always advocated if having fun. Whilst this does not necessarily allow you to be more ’productively lazy’ it does bring a very positive feeling to any project and thus should encourage the wider team to more ‘lazy’ (in a good way of course).

‘I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by’ Douglas Adams (Author of ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’)

You have to laugh; well I think you have to laugh.

Without a little bit of fun in every project then the project world can be a dark and depressing place.

Setting a professional but fun structure for your project can really be beneficial for when the problems start to rise up to challenge your plan of perfectness. And problems will inevitably arise.

And so, ending with a laugh and a wave:

A man in a hot air balloon was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a little bit more and shouted:

"Excuse me madam, can you help? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am’.

The man replied: ‘You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above alkali desert scrub habitat, 2.7 miles west of the Colorado River near one of the remnant populations and spawning grounds of the razorback sucker’.

‘You must be a biologist’ said the balloonist.

‘I am’ replied the woman. ‘How did you know?’

‘Well’ answered the balloonist ‘everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far’.

The woman below responded ‘You must be a project manager’.

‘I am’ replied the balloonist ‘but how did you know?’

‘Well, said the woman ‘you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise to someone that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is, you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow it's now my fault!’

Thank you Peter.

The interview inspired me so much, I went ahead and ordered the book last week. It hasn't been delivered, however I'll let you know what I thought of the lazy goodness once I have devoured it.

Be Lazy!

Sneak peek into the life of Project Manager's- Pt 2

This is Part 2 of the interview and if New Year Resolution is in style right now, that’s what I ask the Project Manager's- What’s your New Year resolution? Anything related to project management?

Alec Satin

Are there any other PM’s out there who love planning and goal setting so much that they do it all through the year? I actually couldn't wait for January 1 and revised my latest goals and objectives this past week. Don't want to give anything away - but let's just say that I can't wait to do some new things with my blog. In terms of project management, I'm excited to be part of the PMI New Media Council, and look forward to helping bring information both to and from Project Management International.

Here's to a successful, happy and healthy 2010 to you Soma, and all your readers.

Baas de Bar

In 2010 I will start active virtual mentoring and coaching.

Cornelius Fichtner

In the last 20 years I have had the same new year's resolution every single year. It is "I will not make any new year's resolutions.". I have a 20 year record of successfully completing this resolution.

Dina Garfinkel

New years resolution...I don't really make New Years Resolutions because a lot of the New Year thinking for me happens in the fall at the Jewish New Year. And even then I don't always remember to come up with specific goals, except the general one of trying to be a better person. This year I am definitely trying to work on improving my work/life/family balance... I need to make more quality time to spend with my kids before they get too old and tell me I'm not cool enough to hang out with them (they are ages 3 and 5 :)

Elizabeth Harrin

Finish the jumper I am knitting.

I say this every year, but be better at managing risks and issues. They should be active documents, not just a worksheet in a spreadsheet!

Flo Castro

I think my New Year's resolution will center around balance. I tend to schedule/accept too many meeting invitations in a day. This, in turn, leads to less time available to reflect on what was discussed and follow up on actions promised during each meeting. This is how project managers end up in the office late in the evening. Blocking time during the day so that you can reflect/plan/follow up is crucial to having time left for yourself at the end of each day.

Josh Nankivel

There was recently a #2010 hastag on twitter and my new year resolution is this: in 2010, I’ll strive to help more people than I did this year. I will be putting out more training material and lots of articles to help new and aspiring project managers reach their career goals.

Lindsay Scott

My own NY resolution related to project management is based around PMO (Programme Management Office), I’m a member of a voluntary group called PPSOSIG (Programme and Project Support Office Specialist Interest Group http://www.ppsosig.co.uk/) and we’ve been putting on conferences for the last 9 years in the UK. We’ve been holding two conferences a year and in 2010 I want to expand what we do so we can engage even more PMO professionals.

I’ve launched two local groups which concentrate on two major cities in the UK and I’m really excited about growing that in 2010. The events are going to be free, which is going to be great news for people and I’m looking forward to not only hosting the conferences but also project managing them (and hopefully making them a great success!)

Pawel Brodzinski

I don't do New Year resolutions. Actually every other date is as good as New Year to set the plan and start following it. My recent one is to engage local student community with a series of workshops focused on best engineering practices. This is something I missed when I was a student - there wasn't enough focus put on teaching methods which help to build high-quality software on time. It ends up people not learning how software is developed in real life until they start their first job. I wish they were entering job market equipped a bit better.

Samad Aidane (www.GuerrillaProjectManagement.com)

My New Year resolution, related to project management, is to enroll in and complete a meditation class. I want to learn how to use meditation to manage stress better. I have a major project coming up next year and I need all the help I can get.

Sreejith Kesavan

I could not implement or complete many of previous year’s resolutions – mainly related to acquiring some more academic qualifications and formal learning. However professionally it was a “happening” year with some interesting projects.

I don’t really have any bad habits to quit. How ever I am looking forward to upgrade my skills in management and technical aspects.

To read Part 1 of the interview and detailed bio of the interviewed Project Manager's click here.

(Pic Courtesy)

Interview with Jurgen Appelo

He has always inspired me and is considered one of the most serious blogger. I don't remember how I came across his blog, must have been blogroll of other bloggers.

The first time I read his blog, I went blank. The combination of research and thought that was put in most of the postings was so clear and refreshing. It was different. I wanted to write like him, may be if possible- even think like him.

So, this year I wanted to take that extra plunge and do things I wanted to do but was too scared to think about it. This is one of them. I have always wanted to interview him but thought he would deny. I was so sure, he would deny that I decided to write an email and ask. I mean- what the heck- he would deny anyways, so why not just write an email and forget about it.

I ended up getting 15 minutes of his time- so here is Jurgen Appelo!

How do you inspire yourself everyday?

I have no need to inspire myself. I am always curious to know how the world works, and I always want to find out what my own opinion is on many different topics. So I never have trouble picking up another book, or a science magazine, or reading blog posts. Because I know that I will be interested in the new knowledge available for me to discover. And I am usually rewarded with insights, in the form of "Wow, I never knew!" or "Of course! That explains it!" I really love such moments. And then, having picked up new things here and there, I am ready to write about my own thoughts, which is usually little more than connecting the dots between different things I've learned.

Do you have a regular schedule that you start your day with?

No, I have trouble getting out of bed. But I also have trouble going to bed (always too late), so that compensates for the first problem. :) I don't keep regular schedules throughout the day, because for me that doesn't seem to work. For example, writing is something I cannot do for 8 hours straight. I simply lose my concentration. I like my days best when I do a number of different things.

How did you train yourself for what you are doing today (and I don't mean the certifications and degrees)?

I'm afraid I have a very boring answer: I simply read a lot, and I practice a lot. I have read a few different books on writing (how to write well, how to write blogs, how to write books). It helps to learn from the experts that way. But practice is even more important. Looking back at the first blog posts I wrote, I think they are awful. I became much better at writing blog posts. But you only get there by writing many bad ones first. Now I'm writing a book for the first time. And it's a whole new learning experience for me. Maybe some time in the future, when I'm writing my 10th book, I will look back on the book I'm writing now, and I will think "My god, that was an awful book I wrote back then!" :)

What is more important- talent and IQ or the inspiration and conviction to go the extra mile?

Both, I think. If you are untalented it seems to me it doesn't make much sense to go the extra mile. It would be a waste of effort. For example, I know I am bad at sales and account management. It's not my thing. I could spend 100 hours trying to learn it, but (because I have no talents in that area) the return on investment wouldn't be worth it. Of course, I probably would get a little better at it, but not much. Instead, it is wiser to spend those 100 hours on things that I have some talents in. Because then the return on investment is much higher.

Thank you very much.

Oops I forgot to ask, if I can have an autograph- a signed copy of a sticky note would do.

Sneak peek into the life of Project Manager's- Pt 1

This is my second year of this year ending tradition and it's one of the best

moments that I really enjoy.

This year ends with a fun light-hearted interview where the Project Managers talk about their everyday routine and New Year resolutions. I have always wondered how most of them have the time to do so much. Running successful blogs, doing podcasts and writing books along with high profile jobs and managing their global team.

So, I wanted to peek into their secret schedules with the hope that I might
borrow some of their routine and fit into mine.

I ask them 2 simple questions:

• Do you have an everyday routine that you start your work with everyday?
  
• What’s your New Year resolution? Anything related to project management?
  

Part 1 of the interview is where we talk about their Morning schedules. Stayed tuned for Part 2 coming up on January 4 (Monday).

This is what they said-

Alec Satin

Morning is the most productive time for me. Someone from the software development side once recommended that all project managers schedule their status and team meetings in the afternoon, as it keeps the most productive time for developers open. That idea makes a lot of sense.

Here are the things I tend to do most mornings:

• Write down 3 things for which I feel grateful
  
• Imagine (and write down) a few sentences about how I envision the day going.
  
• Review all open items in my Autofocus task log and select any that must be completed today.
  
• Add any tickler items from my google calender to my autofocus log.
  
• Note the day's meetings and prepare any notes, documents, etc as
  needed.
  
• Prepare a large glass of hot green tea (Pi Lu Chun from Upton Tea is a current favorite)
  
  

Baas de Bar

The start of my day consists of coffee, coffee and coffee.

I like to leave the start of the day as much open as possible, to be able to "walk around", get in touch with remote team members, go through the mail, etc.

Cornelius Fichtner

After I have had my cup of tea in the morning I do what everyone else who works in an office does these days: I sit at my computer and I answer the ten-trillion emails that seem to have arrived overnight. My project team members are in various time zones around the world, so it's quite normal for me to spend about one hour just responding before I can get any other work done. Note that I said " get any other work done" and not "get any real work done".

This is an important distinction. Many people think that answering emails in the morning isn't real work, but remember that one of the most important jobs that we project managers have is to communicate. We receive information, we disseminate the content, we correlate it with other information on the project and then we make decisions and communicate these decisions to other people. That is why I don't look at this morning "ritual" as something that makes me lose time but as something that allows me to keep on top of my projects and to keep everyone else on target.

But sometimes I do wonder why people who live in the same town as I do send emails to me at 2am in the morning. Don't they ever sleep... ;-)

Dina Garfinkel

My team here has interesting hours, they all come in/start at different times(including me). So, morning meetings normally don't work out so well,anything we need to do early in the day happens around 11am or later.So, my own routine before I start moving on my day is to scroll through the twitter-#PMOT feed from the last 10-12 hours, see if there was anything interesting that came in the night before. I am more of alurker than a contributor, but I do try to contribute when I can.

Elizabeth Harrin

My normal routine is more like - Promise myself I will get up in time to have a healthy breakfast. Get out of bed at the last minute and grab unhealthy breakfast on the way to work (current choice is Caffe Nero's Amaretto Latte which comes with a free biscuit).

I am normally in the office around 8.30am. Most of the time my team is not in the same building as me, so I don't routinely call them together for a stand up meeting or anything, although on Tuesday mornings we have a team conference call. I'm addicted to my Blackberry so by the time I get to my desk I have already read all my messages on the tube on the way to work.

Once I'm settled, breakfast over, I review the top three things that I wrote on a post-it note the evening before, which I stick on my laptop when I pack it away for the night. That gives me my three most important things to get done that day and a focus for my activity.

Flo Castro

Each day and each night I have a routine. Each day before I leave/close down, I look at the actions set for the rest of each week. Each day before I leave I check off, add, and prioritize what needs to get done to meet those goals. Each morning does have one common element.

NO day starts without espresso. No day. First thing each day, Igenerally review what needs to happen each day pretty to keep critical path initiatives on track. Then I reach out to my teams;

since they are generally geographically varied, I will dial them.

(Flo Castro has a fifteen year track record as an information systems program and project manager, with a broad range of expertise in Information governance, Enterprise software development & integration, eDiscovery, and Strategic information planning/Business intelligence. Prior to Vetta Solutions, Flo was a program manager and JPMorgan Chase, & Cos. where she led eDiscovery, Finance, Trading, and Investment Banking initiatives. She maintains annual program portfolio s of $21MM to $36MM annually. She has been a PMP since 2002.)

Josh Nankivel

• First, I get a good breakfast and go to the gym every morning. The exercise and nutrition wake me up and get me excited about the day!
  
• When I get to work, I would usually walk around a bit and chat with my team for about 10 minutes. Now that I'm producing training full time, this is mostly Twitter time for me!
  
• Next I bring up my to-do list that I updated the night before. I glance over the top things on it and get it ready for my next step.
  
• Calendar check - take note of meetings
  
• Email time. Anything that's actionable within 2 minutes I do immediately. Everything else goes on my to-do list. I mark all email as read and clear it from my inbox. I'm done when my inbox is empty. (In some cases, I block out time on my calendar to work on a specific to-do item)
  
• My to-do list is now updated and in priority order. I use it and my calendar to guide my activities throughout the day.
  

Lindsay Scott

My work day always starts with my plan for the day; I use a day book which contains a list of everything I want to achieve in that day. Sometimes the list is already pretty full with some carry overs from the day before! Generally though it works for me and I would be pretty lost without it.

Depending on the day of the week the mornings might start with our team breakfast which we do every Friday. This is an opportunity for us all to talk about current workloads, any new ideas we want to develop or help each other out on any issues that might have surfaced during the week. It’s an informal meeting but actually this is how most of our business improvements might be kicked off, an idea generated by anyone within the team. Other days the mornings might be spend on set pieces of work, we do a lot of blogging, twittering and other social media activities and it’s important we do this every day so a schedule of activity is needed for each member of the communications team.

(Lindsay Scott is Director of Arras People, the Programme and Project Management Recruitment Specialists. Lindsay is also an enthusiastic blogger on How to Manage a Camel which is focused on project management and careers. Lindsay is also interested in the world of PMO within project management and helps run the PPSOSIG)

Pawel Brodzinski

I grab a cup of tea or coffee and I skim through emails, rss feeds and general news. If there's something important to do I find in email or I know before I come to office I terminate the routine and start dealing with the priority issue.

(Pawel Brodzinski is a team builder, project firefighter and program manager. He runs Software Project Management blog where he shares his knowledge and experience in creating software, managing projects and building great teams)

Samad Aidane

I try (and the key word here is “try”) to list the top 3 priorities for the day and make sure that if, by the end of the day, I don’t complete them that I at least have made major progress on each one of them.

It is hard to do this every day, with all the fire fighting that has to be done, but it always feels good when I can do this.

(Samad Aidane is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with over 15 years of IT experience. His industry experience spans Telecom, Finance and Health Care, and Government on projects in U.S, Germany, Austria, and Belgium. For the last five years, Samad has been focusing on two specialty areas: Large complex system integration projects and troubled project recovery.Samad shares his thoughts on project management at www.GuerrillaProjectManagement.com. He is a member of the Project Management Institute including the Information Systems SIG, Olympia Washington PMI Chapter, and Puget Sound Washington PMI Chapter.)

Sreejith Kesavan

I am totally different person at home compared to office. Let me presume that what I do at home is not quite relevant here.

I start my work day with a long drive to the plant where I am working. It’s a gas processing plant. We have a site office and I start the day with a half an hour standing meeting with my team. We discuss the outcomes of last day’s work, pending activities and scheduled work for the day.

I believe in work ownership, accountability and chain of command. These things are essential to run any organization or team. Where people don’t take ownership of the work they are performing, you may observe several delays and issues. I use “Why” method to find root cause whenever a complaint or issue has been received or where ever I find things improper. We meet and communicate throughout the day attending work packs and trouble shooting.

Hope you enjoyed the interviews as much as I did going through them.

The New Year begins with another interview from none other than Jurgen Appelo himself.

Happy New Year everyone!

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

What is agile?

Interview with Raj Menon, the author of http://leadership.13apples.com/.

We talk about Agile and what it takes to be the Agile Expert. Here's a prelude to Agile before you read the interview.

We hear so much about Agile and Scrum- what’s the difference between them?
Agile is a software development methodology which is an alternative SDLC "better" than Waterfall, iterative in nature and encourages teamcollaboration, accountability and trust. SCRUM is a framework that helps execute agile software development. SCRUM emphasizes on enabling a self-organizing multi-functional team to work on prioritized tasks in 2-4 weeks cycles called sprints.

If you wanted to be an expert in any of these, how do you think oneshould go for it?
In my opinion, one does not become an expert in SCRUM. One can only try to follow SCRUM to the best of their knowledge and abilities to bring about a fundamental change in project and people management.

SCRUM is simple in concept but tough to implement. Why? Because changes are tough and it takes time, patience and persistence. Has anyone ever become an expert change agent? I don’t think so coz change is so dynamic in nature that whenever you go about changing something or someone, it is a new struggle every time. If you truly learn and follow SCRUM, you are a change agent. Your objectives are simply to change the way projects are managed, the way teams are organized and valued and make success a repetitive reality.

What are the pre-requisites for the Certifications?

• A genuine interest to bring about a fresh perspective to software development.
• Two days of free time
• USD - $600 if you take it in India and $1300 in States

That is all you need to go in for CSM certification training.

How difficult was it to take the exam after just taking classes for 2days? Is that all the preparation you need to take?

This is a question everyone who is interested in SCRUM certification seems to be commonly wondering/asking. Yes, 2 days of training is all you need to learn and fall in love with SCRUM. In these 2 days you implement SCRUM from ground up and you practice it. You end up learning a lot and most importantly you will question your fundamental beliefs and learning’s from the past.

Any suggestions for taking the exams?

I have not taken the exam as I got certified in an Aug'09 batch, much before the exams kicked in. However, my suggestion to those who are taking the exam would be to pay full attention in the 2 days of training and ask as many questions as possible, even if you think it may sound silly. Keep an open mind. If you do, the exam should be a breeze.

On a personal note, how did you get into project management?

The right environment, the opportunities it provided, the leaders who mentored me, my confidence in pursuing challenges without the fear of failure, an ambition to grow, the desire to bring about changes, and my people management skills - are some of the main drivers that got a ASP developer into project/program management. It was a calling.

I know you blog, so what does your site primarily focus on?
Yes, I blog to feed my passion to write. My blog is called http://www.13apples.com/ and focuses primarily on leadership from every walk of life - from my experiences to my thoughts and observations of leadership that I believe is all around us. The site is also a source for Toastmasters speeches and articles on public speaking, communication tools and techniques, team building, team motivation and now Agile/SCRUM.

To know more about his experience, read this.

Raj Menon, the creator of 13apples.com (formerly known as lap31) is a Program Manager by profession and Leadership Blogger by passion. He explores the mindset of a leader and what it takes to be one as he shares his own experiences and thoughts through his writing. Follow Raj on Twitter.
(Pic Courtesy)

Interview with Joelle Godfrey

I met Joelle A. Godfrey through Twitter, she tweets about Project Management and following her is enough to learn about the basics of project management and then dive deeper into the intricacies.

She is a Project Management Professional specializing in Risk Management and helps companies reach their market delivery dates on time and minimize operation costs by focusing on risk management and continuous improvement.

She graduated from Princeton University where she earned her Bachelors degree in English, later earning a Masters in Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management. A member of the Project Management Institute from which she received her Project Management Professional Certification in 2002. She was certified a Motorola Six Sigma Green Belt in 2006.You can see her website here and follow her in Twitter as well.

Joelle thank you very much for taking the time out for the interview.

How did you decide to become a project manager? Is it something you always wanted to be?

I started my career as a technical writer and transitioned into web development. At the time, I was fortunate to work with someone who recommended that I look into Project Management and gave me the opportunity to work on a Y2K project for the department. Later he recommended me for a role at Motorola.

What has been the most fulfilling experience you have had as a project manager?

I enjoy putting together a plan, working with people from each cross-functional team to ensure that we have covered critical areas of risk and identified risks we need to track. I also enjoy executing on the plan and passing milestones.

I read a lot about Japan in your twitter account, it seems you have stayed there for some time.

Actually, I’ve never been to Japan. I started studying Japanese a year ago and I’ve wanted to go there ever since. My goal is to travel there as soon as I find another job and get back into the flow of working full-time.

Do you still remember your first day as a PM, were you nervous....how was it?

I have a horrible memory. I don’t recall what my first day was like, but if I could look back, I would tell myself to ask more questions.

In todays market, what would be the best strategy to become a project manager


I don’t know. It depends on where you’re starting from. I recommend building up your skillset by getting a project management certificate and asking your manager for an opportunity to support a PM on another project. 


Any recommendation on books you should read or tweets you should follow?

If I run into someone who tweets on Project Management I follow them. Search twitter for the #pmot hashtag and start there.
Right now I’d recommend: Right Brain Project Management by B. Michael Aucoin, Radical Project Management by Robb Thomsett and Re-inventing Project Management by Aaron J. Shenhar and Dov Dvir. All excellent books that I recommend you keep in your library for future reference.

Coming from a background in English Literature, was it hard transitioning into a technical field? What would you suggest to those coming from non technical background who want to work as project managers?

I don't think having a liberal arts background is a disadvantage - I think it helped me be flexible and continue to change to meet the demands of my career. That's what I would recommend to others who don't have a technical degree: continue to grow. If you need to pick up more traditional technical certifications to be more marketable - do so.

Thank you.

(Pic courtesy)