Showing posts with label Interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interviews. Show all posts

Interview with Ron Rosenhead

Here's the answer for those who saw the lateral thinking post!


So, today we have the honor to interview Ron Rosenhead, who is Managing Director of Project Agency. He first became interested in project management when involved in a major change management project. Since then he has run many project events and workshops, helped organisations develop their own project management system and spoken at conferences. 

How does your day usually look like?
There is no typical day for me which is why the job is so much fun. One day I am running an event for a client, another planning an event for a client. Maybe I am out selling or researching and writing blogs. I try and take time out from work as much as possible because all work and no play…

I travel a fair amount in the UK and I chose to use the train a lot. This gives me time for reading and relaxing.

No typical day, not even running events as each group is so different

What do you see as a major change in trend in project management for 2013?

  • I am writing a book on project sponsorship with Vicki James & Peter Taylor. I think this will be a big area in 2013 and not simply because of the book we are writing. I am getting more and more enquiries about this area.
  • Benefits management will grow in its importance. The need to be able to justify projects (especially with public money) is growing 
  • People skills/soft skills  - I started my life as a ‘soft skills ‘trainer and there has never been enough emphasis on the people side of project management. I see this as a growing area


3 qualities every aspiring project manager should have.

Wow, only 3? Difficult however here goes:

  • clearly the project manager should know about project management. Whether that is a qualification or experience I do not mind. The project manager needs to immerse themselves within project management and get to know as much a possible about it – in a practical (not theoretical) way 
  • people (soft) skills – projects are delivered by people. It is essential that the PM develops great people (soft) skills. Dealing with a difficult stakeholder can enhance the project if done well. Done badly can make the job really difficult
  • learn – you will make mistakes and learn from them. We have all made mistakes however the good PM will realize they can build on their knowledge and experience by being honest and sharing the mistakes with others and learning from them

Tell us a little more about Project Agency and what  training programs are conducted? Are there any training's for people stepping into project management?

A lot of our work focuses on those who are professionals and find themselves ‘involved with project management’ but have not had very much training. One of our courses: We have had over 14,000 people on our Perfect Project course. It is tied, tested and practical and is aimed at those who are new to project management.

Some of our courses are customized to meet client needs however I would judge around 80% are new to project management in some way or other.

We also work 1 to 1 with individuals, coaching and working with them to deliver projects.

Another area is to support the company by developing in-house project management approaches that really work. This involves some consultancy and then training however I am really aware of the needs of people who are new to project management


How can people reach you?
They can contact me by:

email: rr@projectagency.com
phone: +44 (0) 208 446 7766
Skype: ron.rosenhead1
web site: www.projectagency.com

Thank you Ron!

(Pic Courtesy: projectagency.com)

Need your help

Have you ever outsourced your project? Parts of it? Have you every worked with third party vendors as part of the outsourcing? Have you seen/heard/encountered problems with outsourced projects? Have you experienced first hand problems related to difference in culture,communication and failure in overcoming time zones? Do  you have strong opinions on part of projects being outsourced? Have you worked with a vendor who took the extra initiative that was applauded?

I can use your help for my next book and would love to have couple of minutes of your time. Please email or DM me in twitter (@Soma_B).

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

To read more about project management, read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community.

Interview with Naomi Caietti


Today we have the honor of interviewing  Naomi Caietti has been a consultant, author, speaker and recognized expert on personal growth and leadership development for project managers for 10 years. She is a global speaker and is a featured subject matter expert for the ProjectManagement.com community that reaches over 550K members. She was a featured speaker for their PMXPO 2011 on the topic "The Hard Work of Mastering Soft Skills: Take Your Leadership to the Next Level; with an audience reach of over 2000 attendees

She lives in Northern California and enjoys outdoor activities with her family and her two beloved dogs; Brownie and Biskit.

How did you become a project manager? Did you have a plan?

My dream job years ago would have been as an athletic coach or working as a fashion business executive.  Well, today I could not be further from my original dream but let’s see where I landed.


Most project managers come up through the ranks in an organization as “accidental” project managers (PMs): certainly this was my story.  Education was always very important to me; my path began when I attended college and graduated from California State University Sacramento with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  I took a job out of college at an insurance company and worked in their Information Technology (IT) Division as a pc coordinator.

 It was a wonderful experience because I was mentored by ex-IBMers and they really focused on growing new IT staff.  Learning new data center processes and techniques was a daily experience and I became responsible for business analysis, software, and IT data center and telecommunication infrastructure, procurement, desktop support and training.  Also, I was one of the main points of contact in my unit for most of our internal lines of business so I really enjoyed the customer service side of my job as well.

After about five years, I had the opportunity to work for in the public sector as a business analyst for the California State Lottery; a state agency that runs a lot like a private sector business.  It was a perfect fit for me and so my journey in public service working in IT started me down a path I didn't exactly plan for …at least not until 10 years ago.

Working in a male dominated profession was challenging but I found that there was plenty of other women programmers, IT Managers and Executives that supported my continued career path.  As the profession of project management matured and was recognized as more valuable in both government and the private sector, I focused on putting together a plan to sit for the exam and get my credential as a Project Management Professional..(PMP)  Below were my 5 – 10 year goals that guided me through the process:

  • Increase my capacity for individual growth, PM maturity and achievement by earning my PMP® certification.
  • Gain a better understanding of my leadership style and continuously improve specific leadership and communication skills through volunteer opportunities in my community.
  • Enhance my ability to lead by example with a calmer, focused, energetic presence to produce results.
  • Enhance organizational maturity and accomplish critical organizational initiatives by exposure to new insights for leadership issues and techniques.
  • Expand my network of practitioners’ to influence advancement and growth of the profession of project management 

So, for the last ten years I focused on growing complimentary skill sets for my career as an IT project manager.  I served as a volunteer leader with Project Management Institute in various volunteer leadership capacities, passed my PMP exam, graduated from PMI’s Leadership Institute Master Class Program and along with other project managers on twitter (#PMOT) found my voice my on Social Media.  

Today, I’m very active within the PMI community as a thought leader, speaker, published author and blogger and in my day job I work as a credentialed Project Manager and Enterprise Architect working in the field of Information Technology in the public sector in California. As an Enterprise Architect (EA), I help define how information and technology will support the business operations and provide benefits for the business. Over the years, I've enjoyed consulting with teams to design, build and implement technology. IT  is a exciting field for project managers; I'm a geek at heart and a dreamer on a deadline.

What's the secret of your success?

These are my top 10 secrets to my success:

  • Believe in yourself; be willing to take risks, reach for YOUR dreams and set lofty goals. - Only YOU can determine what you can and can't achieve.
  • Power of the mirror - Self discovery of your inner giftedness, integrity, and character will be the most powerful keys to your success. 
  • Mentor others and lend a hand to help others achieve their success. - You will truly pass along a long lasting legacy and learn from those who you've mentored in the process. 
  • Surround yourself with other successful leaders and foster global relationships to perpetuate continuous growth and development. - change is constant; growth is optional. 
  • Develop a greater cultural awareness and be adaptable to lead project teams in virtual communities around the world. - We live in a virtual world today so the ability to adapt is essential. 
  • Think of failure as success in disguise – be willing to learn from your mistakes, find a mentor/coach, and focus on your personal growth. 
  • Network - Reach out to your community to network, attend meetings, and offer to share knowledge in social networks. 
  • Have a voice  – Overcome your fear of speaking, put yourself out there, share your stories. 
  • Reflection – Reflect back to move forward; there is nothing more powerful than to take stock of what you've accomplished to begin the next chapter of your life. 
  • Openness – Put yourself in the way of new opportunities; you will be amazed at the new relationships you will form and opportunities you will get involved in to help make a difference in someone’s life.

How does your day usually look like?

Well, just check in with any project manager and you may hear them say:
•I'm running to another meeting.
•I'll be right there; I have to update my issues and risk log
•Let me share a copy of the project charter; you'll want to review prior to our conference call

Three qualities any newbie venturing into project management should have.

Project Management is not for the faint of heart otherwise, everyone would be doing it.  It’s both and art and science to manage the reality of projects; people, processes and politics.

Here are my top three:

  • Self Motivated – Project Managers must have the drive and passion to multi task in most environments today.  You may be managing multiple projects and need to be able to be good at time management and focus your attention on a myriad of project activities.  So, here’s a fun way to look at being self motivated. Be a STAR – Self motivated, Team player, Always, Ready to Shine
  • Be Adaptable – Embrace ambiguity.  Projects can take on a life of their own and as a project manager you are responsible to deliver your projects on time, within budget and that meet customer needs.  It’s no small task so make it a daily focus to do the following: Be Open, Be Flexible, Be Present
  • Good communicator – Communication is 90% of a project manager’s job on a daily basis.  You must be able to acquire these core skills through training and personal development working with a mentor or senior project manager.  You’ll develop a library of best practices of tools, tips and techniques in your bag that you will reuse and refine over time.   

What do you see as a major change in project management in 2013?

These are my top three:

  • Multi-faceted skill sets – Major industries like Information Technology, Telecommunications, Healthcare, to name a few, have undergone significant downsizing due to the economy.  All organizations are running projects of various sizes and complexity so the need for project managers who are versed in project, program and agility using agile methodologies will continue to be in high demand.
  • Core skills (soft skills) are just as important today and continue to be equally important to be relevant in the marketplace as a candidate looking for employment or if you are looking for your next project or promotion.
  • Creative disruption is growing as more organizations continue to evolve and find ways to grown their brand, stay competitive in the marketplace and retain customers.  Project Managers also need to recognize that what made them successful today, may not make them successful in the future. Project Managers should focus on their brand, participate in social media, and plan to network more in 2013.

Thank you Naomi.

Interview with Jeff Furman


This is a very special interview where I have the honor to interview Jeff Furman PMP who has a dual background as an IT Project Manager and Corporate Trainer, and is the author of “The Project Management Answer Book” (©2011, Management Concepts). 

As a PM he has led many successful IT projects for Fortune 500 companies in the NYC area, specializing in: new product evaluation and implementation, development tool support, and managing a mission-critical IT change management system used by more than 1,000 application developers 24x7. He currently teaches several project management classes for NYU in Manhattan, as well as PMP Prep for NetCom Learning and on-base for the US Army.

You can contact Jeff directly at @PMAnswerBook or at www.Jeff-Furman.com


How did you become a project manager? Did u plan for it?

Not exactly! My journey was what is referred to nowadays as an “Accidental PM!”              

For several years, I had been the primary in-house IT technical trainer for a large brokerage in New York City.  In this role, I was creating and teaching quick-start courses on the development tools the IT coders were using to create the apps that ran the business.

What happened is I started getting called-upon more and more to provide technical support for the tools I was teaching the developers.

Eventually the need emerged for a full-time Technical PM to handle various new projects that were popping up, most importantly the roll-out of an IT Change Management System for the Developers.   And so I was asked to manage the project of customizing the IT Change Management system, getting the department to use it, and then supporting the system.

I hadn't planned for it, but I had become very hands-on with the many software products that made up the company’s unique environment. And so I was tapped for this role, partly for my technical knowledge, partly for my communication and influencing skills, and also because I had already developed such a strong rapport with hundreds of the developers as their trainer.

I read that you are working with the U.S. army and training them in project management- how is that going? How different is it from training corporate professionals?

Teaching PMP for the Army has been one of the best successes I’ve ever had, and one of the most gratifying projects.  So far, I’ve taught 12 weeks on-site at Army bases, traveling to Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas.  It’s been very satisfying, because they are such motivated students.

One big difference between training Army vs. Corporate is that the senior leaders in the Army fully commit to take part in the training along with their people, no matter how busy they are.  This sets a great leadership example for their people, because they attend every session, participate and share their knowledge freely, and especially because the senior leaders are usually the first to take their PMP tests after the training!

This motivates the PMs they are leading to push themselves hard and to pass their exams also.

Many people don’t realize that PMs in the Army manage a lot of the same kind of projects as PMs in private industry, especially IT projects.

But imagine doing your projects in a war-zone, literally!  (compared to us here in NYC holding status meetings in our air-conditioned “war rooms”)

And the soldiers tell me about all kinds of unusual constraints they need to deal with. One Army PM told me about a project he led where he was required to gain approval on all key decisions from a rep in every single country that is part of NATO – talk about politics!

And an extra plus about teaching for the Army is the feeling of “giving back.”  I very much like knowing that my classes have helped make many of the soldiers more productive on their projects, and also more promotable.  When they get their CAPM or PMP, it helps them advance within the Army (I just got a thank-you note from one of my students who got his PMP and was promoted soon after, both in rank and responsibility).

And I enjoy knowing that the certifications will also make the soldiers and officers more marketable when they return to civilian life. Several of my Army students have let me know that their PMP cert attained from my class helped them land PM jobs later in private industry, after they retired from the service.

What's the secret of your success?

In my PM work, I have always tried to stand up for what I believed was right. I’ve had to take unpopular positions at times. But I very often prevailed, partly because I am good at making a case, but mainly because I was trying to do what I believed was truly in the best interest of BOTH my customers and my company (something I go into in detail in the Ethics chapter in my book, part of what I call the “Triple Constraint for Ethics.”)  So even when I’ve gone up against senior managers, they could see I was trying to go for the best long-term solution, which made them willing to listen.

Also, my strong communication skills (writing, speaking, and teaching) have helped me as a manager in many ways.  When my teams would work with new software products, I would occasionally write an article about our findings and it would be published in one of the IT industry magazines.  This helped bring good exposure, and helped all our careers. And a couple of times I involved my team-members in co-writing the articles, which they liked a lot, and which helped in team-building.

My experience as a trainer helped me learn to work well with people of many different titles, levels, and backgrounds.  Corporate training gave me experience in a lot of PM skill areas: Requirements gathering,Influencing skills, Consensus-building, Goal-setting, Team-building, CustSat, Quality management, Scope management & Time-management.

Another part of my success was again the word “accidental” - The training company where I first applied to teach PMP likes to put their potential trainers through a rigorous Train-the-Trainer / Presentation Skills class. The class improves the potential trainer’s skills, but it’s also an opportunity for the company to evaluate each candidate’s training abilities.  I took advantage of this course as an opportunity, and earned a certification from it: CompTIA’s CTT+ (Certified Technical Trainer).

This enabled me to start teaching the Train-the-Trainer class as well as PMP for this company.  And I've been able to apply many of the skills covered in the Presentation Skills class toward making my PMP classes as engaging and interactive as possible (not just blasting through a lot of PowerPoint slides).

Today's generation has so much help that they get over the web, how do you think they should prepare in trying to become a project manager?

As valuable as the many web resources are, and I use them a great deal myself, I think it’s important for certain topics to tap into the “deep dive” that a) classes, b) hands-on experience, and c) books can provide.

For example, before you would lend someone your car, you wouldn't want them to learn to drive by an online simulation only!  And in training departments in the business world, activity-based training methods such as “Action Learning” are very popular nowadays.

For complex ideas, I think a book is still often best.  For example, in “The Goal,” by Eliyahu Goldratt, he presented original and powerful ideas about project management in an entertaining and very accessible novel. He used metaphor and a dramatic story-line to introduce his PM theories (Critical Chain Theory and Theory of Constraints.  This made the book fun to read, and easy to absorb and remember.

And many people still prefer live classes over online, partly for the classroom experience and the networking opportunities they provide.

That said, here are two recommended web resources I think your followers might benefit greatly from:

1) PMI offers an online “New Practitioners” CoP (Community of Practice)
    which is free for members and is in a similar spirit as “Stepping Into PM”
2) And there are several CAPM related LinkedIn groups where a lot of
    good information-sharing and networking take place.  They are easy to
    find: just go into LinkedIn  Select “Groups,” and then key in “CAPM”        
    in the search box, and join whichever groups catch your eye.

Three qualities any newbie venturing into project management should have.


  • Long Term Results-Oriented- Project success is tied to profit, but long-term profit is what counts. You want successes that your clients will want to share with their colleagues, and ideally bring your company repeat business, new business and referrals (versus “here today, gone tomorrow”)


  • Strong Ethics- People like to work with managers who make ethical decisions and  perform with professionalism. If a stakeholder perceives someone on  a project as “ethically-challenged” (even if they are otherwise good)  it is almost impossible to change their mind or ever win them back. 


  • Life-Long Learner  – There are so many new methods and tools emerging all the time that it’s key to be willing to keep learning and embracing change. Today’s most successful PMs keep up with blogs and podcasts, attend PM seminars, read books in their field, participate and network in social media groups, attain new certifications, and share their knowledge with their teams. 

Tell us something about your project management book and where can we find it?

Many readers tell me that my book, “The Project Management Answer Book,” made the PMBOK very easy and accessible for them, and helped them a great deal with their PMP and CAPM exams because of its short and clear Q&A format.  It contains all the best test tips and study aids
from the thousands of hours I taught PMP before I wrote it.

And it’s a double book, because it’s a PMP book but also a “hands-on” practitioner’s guide, with many templates of key PM documents and best practices, plus Top 10 Lists to help PMs in many areas.

And Soma, since your blog is very international, my book is popular with international readers - my Facebook fan page has “Likes” from PMs in 12 different countries so far! It’s available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle at www.PMAnswerBook.com or PMI members can use their membership discount to buy it from PMI Marketplace.

Thank you so much Jeff!

(Pic Courtesy: Jeff Furman)



To read more about project management and know how to get into the domain, read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community.

Interview with a Project Manager & his Tea Business

Tony Gebely works in IT- thats how I met him. He also has been working with small tea farmers in China, Japan, India, Nepal, and New Zealand to secure the best hand-crafted teas possible at fair prices for the Chicago Tea Garden.

He's great guy (yes, I know him) and love the tea (I have ordered from his company while in Chicago. Tea is awesome, so is the story that comes with it).

He has been sucessfull (click here for reviews/press coverage) , is running his business and who better to interview than someone who has been doing 2 things successfully. A project Manager in tea business!

To read more about the company and know him, see his blog.



You worked in IT and then you decided to start your business- why?
I wanted to be on a path where I could one day be my own boss and make my own hours. Also, being in the tea industry, I’d be able to travel to tea origins, so I gave it a go.

Why Tea?
I fell in love with tea while backpacking through Asia in 2005 and again in 2008, I started Chicago Tea Garden in 2010. I found that there is a huge lack of respect for tea in American culture, and I wanted to help forge an understanding of tea and it’s roots.

You are one of those very few people who still have a regular full time job and are successful in the business? How do you split and manage your time between the two?
This is very difficult, I have a full time job, I’m writing a book, and I’m running  the business. The weeks for me are very busy I usually have 12-14 hour working days from Monday – Friday, every now and then I’ll spend a weekend day working or holding a tea tasting, but for the most part I relax on the weekends.

Has your experience in IT or project management really helped you in your business? Do you plan through everything?
Yes, my experience in IT has helped tons, it’s a web-based business so I treated the entire build-out like a project and still do. I’m working on version 2 of the website right now. Early on, I realized that since I’m a one-man team, every single thing I do has to be well planned out and be 100% effective if I’m going to compete with tea companies that have entire teams of people working for them.

3 things you wished you knew when you started your business.
1.There is no such thing as free time unless your mind is also clear during your free time.
2.How long it takes to become profitable.
3.All about the mess that is business tax law. Ugh.

How is running a business different from running a project?
It isn’t really. A business is just a collection of small projects. When one is done, another starts, and there can be many going on at once. I use Asana (used to use basecamp) just to keep track of all fronts of the business.

Thanks Tony. 

Interview with Scrum Coach- Dhaval Panchal


Dhaval Panchal is a certified SCRUM coach and trainer based in Seattle. With a background in software development, business analysis, lean office implementations, system architecture, and project management – he has moved on to become a successful coach. While his background in project management still helps him out, his greatest payback as a coach is the opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and learn from them.

You worked in IT and then moved to SCRUM coaching, tell us how this happened?
 
Fresh out of college I was hired by one of the tech giants in the Indian IT space. Within the first four years working with them I was completely burned out and mostly disheartened with the antiquated management practices and  “chalta hai” management approach. The morale was extremely low and many passionate intelligent peers either escaped to B-Schools or found alternative employment opportunities. I was prepared to leave the IT industry but was hopeful that there is a better way. I interviewed and got hired by my present company (8 years ago). They were pursuing scrum and extreme programming (XP) as alternatives to build software.

I started scrumming and played variety of roles in the projects that were outsourced to us. In each of our outsourced projects I actively pursued and attempted to influence my client’s understanding of scrum. So in many respects I have always been coaching. 

To me coaching is a skill and not a title. With the explosive adoption of scrum in the IT industry, for the last 5 years, I have been involved in change management helping to transition organizations to an agile business and delivery model. My coaching skills are extremely useful in helping my clients cope with the pain that accompanies any organizational change.

Do you enjoy working as a coach- 3 things you wish you knew when you started coaching.
  • Listen more talk less -We all have two ears and one mouth. It took me a while to realize that I should be using them in the same proportion. Earlier as I would engage in a conversation when hearing the other, mentally I would be calculating a response even before the other person has finished speaking. This analytical bent was a huge handicap and as I have progressed to improve on my listening skills I now tune into the person speaking and their context to appreciate their situation. Often times people talk themselves through their problem and appreciate my patient listening that helped them through.
  • Coach the person not the problem- IT is a problem solving field and the industry is self selecting for people who can solve problems. This has ironically led to a common pattern. “most people in our industry can tolerate a problem but cannot live with a solution that they do not understand.” This erodes trust and is detrimental to people’s ability to own and resolve their own problems. As I engage with my clients in complex IT  and people change management issues I intentionally stay away from prescribing solutions and focus on the person and help them sharpen their problem solving skills. It is more about teaching a person to fish than catching a fish for them.
  • I can always walk out- I take a lot of pride in my work and aspire to better myself. It took me a while to recognize that I do not have to be a good fit for everyone. Now I recognize situations and people better where I may not be a good fit as a consultant and choose not to engage.
Tell us any incident or moment of inspiration that has kept you in coaching.

Being a catalyst to help form high performing teams and great products is my passion and I have a lot of heart for enabling organizations and people to find fulfillment in their pursuit. Although there isn’t any specific moment or incident, it is an heart warming experience for me to hear appreciations from people who I had worked with many many months ago. To be remembered, recognized and appreciated for my work long after my work is done is my greatest reward.

Do you use your experience in project management for your coaching now?
 
Yes, my experience in project management is helpful for me to appreciate the context of PM folks who are interested in agile product delivery approach.

A lot of traditional PM style and approach is anti-agile and requires much unlearning to break away from the command-and-control mindset that fosters a belief in magic. Getting to deal with the day to day realities of product delivery and the challenges is overwhelming and the realities of innovative rapid product delivery cycles demand a high performing team of individuals as opposed to the “hero” project manager that saves the day.

Getting PM’s to abandon their heroic pursuits and collaborate as peers in a team based context is a challenge where my past background with PM comes in handy.

Where can we find more information about your coaching?
 

My blog: http://dhavalpanchal.com

Thank you Dhaval!

Entrepreneurship- An interview with Debarati Goswami

Feb 3, 2012 | | 0 comments |

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

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

·         You moved back from US to India to start your own company- tell us about it.
My husband Bappaditya and I were both working with Apple Inc. as consultants for close to 3 years each, when the entrepreneurial bug bit us. After having been located in the Silicon Valley for quite some time, the ‘big’ question was whether we should start up in the US or in India. We listened to our heart and moved back to India in late 2009.

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

The need for a common platform where everyone associated with any educational institution, be it students, teachers or parents can come together and create an environment for learning was becoming more and more apparent. We wanted to build a city for education (Educo is the root word for education is Latin) Thus ‘Educocity’ was born.

·         How well is a collaborative platform like this one being adapted in India? Or is your target audience outside India?
GUIDE is a cloud based, collaborative, Learning Management Platform from Educocity.com. GUIDE stands for ‘Grow as YoU Identify Delight in Education’ and is all about making the process of learning fun and enjoyable, delightful yet more effective than the conventional methods.

A conscious 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 (where teachers and students interact among themselves and absorb the knowledge) Collaboration is 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 a platform that the users can use according to their needs instead of tying them up with a specific set of contents.

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

India is at the epicentre of our focus. However, at the same time, we are also looking at other advanced markets, which are easier to penetrate without much user training.

·         What have been the few challenges in working in an entrepreneurial mode in India?
India is still in a nascent stage when it comes to entrepreneurial ecosystem. Professionally, the biggest hurdle we faced was amassing a seed-fund. No investor is ready to invest in a concept and having at least a prototype in place is a prerequisite for raising funds. Thus, boot-strapping is the only viable option most Indian entrepreneurs are left with. This makes the process longer and more difficult and we have seen a lot of people quit their entrepreneurial journey over it.

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

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

·         What does 2012 hold for educocity?
2012 is going to be the most crucial year that our venture has seen till date. We have big plans lined up including an international launch. We are also looking to raise some serious funds. For our venture hopefully this will mean an entire new scale to operate in.

We have also already roped in a few important customers and we will start operating at these sites as soon as these institutes open doors for new students in the 2012-2013 academic session.

·         In all these years trying to develop the product, how have you managed the process?
Having seen how a world class company like Apple looks like from within, we have been very particular about processes and quality adherence from the very beginning.

We try to keep the Product Management, Product Engineering and Service Delivery units all separate from each other since most of the time they have conflicting interests.

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

We are also finicky about following checklists. Implementation checklist, development checklist, quality adherence checklist, test plan checklist, you name it we have it. This helps us to maintain the standards without much review effort.

·         Tell me 3 things we should know about your product.
We call 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 accessed over a web-browser and low-bandwidth internet which makes it available anytime from 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. We only 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 to maintain in-house IT department.

GUIDE is the most intuitive Learning Management system you would have seen. The user interface is simple and clutter free and you can get started from the word go. There are no steep learning curves and hours spent going through elaborate learning manuals. We believe in the beauty of simplicity.

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

Interview with PMOT author 4- Lindsay Scott


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- why did you decide to be one?
My experience has been quite unique. I was approached by a publisher at the beginning of 2011 and asked if I wanted to co-edit a handbook related to the people aspects of project management. The book is called – The Handbook 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 book and certainly never edited one before. When I found out that my co-editor was Dennis Lock (the eminent project management author) I felt a little more comfortable and decided to go for it. I was looking forward to the challenge of doing something completely different yet in a field that I felt totally comfortable within.

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

What was your schedule like while working full time and writing it?
One of the most interesting things about being part of a commission for a new (and large) book is the schedule and time involved. From the initial commission through to the book being on the shelf will be over two years. During that time I’ve been responsible for setting the topics for the book, approaching authors to write the chapters, reviewing the content and working with Dennis whilst he edits the chapters. Later on in the schedule we will look at the overall layout making sure the chapters are aligned, the index comes together and the overall design.

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

How different is authoring a book from blogging?
As I mentioned I’m also authoring three of the chapters (about 7000 words each) and it has been a great experience switching the style of 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. There has to be a lot of research beforehand, the chapters have to be correctly structured so they ‘flow’ and I’ve been really lucky to have such a good editor in Dennis has he is a great writer with an excellent command of the English language. One of the main differences between writing for the book and writing for the blog is the use of informal language. With blogging I tend to write as I speak so there are a lot of localisms, English sayings or slang. When writing the book these are removed so you really need to be conscious of what your author “voice” sounds like and make sure the grammar is correct. I’ve learned an awful lot so far and I’m still learning a lot!

Name a book/incident/person that inspired you to become an author.
I’d never really given it much serious thought about becoming an author before this opportunity landed in my lap but I’m a dedicated reader and love to read about project management. In the future I’d like to write a full book myself – something that focuses on the career aspects of project management. Some of the best books I’ve enjoyed over the years include; I have to include Dennis Lock’s Project Management book it’s a definite guide to project management with so much detail where its necessary (especially around scheduling and plans). I love the refreshing style of Peter Taylor’s Lazy PM and he’s done a great job of creating a breath of fresh 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 is a 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 for organizations within the UK. Prior to Arras People, Lindsay was a Project Office Manager for Hewlett Packard. She regularly blogs on How to Manage a Camel which is a blog focused on project management recruitment and careers. She is also a committee member for 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


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 did you decide to be one?

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

A book lends gravitas and authority to its author (assuming it's a good book and all the evidence suggests that ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ is indeed a good book!) It can set agendas. It receives reviews in trade media that raise the author's profile.
The book has helped me internationally, too. ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ has been a bestseller on the Amazon Kindle store in the USA and I've had a huge number of enquiries for speaking gigs and consultancy as a 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 we find 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 last published book?

Well there is the writing then there is the editing 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 case studies, support and encourage contributors, and in editing the case studies before weaving them in to a coherent book. As a comparison ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ was written much faster with the writing and editing process concluding in less than 3 months.

What was your schedule like while working full time 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 9 days to write the first draft. For ‘Project Branding’ is has been a low level effort in writing for a much longer period and this will be concluded with a few 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 often look again at my blogs and often there are some ideas or material that can be re-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 flows and 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 generally the 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 any aspiring author is:
·         Don’t wait until you have written the book to try and find a publisher. Do your research on suitable publishers and check out their requirements for submissions, and start applying.

·         Use your network to get advice and make connections.

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

Is it difficult finding a publisher?

It can be. I have spoken to many people about this 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 ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ and ‘The Lazy Winner’ and I now have a website that offers some advice (text, videos and a free eBook on ‘Getting Published) to help would-be authors around the world.

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

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

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

There are many books that I have enjoyed, and still enjoy, that I could say were inspirations to me but if I have to pick one author it would be Brian Tracy and if I have to pick one of his books it would have 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 with a problem that we all face.


Peter is a dynamic and commercially astute professional who has achieved notable success in Project Management. He is also an accomplished communicator and is a professional speaker as well as the author of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ (Infinite Ideas) and ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower) and ‘The Lazy Winner’ (Infinite Ideas).
More information can be found 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

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?


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

It’s a big milestone to be an author- why did you decide to be one?
I have a significant amount to share with others based on 20+ years of experience. Most particularly, you see many individuals who have left - either voluntarily or not - their current job going out on their own. They need some guidance on how to begin their business adventure and how to sustain it. My current book does just that.

What are your published works and where can we find them?
I have been published on a number of websites and blogs, including Vistage, Business on Main, and a number of international websites/blogs and magazines. I have one published book to date and I have been a contributing author for another book. I’m hard at work on my next one! My current book is: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Best Practices for Small Business, Alpha Books, 2011. I co-authored the book with Brandon Toropov. It can be found here
  
The book to which I was a contributing author is Gantthead’s Project Pain Reliever, J. Ross Publishing, 2011. You can find that book here.

How long did it take you to write your last published book?
Once I officially began the book, it only took about 4 - 5 months to write The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Best Practices for Small Business.  I did all the writing on weekends and in the evenings.

What was your schedule like while working full time and writing it?
Not always easy!  I restricted my writing to weekends and in the evenings so as not to interfere with the job. It meant many late nights certainly and weekends where I did not much other than writing!

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

Three things 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.


Is it tough luck finding a publisher?
Yes, it is.

Frankly, I sort of “fell into” it. I was asked to do a technical expert review a year prior to taking on this book and ended up 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 my agent also. That being said, you should still try to submit your work and keep at it. Don’t give up!  There are also many small boutique publishing houses and many options for self-publishing.

Name a book/incident/person that inspired you to become an author.
There is no particular book, incident or person that inspired me to become an author. I do read lots of books - both fiction and non-fiction and business focused books.  I suppose I could say that all my reading has inspired me!  For as long as I can remember I wanted to write. My dream is to one day write a fiction book - a mystery!


Gina Abudi, MBA has over 20 years of consulting experience in helping businesses of all sizes develop and implement strategy around projects, process and people. She is President of Abudi Consulting Group, LLC and an adjunct faculty at Hesser College (NH) teaching in the business administration department. Gina regularly presents at conferences, 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 serves as President of the PMI® Massachusetts Bay Chapter Board of Directors. She has been honored as one of the Power 50 from PMI®.