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Communication- the "it" skill
Emotions- do they need hiding?
Does your emotions or display of emotions create problems at your job, your growth or your boss assessment of your maturity factor?
Emotions are natural for humans, so no matter which gender you belong to you have ample of it in you.
Yes emotions are considered negative feelings at work, something that shouldn’t dominate rationality and judgment based on facts.
So if you are standing under the same umbrella of overwhelming emotions, make sure you know what’s happening:
- Know- Make sure you know you are going through some emotional time. It’s not wise to discuss personal emotional matters at work or with colleagues. You never know who will use what information to get ahead.
- Measure- If you are feeling too much of emotions make sure you are in the right condition to go to work. While work can keep you busy and make you forget worries sometimes it can break you down as well.
- Walk the line- The fine line of personal and professional needs maintaining. Don’t divulge or display emotional side of you unless required. It can work against you and can be used as instances where rational and objective decsion making is required.
- Stop being a cry-baby- Don’t whine, if you have a problem- fix it. You will be applauded for it and noticed instead of whining all the time how you end up getting the problems in your life.
- Solve it- Figure out what is the cause of the emotion and fix it. Talk with your mentor if its work related and dig deeper to know how you can navigate through it.
So which side are you on- 80 or 20?
News in the PM town
- want to solve problems of your team- Baas will help you
- project management latest books and reviews by Elizabeth
- learning about 6 sigma you have to read Josh's blog
- new members joining your team, here's how to treat them from Alec
- preparing for your PMP exams, try the new flashcards from PM-Prepcast for iphone
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Why you do- what you do?

If we all knew why we do what we do, the world would have been a different place. Getting to a point; any point is based on a lot of complex thinking- thinking about the goal, analyzing on how to get it, preparing for it and finally getting it done.
You cannot survive any profession unless you enjoy it and you cannot enjoy until it is something you really want to do. Your own personality should match with the requirements (read soft skill) of the job.
So, you have to know what why you are doing what you are doing. Once you are aware of that, rest is very simple.
So, how do you know if Project Management is right for you? How do you know if this is something you will like before you commit on getting the next certification and spend thousands of dollars on it? How will you know that you can rise up to the challenge and get it done?
If this is something that interests you, hold on……..more coming in the next post.
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PM Community over the web
Project Management implemented

Interview with Geoff Crane
Deming's 14 points
- Create constancy of purpose towards improvement
- Adopt the new philosophy
- Cease dependency on inspection
- End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tags
- Improve constantly and forever
- Institute training on the job
- Institute leadership
- Drive out fear
- Break down barriers between staff areas
- Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force
- Eliminate management by objectives
- Remove barriers to pride of workmanship
- Institute education and self-improvement
- The transformation is everyone’s job
Automate and Schedule More
- Have a schedule and you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done within a day.
- Keep a diary, paper anything; I recently got a planner for myself. I write down my thoughts, ideas for blogs, something I have to read and to do list so I don’t forget and get it before time.
- You will notice you will do more and be more active when you have things written down.
- Repeat your schedule that you have set for yourself and it will become second skin to you. It can be anything- going to the gym, writing your blog, planning your book, calling 2 friends everyday. If you know what needs to be done and when you will start doing it.
- Every day you think- how do these people get so much done within the same 24 hours, the funny thing is you can too! Get into the rhythm of your schedule and you will not only enjoy it but get more done. Your friends will be surprised how much you are doing at the same time.
- You will stop giving excuses before you know. You suddenly realize how much can be scheduled and done because you have just minimized the planning and confusion phase.
- You will enjoy your work more. You not only know what you are doing, your are planning it along the way. So, things just happen but its part of the path you want to follow. You are achieving more because when we sit down quietly and plan, we plan good things.
- Achieve things you always wanted to. This year be strong and do something you wanted to do.
Sneak peek into the life of Project Manager's- Pt 2

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.
In 2010 I will start active virtual mentoring and coaching.
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.
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 :)
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!
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.
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!)
Samad Aidane (www.
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.
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.
Interview with Jurgen Appelo
Sneak peek into the life of Project Manager's- Pt 1

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.
borrow some of their routine and fit into mine.
- Do you have an everyday routine that you start your work with everyday?
- What’s your New Year resolution? Anything related to project management?
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)
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
- 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
(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)
When to say - NO
Dress your part

- Maintain a clean line when you dress
- Clean washed hair is expected
- Use make up but don't overdo it
- Mind the strength of the perfume
- Keep your nails clean and filed
- Use a nice pen if possible at least when meeting clients
- Even if you are not co-ordinating shoes with your tie or handbag, keep neutral shades for everyday work use.
- Your business cards should be kept in card holders, so you are not fumbling for them when required
- When buying shoes with heels, make sure they are not so high that you cant walk straight
- Neutral and lighter shades are the best bet, if you like something bright, pair it with black or khaki, it always tones down the brightness.
- Use V-neck sweaters- it shows your shirt collars and looks better than round neck ones.
Agile Books
Micromanagement and Agile
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
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)