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

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

The course comes with options:

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

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

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

The Course

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

•Week 1- 15 lectures

•Week 2- 8 lectures

•Week 3- lectures

•Week 4- 12 lectures

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

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

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

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

For week 1 click here.

Resources/Tools

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

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

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

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

Communication 101

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Villanova University-PMP Prep Course

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

Week 1- Introduction

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

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

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

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

The course

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

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

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

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

Pic Courtesy

Wait- are you done?

And giving up?

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

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

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

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

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

Let time take its course and then see what changes.

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

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Guest Posts and Podcast

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

Podcast 1 

Podcast 2 

Guest post at PM 4 Girls

Guest post at PM Bistro

Enjoy!

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Direction- leads your team

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

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

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

Don’t assume:

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

Practice what you preach.

(pic:Google images)

What's in a winner?

What makes someone a winner?


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


The drive, that’s the topper. 


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


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


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


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


For more inspiration, read here

(Pic courtesy: google images)


Be the winner!

Stand out for your dreams

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great week!

(Pic Courtesy: google images)

Rants, events, and trying to settle in

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

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

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

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

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

I call it quits.

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

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

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

• top 15 system thinking books
• Women PM's- less pay and more maternity pay 
• debugging fun
• Adventures

A Project Manager Outside Office

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

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

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

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

(Pic Courtesy: E. Harrin's tweet)

Virtual Project Manager

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Pic Courtesy)

Happy V-Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

Top Trends for BAs for 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

• PM Prepcast 
• PM Student 
• Stepping into Project Management  

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

Random facts about me- Pt 3

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

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

For more of my randomness, click here.

The Project Management Telesummit

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


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


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


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


Speakers include:
Tuesday

• Rick Morris
• Dana Brownlee
• Jason Fair
• Todd Williams
• Traci Duez

Wednesday

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

Thursday

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

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

Face it, work it and let it go.

I would love to live with 100 things.

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

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

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

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

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

Isnt this so true?

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

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Change is good

Life is always changing, and we all hope its for the good. Today, I am off to my new apartment and will take a while to set it up. So, till then keep yourself busy with some good read and happiness.
 
If you haven't tried our beta site here, here it is- free and professionals from all over the world available. 

Wake up happy

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

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

• http://zenhabits.net/
• http://www.thechangeblog.com/
• http://www.theglasshammer.com/
• http://www.scottberkun.com/
• http://damarisbsarria.blogspot.com/ 

Communication- the "it" skill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emotions- do they need hiding?

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

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

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

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

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

To understand more about emotions at work place, read here 

Have you taken the right risk?

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


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


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

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

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


(Image Courtesy: Google Images)


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

Women- this new year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy 2011 to you all!


(Pic Courtesy)

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