Interview with Jason Westland

I interview Jason Westland and how he started with the sites- his inspiration, insight and how one can know that your calling is to be a project manager.

Why did you decide to become a Project Manager?

After university, I secured a great job as a Project Manager for one of our leading banks. I've always enjoyed leading teams and I love the pressure of having an impossible deadline, so Project Management was perfect for me. I really like managing people, suppliers, equipment and customers to bring a project together. It's always a great challenge and very rewarding when you get it right.

Any experiences you might remember when you first started out and want to share here.

Sure. My first project was managing an IT deployment throughout the country. It was using leading edge technologies and was high risk. The first server we installed failed miserably, putting us off track. The suppliers didn’t know what they were doing and we were short on resource. The only way to delvier the project on time was to massively reduce the scope. So I presented to the Company Board (a group of really scary fellas at the time) and managed to get their approval. From there, I learned that you have to communicate with the Board constantly throughout the project, to get their support. With their support, you can achieve anything. We delivered the project on time and then kicked off another project to complete the remaining elements.

I've learned throughout the years, that the top 5 things you need to do to deliver a project successfully are 1) Spec it our properly at the outset; 2) Spend good quality time planning and don’t start execution until you know exactly what you're doing; 3) Monitor progress every week and keep the team informed as you go; 4) Communication among the project team is key and; 5) Always keep your Customer and Sponsor on side - get to know them and their business needs well. If you take those 5 tips, then you'll boost your chances of success.

How did the idea of starting these websites emerge?

I got tired of not having the right tools to manage projects. Firstly, I was always creating documents from scratch. So I built Method123. As I managed bigger projects I realized that everyone in my team needed to work in a more structured way, following a methodology as they went. So we built www.MPMM.com. Project tracking is critical to success and there were no tools available on the market that I was confident in, so we built www.ProjectManager.com. And finally, I needed MS Project for lots of users and it was way too expensive, therefore we built www.ProjectPlan.com. Basically every product came from a common problem that I know all project managers share.

Talk to me about the your site MPMM - how do you think it will help Project Managers?

Good question. Great Projet Managers use the same formula for success for every project they undertake. They manage projects in the same way every time, because they know that if they use the same process for delivering projects, then it will generate the same results. And that’s what MPM gives you. It offers you a proven, step-by-step process for delivering projects. It's aligned with Worldwide Standards PMI and Prince2 and hundreds of thousands of project managers have used it to help deliver projects on time.

If you follow the process that's included, then you'll improve your chances of success. It's that simple. Also, great Project Managers never start from scratch. They always use templates to get ahead. MPMM includes all of the templates you need to manage projects, and it comes with a suite of examples so you know exactly what you have to do to create project documents quickly and easily.

What’s your advice to newbies who are stepping into Project Management?

If you love to take on a challenge, you love managing people and you're goal orientated by nature, then Project Management is definitely for you. It will always keep you on your toes. It can be stressful at times, but the most important thing is every project will come down to your ability to coordinate and motivate a team of people, to achieve the desired results. It's people that really matter.

So learn everything you can about project management. Don’t get caught up in things like the technicalities of Critical Path Analysis or EVA, instead focus on the basics. Plan your projects well at the outset. Hire the most talented team you can find - I always try and hire smarter people than myself! - and then motivate them towards achieving the results. Monitor their progress carefully and tackle issues head on as soon as they arise. Keep your customer informed along the way and get their support and buy in. If you keep to these basics, then you'll be well on the road to success.

Stress at work has become such a major factor these days, so do you think by using your software's, the PMs will be able to do things more efficiently and save more time?

Yes definitely. The world is changing. Everything is going online and people are using the internet to connect and communicate more. By using online tools, people these days are able to share and collaborate to get things done. Everyone knows what's happening on the project because the dashboard and reports are right there in front of them, real time. There is no more waiting until the weekly or monthly reports have been produced, only to get an outdated view because something else came up in the meantime.

By using tools online, Project Managers and teams know what's happening as it happens. It's pretty exciting. These tools are evolving fast and adapting to the ways that people manage projects. The old days of using MS Project to plan the project and then nothing to track real progress are gone. Online tools these days allow you to track progress as you go, raise risks, issues and changes when they occur and collaborate to resolve them. People still use tools like Outlook and Skype to communicate, but in the next couple of years, these will all be integrated within online project management tools, so that you only need to go to one place to manage your day. It's an exciting world! To see what I mean, check out www.ProjectManager.com

Wow, that is exciting- a Project Manager turned entrepreneur! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The best part is you get 2 licenses free from http://mpmm.com/, you can tweet at @Soma_b or email and let me know why you think Project Management is important to you. Your email, tweets should reach me by May 23. Winners will be announced in the blog.

How do you know- Project management is for you?

Its simple- explore further.

Unveiling my secret project that I have been working on for a few months now- If you would like to try it out for me please, let me know. Just email me with the subject line: want to try out SIPM.

I will email you the details and how you can help out hundreds of newbies. Whether you are a project manager or not a project manager, thinking of being one or want to give it a shot- you are eligible to try it out and let me know the flaws/errors and thing I can improve upon.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

(Pic Courtesy)

Why you do- what you do?

Understanding your objective/goal/interest/ambition might give you answers to your own questions.

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.

The point being, don’t do anything just because your best friend is doing it or its sounds cool. Don’t be a Project Manager, because you think it sounds awesome and paycheck sounds attractive.
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.

(Pic Courtesy)

Guest post: SIPM reader

No blog is worth without it's readers. Period.

Over all these years it was a blessing seeing the readers increase, facebook community grow and the interactions happening over emails and twitter. Thank you everyone!

So, today we have Sara Broca a new project manager and SIPM reader from France who works in the railway industry who has put together an guest post specially for SIPM (Stepping into Project Management) newbies.

Needless to say she is passionate about Project Management, quality and all tools and techniques which is very evident from her regular tweets. She looks forward to get her PMP very soon.

Thank you Sara for your involvement whether it's over the Facebook community or occasional emails!

Defining objectives for a project: is it really hard?

An objective is a specific statement of a goal, to formulate a purpose.

The objective must be formulated without giving solutions but with a goal.

It must answer the question: "Where are we going?”

Organizing this step for project managers can be really hard, because:

- Goals are already defined

- Time to focus on it is too short

- Goals are not clear

- Customer does not express it clearly etc…

But we must do the project, that’s our work…

An objective must be measurable. You know you have succeeded when all objectives are achieved, and you know they were achieved if you can give their status.

To define them even if the issues listed are there, you can try to do this by:

- Identifying the subject

- Connecting it to the project purpose

- Connecting it to what is expected from you as project manager

- Expressing it with a verb.

Objectives must also be realistic:

- With the customer needs

- With the quality assurance

- With the organization

- With the team expectations.

They must be expressed:

- In the language of the organization and of the customer

- Clearly for the team

- Clearly for the stakeholders.

To define them, you must use team, stakeholders and customers.

Objectives are helpful to communicate, monitor progress, manage the team, create limits, and to better define changes.

Before defining objectives, the scope must be known and written.

The scope briefly answers to these issues:

- Is the project strategic?

-How it fits into the strategy of the organization?

- Are there other factors that may explain why the project is to be started at this time? And in this context?

- What are the external factors affecting the client of the project?

Next we can establish objectives.

Performance – Customer’s View:

- Quality, results expected by the customer, ...

Schedule – Business View:

- Development duration, specific activities time, crtical path, ...

Costs – Strategic view:

- Investment cost, cost by work package, risk plan, mitigation plan, …

Profitability –

- ROI, profits margins, operating costs…

Defining those helps setting priorities:

- What are the needs? What is important? What is good to have in the time scheduled? What is superfluous?

A good objective is one which can be clearly linked to strategy ‘organization and can be easily cascaded down through the project team.

Points of attention:

Defining objectives of the project is a milestone for the project manager because it is also the project manager who takes responsibility of the project. That's when the project manager becomes aware of where he will have to take his project.

(Pic courtesy:Sara Broca)

Interview happening at Facebook

The interview with Ron Holohan starts today. We post questions every evening at 8pm (CST), follow the interview here.

Interview with Ron Holohan

To celebrate summer and life- this month’s interview will be not in the blog but done in facebook- something we have never done before.

We are taking the interview outdoors- that is opening it up to more of you.

The interview will be spread over an entire week and be an interactive session where anyone can comment or ask questions. Each day I post the in Facebook and Ron Holohan , whom I am interviewing will reply right there.

To follow the interview, click here and feel free to come ready with your set of questions.

To know more about Ron, click here.

Summer Break

I'm taking a summer break till April and will return in May.

Enjoy!

(Pic Courtesy)

Negative influence- get rid of it

if you like who you are and want to get more from life, your job, tip a little more and get the moon- what is one thing you should completely discard from your life?

Simple- negative influence!

Even if you cant be super-positive about anything, try getting rid of the negativity and you are already feeling better.

Here's what to get rid of to feel better:

• all the people who pretend to be your friends and question you every move- you are worth more than this.
• your peers who will ell you to drop the certifications plans, because how much it is worth it- really?
• relatives who tell you to that you can relax now because what will working so hard get you- you never know, till you try!
• your boss when downplays your ability- don't let it get to you, he just doesn't want to qualify you by another raise.
• when you think its time to give up- call your mentor, your best friend, your mom or anyone who believes you more than you believe yourself.

What are you so scared off? Walk past those that don't believe in you and show them what you are made off.

To read more on how to get rid of negative influence:

Link 1

Link2

PM Community over the web

If you have wondered where to look at to find all the project management sites and blogs, look no further- PPM Community is here.

It has the entire list of blogs available in the web and a great way to learn all you can for free. If you like what you see, just vote for the blogs.

To follow them on twitter, click here.

It's that simple! Enjoy.

Interview with Bill Thom

We interview Bill Thom, who is a former engineer from the hydraulics industry. Since then Bill has obtained his PMP certification and a Masters Degree in Information Systems Management. He is also a Contributor and Reviewer of the PMBOK Fourth Edition.

Though Project Management and Information Systems Management is the focus of his vocation, he can be found traveling with camera in hand to capture an image to share with others.What an amazing project manager, who brings in the following interview what project management is all about.

Why did you decide to be a project manager?

I decided to become a project manager when I noticed that many of the projects I was working on as a developer seemed to be in a constant state of flux. Having had a history in the military, there was a discipline developed in me that told me there has got to be a better way to do things. Even though technology was advancing and applications were in development, I saw this need to wrap a logical process around what is being done. That’s where project management steps in and guided me in a direction that made sense.

Do you think the "blame game" is a big part when a project fails? Have you ever encountered it?

I do not necessarily feel that the “blame game” is part of project failure. I feel that the “blame game” becomes part of finding out why a project is failing. I have encountered the “blame game” in my history of being a project manager and I have also witnessed the ‘blame game” by others. An important thing to remember is that failure is an event not a person, as my friend Zig Ziglar has pointed out to me.

How do you think people should handle themselves when they are being blamed for failure of projects?

Pointing blame may not get you the desired results which is project success. As a project manager instead of blame let’s re-frame this into a lessons learned scenario. The blame may be found to be a lack of knowledge or a lack of a PM procedure. Take the opportunity to try to make the next project run smoother. Make each team member feel that the focus is on getting the job done and making improvements going forward.

What should newbies when thinking of joining project management know about it?

We are all familiar with check lists, to do lists, or whatever you want to call them. Though these are good for task at hand management, they do not take into account the PM process groups or knowledge areas. If Project Managers did nothing more than manage checklists, our value to organizations and our credentials would be worthless. Project Managers need to add value and be aware of the organizations big picture. I have written a couple of articles that may shed some more light in this. Another here.

BTW: The PMI accepted all of my articles for PDU’s … Every PM should take this into consideration.

Tell us something abut your blog- why did you start blogging?

There are a couple of reasons I started a blog. In 2009 I felt that I had knowledge and expertise to share with the project management community and I felt a blog was good for that. I had also published some PM articles and I wanted to provide my site visitors with links to them.

You are also very active in Twitter, do you think social media is bringing in a new communication style for project managers to network among themselves and perhaps with their team?

I feel that Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook intertwine and assist PM’s with a variety of methods to learn, grow,share information and network. I have had LinkedIn requests from others who have read my blog or articles and want to keep in touch. I consider @JohnEstrella (on Twitter) a mentor. His thoughts, vision and use of Twitter has been quite impressive. I feel that not only have I shared my ideas on the topic of Project Management with others, I have learned from others in the field and incorporated their knowledge into my PM style. For project teams Twitter may not be the best way to communicate. This may be due to the confidentiality of projects and information to be retained within the walls of the organization.

One thing you shouldn't do, if you want to end up as a project manager?

In September of 2009 @corneliusficht posted … "Everyone asks for a strong project manager - when they get him/her they don't want him/her." As we become older, wiser and more experienced project managers we can read that post again and see a whole new meaning. Some businesses want PM’s to come in like a bull in a china shop and whip it into shape. Others want projects managed successfully without knocking people around in the process. Some businesses want project management processes and then feel it’s too much effort. Then there are businesses that want a PM and do not have a clue what project management is about. I could go on but I think you get the picture.

To answer the question … Never stop learning, never become complacent. Businesses today are looking to improve processes and react quickly to the economic climate. Ask yourself what you can do in your organization to improve project management processes that will be advantageous and streamline deliveries.

If you would like to connect with Bill and continue with the conversation, you can find him in linkedin, twitter and facebook.