3 Reasons Ya’ Gotta’ Have a Framework
We all know what a framework looks like. It’s the steel grid of a skyscraper emerging from the ground of a construction site. Or, it’s the metal skeleton of a vehicle creeping along an assembly line towards completion. A framework is the essential supporting structure of a building, vehicle, or object. It’s what everything else is attached to, filled in, and made ready for use.
‘Tis Better to Have Asked and Be Told NO Than to Have Never Asked at All
My brother-in-law is a plumber. He keeps all kinds of plumbing tools and equipment in his truck: pipe benders, borescopes, plumber’s torches, wrenches, pneumatic tools, augers, etc. You name it, he’s got it. As a professional, he knows how to use each one to get the job done.
It would be troubling to hire a professional plumber who asked YOU for a hack saw and basin wrench or worse yet, how YOU would fix the problem. That’s not why you hired a professional!
How Useful, Usable, and Used are Your Processes?
There’s a concept of product design that focuses on making sure a product is Useful, Usable, and Used. Designers do all they can to make sure their products meet all three criteria. How do your processes stack up in these areas?
Stand Out During Your Next Interview by Using a Professional Portfolio
How do you choose a watermelon? Some people tap it and listen for a particular sound. Others look for a uniform shape. Still others check the color of the side of the watermelon that rested on the ground. So many watermelons in the bin to pick from, but you are going home with just one. Whatever method you use, that one watermelon will have some quality or characteristic that differentiates it from the rest.
4 Steps to Create Your Professional Portfolio
I used to work at a web development company. Graphic design is significant in the success of a site, and we used various graphic designers to fill that need. We were looking for someone new to mix things up a bit. One morning, a graphic designer showed up with a HUGE portfolio of what she had done over the years. Huge, as in 2 feet by 3 feet huge. She dragged it into the conference room, dropped it on the table and started flipping through larger-than-life pages of her work.
The First Question to Ask Yourself When Something Goes Off the Rails
I once worked for a fellow who had a big job; as in, multiple departments and tons of people rolled up to him. His phone never stopped ringing, and in the constant flow of text messages and email the news was, for the most part, not good: there was a problem in this area, that person is quitting, this delivery was late, that system went down. You get the gist.
Yet, he always seemed pretty chilled.
One Way to Take Some Heat Off Your Project
I recently took a shuttle from an off-site parking lot close to the Atlanta airport. It was nearly 100 degrees and extremely humid, so I was looking forward to the doors of the bus swooshing open and a nice, cool breeze escaping and welcoming me inside.
The doors did indeed swoosh open. I stood there for a moment waiting for the cool air to envelope me and escort me onto the shuttle. And I waited…and waited. Nothing. No breeze, no cool air, no relief from the scorching heat. The only thing that came off the bus was the disgruntled voice of the driver asking if I was going to stand there all day.
How to Choose Which Ball to Drop
A new year is here, and with it, the ushering in of the latest strategies, initiatives, and projects to kick off the first quarter. You may quickly find yourself unable to juggle everything, despite your best efforts to prioritize, delegate, and negotiate. One of those balls will drop; the question is, which one?
Easy. Ask yourself which project, task, or initiative is a rubber ball and then drop that one.
Let me explain.
Change Your Lighting, Change Your Influence
Warning: I’m going classic “7 Habits” here...
Stephen Covey talked about a Circle of Concern and a Circle of Influence. The larger Circle of Concern is everything that worries you, but you CAN’T do anything about. The smaller Circle of Influence is everything that worries you that you CAN do something about.
Understanding these two circles is why I bring the same small desk lamp with me to any new job or position.
Let me explain...
But We've Always Done It That Way!
A young girl once asked her mother why she cut off the ends of the roast before putting it in the pan. “That’s a great question,” her mother said. “I’m not really sure, it’s something my mother always did. Why don’t you ask her?”
So, the girl asked her grandmother the same question and was told, “Y’know, I’m not really sure, it’s something my mother always did. Why don’t you ask her?”
When she called and asked her great grandmother, the mystery was solved. “Oh, that’s easy,” she was told. “It’s because the pan we had was too small to hold the whole roast. We had to cut off the ends to make it fit!”
A Technology Lesson Learned from a Salesperson
“Nope, we can’t do that,” I said curtly to the potential client. I knew my team would not be able to fulfill their request, and as my colleague and I sat in that meeting, I prided myself in not committing to something our company couldn’t deliver. After all, I was the person responsible for delivering the technology that would be sold.
“Wait, wait, wait…” my colleague, ever the sales pro, said. “We may not be able to do that, but we will be able to do this instead…will that work?”
“Sure, that’ll be just fine,” said the potential, soon-to-be-paying client.
Are You Able to Sleep Through A Storm?
What qualities are necessary for a Project Manager to be successful? Leadership, organization, and being detail-oriented all come to mind. However, for a Project Manager to be truly successful, they need to be able to sleep through a storm.
I heard a story a number of years ago about a Farmer who was looking to hire someone to assist on the farm. He went through interview after interview, but just wasn’t able to find the right person. Eventually he interviewed Pete. The only skill Pete listed on his resume’ was the ability to sleep through a storm.
How to Keep Your Presentations from Going Off-Road
There’s no telling how many presentations we sit through in our careers. Some good, some not so good. What exactly is it that separates the good from the bad? Is it slick graphics, a good story, or cool transitions?
Sure, these all have their place, but what really sets a presentation apart is a high “what’s in your head vs. what’s on the screen” ratio. In other words, what’s in your head about a subject should be exponentially greater than what you present about that same subject.
Why is this important?
Stop Thinking of E-Mail and Instant Messaging as Real Communication
ve worked in a number of environments where people are sitting directly across from one another…and days will pass without one word being said. Rather, E-Mail and Instant Messaging have become the proxy for Real Communication.
E-mailing and Instant Messaging have become the preferred method of communication. The vast majority of people really don’t like ‘talking’ to each other. While E-Mail and IM have their place, it has had a negative impact on the quality of communication that is necessary to keep projects on track.
So, when it comes to communication, I’ve found the quality has increased by implementing the suggestions below:
4 Reasons Why the Last 2% of a Project Take Forever to Complete
“Begin with the end in mind” and “It ain’t over until it’s over” are two expressions that highlight the importance of closing a project out and crossing the finish line. It’s your job as a project manager to make sure that deliverables, activities, and processes are in place to ensure a project’s graceful and successful end. But why is it so difficult to bring projects to closure? There are a number of reasons why this is the case:
The Pros and Cons of a Functional Project Manager Resume
The functional project manager resume focuses on skills and experiences and downplays the employment aspect of your career. This is good for project managers that may be new to the workforce, or have gaps in their employment history. Interestingly, gaps in employment are not nearly the black mark that they used to be when employment was high. Nearly everyone has been affected by recent downturns in the economy and understands that even good people are affected by companies going out of business or downsizing.
What are some of the pros and cons of a functional project manager resume?
Managing Your Own Tasks as a Project Manager
Project Managers are great at managing tasks for others, but what about when it comes to keeping themselves organized? Below are a few suggestions that may help.
Start with Your E-Mail Application
A great place to start is with your own tasks. There are meetings to plan, flights to book, agendas to put together, and reports to complete. Demands come at us fast and furious, and other people depend upon us to arrange these things in order for them to move forward. The last thing you want to be on any project or in any organization is a bottleneck.
How to Plan a Project for Closure
recently discussed 4 Reasons Why the Last 2% of a Project Take Forever to Complete. If you are plagued with a similar problem, keep the suggestions below in mind to make sure your next project comes to a graceful end.
Begin with the End in Mind
There is definitely value in keeping the end in mind when it comes to closing out a project. Up front, establish and define your project objectives, objective measures and specifications—emphasis on objective.
3 Benefits of a Project Management Office (PMO)
A Project Management Office (PMO) is a department or group of people that defines and maintains standards related to project management within an organization. More importantly, as an extension of defining and maintaining these standards, a PMO is responsible for the successful execution and implementation of projects that fall under their jurisdiction.
An enterprise-wide project management office is beneficial for the following 3 reasons:
Even Trains that Have Left the Station Can Go In Reverse
I heard the expression that “the train has already left the station” as an indication that, despite certain things not being right, nothing more could be done to correct the project. This statement piqued my curiosity…can a train, with miles of cars attached, go in reverse? I have it on good authority (a train engineer) that a train can indeed go in reverse.
It’s a fact that everyone is extremely busy, probably too busy. Because of this, many have developed a checklist mentality. As soon as something is checked off their list, regardless of how Complete or Right it is, it becomes “the train that has already left the station”.
Below are three options for problematic trains that are headed your way.