Project Steps

Free Advice Retold!

2018-02-19T14:11:00.003-05:00

Tell somebody you care, and how much they really mean to you. Let them know how they have changed your life If you have children, encourage them with love, and let them know they are a blessing to you If you live to make more money, get a (new) life! If you aren't having fun doing your job, move on to something new Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes - Tom Peters! Embrace

A Glimpse at my Project Management Beliefs

2018-02-03T17:06:00.001-05:00

Remove people from your team that don’t ask questions, don’t talk with other team members, won’t provide documentation, or won’t do analysis Only people that aren’t competent won’t show off their work Question authority or live with the result A sense of humor can help get teams through tough times A working meeting should have no more than five people. Meetings with more than five should be

Business Case Template - Adapt to your needs

2018-01-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

Try this template out and make changes based on your needs. This was used by a government organization, but can be easily modified for use by the private sector. CLICK HERE for the Business Template

Stuff I Use - Classé Sigma 2200i Integrated Amplifier

2017-12-28T10:38:00.001-05:00

Stuff I recommend... A personal project this time, upgrading my two channel audio system. The Classé integrated amplifier has a ton of features and sounds great. I have owned it for eight months. Awesome! Classé Sigma 2200i integrated amplifier Measurements | Stereophile.com

Important Words for the Project Manager

2017-03-28T14:09:00.003-04:00

The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake" The five most important words: "You did a good job." The four most important words: "What is your opinion? The three most important words: "If you please" The two most important words: "Thank You" The one most important word: "We" The least important word: "I" <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial;

Cheat Sheets Give Teams a Helping Hand When Dealing with Change

2017-03-28T13:32:00.003-04:00

Click here for a template I made years ago for an Operations and Maintenance Team

Project Management and Maximo Presentation - IBM Pulse Conference 2008

2017-03-27T18:33:00.001-04:00

Click here for Slide Deck located on Google Drive Feedback is appreciated! p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 32.0px Verdana; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures}

Estimates are Usually Guesstimates!

2016-05-22T18:24:00.002-04:00

I have been burned more times than I can count by bad estimates. What can a project manager do to help ensure the accuracy of estimates? First we should understand the basics behind the estimating process (there are many more than I have listed here). Some are: • The more unique , complex, or larger the project, the more of a challenge it will be to get good estimates • Estimates are only

Your Must Fail to Succeed!

2016-03-02T17:28:00.001-05:00

If you are an "experienced" project manager and haven't had a few project failures, in my mind, you aren't a very good project manager. Project managers must constantly push their team members towards exceeding their comfort levels, take (calculated) risks, be decisive, make firm commitments, and be aggressive when base-lining and managing the triple constraints (Time, Cost, Quality). Just like

The Absent Executive - replayed

2016-02-16T16:46:00.001-05:00

Ever had a project that begins with strong executive/senior management support and over time that support fades? The symptoms of executive disintrest are: Executives/senior management don't ask questions during status meetings or stop coming to the meetings Executives/senior management lack a sense of urgency regarding "your" project Executives/senior management become more confused and/or

The Seven Step Path to Sustaining Project Success

2015-10-19T18:02:00.003-04:00

Tom Peter's Wisdom! You take care of the people.The people take care of the service.The service takes care of the customer.The customer takes care of the profit.The profit takes care of the re-investment.The re-investment takes care of the re-invention.The re-invention takes care of the future.(And at every step the only measure is EXCELLENCE.) More project wisdom at www.tompeters.com

Tom Peters!

2015-08-27T16:37:00.001-04:00

The Top 27: Twenty-seven Practical Ideas That Will Transform Every Organization 1. Learn to thrive in unstable times—our lot (and our opportunity) for the foreseeable future. 2. Only putting people first wins in the long haul, good times and especially tough times. (No "cultural differences" on that one! Colombia = Germany = the USA.) 3. MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around. Stay in touch! 4.

Ten Project Ideas from Florida Power and Light

2014-08-12T13:29:00.002-04:00

Florida Power and Light management came up with the list below of the ten most important things they think helped them complete the St. Lucie 2 Nuclear Power Plant on schedule, within cost, and without major quality issues. Management Commitment A realistic and firm schedule Clear decision-making authority Flexible project control tools Teamwork Maintaining engineering before

Principles are Lacking

2014-06-22T14:49:00.002-04:00

Principles are mile posts that help to guide our conduct. They come from natural laws that are recognizable by all cultures. Principles have been around since the dawn of time. They are timeless and aren’t dependent on us making them a permanent part of our lives.Big problems cannot be solved by small people and small mindedness. Remember, principles aren’t values. The Mafia has values, but

Wisdom and the Project Manager

2014-06-14T09:02:00.000-04:00

Albert Einstein said "A clever person solves a problem; a wise person avoids it". After reading this quote, it reminded me that project managers spend a lot of time (or should be) avoiding problems. One thing that can help project managers to avoid problems is following a defined process, or more specifically, a Project Management Methodology (PMM). At its core a PMM is a set of agreed-upon

Good Video by Dr. Harold Kerzner

2014-06-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

One of the best Project Management experts alive today!

Wow Culture

2014-06-03T13:52:00.001-04:00

Zappo's Ten Corporate Values Deliver “WOW!” through service Embrace and drive change Create fun and a little weirdness Be adventurous, creative and open-minded Pursue growth and learning Build open and honest relationships with communication Build a positive team and family spirit Do more with less Be passionate and determined Be humble Source: Delivering Happiness,

Great Project Managers

2014-05-26T11:20:00.001-04:00

I have a book entitled “What Makes a Good Project Manager” by James S. Pennypacker and Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin. In the book, there is a reference to a 2001 ComputerWorld article that discusses “The Perfect Project Manager”. The consensus of the article was in the world of Information Technology (IT) there are three general areas of Project Management competency: Technology, Business, and

Off the Cuff: Tom Peters on Front Line Managers

2014-05-18T09:55:00.001-04:00

Project Management Politics

2014-05-18T09:53:00.002-04:00

Politics is the art of getting things done (influencing). As Tom Peters say's “No Politics = No Implementation”.   Develop powerful allies in your organization to help you get your project implemented. Be sure to show appreciation to all those people that help you along the way.

You Aren't Communicating!

2014-05-16T17:14:00.000-04:00

When project teams are surveyed at the end of failed projects, poor communications is always cited as being one of the major causes. Why does this keep happening? Why is project communications so poorly executed so often. My short answer is that many project managers are arrogant, inattentive, and oblivious to the feelings and needs of the project team. Project managers get busy. Many times

Ignore your Detractors!

2014-05-08T11:38:00.000-04:00

Tom Peters a highly regarded speaker and writer said it best in his book The Project 50, “as project managers we should not try to convert our project enemies by overcoming their objections” and I would add through appeasement. Tom states “we should set out to surround and marginalize them; additionally, the most effective change agents ignore the barbs and darts, their time is spent on

2014-05-04T13:32:00.000-04:00

Mark Goulston, MD writes: A toxic person... 1. Interrupts. 2. Doesn’t take turns. 3. Takes advantage of people who are down. 4. Gloats in victory. 5. Is sullen in defeat. 6. Is not fair. 7. Lacks integrity. 8. Is the kind of person you’ll avoid if you possibly can. Three good responses to nearly every type of toxic person... "Huh?" This one word can stop a jerk in his tracks. Use a

We say these things?

2014-05-04T13:16:00.001-04:00

Project Management Quotes

2014-04-23T17:55:00.000-04:00

Some are a little off the wall, but many are spot on... Good estimators aren't modest: if it's huge they say so.The sooner you begin coding the later you finish.A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.What is not on paper has not been said.If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.If you don't attack the