Perspective PM

Lost in Translation

George Bernard Shaw once said, “America and Britain are two countries separated by a common language.” As an American married to a Brit, I can personally attest to the truth of this statement. Minor differences in culture can create a language barrier even when we think we’re using the same language.

While our countries of origin create a bit of a cultural gap, an even bigger one is created by the fact that I am a project manager, and he is a network engineer.

Read the rest of this article at digitalmediabuzz.com.

"Need more info" = Procrastination?

Have you ever sent a relatively simple request to someone and gotten a delayed response requesting more information? Was the request for more info justified, or did it just frustrate you and cause you to waste more time explaining something that to you is either obvious or irrelevant?

I seem to be getting a rash of responses that say in effect, "Gee I'd love to help, but can you be more specific about what you want? Please tell me the exact time of day you need this done, how much detail you need, and the color of the shoes you were wearing when you first made the request."

Unintended Comedy

Via Tech Republic:

This commercial for EDS Consulting is supposed to inspire confidence in the company’s ability to build your business as you run it, but what it also does is illustrate the supreme idiocy of trying to use a software product while it's still being coded.

A List of Don'ts for Presenters

Last week I attended a seminar hosted by the NYC chapter of a prominent professional organization with the intention of sharing and adding to any wisdom I may have gained from the experience. However, it didn’t go quite the way I’d anticipated, so instead, I give you:

How Not to Conduct a Seminar

Show up 20 minutes late.

In a city like New York, "there was traffic" is the lamest possible excuse possible for being late. There is ALWAYS traffic. You should plan for that. You should also plan to arrive early to check out the venue and introduce yourself to attendees before your presentation. That way if you're running late, you'll still show up on time.

Make no attempt to look presentable.

You don't have to be a supermodel to give a presentation, but you should at least look like you cared enough about your appearance to run a comb through your hair. You may also want to ensure that your shirt is buttoned properly.

Be sure any handouts are riddled with grammatical errors and typos.

There is no excuse in this day and age for more than one or two typos in any written material. If word processing isn't your strength, have your work proof-read by someone who knows how to use a spell checker.

10 Reasons You're Not the Manager

Many of the things you can’t stand about your manager are the very skills it takes to be one.

Have you ever heard yourself saying, "This guy is an IDIOT! How could he be my boss when he doesn't even have half the skill I do? I could do his job better; why aren't I running this department?" Here's why.

1. You don’t play politics
Why does one employee get the same compliment for a mediocre job as another employee for an outstanding one? Maybe the boss knows that this mediocre employee needs to feel appreciated, or not only will his mediocre performance become terrible, he'll also be a general pain and make life unpleasant for other outstanding employees. Seemingly inexplicable management decisions sometimes have reasons you just can't see from your vantage point. When management's priorities don't align with yours, it's dismissed and disdained as "office politics."

2. You refuse to make sacrifices
Juggling the needs and priorities of your staff and the business means making sacrifices. Sometimes one option jumps out at you as being the best one, but sometimes there is no clear best option, and you're stuck shooting down a great idea for one that's only marginally better/cheaper/easier. If you've ever been accused of procrastination, you likely have difficulty making decisions that aren't clear-cut.

3. You pay great attention to detail
Attention to detail is a great attribute if you're a designer, programmer, instructor, analyst, etc. But as someone charged with the overall success of an operation or project, you'll need to keep your head out of the details and keep an eye on the big picture. It's near impossible to do both effectively at the same time.

4. You hate paperwork
Managers spend anywhere from 30 to 85 percent of their day with various forms of paperwork. Status reports, budget reports, project plans, performance reviews... the list is endless. Sounds exciting, no?

5. You refuse to take heat for others' mistakes
If you think it's unfair that your boss occasionally gets credit for your accomplishments, consider that they will just as often be blamed for your mistakes. Be prepared to take responsibility not only for your own screw ups, but for all the screw ups of everyone you supervise.

Open Source Project Management

Via http://wolphination.com/linux/:

...many Open Source projects fall apart before they see the light of day, mostly due to management reasons. You are receiving this directly from someone who has had an Open Source project disintegrate ... and has had to pick up the pieces, so the common pitfalls listed below are frighteningly genuine and happen to the most motivated of project managers. They all, ultimately, result in developer dropout and thus the death or dormancy of the project...

More here.

I would add to the list: lack of project justification. In the corporate world, the very first step in any project is to define the business need. Whenever decisions have to be made, the initial business reason behind the project is revisited to help determine what path to take. I find that many open source projects start with an idea that's really cool from a programming standpoint, and at the first sign of a challenge everyone asks, "what are we working so hard to accomplish again?" and starts to drop off. There has to be a reason to stick through the times when it just doesn't seem like any fun anymore.

Pop Quiz!

People who work in technology fall into one of three camps when it comes to their opinion of formal project management practices. Which camp are you in? Take this quiz to find out.

1. What is Project Management?

• A: the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project
• B: a corporate buzzword used to describe an entire industry founded on the perpetuation of boring, time-wasting exercises that serve no purpose other than to inhibit creativity, destroy innovation, and choke productivity with copious amounts of red tape
• C: knowledge, skills, tools and techniques which, if properly applied, facilitate efficiency, creativity and innovation to produce a high-quality end product, but can also drain time, money, energy and motivation if improperly applied

Pencils Down

That's it! How did you do?