While out and out mutiny may be rare on project teams, lackluster performance and disconnects between the project manager and the team happen more often than they need to.

Observing some of the actions and attitudes of the cold, hard Captain William Bligh can provide you with a measure to use against your own behavior as a project manager.

For those who are not familiar,Mutiny on the Bounty tells the fascinating true story of First Officer Fletcher Christian’s mutiny of 1787.   While the book is excellent, the quotes in this post are taken from the 1962 film version starring Marlon Brando as Christian and Trevor Howard as Bligh.

This post was originally published on Sept 15, 2008.

Here are Bligh’s 6 guidelines for leadership.

How many of these describe your attitudes or the attitudes of other project managers you know?

1.  Fear is the Best Motivator

Bligh sees laziness and weakness in both officers and crew members. Early in the film he incorrectly accuses his first officer of interfering with the progress of their mission.  When Fletcher questions him on this, the Captain responds, “You would do nothing to speed its progress.”  As for his crew, “The typical seaman is a half witted, wife beating perpetual drunkard.”

The Bligh style leader believes that a team is only ever truly motivated by fear.  “Cruelty with a purpose is not cruelty, it’s efficiency”.

2.  Policies and Procedures Must Be Followed To The Letter

Upon overhearing a crew member speaking against him, Bligh orders the man to receive the full punishment of two dozen lashes in accordance with the naval code.  While the punishment is being administered, he commands that it be given harder.  “You are going too lightly.  Lay on with a will or you will take his place.”

3.  You Must Have a Fanatical Fixmindedness to Metrics

The narrator describes how the Captain, “….studied his charts hour upon hour to the exclusion of all else.”  Bligh’s terrible decision to take the shorter South American route around Cape Horn instead of the traditional African route around the Cape of Good Hope was made solely to shave 5 months off the voyage.  The Captain knew at the time that only one other ship had successfully made the journey in Winter, and that a cost of 50% of the crew.

In project management, we refer to this as the path of numbers over common sense.

4.  Treat Information That Doesn’t Fit Your Plans as a Direct Challenge to your Authority

In the midst of a terrible storm Bligh goads Christian, “Afraid of a little weather?”  When Fletcher responds cautiously that the masts are in danger of breaking, Bligh verbally strikes at him. “Are you arguing with me?”

5. Take No Regard for the Well Being of Your Team

Bligh sees everyone as expendable and secondary to the success of the project.   After one of the Captain’s orders leads to the death of a crewman, Fletcher requests a proper burial for the man.  Bligh explodes at him. “Never mind Norman!  We lost one full league before I countermanded your order!”

Don’t be fooled.  It doesn’t really matter if your project is on time, on budget and on scope. If you destroy your team, you are a failure as a project manager.

6.  Make Crucial Decisions Without Providing Explanation

After coming through four weeks of horrifying weather, Bligh suddenly institutes “half rations”.  As a team member observed, “Starving the crew is not going to make the ship go faster.”

Have you ever been on a project where the the team’s task deadlines are shortened by half but overtime is forbidden?  This gives people a choice of poor performance or working without pay.

Words from the Admiralty

At Bligh’s court martial, he is exonerated, but reproached by the Admiralty with these words:

You can watch a trailer here:

6 Lessons on Leadership from Capain Bligh

Keep Learning

“But I already know how to use Windows 95…”

A senior project manager started work in an IT Project Management Office.  He had more than 15 years of experience, interviewed well and came with good references.   At first everything seemed fine.  Yet he appeared stressed whenever he had to join a conference line, connect to the internet messaging client (which was a requirement for work at home), or publish a project plan.  It turns out that he did not know how to operate Windows XP, and was at the most basic level with MS Word.  He had obviously never used Excel, Visio or Project.  This is a true story.

There are many leaders who are amazed when introduced to such valuable productivity tools as Firefox, workrave, Miranda IM, or Bonsai outliner.  All of these have portable USB versions which require no installation on a work PC.  With a little exploration your efficiency and day to day enjoyment at work can increase tremendously.

Just because you know your job does not mean that there’s nothing of interest for you to learn. If you work in information technology, have you taken the time to read through the latest version 4 of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)?  Some terminology has been updated, and a few processes merged.  Why should you care if you are a formal “project manager” or not.  Who knows what ideas you’ll come up with to improve your company, projects and teams.  Such work related learning keeps you relevant.

How continual learning can help you

• You stay fresh.
• Your overall competence keeps increasing
• Your life will have meaning
• You will discover, develop and deepen your unique areas of expertise
• You will become more skillful at the game of life

Remember: the best learning for you may very well be related to something other than work.

Effectiveness is not necessarily Efficiency

Human effectiveness is something very different from machine efficiency.  If you treat yourself like a machine, you will find it very difficult to create your best work.  Whereas machines are designed, programmed and constructed for a specific purpose, the nature of you is infinitely more complex.  In the long run, pushing yourself (or your team) harder will not help you deliver better project results.

The best leaders make a regular practice of stepping away from their projects to set their focus temporarily elsewhere.  This refreshes their minds, reduces over-intensity and allows their subconscious to communicate ideas, alternatives and other possibilities.  Paradoxically, slowing yourself down is a major way to better, faster and more efficient results.

“Life as filled with wonder..”

Like most great movies, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park included a great mix of nuanced characters.  One of my favorites is the Scottish entrepreneur John Hammond (played masterfully by Richard Attenborough).  Television and film characters over the age of 50 are often portrayed as lacking in energy.  John Hammond is enthusiastic, positive and filled with joy at the possibilities of life.  He seeks out and appreciates quality in himself and others.  He is a lifelong learner who uses what he learns to advance his goals and manifest his personal dreams.  Had he surrounded himself earlier with advisors he trusted, he may have avoided some of the Jurassic consequences.  Of course, we would then not have such an interesting film.

What to Learn

What did you want to do when you were eight?

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie-Mellon computer science professor who captured the internet’s attention with his Last Lecture, posed this question as a key way to start getting at our core life desires.  You may have read the book or watched the lecture on the net, but did you ever take some time to answer the question?  Why not add an appointment with yourself this week to spend an hour at a cafe with paper and a pen (preferable) or a laptop and come up with a list.

What do you long to do?  What would you do if you had unlimited time or money?

Who do you envy?

Jealousy and envy are wonderful tools.  Rather than fight them, use them!  (The other options, feeding or ignoring, tend not to work.) Here’s how you use your envy.  First, give yourself permission to feel it.  Next, think clearly of the person.  Now, picture what it is that they have that you want.  Write it down.

For objects, you now have a subject to explore.  Become an expert in this thing.  Do not say that you don’t have enough money to have this thing.  Instead, replace that thought with gratitude that this particular object of your desire exists in the world.  It may sound unlikely, but give it a try.  I know a man who loves classic Ford Mustangs.  He now has a garage filled with 6 of them, and has collector friends all over the US.

If you envy a quality someone has (such as love, personal magnetism, self-confidence, or intelligence), the process is similar.  Become an expert in this area.  Learn everything you can about it.  Make a list of famous people who have this trait.  See if you can find people who developed this trait.  As you identify things that you yourself can do to develop this quality in yourself, add them to a Someday-Maybe list.  Every few weeks examine your Someday-Maybe list and see if you are willing to do anything on it.

“I always wanted to own a store like this…”

Early in my career I co-owned a small retail store.  It broke even (barely).  My partner and I worked day and night to keep it going.  The shop was located in a small town near a US military base.  Many of the older career officers and staffers loved coming in.  These same people often helped and encouraged us greatly.  In contrast, many others from the town would come in and say with longing, “I’ve always wanted to own a bookstore”.  Most seemed healthy, strong and relatively prosperous.  Some were even retired with lots of time to spare.  At that time, we would have gladly welcomed financial partners or even volunteers.  But not one of these erstwhile “owners” even asked.  Their “dream” was right in front of them, but they could not see the possibility.

What dreams are you convinced can never happen?  Get to work on those first if you want to truly be more effective in your life.

“Certified master gardener”

A colleague of mine is a project manager with more than 25 years work experience.  When he speaks about plants, his enthusiasm can barely be contained. For years he dreamed of becoming a Certified Master Gardener, but believed that it was out of his reach due to work time demands.  Finally, a few years ago he decided to take one evening course.  In the near future he’ll be receiving his certification.
Does this outside interest take away from his effectiveness at work?  Absolutely not.  On the contrary, during the most stressful days he can refresh himself by looking forward in the near future to a few hours digging in the dirt.

The Subjects of Your Interest Will Change over Time

Once you reach a sufficient level of knowledge and mastery of a subject for your purposes, you’ll know.  Over the course of your explorations new subjects will reveal themselves.  With each area of learning, a whole new world of people, events and experiences will come into your life.  This is true abundance, and the secret to a full and meaningful life.

Some Subjects Other Project Managers and IT Leaders Have Explored

Harley-Davidson Motorcycles (senior executive)
Playing Piano Jazz Standards (project manager, started after age 40)
Wet Shaving with Safety Razor (project manager)
Developing Beautiful, Legible Handwriting (team lead, 30s)
Learning to speak with confidence (recruiter, 20s)

How to Begin on a Subject

Once you have identified a subject to start with, you can proceed in ways that are most natural for you.

More Private Ways to Start

The internet is a treasure-trove.  Here are some ideas:

• Search for forums on the topic.  Start reading posts most days.
• Wikipedia.  (You can set up a firefox keyword such as WI.  Then whenever you want to search, just type WI + keyword in the address bar.)
• Subscribe to RSS feeds for 5 blogs on the subject.
• Comment and ask questions on blogs having to do with the subject.

Pretty soon, you’ll know your next step.

More Public Ways to Start

If you prefer to learn with others, you can start by asking around to see who knows anyone who may be knowledgable about the subject.  This will result in one to many names of people to contact.  Ask each of these if they have time to speak with you about the subject.  Ask them for others they know who could help you.

• Prepare a 20 minute introductory presentation about the subject.
• Give it to others at work, or even your dog.

Keep learning.  You have little to lose and a whole life to gain.  To paraphrase Flannery O’Connor, “The life you save may be your own.”

(Photo credit: Trois Têtes (TT))

What to learn next…it’s your big chance

Bad project management offices (PMO)s are easy to describe.  You may have had to work with one at some point. Notice the words, had to work with one.  People will do anything possible to minimize their interactions with a bad PMO.  Poor PMOs don’t care. They have little contact with the people in the organization actually doing the work.  Their focus is on compliance by force. Communication flows one way – from them to you.

Great PMOs are Good for Executives, Project Managers and You

It’s been said that all happy couples look the same.  All of the best PMOs share certain characteristics which endear them to management and the project managers they support.

1. Projects Align with Organizational Goals

At some level, every project is conceived to provide some benefit to the organization.  The business case, charter and scope ideally describe this in an understandable way.  A good PMO ensures that all projects worked in an organization have benefits that truly align to the most important needs and objectives of the business. If the nature of the business environment changes significantly, a good PMO will decide what impact if any this will have on the active projects.  Sometimes projects need to be redefined, shelved or even cancelled.  If a project’s benefits are no longer benefits, it makes no sense to continue working the project.

2. Project Success Rates Increase

A good PMO ensures that all needed resources are available and allocated before the start of the project.  The PMO monitors the project plan and budget throughout the lifecycle to ensure that the project remains on track, and that resources are available as needed. As large risks present themselves, the PMO may help in brokering solutions which are best for everyone involved. These activities increase the number of projects completed on time, on budget and in scope.

3. Project Management Competence Increases

Organizations with good project management offices find that the skill and competence of project management activities improve over time.  PMP Certification is common.  As important is the establishment of formal or informal mentoring programs for all project managers. Mentoring increases networking relationships, provides practical guidance for newer project managers, and contributes to a team culture in the organization.

4. Standards and Templates are Developed and Improved

A good PMO provides useful, practical and helpful project templates. These templates are revised as often as necessary to ensure that the right type of documentation is being created.  Clear guidance is provided to ensure that the minimum number of documents are created for any particular project.

5. PMO Tone is Inviting

The PMO is considered a partner and resource rather than a bully. The compliance aspect is deemphasised.  Learning and Improvement are embraced.

6.  Training is Available

A good PMO offers more than one class a year.  Free training is available in multiple formats and in various ways.  There may be online sessions.  Classroom training may be provided.  An open door policy may be in effect for a few hours every day. There may be a constantly monitored IM (instant messaging) or chat account available to any PM with a question at any time.

7. Learning is Embraced

The PMO members seek out feedback and incorporate it into project management office policies and activities.  Lessons learned are included in projects and in the PMO itself.  The PMO looks for ways to continually increase its value up (to management) and down (to project managers).

Do you have a World Class PMO?

(This post was previously published on the Strategic IT Planning Blog as 7 Marks of a Best PMO).

(Photo credit: kool skatkat)

7 Marks of a Great Project Management Office

Mentor and be Mentored

This month I had my first meeting with a new mentor.  We met after work at the Radiance tea house in Manhattan.  The location was convenient.  The atmosphere was soothing, quiet and conducive to the kind of focused and relaxed conversation which marks good mentoring.  I left feeling hopeful, inspired and ready to act.

Have you ever thought of working with a mentor?  Here are some guidelines.

1.    What is mentoring

A mentor is a wise counselor or teacher.  In a mentoring relationship the mentor shares knowledge, skills, information, and perspective  to foster the personal and professional growth of the mentee.

Structured mentoring programs bring people together using a formal process to meet the goals of an organization.  While there are benefits to this kind of mentoring program, you would do well to focus on creating your own informal mentoring program.

Informal, or casual mentoring is arranged directly by the people involved, and can take a number of forms.  Peer Mentoring, either structured or informal involves two or more people coming together to provide mutual support and advice.

Informal mentoring between an experienced person and one with less experience is what is discussed in this chapter.

2.    Why have a mentor?

Mentoring provides you with the benefit of someone else’s experience.  The guidance you receive can shield you from having to reinvent the wheel as you grow in your career.  Being able to see yourself and your situation from another viewpoint can greatly increase your effectiveness.

To make the most of the mentoring relationship, it’s important to be clear as to what you want you are trying to achieve.  On which areas of your career would you like to focus?  (Some examples: stakeholder relationships, managing conflict, setting up your plan to land your next position).

Having a clear goal for what you are trying to achieve will make it easier for you to approach potential mentors.

3.    What’s in it for the mentor?

One of the great pleasures in life is to share the benefit of one’s experience with others.  Most working professionals have relatively few opportunities to do this.  For busy leaders, the time spent mentoring can provide a refreshing break in the midst of all their other activities.  This is especially true if you enter into the mentoring relationship with the intention of acting on the ideas the both of you discuss.

4.    What to look for in a mentor

Once you are clear as to what you want to achieve through your mentoring, you can begin to think about possible mentors.  It may be best to identify at least 3 people.  Some potential mentors will not have the time.  Others may not be interested in mentoring.  Don’t take this personally.  Just be courteous and respectful to everyone you speak with.  There will be someone out there more than willing to mentor you!

Your mentor may be in a different position, role or even field from your own.  This need not be a concern, as long as they have experience in the area or areas in which you are seeking mentoring.  What is important is that your mentor has these characteristics:

• Know what they are doing
• Respected by people at all levels (peers, direct reports, their leadership)
• Have skills and qualities you admire
• Demonstrate integrity (e.g. they do what they say)

5.    How to ask to be mentored

When you approach a potential mentor, be calm, confident and respectful.  If they do not know you, introduce yourself, give a brief description of your role, and explain that you are looking for a mentor to help you with the issue you are looking to address.

Let the mentor know exactly how much time and effort will be required.

For example, “My name is Joanne Wilson.  I’m a business analyst here at JJK.  You were recommended by Mary Hines as someone with a great deal of experience with project stakeholders.  I’m looking for guidance in this area, and wondered if you’d be interested in exploring a mentoring relationship.  If we decided to work together the time involved would be not more than a half-hour every three weeks or so.  What do you think about mentoring?

6.    Mentoring session

Whatever format your relationship with your mentor takes, it’s crucial that you show courtesy for your mentor by coming prepared to each session.  This means that you have a clear topic or agenda for the meeting, you show up when expected and keep to the allotted time.  Don’t contact your mentor between meetings unless your mentor has invited you to do so.

7.    Further Resources

• How to Find a Good Mentor by Ellesse Chow on Goal Setting College
• How to find and utilize a mentor no matter what you’re doing by Trent Hamm on Simple Dollar
• How to find a mentor by Roman Rytov on Roman’s Miles
• Finding a mentor on Inc. Guides
• The value of a mentor by Katharine Hansen on QuintCareers

(Photo credit: lebenszentrum adelshofen)

Mentoring how to: Mentor and be mentored!

This article was previously published as Need work?  How to find your next IT Job with Social Media

If you’re looking for work right now, you’re not alone. While Todd Thibodeaux, president of the Computing Technology Industry Association claims that there are 300,000
well paying IT jobs available now, LinkedIn groups and online forums are filled with posts from highly skilled project managers, technical leads and database administrators who are struggling to find work. Can both sides of the debate be right?  The truth is that the technology job market is broken and desperately in need of repair.  You can choose to:

• (a) Complain about it
• (b) Work to fix it
• (c) Roll up our sleeves and do whatever is necessary to find appropriate work for yourself

This post is about option (c).  Let’s get to work.

My credentials to write this guide

This post was originally written for Bas de Baar’s Project Shrink website.  Bas is one of my PM role models.  We share 3 passions: belief in people, belief in the value of good project management, and desire to give back to others. Though I consider myself a small business owner/consultant/contractor, the nature of finding clients is in most ways analogous to finding a full-time job with an employer.  When he suggested I share my latest job search experiences with you, I readily agreed.

Over the last few years, I’ve finally accepted that the job search methods you and I have used throughout our careers no longer work.  In this post you’ll learn what you can do to shorten your search by getting noticed by the people who need what you have to offer.  It’s written from a U.S. perspective and should be useful to you wherever you may be.

Recruiters

(cc Photo credit: Wisconsin Historical Society)

First let’s take a brief look at what won’t work for you.  Recruiters.

Recruiters in the old days (1990s) used to develop personal relationships with their candidates.  When you signed up with them you could expect a thorough pre-interview. This information was used to make sure that you were technically qualified. It was also used to make sure that the recruiter’s submissions to hiring companies were appropriate.  This screening process was a main part of the value recruiters offered to employers.

Today the situation is different. Other than a few exceptional firms such as Kim and Greg Shand’s Vega Consulting in New Jersey, most recruiters rely on resume sifting programs to choose candidates. Few of these recruiters have ever personally met the people they submit to employers as candidates.

More and more companies are discounting the value added by such recruiting companias and are choosing to bypass them entirely. Nevertheless, most IT job candidates are still looking to recruiters as a primary source of possible jobs. If you rely on recruiters, you are playing a numbers game with odds not in your favor. It could take you a very long time to find a position.

Job Board Postings

No matter how qualified you are, when you submit a job board application, you become one out of a vast multitude. Even worse, you have no easy way to tell if:

• The job is still open
• The job actually exists
• The person screening the resumes understands the job requirements

If you’ve been posting to job boards recently, you’ve no doubt learned not to expect any confirmation that your submission was received.

According to a friend of mine who happens to be a recruiter (not with Vega Consulting), each position posted on one of the big job boards can cost $400. In
a time of cost savings this creates a built-in incentive to leave a filled position up as long as possible. Doing so is a cost free way for the recruitment
firm to gather huge numbers of resumes.

It’s good to scan and answer ads. But treat them like a
lottery rather than a sure thing.

To get the jobs that are out there, you’re going to have to find ways to separate
yourself from the pack. You will have to act differently from most others. You will also have to present yourself with more focused materials than you may have used in the past.

What Works

Depressed yet? Don’t be. There are jobs out there, and you can be one of the people who lands one. Here’s what you can to do to differentiate yourself.

For you to start getting offers, you need to have a prep-packet ready with a few key items. All of the items need to be consistent with each other. They need to be truthful. And they need to give a clear and accurate representation of what makes you relevant and of value to the
hiring manager of a company you’d want to work for.

Items in your Prep Packet

(cc Photo credit: Bohman)

Warning!

What you are about to read may sound like salesmanship. Many of us techies have spent years feeling superior to the business and marketing folks.
It’s time for that attitude to change.  You already know that you have to present yourself to others. Why not learn how to do it in an honest, ethical way that is as painless for you as possible?  The good news is that what you have to do is probably less than you think. It also gets easier with time and a little practice.

1. One line verbal pitch

The one line verbal pitch is sometimes called an elevator speech. It’s a clear, easily understood answer to the question, What do you do?

Your pitch should be:

• One sentence – one idea only
• Simple to understand – jargon free
• Geared to the other person

When someone hears your pitch, their response should be some sort of dialogue. If your one line verbal pitch bores you, it will bore them and conversation will stop. That’s not what you want.

You can have a few variations of your pitch to use depending on your audience..

One possible example:

I help people resolve difficult issues on their
technology projects.

2. One line written pitch

The written pitch is intended to be read. This means it can be more
detailed than the verbal pitch. You will use this one line pitch in
all of your written and social media profiles (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn,
twitter).  You should consider including keywords which match your
areas of focus. If you assume that everything online is indexed
and searchable, including these keywords may bring you to the attention
of someone who needs you. The art is writing this in a way that
still sounds understandable.

Different services have different character limits. LinkedIn allows 120 characters.

Here’s an example:

PMP project manager who resolves quality, delivery and morale issues on PMO projects. SDLC, Virtual Teams, Social Media.

LinkedIn also allows you to include an additional status message. This is a good place for you to indicate that you are actively looking.

Seeking PMO or IT PM position with multiple projects in an energetic environment. NYC or up to 50% travel.

3. One paragraph written description

You’ll use your one paragraph description in many ways. If you are
answering ads, it will be the body of your email response. It is the first section of your resume. It should include:

1. Your one line written pitch (What you do)
2. A few of your biggest accomplishments or strengths (What
   you’ve done)
3. Your additional status message (What you’re looking for)

4. Resume Fashion

(cc Photo credit: Felish Humanus)

Discard everything you know or think you know about resumes.

Is it really so hard to believe that resumes follow fashion? A 1980s resume or cover letter won’t get you laughed at. You’ll just be ignored.

A 21st century resume needs to be prepared for electronic use.
That means it needs to work in Microsoft Word format, Adobe PDF format, and plain text.  No images, pictures, or photos.  These may work in Europe, but
in the U.S. any resume with a photo attached will be screened out on general principle. If you’re smart, you’ll look at your resume as a group of successive screen pages. Each press of the page down key should provide your
reader with something interesting.

Your resume has to be accurate and respectful. Your meaning must come across quickly and clearly. This is most important of all.

Resume Sections

The first section, Professional Summary,
is your one paragraph written description. You can add bullet
points of actual, measurable achievements as long as they are easy to
understand and support your one paragraph written description.

The next section, Experience
Highlights, includes 3-5 specific, measurable recent
achievements.

Follow with the rest of your resume content (i.e. Education, Professional Experience, etc.).

A note about cover letters

Forget them! They waste your time and the time of the person who receives them.

One high level finance person who deals with many candidates spoke of his disdain of cover letters. He hated most of all receiving them as separate attachments in email.  His recommendation: send a one paragraph email with your resume as an attachment. Simple, clean, polite.

Social Media

(cc Photo credit: Additive Theory)

Social networking is about helping others. In the social media world, your true nature will quickly become apparent. Start with a positive attitude and your reputation will be stellar.

For you to gain social network visibility, you will need to be active in a few places.
As a minimum you should have complete LinkedIn and Facebook
profiles. twitter may also be useful for you.  Some people say it’s best to keep away from MySpace.

From this moment on, assume that everything you do on a computer is public
knowledge. If this assumption turns out to be wrong, all the better. But if it turns out to be true, you will be in good shape.

On your profiles you must include a photograph. A flattering one is best. Even a mediocre one is better than none at all. If you don’t have a picture, find a friend to take one. If you don’t have any friends, pay a photographer!

People without photographs on their profiles look like stalkers or people with something to hide. This is not the impression you want to give.

Make a habit of adding connections on LinkedIn with people you like.
You don’t need 500 or 5000 connections. Better to have 5 or 25 connections with people you enjoy staying in contact with than a collection of people you don’t even know. Recommendations will come with time. It’s not necessary to focus on them.

Building your social networks is a long-term, career proposition. Steady effort over time will provide you with something that adds real value to your life.

Groups

This is a cornerstone of your social media job campaign.

LinkedIn

To start, identify LinkedIn groups which are related to the specific job/function you are targeting. To the left of the search box is a drop down.
Select “Search Groups”, enter your keyword (e.g. project management) and go. Pick a few of the resulting groups that look interesting.  After joining, monitor the discussions daily.Whenever you have something of value to contribute, do so. As you get to know people, add them to your LinkedIn network.

Facebook

Next, look for Facebook groups related to your target job. Join one or two and monitor in the same way as with the LinkedIn groups.

Meetup

Finally, look for local meetup
groups related to your job target. These will enable you to have face to face meetings with people in your area and will help you start to get a sense for what companies may have opportunities.

Networking and Direct Contact

Networking may be defined as a mutually beneficial connection between two people who know each other. Possibly you have already contacted all the
people you know and told them exactly what you do, what you’ve done and
what you’re looking for. Consider contacting them again with your new one paragraph description. Ask them for names of one or two people they know who might know someone who hires people like you. These names are like gold.  Check your LinkedIn network to see if you can find these people.
If you have an email address, send them a quick note with your one paragraph description. You can also contact them through LinkedIn.

Summary

These are the very basics of adding social networking to your job search.
Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to your next assignment. More importantly you will have a good foundation for not only your next job, but the ones after that.

My wish for you is that your job search may be short,your happiness broad, and your friends many.

With kind regards,
Alec Satin

(cc Photo credit: Michael Marlatt)

IT Job Search with twitter, linkedin, facebook

Too busy to even read this post?  If you take just 10 minutes right now¹ to review these links, you may find an idea or two that could really help.

Orientation: The Scope of the Problem

1. Work Myths Exposed by Brian Dean in Anxiety Culture.  United Kingdom
   Somewhat bleak statistics regarding work satisfaction and levels of stress on the job.  ”People with stressful jobs are twice as likely to die from heart disease, according to a 2002 study in the British Medical Journal.”
2. Job Stress Management in Helpguide.org. United States
   Provides good background on causes and effects of workplace stress, as well as tips to reduce the impact.  Look to the end for the section, “What can employees do to reduce job stress?”

How Stressed Are You?

1. The Stress Test by Dr. Edward F. Group in Stress, Anxiety and Depression Resource Center. United States

“Are you feeling stressed out? Take the following test to see if stress is causing you problems and if so, read on to learn how to manage the stress in your life.”

2. Preventing Burnout in Helpguide.org. United States

How to recognize burnout, differentiate it from stress, and prevent it.

What To Do

1. Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent and Cope with Stress by in Helpguide.org. United States

“The goal of stress management is to bring your mind and body back into balance. By adopting a positive attitude, learning healthier ways to cope, and changing the way you deal with stress, you can reduce its hold on your life.”

2. Stress Management in businessballs.com. United Kingdom

Comprehensive article with practical tips.

On the Lighter Side

Here is a Stress at Work - Office Stress Compilation from YouTube.  Please don’t let any of these things happen to you!

(Photo credit: Stephen Poff)

Dealing with Stress at Work – Solutions Linkfest

1. Take a look now – we both know the likelihood is you won’t get a chance to come back to this post.

Based on your positive feedback from the March project management and career twitter tweets post, here are some management, leadership and inspirational tweets you might enjoy.

Leadership/Team Building Effectiveness Career Inspiration/Diversions Tools Risk

Do you twitter?  Follow me at twitter.com/alecsatin

Leadership/Team Building

1. Do you create “unteams” or “real teams”? http://bit.ly/45yEKl @estherderby #pmot Don’t answer too quickly!about 6 hours ago
2. Tips for managing Millenials http://is.gd/1UR9T Good for them – We Gen Xers can learn a lot! #pmot12:44 PM Jul 30th
3. Do you lead your team from a manager’s schedule or maker’s schedule? Key question! http://bit.ly/FMkZE #pmot10:28 AM Aug 3rd
4. Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny. RT @amgyazoor #pmot11:49 AM Jul 13th
5. Here’s a company that treats human beings as human beings: http://is.gd/1sBzK How does your company compare? #pmot1:24 PM Jul 9th
6. RT @threew: If you have never recommended canceling a project, you haven’t been an effective project manager. #pmot9:55 AM Jun 1st
7. What would you do if someone was refused service due to race? Real life ethical dilemna from @thedailyminder http://is.gd/LD8M9:54 AM Jun 1st
8. Test yourself: How’s your Blackberry and laptop etiquette? http://is.gd/GTMN @pm4girls #pmot6:36 AM May 27th
9. Are you a good natured manager? Dilemmas of being lenient manager from Wash Post http://bit.ly/wqm4S #pmot6:37 AM May 13th
10. Effective People Skills for the Project Manager http://tinyurl.com/d5jnpq #pmot RT @lsptrainer @ravenyoung @franklyPM – Short and sweet2:13 PM May 4th

Effectiveness

1. Project Managers could increase their effectiveness many fold by reading http://sidsavara.com #pmotabout 22 hours ago in reply to sidsavara
2. “Perfection is not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to remove.” #pmot #quote10:16 AM Jul 10th
3. Seven hidden lessons from Getting Things Done http://is.gd/LDgc @GTD @PMOT @trenttsd9:58 AM Jun 1st

Career

1. Preparing your exit strategy – key for all of us these days. http://bit.ly/k0SWV @pm4girls #pmot8:47 AM Jul 31st
2. Dealing with Project Management Stress. Not only for project managers! #pmot http://is.gd/1qbc0 thanks to @pmhut10:54 AM Jul 7th
3. From Steve Jobs: If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today? #pmot http://is.gd/1pab51:50 PM Jul 6th from TweetDeck
4. Between jobs? Scholarships available from ESI for unemployed project managers, business analysts http://is.gd/1xrhv #pmot #business_analysts11:55 AM Jul 13th
5. Major US airlines continue to put your comfort last. WSJ suggests low cost airlines have most legroom: http://is.gd/RAjS6:48 AM Jun 7th
6. RT @DaveG253: CIO Insider: Why Layoffs Hit IT Professionals So Hard http://bit.ly/AoAoj #IT #pmot6:45 AM May 13th

Inspiration/Diversions

1. “Catastrophes we can avert are not as interesting as those we could avert” Bono http://is.gd/1zFIE @quote5:47 AM Jul 15th
2. “Take your fun seriously” Short video homage to Charles Eames. http://is.gd/1×8ih Ideas to inspire your Monday morning.5:58 AM Jul 13th
3. Think you’re being manipulated by your cat? New research confirms special purr induces urgency in humans – http://is.gd/1DaI63:44 AM Jul 18th
4. What’s in JJ Abrams’ (creator of Lost TV series) Mystery Box? http://is.gd/1j8yV6:39 AM Jun 30th
5. Great Scott! The real Dr. Emmett Brown is alive and well in Clifford Stoll. Back to the future now http://is.gd/1bPCU5:07 AM Jun 24th
6. Need some inspiration? Visionary leader Ray Anderson on Interface carpet-a profitable, sustainable company that cares. http://is.gd/EThK6:27 AM May 26th
7. Changing our genetic code to upgrade our humanity. What do you think? Gregory Stock @ted @podcast http://is.gd/sscT5:50 AM May 19th
8. @derekhuether: Al Gore video http://is.gd/xux0 is powerful. I’m with you – let’s hope we can get our collective act together.12:07 PM May 18th
9. Inspiration of a different sort. Eric Lewis plays chaos and harmony on a Steinway piano. @ted @podcast http://is.gd/zbr96:06 AM May 15th
10. Al Gore’s latest slides on global climate change and solutions for the US that can work. Worth the 5mins to watch. http://is.gd/xux06:05 AM May 15th
11. Hang in there! 9 life lessons from rock climbing by Matthew Childs. Short @TED podcast – Good use of Powerpoint. http://is.gd/sYJp6:12 AM Apr 30th

Tools

1. How to create and use a project management burn down chart with excel http://is.gd/1Grp5 #pmot #project7:17 AM Jul 21st
2. New Post: Autofocus 2 Can Help You Manage Your Tasks like a Master http://is.gd/1xlxW #pmot10:09 AM Jul 13th
3. @derekhuether Have you ever walked into an office and seen the walls plastered with GANTT charts printed in tiny 7pt type? #pmot6:39 AM May 11th
4. RT @DaveG253 @Projectshrink podcast – Everything a Project Manager Should Know About Social Media http://bit.ly/qhrIJ6:12 AM May 11th
5. Are Gantt charts useful for software project management? @joaomrpereira says maybe: http://is.gd/yPJ3 #pmot5:57 AM May 11th
6. RT @projektlotse: RT @pmhut Earned Value Management for Absolute Beginners http://tinyurl.com/c6rrmy #pmot10:27 AM May 7th
7. Know yourself and your office mates! @sidsavara ’s favorite free online personality tests http://is.gd/x14N #pmot2:08 PM May 5th

Risk

1. 5 signs of a project in trouble? http://is.gd/1UHXZ @webworkerdaily #pmot10:35 AM Jul 30th
2. The bitterness of poor quality last long after the sweetness of making a date is forgotten. RT @jesuscarlos: #PMOT #Quotes too true!10:55 AM Jul 7th
3. Five clues that your project is headed for trouble http://ff.im/-2zWlA RT @BTpmp @gcimmarrusti @GanttGuru #pmot2:11 PM May 4th

PM Twitter Tweets – Revisited

You may remember reading some months back about the Autofocus task management system created by Mark Forster.  Since February I’ve been using this system exclusively, and have found it exceptionally good at managing both business and personal tasks.  Mark has made some slight updates to the system based on feedback received on the Autofocus community forum.  This new system, Autofocus2 or AF2, is even better than the original Autofocus and is highly recommended.

You should consider using Autofocus 2 if…

• You are a project manager, or
• You attend many meetings and/or have many tasks coming at you throughout the day, or
• You have specific activities you need to do on a particular day, or
• You struggle at times with procrastination, or
• You worry that you are forgetting things or otherwise “dropping tasks”.

Advantages

• Free
• Low overhead – your time is spent doing the work rather than maintaining the system.
• Requires only a dedicated notebook, pen and highlighter.
• Electronic implementation possible (though paper system is more flexible and fun).

Why I like it

• Single place for all your tasks (business and personal).
• It’s a “trusted system”.  Things will not get lost.
• Compatible with the principles of Getting Things Done (GTD).

Little and Often

Mark is a firm believer in the “little and often” approach.  This means that you work only as long as you care to on any particular item.

Dismissal

Autofocus and Autofocus 2 have a wonderful concept called dismissal.  Dismissal is a concept I’ve not found in other time management or organizational systems.  Dismissed items are highlighted and removed from your active list.  This keeps things moving, encourages work on older items and eliminates “dead” items from your list.  You can read more about dismissal here.

Learn how to do Autofocus2 Time Management System

Mark Forster’s Original Autofocus Time Management System

Autofocus 2 Can Help You Manage Your Tasks like a Master

Are you enjoying your BlackBerry smartphone? I’ve had mine for a few weeks now, and find it a real pleasure to use. It’s elegant, works well as a phone and provides 24/7 online access. Here are two add-ons and one built-in feature that can save you time and increase your enjoyment of this excellent tool.

1.  Install the Opera Mini Browser

According to the Opera website, more than 20 million people use the Opera Mini browser on their mobile phones.  You’ll like it because it is faster than the default BlackBerry browser.  (Opera compresses data before downloading.)  It’s also better organized, easier and more fun to use.

To install:

From the built in BlackBerry browser on your phone, visit mini.opera.com and follow the instructions to download.  In a few moments the new version of Opera will be installed and you’ll be ready to go.

2.  Keep your calendar and contacts synced with Google

Even if you don’t normally use these products, Google Sync for BlackBerry is worth installing.  It will keep a complete and automatic backup of all your contacts and calendar entries.  In case you lose your BlackBerry or have to turn it back to your company on short notice, your contacts will be preserved.

To install:

From your BlackBerry visit m.google.com/sync and follow the instructions.  You’ll need your google or gmail userid and password.  The first sync takes about 10 minutes.  After that, your BlackBerry calendar and/or contacts will be kept in sync with your Google calendar and contacts automatically.

3.  Use SMS Autotext

The autotext feature in your BlackBerry can save you a great deal of time, even if you only send occassional text messages.  The built-in autotext shortcuts fix some common transposition errors.  It can also be used to make it easy to type contractions.  For example, try the following from your SMS compose message screen (SMS and MMS -> Compose SMS Text -> Choose recipient)

• Type il(space) – You’ll see I’ll
• Type shel(space) – You’ll see she’ll
• Type hel(space) – You’ll see he’ll
• Type wel(space) – You’ll see we’ll
• Type wer(space) – You’ll see we’re

You can easily add the current date and time

• Type ld(space) – You’ll see the current date
• Type lt(space) – You’ll see the current time

Add Custom Autotext

If you find yourself typing the same words or phrases in multiple text messages, it makes sense to add custom autotext entries.  You may want to adopt a naming scheme to more easily keep track of your custom entries.  I tend to start all of my custom entries with 0.  This places them in a group at the top of the list.  The 0 key also does not require the ALT key.

For example:
0in(space) -> In a meeting, get back to you later.
0tt(space) -> Talk to you later.

To add a new autotext entry, from your SMS compose message screen (SMS and MMS -> Compose SMS text -> Choose recipient), open autotext (menu button ->  Edit Autotext -> menu button -> new).  In the replace field enter the autotext shortcut (e.g. 0tt).  In the with field enter the full text (e.g. Talk to you later.)  Save and you are ready to go.

Enjoy!
Alec
(Photo credit: ifatma)

3 Blackberry Smartphone Tweaks

Soma Bhattacharya of Stepping into Project Management – Newbie’s Diary has published a quick interview with tips for project managers and other technology people who are looking for jobs.

If you’re not yet familiar with Soma’s blog, why not head over and take a look?

Getting a Job in the New Economy

Here’s how Soma describes herself and her blog:

I am an aspiring Project Manager and a Business Analyst who works as part of the Project Management team. I love to read, travel and explore life. If I’m not at work I can be mostly found reading up on PM or a novel with a cup of green tea.

This blog, is my commitment to become a PM- to talk about my mistakes, my learning process and blog my journey with dollops of honest writings, scouting for some advises for me and everyone else who would like to be a PM.

Interview: Getting a Job in the New Economy

Barbara Mauro and a few others have had questions about getting PDUs for articles and other documents published online.  These questions have shown up on LinkedIn Project Management discussion groups and the #pmot (project managers on twitter) group.

This morning I spoke with a PMI representative, who confirmed that project management articles published online can be submitted for PMP Professional Development Units (PDUs). The same applies to templates and white papers.

If you happened to be audited, you would need to be able to verify where and when the item was published.

The guidelines talk about “scholarly articles”. It’s up to you to determine whether you would consider your submission “scholarly”. If PMI has any issues or questions with a particular PDU submission, they said they will contact you directly.

While not as definitive and clear as we might like, this does provide more guidance than we had before. Hope it’s helpful.

Alec

P.S. An excerpt from our conversation is below.

Quote——-
“…It doesn’t matter if it is published online or in print. If it is a scholarly article you can submit it as category 2B.”

PMPs would claim credit for the category 2B option if he or she has authored or co-authored an article pertaining to project management in a non-refereed journal.

A non-refereed journal would be a journal in which scholarly articles have been written by specialists in a particular field. Unlike refereed journals, the described articles are not evaluated by a panel of experts before acceptance for publication.

Sole authors can claim 15 PDUs per article
Co-authors would claims 10 PDUs per article
End Quote ———-

Image via Wikipedia

PMI: Project Management Articles Published Online Can Be Submitted for PDUs

Are you out of work now?  Working but concerned about the security of your job?  If so, you’re not alone.

Social Media Networking has been the key to my current job search.  I believe it can help you, too.

You may be thinking:

• I have no time to learn one more thing.
• I’m already on LinkedIn
• I can always use Dice, Monster or CareerBuilder.
• Recruiters want my skills.
• I’ve never had trouble finding a job before.

Times have changed.

I’ve written up the very minimum you need do to position yourself well using social media.  It appears today as a guest post on Bas de Baar’s Project Shrink site.

Take a look: Need work?  How to find your next IT Job with Social Media

Need work? How to find your next IT Job with Social Media

UPDATE: You can read a summary of the segment on the CNBC On the Money blog. The excerpt from the CNBC website is below. It will begin after a short commercial.

Full MP4 Version On the Money with Carmen Wong Ulrich Video Podct!

If you’re up at 10pm on Friday, you may be interested in watching CNBC’s On The Money.  One segment will focus on Social Media Networking and how it has helped my job search.

This is a follow up to the advice Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com, and the rest of the CNBC panel gave on the March 6th show.

Should be fun!  If you decide to watch, would love to hear what you think.

Watch me on CNBC On The Money – Fri 3 Apr 09 10PM EDT

Sometimes we are presented with opportunities which cost us little, yet provide great help to others.

Today, April 1, 2009, along with other bloggers, I’d like to ask you to consider sending $1 or more to help replenish local US foodbanks.  You can give money directly to your local foodbank, or you can send it to Feeding America.  Below is a short description.

Thanks for your help with this effort.
With kind regards,
Alec

Everyday, the news is filled with the dire news about the current economic climate and a lot of us use the blogging community to take a break from the constant drumbeat. However, we can not ignore the fact that friends and family members, and even some blogger friends have lost their jobs because of the recession. People who never had a worry in the world now have to think about where their next meal is coming from. People who never would have dreamt that they would need help are now showing up at the local food banks. But when they get there, the shelves are bare.

There is not enough food being donated to meet the sudden rise in demand. There is not enough money to buy the food for the food banks. There is not a general understanding that food banks need help to help fill their shelves.

Bloggers and their readers across our country are joining together to contributions to either their local food banks, or Feeding America, a group of more than 200 foodbanks in the US. Every dollar contributed provides seven meals or 10 pounds of food. A gift of $25 provides 75 meals. If everyone makes a donation on April 1, April Food Day, we will be able to make an impact on hunger in America.

April Food Day

“Stakeholder Management” is one of those terms that could easily be removed from our project management vocabulary.  The next time you hear it in conversation imagine that what was really said was “stakeholder manipulation”.  Would the sentence still make sense?

People are smart.  Manipulation seldom works in the long run, and especially in complicated group endeavors like most technology projects.

Stakeholder as Enemy

When did it become acceptable to have an US versus THEM attitude in regard to our stakeholders?  I remember counseling a fellow project manager about a web content project he was managing.  The gist of the conversation was how bad the stakeholder was because (a) she would never sign off on a deliverable and (b) she would constantly insist upon changing details of screens, organization of data (taxonomy) and even file naming conventions well after the requirements had been finalized.

Sound familiar?

While most of us have had similar experiences on one or more of our projects, there is a difference between normal project friction and toxic level project disorder.  Part of being a good project manager is knowing how to bring together people with varying personalities, roles and ideas such that they can create a joint outcome much better than it would be otherwise.

On a normal project there are times when business needs will shift before the project has been completed.  The tendency will be for the business owner to want the project to change to meet the new business reality.  It is up to the project manager to work with the stakeholder to understand the impact of such changes.  In a bad project situation, no agreement can be reached.  In a worse situation, no such communication takes place.

Some stakeholders will always be difficult to deal with.  Nevertheless, to do a competent job as a PM, you will need to find a way to present your best face and make the communication you have with him or her as best as you can make it.

Og Mandino to the Rescue

Og Mandino (1923-1996) is best known for his book, Greatest Salesman in the World.  His books focus on helping people develop the skills needed to lead.  Constant themes throughout are the essential values of patience, kindness and compassion.  These qualities are as important to project managers as subject knowledge, tools and detail focus.

Og wrote a short book later in his life called, A Better Way to Live.  One of the 17 sections of the book provides a method which might help to create and maintain these attitudes in us when dealing with those stakeholders who are particularly hard to deal with.

Dead at Midnight

For the rest of the day today, treat everyone you interact with as if you knew without a doubt that they would be dead at midnight tonight.

This is your whole assignment.

It will work.
(Photo credit: lsirtosky)

Manage Your Least Favorite Stakeholder

Twitter Tweets – Week 12 (March 2009)

Do you twitter?

Twitter, a microblogging platform,  allows you to send and receive free short messages of up to 140 characters.

Tweets can be private (called direct messages) or public.  Twitter is 21st century CB Radio.

Here are selected project management and career twitter tweets from the last few weeks.

How can you use these?

• Look for project managers to follow @ravenyoung @sreejith_gce
• Scan the topics (Project Management Tools, Efficiency and Productivity, etc.) for subjects of interest to you
  
• Read some or all of the twitter tweets!
  

Take a look – you might find something that could help you on your project, with your career, or in your life. Have a great week. -Alec

Project Management Tools

1. Agile and Scrum? Brief review of Pivotal Tracker Project Management Tool by Andy Volk http://is.gd/opzqabout 1 hour ago from TweetDeck
2. @wefrahm have you looked at deskaway project management software? Looks promising http://www.deskaway.com/8:18 AM Mar 18th from web
3. New guest post by Paul O’Brien – Free Project Management Tool – Delivery Status Grid http://is.gd/neBA Clients and executives love it.10:17 AM Mar 13th from web
4. Free Project Management Tool – Paul O’Brien’s Promise Keeper. Dare you to use it and not improve your project metrics! http://bit.ly/Vd6N36:10 AM Mar 9th from web.

Efficiency and Productivity

1. Are you losing 28% of your productivity every day in “switching cost”? Myth of multitasking on cranky middle manager http://is.gd/o0CW4:53 AM Mar 19th from TweetDeck
2. Reading How to increase the value of your mind maps by up to 80 percent by @chuckfrey Refactor! http://is.gd/n5VN4:47 AM Mar 18th from TweetDeck
3. How Bill Gates is said to take notes http://is.gd/ntHn3:51 PM Mar 15th from TweetDeck
4. Five best (paper) note taking tools from Lifehacker http://is.gd/1N7a12:57 PM Mar 15th from TweetDeck
5. Reading Malcolm Gladwell’s The social life of Paper http://is.gd/nszv Do you take paper notes?11:57 AM Mar 15th from TweetDeck
6. Reading How to Take Notes Like an Alpha-Geek by Tim Ferris – http://is.gd/vTz – How do you organize your notes and information?11:45 AM Mar 15th from TweetDeck
7. reading: 8 ways to use twitter more effectively @mintblogger http://is.gd/mHBx9:11 AM Mar 11th from TweetDeck

Career

1. Seth Godin – what to do when you have slack time? http://is.gd/mvtv12:25 PM Mar 20th from TweetDeck
2. get help for your project – 6 Free Project Management Forums http://is.gd/nBdJ by @alecsatin5:26 AM Mar 17th from web
3. Shawn just added Making Project Management Better PM blog to the ICPM. http://tinyurl.com/ckjlll Thanks @TheICPM9:44 AM Mar 13th from web
4. reading: How to use twitter to job hunt http://is.gd/kUAi Thanks @ravenyoung Happy Friday the 13th everyone – Alec5:23 AM Mar 13th from TweetDeck
5. @ravenyoung @sreejith_gce It is good to see sreejith here. PM Karma is good stuff http://pmkarma.blogspot.com/8:57 AM Mar 10th from TweetDeck in reply to ravenyoung
6. Will Monster.com help your Job Search? I ask Jeff Taylor on CNBC On The Money tonight @ 10pm ET http://tinyurl.com/8s8lan2:50 PM Mar 6th from web

Quips and Quotations

1. For every complex problem there is a solution which is clear, simple and wrong! Jurgen Appelo on @projectshrink http://is.gd/oeSY11:53 AM Mar 20th from TweetDeck
2. RT @LimConsulting People don’t want a business opportunity; they want someone to lead them to success! So true.9:33 AM Mar 16th from web
3. @sreejith_gce: You’re in good company. Most of us are learning twitter as we go. Maybe twitter is learning itself as it goes along.8:55 AM Mar 10th from TweetDeck

News and Views

1. RT @RobertLGoodman @Hakicoma Google forced to black out Street View photos http://tinyurl.com/ce64ca6:22 AM Mar 20th from web

Blogging

1. Iris blog improvement program (now in beta) gives excellent advice. http://www.visionarybloggin… THX @easton10:59 AM Mar 7th from web
2. @SHurleyHall the wordpress Thesis theme and support are excellent. You won’t be disappointed. http://diythemes.com/thesis/4:10 AM Mar 18th from TweetDeck in reply to SHurleyHall

Video Podcasts

1. If you ever liked Jacques Cousteau – take a quick break and watch Sylvia Earle’s short video podcast on TED http://is.gd/k6AHabout 21 hours ago from TweetDeck
2. RT: @ptcraven @alecsatin this is Dean Kamen o TED, incredible http://tinyurl.com/5a8oy2 truly so. Thanks again Paul.12:32 PM Mar 16th from web
3. RT: @ptcraven and then there is this remarkable woman http://tinyurl.com/b8krtj – Fantastic!9:33 AM Mar 16th from web
4. @ptcraven BTW I am so grateful for TED. Did you see this one by Larry Brilliant on pandemics http://is.gd/nyal6:35 AM Mar 16th from TweetDeck

(Photo credit: Shovelling Son)

PM Twitter Tweets?

Help is on the way!

Imagine the scene:  It’s late.  You’ve been struggling all day to figure out the best way to handle an issue on your project.

• It could be that your organization has standardized on Microsoft Project 2007, and you need to update all your resource allocations.
• Perhaps you are looking for the best way to make sense of the incomplete requirements you just inherited from a business analyst who was laid off.
• Maybe you have been tasked with implementing Earned Value Management (EVM) on all your projects by the end of the year.

These are all situations which could happen to you in the course of your work as a project manager.  Assuming your colleagues at work are tied up, where are you going to go for help?  Your favorite free project management forum.

Why Project Management Forums

PM forums are generally frequented by experienced project managers, novices, and everyone in between.  Excellent advice can be had for the asking.  Of course it’s better if you’ve been in the habit of giving help to others along the way – though this is by no means necessary. You can learn even more by following one or two forums on a regular basis.

Here are some of the best to get you started.  Most require you to sign up for free membership.  Don’t let this requirement stop you.

Each is included in this list by unsolicited recommendation.

1. allPM.com

Note:  Links to forums below require you to sign up for free membership. allPM.com refers to itself as The Project Manager’s Homepage™.  Active forum areas include:

• Project Management – Career and Job Talk
• PM Help!
• Project Management Software and Tools
• Microsoft Project – Discussion and Assistance
• PM Certification
• Project Management Methodologies
• Best Practices
• Project Management Office
• Students of Project Management

allPM.com also offers a PMs for hire section in which you can post your resume by country, continent or region.   Very nice site.

2. gantthead.com

gantthead.com is a fantastic resource for project managers.  Even if you already have a linkedin profile, you can benefit from creating a gantthead one.  Gantthead profiles are listed on google search, so it may help your online branding when it comes time for your next career move.

An hour or two spent looking around gantthead is an excellent use of your time.  Here are the gantthead discussion areas:

• Project Management Central
• Process Improvement

3. Project Management Knowledge Base

PMKB bills itself as a community of project planners and managers sharing experiences and knowledge.  A somewhat less active forum, though still a good source of information.

• Project Management Forum

4. Professional Project Managers Networking Group

PPMNG, the social network for project managers,  seems to be focused largely on helping project managers find positions.  This forum can help you be aware of what project management skills are in the most demand, and identify gaps in your own knowledge areas.

• PPMNG Discussion Forum

5. Tek-Tips Project Management Forum

Tek-Tips has IT forums in various areas.  The Project Management forum is low volume and good quality

• Project Management General Discussion Forum

6. The ICPM

The ICPM is a project management site with a good reputation and great potential.

• ICPM Project Manager’s Forum

Your Next Step

I challenge you right now to visit and join one of these forums.  See if you can check in at least weekly.  When the time comes for you to get assistance, you’ll know exactly who to ask.

(Photo credit: greg.turner)

6 Free Project Management Forums

Delivery Status Grid

The Delivery Status Grid is provided here to help you in your project communication and reporting.  It was designed by Paul O’Brien, an experienced project manager and the creator of the Promise Keeper.

The following post has been written by Paul O’Brien

What is it?

The Delivery Matrix for each project lists all the key work products (documents, contracts, test-plans, computer code etc) and has a set of columns showing progress through the life of the object. It covers the initial design meetings, doing the work, reviewing and sign off phases. I put the rough % completion status in for every object. Again its all brightly colour coded by conditional formatting to give an at-a-glance overview of everything. I add colourful speach-bubble notes and big red circles etc to highlight problems.

I used to drive things with this tool but it’s too crude. Now I just keep it as a communication tool and rely exclusively on AutoFocus and the Promise Keeper.

Why use it?

The clients love it for 3 reasons.
1. It looks official and shows we have a cunning plan
2. It motivates people to push for completion and show progress
3. It makes it easy for senior execs to tell what’s happening (they can’t read gantt charts)

How to use it?

I update it using a projector during my weekly project meetings – so everyone can see and debate what progress we are recording (or lack thereof).

These are quirky little tools I have created just for myself. I only explain them here because several people asked.

Respectfully,
Paul

Next Steps

The Delivery Status Grid may be easily duplicated using any spreadsheet program.  If you decide to create one to use on one or more of your projects (highly recommended), please consider offering your version as a template for others to use.  If you send it to me, I’ll post it here for others, and will give you credit as well.  Thanks! -Alec

Free Project Management Tool – Delivery Status Grid

It’s been a pleasure to create this blog for you

Over the past year of writing Making Project Management Better, my goal has been to provide at least one solid post every week.  The focus is to help you as a project manager become better at what you do – more effective, more skillful, and of more value to your employer.

It’s a soft skills blog

…because I believe project management is really about developing great relationships with people. Too little of our formal training helps us excel in this area. I want you to feel that by reading this blog, you are encouraged to better yourself little and often.  A wise person said that teaching others is the best way to learn.  By writing for you I continue to find areas for me to improve.  It’s an exciting and energizing process.

It’s about colleagues

My hidden purpose in creating this blog has been to develop lasting friendships with other project managers throughout the world.  Have you and I communicated through email, IM or twitter?  I truly look forward to continuing our conversation in future.

It’s non-commercial

If you read something here, it’s because I believe it to be worth your consideration – not because I’m getting a kickback of some sort. This blog is my way to serve.

Usually I don’t ask for your help.  This post is a rare and necessary exception.

Why this post

I’m getting ready to put up a separate hire me subdomain to help generate new work.   Work has been off for me as well as others in 2009.  I’m currently looking for a full-time project.  I can work 1099, corp-to-corp, contract or FTE¹ with or without health benefits.

How you can help

Have you had a positive experience with me?

If you have anything nice to say about working with me, or about something you’ve gotten out of a post you’ve read, or from this blog in general,
please add it as a comment to this post.

You don’t have to write much.  It can be unpolished.  Specific is good.
Real is best.

Your comments will be helpful for prospective employers in identifying why they might want to hire me.

Job leads

I’ve been focusing my search in the New York City area, and would particularly appreciate any leads you might have for people who have the ability to hire project managers, or know those who do.

I can easily travel up to 4 days per week, and would be happy to work anywhere in the US and/or eastern Canada.

My rates are market competitive – neither cheap nor expensive.

Please tweet this post

Spreading this message may provide a lead neither you nor I can envision.  Vive le social network!

Thank you

Your help will allow me to provide you with great content for many years to come.

(Photo credit: sidnid)

Favor Request – I need your help

1. Full Time Employee

Paul O'Brien's Promise Keeper

Does PMP certification make a better project manager? When Raven Young asked this question, opinions varied.

Does Microsoft Project, the de facto project management software standard, improve IT project performance? I challenge anyone to show me proof of a strong correlation between how good you are as a project manager, and the cost of the tools that you use.

Some of the best project managers use the simplest tools. Many of us who are efficiency software and tool junkies have come full circle and selectively reincorporated paper-based task systems into our personal workflows.

As part of the primary mission of this blog, I seek to provide you with tools and techniques which can increase your real skill as a project manager.  This post is about Paul O’Brien’s Promise Keeper, a simple tool which can:

1. Improve team communications
2. Facilitate efficient meetings
3. Save you time

You can start using your own Promise Keeper today.   Best of all, it’s free.  The author and creator, Paul O’Brien, has given permission for you to use or modify it as you see fit.¹  If you decide to try it, please leave a quick comment below.  Paul will be monitoring the list, and would be glad to hear your thoughts.

What is the Promise Keeper (by Paul O’Brien)

Several people asked about the Promise Keeper and the Delivery Matrix²   These are quirky little tools I have created just for myself. I only explain them here because several people asked.  They are not part of any methodology – I just made them up myself to help me do my job.

Project management (or all management now I think of it) is all about setting up an environment where busy people can make good promises and then keep them. A good promise is one where they are motivated to do the task, have not under-estimated it and the promise is made and recorded in ‘public’. If they can’t keep the promise I need to know in time to deal with it. I find the most important thing here is to eliminate all fear and anxiety from the environment – otherwise you get bad promises and poor promise-keeping.

I have a simple spreadsheet list with persons name, date of next review, what the promise is and the final deadline. I sort this by persons name so I can batch by person and remind them of all their promises. I use conditional formatting to highlight the ones that are due for review or completion.

How to Start

The best way to start using your own version of the Promise Keeper to to start a spreadsheet like the example at the top of this post.  Include columns for:

1. Person who made the promise
2. Status (In Progress, To Do, Done)
3. Due Date
4. Next Review Date
5. (Calculated Field) Days to Due Date.  Negative if due date has been missed.

Start with the current items you are tracking.  If this seems onerous to you, an alternative way to begin is to bring an empty sheet to your next team meeting.  You can then fill it in with your team.

In future team meetings or status updates, this promise keeper can be one of the main exhibits updated and used as a basis for the agenda.

I have started using a promise keeper myself, and am impressed with its elegance and clarity.

Thanks Paul, for your generosity in sharing.  Paul’s delivery matrix will be presented for you use in a future post.

Free Project Management Tool – The Promise Keeper

1. Please do not publish it elsewhere without his express written permission.  Thanks!
2. Will be presented later this week in a follow up post.