allPM Newsletter Co-publisher, Judy Umlas

There is true magic in this job of being Co-Publisher of allPM.com! One of the people who responded to my desire for more CO-mmunication (it has to be two-way to be any fun or even worthwhile, as far as I am concerned) is a project officer in the Project Management Division at a bank in Nigeria. His name is Imoh Usoro and he wrote, “I am surprised that (such) a busy person as you are could still squeeze out time to reply to my email. You dazzled me. I am amazed!”

Well of course I would take the time to respond. How could I NOT? His email came to me within minutes of our distribution of the newsletter. Do you know how POWERFUL that is to get a response from a person so far away who really CARES about what we are doing and trying to do with allPM.com? It is my honor and my pleasure to respond. I try to respond to every single person who writes to me – I may lose a few of you in the process (if I do, my apologies), but don’t let me get away with that. Write to me AGAIN if I accidentally ignore you, and feel free to chastise me.

So, Imoh continued, “For years (before now) I've always been feeling lonely (in a world of my own)… My country is virtually oblivious to Project Management processes and sometimes I used to feel like an outcast…You may not know how much you have actually helped me focus on making better my Project Management skills.” Thank you, thank you, thank you, Imoh! You made my month! Don’t you all see that this is what we are about? It’s ultimately ALL about CO-mmunication!! And here is that delightful man, who was kind enough to send us his picture.

Others of you also wrote wonderful assurances to me, and you made me very happy. A few of you provided critical feedback that is of great interest and importance. For example, one person wrote that he feels we are skewed in an IT direction as far as content goes and should include more manufacturing related articles. Well, guys, can you help me? Hey, you out there! We don’t want to be skewed toward anything but excellence in Project Management, and I rely on many of you for guidance and support and – yes – content. For example, we started a new feature last month due to the input of one of our most vocal members, Harry Waldron, allPM.com MVP (Most Valuable Professional). It is called Hot Topics from the allPM.com Forums, and you should see the conversations and communications taking place there. They are awesome. When one of you posts a question, you often get back a “term paper” as an answer from really savvy PMs around the globe. Wow!!! I am really impressed by the quality of some of those dialogues.

In fact, next month we are launching a new Forum due to the input of yet another allPM.com MVP, Gerald Leech III. It will focus on International Project Management and will deal with issues that many of you face on a daily basis. Stay tuned for this! It should be very exciting and informative.

This month we have a poem by Rachel Goldstein on Project Management Meetings! It’s a lot of fun, and really hits home. Now, by the way, I need LOTS more PM Poems in order to put together our next edition of the booklette we published, Project Management Poetry™: Original Poems submitted to allPM.com by Creative Project Managers Around the Globe. I’m eager to publish a complete BOOK this time, and I need lots of additional PM poems. Please send them to me, okay? Our first booklette had 15 poems in it, we have published about 12 more since then and I need at least another 50 to create a new book. So come on: have a little fun and make a contribution to a unique form of PM content.

We have an amazing article this month, Teaching Project Management as a Life Skill to Previously Disadvantaged Youth in South Africa, by Reggie Brown, Director of and Partner in UkuZwana Project Management Solutions, based in Cape Town, South Africa. His company has, as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, taken on the project of working with a select group of previously disadvantaged youths to give them a unique opportunity that will prepare them for university education and great careers later on. Under the supervision of Reggie’s company, a group of students have agreed to participate as the project team to build a study facility in this Introduction to Project Management course. I would personally like to congratulate Reggie and his associates for taking this on, out of their own corporate budget. There will be another article on this wonderful project in a future edition of allPM.com.

Are others of you making a difference in the world in a similar fashion? What should our corporate social responsibilities be when we work in companies that are doing well or are simply making a go of it? I value your feedback on this (please describe any of your initiatives to me at judy.umlas@allpm.com).

Our theme of the month this time is Using Project management Software for Effective Performance Measurement and our theme article is Managing Project Performance, A Proposed Model. We have a three part series on this important subject written by Mark (“Doc”) Dochtermann, PMP. Co-Publisher Frank Saladis, PMP sets the stage for this month’s theme in his well-crafted letter just below. And please watch our home page for the daily tips on this important subject.

We have another thought-provoking and meditative article in the ongoing Zen of PM series by George Pitagorsky, PMP. George seriously believes we can balance everything, and you will bring your blood pressure down a few points as you read this article about Delivering Quality Results. He writes, “The Zen perspective seeks balance among seemingly contradictory factors, like subjectivity and objectivity. In the realm of quality and the management of expectations it is essential to create right balance.” Don’t you just love it? In Project Management, his is a truly unique perspective, I believe.

You will also love the Communications in the Workplace Column by Kate McLeod, PMP called Someday my (Project) Prince Will Come! It is whimsical, yet full of truths – many of them! Thank you, Kate, for your unwavering honesty and public self-examination.

We have a fascinating fact-filled article by David Brandon, PMP and allPM.com MVP on Determining ROI in the Public Sector. He makes a fascinating case for being able to determine the ROI (Return on Investment) of public sector projects and those of us in the private sector can learn from it as well.

We have our next in the series of PM Crossword Connections™ - Having Fun While Learning the PMBOK® Guide: Very Timely, this one on Time Management (remember, there is one puzzle a month on a different Knowledge Area of the PMBOK® Guide). So how about it? And Frank also has a great and very creative article this month in his Positive Leadership in Project Management series entitled Leading Through Laughter. You will love it!

Please cast your vote for the best “remedy” for Migraine #6 in our PM Migraine contest, based on the article by Dr. Harold Kerzner, Why do Executives Stay Awake at Night Worrying About Project Management? And please send in your remedy for Migraine #7: Outsource or Not? That’s the question! Remember, you get your allPM.com bottle of Advil, Aspirin or Tylenol (your choice) and copies of our PM Poetry™ booklette just for submitting a remedy. (picture of label here?Do this only if it’s not a lot of trouble) The three people who submitted remedies last month all get a mini-prize, as there was a tie in the voting. Please – let’s have more of you vote so we are more likely to break those ties!

In signing off, I will once again tell you how delightful, important, moving, inspiring and JUST PLAIN FUN it is to CO-mmunicate. So let’s do it! Have a great start of summer for those of you in that part of the world where summer is. Until the next time…Judy

Judy Umlas Co-publisher allPM.com
Judy.Umlas@allPM.com

From the Co-publisher's Desk- Frank P. Saladis, PMP

When you think of performance measurement as it relates to your project, what comes to mind? Earned value analysis? Perhaps status reports that include red, yellow and green indicators? Whatever technique you use, measuring performance as a project progresses is an essential element of project management. Performance management is directly related to project success. There is an old adage that says “what get measured gets done.” Getting things done is what project management is about. But we can’t just “get it done.” We have to get it done right and we have to make sure we stay on track with our plans.

I’m sure you are thinking “there is much more to project management than completing activities and reaching milestones” and I agree but measuring performance is certainly a key factor. Stakeholders want to know what’s going on, the sponsor wants continuous updates about progress and comparison with planned baselines, and the customer expects the project to meet expectations.

Performance measurement drives businesses or projects to success. When a manager, project manager or senior executive invests the time to set goals and then monitor key performance indicators, a performance management culture can be established throughout the organization. A continuous focus on monitoring results and comparing them with baselines creates awareness among the project team about the importance of objectives, and that they should be prepared to take corrective action at any time during the project life cycle.

Performance measurement is a continuous process that keeps the project team aligned with planned objectives and provides an opportunity to identify areas of poor performance or where improvement is necessary. The project manager can see the project from an integrated perspective at the project level and project sponsors or executive management can review status from a portfolio or company wide perspective. The PMBOK® Guide 3 rd edition defines performance reporting as the collection of all baseline data, and distribution of performance information to stakeholders. Generally this means information about cost, schedule, scope, and quality. There are a number of tools available to assist project managers in measuring and managing performance. The type of project, complexity and the needs of the stakeholders will determine what tools should be used. Some of the general items that should be considered when deciding about performance measurement tools include:

• Identification of “at risk” or under performing projects in a portfolio
• A roll up type scorecard that can display key business metrics associated each project
• Display of trends and problem areas at the project or portfolio level
• The impact of trade-offs on the project or other projects in a portfolio
• Effective Earned value analysis and display of variances and trends

I think we can all agree that performance measurement is something that must be included in our project management activities regardless of the type of project. We really do need to know “how we’re doing.” How performance is measured is dependent upon the expectations set between project manager, sponsor and the customer and the complexity of the project. allPM.com can help to improve your project performance by providing you with suggestions about how to avoid “project migraines,” become a more effective leader, or just providing straightforward tips to improve overall project management effectiveness. We, at allPM.com, are about performance measurement and improvement. We look for information, tools, techniques, and knowledge from practitioners around the world to provide you with the very best techniques, fresh ideas, and methods to help ensure your success. We measure our own performance through your input and feedback. So far, we are doing pretty well. I’m very happy about that because it keeps Judy in a good mood. So keep Judy happy, send us your comments and suggestions. Our goal each month is to provide you with a form of “reader earned value” or REV- the benefit you receive by reading our newsletters. We want to “ REV” you up by improving your knowledge so you and your team can enjoy greater and greater levels of performance.

Frank P. Saladis, PMP
Frank.Saladis@allpm.com

May Poll Results

What is the state of your organization’s PM methodology?

A) Total chaos, processes not defined 26.56 % (34)
B) Processes defined, but inconsistently applied 51.56 % (66)
C) Common processes are consistently applied 14.84 % (19)
D) Processes are benchmarked, continuously improved, and audited 7.03 % (9)

Total votes: 128

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The June poll question is:
Do you Baseline your schedules for your Projects?

A) Only once - at the beginning of the project
B) A few times - during the project lifecycle
C) Every week - my projects are always " on track "
D) Never - how to escape accountability

If you have not already done so, please stop by allPM.com and add your opinion today.

Theme of the Month Article: Managing Project Performance: A Proposed Model (Part 1 of 3), by Mark “Doc” Dochtermann (PMP, CISSP)

The KPMG International 2002-2003 Program Management Survey interviewed 230 organizations in 15 countries, including the Asia-Pacific region. It revealed that 59 per cent of the organizations surveyed had failed projects. The average cost of these failures across all participants was $10.4 million USD. Further, the survey showed that only around 10% of projects come in ‘on time’; less than 20 per cent come in ‘on budget’ – and only around 50 per cent of those projects that were evaluated even meet sponsor expectations.

The major reasons for failure were described as:

• Unclear / Changing scope requirements
• Poor Project Management
• Poor Resource Management
• Poor Cost Management

It is concerning that “poor project management” is often given as the “excuse” for project failure. Similarly, Poor Resource and Cost Management are a direct result of mismanagement of our organization’s assets, often resulting in poor project performance, cost and schedule overruns, and even catastrophic project failures.

Do your workplans, resources, and performance metrics offer a solid readout of what is going on with your projects’ performance? Do you Plan your Work then Work your Plan, or are you simply envious of those who do?

© 2005 allPM.com

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Mark “Doc” Dochtermann, (PMP, CISSP), is a Senior Consultant / Instructor in the Microsoft® EPM Division for International Institute for Learning (IIL). He is a certified Project Manager with the Project Management Institute ( PMI®), a certified Information Security Specialist with the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), and holds a Black Belt Masters level certification in Microsoft Project. He has over 20 years of experience managing projects for large organizations including Amoco, Oracle, Kellogg’s MCI, and the 1988 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee. Mr. Dochtermann is the current President of the Microsoft Project Association MPA-SVC, Vice President of Education for PMI-SVC, and the Assistant Training Director for the ISSA-SAC chapters in Sacramento, California. He is also providing project management training and guidance to the board of directors of the Sacramento Region Citizen Corps Council, a regional component of Homeland Security .

Project Management Poetry™, by Rachel Goldstein, PMP

PM Meetings

Among the fundamentals of good PM
Is holding meetings that are worthwhile to attend.
The first condition on which to insist
Is to define carefully the attendee list
A cast of thousands for the kickoff’s OK
But build the communication matrix in such a way
That at subsequent meetings, the only invitees
Are people for whom the meeting fulfills some of their needs,
Who have an interest in being there when you may present
The progress of the project, milestones met, resources spent,
Outstanding issues, questions, any risks that may arise
Upcoming tasks and conflicts, and solutions to devise.

If you have a vision for your meeting, you may see that you
Can run a meeting like a project. No, listen, it could be true –
The agenda is the scope, and the items are the tasks,
They take place along a timeline. Decisions that are asked
To be made – they’re milestones. And you can speculate
On risks involved in this meeting, and plan to mitigate.

The true sign of success? You might get a reputation
That your meetings can be attended without trepidation.
That time isn’t wasted, that anyone who needs
To have some say can have a voice. In fact, could be, who leads
The meetings leads the project. And now, I’m done, ’nuff said.
Go on and hold your PM meetings. Full steam ahead!

© 2005 allPM.com

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Rachel Goldstein is a Senior Systems Analyst at The New York Times, a member of the NYT Company-wide Project Management Task Force. She has been a Project Manager in IT for close to 20 years, and the poetry and song parodies have been going on for longer than that.

Communications and Acceptance Criteria - the Gift that Keeps on Giving
By Eoin Callan, PMP

Welcome back to our discussion on acceptance criteria and how they are the cornerstone of success for delivering final products, services and/or results that meet or exceed the needs and/or expectations of our stakeholders. Our first article in this series gave a template for using acceptance criteria by assessing success through SMARTY®, the second highlighted the process involved with acceptance and now this article addresses the need for and common mistakes made with communications and acceptance criteria.

Just to review from the previous two articles, what is a process? One definition comes from PMI® where a process is considered to be a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to achieve a specified set of products, results or services. We usually work in systems environments, where a system may be described simply as any collection of inputs, processes and outputs. In such an environment, quality may be built into a product only through repeatable, consistent processes.

Common quality management bad habits usually measure the grade or performance of the products seen at the end without understanding or measuring the efficacy of the process that built said products. Such inspection is contrary to Dr. W. Edward Deming's idea that quality must be built into products from the beginning using consistent best practices that we continually try to improve. One way we can improve our chances of success are by better documenting stakeholder project needs from the beginning.

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Eoin Callan (MBA, PMP) has over 15 years of practical application of disciplined project management. His business experience includes varied industrial expertise such as call centers large and small, financial services firms, direct mail efforts, pharmaceutical companies, software manufacturers, market research ventures, medical research, journalism/public relations and training.

© 2005 allPM.com

Positive Leadership in Project Management – Leading Through Laughter

By Frank P. Saladis PMP

“A sense of humor costs nothing, but not having one can be very costly.” This quote is from a book entitled Laugh, Lead, and Profit: Building Productive Workplaces With Humor, by Bob Ross. I purchased the book a few years ago after listening to Mr. Ross’ presentation at a PMI ® Symposium. I truly connected with this notion of having some fun while you were working. If you observe teams that produce extraordinary results you may notice that they actually enjoy working together. There are smiles, laughter and a sense of togetherness. During difficult times or when a project is facing a critical juncture, these teams take the issue seriously but still manage to find a way to reduce the pressure and stress through humor. By taking the “edge” off the problem through a smile, a joke, or just doing something that may be considered “silly,” the team can focus more effectively on the problem at hand. Humor has a calming effect. It warms up a cold room, and eases the tensions that are sometimes felt when a new team is forming. I know there are many people who believe that the workplace is not meant for fun, but I think most people will agree that you should at least enjoy the work you do. Humor can help bring about enjoyment.

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Frank P. Saladis (PMP) is Senior Consultant with International Institute for Learning, Inc. He has been involved in the development of standardized Project Management Guidelines (PMGs) for the AT&T Corporate Information Technology Services (Corporate ITS) organization and is the author of the Project Evaluation Review Process (PERP). He is the President of the NYC PMI Chapter.

Hot Topics of the Month from the allPM.com Forums, Selected by Harry Waldron, allpm.com MVP (Most Valuable Professional)

Each month, informative topics selected by Harry Waldron, allPM.com MVP (Most Valuable Professional), will be highlighted from these forums. The forums are educational and provide practical insight for issues Project Managers are involved with. Harry says, “Please visit often, as the forums are a great source of continuing education and new ideas for Project Managers.” You can check out his choices in this new column.

Office Move - in need of a template
http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=265

Benefit of CAPM Qualification
http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=112

Team v. Individual Performance
http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=252

Assessing Performance - Objectively and Subjectively http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=248

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Harry Waldron, CPCU, CCP is employed as senior programmer/analyst for Fairfax IT Services. He is a regular contributor to the allPM.com forums and has been designated as an allPM.com MVP. He has 15 years of experience as an IT Project Manager plus 2 years as Microsoft Project Server Administrator. He has extenstive IT experience also and has been designated as a Microsoft MVP in Windows Security for the past two years.

Series: Why Do Executives Stay Awake at Night Worrying About Project Management? by Harold Kerzner, Ph.D.

In this 10-part series, Dr. Kerzner elaborates on the 10 PM migraine headaches that executives get from staying up all night worrying about project management. To read the original article with all 10 migraines, please click here: www.allpm.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1259

Each month Dr. Kerzner asks YOU for your remedies for the "migraine of the month." Once you read about it, please send your remedy to migrainecure@allpm.com .  The remedies that are submitted will be posted in the PM Migraine Forum on our website. You can then read them and vote for the remedy you like best. We will then publish the solution that receives the most votes in a subsequent issue of allPM Today! All people who submit remedies will receive a bottle of the allPM.com headache remedy of their choice: AllPM.com Advil, Aspirin or Tylenol plus a Project Management Poetry booklette.

The winner will receive a prize, which will be an autographed copy of one of Dr. Kerzner's best-selling books.

Vote for remedies submitted for Migraine #7!

Please click here to read and cast your vote for the best of the remedies: http://www.allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=290

Migraine #7: Outsource or Not? That’s the Question!

One of the responsibilities of a PMO is debriefing the project team at the completion of the project. This includes capturing lessons learned, identifying opportunities for improving the EPM system and updating the estimating data base. As the estimating database improves, companies realize that they can outsource some project work at a significantly lower cost than performing the same work internally.

While this may save the company some money, there may be detrimental results. A bank received significant negative publicity in local newspapers when it was discovered that the information systems division would be downsized and the work would then be accomplished through cost-effective outsourcing. Another organization also outsourced their information systems work to such an extent that they had to begin providing their suppliers and contractors with company-proprietary data. Headaches occur when executives must balance short-term profitability with the long-term health of the corporation and community stakeholder needs and expectations.

For our readers:What is your proposed remedy to the migraine where workers refuse to recognize the importance of performing work cost-effectively believing that their job is secure? Also, how would your answer relate to the professional responsibility section of the PMBOK?

Please send your remedies for Migraine- #7 to migrainecure@allpm.com . Anyone who submits a remedy will receive a bottle of allPM.com Aspirin, Advil or Tylenol (your choice) and a PM Poetry booklette!

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Harold Kerzner (M.S., Ph.D., Engineering and M.B.A) is Professor of Systems Management at Baldwin-Wallace College.  He is also Executive Director for Project Management for the International Institute for Learning and President of Project Management Associates, Inc., a project management consulting company based in Ohio.  Dr. Kerzner's expertise is in the areas of project management and strategic planning.  Dr. Kerzner has previously taught engineering at the University of Illinois and business administration at Utah State University.  He obtained his industrial experience at Thiokol Corporation where he held both program management and project engineering responsibilities on a variety of NASA, Air Force, Army, Navy and independent IR&D programs.

He has published or presented more than 250 engineering and business papers, and has 19 texts entitled:  Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling; Project Management for Bankers; Project Management Policy and Strategy: Cases and Situations; Project Management for Executives; Case Studies in Project Management; A Handbook for Proposal Preparation and Management; Project Management for the Small and Medium Sized Business; Operating Guidelines for Project Management; Strategic Planning; A Dictionary of Terms for Project Management; Team Management; An Introduction to Operations Research for Managerial Decisions; Investing in the Corporate Bond Market; A Practical Guide to Strategic Planning;  In Search of Excellence in Project Management; Applied Project Management: Best Practices in Implementation;  Strategic Planning for Project Management Using a Project Management Maturity Model, A Casebook in Project Management, and Advanced Project Management.

Communications in the Workplace Column - Someday My (Project) Prince Will Come - By Kate McLeod, PMP

Introduction

Recently, while sorting through years of clutter in preparation for a spring yard sale, I came across a box containing VHS tapes of every Disney kid’s movie ever made. My oldest is starting high school in the fall and my youngest is one year behind her, so these movies have not seen the inside of a VCR in many years.

Feeling nostalgic, I selected Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and pressed play. This was the first movie that I ever saw in a movie theatre, back in the 1970’s when Disney only let their movies out of the vault every seven years and VCR’s were not invented yet. As the song “Someday My Prince Will Come” began to play, I started to wonder when my Prince was going to come. Except my Prince is not Prince Charming; it’s a Prince of a Project that executes perfectly.

very project manager becomes wise and seasoned with age and experience (one hopes!). For every glitch that comes our way, every overlooked requirement, every schedule delay, every cost overrun, we are learning what not to do the next time. At least, you’d think this would be the case. So why have I not yet found my Prince of a Project?

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Kate McLeod (PMP) is currently working as an Information Technology Project Manager for the Canadian Federal Government. She is a graduate of York University and also has college diplomas in Web programming and Project Management. She received her PMP designation in 2002. Kate lives in suburban Ottawa , Ontario with her husband Brian, two children ages 9 and 10, and two cats. She hopes that when she retires it will be to a place that is warm in the winter.

Spotlight on Government Column: Determining Return on Investment (ROI) in the Public Sector by David Brandon, PMP

Government organizations, unlike the private sector, often do not have a choice on whether to initiate a project. Government agencies cannot assess their portfolio and promote or kill projects simply on the Return on Investment (ROI) or the value to the organization. Most public sector projects are prescribed either by law (e.g., parliament, legislature, congress, or other law-making body) or by political influence (e.g., protectionism, state vs. federal funding, or “my boss wants a better ‘so and so.’”)

Return on Investment calculates the financial impact of the project, including its development costs, operating and maintenance costs, and financial savings. The resulting calculation is then normalized to allow it to be compared with other project’s ROI calculations.

This is performed for two reasons:

Different agencies and authorities have widely varying appropriations. A high investment for one agency may be considered a negligible investment for another agency.

Most efforts by the public sector are not based on a commercial return.

.© 2005 allPM.com

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David Brandon is a Project Manager at the Texas Health & Human Services Commission, Project Management Competency Center in Austin, Texas. He has over 13 years experience directing and managing multiple, simultaneous information technology projects for the State of Texas. He is PMI certified and holds the PMO Certificate of Added Qualification from PMI. He is an allPM.com MVP (Most Valuable Professional).

Microsoft® Project 2003, Top Ten of Project 2003 Best Practices By Eric Uyttewaal

Tip #2

One page reports … always!!
If you want to keep your executives in the dark, send them a thick stack of paper on your project. If you want to raise a smoke screen for your clients on the true status of your project, have them tape many 8.5*11 sheets to a giant printout of a Gantt chart. These practices are all not acceptable of course. What you need to do is provide a one page report that clearly shows where your project stands and where it is going. The top half of the page has a milestone chart reflecting your entire project that shows where the problem is in your project, if any. The bottom half provides the detailed schedule of the problem. Then add at least two different options on how to resolve the problems and your stakeholders will be very impressed with you as a project manager. You have to become a master of filters and views in Microsoft Project to achieve this ideal of one-page-reporting!

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Eric Uyttewaal, PMP Executive Director, Microsoft EPM Division International Institute for Learning, Inc. (IIL)

Eric Uyttewaal is the author of the book “Dynamic Scheduling with Microsoft Office Project 2003” (see http://www.iil.com/iil_shortdescr.asp?sku=PT246). Eric is Executive Director, Microsoft EPM Division at International Institute for Learning, headquartered in New York. He developed and currently manages the training and certification curriculum in MS Project and Project Server, which he and his colleagues teach all over the world.

He has presented at many project management conferences in the USA, Canada and Europe. In Holland, he published several articles on management issues. In 1997, he was President of the Ottawa Chapter of PMI, currently serving over 2000 members. He was president of the MPUG-Ottawa chapter (MS Project Users Group) from 2000 until 2004. .

Teaching Project Management as a Life Skill to Previously Disadvantaged Youth in South Africa, by Reggie Brown

Project Management can provide the infrastructure that supports true transformation. It can enable previously disadvantaged individuals to create strategies for the successful undertaking of many of the required tasks of daily living. These newfound skills are completely transferable to the work place and in fact can prove to be a valuable competency to have regardless of what they choose as a career.

Eighty pupils, drawn from Langa Township in South Africa attend LEAP Science and Math School and are given intensive schooling in maths and science. This select group of previously disadvantaged youths are provided with a unique educational opportunity that will prepare them for university and great careers later. A group of 12 of these students have agreed to participate as the project team to build a study facility in this introduction to project management course.

Until recently, these students have had to pack themselves like sardines and study on the floor of their cardboard, corrugated metal, and wooden shacks. This project will focus on providing students with a place to do their homework. The objective of this project is to provide an environment that:

• Has a desk or table big enough to spread out and work,
• Has lots of light, and
• Is free from distractions (no brothers, sisters, TV’s, loud music, etc.,)

.© 2005 allPM.com

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Reggie Brown is a partner in UkuZwana Project Management Solutions, a Microsoft Partner, based in Cape Town South Africa. He has had 18 years of project management experience, specializing in IT and Construction. He is on the PMI Chapter Board of Directors, PMSA (PM South Africa).

Co-Publisher’s Note: The project described above that UkuZwana Project Management Solutions is involved in is a corporate social responsibility initiative of the company. It is being funded out of its own budget and the company deserves all of our congratulations and support!

Zen of PM™: Delivering Quality Results Managing Expectations By George Pitagorsky, PMP

Purpose

Projects are performed for results. Of the three major project objectives – results, time and cost -- results is far and away the most critical. It is the results that the sponsor or client want within some time frame and for some cost. Success requires that the results satisfy the people who are putting up the money and resources for the project. Quality results that satisfy expectations are made possible by agreeing mutually understood relatively stable objectives, requirements and specifications.

The Zen Perspective

The Zen perspective seeks balance among seemingly contradictory factors, like subjectivity and objectivity.

In the realm of quality and the management of expectations it is essential to create right balance. Life would be easy for project managers and performers if measurable, objective quality criteria were fully articulated, from the very beginning of a project. However, it appears to be that the harder we try to “manage by the numbers” the more we are faced with the reality that complex projects and human nature get in the way.

© 2005 allPM.com

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George Pitagorsky, (PMP) , is Senior Enterprise Solutions Advisor for International Institute for Learning (IIL).  He is an expert in project management, and process improvement and facilitator.  George authored IIL's Project Management Basics™ , a multimedia interactive browser based course, and has authored or directed development of all of IIL's core PM courses.  He has written numerous articles on Project Management, organizational development, conflict resolution and personal development subjects.  George is the author of IIL's IT Project Management System, a multimedia product, and co-creator and director of IIL's The Unified Project Management Methodology (UPMM™), Web PM knowledge tool.  He is a meditation teacher with over thirty years of experience in Yoga and meditation practice and co-creator of both the Conscious Living and Working Wisely workshops.

PM Crossword Connections™ - Having Fun While Learning the PMBOK® Guide: "Very Timely", by Frank Saladis, PMP

(Click here or the image above for a larger, printable crossword in a new window. )

Across

1. to make even or balance
3. most common logical relationship
4. a guess from the top down
6. schedule modifications that require approval
9. uses weighted averages
13. a WBS from a previous project
14. summary activity
16. number of work periods for an activity
20. schedule slippage
21. could be people or equipment
22. calculates early and late start dates
23. time period when work is allowed
24. include threats or opportunities
26. moves fast, but sometimes drags
27. portion of a network
29. a start no later than date
32. start before the finish
33. limitations
34. Nascar moment or increases cost
36. back up plan or reserve
37. Activity on the arrow
38. precedes tools and techniques
40. loops and branches are included
41. major event or point in time
42. last item on the network diagram
43. breaking it all down

Down

2. delay a few days
3. usually increases risk
5. the relationships are clear
7. you can find a dummy here
8. the node is where the action is
10. roamed by cowboys or difference between highest and lowest
11. amount of work required
12. includes planned start and finish dates
15. performs what if analysis
17. tells who, what, where, when and why
18. best to do it this way
19. use previously established practices or patterns
25. no slack here
28. performed on the project. Usually found in a work package
30. hard logic
31. an input to activity definition
35. arrows connect them
39. popular bar (chart)

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