allPM Today November 2008, Issue 105, Judy Umlas and Frank P. Saladis, Co-Publishers

November 2008, Issue 105, Judy Umlas and Frank P. Saladis, Co-Publishers

In this Issue:

*allPM Co-publisher's Letter, Judy Umlas

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

*allPM October Poll Results and New Poll Question

*Theme of the Month: Personality Management
Personality and Perfume
By Bill Richardson, PMP

*The Power of Stories: Knowledge Sharing at NASA
By Dr. Ed Hoffman and Matt Kohut

*Five Key Elements to Process Improvement Project Success
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma, IIL

*Launching Successful Projects
By Marsha B. Hughes, PMP

*Negotiation: Know Before You Go!
By George Bridges, PMP

*PMBOK® Guide – Fourth Edition Changes
By Cynthia Synder-Stackpole, PMP

*Positive Leadership In Project Management – Leadership Laws
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

*Teamwork Basics
By Tom Bartoli, PMP

*Globalization: Eyeball to Eyeball
By Giancarlo Duranti, PMP

*PM Crossword Connections™: Multiple Personalities - Workplace Personalities and Behaviors By Frank Saladis, PMP

Past Issues- Archives

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From the Co-publisher's Desk— Judy Umlas

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I will never forget the time when, as a member of our management team, I took the DISC Personal Analysis. I found the results interesting, somewhat thought-provoking and fairly irritating regarding the on-target assessment of my weaknesses as well as my strengths. What totally amazed me, though, was my manager letting me know that someone who I found extremely challenging to work with had the exact same personality profile as I did! I was floored.

Read more >>

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

Personality is something we all have and something that may, at times, cause a few challenges in the project environment. It is defined as a dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his or her cognitions, motivations, and behaviors in certain situations. The word personality originates from the Latin persona which means mask. This was not meant to indicate some type of disguise but a way to represent a specific type of character.

Read more >>

October Poll Results

In General, who are the MOST difficult people in a project?

a) Team members - 12.82 %
b) Functional managers - 26.01 %
c) Vendors - 4.76 %
d) Users and clients - 22.71 %
e) Senior management - 32.23 %
f) Others - 1.47 %

The November poll question is:

A personality clash is a legitimate reason to remove a key person from your team:

a) Always - with communication, documentation & care
b) Sometimes - only when ALL options are exhausted
c) Never - Work it out!

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

Theme of the Month: Personality Management
Personality and Perfume
By Bill Richardson, PMP

This month’s suite of articles in allPM.com places the spotlight on a very important element of managing projects in today’s global environment – the role of personality in how we lead, manage our team and ultimately relate to our stakeholders. One of the most interesting things about humans is their personality. When looking at the same situation or event, we are all different in behavior, reactions and feelings.

The Power of Stories: Knowledge Sharing at NASA
By Dr. Ed Hoffman and Matt Kohut

Anyone who has worked on a project team knows about tunnel vision. It's almost unavoidable in a project setting. While this intensity level is essential to project success, it also poses a challenge for project-based organizations.

Five Key Elements to Process Improvement Project Success
By Harry Rever, PMP – Director of Six Sigma, IIL

Introduction

The Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), Third Edition, defines a project as, “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

© 2008 allPM.com

Launching Successful Projects
By Marsha B. Hughes, PMP

Project teams often take considerable time at the beginning of a project coming up to speed. The time the team spends planning and putting effective team methods into place can be shortened considerably with a focused project launch.

© 2008 allPM.com

Read more >>

Negotiation: Know Before You Go!
By George Bridges, PMP

As a Project Manager, can we always create or reach an outcome that is acceptable to all parties? In my previous position as the IT Director for a large non-profit organization, we conducted a meeting with a user of systems applications to determine how we could produce an upgrade.

© 2008 allPM.com

Read more >>

PMBOK® Guide – Fourth Edition Changes
By Cynthia Synder-Stackpole, PMP

Change is good, or so they say. As project managers we know that change is good if it is appropriate, managed and communicated. There have been some changes to the PMBOK® Guide in the Fourth Edition. Since the PMBOK® Guide is an ANSI standard, PMI must assess it every 4-5 years to determine if an update is needed.

Positive Leadership In Project Management – Leadership Laws
By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Leadership is a subject that has been discussed for generations and there are many perceptions about the characteristics of a true leader. I enjoy visiting book stores to see what’s new in the business and management area and there is always at least one new book about leadership or something very closely related to the topic.

Teamwork Basics
By Tom Bartoli, PMP

We all know teamwork is essential to the success of a project. But how do we develop a sense of team spirit in our project teams and how do we restore that spirit if it is lost? Here are some basic guidelines that will help establish a good foundation for any project manager.

Globalization: Eyeball to Eyeball
By Giancarlo Duranti, PMP

Introduction
During a certain point in my life, I found myself working 3,500 miles away from home in a completely different business and life-style environment. Since that experience my life has been changed, and since that time I’ve started reflecting upon becoming integrated as a project manager but also as a human being, as much as possible, as well as possible, and as fast as possible with people who look at life in a different way than I do.

PM Crossword Connections™: Multiple Personalities Workplace Personalities and Behaviors By Frank Saladis, PMP

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

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