tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95429802009-02-21T04:20:40.023-08:00Addresses common sense project management--how to make it work for real people with real constraints in a real world seeking real results. Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1126495327510360562005-10-13T19:24:00.000-07:002005-10-19T08:03:31.080-07:00

I don't usually quote Pythagoras in my daily work, but in my 'off-hours' reading I was given an article by a friend that surveyed Pythagoras' theories (beyond the well-known theorem) In thinking about the concepts, I found it really had implications for Program Management as well.Why should you care? The fundamental concepts of Pythagoras deal with the harmony between self and the other through

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1121044720401862002005-07-27T17:54:00.000-07:002005-07-27T20:48:02.690-07:00

Real life has inspired postulation again...Ingredients:2 c. strong personalities1 c. complex technical configuration1 c. complex business need1 c. ambitious project1/2 c. manager bonus depends on project1/2 c. negative past experiences1/2 c. lack of trust1/4 c. bad attitudeSaute the first three ingredients until translucent. Stir in the ambitious project and political pressure of management

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1121663425059412602005-07-17T21:54:00.000-07:002005-08-11T21:52:15.876-07:00

While out on a walk struggling with the utter lack of cooperation of my team lately (okay that's the desperation talking), I observed a trail of ants diligently going about their task. No, fervently going about their task. I thought, "What is it about ant society makes it work so well?" Admittedly, I discovered them because I put my hand smack dab in the middle of their thoroughfare and they were

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1120232220977095012005-07-01T08:22:00.000-07:002005-07-01T08:37:00.983-07:00

From The Vision Thing:"A flowchart is not a 1:1 substitute for clearly written procedures. As in the case of the above examples, flowcharts are excellent tools to check the logic of a given process, or to sketch out a given concept prior to drafting more formal instructions."This is particularly interesting to me right now since I am attempting to create a flowchart-centric process site on our

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1118679158501713002005-06-13T09:03:00.000-07:002005-06-13T09:12:45.623-07:00

Another post sparked a thought for something that needs to be worked into the PMO development...a list of excuses that we as a team do not accept. On Project, Process, and Business Improvement...AJ put up a list he most commonly hears:"Table of ExcusesI wanted to note the top-ten excuses I run into when following up on tasks, but lengthened the list to twelve. So here it goes:12. I wasn't hired

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1118676976632166402005-06-13T08:31:00.000-07:002005-06-13T08:36:16.640-07:00

Got something useful from Tom Peters blog today (I know!).... Below are his UK company's rules for teamship. I found 3 and 5 especially poignant right now... probably because I am struggling with accountability and how to reinforce it through the systems we create rather than just some silly lip service. I wonder if I gave the workgroup the opportunity to create their own rules of teamwork if

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1118184272206373282005-06-07T15:43:00.000-07:002005-06-07T15:44:32.213-07:00

From Knowledge Jolt with Jack (6/2/05)--Here are the four ways in which culture influences knowledge, from the perspective of this article:Culture influences the definition of knowledge and what is worth saving.I particularly like this idea. Each company, or sub-unit have their view of the world and internal values that influence how they treat knowledge and what they believe is important.

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1118160773106926402005-06-07T08:41:00.000-07:002005-06-07T09:12:53.110-07:00

The more I think about the MAPP rollout, the more I realize we need to have a series of topics covered. Rather than focus on the text book version of project management, I want people to recognize the set of skills necessary to achieve success on projects. I identified two components that should be included. Leadership - I read a quote in PM Network that project managers are really change

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1118158910516870722005-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:002005-06-07T08:41:50.520-07:00

Reading in PM Network and they had an idea for a basic seminar type event where the PMO could coordinate a report out on projects at their conclusion. It is to help spread best practices, common practices throughout the organization. This allows people to not have to reinvent the wheel everytime. Although I would structure it slightly differently, I think this could be a good process for MAPP

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1117740432253991912005-06-02T12:24:00.000-07:002005-06-02T12:27:32.806-07:00

Saw an interesting post on Motivation... something that is incredibly important to any initiative I undertake... that and buyin...Motivation consists of three elements:Expectations about abilityExpectations about resultsPreferencesWhen we're deciding whether to do an action, we evaluate all three of these elements, often intuitively or unconsciously. The end result—our motivation for or against

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105750819539589922005-01-14T16:59:00.000-08:002005-01-14T17:25:08.256-08:00

It can be used for good or it can be used for evil. No, I’m not talking about lawnmowers or even COM’s single threaded apartments. Its the occasional habit of experienced project managers to quickly return requests to their clients for “clarification". A project manager once described it using a dangerously mixed metaphor: “You can’t drop a ball that isn’t in your court.” If this practice is

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105382955176259102005-01-10T10:47:00.000-08:002005-01-11T08:45:27.410-08:00

No more wasting time and $$ in meetings! For a small amount of discipline in managing meetings there are pretty big intangible rewards. Through creating regular agendas and meeting notes, the meeting planner creates a number of side benefits: 1) Trust - helping you now will be reciprocated later, you are using my time efficiently, and valuing my opinion. 2) Broadened perspective - assuring that

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105382721938175232005-01-10T10:44:00.000-08:002005-01-11T08:48:18.530-08:00

(Found this definition...sorry I have lost the original source so I can't give credit where its due. )A project is....It has more than one physical action. Its desired outcome is valuable, desirable, and well articulated (even if it needs to change or adapt as the project's constraints evolve). Everyone involved in the project understands and agrees on the project's value and desirable outcome (

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105382292781676812005-01-10T10:37:00.000-08:002005-01-11T08:54:57.723-08:00

Project network as a social network -- "We so often think about these branching and interconnected networks as a fancy list of tasks. Built well, they represent interdependencies among people and the tasks. But the insight above really gets at the people nature of projects. There aren't hard cutoffs between the end of one task and the beginning of another. The line on the gantt chart implies a

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105382172367503582005-01-10T10:31:00.000-08:002005-03-11T12:40:33.163-08:00

A great table illustrating multi-project mangement structures The site as a whole is pretty good too!

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105378071633955522005-01-10T09:24:00.000-08:002005-10-13T21:06:14.253-07:00

An issue that will need to be addressed eventually that of Blame vs. Accountability. How do you structure projects so that they maximize project accountability and minimize the opportunity for passing undeserved blame. I believe the first step is to create a culture of support and one where reasonable explanations are heard. Second, once a problem has been voiced, the PM has to be ready to accept

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1105377866247675622005-01-10T09:08:00.000-08:002005-10-13T21:07:02.940-07:00

Something I am struggling with as I move forward is how to measure task/project progress. What will most accurately track project information in a way that is satisfactory to execs as well as the project managers?Execs want to know:Is the project going to finish on time?Will there be any tasks that will require more resources or financing than originally anticipated in order to complete on time?

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1103660623738036602004-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:002004-12-21T12:55:54.300-08:00

How to Make Meetings Work is a book I randomly picked up at the UC Berkeley bookstore while a student. I didn't bother reading it of course, because my coursework demanded enough reading each day. However, after taking a new job as a project administrator and discovering the organizational issues surrounding meetings, I thought it might be worth picking up again. And it was... The book

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1103302950935968252004-12-17T09:01:00.000-08:002004-12-17T13:39:50.680-08:00

I went through a demo yesterday for Concerto software that provided a lot of insight. Whether or not we go ahead with their software, I am pretty sure I will integrate some of the ideas inherent in their methodology. It is a software based on the 'Theory of Constraints' and Parkinson's Law-- "Work expands to fill (and often exceed) the time allowed." Here are the ones I thought were most

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9542980.post-1102694440609291892004-12-10T07:52:00.000-08:002004-12-10T08:14:58.593-08:00

I have just begun a job as an internal project management consultant for a company. While they have not called it this, I believe I am launching their Program Management Office (PMO) since I will not be responsible for individual projects. Instead, I will be the brain trust for the projects and how they interrelate between departments. A number of times thoughout the interview process I asked

Krista G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00056855826917590007noreply@blogger.com0