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PM aide during the day – the power nap :)

Hello,

I’m a project manager for Hewlett-Packard and enjoy my profession.  A power nap doesn’t apply to all, as there’s some people who can’t get to sleep for awhile … maybe to tense or tight … then there are some of us … who work from home … didn’t sleep so well the night prior and sometime during the day are tapped … so I recommend – “The Power Nap” … which for me these days is about 10 – 15 minutes and then I’m good for another 2 hours at least … one can set the alarm on your cell phone {make sure it’s on the standard setting, not vibrate} and enjoy … I find I’m totally refreshed and can really be productive on the next challenge, as opposed to trying to push my way through and aren’t as effective as a moment will provide … and for those working in an office … I guess there’s always the jaunt out to the car for that quiet moment …

I used to drink coffee to muscle through those moments but 15 – 20 cups a day makes me jittery by the end of the day.  🙂

Hope this helps and … may your journey as a PM be an enjoyable one.

God bless.

Cheers,

Bill

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DCAA Compliant Projects

Are your projects DCAA (Defence Contract Audit Agency) compliant? Maybe you have never heard of this term or perhaps you have never worked with a government contract. In any case, for many people it is highly likely that some day you will. 

Becoming DCAA compliant can be a daunting task. It requires some very general rules on some items and is very specific in most areas. There are guidelines on how to submit proposals, how to track work on those proposals, and it even mandates internal procedures to comply with the DCAA’s rules and regulations. It is so steeped in red tape that there are nearly 100 classes offered on DCAA compliance training. I would not dare bore you with all of the details here, but it is worth noting that consultants/accountants are available who specialize in this field. However, be warned, they are not cheap. 

In addition, there are time keeping/project management tools available like Standard Time that support project efforts to become DCAA compliant. There is a sizable market in government contracting and a nice cottage industry for consultants that specialize in government contracts.  The moral of this blog is take advantage of the expertise available to avoid having to sit through 70-80 classes on DCAA compliance.

–Warren

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Overdraft Protection For Project Management

Many banks offer overdraft protection for their customer’s checking accounts. It could be for an attached savings account, a small line of credit, or another mechanism designed to cover any over-runs on your checking account. After all, mistakes happen. This is a little insurance policy you may never use, but it is better than paying large overdraft fees.

So, why on earth are we talking about this in a project management blog?

Well, it is simple. Do you have any protection against project budget over-runs?  Any last line of defense?

A main part of a Project Managers’ job is to successfully finish a project on time and under budget. With all of the variables involved, that is a tough proposition! For help with cost over-runs you may consider a tool like Standard Time®. Standard Time contains an automated feature that sends warning e-mails when a task or project is nearing the intended limit. In addition to the warnings, a Project Manager can set a “no pass” limit that will prevent an overrun or an allowance, but only if the Project Manager/Administrator allows it.

Task Warnings in Standard Time®

Nothing is fail safe. However, Standard Time is one tool that identifies impending problems and may be the extra nuance that keeps your projects on track.

–Warren

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Internal vs. External IT Support

There has been a lot written in the past few years about outsourcing technical support and SaaS (software as a service). It is not an easy choice for a company to make. On one hand, dumping all of your IT issues on someone else may save a few dollars and headaches.  On the other hand, you do not always have control over the type of support your company receives–costing you more in the long run.

While many companies are using SaaS, many other companies do not. It is easy to get caught up in the latest trends, but trends are just that, and they are not always permanent. I have had the priviledge to work with a lot of major U.S. companies and while I can not say whether outsourcing is a true fad or not, I can tell you, imperically, that 75% of my contacts keep everything in-house. So do not be swayed by all of the tech media and exposure of recent trends. There is a place for both internal and external IT support. I guess it all comes down to cash flow: which one can I afford right now, and which one will be better in the long run?

 

–Warren

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Project Implications?

I have been in sales and marketing for some time now and I work with Project Managers (PM’s) nearly everyday. It struck me the other day how similar PM’s and sales forces really are. Project Managers are sales people on many levels. Project Managers often have to sell the benefit of an idea to get their teams motivated. Project Managers identify problem areas to avoid, as do sales professionals.

An interesting twist on this is taking the problem a step further and identifying the problems’ implications and consequenses in any given project.  It is one thing to note a specific problem, but if you really want to wake the team up, talk about the implications of that problem in greater detail. Bring up examples of likely scenarios and issues that could arise. By stressing the implications, you will put a magnifying glass on the issue and focus on the ways to avoid that pothole! After all, problems come and go, but the consequences may not.

 

–Warren

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Pathological Project Disease

Nothing slows a project team quite as well as a pathological scenario or a person focused on that scenario. There is a huge chasm between the due diligence of “what if” questions that are likely possibilities worthy of consideration and the terminal scenarios that will, more than likely, never happen. The goal as a Project Team leader, or any manager for that matter, is to quickly separate the two and move on with the real issues. Too often, equal time and weight is given to both scenarios.

In fact, that nearly happened to me this week. I spent about 2 hours in a meeting discussing various topics and questions when a pathological expounder forced the whole group to spend 20 minutes on a crazy “what if” scenario. This leads to critical slow downs and ultimately analysis paralysis. I was lucky  to defuse this situation before it ate up the whole meeting. 

So, the next time someone asks a “what if” question, ask a few of your own. How likely is this? What is the foundation for the question and what is the impact? By asking these simple questions you will force the person to evaluate their questions more clearly which removes the emotion and fear that typically drive these issues. Now, you have given logic a chance, which gives your projects better focus and makes them more likely to succeed. Any questions? 

 

–Warren

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Growth During Downturns

One of the toughest challenges any business faces is cash flow.  That’s why capital ventures exist, as do loans from banks for solid business plans.

Many business owners will tell you when the chips are down its time to expand!  Ask anyone in real estate from the person just starting out to Donald Trump and they will tell you “when there’s blood in the streets, buy real estate.”

What if you don’t have cash on hand? Have you ever heard of “Gorilla Marketing?”   Remember a few years ago in Boston?  This very type of marketing caused a bad stir, closed down Boston Harbor half a day, all for a little cartoon show.  This happened for the wrong reasons, but it incidentally gave millions of dollars of airtime for what I imagine was a few thousand dollars.

I don’t agree with the scare that campaign inadvertently caused.  However, the point is get creative!  What can you do to expand your company’s profile in a seemingly falling market?  If it’s slow maybe you could streamline processes while you have the time?  Network and make new contacts?  Cold call more people, work older leads?

These are a few suggestions that may not all apply.  But the important idea is to do something to improve your business during slow periods.  Even if it’s a tiny thing that doesn’t cost physical money, it may give you that one percent edge you need on the competition.  We should never stop growing as people in life and business, even in downturns.

 

–Warren

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The Vendor is Always Wrong!

We’ve all heard the saying, “the customer is always right.”  So when a customer and vendor disagree, it implies the vendor is always wrong.  I realize this is a customer service driven idea meant to teach us to take care of our customers.

However, I have seen companies blame vendors all too often, without examining their own shortcomings.  This is an epidemic in our culture, it’s always someone else’s fault and no one wants to be accountable!

Just this week I had an opportunity to do business with a major U.S. company.  A company most everyone has heard of but will remain nameless.  To my surprise I lost their business at the last moment.  In fact, one of the VP’s had stated just days before, “I am ready to cut you a check tomorrow.”  The deal was done, right?  Well, not exactly…after a lot of meetings and numerous discussions met with many delays.  I was told that we (the vendor) were missing a key component.  What’s ironic is that I did countless demo’s and was assured that the deal was done.  The missing feature was never mentioned.  Then bam, it’s over!

We may have been able to accommodate this last minute need, but we’ll never know! We will continue to do business and press forward and I will examine what I could have done differently. 

How can a major company have a year and a half of meetings, discussions, and reach the end of a path only to find out that they didn’t really know what they wanted and then simply brush it off as a vendor problem?  It always hurts to lose business, but the vendor isn’t always be wrong.

–Warren

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Fear or Fearless?

We’ve all heard the adage, “Afraid of change”.  It’s preached throughought the business world and even in our personal lives.  We are constantly told to step outside of our comfort zones, embrace change…don’t be afraid!  It is great advice that everyone has faced at some point. 

So why is it that as soon as the media starts telling us how terrible the economy is, we freeze up with fear?  Even in uncertain times we must press forward and get past our fear.  Yet it seems totally acceptable to use the economy as a reason to remain static.  This is bogus.  I agree that we must scrutinize our expenditures and evaluate new ideas, but we should do that in good and bad times.  What frustrates and kills businesses is doing nothing!

If you have an idea to save your company money and improve revenue, why let fear stand in the way?  During good and bad times we must always be prepared to step out and embrace change.  I can honestly say that I’ve had my wins and losses with fear.  However, it always comes down to a simple choice that we make…be controlled by fear or choose to be fearless.  I’d like to hear what you think? Are you driven by fear, or are you fearless?

–Warren

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Battles in the Conference Room

Having varying points of view is healthy for company growth.  However, sometimes the varying opinions have underlying meanings that aren’t always what they seem.

For instance, how often do IT teams resist implementing new programs out of fear, laziness or just the extra work it creates?  I mean they are tasked with everything from support desk tickets, computer set-ups for new employees and even firewall security.  So it’s easy to get bogged down with the extra work a new program rollout will cost instead of focusing on the big picture and long term benefits.  Other times people resist out of simple personality conflicts.

When this happens you will hear legitimate-sounding excuses of how the installation may conflict with another program or of how it may take up too many resources.  This happens because one manager doesn’t want to help another manager or due to many other normal and very human reasons.

So the next time you have someone objecting to what most everyone else is pushing for, ask yourself, “Why?” It could be a very real objection worthy of consideration.  Or, as I found out last week, it could be a person impeding progress because they simply do not want to put more work on their plate.  The tough part is determining which is true. After all, we are all human!

 

–Warren