Never Say No - Managing Change in a Project

A blog posted by Martin Burns

Never Say No To a Client

Project Managers: Just Say No!

A blog posted by Raven Young at Raven's Brain under Project Management

Saying "No": A Tutorial for Project Managers

by Rick Brenner

Have you ever thought "Why did I ever agree to do that" ?
Have you ever wished that you knew better how to say no — or even how to avoid volunteering to do something — without suffering undue consequences?
Giving a firm and clear No can feel good if it comes from a place of high self-esteem.

How to Say No

By John Hrastar

Goddard Space Flight Center

John offerred two points of thought re. saying no as a project manager:
1. Focus on meeting the basic requirements
2. You don't necessarily need to know how to solve the problem. The refusal forces a reappraisal of the issue, possibly stimulating more creative solutions.

You cannot outsource risk

According to Gartner, more than 60% of companies do not do any security risk mitigation when outsourcing development.

Rob Rachwald has some suggestions.

International Project Management Standard - ISO 21500

IT trends in banking: key focus for 2009

European banks will this year invest in IT to improve risk management, increase flexibility and reduce complexity. And they will outsource and offshore more…

Outsourcing can offer good returns

IT outsourcing has proved disappointing for many companies, failing to live up to the promises of the business case or deliver the expected return on investment. But good management can turn it into a success, as Liz Warren discovers.

…So you want to be an independent consultant…

By Jennifer (Tharp) Russell, President, Mastodon Consulting and Alex S. Brown, PMP, President, Real-Life Projects, Inc.

Statutory holidays in Ontario

Often missed holidays in 2009:

• Family Day (Third Monday in February) - Mon, February 16
• Good Friday - Fri, April 10
• Victoria Day (Monday before May 25) - Mon, May 18
• Civic Holiday (First Monday in August) - Mon, August 3
• Labour Day (First Monday in September) - Mon, September 7
• Thanksgiving Day (Second Monday in October) - Mon, October 12

26 Ways To Know Your Software Development Project Is Doomed

Does any of these sound familiar to you?

• The project name changes for the third time in as many months.
• The requirements definition is begun four months after development started.
• The developer doesn't understand the spec document and continues to develop anyway. And the QA team doesn't know how to test, but they "test" anyway.
• The user or client requests new features instead of focusing on bug fixing and performance enhancements.
• The technical project manager asks you to compose the list of user requirements—without consulting any actual potential users.
• Status reports are seen as insubordinate.
• You learn that management had to insist that the interface definitions be checked into version control after the first code freeze.
• The QA team is told, "We've only allocated three weeks for testing" (on a project that has lasted six months already). Or QA is told, "The date is fixed. We have to have all this functionality by that date."
  

Want to see the entire list? Go to http://www.cio.com/article/470103/_Ways_To_Know_Your_Software_Development_Project_Is_Doomed

On the other side, there are Ten Tips for Running Successful Projects: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/ten-tips-for-running-successful-projects.html

And more … Make or Break: Why Accurate Cost Estimation Is Key: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/make-or-break-why-accurate-cost-estimation-is-key.html

The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Performance Appraisals

by Diane Arthur

• The primary objective of a performance appraisal is to ensure the maximum utilization of every employee’s skills, knowledge, and interests.

• Managers as Coaches
• Coaching is the day-to-day interaction between you and your employees. Its purpose is to provide regular assistance, support, praise, and constructive criticism.

• (1) Approachability
• Whether they need help or want to talk about an idea they have concerning how to proceed with a task, you need your employees to view you as responsive and accessible. Employees should feel that you are available for coaching, at any time and for any reason.

• (2) Consistency
• To earn the trust and respect of your employees, strive to apply organizational policies, procedures, and rules as evenhandedly as possible. Conversely, avoid showing favoritism, bending the rules, or looking the other way, even when it doesn’t seem as if any harm will come of it, or if it’s unlikely that anyone will find out.

• (3) Dependability
• Nothing shakes an employee’s confidence more than feeling uncertain about whether he can count on you when needed. Managers who demonstrate that they are reliable are more likely to have maximally effective employer-employee relations.

• (4) Empathy
• Managers frequently find themselves in the position of listening to employees’ work-related and personal problems. When this happens, you must strive to remain impartial, thereby maintaining an emotional distance so you can best help the employee achieve resolution. The key is to be empathetic, not sympathetic.

• (5) Honesty
• You should try to be straightforward and forthright without being harsh or disrespectful. This is best accomplished by adhering to the facts in all matters calling for both praise and criticism.

• (6) Knowledge
• Smart managers are as clear about what they do not know as they are about what they do know. Smarter still are those who view themselves as lifelong learners.

• (7) Respect
• You cannot demand respect from your employees if you do not offer it. This includes having regard for employees’ views, approaches to tasks, requests, and needs.

• Managers as Counselors
• Counseling is the structured interaction between managers and their employees, with a keener focus on specific work-related problems.

• (1) Attentiveness
• By being attentive, managers may follow-up coaching with more structured counseling.

• (2) Broad-Mindedness
• You cannot look the other way when an employee’s behavior is outside the parameters of her job. By being broad-minded, you can leverage the impact one employee’s behavior has on others.

• (3) Commitment
• Savvy managers know that being committed to helping employees achieve a maximum level of productivity in accordance with specified job duties, policies, and procedures can be highly beneficial to all concerned.

• (4) Conscientiousness
• You need to be ever vigilant about what’s going on in your department. Even if everything appears to be proceeding smoothly, it is still prudent for you to determine, firsthand, the status of what each employee is working on, as well as any interpersonal matters that could impact work. Then, if anything is out of sync, you can step in with counseling.

• (5) Focus
• It’s easy for first-time managers to become sidetracked when it comes to matters impacting employee performance, but with a little effort you can remain focused and make objective decisions.

• (6) Interest
• Maintaining an active interest in your employees is likely to result in a good rapport. Then, should counseling issues develop, employees are likely to be more responsive and less resentful. Note that interest does not mean involvement.

• (7) Realism
• it’s important that you take into account each individual’s level of skill, degree of knowledge, and extent of interest in relation to the expectations of the job, rather than your personal expectations based on your own prior level of performance.

• The Golden Rules of Performance Appraisals
• Ongoing coaching and counseling set the stage for any performance review; that is, by doing her job as an effective coach and counselor, she’ll be prepared to successfully apply the three golden rules of performance appraisal:
• (1) nothing that is ever said during a performance appraisal meeting should come as a surprise to the employee;
• (2) managers should be prepared to praise and criticize elements of the employee’s work from the time of the employee’s last review or date of hire; and
• (3) every incident that is referenced should be documented.
  

Assessing Technical PM Competencies

by Andrew Makar

1. schedule development skills: activity definition, sequencing, resource estimation, duration estimation, resource leveling, baselining
2. monitor and control project work: regular status meetings and reports, measure schedule and cost variances
3. business requirements management: process flow diagrams, use case models, sequence diagrams, activity sequence diagrams
4. SDLC methodologies: iterative processes (RUP, agile, extreme programming), waterfall model
5. software quality management: requirements traceability from requirements definition through user acceptance testing, MercuryQualityCenter, IBM Rational ClearQuest
6. issue and risk management: review log with team regularly

10 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning

by Susan Barksdale and Teri Lund

• Step One - Laying the Foundation
• Step Two - Scanning the Business Environment
• Step Three - Collecting Relevant Data
• Step Four - Analyzing the Collected Data
• Step Five - Stating Mission, Vision, and Values
• Step Six - Prioritizing Needs and Identifying Risks
• Step Seven - Designing and Validating Tactics
• Step Eight - Prioritizing Tactics and Resources
• Step Nine - Documenting and Communicating the Plan
• Step Ten - Maintaining the Plan

PM leadership behaviors

• result-oriented leadership behavior - coordinate across multiple teams, overcome obstacles, deliver project's goals
• courage and willingness to take initiatives - solve problems, identify new opportunities, take action without being prompted
• balance between customer demands and project constraints - build rapport with customers, seek to understand the underlying needs, proactively address their concerns
• balance between quality and schedule - risk-based approach, prioritize test cases/cycles
• effective client-vendor relationship - emphasize mutually beneficial goals, focus on critical issues to work together

Four Steps in Conflict Resolution

From book "Conflict Management in the Workplace—How to Manage Disagreements and Develop Trust and Understanding", 3rd Edition

• step 1. attend to the other person, validate/acknowledge the opinion, feeling or intention - does not mean to agree, understand what the other person WANTS

"What can we do about it?"
"What do you need from me?"
"What would you like to see happen?"
"What needs to happen so it is right for you?"
"How would you want it to be?"

• step 2. explore the NEED behind the WANT, keep the focus on the other person, deepen understanding

"Why is that important to you?"
"Why does that matter?"
"Why do you want that?"

• step 3. invite the other's SOLUTION on BOTH sets of NEEDS, focus on solution not prpblem

"How would you see us solving that?"
"What do you suggest?"
"What would be your solution?"
"What can we do so you get … (your need) and I get … (my need)?"

• step 4. build for maximum win-win

"What I like about your suggestion is..."
"My concerns are..."
"What do you suggest we do?"

Power plays - Here is a way of being assertive while keeping a sense of collaboration. It enables you to begin a conversation without any hint of blame, accusation or demand. It is in three parts:
1. The behaviour – a non-emotive description of the current behaviour
2. Your response – how you feel or think about the behaviour
3. The preferred behaviour – what you would need instead

e.g."When I sense my needs are being dismissed I feel angry. And I would like us to work in more collaborative ways."

If the other person continues to dismiss your needs e.g. ‘You are over-reacting’, you can loop again on your assertive request.

e.g. "I appreciate you feel I am over-reacting. However, I feel dismissed. And I would like us to work in a more collaborative way."

Bank bail-outs to hit IT spending and offshoring - TowerGroup

...



Government-sponsored banks might be forced to pull out of offshoring and bring their call centres back to Britain, suggests TowerGroup.

Seven Habits of Effective People

Effectiveness - do right thing right the first time

• Habit 1: Be proactive - choice

the power to choose

"can do" attitued

"I decide to..." not "I have to..."

repond by principle not emotion

• Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind - vision

live by design not by default

develop a personal mission statement - values, principles, talents, roles, responsibilities
Templeate:

The things that matter most to me are:

The principles I will use to guide my life are:

I will make a contribution and enjoy life by using my talents of:

I will live with purpose in the following roles:

As a [role], I will [responsibility]

create a work-back plan from the vision

• Habit 3: Put first things first - priority with integrity

schedule your priorities, not prioritize your schedule

focus on top priorities

urgent vs important

do more planning

• Habit 4: Think win-win - mutual benefit attitude

win-win or no deal

emotional bank account - deposit:

seek first to understand

show kindness, courtesy, respect

keep promise

be loyal to the absent

set clear expections

apologize

give feedback

forgive

• Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood - active listening skill

"talking stick" - speaker seeks to be understood before passing it to another person

empathic listening - reflecting what a person feels and says in your own words, avoid advising, counselling, solving, probing, questioning, interpreting, evaluating, judging, disagreeing or agreeing

• Habit 6: Synergize - 1+1>2

Begin with common goal/purpose before discussing different viewpoints

• Habit 7: Sharpen the saw - renewal, balanced self-satisfaction in body, heart, mind and soul

Regain "production capability" by engaging in carefully selected recreational activities

The Tech Disaster Awards: What You Can Learn from IT's Biggest Project Failures

By Jake Widman

1. IBM's Stretch project: Try to salvage something of lasting value from the wreckage, even if you don't meet your project's main goals.
2. Knight-Ridder's Viewtron service: Sometimes you can be so far ahead of the curve that you fall right off the edge.
3. DMV projects -- California and Washington: (a) Don't place your future in the hands of one supplier. (b) When a project is obviously doomed to failure, get out sooner rather than later.
4. FoxMeyer ERP program: Make sure your operation can survive the failure of a project.
5. Apple's Copland operating system: Keep your project's goals focused.
6. Sainsbury's warehouse automation: Problems that go unaddressed at rollout will only get worse, not better, over time.
7. Canada's gun registration system: Define your project scope and freeze specifications before the requests for changes get out of hand.

Effective Meetings (last installment)

Helping behaviors

• proposing - "How about ..."
• building - "To build on John's idea ..."
• seeking information - "Please describe ..."
• seeking opinion - "How do you feel, Ken?"
• giving information - "Here is my report ..."
• giving opinion - "My opinion is ..."
• disagreeing - "I disagree with Rob because ..."
• summarizing - "To recap the issue ..."
• testing comprehension - "I heard you say ..."
• testing consensus - "How many agree?"
• encouraging - "Say more about that idea ..."
• harmonizing - "What do we agree on?"
• checking performance - "How close are we?"
• setting standard - "We need to decide by ..."
• relieving tension - "The humor in this is ..."
• paraphasing - "What I heard you say was ..."
  

Processing strong feelings:

(1) acknowledge feelings

(2) remain neutral

(3) seek first to understand, then to be understood

(4) process feelings by:

• observing silence
• taking a break
• silently brainstorming issues on cards
• sharing concerns
• identifying areas of conflict and commonality and ideas for bridging gaps
• suggesting ways of resolving conflict

(5) refocus conversation on original topic/goals

Dealing with hurtful behaviors

• late arrival - start on time, don't update
• side conversation - stop, look at offenders
• dominators - ask them to scribe
• rambling - use parking lot if point is relevant
• negativity - ask group to comment on negative opinions
  

Building consensus (= agreement + support)

• test for consensus by verbal polling or written vote
• use consensus to determine team functions (meeting frequency, ground rules, roles, etc.)
  

Recognizing symptoms of conflict

• ideas get attacked before they are fully stated
• comments are personal attacks
• win-lose pressures
• members take sides

Six attributes of successful project managers

[by Meridith Levinson]

1. risk management - ability to anticipate and head off problems

2. organization - ability to stay focused on the big picture and to prioritize competing responsibilities

3. leadership - ability to motivate team and influence stakeholders

4. communication - ability to discuss the project in the context of whatever is most important to the audience

5. practical - focus on getting work done with the resources available

6. empathy - ability to understand stakeholders' concerns, take them seriously and address them

Effective Meetings (continued)

Active faciliation strategies

• set ground rules, for example:

1. challenge ideas instead of individuals
2. start on time/stop on time
3. one conversation at a time
4. confidentiality
   

• appoint roles, for example:

1. facilitator
2. note taker
3. timekeepter
   

• use parking lot for items important but irrelevant to the issue at hand
  
• involve all participants at the start, for example:

1. 5-minute informal conversation
2. paird interviews
3. roundtable sharing of good news

• assign pre-meeting tasks (only if necessary), and

1. explain why it is important
2. give adequate lead time
3. provide clear instructions
4. emphasize need to complete it in advance
5. plan a process for using assignment at meeting
   

• separate presentation from discussion, and ask reflection questoins at the end, for example:

1. What points did you agree/disagree with?
2. How could the proposal be improved?
3. What new questions does it raise?
   

• use flip charts - tips:

1. write the words that people say if possible
2. share scribe role among multiple members
3. keep all information visible (hang charts)
4. clarify with team when you add your ideas
5. seek permission to paraphrase ideas
6. use color
7. print clearly
   
   

Political strategy

step 1: Plan
(a) discover power and influence -
What does people value, information, advancement, prestige, or the need to be liked?
Who has the power?
Who really makes the decisions?
How is bad/good news received?

(b) Define objective -
What do you want to accomplish in a given situation?

(c) Assess your ability to influence -
Do you have the credibility, subject expertise, or formal power to realistically influence them?
If not, who can you engage to help influence them?
Do you have a working relationship with this person? Is it good?

step 2: Action
(a) Build Alliances
Project management is about relationships. Initiate a relationship by seeking help/direction or offering to help.

(b) Manage Adversaries (e.g. other project managers, bosses) - the ones standing between you and your goals

First, assess the situation from the opponent’s viewpoint and try to understand their motives and actions. It’s usually circumstances out of their control that cause them to become an adversary to your goals. It could be that you are blocking the path to their goals, too.

Work to convert your adversary into an ally. Try to find common goals and work from there. If not, you need to seek out allies that can help both of you achieve your goals. These allies should hold sufficient power and influence to get things done in the organization.

(c) Change Course as Necessary
Is your political strategy harming your influence?
Is it damaging your reputation?
Are others being hurt because of your actions?

step 3: Reflect
Are assumptions accurate?
Was your energy spent wisely with positive effect on your personal or political objectives?

Power and politics

"What's in it for me?" (WIIFM)

• When dealing with stakeholders, project manager must consider WIIFM.


• Always remember WIIFM when trying to influence people.
  

The rule of reciprocity - by doing favors for others when it is appropriate, you build a “bank account” that you can draw on when you need something from others.

Deal with resistance - “I understand that you have some concerns about .... What would I have to do to convince you that ...?”

negotiation - do

• Choose a neutral setting in which to discuss the problem.
• State your desire to resolve the conflict to both parties' satisfaction.
• Deal with the issue, not the person.
• Demonstrate your understanding by rephrasing what the other person has said.
• State what you want as a request, not as a demand.
• Ask what the other party wants of you. If you cannot or will not comply with the other party’s request, make a counterproposal.
• Work on one issue at a time. Begin with the one on which you are most likely to reach agreement.
• Once an agreement has been reached, ask the other party if there is anything that could prevent their complying with the agreement. Ask the same question of yourself. If there are any potential obstacles, try to find contingencies.Always give the other party a chance to save face.

negotiation - don't

• Don't assume that you know the other party's motives, intentions, thoughts, or feelings.
• Don't try to change the other party’s values. You can, however, ask that they take certain actions, consider certain consequences, etc.
• Don't think that the other party is bad/mad/crazy/evil just because you have a difference.
• Don’t rush the process. Conflicts resolved in haste may come back to haunt you later.
• Don’t make promises you can’t keep. If you need to check with somebody before making an agreement, say so, and reconvene the meeting afterwards.
  

How to achieve project success?

1. For the client - meeting of minds

* define success criteria from the outset - ideally one super stakeholder, one client voice
* keep client stakeholders engaged during execution
* seek frequent feedback for continued alignment to objectives
* focus on client satisfaction

2. For the team members - collaborative working environment

* carefully select members, and give them what they need to succeed - must have a strong core team
* ensure proper planning and communications - have a first-class kickoff meeting, cascade the planning tasks down the stream and get members' buy-in
* take the pulse constantly on team spirit
* encourage escalation of risks and concerns
* celebrate successes

3. For the shareholders - due diligence

* practice rigorous financial planning and management
* approach risk and issue management with urgency - don't waste a day, from the very beginning
* look for win/win solutions to issues - high value vs. low value trade-off

4. other tips

* Focus on the goal and measure progress monthly/weekly - tangible deliverables only, make it visible, listen to concerns, take immediate corrective action, and celebrate success
* Don't hope - identify the risks and account for their costs
* Don't gamble
* Do seek help - early enough and clearly enough
* Be committed
* Don't try to be the technical expert on the project

Career Portfolio: Giving You an Edge in the Marketplace

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

Career Summary and Goals
Mission Statement
Traditional Resume
Scannable/Text-Based Resume
Skills, Abilities and Marketable Qualities
List of Accomplishments
Samples of Your Work
Research, Publications, Reports
Testimonials and Letters of Recommendations
Awards and Honors
Conference and Workshops
Transcripts, Degrees, Licenses, and Certifications
Professional Development Activities
Volunteering/Community Service
References List

Strategy -> Project Management

• Strategy is essentially about gaps.

• Filling the gaps involves change management.

• Project management is the best tool to manage changes.

How to Report Status on a Project

By Rob Redmond

To write excellent status, you must understand:

1. The three components of status

• Overall
• Milestones - c0mpleted, in progress, and coming up
• Issues - that require management action/attention

2. Write in brief details

• Bullets, no paragraph
• Shorten expressions and sentences
• Reduce adverbs (really, very, much) and adjectives (good, bad, ugly)

3. Key data needed by management

• project's name
• project identification number
• overall project health (red yellow green)
• % complete you expected to be at today (planned completion)
• % complete you are actually at
• number of days behind or ahead against the plan
• number of blocking issues you face
• number of "normal issues" you face

Effective Meetings

QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MEETING:

1. What is the purpose of the meeting?
2. What are the desired outcomes?
3. Is a meeting really necessary to achieve the purpose and outcomes?
4. What alternatives exist to meeting?
5. Who should attend the meeting?
6. What is the chemistry of the invitees?
7. What is the meeting plan?
8. What unexpected issues might arise?

What Not to Do When Preparing a Project Schedule - By Joe Lukas, PMP, PE, CCE

From PMI Community Post

1. Avoid too much detail - use a high-level project schedule based on the project deliverables. More detailed sub-schedules can be prepared for each phase or for major deliverables and linked to the project schedule.

 

2. Don't Link Summary Tasks - only link the lowest level tasks.

 

3. Watch for hangers - when a task lacks a predecessor and/or successor, the task has a hanger, which is an unintended break in the schedule logic.

 

4. Don't enter start or finish dates - let your scheduling software calculate the task's start and finish dates!

 

5. Avoid Constraints - be aware of how constraints impact your schedule!

Engagement Management

http://www.allpm.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1475&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

 

Engagement Management - fulfilling client needs over time through a series of coordinated engagements/projects.

 

Success factors:

• client satisfaction
• profit margin

Sub processes:

• selling
• delivery
• ongoing relationship management

 

What Do You Want?

• opportunity to maximize knowledge, expertise and experience as a means to advance career
• greater learning opportunities and responsibilities
• professional development, as important as health insurance and vacations
• signing bonus and relocation package

Project Estimates = Educated Guesses

http://www.gantthead.com/content/articles/240866.cfm

 

Company blames a failed IBM -run ERP project for its bankruptcy

 http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures/?p=583#comments

Abstract : ALF, a leading manufacturer of firetrucks, ambulances and other specialty vehicles, experienced a disastrous project run by IBM. It has filed a claim against IBM, which alleges that it was problems caused by the project that forced it into bankruptcy. Meanwhile, IBM is suing to recover over $5m it claims it is owed.

 

We don't resist changes but being changed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management

 

PESTLE Analysis

http://www.rapidbi.com/created/the-PESTLE-analysis-tool.html

PESTLE is a simple framework that helps understand the big picture of the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors of the environment we are operating in. It can be used in conjunction with SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Some examples are:
Political -
Trading policies
Funding, grants and initiatives
International pressure groups
Wars and conflict
Government policies
Government term and change
Elections
Inter-country relationships/attitudes
Terrorism
Political trends
Governmental leadership
Government structures
Internal political issues
Shareholder/ stakeholder needs/ demands

Economic -
Home economy situation
Home economy trends
Overseas economies and trends
General taxation issues
Taxation changes specific to product/services
Seasonality/weather issues
Market and trade cycles
Specific industry factors
Market routes and distribution trends
Customer/end-user drivers
International trade/monetary issues
Disposable income
Job growth/unemployment
Exchange rates
Tariffs (i.e. duties)
Inflation
Interest and exchange rates
Consumer confidence index
Import/export ratios
Production level
Internal finance
Internal cash flow

Social -
Consumer attitudes and opinions
Media views
Law changes affecting social factors
Brand, company, technology image
Consumer buying patterns
Major social events and influences
Buying access and trends
Ethnic/religious factors
Advertising and publicity
Ethical issues
Demographics (age, gender, race, family size,)
Lifestyle changes
Population shifts
Education
Diversity
Immigration/emigration
Health
Living standards
Housing trends
Fashion & role models
Attitudes to work
Attitudes to people doing certain types of work
Leisure activities
Occupations
Earning capacity
Staff attitudes
Management style
Organizational culture
Changes to education system

Technological -
Competing technology development
Research funding
Associated/dependent technologies
Replacement technology/solutions
Maturity of technology
Manufacturing maturity and capacity
Information and communications
Consumer buying mechanisms/technology
Technology legislation
Innovation potential
Technology access, licensing, patents
Intellectual property issues
Global communications
Inventions
Innovations
New discoveries
Energy uses/sources/fuels
Rate of obsolescence
Collaboration tools
Software changes
Learning

Legal -
Current/future legislation
Local/national/international legislation
Regulatory bodies and processes
Environmental regulations
Employment law
Consumer protection
Industry-specific regulations
competitive regulations

Environmental -
Ecological
Environmental issues
Environmental regulations

Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2007 – city rankings

By Mercer Human Resource Consulting
Last updated: 18 June 2007

Toronto, the most expensive city in Canada, has dropped 35 places to position 82 (score 78.8). Calgary and Vancouver have also tumbled down the rankings, sliding from 71st place to 92nd and 56th to 89th respectively. Ottawa remains the cheapest Canadian city in 109th position scoring 72.3. Canadian cities have traditionally rated favourably in the worldwide ranking. The new scores reflect a low rate of inflation and stable housing prices. In addition, while it has appreciated slightly against the US Dollar, the Canadian Dollar has depreciated nearly 13% against the Euro since last year’s survey.

Four of the world’s top 10 costliest cities for expatriates are in Asia. Seoul ranks in 3rd place (score 122.4), Tokyo in 4th (122.1) and Hong Kong in 5th (119.4) – all have been pushed down one place this year.

Chinese cities have moved down the ranking this year. Beijing ranks 20th and scores 95.9, while Shanghai is in 26th place with a score of 92.1. Over the past 12 months, the value of the Chinese Yuan has decreased by around 6% against the Euro. This factor, together with a low inflation rate and stable property rental prices, has kept the major Chinese cities from moving up the ranking. Accommodation costs have not escalated because, while demand is increasing, the availability of high-quality rentals in these cities is also good.

In contrast, elsewhere in Asia, the cost of international-standard accommodation has pushed some cities up the ranking. For example, sharp increases in house prices have contributed to Singapore climbing from 17th to 14th position. Rising property prices have also caused Indian cities to move up the ranking – for example, Mumbai has jumped from position 68 to 52 (score 84.9).

Mind, Meditation and the Project Manager

By Umesh Dwivedi, PMP

The most common challenges that generate a stress level are:

• Unrealistic Deadlines
• Project Risk Factors
• Management Pressure
• Conflicting Situations
• Project Environment
• Competition
• Career Expectations

Here are some simple meditation steps:

• Find a place where you can sit quietly and comfortably without any disturbance
• Close your eyes
• Start relaxing your muscles gradually from the top of your head to your feet
• Breathe slowly and start focusing on rhythmic breathing
• Witness everything and judge nothing
• As you inhale visualise that you are absorbing energy and fresh air
• As you exhale visualise that you are freeing your stress and tension
• Repeat this for ten or twenty minutes
• Open your eyes

How to Win Friends and Influence People

This is Dale Carnegie's summary of his book, from 1936


Part One
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

• Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
• Give honest and sincere appreciation.
• Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Part Two
Six ways to make people like you

• Become genuinely interested in other people.
• Smile.
• Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
• Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
• Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Part Three
Win people to your way of thinking

• The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
• Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
• If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
• Begin in a friendly way.
• Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
• Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
• Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
• Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
• Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
• Appeal to the nobler motives.
• Dramatize your ideas.
• Throw down a challenge.

Part Four
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

• Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
• Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
• Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
• Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
• Let the other person save face.
• Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
• Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
• Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
• Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Common Omissions in Estimating Software Project Costs

• effort of QA and special testing requirements
• effort of paperwork/documentation
• travel and meeting costs
• requirements creep (1~5% per month)
• project management/support effort
• user effort
• post-implementation support
• effort of handover/transition

 

Interviewing Taken Up a Notch

www.notchup.com

 

If all those innovations don't get you excited, consider getting paid to go for a job interview. NotchUp is a free service, currently available by invite only, for people who aren't looking for a new job but wouldn't mind keeping their hats in the ring—for a price. The NotchUp service helps you set a fee for which you are willing to interview (typically based on your line of work and depth of experience), and companies that like your qualifications pay that fee in addition to a markup to NotchUp for facilitating the interview. Companies including Google, Yahoo! (YHOO), and Facebook are already using NotchUp in their recruiting efforts.

Good Project Managers are Hard to Find! - By Harley Lovegrove

The basic skills required for a good project manager are the following:

• A strong desire to solve other people's problems
• The conviction that they are the best person to solve them
• Extreme resilience, the ability to bounce back after any setback
• A high emotional IQ
• A good memory for faces and names
• A clear, structured approach to every task
• A natural ability to plan (a good interim manager is always making lists)
• A strong sense of priorities
• The knack to sell anything to anyone (needed for lobbying)
• A willingness to learn from mistakes

Inspiring the team

Communicate -

• set a clear goal with reasonable approach to achieve it
• regularly recognize contributions and recommend ways to improve
• regularly communicate the progress

Stay Positive -

• identify possibility and opportunity in every challenge
• always focus on the strengths and develop them

Take Action -

• remove obstacles
• remove under-performers
• get hands dirty when necessary
• be a role-model of accountability

PM R&R (sample)

• Providing project and program management expertise to multiple large Information Systems initiatives within the Department.
• Providing Data and Systems integration expertise to the Department.
• Providing Program Management guidance and support to Government PMs.
• Overseeing the management of complex, multi-track integration projects by balancing scope, time, cost and quality. Leading the development and tracking of integrated project plans.
• Overseeing the development of project deliverables. Identifying and managing project and/or program issues. Assessing and managing risk within, and across, multiple projects. Maintaining project tracking and reporting systems
• Responsible for ongoing client satisfaction and Manages Executive level client relationships (expectations, communications, negotiations, escalation, feedback etc). Develops relationships with, and ensures the appropriate participation of, key client stakeholders and client executives.

The largest IT service providers

IBM
EDS
Accenture
CSC

The One-Page Project Manager

MS Licensing Options

Ø There are two distinct types of licenses at Microsoft - internal use licenses and commercial services licenses.
Ø Licenses acquired through the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Full Packaged Products (FPP), Open, Select, and Enterprise Agreement (EA) programs are for the use by the contracting entity and its affiliates.
Ø Service Providers cannot acquire licenses through these programs in order to provide commercial or hosted services to their customers.
Ø The Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) provides 3rd party commercial use rights to service providers
Ø Customers Providing Own Licenses
o Service Providers can provide services to their customers by having their customers provide all the necessary Server and Client Assess Licenses (CALs).
o End users cannot use their own Client Access Licenses to access services from a server which is licensed by the service provider. These end user customers will retain licenses to their Microsoft software if their relationship with the service provider terminates. When end users choose to outsource services to a service provider, but acquire their own Select or Enterprise Agreement (EA) licenses, the service provider should have their customers submit a Hosting License Verification Form to Microsoft, then retain a copy for their records.

http://www.gantthead.com/

Virtual Team - Real Humans

Make sure team members spend time together at the beginning of a project. This will allow them to develop a sense of who their teammates are and of how to work most effectively with them.

Healthy teams are built on foundations of trust and understanding that allow team members to share and debate ideas, and to commit to shared goals. Humans are social beings and develop trust by interacting with one another, not by working in isolation.

The cost of getting together in terms of direct expense is easy to determine; the benefit of getting together to build trust is invaluable.

- PMI Community Post. Thanks to Brian R. King, P.Eng, PMP, for contributing this tip.

Communication Style

1. Back-office vs. front office
2. Client vs. customer
3. Dates - June 1991 or October 1, 2003, or Nov. 10, or the 12th of May
4. Dollars - CDN$12 million or US$10 million
5. e-words - e-business, e-government, e-mail
6. Healthcare (not health care)
7. Home page (not homepage)
8. Internet (not internet)
9. Italicize titles of books, magazines, newspapers while place "titles of shorter works" (e.g. articles, reports, studies) in quotation marks
10. Nearshore (not near shore)
11. Spell out a number (unless a calendar year) at the beginning of a sentence
12. Spell out whole numbers below 10, except $2 million or $20 billion
13. Use a hypen after words ending in "y" when large numbers must be spelled out (e.g. five hundred fifty-two)
14. Spell out "percent", use % where space is limited
15. Offshore (not off-shore) vs. onshore (not on-shore)
16. Offsite (not off-site) vs. onsite (not on-site)
17. Online (not on-line)
18. Telephone numbers - (123) 345-7890, ext. 1234 or 1-800-111-2222
19. Time - 9:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m., noon, midnight
20. Vice-president (not vice president)

Create a winning team

1. Start a WBS and see who and what you need
2. Make a list of the skills your resources need to complete the work
3. Start the work authorization process early so that time for your project is blocked out on the resource's schedule
4. Plan training that helps the team succeed
5. Plan groud rules
6. Set up work space
7. Clarify who will be responsible for hiring, firing and performance assessments
8. Choose your leadership style

Columbia Software Engineering Project Manangement

Lessons Learned

1. Validate all assumptions as soon as they are identified.
2. Conduct detailed stakeholder analysis as early as possible in the project. Pay attention to those who may not seem to be directly impacted by the project.

Clarify INTERESTS & CONCERNS, not POSITIONS

- Be persistent and patient in asking about interests - often a question about a party's interests will only get them to restate their position
- When estimating their interests and concerns, try to see the situation from their shoes

~ Negotiation tips from Common Outlook

negotiation - summary

negotiation - influence or persuade someone to get an agreement/outcome that are satisfactory to both parties

create value in negotiation by expanding the pie

work as partners to solve the problem

1. process - be fair
2. best alternative to a negotiated agreement - not a bottom line (walk away)
3. interests & concerns - not position, looking for differing and non-conflicting interests
4. options - be creative
5. benchmarks - not manipulable by any party
6. commitment - clear and operational, checking assumptions
7. communication - two-way, clear protocal
8. relationship - trust, respect, goodwill

Silence is gold

- Stop advocating after you have made your point
- Slow the pace and talk less when you feel nervous

News:Googling for ATM Master Passwords

Lessons Learned - always change the defualt password.

Blog: The U.S. Government's $12 Billion Sinkhole

Here's a fun little item, outrageous to both good project managers and U.S. taxpayers alike. The federal government has about
$12 billion in information technology projects "either poorly planned or going poorly," the General Accountability Office says.

News: Malware Money Tough to Trace

News: Credit Card Rules Reflect Industry Changes

Pebble Beach, California

Interview Question - Quick Sort

Cyber-Thieves Steal $700K Via ATM Hacking

Leasons Learned: GUI Test

When conducting the GUI test, one should also monitor the error logs of application server as well as the database server. Sometimes even the GUI does give you any error, the backend pieces might have issues.

Tips: Creating custom view in MS project

Step 1: create a new table
1.1 View -> Table -> More Tables
1.2 New or Copy

Step 2: create a new view using the new table
2.1 View -> More Views
2.2 New or Copy

Step 3: save to local global
3.1 Tools -> Organizer
3.2 Views and Tables tab
3.3 Copy

OSI Seven Layer Model of TCP/IP

Level 7 - Application
Level 6 - Presentation
Level 5 - Session
Level 4 - Transport
Level 3 - Network
Level 2 - Data Link
Level 1 - Physical

Database principles - ACID

Atomicity - all or nothing

Consistency - only valid data will be written to the database

Isolation - transactions will not interfere with each other

Durability - any transaction committed to the database will not be lost

XML Web Services

XML web services - the buildling blocks of distributed computing on the Internet
- exposing the functionality on the web through SOAP
- describing the interfaces in a WSDL document
- registered in UDDI

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
- SOAP is a specification that defines the XML format for messages
- SOAP spec also describes how to represent program data as XML and how to use SOAP to do Remote Procedure Calls. These optional parts of the spec are used to implement RPC-style applications where a SOAP message containing a callable function, and the parameters to pass to the function, is sent from the client, and the server returns a message with the results of the executed function.
- SOAP also supports document style applications where the SOAP message is just a wrapper around an XML document.
- The last optional part of the SOAP spec defines what an HTTP message that contains a SOAP message looks like. This HTTP binding is important because HTTP is supported by almost all current OS's.

WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
- WSDL file is an XML document that describes a set of SOAP messages and how the messages are exchanged.
- WSDL specifies what a request message must contain and what the response message will look like in unambiguous notation.
- WSDL also defines where the service is available and what communications protocol is used to talk to the service.

UDDL (Universal Discovery Description and Integration)
- UDDL is the yellow pages of Web services.
- A UDDI directory entry is an XML file that describes a business and the services it offers.
- There are three parts to an entry in the UDDI directory:
-- The "white pages" describe the company offering the service: name, address, contacts, etc.
-- The "yellow pages" include industrial categories based on standard taxonomies such as the North American Industry Classification System and the Standard Industrial Classification.
-- The "green pages" describe the interface to the service in enough detail for someone to write an application to use the Web service.

-- Microsoft

UML

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standard language to specify, visualize, and document the artifacts of software systems.

Use Case Diagram
- A use case is a set of scenarios that describe the interaction between a actor (user or another system) and the system being modeled.
- A use case diagram displays the relationship among actors and use cases.

Class Diagram
- A Class is composed of a name, a set of attributes, and a set of operations.
- Class diagrams model class structure and contents at three different levels - classes, packages and objects.
- Class diagrams have three different perspectives - conceptual, specification, and implementation.
- Class diagrams display relationships such as containment, inheritance, associations and others.

Interaction Diagrams
- Interaction diagrams model the behavior of use cases by describing the way groups of objects interact to complete the task. The two kinds of interaction diagrams are sequence and collaboration diagrams.
- Sequence diagrams demonstrate the behavior of objects in a use case by describing the objects and the messages they pass.
- Collaboration diagrms show the relationship between objects and the order of messages passed between them.

State Diagrams
- State diagrams describe all of the possible states of an object as events occur.
- Each diagram usually represents objects of a single class and track the different states of its objects through the system.

Activity Diagrams
- Activity diagrams describe the workflow behavior of a system.
- The diagrams describe the state of activities by showing the sequence of activities performed. - Activity diagrams can show activities that are conditional or parallel.

Physical Diagrams
- There are two types of physical diagrams: deployment diagrams and component diagrams.
- Deployment diagrams show the physical relationship between hardware and software in a system.
- Component diagrams show the software components of a system and how they are related to each other. These relationships are called dependencies.
- Many times the deployment and component diagrams are combined into one physical diagram.

-- Kennesaw State University

Negotiation Framework

Process
- how to interact and make decisions
- efficient & FAIR
- how much time to allocate
- what order to address items in
- how many meetings and purpose of each
- who should & should not participate in the negotiation
- use of a facilitator, mediator, etc
- where to meet
- how to open & close discussions
- what information to gather and share
- agree on a process before negotiating the substance

Alternatives
- how to meet interests & concerns if no agreement reached
- not the bottom line
- improve my walk-away alternatives
- reality-test or worsen their alternatives
- in general, leave out of discussion
- disclose your alternatives when it's better than they think and their offer in inferior
- disclose it as a warning, not a threat
- emphasize your preference to reach agreement
- leave the door open if choose to walk away
- discuss their alternatives when they mention it or overestimate/overstate it
- acknowledge it as a choice and ask openly how it would meet their interests better than your proposal

Interests & Concerns
- needs, wants, fears, objectives, motivations, goals
- not the positions
- common, DIFFERING or conflicting
- consider & prioritize all parties's interests
- SHARE interests before inventing options
- share your understanding of their interests & ask what's missing

Options
- possible solutions
- create value for ALL parties
- not alternatives
- trade options based on differing interests
- use benchmarks to handle conflicting interests
- negotiate a "no commitment" ground rule
- separate inventing from evaluating options
- use tentative commitments on options until you know the WHOLE package

Benchmarks
- precedents, market practices, customs, laws, professional guidelines, usual procedures, comparables
- negotiate the benchmarks
- use criteria cannot be influenced or manipulated by either party
- use it as a "sword" and a "shield"

Commitment
- oral/written agreement of what you will and will not do
- clear & OPERATIONAL
- roles, responsibilities, timelines
- what to do if things go wrong
- level of authority to make decisions
- commit on process early, substance late
- know all pieces of the deal before committing
- revisit alternatives before committing
- check for MUTUAL understanding of intentions behind deal terms
- ensure operational details are in the agreement

Communication
- verbal & non-verbal signals
- clear and two-way
- what assumptions should we test
- how to manage communication problems
- check your understanding of what you heard
- consider the medium - IN PERSON, phone, email, etc

Relationship
- maintain or improve quality of the interpersonal dynamics (trust, respect, goodwill)
- if gap exists, what are possible causes
- address relationship concerns before addressing substance
- build TRUST to help build value in the deal
- don't make inappropriate concessions on the substance to "buy" a good relationship
- don't reward "bad" behavior with concessions

--- Common Outlook Consulting Inc.

Model for the negotiator

Assumptions
- pie can be expanded
- this is not a battle
- this is a puzzle to solve together

Goal
- maximize total benefits available

Strategy
- creat value and claim fairly

Actions
- hard on problem, respectful of people
- look for joint gains

Results
- high value outcome

--- Common Outlook Consulting Inc

San Diego Office

Fair Isaac InterACT 06

CEO Tom Grudnowski
Bill Fair and Earl Isaac started the company in 1956 in San Francisco

1. Architecture for Enterprise Fraud Management, its vision of a fraud clearinghouse and its research into click fraud.
2. ScoreNet® network, the first "Decision Services Provider" network. This growing network gives businesses access to hosted versions of Fair Isaac solutions, as well as more than 2,000 service providers and 70 third-party databases.
3. Blaze Advisor(TM) business rules management system, the only such system powered by the Rete III algorithm. With Rete III, Blaze Advisor can run complex business rulesets up to 100 times faster than other rules engines.
4. The next phase in the company's EDM architecture for financial services, which will give banks a common platform for their decision management across the customer lifecycle, and connectivity between point solutions for different decision areas.
5. A new approach to customer-centricity called "CustomerHD," which uses leading-edge analytics to give marketers a high-definition view of customers and potential customers.
6. New insights into customer credit issues, including consumer sensitivity to debt load, U.S. and global regulatory issues in financial services, and the implications of HELOCs and debt consolidation for card issuers.

Tips: How to interact with client

Don't Say "No" - Why not let your client carry things to their own logical conclusion? Tell them what you need. If you say "no", tell them what you can do for them within their budgetary or time constraints. Be the person with solutions, not the one who always tells them "no."

Document Verbal Requirements - write down what client is asking for and ask a lot of questions. When you have all the information you need, send a document to the client reiterating in detail what they are asking for. Follow up with them to make sure that your document encompassed everything they need.

Listen to the Complaints - We are in the business of solutions and, like a doctor, if you can find out where the hurt is you can often provide the remedy. Your client's complaints can become some of you most successful innovative ideas.

Stop By Every Day - Try to stop by client's office everyday unless you are expressly asked not to. Keep the conversation light. As you are about to leave their office you can give them a quick update of important projects and what you are going to be working on that day or the next.

Regular Highlights - send out weekly highlights explaining what you are working on and the progress you are making. Also combine all the completed projects into a quarterly highlights document.

~ from "Overcoming Cultural Boundaries - A Necessary Skill of the Management Report Writer" by Joseph Faillace

News: Debit Card Compromise Spreads to Massachusetts

News: Debit Card Fraud Tied to OfficeMax Breach

Link: 10 Questions to Dazzle Would-be Employers

Wow them in your next interview with some thoughtful questions that let you shine!

IT Project Management

Responsible for the IT component of the project which includes managing the IT project scope, schedule, budget, quality, artefacts, project team, communication, issues and risks.

Key Activities
Create and execute project plan
Resolve conflicting priorities
Manage relationship between various stakeholders
Identify and negotiate project resources
Coach, lead and motivate project team members
Evaluate and report on project status
Create, monitor and track control documents
Create IT project artefacts
Manage issues, risks and assumptions
Execute communication plan
Take corrective action as required
Transition to maintenance support team
Initiate project completion survey

Link: www.itpub.net

Link: MyPM.net

CMM

5 levels:

Initial - Processes are ad-hoc, chaotic, or actually few processes are defined

Repeatable - Basic processes are established and there is a level of discipline to stick to these processes

Defined - All processes are defined, documented, standardized and integrated into each other

Managed - Processes are measured by collecting detailed data on the processes and their quality

Optimizing - Continuous process improvement is adopted and in place by quantitative feedback and from piloting new ideas and technologies

Link: Six Sigma

Operational Risk - Why China's Banking Sector Isn't as Weak as It Looks

Jeffrey R. Williams, president of Shenzhen Development Bank (SDB)

Link: Columbia University - Project Management Resource Center

MS Project: Task Types

1. Fixed Units: Units = Work / Duration
Adding/removing resources will
a) decrease/increase the duration
b) increase/decrease the work

2. Fixed Duration: Duration = Work / Units
Adding/removing resources will
a) increase/decrease the units (%) of each resource
b) increase/decrease the work

3. Fixed Work: Work = Units * Duration
Adding/removing resources will always decrease/increase the duration

* Set on-going PM tasks to non-effort driven fixed duration type of task.

job aid: Creating a new MIS Costing Project

1. PM <-> Project Request Form <-> Planning Manager
2. Planning Manager -> Project Request Form -> Finance
3. Finance -> funding -> "Project Initiation"
4. "Project Initiation" -> "Schedule Manager" -> "Project Schedule" -> "Project Server"
5. "Project Number and Details" => Project Manager, Finance, Planning Manager

News: Debit Card Fraud Tied to OfficeMax Breach

News: Citibank Confirms Fraud in Canada, UK, Russia Linked to Breach

Why AML is like CRM?

Know Your Customer

Lessons Learned

Don't let a business analyst draft the interfacing file format as it requires too much more technical knowledge than she/he usually has.

job aid: work month

1WM = $12,950

Automation Versus The Human Factor: Which Anti-Money Laundering Defence Mechanism Works Best?

Automated cross-checking customer names against black-list databases is only part of the solution. the human factor has always been the most effective weapon against money launderers.

Recognition of outstanding project team members

Take 5 minutes out of the weekly project status meeting to recognize the people who made a difference to the project.

Enterprise Scorecard (Heatmap)

Strategic Goals
-> Measurement Areas
----> Metrics (relevant, timely, actionable, objective)

Effort vs Duration

When asking for estimate of project tasks from project team members, must clarify the difference between the effort and duration.

Outsourcing Requirements Facilitation

Understanding and gathering requirements is a discipline and a process. An external professional requirement facilitator is a power resource for driving out complete requirements and building consensus in a relatively short period of time without running the risk of political backlash.

IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

A series of publications giving guidance on the best practices for provision of quality IT services

IT Service Support Processes:
Service Desk
Configuration Management
Incident Management
Problem Management
Change Management
Release Management

IT Service Delivery Processes:
Service Level Management
Availability Management
Capacity Management
IT Financial Management
IT Service Continuity Management
IT Security Management

Other online resources:
http://www.itlibrary.org/
http://www.itilcommunity.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ITIL-Service/

Certificaiton:
Foundation (26/40 questions in 1 hour)
Practitioner
Manager

buzz words:
order
predicatable quality
optimization
define -> control & stabilize -> measure -> improve
(similar to plan-do-check-act)

Attackers Shift Exploits to Applications

Applications at special risk are backup, recovery, anitvirus, and a variety of other security tools which are supposed to keep users safe from attacks and from loss of data.
- SANS

News: CA sold Ingres open-source database business

lessons learned
- don't spread yourself too thin in the areas outside your core business.

Microsoft encourages the use of agile development methodologies

Scrum
- teams meet once a day for half an hour to figure out what they're going to do, then go off and do their work very quickly

Extream Programming
- two people working on a given piece of code