Start with the Basics
While my husband calls me a dreamer, I prefer to think of myself as a future-thinker. I like to plan for the future even though I may not know all the steps to get where I want to go. I guess I get this from being a project manager. Most of the time, I am told where the project should end up. I am told what the end result should look like and how much time and money I can spend to get to that result, but am not given the steps to take to get there. While this may make some people nervous, to me, that unknown quantity is what makes managing projects so interesting. I and my team generally decide, within established corporate methodology or processes, how to achieve the goal given the constraints of time and money. I would like to say we always achieve our goal within the time and money constraints, but I would be lying. There are too many external factors and influences over which I, as the project manager, have no control. But, if I know what tools and techniques to use and processes to apply, I can manage the project successfully in spite of those factors.
That’s why A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), Fourth Edition, developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is an invaluable resource for me. This body of knowledge has stood the test of time and been vetted by a multitude of knowledgeable and capable project managers as a resource to manage the intricacies and complexities of a project. I use the PMBOK® as a resource for activities such as risk identification, project cost analysis, and scope identification. While the guide does not give me specific steps to take, it does direct me to tools and techniques and suggested information to gather when initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing a project.
If you have never explored this handy resource, there are many online sources of information. One resource is a series of self-study courses that take you through the entire PMBOK®. Each course provides a variety of learning methods to maximize your knowledge retention.
- PMP 1 – Introduction to Project Management
- PMP 2 – Project Processes and Project Integration Management
- PMP 3 – Project Scope Management
- PMP 4 – Project Time Management
- PMP 5 – Project Cost Management
- PMP 6 – Project Quality Management
- PMP 7 – Project Human Resource Management
- PMP 8 – Project Communications Management
- PMP 9 – Introduction to Project Risk Management
- PMP 10 – Project Procurement Management
Or you can register for a single class that contains the above information plus sample exams and study questions in case you desire to get certified by the Project Management Institute®.
- PMP® Exam Prep Course
Visit my training site, Pro3 Solutions, to learn more about these classes or to register. As always, if you have questions on the information you need to learn or want to learn more about certifications through PMI, just ask!
Make it a great day!
Juanita
A New Year – Now What?
Every year it seems as if we have to come up with resolutions … resolutions to exercise more, eat less, get a better job, you name it, someone has resolved to do it in the new year. But why? Why do we feel like we have to wait until the new year to start something different? Every day is an opportunity to try something new or get back to doing what you did before. There is no need to wait until a specific date to begin to change your life … start right now, right where you are.
For instance, I want to be a great writer and I keep saying, “oh, whenever I have the time to sit down and write, I will start writing.” But that time never comes and so I never start writing. It’s only taken me about 2 minutes to write this so far, and while it’s not prose on the level of Grisham or Bronte, it’s still writing. So, stop putting off for tomorrow what you can do today. Get out and walk, throw out the potato chips, or just start writing, and before you know it, your resolution becomes reality and you didn’t even have to wait until January 1 to start.
Let’s start today!
Juanita
Success from the Heart
Success is the elusive goal of many people in many areas of life: financial, professional, personal, physical. With the number of books and training available on achieving success, you would think we would all be wildly successful by now. However, this is most definitely not the case, as we are not all millionaires, we are not all leading great organizations, and we are not all winning marathons. But why? Why are we not successful? What makes the successful person so successful? I think it has to do with a person’s heart.
Now, I’m not talking about the physical heart, I am talking about the emotional heart, the deep-seated convictions we have about what is important in our lives. Everyone has a different perspective on what is important, and that is what makes humanity so interesting. We all want something just a little different, and that is okay. But I believe successful people are successful because their deep-seated convictions about what is important to them aligns with the area of their life where they are successful.
For example, last year, I completely changed my health habits, not because someone told me I should, or because I bought the latest diet and exercise books, but because my attitude changed. I had a change of heart, where I finally felt convicted about my need to be healthier, to lose weight, and to eat better. I had spent years wishing I would lose weight, but never took the steps to make that happen. It wasn’t until my heart got in the game that I was able to begin the process of getting healthy. Now, one year later, I can say I was (and am) successful in this area of my life. I haven’t won a marathon yet (or any race for that matter), but I have successfully lost a significant amount of weight and become much more healthy.
What does this mean for you? Simply put, success is a matter of the heart leading your actions, not your head. You can study all the books on success you want, but until your heart (attitude) is aligned with your head (goals and plans), you will not be truly successful, or it will be a struggle to be successful. I have spoken with many people who ask me how I achieved my goals, and I can safely say it’s because my attitude about succeeding in the specific area allowed me to use the tools at my disposal to become successful.
Do you have an area of your life in which you want to experience success? It’s both very easy and very hard; just change your attitude. Need help working through the attitude change? Find a coach, find an accountability partner, find a group of like-minded individuals who can help you change your attitudes. Just get started; you can be successful!
Make today a great day!
Juanita
I coach others to succeed in their business or personal life and am available to work with you to help you achieve your success. Just contact me for more information.
Coaching Others to Succeed
“How do you win? By getting average players to play good and good players to play great. That’s how you win.” – Coach O. Andrew “Bum” Phillips, former NFL Coach
When you think of coaching, what comes to mind? Some burly guy (or girl) standing on the sidelines yelling plays to the team? It seems as if I grew up with coaches, in my family, at my school, more focused on winning than on playing well.
Well, today, in my professional life, coaching is taking on a different meaning. No longer do I consider a coach just as someone telling me to do better or to win one for the team. Now, I see a coach as someone who encourages me to do my best while providing me the tools to succeed. I have had several great coaches in my career, and I give them much credit for being where I am today. I appreciate those coaches so much that I want to be a coach for others to help them to reach their potential.
This desire led me to research what it means to be a good coach, and I came across several great sources of information. Here I will share with you a few tidbits from one source, “Coaching Successfully,” by John Eaton and Roy Johnson.
Coaching, by definition, is the “art of improving the performance of others.”[1] Coaches focus on developing individuals and teams to perform at the best level possible. This means that all team leaders, supervisors, and managers have an opportunity to coach others. Good coaching leaders take time to coach, and make this one of their most important priorities.
In addition, good coaching leaders encourage their team to use existing skills and abilities as well as develop new skills and abilities. The more effective a leader is at coaching, the more they can delegate tasks and spend time on developing their team, which makes the team, and the entire department, more effective.
What can you take away from this? If you are responsible for supervising others, either formally or informally, remember that you are a coach, and you have the responsibility of not only making sure that others are doing their jobs, but that they are doing their jobs well. And, the more effective your team is at doing their job, the more effective you can be at leading your team!
 |
Click link for book information at Amazon.com: Coaching Successfully (DK Essential Managers) [1] John Eaton & Roy Johnson, |
Don’t Ignore the Importance of Project Financials
Well, I am wrapping up an eight-week course on financial theories, and am using this as an excuse for my lack of blogging. But, my last assignment was just submitted, so I feel that I have a little breather to share with you my opinion on financial theories and how they relate to project management.
During this course, I found a great book, Finance and Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers. This book took the complex concepts of financial analysis (understanding balance sheets, ratios, etc.) and explained them in a way that I could understand. I used this book in conjunction with my assigned text books, and have come away from this class with a much better understanding of the underlying reasons for financial decisions made by companies.
So, exactly what did I learn? Well, as a project manager, I had a good idea of predicting and managing the budget at a project level, and even some understanding of the impact of projects at a program, or department, level, but never really thought about the financial impact at the organizational level. This understanding is crucial in the realm of portfolio project management and helps a program leader align project decisions with organizational strategy and decision-making. In fact, my final assignment for the financial theories class was to develop a research proposal, and my topic for this proposal was focused on how one theory, economic value-add, or EVA, can be used to improve the success rate in portfolio project management decision making. The hypothesis I am carrying forward assumes that applying EVA will have a positive impact on portfolio analysis, especially if a firm were to align project success using an EVA financial management system. It would be an interesting comparison to using traditional methods of portfolio analysis, which is based on priority and alignment with strategic goals. So, now to the literature search and collection of supporting information. I probably won’t turn this into a full dissertation, but if anyone does, please share your results with me (and pass a little credit for the hypothesis, please). Happy projects, everyone!
 |
Click Link for book information at Amazon.com: |
 |
Click link for book information at Amazon.com: |
What Makes A Great Leader?
As long as there have been leaders, people have wondered what makes a great leader. From Plato’s “great man” to Machiavelli’s prince to modern charismatic and transformational leaders, defining the characteristics of a great leader has been difficult, at best (Clawson, 2006, p. 379). The characteristics of one great leader may not match the characteristics of another.
Modern theory has moved away from the inborn traits of leaders to the interaction of leaders with followers as a way of defining exceptional leadership. The transition has focused less on the leader and more on the leadership demonstrated. This transition allows scholars and practitioners to define qualities of leadership that are less biased and more quantifiable. Transformational leadership is one such theory that is based on the relationship between leaders and followers and how one influences the other to improvement (Clawson, 2006, p.390). “Today’s business imperatives of speed and quality mean that executives must try harder and work longer hours to achieve results not merely intended to keep up with their competitors, but to blast them out of the water” (Sarros & Santora, 2001, p. 383). Transformational leadership enables today’s business leader to this level of improvement in that it leverages the intellect and motivation of followers to achieve the goals given to leaders (Sarros & Santora, 2001, p. 392).
References:
Clawson, J. G. (2006). Level three leadership: getting below the surface, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
 |
Level Three Leadership: Getting Below the Surface Value Package (includes Nightly Business Report Presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn from the Top 25 Business People of our Times) |
Sarros, J. C., & Santora, J. C. (2001). The transformational-transactional leadership model in practice. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 22(8), 383-393.
On Leadership
After finishing up the first week (of about 150 weeks to come) in my doctoral program, I am realizing just what a big undertaking I have started. Balancing family, work and the doctoral program is going to take some planning and lots of organization. Several of my classmates have discussed the importance of balancing our lives while in this program. I can see how important this is going to be over the next few years. With small children, a family business to support, and the various volunteer activities in which I am engaged, it may seem as if I am “biting off more than I can chew,” but in reality, I feel comfortable with the added challenge. I have always pushed myself to do more than seems comfortable, and have been somewhat successful so far. Maybe this is why I am working toward a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership, as leaders take on challenge and strive to achieve seemingly impossible goals. I have noticed that great leaders are characterized by the desire to move beyond comfort zones and stretch politically, professionally and personally.
William J. Rothwell states in his book, Effective Succession Planning, that leaders are developed through extenuating circumstances, by inheriting problems that must be solved, experiencing job overload, or engaging in opportunities that stretches one’s ability to perform. In this case, Rothwell suggests that leaders are made, not born, and it is the responsibility of the organization to develop the next leaders of the organization. Therefore, as I advance in this program, I hope to find ways to help organizations identify, develop and retain quality leaders (hmmm… dissertation topic, maybe?).
 |
Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity And Building Talent From Within (Click link to view book details on Amazon) |
Plan for Success and Plan for Failure
Contrary to popular belief, implementation planning is not merely installing a system one day and letting end users at the new system the next. Rather, implementation planning starts as soon as the project starts and actual implementation activities begin well before the system is ready to deploy. Too often, managers overlook the need to plan for the day the new systems or processes are ready to hand over to production. End user training, support planning, data migration planning, and fallback planning are just a few of the key areas that project managers must document to ensure a successful deployment.
Too Much or Too Little?
I recently finished a book by Curtis R. Cook, Just Enough Project Management, that suggests that not all projects have to apply the same level of project management in order to be successful. This small book is chock full of sample templates and checklists that can be applied to projects large and small. Mr. Cook’s suggests in his book that the value of project management is in how it effectively translates business objectives into business results, and not in the size or comprehensiveness of the project management methodology being followed.
After reading this book, I believe this is a great complement to the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), but should not be considered a replacement. Keep copies of both books at your desk, and you will have at your fingertips much of the process-related information for project management.
 |
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) |
 |
Just Enough Project Management: The Indispensable Four-step Process for Managing Any Project, Better, Faster, Cheaper |
Obstacles are Opportunities
I read an article this week that recommended we focus on solving problems rather than focus on reaching goals. The article’s author suggested that solving the problems of others will make us happier than if we attempt to create situations that make our life easier. I have been trying to create a future for myself that involved reaching personal goals, with these goals tied to personal achievement and satisfaction. I never really thought about creating a future where I focused on solving problems for others, that by solving their problems, I reached personal goals. This thinking seems to be more outward-focused rather than inward-focused.
So, I got to thinking … what would my “future state” be like if I focused on solving problems? How do I go about changing my mindset to satisfy external needs, rather than internal wants? Since I am a person who likes to understand the root of things, I looked up the semantic root of “problem” and saw that it was based on the Greek verb for “to throw in front of.” This sounds like the definition of the word “obstacle,” so what would happen to my work satisfaction if I looked at removing obstacles for other people? I wrote a question on my whiteboard at work, “What is the PROBLEM (obstacle)?” Under this question, I wrote, “Why is it an obstacle?” and “How do we remove the obstacle?”
Ah, the situation clarifies … as a manager of people, it is my job to remove obstacles and create environments where my staff can be productive and excel in their duties. Thus, my role as manager is that of problem-solver. Now, when someone brings a “problem” to me or when I see a “problem” that needs to be addressed, I ask, “What is the obstacle that we need to remove?” This perspective puts a whole new spin on things and on how I respond to troublesome situations.
Sometimes, changing our perspective can shed new light on an existing situation and clarify what we already knew without realizing it. Are there patterns of thinking or perspectives you can shift to help you see things in a new light? What obstacles are in your way, why are they obstacles, and how can you remove them? Need help clarifying those obstacles or identifying possible actions? Just ask!