MSFT EPM in the magic quardrants

Microsoft Office Project Positioned in the Leaders Quadrant for the 2007 IT Project and Portfolio Management Applications Magic Quadrant

"Microsoft Corp. , a leading provider of project and portfolio management (PPM) software, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner Inc. in the "Leaders" quadrant in the 2007 IT Project and Portfolio Management Applications Magic Quadrant report. The report evaluates services and products that include the Microsoft(R) Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution."

Via : CNN

In the Beginning -The Risk meeting

In the Beginning...

The opening moments of an effective meeting are a very big deal. You have the opportunity to win hearts, change minds, or at least ensure that others are listening in the opening 20 to 30 seconds. This is vital time. This is where participants decide whether or not they will be players in this event. Consider four simple approaches to get things started more effectively:

1. Open with a promise -- By the time this meeting is over, we will have solved the XXXX problem, one of the great concerns facing our organization today.

2. Open with something they'll get from the gathering -- When we're done, you're going to have four new tools to work with to overcome the range of risk challenges we face.

3. Open with a short story -- If you read this morning's paper, you know that wildfires are burning just 40 miles away. We're going to take something away from the lessons those firefighters are teaching.

4. Open with a challenge -- You have an opportunity over the next 45 minutes to create an indelible mark on the project, but that means I'm going to put you to work for the next 45 minutes....

 

To ensure that sense of accomplishment, meeting facilitators need to identify the following:

• What will be done with the information
• What the next steps are for the participants
• What they've accomplished
• When those actions will be evident

Facilitating meetings is challenging for some of us, as we believe there's just information to be shared and everyone should be willing to share it. That's not as common as it might sound. In many instances, introversion, fear of rejection, or simple impatience drives participants to remain as silent partners in the overall meeting experience. There are ways to drive that out of the risk discussion. The keys are a sense of safety and a sense of value-added.

Via: Cutter

No Task Longer Than 80 Hours and Not Shorter Than 40

Raven points me to some interest truths of Projects. I actually I prefer tasks that are no longer the 40 hrs and no shorter then 20 hrs.

 

Kinda 1 work of 1/2 a work week seems ok with me.

 

"So treat your people right and remember to focus on your soft/interpersonal skills and you'll be more successful as a project manager" - totally agreed Raven !!

death by meetings

Randy recaps the pain point of org meetings !!

 

"Most every meeting in every company that I've worked for is scheduled in the hours before or the day before the meeting actually takes place. Quite often, attendees don't show, because they are unaware of the meeting or had previous commitments. This leads to meetings which start one half hour to an hour late, as attendees are rounded up. This means that several people are sitting around for up to an hour with better things to do. Sometimes, key attendees don't show and the meeting turns into a complete waste of everybody's time. All meetings (except emergencies) can easily be scheduled with 2 business days of notice, thus giving all employees adequate time to reschedule and prepare for the meeting. If you improperly organize a meeting where 8 people waste one hour, then you've effectively wasted an entire man-day of work. In other words, had you just stayed home that entire day and not wasted those 8 people's time, then your company would be no worse off."

 

estimation blues

"Accuracy of estimation is directly related to the parameters you consider in estimations "

 

Rajesh actually nails that pretty well in his posting !!

 

I would also like to add, that most PM forgot the talent management aspect during estimation. How much of time do I need spend to convert "a resource" and obtain a buying during project execution. Normally resources are thrown in and then management of these resources are based on time/cost parameters and hardly any consideration is given to the fact that one needs to develop the resource towards the ultimate goal of the the project and vision statement of the project. 

 

Keeping talent development as a parameter fosters a culture of growth on every project. Thus leveraging the business Mission on the long run. And, that's strategy execution alongside projects :)-

Something to think about

The idea is that software development lifecycle events have import, not only to project management, but change management of the IT infrastructure as well.

There's a new Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) offering with Microsoft Project Server !!

 

Working the 20 somethings !!

It could become a little tricky when dealing with new age talent !!

"Nearly every businessperson over 30 has done it: sat in his office after a staff meeting and - reflecting upon the 25-year-old colleague with two tattoos, a piercing, no watch and a shameless propensity for chatting up the boss - wondered, What is with that guy?!"

This is a must read article for all Project Manager's who factor in talent capital  across multiple countries, cultures  !!

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Peter Dawson
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