February 2010
1 post
January 2010
3 posts
PapercutPM Takes it Off (omg hawt)
Jason Martin wrote an excellent article about a debate I had with MyPMExpert on Twitter (moderated by TheGreenPM). In it I was contending that the further the PM is away from his or her comfort zone in terms of subject matter domain, the greater the risk to both the project and the PM.
After reading it, I started thinking about the article, and why I take the position I do. I thought I’d...
More PM soft skills, please!
People who have been following me know that my position on being a PM is simple. A project manager does what it takes to get a job done. A lot of times that means talking people off ledges, holding Kleenexes out, buying beers and staring at the wall mindlessly blinking when nobody’s looking. I keep a little bottle of Xanax in the back of my desk drawer (they’re for me).
I always...
December 2009
22 posts
9 tags
6 tags
WatchIn the spirit of the season, @PapercutPM is pleased to provide you this short presentation. For most of us, we’re born, we live and we die…to create a legacy, you need to try harder.
Understanding and being understood is the true currency of success.
8 tags
8 tags
Don't Get Caught With Your Pants Down
A few years back I got caught on an extremely complex project with a resource shortage. It didn’t look like I had a resource shortage…I had an army of people, all working like fiends. I had all the technical and business expertise I could possibly need. Everyone had a strong plan, and estimates were all validated multiple times. On the surface, everything looked good.
However, one...
5 tags
7 tags
5 tags
WatchWhy aren’t client objectives enough? Papercut Project Monitoring looks up the noses of stakeholder organizations and tries to fathom what’s important.
If someone’s objectives aren’t spelled out at the beginning of a project, sooner or later a senior stakeholder in that organization is going to notice and scream about what they’re not getting. That senior guy is going...
“The need to convince others of our point of view demonstrates a lack of...”
– Dr. Marcia Sirota @rcinstitute
From Raven's Blog: Saving Your Next IT Project →
9 tags
Free stuff for your projects.
So I’m feeling generous today and giving away free stuff. Before I broke off to start my own company I was a project, program and portfolio manager at different times. So I know the challenges you face when looking at a sea of data, enterprise systems that don’t let you ask simple questions, and a slew of other pieces to the puzzle.
Here are a couple simple Excel tools you can take,...
Project Management Twitter Chat?
Hi everybody! I recently came across a post by David Spinks over at @Mashable, where he talks about setting up a successful Twitter chat.
I thought it was a pretty nifty idea because it opens up so many possibilities. I wanted to join one so I dug around for anything related to project management, but couldn’t find one and went to bed disappointed. If you know of one, tweet me.
Anyway, I...
Twitter chat on Lessons Learned. Great fun to be...
#pmot: I got to be part of a Twitter conversation today that was so much fun I wanted to piece it back together and keep it for posterity. I only took comments from the Twitter public timeline. The discussion began with @flowchainsensei.
:
@flowchainsensei: Capturing lessons learned divorced from the work is waste and pointless.Integrate LL with the work eg A3s or TOC tools
@projectmgmt: those are new acronyms to me, I think, A3? TOC?
@flowchainsensei: Lessons Learnt A3 = Common approach to learning about the work in e.g. Toyota; TOC = Theory of Constraints (Goldratt).
@UnlikeBefore: needs to be taken seriously to be able to do it properly. capturing LL isn't the issue, actioning them is. Easier/faster 2 file
@PapercutPM: you may as well throw captured LLs in the trash if there's no index/retrieval on project start & subsqnt review
@PapercutPM: er, yah, what @UnlikeBefore said LOL
@PapercutPM: plans need to be designed around LLs, s/holders need to know them, and challenge plan deviations during status
@UnlikeBefore: u may as well throw LLs in the trash.. // File13, no wunda inexperienced PM's r fuzzed by theory vs reality
@PapercutPM: ROFL it's true. "yay here's best practices" "ok now don't do those"
@UnlikeBefore: plans need to be designed round LLs, s/holders need to know them & challenge plan deviations during status // eva seen that?
@PapercutPM: sure when its me doing the challenging, reminding them of the LLs and the s/holders ignore me and do what they want anyway LOL
@UnlikeBefore: exactly!
@PapercutPM: but it doesn't mean i can't click my heels 3 times and wish ROFL
@UnlikeBefore: ah yes, those ruby red slippers. I'm sure you look delightful in them too (snigger)
@PapercutPM: *hairflip* ROFL
@projectmgmt: I'm also thinking from a PMO perspective, what can those guys do re:LL? Go beyond facilitate and file but what
@PapercutPM: the pmo can archive and index LLs, and become a great source of expertise! but it depends on how they're used
@PapercutPM: unfortunately PMOs get kicked around a lot and often aren't incorporated well into a project
@AmbidexterMan: Good discussion you #pmot guys have on LL. And to thinks it's not even Friday. ;-0 We need more focus on PPM and less PMP ;-)
@AmbidexterMan: Agree As @unlikebefore said, capturing is not the issue, applying is. Expereince trap? http://tinyurl.com/yjxljam
@PapercutPM: i came from the "sink or swim" school of project management. rofl no pmp here for me
@UnlikeBefore: snap!
@PapercutPM: "sink or swim" formula to project management ... success = (Xanax) + (JD) + (memorize all the lines to Forrest Gump) + (take the beatings)
@projectmgmt: no pmp here 4 me > ha thought it said pimp! Thanks for the tweets
@PapercutPM: oh dear no i'm far too old and fat to pimp successfully :-D they'd hit me and i'd cry
7 tags
WatchWhy I’d rather you go play in the traffic: 3 levels of trust in a project enviornment.
(This video is also available in slideshow view with slide notes for anyone who wants it, at http://bit.ly/8c7kkN. I’ve deliberately kept my branding off all but the last page for anyone who may like to download it and show at their own meetings. Just tear it off and enjoy. Video...
“The first sign of failure is the emergence of blame.”
– Most insightful thing I’ve heard all week, from http://www.jonathanfields.com/
4 tags
November 2009
17 posts
4 tags
Not sure how effective the communication is but... →
“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep...”
– Anne Morrow Lindbergh, ‘Gift From the Sea’
“@projectmgmt answers, ‘How can a manager or supervisor hold someone...”
– http://bit.ly/7OE5n8
7 tags
Tending Communication →
6 tags
3 tags
4 tags
How to hear what people are really saying →
5 tips on working with junior project managers
Those who know me know I talk a lot about people who find themselves in a project manager type role with no background in project management. This is often a double-edged sword because while it’s often a step up for them, if they don’t know what they’re walking into, they can have a very tough time of it, resulting in a loss of confidence in their abilities on the part of their...
Social Media Goals for PapercutPM
Goals: 1) Extend project planning advice and suggestions to people “out there”. 2) Share my knowledge on project planning and project management. 3) Generate traffic to my website. 4) Find clients. Anti-goals: 1) Not be a douchebag and piss people off. 2) Not blindly follow people to artificially increase numbers.
Social Media Plan
So I’ve started entering into social media a little bit as a way of promoting my services. What I keep reading (http://bit.ly/4BoI1C) is that you need to plan out getting involved with social media, so that’s what I’m planning to do.
Updates will follow.