What is the business of Project Management?

Latest free newsletter discusses the business of project management and comes with money-back guarantee if you don't see your organizational project management service in a new light after reading it.

What is the value of your project management service? (Hint - your value is probably not reflected in your paycheck).

Project management service has value that is usually not defined nor marketed. You need to see the value and market the value of project management services if you are to prosper. You must help sponsors to distinguish valuable project management services from bureaucrats calling themselves project managers. Otherwise you will continue to be a commodity.

Graduated from Core Essentials Program

Recently received my certificate after graduating from the Core Essentials Program at Coach University.

I am proud as punch to now offer an even higher level of coaching services to my clients. As always, if you know anyone who is stuck trying to reach an elusive goal, then please pass my name along.

Systems Theory and Constraints

Great presentations at SNEC-PMI Chapter meeting in Cromwell, CT last night. Good speakers and thoroughly enjoyed talking shop with a long-time acquaintance who has taken a new position as an Enterprise Project Manager.

The main speaker - Michael de la Maza - facilitated a memorable presentation. Michael spoke about systems theory and constraints. If you have read Eli Goldratt's book "The Goal", then you understand systems theory. I read it years ago when we still lived in South Africa, and recall parts of the novel, but had forgotten the details.

On point that stuck with me from last night's event is this "It doesn't matter where you start, as long as your team continues to identify and work against the constraints in a system, you will improve. You create a learning organization. If you can learn at a faster rate than your competitors, then you will dominate your industry". For example, Toyota and Hyundai.

Therefore, your goal should be create learning organizations in your project teams. This means that you must foster anyone who identifies constraints and help them to work against the constraint to increase throughput. If you can iteratively remove constraints, then it doesn't matter where you started off, your systems will continue to improve and you are streets ahead of non-learning environment teams.

Michael's presentation was thought provoking and a lot of fun.

Remember "It is not where you start that matters in system theory, it is how fast you identify and work against constraints that matters". Sounds like a good motto for success in life as well.

Anniversary of landing in the USA

Today we celebrate 9 years in the USA. On January 20, 2001, our flight landed at JFK and brought my family to the land of opportunities. We had $400 in cash with us, six suitcases and our hearts were full of hope.

I am pleased with what the USA has already provided for us, and the many new opportunities that have opened up this year.

I am looking forward to a fabulous future in the coming years in the USA.

How to be a good Director on the Board

You should serve on the board of directors for the non-profits that you believe in. As a project manager, you should be involved in your project management association and serve on the Board of Directors for your local chapter, at the least.

The Board of Directors is the responsible entity to govern the association and serve the members of the association. You should volunteer to serve your profession as a Director for your association.

If you are wondering how to fill a Directorship role, without being Bored in the Boardroom, then read my latest article listing the 16 Top Tips to keep Boredom out of the non-profit Boardroom.

Below Zero, and more snow

The view at noon on January 3, 2010.

Voorspeodige nuwe jaar vir Afrikaners

Ek luister na "Rock Daai Lyfie" (Nicholis Louw) en "De La Rey" (Bok van Blerk) op CD wat ons gekoop het terwyl ons in Suid Afrika was in 2009. Ek is glad nie lus om uit te gaan nie want dit sneeu alweer hier in Connecticut. En toe besef ek dat ek nog nie Voorspoedige jaar gewens het vir Afrikaanse lesers.

Ons se baie "Dis 'n klein wereld". Eintlik was dit nog altyd 'n klein wereld. Terwyl ek saam met die Boy Scouts gekamp het in 2009, het ek 'n ou oom ontmoet. Hy het onmiddelik die aksent opgetel en gevra of ek ex-Suid Afrikaner is. Hy vertel toe dat sy oupa in die Boere oorlog baklei het. Sy oupa was 'n khaki en die oom vertel hoe hy stories gehoor het van die ander kant van die boere oorlog - soos wat die khakis dit gesien het. Interesante insig terwyl ek na woorde van "De La Rey" luister.

In elk geval - ek wens almal a voorspoedige 2010. Met of sonder sneeu.

New Year Revolutions

As I enjoy the last day of the New Year long weekend, reflecting on the activities of the past year and decade, my mind considers what can be achieved in the coming years. We overestimate what we can accomplish in the coming year, but severely underestimate what we can accomplish in the coming five years.

Here is food for thought on how we can revolutionize project management executions in the next five years.

1. Find innovate ways to communicate project status. Instead of the nauseating Green, Yellow, Red status on spreadsheet columns and 34 page PowerPoint status decks attached to three page status emails, lets find ways to automatically update project status from MS-Project to stakeholder iPhones for real-time status, and offer a the project manager's commentary on implications of status via MP3 for an executive to be informed of status on the daily commute or while working out in the gym. In other words, lets use innovative technology to mange innovative technology programs.

2. Focus on developing project leaders through professional coaching and mentoring. Stop relying on classroom style training and passing a text-based project management exam to develop exemplary and prosperous project leadership behavior. Archaic project management training programs and sorely lacking real-world effectiveness in developing project leaders of the future.

3. Educate project managers to manage their own time and set the example. Project managers should never complain that they "Have too much work and not enough time". If a project manager cannot schedule his/her own time, then how can he/she be scheduling tasks and durations for project team members with any credibility?

4. Train project leaders to identify and sell the value of their services. Project leaders should say "This project is worth $2 million dollars. The value of my management service is a mere $150,000. If you choose to manage it yourself or allow a bureaucrat into the building, then it will probably go over schedule and over budget, and ultimately cost you $3 million before you cancel the project. I recommend that you use my services, as other clients have wisely chosen to do". It is beyond amateurish to inform a project sponsor that you have no idea what it costs to manage a project successfully, but that appointing three full-time project managers working 50 hours a week will lead to a successful project. How can a project sponsor measure efficiency in this situation? How will you defend your position if a project sponsor receives a proposal from an outsourcing vendor promising to deliver the project with only two full time project managers in India? Project leaders need to understand and market the value of our services.

There you have it - let's see which of these New Year Revolutions can become reality over the next five years. Keep this posting and remind me to report back in 2015, via our portable hologram devices.

Compendium of study tips when preparing for your professional exams

After many requests to share my exam-preparation techniques, I have compiled them into an article. Hot off the press - get your copy today. Don't take your professional exam until you have reviewed this list of tips.

This is "Wayne's way to prepare for your professional exam", based on my decades of experience as student and instructor helping hundreds of adult students acquire professional education.

I encourage you to read Tony Buzan's books and work on use of mind-maps for exam preparation and also purchase a memory-improvement audio CD program.