MyProjectTracker – The Blog

I am a big fan of performance related pay and while it is most widely used for managers in private sector organisations, I believe that it should be applied to Premier League Footballers.

Premier League Footballers get paid a fortune, whether they play or not, and whether they or play well or not. We’ve all seen top players clearly meandering around the pitch without their heart in the game yet still getting their £60,000 a week salary.

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After years of project implementation in practically every field, the project time-line is the one thing that is consistently messed with. But why is this the case? Why do such a large number of projects fail to come in on time? We have tools and processes coming out of our ying-yangs and yet we still don’t manage to deliver when we say.

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There are many aspects of running a business that an owner has to consider and not all of them are within the skillsets included within the organisation, particularly smaller business entities. In theory business owners have to be solicitors, accountants, bankers, designers, distributors, project managers, mentors, customer services… the list is endless! In practice, this is simply not possible due to both time and knowledge constraints and business owners need to consider what this means for the way that they operate.

If you are a new business owner, you need to pragmatically consider what you can realistically bring to the party and where you will need help to make sure that you get off the ground and more importantly, are successful.

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When I started Shotokan Karate, I was convinced that I would be  an expert within a very short space of time. No doubt this illusion eminated from being a child of the 80’s and thus susceptable to the teachings of one Mr. Miyagi!!

I learnt VERY quickly that I knew nothing and that it was going to take time, patience and discipline to master not only the physical but also mental aspects of being a proficient Karate practitioner.

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The recent blast of snow and wintry conditions has highlighted how unprepared the country was for the weather front. With over 100 schools throughout Ireland and over 10,000 schools throughout the UK closed, many working parents were forced to stay at home and tend to their kids. However, despite there being up to a 40% level of absenteeism, it has been reported that SMEs have adapted better with a smaller drop in productivity compared to larger organizations.

Employees are proving to their bosses that they can continue to be productive working from home, spurred by advances in technology and cloud computing. In the snowy times it is webmail and other online’s tools that enable people to work where ever they may be — be it an airport, their car, or their own home. With remote access and web conferencing facilities available to all, like GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting, combined with a laptop, employees can easily access their programs, files, email and even attend meetings online. It is these as well as many other hosted solutions that keep this country going.

A survey of over 2,000 adults in the UK, carried out by YouGov, found 74% of UK workers were affected by snow, with 45% facing travel disruptions. 11% couldn’t get in to work but worked from home, a number that is up greatly on previous years.

So while your car might be stuck in the snow and going nowhere, take comfort in the fact that with the right tools, at least your business can carry on as if it was a warm summer’s day.

If you managed to work from home while snowed, why not share your story with us.

I was reading a post about the fascination certain business managers/owners have with the spreadsheet and how dependant on it they are to run their businesses. This got me thinking to how dependant project management has become on the processes it uses rather than the actual delivery of a project.

Project management is about delivering a quality end-result. To deliver the project, the manager has a list of things that need to be done, a timescale and a budget in order to produce that end-result. That’s it!

The problem with project management is that it spends too much time looking at itself rather than what it is trying to achieve. Methodologies and processes are created by project managers – which is correct, but they produce them for themselves and not the end recipients i.e. the customer of that project.

Project management theorists will tell you that the customer is at the forefront of all the thinking behind the processes. I would disagree. To a large extent, project management methodologies and the endless reams of documentation that come out as a consequence are, by in large, designed to elevate the status of the project management function. Ouch(!).

Before you jump down my throat, a project manager is an extremely valuable member of any organisations. They need to be effective communicators, highly organised, budget and quality focussed, team leaders, decision makers and thick skinned! Where my “beef” is that the constantly updated theories and practices being touted as “best in class” do not necessarily contribute anything extra to the projects effectiveness from the customer standpoint.

The most effective project managers that I have worked with know how to manage their team and clients through superb communication. More often than not, the dreaded Gantt chart is only produced to satisfy the needs of the internal management team and most of the effort is managed from a simple spreadsheet or indeed a notepad with a list of to-do’s. A simplification, but designed to drive the point that it does not need to be as complicated as it has become.

Project management should be accessible by everyone in every field where the high level concepts can be applied. It has some really great operational practices, but needs to be pared back to make sure these are obvious and adopted by all.

Project management – It’s just a list of things to do! Oh – and its for everyone, not just project managers!

The Revolution has begun. Cloud Computing is set to take the SME market by storm in 2010. With 4 firms a day going out of business, businesses are realizing that in order to stay afloat and remain competitive they need to adapt and cut costs. By correctly utilizing the power of Cloud Computing, a business can stream line any business process. There is a solution out there to suit everyone’s needs; whether it’s Project Management, Pay Roll and Accounting Services, Time Tracking, Costing Tracking, Invoicing, File and Information Sharing or Team Management.

Cloud computing has finally proven that the internet is not just for downloading music and posting messages on Facebook or Bebo. Cloud Computing is taking the bull (that is the internet) by the horns. Cloud Computing can be that “turn of pace” that differentiates you from your competitors. Cloud Computing can be your businesses competitive advantage.

Long live the Cloud.

As someone who has worked in the world of project and program management, it never ceases to amaze me on how complex project management has become. I often think that many in the field have lost sight of the end game through the continued re-invention of the wheel. This will be subject of many a post but to get started, I thought I’d take the opportunity to de-mystify some of the more common project management terms and put them in plain English by applying them to a business context.

These are a few of my favourites – there are plenty more. All of these are relevant to businesses of every description but the language of project management has made them seem removed and exclusive which I find frankly unnecessary and frustrating!

Do you have some more to add? Do you feel project management principles apply to your business or seem to daunting to tackle? I’d love to know your thoughts.