- If you treat risk management as a part-time job, you might soon find yourself looking for one ’- Deloitte white paper (Putting Risk in the Comfort Zone)
- I have learned that nothing is certain except for the need to have strong risk management, a lot of cash, the willingness to invest even when the future is unclear, and great people ’- Jeffrey R. Immelt
- Thoughtfully assessing and addressing enterprise risk and placing a high value on corporate transparency can protect the one thing we cannot afford to lose trust ’- Dale E. Jones, vice chairman and partner with Heidrick & Struggles
- We have no future because our present is to volatile. Will only have risk management ’- William Gibson
- Risk management is a culture, not a cult. It only works if everyone lives it, not if its practiced by a few high priests ’- Tom Wilson
- I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in financial history ’- Niall Ferguson
- There is no doubt that Formula 1 has the best risk management of any sport and any industry in the world ’- Jackie Stewart
- Stronger regulation and supervision aimed at problems with underwriting practices and lenders’ risk management would have been a more effective and surgical approach to constraining the housing bubble than a general increase in interest rates ’- Ben Bernanke
- If you don’t invest in risk management, it doesnt matter what business you’re in, it’s a risky business ’- Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn
- Adventure without risk is Disneyland ’- Douglas Coupland
- Risk and time are opposite sides of the same coin, for if there were no tomorrow there would be no risk. Time transforms risk, and the nature of risk is shaped by the time horizon: the future is the playing field ’- Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods
- As population susceptibilities are better understood, we will be in a better position than we are in today to make informed decisions about risk management ’- Samuel Wilson
- Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash ’- General George Patton
- All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger, but calculating risk and acting decisively ’- Niccolo Machiavelli
- Total enterprise risk management is critical, but implementing it is both expensive and easier said than done. Even the most sophisticated financial institutions are still basically silo risk managers ’- Danny Klinefelter, Professor and Extension Economist with Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University
- Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make ’- Sarah Ban
- The question of whether or to what extent human activities are causing global warming is not a matter of ideology, let alone of belief. The issue is simply one of risk management ’- Malcolm Turnbull
- Business people need to understand the psychology of risk more than the mathematics of risk ’- Paul Gibbons,
- Risk comes from not knowing what your doing ’-Warren Buffett
- You have to take risks. You will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen ’- Paulo Coelho
- Risk is a function of how poorly a strategy will perform if the ‘wrong’ scenario occurs ’- Michael Porter, Competitive Advantage
- Risk management should be an enterprisewide exercise and engrained in the business culture of the organisation ’- OSFI Superintendent Julie Dickson, June 1, 2011 (courtesy Ethidex)
- Risk is our business ’- Oswald Grübel, CEO at UBS
- When our leaders accept the status quo, we run the risk of disaster ’- Max Bazerman from “Predictable Surprises”
- The concept of ‘inherent risk’ is impossible to measure or even define. The idea of looking at risk absent all hard controls, soft controls, or mitigations, provides little or no useful information in most cases ’- Todd Perkins (from Journal of Applied Corporate Finance – volume 19 number 4)
- It’s important to take risks but it’s idiotic to take them blindly ’- Terry Levine
- Fail to identify the strategic risks and you fail as a business, no matter how well you manage your operational and project risks ’- Keith Baxter
- Business as usual is business at risk ’- Deloitte white paper
- Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritisation of risks ’- Wikipedia
Project Manager or Scapegoat?
Big Project Failures Claim Their Victims in Spectacular Fashion
You’ve just been assigned a high visibility failing project and you’re working round-the-clock to get the work to the client on time, despite the fact that the job bears barely any resemblance to the project you initially discussed. The scope keeps creeping, the risk and issue alerts are coming in thick and fast, the project is already two months past the original deadline, the clients are getting antsy even though they’re yet to provide you with various key pieces of information in order to baseline the project. Is this your chance to shine and showcase your skills?
If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You Will Probably End up Somewhere Else – Laurence J. Peter
If you manage to turn the project around and the project is successful, you will attract many fathers. However, if the project fails, you will probibly be offered up as the sacrificial lamb (scapegoat), there is absolutely no way around it. A high percentage of projects fail to deliver useful results, that’s a fact.
Project managers are regularly blamed for schedule delays and cost overruns for projects they inherit by no fault of there own, however, in most cases, the fault for such issues rarely lies with just one person.
Sufficient data has been gathered to indicate that blockers such as unsupportive management, senior sponsorship or low resource availability are as much to blame for project failure as ineffective stakeholder management or poor communication.
Capture all decisions
The only way to protect yourself is to ensure that you capture all decisions made in the project. In most cases many of these decisions will have been made by people above you. While you can influence decisions made by people under you. Get into the habit of building a dashboard early in the project and updating it each week with actuals. Also consider using a standard repeatable technique to analyse the health of your project.
Constrained resources
If you are in a project where resources are constrained, clearly outline the resources that you require to deliver the project in terms of time, scope, budget, risk and quality. If resources are pulled from your project, clearly articulate the affect of that in delivery terms and measure that to time delayed or cost added.
Risk and issues register
Operate a strong risk and issue register, ensure it is both visible and assessable so your team can actively participate in updating it.
Stop the project
Always remember, cancelling the project is not always a failure. There can be many reasons why the project may no longer be desirable now. If you have done your job well, you can be really successful by ensuring a project does not continue to meander along, wasting time and money when there is no possibility of completing the project.
Organisational change management
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said when there are organisation change management issues. While there are a few project managers who feel their jurisdiction ends at the triple constraint, most now understand the need to achieve the expected benefits from their projects.
So when is it fair to blame a project manager for poor implementation of a project’s deliverables, this is assuming that they were employed at the beginning of the project?
- If they didn’t perform good stakeholder analysis during the project initiation stage as well as at regular intervals.
- If they turned a blind eye and deaf ear to factors that could impact value achievement
- If they didn’t insist on a clear communication strategy and progressive information sharing with relevant stakeholder groups.
- If they didn’t engage influencers from key stakeholder groups throughout the project lifecycle.
- If the organisation management deliverables were not built into the project’s scope definition and work breakdown structure.
Assuming the project manager was appointed at the start of the project and had undertaken all of the above, what are invalid reasons to blame the project manager if the project failed?
- A lack of timely resource availability or commitment by the organisation
- Directives to the project manager to not engage certain stakeholder communities
- Ignorance by senior sponsors to management risks raised by the project team
- A management decision that is too bitter a pill to swallow in spite of how much it has been sugar coated
Have any comments or stories that could help to expand this article?
4 Lies about Procurement You Probably Believe
The world of Procurement is seemingly full of impassioned people absolutely certain about what procurement is all about. Like other great lies, many of these half-truths and misleading ideas sound agreeable to the ears and come packaged as good advice from influential people.
How many of these popular lies have you fallen victim to?
1. Procurement should have a seat at the C-table
It’s not so much an outright lie as an irritating half-truth – but the damage comes with what Procurement people do with it. The thought behind this is well-intended: Procurement people should be able to speak the language of senior executives as easily as they can talk about FIDIC or demand forecasting. Terms such as EBITDA, ROIC, and economic profit should be part of their everyday parlance. Procurement issues are often the least understood by the board and the CEO and must be explained in their language.
What on earth could be wrong with that? Nothing – if the Procurement people have full cognisance of their own tools and language – and can be persuasive to senior people of the value of Procurement.
Now, that’s where we have, what is kindly referred to, as a skills gap.
In reality, for Procurement with no reputation (outside of that pesky metric of cost) and few business-aligned projects to call upon, it can be incredibly hard to try and catch senior people’s ear – never mind a C-seat (see what I did there?).
2. You must carry out a competitive tender to obtain value for money
I’m trying to distance myself from the public sector here (noting I did co-author the CIPS book on contracting in the public sector) but even in the private sector there’s a desperate need to get three quotes.
Why three quotes?
Not five, not 11? ‘Cos the rules say three; that’s why.
And the rules of Procurement policy and procedures, well, they can’t be broken because the CFO or the head of internal audit (all very commercial animals?) will be down on Procurement like a ton of bricks.
When the three quotes are received the following conversation occurs – the highest price is rejected – ‘they’re ripping us off’ followed by – and I love this one about the lowest price quotation – ‘the price is too low, they must have got the specification wrong’ – and the contract is awarded to the middle-priced one”¦.surely there’s a better way to deliver value for money?
Perhaps starting with actually defining it!
3. Procurement is the only source of governance for 3rd party spend
Being the only source would suggest a 100%, right?
I’d be amazed – and delighted – if Procurement governed half of all the 3rd party spend. Words such as ‘influencing’ are sometimes bandied about to shore up this lie. What a surprise that sales people are either trained, or very quickly learn ways, to actually bypass Procurement when selling.
And the reason?
Obviously marketing, IT, auditors fees, construction/property, recruitment (I could go on) is completely different, say the senior people in those departments – echoing the views of the oh so helpful sales people. And Procurement just never gets near, as they can’t articulate (deliver?) the value they can add.
I await the avalanche of people commenting on this telling me I’m wrong. Please be assured you are exceptional in Procurement.
4. Procurement welcome innovation and strategic relationships and anything other than lower price
Few businesses view Procurement as a strategic process. Most often, Procurement staff report to the CFO. This astonishing trend indicates that Procurement is still viewed as a financial / accounting activity and not an operational strategic activity that directly impacts the bottom line.
Suppliers; if you have an innovative product or service, recognise that Procurement’s ‘raison d’être’ is to deliver cost savings. That’s what they are measured on, that’s what the research with CPOs and the C-suite say is the #1 priority. There’s oodles of other priorities such as local sourcing, sustainability, innovation, partnering, risk management – I could go on and on and on. But that’s the one they get measured on. Think that through, next time you’re pitching.
The take-away
Perspectives on Procurement need to change, mature and grow up. Lies like these need to be re-evaluated and abandoned. Procurement needs to change the way they engage and manage suppliers and their internal stakeholders; ‘adding value’ (a dreadful phrase!) means so much more than asking for a discount.
Stephen Ashcroft BEng MSc MCIPS (speaking here, very much in a personal capacity!) is Associate Director, Procurement and Commercial Advisory at AECOM, a Fortune 500 company. He’s a procurement learner stuck in the body of a procurement veteran, and with over 20 years’ experience still sees the glass as half full. Working with leading organisations across diverse industry sectors, Steve helps clients reimagine procurement to drive improved performance. A recognised advisor, speaker, lecturer, and author; the ever-hopeful Kopite shares his bright-eyed/world-weary views on Twitter @ThinkProcure, LinkedIn and his blog.
34 Thought Provoking Change Management Quotes
Change is good. It’s also often hard. The status quo can be so much more comfortable. But to succeed in business, you must run toward change. Companies most likely to be successful in making change work to their advantage are the ones that no longer view change as a discrete event to be managed, but as a constant opportunity to evolve the business
Here are 34 thought provoking change management quotes:
- It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change — Charles Darwin
- One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment — Robert E. Quinn
- Change before you have to — Jack Welch
- You must embrace change before change erases you.
— Rob Liano - Change before you have to — Jack Welch
- Too few leaders have the emotional fortitude to take responsibility for failure.
— Paul Gibbons, The Science of Successful Organisational Change: How Leaders Set Strategy, Change Behaviour, and Create an Agile Culture - People don’t resist change. They resist being changed! — Peter Senge
- If you want to make enemies, try to change something — Woodrow Wilson
- The key to change is to let go of fear — Rosanne Cash
- The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress — Charles Kettering
- There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things — Niccolo Machiavelli
- Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future — John F. Kennedy
- Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is convinced that our way is the best way.
— Louis L’Amour - Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times — Niccolo Machiavelli
- Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business — Mark Sanborn
- Change your thoughts and you change your world — Norman Vincent Peale
- If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less — General Eric Shinseki (U.S. Army Chief of Staff, 1999-2003)
- We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn — Peter Drucker
- Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times
- — Niccolo Machiavelli
- All is connected, no one thing can change by itself
— Paul Hawken - Learn to adjust yourself to the conditions you have to endure, but make a point of trying to alter or correct conditions so that they are most favorable to you — William Frederick Book
- We would rather be ruined than change
- We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die — W. H. Auden
- Every generation needs a new revolution — Thomas Jefferson
- Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has — Margaret Mead
- I’ll go anywhere as long as it’s forward — David Livingstone
- Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself — George Bernard Shaw
- Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win— Max McKeown
- You can’t build an adaptable organization without adaptable people–and individuals change only when they have to, or when they want to — Gary Hamel
- People will try to tell you that all the great opportunities have been snapped up. In reality, the world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions, including yours — Ken Hakuta
- A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it — Chinese Proverb
- The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change — Bill Clinton
- Each of us has the opportunity to change and grow until our very last breath. Happy creating — M.F. Ryan
Change or die? we choose life! How about you?
Are Women Better Project Managers Than Men?
The 8 Biggest Risks of Big Data Projects
Playing God: Swedish Train operator uses Big Data to ‘avoid train delays that haven’t happened yet’
Welcome to the world of “Big Data.” We have more information at our fingertips than any generation in history. We live in the world of “Big Data.” That is the new way people are trying to describe this sea of digital facts, figures, products, books, music, video, and much more. Twitter, apps, Facebook–they’re each giving science new ways to look at what people do and why.
“Hopes, fears, and ethical concerns relating to technology are as old as technology itself.”
We actually welcome some aspect of Big Data. These mysterious data successes (or accidental successes) are easy to see as a kind of Big Brother future, where technology can track your every move and report back to ”¦ someone. However, StockholmstÃ¥g, the train operator is using new technology that employs big data to predict train delays before they happen.
“The Commuter Prognosis – A Social Scientist’s Dream Come True.”
The mathematic algorithm, called “The commuter prognosis” was developed in Stockholm, Sweden.
When a train is not on time the algorithm forecasts disruptions in the entire network by using historic big data to prevent the ripple effects that actually causes most delays.
Wilhelm Landerholm the mathematician who has developed the algorithm said:
“We have built a prediction model, using big data, that lets us visualize the entire commuter train system two hours into the future. We can now forecast disruptions in our service and our traffic control center can prevent the ripple effects that actually cause most delays.”
The algorithm has been tested but is not currently being used by traffic controllers.
How does it work?
The key to the model is a large amount of historical data. The model works similar to a seismograph, an instrument that measures and records details of earthquakes, such as force and duration, but instead identifies late train arrivals. When this happens, the system uses historical data from previous occurrences to forecast the likely impact on the entire train network.
Real-time public transportation information is already used around the globe, however, traffic control centers still typically assess delays manually to try and prevent further problems in a network. The commuter prognosis system, on the other hand, will forecast these delay effects instantaneously and provide a prediction of how a single or multiple disturbance might affect the whole train network. The commuter prognosis system could change how traffic control centers operate all over the world.
“The Effects of One Delayed Train Can Quickly Multiply Within a Train Network”
Imagine that “The commuter prognosis” forecasts that a train will be 10 minutes late to station C in two hours. To deal with this the traffic control center issues a new train from station A that will arrive on time at station C. As soon as the new train has been put in motion the algorithm re-calculates and gives the traffic control center a new forecast for the entire train network within minutes.”
The most important benefit of “The commuter prognosis” is that it provides for a more punctual public transportation.
Big Data, Ethics, and Religion
These stories remind us that even though companies and governments are doing amazing things with data, it’s at best imperfect. The algorithms and programs they use to filter and respond to data are at least as fallible as the human beings who designed them. We can also see its complexity and failures as evidence of the amazing omnipotence of our God – who doesn’t make errors and who knows right where to find us, even inside a great fish or the depths of hell.
The arrival of big data has already brought with it numerous questions that have yet to be properly addressed. These questions are methodological, epistemological, and ethical, and they concern (inter alia) the ways in which data is collected, stored, interpreted, represented, and traded. A further complication is a speed with which data science is advancing, which means that (for example) the application of legal and ethical restrictions to the practice of that science will always risk being several steps behind the point that it has currently reached. There are indications that we are currently sleepwalking towards a situation in which the commercial exploitation of big data routinely increases social division, and renders privacy a thing of the past.
Ket factors
- A mathematical model interprets big data to forecasts for each train in the train network.
- The commuter prognosis can warn about delays two hours before the departure or arrival actually takes place.
- The commuter prognosis calculates how the delay affects other trains in the system.
- The purpose of “the commuter prognosis” is to make life easier for traffic control centers and to give passengers a better service.
- In the future, the algorithm will be potentially adaptable for more types of public transportations and cities.
43 Great Quotes To Inspire You To Be a Better Christian Leader
Anyone who has responsibility for the work of others understands the unique challenges that come with managing people.
Over the years, various thought leaders have come up with pearls of wisdom in the form of quotations that when given some thought, have a lot to teach us. Sometimes a simple quote is just the thing to lift our spirits, to make us smile or to give us the energy to keep going when we’re feeling low.
Here are 43 such quotes to make us better Christian leaders.
- “The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self.” – Unknown
- “In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” – Unknown
- “The good news is, God has provided us with a LifeBook to help us – the Bible.” – Unknown
- “Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.” – John Maxwell
- “There’s only two things you can start without a plan: a riot and a family, for everything else you need a plan.” – Unknown
- “Rejection is an opportunity for your selection.” – Unknown
- “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – John Maxwell
- “Leadership is getting people to work for you when they are not obligated.” – Fred Price
- “Running a project without a work breakdown structure is like going to a strange land without a roadmap” – J Phillips
- “You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.” – Henry Ford”
- “Have a good plan, Execute it violently, Do it today” – General Douglas McArthur
- “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that is has taken place.” – Unknown
- “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
- “A project without a critical path is like a ship without a rudder.” – D. Meyer
- “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
- “What’s measured improves.” – Unknown
- “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint Exupry 1900-1944, French writer and aviator
- “If it is not documented, it doesn’t exist. As long as information is retained in someone’s head, it is vulnerable to loss.” – Unknown
- “It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out nor more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things.” – Machiavelli 1446-1507, Italian statesman and philosopher
- “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra.” – Unknown
- “Luck is for the ill-prepared.” – Unknown
- “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.” – Chinese Proverb
- “Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating the talents of those who work for us and pointing them towards a certain goal.” –Unknown
- “PMs are the most creative pros in the world; we have to figure out everything that could go wrong before it does.” – Fredrik Haren
- “Why do so many professionals say they are project managing when what they are actually doing is firefighting?” –Unknown
- “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” –Unknown
- “Ensure your documentation is short and sharp and make much more use of people-to-people communication.” –Unknown
- “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford
- “Leadership offers an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, no matter what the project.” – Bill Owens
- “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Leaders have two characteristics: first they are going somewhere, and second they are able to persuade other people to go with them.” – John Maxwell
- “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard
- “The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.” – Warren Bennis
- “The best example of leadership is leadership by example.” – Jerry McClain
- If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
- “The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.” – John Stott
- “We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.” – Charles F. Stanley
- “Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45
- “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” –Unknown
- “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa
- “The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the storm.” – Matt Chandler
- “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential” – Winston Churchill
- “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” – John Piper
If you know a great quote or scripture that will inspire others to lead their churches better, please feel free to share it in the comments below.
7 Signs that Suggest You Should Step Away from Managing the Church Project
The lack of project management training or experience of many Christian leaders can be an enormous stress factor for them. Whilst natural organizational ability is enormously helpful, in itself it is no guarantee of any project being both successful and low stress.
As a Project Manager, you will need to manage every aspect of the project from start to finish, working on a series of pre-determined goals and objectives. Not everyone is cut out to be a Project Manager. It’s not even necessarily a highly desirable job. You get a lot of visibility, but not necessarily a lot of recognition, unless the project is very successful and highly visible. As such project management is not for the faint-hearted.
Although specific responsibilities vary from industry to industry, the role of a Project Manager will generally include the following:
- Defining the project
- Scheduling
- Budgeting
- Risk assessing
- Project control
- Providing direction and support to the team
- Quality checking
- Reporting progress, problems, and solutions
- Assessing results of the project
- Closing down the project
- Managing and working with multiple stakeholders
When it comes to project managing, it is important to have certain skills to be the most effective Project Manager you can be. Some people have these skills and others do not. Here’s our list of indicators that you may not be well suited to be a Project Manager in no particular order:
1. You’re a poor communicator
More than 50% of a Project Managers time is spent on some aspect of communication. The majority of conflicts in a team involve problems in communication, either as a cause or an effect. A lack of understanding can result from ineffective communication and can then lead to further communication issues. Communication skills are ranked first among a job candidate’s ‘must have’ skills and qualities according to a 2010 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Poor communicators will often believe that giving people facts about a situation will be sufficient to influence them into following a particular course of action. However as Richard Nixon said,
“People Are Persuaded by Reason, but Moved by Emotion; The Leader Must Both Persuade Them and Move Them.”
Avoiding communication is a common occurrence when a difficult conversation is anticipated. Project Managers with low confidence will tend to ignore opportunities to pass on difficult messages with the result that the communication vacuum only serves to increase the size of the problem in the team. The old adage that “no news is good news” doesn’t usually apply in such circumstances as the team on the receiving end of the silence will fill the void with their own perceptions, doubts, and fears.
Poor Project Managers also tend to react emotionally and erratically when communicating with the team which can make it difficult for the team on the receiving end to anticipate how the communication will progress. Lack of honesty and not sharing how you really feel can also lead to a lack of trust in the team.
2. You don’t work well with people
Good Project Managers make an effort to spend a lot of time with clients, stakeholders, and team members. If you don’t like working within a team and prefer to stay in one location and focus on your own work, you probably don’t have the collaborative ability to be a good Project Manager. While one person working alone can have an impact, your role as a leader is to guide your team to accomplish bigger goals than they could achieve on their own.
A Great Person Attracts Great People and Knows How to Hold Them Together — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
3. You don’t like to manage people
You don’t have much of a project if you’re the only resource. If you want to be a good project manager, you need to be able to manage people well. You will probably never have a 100% responsibility for people, but you will need to show leadership, hold them accountable, manage conflict, etc. Some project managers say they could do a much better job if they did not have to deal with people. If that’s how you feel, project management is probably not for you.
Earn Your Leadership Every Day – Michael Jordan
4. You don’t like to document things or follow processes
Many aspects of project management requires documenting things, including status reporting, communication plans, scope changes, and project plans. A Lack of process increases the risk that tasks related to the project will fall through the cracks, that projects will have to be re-worked, and ultimately that a project won’t be completed on time or on budget. A good project manager needs to be effective at process and information management.
The Art of Leadership Is Saying No, Not Saying Yes. It Is Very Easy to Say Yes — Tony Blair
5. You cannot tell the client “no”
Clients aren’t the same as customers. Sometimes they need to be guided in the right direction. This is your job. Clients who change project requirements all the time or who demand unreasonable working hours need to be managed.
A Leader is One who Knows the Way, Goes the way, and Shows the way — John Maxwell
6. You don’t like to plan and are not organised
The project managers job is to organise everyone in the team. If you cannot plan, you can hardly be an effective leader. When a client gives you a project, if your first inclination is start working, you probably don’t have a project management mindset. The Project Managers overall task is to keep the project on budget and on target. Sticking to deadlines is very important.
The Key to Successful Leadership Today is Influence, Not Authority — Kenneth Blanchard
7. You Micromanage the team
Babysitting the team. It’s very common for poor Project Managers to treat their job like an enforcer, policing the project team for progress and updates.
Millions of It and Project Management Professionals to Benefit from the New Axelos Professional Development Programme
For the first time, millions of professionals across the globe qualified in ITIL ®, PRINCE2 ® and PRINCE2 Agile┞¢ will be able to track and record their professional development through a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme as part of the new AXELOS Professional Development Programme, which launches today.
The AXELOS Professional Development Programme is an online membership programme aligned to the global best practice frameworks of ITIL, PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile, that provides members with a range of specialised tools. Members will be able to assess their ability against industry benchmarks and gain access to exclusive content and activities designed to develop their skills and knowledge.
The programme will give practitioners the confidence and tools to keep up-to-date and relevant in their field while supporting them in their professional development. By completing the required CPD points, members will earn a digital badge that can be shared via online platforms to demonstrate their relevance and commitment to professional development.
Peter Hepworth, AXELOS Chief Executive, said: “There are millions of practitioners with either ITIL or PRINCE2 qualifications, and we want to champion these professionals by giving them a means to develop their knowledge and skills. This new programme is all about offering additional value for IT service management and project management professionals which goes beyond passing an exam and gaining a qualification.
“Ongoing investment in professional development also benefits organizations as well as individuals. Employers can ensure that their employees are continually developing their skills and the new digital badges will also help employers source the right talent by using them to differentiate against individuals who haven’t kept their skills up to date.
“The scheme will enable ITIL and PRINCE2 practitioners to achieve industry recognition and enhance their own personal brand. In addition, employers who invest time and money in CPD can develop their teams and drive up standards while improving staff loyalty and morale.”
Those wishing to join the scheme must hold an ITIL or PRINCE2 qualification. AXELOS are running a promotion so anyone joining in 2015 can save £100 on annual membership costs, and just pay the initial £25 registration fee.
The Professional Development Programme is the latest addition to the best practice portfolio owned by AXELOS – a joint venture between the UK Government and Capita plc. More information can be found on the AXELOS website: https://www.axelos.com/professional-development
Project Journal staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
Why Do Projects Fail?
From Outreach Ideas to Action in Three Easy Steps
A good idea is great. A good idea that’s executed perfectly can change the world. But a simple idea alone is useless.
A Good Idea That’s Executed Perfectly Can Change the World
There’s an idea that flops and an idea that becomes the next biggest thing. It’s all about how it’s executed. If it doesn’t come with a plan, or if it appears too difficult to introduce, someone else will do it, leaving you with a has-been idea that can no longer be implemented. This is why every ‘brainwave’ ‘eureka’ moment idea needs to be teamed together with a worthy execution”¦if not, don’t expect much.
Pushing an innovative idea forward into something else remains one of our biggest challenges. Admittedly, it can be a super exhausting process, which is why it’s always a great idea to invite the crowd to not only come up with the wonderful ideas, but to also help develop them as well.
There are a few key stages that need to be followed when it comes to getting your crowd in on the idea decision-making and development game.
1. Create a Unique Team
Almost anyone can research and refine new innovative ideas. However, you can take it a step further and invite the crowd to join in the fun and be a part of your team. This will give your idea more validation. It will also decrease any potential risk, and at the same time it could be a huge timesaver when it comes to marketing and finances.
In short, each and every idea should be unique enough to sway people to join a team that supports the idea.
2. Fine Tune that Idea
They say that behind every great idea catapulted onto the market, there was an equally great plan. Every idea requires some sort of plan. It could be just a basic one that briefly outlines the various possibilities connected to it, or it could be a more complex plan that delves into the intricacies of it.
A good plan should include a business plan. This might seem like a given, but you’d be surprised as to how many people don’t have a good business plan to back up their ideas. Plans should also include target audiences, marketing ideas and much more.
You need to approach every idea in a methodical way. You’ll need a unique set of criteria that pertains to one idea – it’s not a case of one-size fits all. You’ll need to answer any question that arises, and until this is done, you can’t move forward and successfully turn your idea into reality.
Use and involve your crowd. Ask them to research various aspects of the idea, and then have them report back and share their ideas and findings with the rest of the group.
3. Don’t Stand for Mediocre
There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of okay ideas. There are even hundreds of great ideas. But, an average or good idea is not enough, which is why it’s absolutely essential to select only the best of the best ideas. It doesn’t matter if it’s only one mind-blowing idea because as the old adage goes, quality is better than quantity.
Quality Is Better than Quantity
The good and even the great ideas might struggle. Such ideas are difficult to get funding for, and it’s more challenging to prototype and deliver them. If you want to make your idea come alive, you need to have defined criteria, which allows for choosing the best idea to follow up on. After the criteria has been established, it’s time to use the crowd again aka Christian community. Ask them to respond accordingly and honestly – does the idea meet all the listed criteria?
If yes, that’s great, you’re moving towards success. If not, it’s back to the drawing board to get it right.
You need to act now and remember this: it’s okay to simply start by putting just one outreach idea into action.
What kinds of challenges do you and your team face when trying to develop your ideas further?
Hidden Sins of Using Spreadsheets to Manage Projects
Spectacular Architecture and Infrastructure Projects That Take Your Breath Away
The advent of the ‘megaproject’ is truly upon us as such projects become a key feature of city landscapes.
The Empire State Building, the Panama Canal, the Regatta Hotel in Indonesia – these are just a few of the architectural and infrastructure wonders of the world that you probably take for granted. With the National Geographic putting images on the map and now the Internet fuelling easy access to pics, it’s easy to forget how difficult these projects are for engineers to build. Behind the scenes, much goes on to tackle the making of a magnificent bridge, building or highway and byway. Here are a few such projects that should cause you to sit up and have your breath taken away because of their grandiosity, complexity and stunning beauty.
New York Residential Building
Still in the building stages, a residential towel at 432 Park Avenue is set to be one of the most expensive addresses in the U.S. Taller than the Empire State Building by 50 meters, the 426 meter building is considerably large, but plans to host just 104 apartments. Living in the building will cost you, though. If you’ve got $17 million you can start the process of bargaining for an apartment; however, the best apartments are the penthouses that will span an entire floor and go for $82 million or more.
The Panama Canal
Now that the Panama Canal has been in place nearly 100 years, we take for granted how it revolutionised trade and travel. The recent billion dollar improvement projects increased the length and width of the canal, adding more locks at both ends of the passageway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Now that even bigger container vessels can travail the Canal, neighboring Nicaragua is in the planning stages of building its own canal – to the tune of $40 billion. The best and brightest engineers harnessed real ingenuity to figure out how to tame Mother Nature to advance the cause of expanding travel.
Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, China
Hong Kong’s bridge project is one of the largest most complex in the world and uses a series of tunnels and bridges to connect three major cities: Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. Costing more than $10 billion to build, it will drive the freight land transport needs of the region as well as facilitate the movement of passengers between the cities. The three-lane bridge and tunnel roadway includes the construction of two artificial islands to accommodate the building of the various roads involved with the project.
These and other architectural projects that defy gravity, plunge the depths of the ground and cover the sea are a wonder to behold. They put the best of human genius to work to solve complex problems such as how to build a bridge over a considerable expanse of water and accommodate tunnels under the water. The creativity of the world’s engineers and architects are put to the test, and they come up as winners every time with projects like the Park Avenue residential building, the Panama Canal and The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. However, the human mind still can’t come close to understanding the vastness of the whole universe. But as we get better at it, we clearly see two things: how tiny and insignificant man is by himself—and just how huge and wonderful is the plan that God most have for us!
Prefab Comeback
Prefab housing suffers from bad stigma due to the fact that some people saw the prefabs as ugly and characterless, and were afraid they would become slums – hardly the promised housing fit for heroes following the second World War. However, building homes from pre-made parts can save time and money. The term prefab or prefabrication often evokes thoughts of poor construction, substandard living conditions and a long-standing “temporary” solution.
Prefab dwellings are making a comeback driven by a lack of affordable housing, a rapidly growing economy and changing demographic trends.
Methods Methods of Construction (Mmc) Offer Significant Potential to Minimise Construction Costs
The term ‘Modern Methods of Construction‘ refers to a collection of relatively new building construction techniques that aim to offer more advantages over traditional construction methods. Off-site construction (OSC) is a modern method of construction, based on off-site manufacturing of building elements.
With exponentially lower construction costs, quicker construction, reduced labor costs and having the ability to achieve zero defects, MMC is gaining a lot of attention as the potential answer to the UK’s housing crisis.
In a valiant attempt to strip away prefabricated housings’ bad rep are MMC with contemporary sleek designs, and constructed to withstand the test of time. MMC housing has the capability to deliver both quality and quantity housing to the tune of ‘ £50,000 per unit.
MMC units hold the promise of being extremely energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. Many versions of MMC take into account how to utilise natural resources and reduce each unit’s carbon footprint. In addition, MMC also addresses environmental concerns by creating much less waste than a standard brick-and-mortar project. While it is plausible that a traditional build could hire a waste removal company who would have the ability to recycle up to 90 percent of the construction waste; with MMC projects, this will automatically happen.
There have already been a number of successful examples of MMC housing constructed in various parts of the United Kingdom. The M-house (pronounced “mouse”) is designed and constructed to last an upwards of 100 years. While Architect Alford Hall have created quality MMC apartment buildings proudly showcasing a patio and private entrance for each flat.
While many of the MMC homes are still in their early years the upkeep and maintenance will be reduced by 50% since the OSC process lowers the risk of non-conformities.
MMC homes are being fabricated and designed to accommodate many different lifestyles, such as, two-story homes, tall six-story apartment buildings, single-family homes and log cabins are all available options for families looking at MMC.
While there is a plethora of design options available all MMC OSC projects have a common theme. The internal workings of the homes are fabricated off-site, while only the “outer skin” comes to fruition on-site. To even further streamline the process, it has been suggested that having a “catalog of pre-selected materials increases supplier relationships and makes the design process more streamlined.”
With the small sample available with progressive MMC systems, it is currently reasonable to conclude that using modern methods of construction to build homes can cost more than traditional home building procedures; due to the need for specialised MMC design consultants. However, outside of costs, MMC remains a faster home building method than traditional brick and block house building and is slowly becoming a relevant front-runner to answer the UK’s housing shortage.
