Jan 21, 2022 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE
Project Manage – The Easy Way
Project Manage – The Easy Way
It doesn’t matter what the project is. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, the fundamentals are always the same. Follow these simple steps for project success – Every Time. Remember that discipline is crucial as is the need to follow the plan in order to Project Manage – The Easy Way.
Overview
- Depending on the complexity of the project create a Gantt Chart, or Action List or similar Tracking tool with “milestones” or critical dates
- Documentation is essential – use the Bullet Point format wherever possible
- Clearly describe what the end result will be
- If possible use General Assembly or “Finished” drawings or similar to show the completed project
- Create an approval document specifying the end result and/or any other key features
- Get sign off from all key stakeholders – make sure that they all clearly understand what they are going to get
- Clearly specify that there will be no “Scope Creep” – what you see is what you get
- Understand and document the starting point – the “where we are now” part
- Document how the Project will run and be managed
- Document the Scope of Work
- Detail all of the steps
- Ensure there are clear measures and milestones
- Delegate and agree responsibilities – who is going to do what
- Set up a Capital Tracking Spreadsheet and an owner
- Set up a reporting format and schedule
- Set up a meeting format and resultant action system
- The project must Measure and Report against the milestones
- Ensure that all of the Design and Details are firm and agreed to by all parties – Before Starting the Work
- Set up a disaster/contingency plan – Before Starting the Work
- Is this a new project ? Is there previous experience to draw on
- If there is previous experience – reflect on it – if it’s not used – nothing is lost – but it may be valuable and there is no value in reinventing the wheel
- Review the project – can the following questions be confidently answered
- Is the starting point clear ? –
- What will the completed project look like ?
- Have all key stakeholders signed off ?
- Has the work been planned in enough detail to successfully complete the project ?
- Has a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) been created
- If the answers are in the affirmative – the start button can be pressed with confidence
- All Systems are “Go”
Not Only – But Also …..
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Open List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Regardless of your current status – always ask the question – Is there a Better Way and
visit the 3R web page for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset
- Whenever possible – always follow the KISS Principle
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
- Check out Engineering Odd Bits for odd subject matter – including humor and comment
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jan 21, 2022 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE
Project Decision Time
Project Decision Time
When and how to decide if a Project is Dead or if it is a Go’er —
So how do you know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em
- Typically we are all working on too many projects with limited resource. At what stage, and what triggers that decision to “cut your losses and walk away”
- Or the decision that you are on a winner and in it for the “long haul”.
As Kenny Rodgers sang in – “The Gambler”
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run”
Overview
- How many times do we hang in, telling ourselves that success is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. We’re nearly there, just a whisker more.
- But it never seems to happen and we look back and fret about all of the wasted time, effort and money.
- Conversely, how many times have we decided that a project is going nowhere and walked away from it , only to be racked with nagging doubts that maybe it just need a little bit more, in order to get it over the line. So close and yet so far. Maybe it was. But now, we will never know.
- OK, we’ve hung in when we should have quit and we’ve quit when we should have hung in
- So how do we get the odds in our favor in order to make the right decision
- Is there a sure fire way to make better decisions
- How can we hang in for the right ones and walk away from the wrong ones
There are books, magazines, web pages out there offering techniques and magic solutions, but at the end of the day, do any of them really work.
A common approach is to list the Pros and Cons. Pretty simple really. But does it work ?
For example, I really want to buy that 2 seater convertible. Expensive and totally impractical, but what an automobile!!!. How can I justify the purchase and feel good inside. I know, I’ll do a Pros and Cons list.
Mmmmmmm, not quite the result that I wanted, the number of Cons outweigh the Pro’s
But all is not necessarily lost. If I have another look at the list, maybe there are a few more Pro’s which I might have missed the first time around. Maybe some of those Cons aren’t really that important.
So, with a few adjustments I can cross out a few here and add a few there. Now, lets tally that list up again
Well what do you know, the Pro’s outweigh the Cons – lets go and buy.
My Answer
- Go with your First Gut Feel
- Don’t procrastinate
- Don’t get caught with “Paralyses by Analyses”
- Take that first, instinctive idea and like Nike used to say – Just Do It
- Generally people have a fairly good idea of which way they “really” want to go, before they start the process and will adjust the methodology to get the answer which they “really” want.
What Lessons can we learn
- Save yourself the heartache and troubled nights sleep.
- Statistically it has been proven that 90 percent of the time the first decision/idea/concept which forms in your mind is the one you will finally go with.
- Working on 99 other ways to do the job is just a waste of time and effort
Not Only – But Also ……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Open List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Regardless of your current status – always ask the question – Is there a Better Way and
visit the 3R web page for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset
- Whenever possible – always follow the KISS Principle
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
- Check out Engineering Odd Bits for odd subject matter – including humor and comment
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jan 21, 2022 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE
Bring people together with The Power Of Positive Listening
The Power Of Positive Listening
It may be an Engineering or IT Project – or it may be routine work tasks. However, there are times when it pays to adopt “The Power of Positive Listening” philosophy. It may not make you “the life and soul of the party”, but it could have a significant impact on the work at hand. Learn to listen, understand and “read between the lines” It is very easy to have preformed views and to want to express those views in a force able manner or to get into a shouting match, without really understanding the thrust of the conversation or dialogue. Learn to take a step back – listen – absorb and understand what is being said by others.
Overview
- Understand WHY you are in the conversation or the group or the meeting
- Be attentive – do not sit idly gazing at your phone – if you don’t want to be there – leave
- Do not blatantly, continuously yawn – It happens to us all – cover your mouth – turn away – do whatever it takes to disguise that yawn
- In simple terms – are you there to gain knowledge or to impart knowledge
- Some people are naturally outgoing and continually want to be the center of attention
- Some people are very reserved and reluctant to speak or offer an opinion
- Sometimes a group may be dominated by several “outgoing” people who will jostle for ascendancy. And more likely than not – valuable information will be lost in the verbal melee
- Sometimes a group will be dominated by reserved people and interaction can be very limited. – And it is very likely that important information may not be shared
- Generally there is a mix of both types of people
- Learn to read the mood of the group/meeting and respond accordingly
- If you are normally a quite reserved person – you may need to “step up” if a discussion is “dying” and needs a leader
- If you are normally an “outgoing” person in a group of “outgoing” people – and all are talking over each other – you may need to “step back”
- Learn to listen to others – you may have a very strong urge to interrupt – but learn to “bite your tongue”
- Make a great effort to understand what is being said – the words come out – BUT what is the meaning
- You may strongly disagree with something being said – BUT learn to “bite your tongue” and think it through – “is this a battle I can win today? Or is it better to let it go through to the keeper and pick a time and place of my choosing”
- Do not “cut off” someone mid sentence by talking over them – let them finish what they are saying.
- If you need to make a point or question a statement – learn to make a mental note to ask/clarify when the speaker has finished the sentence – or when they “draw breath”
- Always be polite – e.g. “excuse me but could I just clarify a point” “I apologize for the interruption but just wanted to clarify ….” etc
- It is not always convenient to have a note pad and pencil handy – but they are very useful to make notes whilst someone is speaking and you can let them finish what they are saying and have a reference to draw on with a later question or query. They may in fact not remember what they have said – But you have captured it for reference
Not Only – But Also …..
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Open List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Regardless of your current status – always ask the question – Is there a Better Way and visit the 3R web page for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset
- Whenever possible – always follow the KISS Principle
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
- Check out Engineering Odd Bits for odd subject matter – including humor and comment
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jan 21, 2022 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE
Motivation – The Will To Succeed
Motivation
What is Motivation ? A good question I hear you ask
In general – Motivation:
- Is the force which drives and makes you tick
- The drive that gets you fired up and then keeps you fired up
- The drive that gets you fired up and then keeps you fired up
- That high level of energy
- That high level of enthusiasm
- The fire that gets you out of bed in a morning
- The will to win – to be the best that you possibly can be
The Devil Is in The Detail
Generally – most of us have lots of Motivation and are very self Motivated and self driven.
BUT there may be times when elements of doubt can creep in to your (normally) very focused mind and you feel as though you have just hit a brick wall.
These could be caused by a whole raft of reasons.
Needless to say – It happens.
At times like these it’s good to have a support mechanism to fall back on.
- Communicate – talk to people – colleagues, friends
- Remember – When the going gets tough – the tough get going – convince yourself
- Balance – your life interests – your stressful projects – take a break
- Take more tea/coffee breaks and give yourself the chance to “pull back” and reflect on what your priorities really are
- You may need to – Learn to Eat an Elephant – if there is an overwhelming sense that the job at hand is too much
- Take one small bite at a time and completely devour – before taking the next bite
- Do you feel that you are in a hole and it is getting deeper – then stop digging
- Seek help when needed
This web page is not about heavy theory or instruction – The aim is for a quick, simple and effective burst to refresh or get you back on track.
Maybe a little humor will help – check out Motivation No. 101 for a slightly different perspective
Not Only – But Also …..
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Open List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Regardless of your current status – always ask the question – Is there a Better Way and
visit the 3R web page for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset
- Whenever possible – always follow the KISS Principle
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
- Check out Engineering Odd Bits for odd subject matter – including humor and comment
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jan 21, 2022 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE
If its not documented – It never happened – Minute All Meetings
Minute All Meetings
It is vital to Minute All Meetings – Taking minutes of meetings is often regarded as an onerous task and some people will resort to all sorts of devious tricks to avoid doing it.
However – What is often overlooked is that the minute taker is a very powerful person.
They can influence meeting outcomes by slanting a “difficult” agreement or outcome a particular way.
And this is why it is very important to always have a skilled person taking the minutes and to always read and understand the minutes of all meetings.
I well remember a very highly charged, regular monthly meeting with a number of managers. It lasted over 2 hours and ended with reluctant agreement over a number of contentious issues, by all of the key players.
At the next monthly meeting, recollections of what had been agreed varied widely and as no minutes had been recorded – It was another long, emotional, highly charged meeting.
BUT this time – it was agreed by all in attendance – that in future – very accurate and detailed minutes should be taken, documented and distributed.
The simple message is:-
- Keep accurate minutes of all meetings
- Email copies of the minutes to all attendees
- Email cc copies to anyone remotely associated with the meeting, project or topic
- Read and ensure that you understand the minutes of the meetings – even if you are only on the cc list
- Remember that the minutes should be an accurate record of the meeting and outcomes
Some meetings will have a system of rotating “scribes”
Other times one person is nominated as a permanent “scribe”
There is no right or wrong – whatever suits the circumstance and creates an accurate record
Cross reference with Meeting Agenda
Not Only – But Also …..
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Open List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Regardless of your current status – always ask the question – Is there a Better Way and
visit the 3R web page for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset
- Whenever possible – always follow the KISS Principle
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
- Check out Engineering Odd Bits for odd subject matter – including humor and comment
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
