Project Management is a Myth
Project management is a myth: .period: end of story: can’t be done: so don’t even bother trying: .unless of course, you do it right from the very first meeting on the very first day. And on that first day, you had better do it right by PROJECT COLLABORATION and not by management. If you [...]
An unrepeatable success?
Back in the very old days (early 80’s), I was on a team (of 24, I think) that delivered a successful software system on time, on budget, and with every feature the customer had requested. The schedule had been tight, 18 months from inception to use, as I recall.
This happened right in the middle of [...]
Saying No
Saying “no” is hard for everyone.
“If I say “no”, they will think I’m not a team player.”
“If I say “no”, they will think I’m not committed to the product’s (company’s) success.”
“If I say “no”, they will blame me for the other project’s failure (because I wouldn’t let my resource spend some time helping it).”
“If I [...]
Some thoughts on usage scenarios
Recent posts on the importance of usage scenarios (use cases or user stories) in the development process warmed my heart. In my experience, scenarios are perhaps the single most valuable practice in the process. Scenarios help clarify requirements for everyone, ensuring that the ultimate user knows what they’re getting, guiding the developer, and forming the basis of [...]
A Penny for Your Thoughts?
The latest San Francisco magazine contains an article on a new platform called Mugsy and a company, Pure Verticals, that is planning to use it to give the general public (well, the web-savvy public anyway) a cut of advertising action. http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/get-your-commerce
The technology allows any web site to embed product advertisements or purchasing links and get [...]
An Outsourcing Progress Report
I’ve written somewhat negatively about outsourcing in the past: primarily issuing warnings about doing it without proper planning, for the wrong reasons, or with expectations set too high.
Recently, someone close to me has had his own outsourcing experience. Software that he and his group would normally develop was being done by a group of software [...]
PM vs Matrix Organization
I have worked in a true Project Organization, a Strong Matrix and a Weak Matrix. From a corporate perspective, there are pros and cons to each and the company must select the format that works best for them. However, from a Program Management perspective, the role changes significantly and what makes you successful in one [...]
PLC Implementation: A Case Study (Part 2)
Ok, we have performed a number of interviews and town hall meetings at all levels of the company, evaluated the company culture, and elected to develop a PLC. Now we need to define our implementation and get the job done.
Implementation: Based on the feedback
Technorati Tags: Program-Management, project-management, Project-Portfolio-Management, project-sponsorship
PLC Implementation: A Case Study (Part 1)
The last two companies I have worked at were both experiencing significant challenges with bring products to market in a timely and predictable fashion and something had to be done or the companies would not survive. There are many similarities between the companies and in the end the corrective action selected was to Develop and [...]
Control costs or create value? – a case study
An internal service group had been operating as a project office in a self-funding mode: internal clients “purchased” services and products via transactions or location code transfers. Budgets were based on head count, and offerings continued as long as clients saw value and voluntarily provided enough revenue to recover costs. In this mode, [...]
