What is a Project Charter?

Engaging brain before engaging outsourcing

If you have not read Shampa’s post below I encourage all of you to read it.  I would like to point out a few newish developments on the software side.  First of all my information on outsourcing prices is from about two years ago.  As most of you know the dollar has taken a significant plunge since then so outsourcing would have gotten even more expensive in terms of dollars.  When I had to calculate the cost of an engineer outsouced from India vs. one onsite in the U.S two years ago the cost ratio was about two outsourced engineers for the price of an onsite after the real middlemen costs were taken into account.  From a project management standpoint I knew from experience that except for well defined and stable pieces of the project I might be better off with onsite engineer productivity due to ease of communication.  That being said it was always easier to get approval for offsite engineers because of the perception that outsourcing was “the no brainer way to go” given the exchange rates.

Now I am with a small game company startup and the equations are changing rapidly again for onsite vs. offsite.  (more…)

Indian Tailors and Project Management

Perhaps a few of you will frown upon this entry. It is not academic or pedagogical but I think project management should apply to all aspects of life. I recently returned from a trip to India my home country. And like many Indians and a lot of Silicon Valley VCs, I feel that I should get as much done with cheap labor during these visits. No, I was not getting software written for cheap but simply getting a few blouses stitched. These are special kind of blouses to be worn with the Indian garment Saree. There is a store in Mt. View that actually stitch these blouses but they charge around $50 a piece. Thus it made complete sense for me to get it stitched in India for approx. $1.50 a piece. (more…)

Project Management For Dummies Horror Story

Wow, I guess they’ve got a for dummies book on everything now.  Awesome.  There is also of course the 10 minute project manager book in case you find yourself dubbed project manager 10 minutes before the kick off meeting.  (more…)

Valuing Time as a Business Resource - Interview with Curt Finch

I recently read a new book by Curt Finch, CEO of Journyx, Inc. titled “All Your Money Won’t Another Minute Buy - Valuing Time as a Business Resource.” I have always been a student of time management, so I was delighted with the opportunity to interview Curt about the book. Please enjoy the interview below. (more…)

Environmental Electronics - no time to learn from your mistakes!!

Unusual title I know - Saturday at last (and my last blog here)

I just spent the day shooting clays - my score is getting better every time I get out on the range and practice. One day I may actually be able to hit all of them - who knows.

The reason for the comparison is that compliance with the (legislated) rules of environmental electronics is no time to “learn as you go”. With my clay shooting the worst thing that is going to happen out on the range is that I blast away 200 shells on 100 “birds” and only hit a few of them. The cost is to my pride, plus a few tens of dollars to the clay range and the ammo department at Walmart. Not so with the environmental aspects of electronics - if only it were that simple.. (more…)

Environmental compliance – Putting it all together (or have it all fall apart…)

A fast overview of the things you need to check from a project management perspective.

(Friday …… at last…………..)

This week we have looked at a number of areas.

The first is that of the environmental compliance actions arising out of the MRD (Marketing Requirements Doc).

Everything related to environmental compliance hinges on this document and the geographic areas into which the equipment is going to be shipped. Lack of attention to detail in the Marketing Requirements Document can result in the equipment being re-designed at a later stage (best case) OR being impounded by a country for environmental non compliance ………..expensive…..8-) (more…)