http://svprojectmanagement.com Project management wisdom from practictioners and the UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:32:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In the previous blog I described how the numbers of the Enneagram are the sequence in which humans would naturally solve problems.  As an engineering manager, when I was challenged to address some large structural problems like the type I described in the first blog of this series, I looked ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/problem-solving-and-shared-leadership In the previous blog, I provided you with a link to a blog about a problem-solving tool that I am describing in detail on the SD Forum Engineering Leadership SIG (ELSIG) blog site: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/search?q=matt+schlegel And, while you will find the steps of that problem-solving approach in the ELSIG blog, I include ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/problem-solving-and-the-enneagram I am writing a book. I plan to finish writing this book by the end of March 2010, and  plan to publish it by the end of March 2011. Those are my big goals.  The book is about solving problems, and not just any problem, but solving a specific class ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/a-book-about-problem-solving Can the perfect process weather the perfect storm ? In the first two parts of this series we saw what the mechanics are of introducing processes and how processes can be tailored to your project(s). So now you've got the perfect process, but you're still not meeting timelines or quality and performance ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/project-processes-part-iii-the-tangled-web-of-dependencies I've seen too many examples of good process initiatives that went wrong because there just wasn't a an effort to match the process with a project. Below are examples of process intiatives that went wrong - 1) Organization-wide processes that only work for certain project types. Would you use the same hammer or spanner for different DIY projects ? Probably not. ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/project-processes-part-ii-choosing-the-right-process-for-your-project The task of managing project processes usually falls upon the project management organization. This, in my opinion, is a good thing. The project leaders have the the ear of the management team, the trust of the project teams, and a unique cross-functional perspective. I was once asked by the CTO of an engineering organization to help him ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/project-processes-part-i-the-mechanics [caption id="attachment_2614" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="photo by nutmeg66"][/caption] My first two guest posts were about the intersection of Knowledge Management and Project Management; in this post I would like to talk about what I think are some of the peculiarities of Knowledge Management projects. For the most part Knowledge Management projects are just ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/project-management-on-knowledge-management-projects [caption id="attachment_2610" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="After Action Review, by betseymerkel"][/caption] In my first post about Project Management and Knowledge Management I spoke about Collaboration, in this second post I will talk about after-action reviews. After-action review also known as a project snap-shot, lessons learned, or any number of other names is an important ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/project-management-and-knowledge-management-part-2-after-action-reviews-as-a-knowledge-management-activity [caption id="attachment_2603" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="photo by Claudio Branch"][/caption] When Loyal first asked me to guest post on this blog, I said sure without thinking about it too much, I knew that Project Management and Knowledge Management went together, that’s what I do after-all as part of any project I do. ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/project-management-and-knowledge-management-part-1-collaboration-as-a-knowledge-management-activity [caption id="attachment_2571" align="alignright" width="300" caption="photo by *spudballoo* via Flickr"][/caption] It had all the earmarks of a disaster, a real career-sinker of a project. And here was my old friend and former colleague calling me up enthusiastically, on the phone: "Hey Lisa, we need a Technical Project Manager for this start-up I'm ... http://svprojectmanagement.com/a-tale-of-three-cities-london-toronto-and-redwood-shores