Project Basics - 5 Things

Greg Alleman at Herding Cats often discusses the complexities of complex Projects. Occasionally, he comes back to some very basic concepts that everyone doing Project work should understand.

Recently here, he outlines 5 Basics:

Where are we going?

How do we get there?

Do we have enough time, resources, and money?

What could get in our way?

How do we know our progress?

What other basic question would you ask to define the simplest view for your Project?   

E+R=O

It's a formula used by some Personal Development people:

E+R=O  which says Experience + Response = Outcome

It's used to indicate that individual outcomes in life depend on our response to what happens - not on what happens.

 

You can also apply a form of this to Project work. In spite of our planning, and even our wishing and hoping, things happen during our projects that are not as planned and are not our desired results. So what do we do?

We can fret and worry. We can cry and moan. We can curse the plan or the event or whatever it is that we want to blame. The problem is that none of these will solve anything. None of these will help our project.

Instead, we have to refocus and decide how to best respond to whatever goes off track.

Offline for Awhile - Back Soon

More Project Schedule Options - Tom's Planner, Liquid Planner, and Basecamp

I'm not a software reviewer. I let the professionals do that. But, I do appreciate learning about different software that can help do Project work. Many Project folks are stuck with (or stuck on) P6 and MS Project. That's not meant as a slam to P6 or Project. That's just how it is in the corporate world - especially in some industries. Sometimes, you don't need that much power. Sometimes, you need to try something new. Sometimes, it helps to use something different. Here are a few options to look at - Tom's Planner, Liquid Planner, and Basecamp:

Tom's Planner

Tom's Planner advertises itself as a tool for those who need something less that the super powerhouse programs (my words) but want something more than an Excel-created schedule. You can try it in beta for free.

Liquid Planner

Liquid Planner and other programs are also designed for collaboration. I know. Some of you just winced at the idea of a schedule produced by committee. But, collaboration is not about a committee, it's about agreement on the how and when and who of getting Project work done.

Basecamp

Basecamp is another option. It's one of several options offered by 37signals. It also has an emphasis on collaboration and communication. Not just on charts and graphs.

Expand your thinking and your experience and your skills by trying something new.

Blog Style Note: We vs You-and-Me

This blog has been written as a conversation. As if "WE" were talking about our work and Projects.

I plan to begin shifting to a more You and Me tone from now on. Not changing away from conversation - simply changing the way we :-) are addressed.