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How Hiring Corporate Executives Could Improve in a Heartbeat
It has always been a mystery to me why certain chief executive officers do such a poor job hiring key executives for their management teams.A lot of folks would agree with the idea that a company's performance (or lack thereof) starts at the top with its key officers and trickles down through managers at different levels to the professional (or less professional) staff members.Harry Truman became more famous as America's 33rd President when he popularized such phrases as "The buck stops here" and "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Truman understood a thing or two about taking responsibility for the performance of an organization (or a business).Truman, a Midwest boy born and bred in Missouri, was a folksy, unassuming president who was forced out of his re-election campaign in 1952, and left office as one of the most unpopular chief executives in history.Historical scholars,

s."

Be able to calculate critical paths of projects.

REPORTING SUPPORT:

The Project Management system should...

Provide facilities to record and verify time on project assignments.
Provide for the recording of "Estimate to Do" (the amount of time remaining on a given assignment). Note: This is different than "Percent Complete." For background information, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm40.htm#etd
Maintain historical time data to be used in history reports and to update estimating guidelines.
Allow the recording of "out-of-pocket" project expenditures.
Provide a scratchpad facility to record project notes as well as formal reports (e.g. Project Proposals, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Audits, etc.).
Provide a standard facility to generate a variety of project reports (a "report writer" facility is ideal).

CONTROL SUPPORT:

The Project Management system should...

Post reported time
How To Catch The Eye Of The Gen Y
Millennials, echo boomers, digital millennials, kidemployees, are just a few names of the young adults that were born between 1980 and 2000. They are 80 million strong and there are predictions that they will grow to 100 million. They are the most influential generation and they have shown more spending power and stronger opinions at an earlier age. The economic opportunity is enormous and one every retailer needs to embrace. Whether they are your customers or your employees, you need to adjust your training as well as your marketing techniques to them.After reviewing the top five requests of Gen Y-er's, you may find yourself not so different than they are.1. Don't fake it. This is not a customer to try to impress. They are smart, savvy as well as media bombarded and probably more knowledgeable about your product than you are. Be straightforward and concise in how you communicate with them and they will appreciate your st
"An elegant solution to the wrong problem solves nothing."
- Bryce's Law
INTRODUCTION
Commercial Project Management systems (PM) have been available since the early 1970's. As PC's proliferated in the workplace, so did PM software, which also brought an ease-of-use element to project management. A multitude of PM products are now available on the market, some expensive, and some very reasonably priced. However, to say all PM packages were created equally would be a gross exaggeration. Each has a specific niche they address in project management or target a specific industry.
As I described in my article, "Why Does Project Management Fail?", one of the main reasons for failure is because there is a lack of consideration for the magnitude and complexities of project management and, consequently, there is a natural inclination to attack it in piece meal. As a result of the bulletin, I have been asked as to what criteria I would use to evaluate a PM package. Consequently, I have developed the following checklist for evaluating a PM package it its pristine form. I hope it will be of benefit to you.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
The Project Management system should...
1. Support any type of project - large or small; not just those limited to a specific part of the business (e.g, IT pplications). As such, it should be flexible in application and accommodate any and all methods of work effort (new development, maintenance, and modification/improvements).
2. Distinguish between Direct, Indirect, and Unavailable activities.
3. Promote the "Mini-Project Manager" concept.
4. Provide an integrated approach to support all activities of project management, not just some; this includes Planning, Estimating, Scheduling, Reporting, and Control.
5. Promote and enforce in-house project management standards; e.g., use of standard methodologies, labor rates, time reporting, detection of estimate/schedule overruns/underruns, etc.
6. Provide a universally applicable calendar and allow for the specification of a standard reporting cycle.
PLANNING SUPPORT:
The Project Management system should...
1. Support various Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) - not just a single methodology. This includes controllable levels of WBS (number of levels of detail). Also, provides a library facility for reusable methodologies that can be automatically loaded upon request. Ideally, the WBS can be tied to specific information resources (such as systems, programs, files, etc.) thereby enabling the ability to record and monitor time for a specific information resource.
2. Support internal project dependencies (work step-to-work step) and external dependencies (project-to-project).
3. Allow for multiple projects, multiple human resources (both internal employees and external contractors), and multiple assignments for a single human resource. (A "many-to-many" relationship between projects and human resources).
4. Provide a Skills Inventory to track skills and proficiencies.
5. Be able to manage project priorities and backlogs of user service requests (business objectives). A "priority modeling" tool is highly desirable to study the impact of change.
ESTIMATING SUPPORT:
The Project Management system should...
1. Provide for both Detail estimates (for a specific phase of a project) and Order-of-Magnitude (for the entire project).
2. Allow multiple versions of estimates (after all, estimates will inevitably need to be revised).
3. Provide a means to maintain estimating guidelines and generate tentative estimates accordingly.
SCHEDULING SUPPORT:
The Project Management system should...
1. Provide for automated calculations using "Effectiveness Rate."
2. Allow multiple versions of schedules (project schedules, like estimates, will change over time).
3. Provide facilities to manage resource allocations. This includes plotting both estimated and actual project assignments, as well as monitoring "effectiveness rates."
4. Be able to calculate critical paths of projects.
REPORTING SUPPORT:
The Project Management system should...
1. Provide facilities to record and verify time on project assignments.
2. Provide for the recording of "Estimate to Do" (the amount of time remaining on a given assignment). Note: This is different than "Percent Complete." For background information, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm40.htm#etd
3. Maintain historical time data to be used in history reports and to update estimating guidelines.
4. Allow the recording of "out-of-pocket" project expenditures.
5. Provide a scratchpad facility to record project notes as well as formal reports (e.g. Project Proposals, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Audits, etc.).
6. Provide a standard facility to generate a variety of project reports (a "report writer" facility is ideal).
CONTROL SUPPORT:
The Project Management system should...
1. Post reported time t
  An Entrepreneurs Guide to Job Hunting
  Entrepreneurs are the heart and soul of any free economy. If not for the individuals and small businesses taking on the corporate conglomerates with little more than their creativity and agility, we would all be overpaying for a poor selection of products – while the profits line the pockets of corporate executives and investors. The salary gap between the executives and everyday workers is constantly growing, and the average forty hour work week is gradually expanding closer to fifty or more for many workers.With the increased cost of living, many people are forced to work jobs that they are miserable in just to pay their basic living expenses. The entrepreneur has a new emerging problem: how do you work 40+ hours per week and still find the time to develop your own business? Following are some tips for anyone that wants to escape the rat race and start their own business:1) Don’t choose a job based on pay. That’s
  ollowing checklist for evaluating a PM package it its pristine form. I hope it will be of benefit to you.
  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Support any type of project - large or small; not just those limited to a specific part of the business (e.g, IT pplications). As such, it should be flexible in application and accommodate any and all methods of work effort (new development, maintenance, and modification/improvements).
  2. Distinguish between Direct, Indirect, and Unavailable activities.
  3. Promote the "Mini-Project Manager" concept.
  4. Provide an integrated approach to support all activities of project management, not just some; this includes Planning, Estimating, Scheduling, Reporting, and Control.
  5. Promote and enforce in-house project management standards; e.g., use of standard methodologies, labor rates, time reporting, detection of estimate/schedule overruns/underruns, etc.
  6. Provide a universally applicable calendar and allow for the specification of a standard reporting cycle.
  PLANNING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Support various Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) - not just a single methodology. This includes controllable levels of WBS (number of levels of detail). Also, provides a library facility for reusable methodologies that can be automatically loaded upon request. Ideally, the WBS can be tied to specific information resources (such as systems, programs, files, etc.) thereby enabling the ability to record and monitor time for a specific information resource.
  2. Support internal project dependencies (work step-to-work step) and external dependencies (project-to-project).
  3. Allow for multiple projects, multiple human resources (both internal employees and external contractors), and multiple assignments for a single human resource. (A "many-to-many" relationship between projects and human resources).
  4. Provide a Skills Inventory to track skills and proficiencies.
  5. Be able to manage project priorities and backlogs of user service requests (business objectives). A "priority modeling" tool is highly desirable to study the impact of change.
  ESTIMATING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide for both Detail estimates (for a specific phase of a project) and Order-of-Magnitude (for the entire project).
  2. Allow multiple versions of estimates (after all, estimates will inevitably need to be revised).
  3. Provide a means to maintain estimating guidelines and generate tentative estimates accordingly.
  SCHEDULING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide for automated calculations using "Effectiveness Rate."
  2. Allow multiple versions of schedules (project schedules, like estimates, will change over time).
  3. Provide facilities to manage resource allocations. This includes plotting both estimated and actual project assignments, as well as monitoring "effectiveness rates."
  4. Be able to calculate critical paths of projects.
  REPORTING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide facilities to record and verify time on project assignments.
  2. Provide for the recording of "Estimate to Do" (the amount of time remaining on a given assignment). Note: This is different than "Percent Complete." For background information, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm40.htm#etd
  3. Maintain historical time data to be used in history reports and to update estimating guidelines.
  4. Allow the recording of "out-of-pocket" project expenditures.
  5. Provide a scratchpad facility to record project notes as well as formal reports (e.g. Project Proposals, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Audits, etc.).
  6. Provide a standard facility to generate a variety of project reports (a "report writer" facility is ideal).
  CONTROL SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Post reported time
    Starting Your Business By The Book
    I've gotten several questions recently about the legalities of starting a business. So, this week I thought I would address a few of the more common legal issues most new businesses face. But first, let's get the mandatory legal disclaimer out of the way: the advice dispensed by this columnist is probably no better or worse than the advice dispensed by other columnists. Do not take the following advice as gospel or bet the future of your business on any advice given herein by said columnist.Agreed? Good, let's proceed.To begin, here's the best legal advice I can give you as a new business person: find yourself a good lawyer and make him or her your very best friend. Granted, your new best friend will charge you an hourly fee for chatting on the phone or talking business over lunch, but you'll find it to be money well spent. A good attorney can save you far more than the cost of his services. I rarely make any decision that has
    r the specification of a standard reporting cycle.
  PLANNING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Support various Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) - not just a single methodology. This includes controllable levels of WBS (number of levels of detail). Also, provides a library facility for reusable methodologies that can be automatically loaded upon request. Ideally, the WBS can be tied to specific information resources (such as systems, programs, files, etc.) thereby enabling the ability to record and monitor time for a specific information resource.
  2. Support internal project dependencies (work step-to-work step) and external dependencies (project-to-project).
  3. Allow for multiple projects, multiple human resources (both internal employees and external contractors), and multiple assignments for a single human resource. (A "many-to-many" relationship between projects and human resources).
  4. Provide a Skills Inventory to track skills and proficiencies.
  5. Be able to manage project priorities and backlogs of user service requests (business objectives). A "priority modeling" tool is highly desirable to study the impact of change.
  ESTIMATING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide for both Detail estimates (for a specific phase of a project) and Order-of-Magnitude (for the entire project).
  2. Allow multiple versions of estimates (after all, estimates will inevitably need to be revised).
  3. Provide a means to maintain estimating guidelines and generate tentative estimates accordingly.
  SCHEDULING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide for automated calculations using "Effectiveness Rate."
  2. Allow multiple versions of schedules (project schedules, like estimates, will change over time).
  3. Provide facilities to manage resource allocations. This includes plotting both estimated and actual project assignments, as well as monitoring "effectiveness rates."
  4. Be able to calculate critical paths of projects.
  REPORTING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide facilities to record and verify time on project assignments.
  2. Provide for the recording of "Estimate to Do" (the amount of time remaining on a given assignment). Note: This is different than "Percent Complete." For background information, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm40.htm#etd
  3. Maintain historical time data to be used in history reports and to update estimating guidelines.
  4. Allow the recording of "out-of-pocket" project expenditures.
  5. Provide a scratchpad facility to record project notes as well as formal reports (e.g. Project Proposals, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Audits, etc.).
  6. Provide a standard facility to generate a variety of project reports (a "report writer" facility is ideal).
  CONTROL SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Post reported time
    Finding Home Based Business Opportunities
    If you have the idea that those late night commercials actually is the key to beginning a successful business from home, you may want to quit reading right now. If you’re still interested, know that a home based business does take work and is a risk, yet the income potential far exceeds what you would make in your working lifetime working for someone else.There are opportunities for anyone out there with a willingness to invest some time and money and have the patience and fortitude to watch your business grow.An important place to start when you’ve decided that you want to make a go of a home based business is your talents. What are the types of things you like to do and what are the types of things that you are good at doing without much help. In the beginning, you will want yourself to be your only employee to maximize your profits until you’ve gained some capital.When thinking about a new business I’ve seen popping u
    Be able to manage project priorities and backlogs of user service requests (business objectives). A "priority modeling" tool is highly desirable to study the impact of change.
  ESTIMATING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide for both Detail estimates (for a specific phase of a project) and Order-of-Magnitude (for the entire project).
  2. Allow multiple versions of estimates (after all, estimates will inevitably need to be revised).
  3. Provide a means to maintain estimating guidelines and generate tentative estimates accordingly.
  SCHEDULING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide for automated calculations using "Effectiveness Rate."
  2. Allow multiple versions of schedules (project schedules, like estimates, will change over time).
  3. Provide facilities to manage resource allocations. This includes plotting both estimated and actual project assignments, as well as monitoring "effectiveness rates."
  4. Be able to calculate critical paths of projects.
  REPORTING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide facilities to record and verify time on project assignments.
  2. Provide for the recording of "Estimate to Do" (the amount of time remaining on a given assignment). Note: This is different than "Percent Complete." For background information, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm40.htm#etd
  3. Maintain historical time data to be used in history reports and to update estimating guidelines.
  4. Allow the recording of "out-of-pocket" project expenditures.
  5. Provide a scratchpad facility to record project notes as well as formal reports (e.g. Project Proposals, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Audits, etc.).
  6. Provide a standard facility to generate a variety of project reports (a "report writer" facility is ideal).
  CONTROL SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Post reported time
    Buy A Business With This Secret And Get Anything You Want From The Seller
    If you are about to buy a business and meet with the seller(s) for the first time, and are wondering what you should talk about with them, what questions you should ask and what you should be looking for in this crucial first meeting, then this article will be a huge help to you. Listen: The thing to keep in mind is you should definitely NOT cut it short. Why? Because what you’re trying to do is get to know the other party, and cutting it short means you're going to walk away with less information you can use. The only exception to this (obviously) is if you find out the business is not something you want to buy. In fact, years ago, we used to sit down for the first meeting for maybe an hour. Today we go two, three, four hours if it looks good on the larger businesses. The thing to remember is if you do nothing more at your first meeting than establish rapport and a relationship with the seller, you’re going t
    s."
  2. Be able to calculate critical paths of projects.
  REPORTING SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Provide facilities to record and verify time on project assignments.
  2. Provide for the recording of "Estimate to Do" (the amount of time remaining on a given assignment). Note: This is different than "Percent Complete." For background information, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm40.htm#etd
  3. Maintain historical time data to be used in history reports and to update estimating guidelines.
  4. Allow the recording of "out-of-pocket" project expenditures.
  5. Provide a scratchpad facility to record project notes as well as formal reports (e.g. Project Proposals, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Project Audits, etc.).
  6. Provide a standard facility to generate a variety of project reports (a "report writer" facility is ideal).
  CONTROL SUPPORT:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Post reported time to projects and to human resources reporting it. Also, post time to information resources to monitor activity. For example, the Order Processing system had 2,342 hours reported when it was created in 1985; 335 hours in 2000; and 246 hours in 2004.
  2. Provide various summary reports to analyze projects and human resources, both by project and by department.
  3. Provide the ability to bill end-users for project costs (Chargeback). This includes chargeback to multiple users at varying rates.
  COMPUTER-RELATED CONSIDERATIONS:
  The Project Management system should...
  1. Be easy to install and test on the computer.
  2. Be implemented as a cross-platform solution (operates the same on different computers) thus providing machine portability and independence from hardware manufacturers. It should also be easily accessed by all people participating in project management activities (conceivably the whole company) as an integrated approach.
  3. Be easy to learn and use. It should be based on industry design standards (e.g., GUI design standards, on-line Help, use of operating system clipboard, etc.).
  4. Performs reliably and productively in accordance with specifications.
  5. Provide for multi-languages and multi-cultures, such as adapting to local customs for expressing dates, time (am-pm vs. military time), monetary values (Dollars, Pounds, Yen, etc.), and accommodating foreign languages (including the Asian Double Byte Character Set - DBCS).
  6. Provide standard utilities for: Monitoring and Administering the system. Security - to both administer the system, and login to input data. Import/Export data in various formats (Ideally an open interface should be provided). File Management - to purge obsolete data, and backup files.
  7. Be provided by a vendor with a reliable reputation for training, service and warranty.
  I have described a pretty encompassing system with robust features. As such, a Cost/Benefit Analysis should be prepared to compare price versus the system's value to the company.
  This evaluation checklist should be used as a template and modified accordingly to suit in-house requirements. Good luck.
  For additional information on "PRIDE" Project Management, see: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/pm.htm

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