I just finished giving a 2-day seminar on Project Management Methodologies for Service Organizations. It's a customized presentation that I tailor to the client's needs. The company wanted to get their engineers into a PM frame of mind. There were 6 systems engineers who were making the move into project management.

I enjoyed it because the engineers were active, interested and very inquisitive. When it was all said and done, one of the engineers asks, "So, can you summarize what I'm supposed to take away with me today?" We had gone through quite a lot of details, so I thought I'd cast a wide net and came up with a Top-5 list:

1. First and foremost, if your strategy is correct, any number of tactical errors can be made and yet the project proves successful. No doubt about it, not everything runs smoothly or as planned. Be ready to change your tactics when striving for your goal.
2. Second, communicate.
3. Third, communicate again. OK, so I cheated. This one takes up two spaces on my 5 item list because it is so important. Communication can take place many ways including face-to-face, by phone, fax, email, or meetings. It is important to know that 90% of a PM's time is spent communicating!
4. Fourth, don't wait until the end of the project to review the lessons learned. While every project will have a "post mortem" analysis, a great PM will review and learn from every tactical move performed during the project. The lessons learned will then be used in the next task.
5. And finally, keep a cool head. Missed deadlines, out-of-control budgets, employee turnover and stakeholder scrutiny; It can be difficult to get the feelings of "impending doom" out of your head. It's natural with the PM's level of exposure to feel like your nerves are being tested; to wonder how you're going to handle your own anxieties. Remember the project's goal and continue to work towards that goal.

A surprising number of companies find that their IT systems create problems. Does your organization suffer from any of these problems or similar ones?

• The ROI of your technology spending is unknown
• You can't measure key elements of your business - orders flow, cash requirements, procurement needs, production - in time to make meaningful decisions
• IT projects are consistently behind schedule, over budget, or don't produce the expected results
• Business interruption and recovery plans do not exist
• Internal systems don't "talk" to one another, disrupting key business activities and planning
• Systems are not integrated with suppliers and customers
• Your business data - about customers, inventory and financials - is inconsistent, inaccurate, and "dirty"
• Your staff, from procurement through sales and distribution do not share common customer data
• Information and telecommunications systems are not reliable - they experience chronic outages
• Mobile employees lack remote access to key systems
• Manual processes have not been automated

These symptoms are probably not the product of technology that "doesn't work" but the absence of IT strategy, sound operational planning and execution, inadequate technology leadership, or a combination thereof. The result: your bottom line is being negatively impacted.

Don't Park Your Brain Outside
A Practical Guide to Improving Shareholder Value with SMART Management
by:Francis T. Hartman

Are your projects smart? SMART projects are Strategically Managed, Aligned, Regenerative, and Transitional. The author discusses these principles in theory and real-life application. The book is full of graphs, drawings, anecdotes, and cartoons, making it an enjoyable read. You'll use the practical advice!

Some classic lines to remember:

"Projects are the building blocks of a business. This means we need to know not only how to deliver them, but where they fit in the business plan."

"It does not matter how well we deliver the project if it is the wrong one. It will still be wrong when it has been perfectly executed and is on time and within budget."

"Success is never permanent and failure is never final."
-Mike Ditka

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."
--Sam Ewing

"When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?, ' I say, 'Your salary.' "
-Alfred Hitchcock

The best season of the year is upon us. We are within days of seeing a symphony of color as Fall plays the trees. The Summer greens crescendo to the bright and many colors before falling to the ground. And then the raking begins! Change is beautiful and change is hard work. Revel in it.

Are you making changes in your organization? You can't stand still or you'll be run over. Need some help seeing the forest through the trees? Give me a call.

And feel free to forward this issue to any peers, friends and associates you think would benefit from its contents. They will thank you. So will I.

email: ajv@valuemanagementpartners.com

phone: 330.329.0446

web: http://valuemanagementpartners.com