The difference between decent project management and excellent project management can be measured in delays, cost overruns, lost customers, employee misery, and business jeopardy. Boeing’s Dreamliner provides a great example of all five. So what are the secrets of the top project managers? What do they do differently that makes their projects finish on-time, on-budget, and with good results?
Two on-coming cars swerved into my lane right in front of me on Saturday. One was on a mountain road and my reciprocal swerving took me dangerously close to a rock face. I don’t know that a ringing cell phone was the reason for each but I do know cell phones, hot coffee, small children, and a general lack of attention to driving are constant, common, and horrific causes of car accidents daily. How will you feel if you are talking with someone who is driving and you hear the crash? How will you feel when your call goes unanswered but you learn later that your friend or loved one died in an accident just then, maybe because they were trying to answer your call?
Should the government bail out the automakers or let them go under? Should schools close in response to a single swine flu case or not? Should we discount prices to boost sales during the recession or hold firm? These are common debates and perfect examples of decision making gone awry. If you find yourself having similar debates, you may already be down the path to a bad decision. Most people can dramatically improve and speed their decisions by answering 4 questions: What decision are we trying to make? What criteria, priorities and limitations are important to that decision? What alternatives do we have? What are the risks of the favored alternative?
Myths about strategy prevent organizations, whether business or non-profit, from taking care of their number one priority. Myth #1: Strategy must be addressed every 1, 2, 3 or 5 years. Many organizations see strategy as a periodic event, often annual, to complete and check off their To Do list. Like prescription medicine, they go through the paces on schedule, whether it seems to improve their situation or not. A year later, or whatever their frequency, they repeat the process. Some hold religiously to their schedule, others may let the whole thing slide when pressing matters intrude.
I received a letter recently telling me that I will receive a gift shortly – a book. The book is obviously part of someone’s marketing plan, though the letter is bizarre enough so that I am not sure who is getting what from this beyond me getting a free book. But wait, that isn’t worth writing about. Here is the interesting part: Enclosed with the letter was a 3″ x 5″ label with the author’s signature. I can stick that in the book when it arrives to make it look autographed!!! I could also stick it on my recycling bin to make THAT look autographed. Should this woman get the award for best labor reduction technique or cheesiest marketing technique? What do YOU think?
The house next door boasts a new “Sales Pending” sign. One farther down the road just sold. Sales at American Dream Hot Dog Carts Inc. in Florida were up 150% in January and revenue has tripled from a year ago at Nation’s Leasing Services in California, which depends largely on leasing hot dog carts. Meanwhile, white collar folk are selling hot dogs to replace or supplement income (Sarah Needleman, The Wall Street Journal). Small companies win (Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Publishing) by passing on a sense of stability to customers in contrast to all the fear emanating from corporate America. U.S. companies may be cutting costs and jobs, but the smart ones are positioning themselves for the rebound by holding R&D budgets steady (The Wall Street Journal). The resourceful are not hunkering down. They are looking ahead and making smart choices.
In our house, we jockey and scheme to lay first claim to each new issue of The Week magazine. We read it from cover to cover. We read it aloud to each other. We quote it and discuss it. We rip out pages and mail them or file them. This is a tri-generational affliction. Meanwhile, the press is decrying the death of the press.
PRESS RELEASE April 9, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ann Latham 617-939-9654 Uncommon Clarity, Inc. EASTHAMPTON, MA – Latham speaks at WNEC on Risks and Liabilities of a Consulting Practice On April 7, 2009, Ann Latham spoke at the Western New England College Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship on the Risks and Liabilities of a Consulting Practice. Aimee Munnings, Director of the Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship, said “Ann is a captivating speaker, providing important principles about small business progress in an approachable, common-sense way.
Unemployment has sunk to 1983 levels. People are paralyzed with fear. In 1983, my husband and I both switched jobs, bought a house with a 12.75% mortgage rate, bought a new car, and started a family. My parents retired at that point too. I don’t remember anyone being stressed.
Innovators! Take heed! Scrambling to get out the door without dropping something? Hands full of miscellaneous along with the jangling key fob and iPhone you grabbed last? Wouldn’t it be great if your iPhone would just open doors and start the car for you so you wouldn’t need keys or fobs? Electronic calendars are great. Unless, of course, you want to add an appointment. A shower stimulates nerve receptors and triggers thinking. But notepads, pens and voice recorders are not waterproof.