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*allPM Co-publisher, Judy Umlas
*From the Co-publisher's
Desk, Frank Saladis, PMP
*Project Management Events
*allPM April Poll Results
*Column: It's All About the Processes!,
by Frank Saladis, PMP
*Feature:Tips-Microsoft Project 2000
*Project Management Cross Word Puzzle
*Dr. Kerzner's Consultant's Corner:
Trouble in Paradise, solutions to a case study, by Dr. Harold Kerzner
*Column:
Positive Leadership in Project Management- Fourth in a Series, by Frank
Saladis, PMP
*Column: A New
Mix in the Cement Business, by Muhannad Al Nabulsi
*Column: Selling Change Across JCF,
by Muhannad Al Nabulsi
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allPM Newsletter Co-publisher, Judy Umlas
 Do
you think it is acceptable for a Co-Publisher to brag about one's
publication? Excuse me if you think it's inappropriate, but I do
feel I must brag. You can always write and tell me if you think
it's not a good thing to do - I really do enjoy hearing from you,
whether your comments are positive (as many are) or negative (there
have been some, but they have been very constructive and useful!)
So here is my "brag": Where else
on the vast internet ocean can you find a website specifically for
project managers, on which every business day you find a new tip,
tool or template such as the ones we have during the month of May?
Or any other month, for that matter? Our Tips Editor, Linda Kretz
Zaval, PMP promises us the following on the subject of this month's
theme, Project Management Processes:
Project Management Processes: If you don't
have them, you can get them here!
"We will include templates not covered
elsewhere," she writes in allPM.com's Editorial Calendar, "such
as deliverables management, dependency plans, integrated work plans,
issues management, management systems and governance processes,
metrics and measurements, organization and staffing, roles and responsibilities,
procurement processes, resource tracking, status reporting, vendor
management and MORE!"
So yes, I'm very proud - of our content that
is refreshed in a significant way on a daily basis, and of the excellent
feature articles you, our readers, are starting to submit. If any
of you want to see our Editorial Calendar for the rest of the year,
please write to me (judy.umlas@allpm.com)
and I will be happy to send it to you. That way, if you are thinking
of contributing an article - which we hope you will -- you can gear
it toward the theme of the month. Of course, we accept quality articles
on other topics at all times as well, but it is nice to get some
theme-related material.
In this month's newsletter, one of our readers,
Muhannad Al Nabulsi, becomes one of our writers, and we are pleased
to have several of his articles on change and continuous improvement
at Jordan Cement Factories. So don't be shy about submitting your
contributions as well!
We are also very pleased that so many people
have read our Co-Publisher, Frank Saladis' series on Leadership
(well over 1,000). In fact we are so pleased, that we have decided
to create a free live, interactive Leadership webinar series that
Frank will conduct for allPM.com members. We will be announcing
dates and times in the next few weeks so that you can register for
it. Our thanks to International Institute for Learning for donating
its eLearning technology for the series of events. We are limited
to 100 people, so you will want to register early once it is announced.
If you participate, while you have Frank in
person, please tell him that you would really like to hear that
"PM Blues" song of his...I'm becoming the proverbial nag
so I'm not going to bug him about it anymore. If I hadn't heard
it myself at a PM gathering and really liked it, I would have given
up long ago. Well, Frank is writing fabulous articles for us all,
so I can't be too cranky about it.
This month we are very pleased to welcome Wiley
Publishers as a sponsor of the "Tip of the Day." Their
large array of Project Management and related books complement our
editorial topics, and we hope you will check them out by clicking
on their logo. Welcome, Wiley, and we hope you will be with us for
a long time!
Dr. Harold Kerzner has reviewed the responses
to his Consultant's Corner problem, and has chosen the winner: the
team of Gail Doss and Sylvia Flynn. Their solution is published
in this newsletter, along with Dr. Kerzner's original solution.
Congratulations to the winning team! Our thanks as well to others
who have submitted responses. Please try again when we do our next
Consultant's Corner column.
We are trying out a project management crossword
puzzle that was created by Dr. Harold Kerzner and Frank Saladis
in this edition of the newsletter. Let us know if you get through
it and want to see more of them. Answers will be posted toward the
end of the month.
Now I have one last request of you, just out
of my own personal curiosity: is there a PM "type" out
there who also loves poetry? No one "yelled" at me for
quoting from T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" In the last
newsletter. But the stereotype is that project managers don't like
poetry, so I would love to prove this wrong. If I am wrong, please
tell me your favorite poem.
This month, we hope you learn some new
processes or refine your existing ones so that your projects are
even more successful! And don't forget to go outside and smell the
roses. Have a great Spring!
Judy Umlas, Co-publisher allPM.com
Judy.Umlas@allPM.com
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From the Co-publisher's Desk- Frank
P. Saladis, PMP
 Process.
We all have experience with process. To complete this letter from
the co-publisher requires a process. Develop the thoughts around
the letter, organize the thoughts, create a draft document, submit
it for approval, edit for content, format, spell check, grammar
check, and eventually it becomes a part of the newsletter. Most
of what we do involves a process. If you think about the projects
you work on, you can identify many processes. I remember reading
an article that stated:" The key to project success is to focus
on the process, not the end product." If you think about it,
if we don't follow a process and manage it closely we can very easy
go off track, add cost, create problems, and possibly never reach
our objective.
I keep this in mind regardless of what project
I am working on. Process can help us improve quality, control variances,
and enable us identify lessons learned. When I think of quality,
I remember a fundamental concept: Quality is a journey, not a destination.
We go through some basic but consistent steps that should be familiar
to most project managers: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Always looking for
improvement opportunities. It's a process. Anyone involved in Six
Sigma, Quality Assurance, or Quality Control understands the need
for process and the need to monitor, measure, and control output.
allPM.com is part of the project manager's
quality process. It's a place to go for information, new ideas,
verification, and knowledge. Visiting allPM.com is a step in the
process of producing successful projects. It opens the door to Dr.
Kerzner's broad knowledge and tips for success. Subject Matter Experts
provide insight to practicing project managers looking for more
efficient and effective ways to get things done and to manage the
performance of their teams. allPM.com is part of the process of
Knowledge Transfer and sharing lessons learned. Most project managers,
especially newly certified PMPs® understand the importance of
process and their inter-relationships. It is emphasized in the PMI®
Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge. Projects (PMBOK®
Guide) are governed by 5 major processes- Initiating, Planning,
Executing, Controlling, and Closing. In addition, under Professional
Responsibility, there is a major emphasis on lessons learned.
This month, as you can guess, the main
theme is Process. Use allPM.com to assist you in developing, improving,
and supporting the importance of process management. When you have
finished "processing" all of the valuable information
within this edition, establish a process for sharing it with your
associates and clients. The words "process" and "improvement"
should never be spoken too far apart. Keep that in mind when working
with your team. One last thought before you begin processing this
month's virtual vault of knowledge: always plan to go "In Search
of Better Processes." The rewards to you and your company could
be great.
Frank P. Saladis, PMP
Frank.Saladis@allpm.com
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Partial Listing of Upcoming Project
Management Events
For a complete listing of events, please visit the Online
Calendar at allPM.com
Free Virtual Classroom Demos
May 1, 2003 2-3:00 ET
http://www.iil.com/free_resources/free_webinars.asp
Project Estimating and Scheduling
May 5, 2003, Parsippany, NJ
http://www.iil.com/str_link_all_results.asp?select_cartid=361
Free Seminar: Accelerating Real-Time
Web Application Performance
May 7, 2003, Orlando FL
http://www.orasiglobalservices.com/news/seminars_detail_02.html
Free projectNUCLEUS Seminar - London
May 8, 2003
http://www.projectnucleus.com
Building High Performance Teams
May 13, 2003 San Francisco
http://www.iil.com/str_link_all_results.asp?select_cartid=371
Project Management Methodology FREE Overview
- Earn 1 PDU!
May 6, 2003
http://www.iil.com/free_resources/free_webinars.asp
Microsoft Project (Orange Belt)
May 19, 2003, Orlando, FL
http://www.iil.com/iil_coursedesc_cart.asp?selectCatid=447
Managing & Leading Projects Across
Organizational Boundaries
May 19, 2003, Atlanta, GA
http://www.iil.com/str_link_all_results.asp?select_cartid=367
Project Management for IT Professionals
May 28, 2003, Chicago, IL
http://www.iil.com/str_link_all_results.asp?select_cartid=382
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April Poll Results
April's poll question: Which aspect of MS Project do you find
most valuable?
Scheduling 61.54 % (32)
Tracking 25.00 % (13)
Estimating Costs 5.77 % (3)
Assigning Resources 7.69 % (4)
Total votes: 52
As shown by the responses, "Scheduling"
was voted as the most useful aspect of MS Project by more
than half of the respondents.
************
May's poll
question is: Which aspect
of your PM processes needs the most improvement?
A. Resource tracking
B. Procurement
C. Status reporting
D. Issues management
If you have not already done so,
please stop by allPM.com
and add
your opinion today.
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Column:
It’s All About the Processes!
by Frank Saladis, PMP
OK, so the title isn’t as catchy
as the movie about the Benjamins but if you think about it,
having a good set of processes is essential if you want to
see a positive cash flow for your business. In case you weren’t
familiar with the term, Benjamin refers to a $100 bill. Ben
Franklin is pictured on a $100 bill so anytime you get one
you have a “Benjamin.” So now you know.
Getting back to processes, there
are processes for just about everything we do in life. Think
about the processes you have to follow while working in the
office. If you order supplies, change a feature on your telephone,
prepare for a meeting, or develop a new product, there are
processes and procedures to follow. We need processes to keep
things under control. It is true however, that many people
see process as an obstacle. It can slow us down, keep us from
getting things done when we want them to be done and cause
us frustration.
********************
Frank P. Saladis (PMP)
is Senior Consultant with International Institute for Learning,
Inc. He has been involved in the development of standardized
Project Management Guidelines (PMGs) for the AT&T Corporate
Information Technology Services (Corporate ITS) organization
and is the author of the Project Evaluation Review Process
(PERP). He is the former President of the NYC PMI® Chapter
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allPM Today Tips Feature
Top Ten Time-Savers in MS Project 2000, by Eric Uyttewaal,
PMP
Tip #6:
To quickly gain an overview over all dependencies in
a large project you should tweak the Network Diagram view.
Change to the Network Diagram view and choose the menu items
Format, Layout, and select Hide all fields except ID. It sets
the box size to the smallest boxes that only show the ID numbers.
You can now see most of the network and, if you hover your
mouse pointer over a box, a pop-up will tell you exactly what
the task name is. You can check the logic in your network
by hovering through your project
********************
Eric Uyttewaal
(BS, Engineering; MS, Business Administration; PMP) is Director,
Microsoft Project Certificaton, International Institute for
Learning, Inc and author of "Dynamic Scheduling with
Microsoft Project ® 2000." This tip appeared in the
3/2001 MPUG eZine.
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Project Management Crossword Puzzle
created by Dr. Harold Kerzner and Frank Saladis
Click the image on the left to
see clues and large grid....Good luck!
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Dr. Kerzner's Consultant's Corner:
Trouble in Paradise, solutions to the case study
Case Study, written by:
Dr. Harold Kerzner
Last month we published a case study
about Acme Corporation written by Dr. Harold Kerzner. To read
this case study, please visit the following link:
http://www.allpm.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=536
Dr. Kerzner’s answer to the case
study
The following is a list of possible early
warning signs that disaster might be imminent:
You have no previous history working with this contractor.
Why was this contractor’s bid significantly less than
all of the other bids?
From Exhibit 1, the work was estimated using senior engineers.
From Exhibit 2, your payment plan to the contractor does not
satisfy the contractor’s financial requirements. In
other words, the contractor is financing the project for the
customer. It is therefore likely that the contractor will
look for ways of delaying some of the work so that he minimizes
the cash flow deficit.
The winning answer was submitted
by Gail Doss and Sylvia Flynn, PMP. Each
has won an autographed copy of the just released 8th edition
of Dr. Harold Kerzner's textbook, Project Management:
A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling.
Lessons Learned
1. Project plan/critical path - a project
plan and critical path projection are needed for all projects.
The presence of both simplifies project analysis and tracking.
There is no evidence that either a project
plan or critical path analysis has been done for the Acme
Corporation project. If this had been done and followed, many
of the problems listed below could have been identified and
corrected early in the project.
2. Contractor selection - selection of
contractor services should be based on factors that are critical
to the project. This means that the best choice is not necessarily
the lowest cost provider.
For Acme Corporation, schedule was a
key factor, since a delay could cost Acme a loss of $100,000
per month. The evaluation of potential contractors should
have weighted ability to deliver on time far more than cost
of services.
3. Contract negotiations
Contract incentives and/or penalties should be tied to critical
factors for the project.
********************
Harold Kerzner (Ph.D.,
MS, Engineering and MBA) is Senior Executive Director with
International Institute for Learning, Inc. and Professor of
Systems Management at Baldwin-Wallace College. He is an expert
in the areas of project management, total quality management,
and strategic planning.
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Column:
Positive Leadership in Project Management- Fourth in a Series,
by Frank Saladis, PMP
Assessing Leadership
The words “leader” and “leadership”
seem to have a broad range of meanings. If someone is placed
in charge of a group, an organization, even a country, that
person is automatically assigned the title of “Leader.”
Recent headlines refer to a regime and the focus on locating
the “leadership.” I question whether those who
where “in charge” for that regime were really
leaders.
So what is Leadership? How do we
define it? How do we assess the competency of leaders? How
do we determine who the true leaders are? Try this little
test. Gather a small group of people, maybe your project team,
and ask them to identify the characteristics of a leader.
You can do this by brainstorming or nominal group technique.
To help them with this exercise, ask them to think of someone
they believe to be a true leader. What characteristics are
displayed or actions taken that cause one to think this person
is a leader? Chances are you will soon have a list of skills
and characteristics that include communication, negotiating,
interpersonal (people skills), vision (a visionary), presentation,
mentor, coach, decision maker, high emotional quotient ( thick
skinned), charisma, confidence, intelligence and perhaps several
more.
********************
Frank P. Saladis (PMP)
is Senior Consultant with International Institute for Learning,
Inc. He has been involved in the development of standardized
Project Management Guidelines (PMGs) for the AT&T Corporate
Information Technology Services (Corporate ITS) organization
and is the author of the Project Evaluation Review Process
(PERP). He is the former President of the NYC PMI® Chapter
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Column: A New Mix in the Cement Business:
Managing Change at Jordan Cement Factories
by Muhannad Al Nabulsi
When Jordan Cement Factories (JCF) faced
the prospect of privatization, we knew that the change would
have a dramatic impact on our business. The end of a home-market
monopoly could even have jeopardized the existence of the
company itself. At the same time, we were also preparing to
join with a large international corporation, which would mean
further adjustments to structure and workplace culture.
Cement production may seem to be one of the industries least
capable of—or interested in—change. Our long-running
experience and expertise, however, gave us confidence that
we had established an identity strong enough to be challenged
and regenerated by the necessity of change. Viewing change
as an opportunity to focus on the Jordan scene and prove our
merit in comparison to our competitors, we began planning
a formal company-wide change effort.
© ASQ
Six Sigma Forum, January 31, 2003
********************
Muhannad Al Nabulsi holds
a postgraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from TU Freiberg/Germany.
He is a certified quality manager (from Manitoba University/Canada)
and a board member of JSQ. His authorship credits include
one book in TQM Implementation, with two more books currently
in progress, and more than fifteen quality research papers.
Having more than twenty-five years’ experience in the
cement industry, mainly in production, training, and quality
control, he is now a free-lance quality lecturer and consultant.
At the time of this writing, he was JCF Horizon 2001 Project
Champion. E-mail: manabulsi@joinnet.com.jo
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Column:
Selling Change Across Jordan Cement Factory (JCF)
by Muhannad Al Nabulsi
Five task forces were designated to take
responsibility for key changes. Objectives that called for
the development of new processes, procedures, or systems were
assigned to specific task forces, as listed in Figure 1.
© ASQ Six Sigma Forum, January 31,
2003
********************
Muhannad Al Nabulsi
holds a postgraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from TU
Freiberg/Germany. He is a certified quality manager (from
Manitoba University/Canada) and a board member of JSQ. His
authorship credits include one book in TQM Implementation,
with two more books currently in progress, and more than fifteen
quality research papers. Having more than twenty-five years’
experience in the cement industry, mainly in production, training,
and quality control, he is now a free-lance quality lecturer
and consultant. At the time of this writing, he was JCF Horizon
2001 Project Champion. E-mail: manabulsi@joinnet.com.jo
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