Project Management Contest #1

Win a dose of personal project management! The winner of this contest will get free consultation with me. At the end of this engagement, the winner will walk away with a Project Charter, a Project Plan broken down into measurable milestones, and a Risk Mitigation Plan. As part of the consultation, we will review resources available to you for moving your project forward.

How to enter: In a comment to this post, describe a project you are itching to complete or get off the ground. It must be clear that this is a project you have put thought into and that you have personal ownership for.

How the winner will be selected: The Monday after this post has received at least 10 genuine contest entries, I will select an entrant at random.

Extra, extra! Speed this contest along by pointing friends or colleagues to this blog post. You will earn an extra contest "entry" for each genuine comment that refers to you by name.

 

Good Luck!

Ranking Projects

Rank your projects even if you have all the resources needed to pursue every project on your proposed to-do list concurrently. This establishes project priority, but more importantly it provides insight for identifying how well projects move you toward the goals that have been set for your portfolio, your organization, or your life. Wouldn't it be a shame to pour time and effort into a project you shouldn't even bother undertaking?

Below I have outlined one of the many ways to approach this task.

1. Establish big picture success criteria.
   Success criteria at the big picture level provides a mechanism for assessing how well a project will move the organization or individual toward their overall goals and objectives.
   
   
2. Weight the criteria.
   Order your success criteria, listing them from most important to least important or grouping them into a set of different importance categories (e.g. high, medium, and low).
   
   Designate a numerical value for each rank. The most important should have the highest value and the least important should have the lowest value.
   
   
3. Test the criteria.
   Create a list of five to six fake projects with which to test your ranking tool. Don't pick something convoluted; These projects should be simple enough that how they would rank within your organization or life is intuitively obvious.
   
   Take each project and indicate how well it will meet the big picture success criteria. You can use any scale you like, as long as you're consistent across projects. (I typically like to use a scale of 0 - 5.) Score each project by taking the sum of how well it meets each success criteria multiplied by the criterion's corresponding weight. See below for an example:
   
   
   If the projects, arranged by score, fall into the expected rank, you are all set. If not, you may need to make some adjustments to the success criteria weight, to the success criteria themselves, or in some cases to the overall goals and objectives.
   
   When making these adjustments, be careful not to "fudge" data to make things fall into place. Take the opportunity to think through what's important and why.
   
   
4. Score each project on your proposed to-do list.
   Once you're confident that your ranking tool is ready, apply it to the list of projects on your proposed to-do list. You may be surprised by what rises to the top of the list and what falls off the bottom...
   

Wheat from the chaff

Welcome to Sharing Sundays! In September, Sundays will be "like a box of chocolates". I'll be reaching into a bag filled with things like "this made my life easier somehow", "this person's work is neat", "this article is worth reading", "this picture just has be looked at", "this video just has to be watched", and "TMI" -- so you'll never know what you're going to get.

Let's see what made it onto the list this week:

• Roboform
  Roboform is a password manager and web form filler. Until Christian gifted me with a license for my desktop machine, I had held on to the belief that it wouldn't be all that useful. Hadn't I lived without it for all these years, after all?
  
  Within a few days of license ownership, I was addicted to the point that I bought an additional license for my laptop. However, I didn't reach this evangelist stage until this week when I set up Roboform's "Sync" capability. Now, whatever accounts I set up while I am away on one machine are instantly available to me on the other when I get home. Now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Roboform.
  
  If you find yourself filling in a myriad of on-line applications (perhaps you're looking for a job or pitching for a couple different grants) I would even more highly recommend you look into this product.
  
  
• Birdwoman
  This blog is the virtual artist's journal of Kaetlyn Wilcox. Infused with pictures of her process and her sense of humor, the blog is both a beauty and a hoot.
  
  
• Syd Lieberman -- Free storytelling recordings!
  I've had the privilege of hearing Syd tell stories in person, but many people haven't. With the help of his web designer, Syd undertook the project of putting all his recordings on line and available for free.
  
  Believe me, this means you are LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY. Like many professional storytellers, he has honed his craft over years and years of performing. You would be doing yourself an injustice if you didn't hop over and listen to a story RIGHT THIS SECOND.
  
  
• Free World Geography games
  I think these tutorial/games are very well put together. The games are structured in such a way that you get the opportunity to develop a little muscle before you're asked to flex and build it up. Of course, you can start at any level you like if you're coming to the game with some previously acquired knowledge.
  
  

Check these things out and then let me know what you think!

Also, check in tomorrow at http://www.whoelsa.com for a Project Management themed post. Tomorrow is also the day I will finally propose the contest I have been considering...

Inviting your creator to come out and play

Welcome to Saturday! This month, Saturdays are for original pieces. This is the day that an orchestrated photograph, a product I've posted on Zazzle, or a way of conveying anything else I have created (a video, a meal, a piece of jewelry, a big catastrophe, ...) will grace the blog. If I'm not too embarrassed, I may also include a description of my inspiration and/or intent.

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Have you ever gone to an art show or craft fair and walked away with a feeling of "even I could have done that", or better yet, an idea of something you'd like to make? Often, I will be using these Saturdays as a kick-in-the-butt/deadline/reminder to spur me into taking the time to create. Perhaps they will serve you as "that reminds me of ..." fodder. (I'll wish you luck, just in case.)

Drum roll, please.

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This piece is the product of a cover-the-entire-canvas dare I made to myself once I realized I was afraid of painting. It has been in hiding for a number of years now.

You're here!

September Fridays are for something positive.

I am all about accessibility here. Unlike the insane amounts of money or levels of privilege required to enjoy the sorts of products or experiences highlighted in "My Favorite Things" articles found in "aspiration" magazines, all that's needed here for the possibility of walking away with a smile, a laugh, or a little more hope in humanity is for you to show up.

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Today I'm going to try for all three.

1. Smile.

If you haven't ever clicked through the delightful Upside Down Frown, get to it! Now. Seriously.

2. Laugh. Here's a random joke.

A guy pulls his buddy aside during a bathroom break from their double date and shows him the diamond ring he bought his girlfriend for her birthday.

His friend was confused. "I thought she wanted a new vehicle?"

"She did," the guy admitted. "But where am I going to find a fake car?"

3. Humanity. From an August 10, 2009 article about a toll taker in San Francisco.

"When someone's toll gets paid by another driver they're shocked. Sometimes they'll pay for the car behind them, especially at Christmas time. One of the other collectors said this happened once, and it set off a chain of 18 people who paid the toll for the car behind them."

18 people! I love that someone out there counted.

Check in tomorrow at http://www.whoelsa.com for an original piece. If you're wondering what that means, then you have even more reason to come back. :)

http://www.whoelsa.com

Seen and heard

On Thursdays this September, I am going to share glimpses of the world from my point of view. More literally than in other posts, that is. Knowing me, my Thursday posts will more often than not sport a picture of a tree. I don't know why, but I tend to see trees, and from what I'm told, I see them differently than most folk. But, I sometimes surprise even myself. So who knows what I (and therefore you) will see or hear next week.

Today is a two for one sort of day, hooray! Soon, I intend to back fill the blog with some of my experiences from a recent road trip to Minnesota and back. In the meantime, here is a little taste of a couple of things I observed along the way.

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You can't say I didn't warn you about my thing with trees...

On our way back home, Christian and I spent some time at the Allegheny National Forest. This picture was taken on Heart's Content Scenic Interpretive trail which wound about for a short mile through virgin forest.

I was drawn to this tree, but couldn't quite put my finger on why until I took the first snapshot. The LCD screen introduced me to this guy by encouraging me to look at the whole picture instead of focusing on those "interesting growths" on its trunk. I pointed out his face to Christian and we admired him for quite some time.

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I admit it, I am a public eavesdropper. From restaurants and concerts, to sidewalks and bathrooms, snippets of conversation waft my way. Yes, even bathrooms. I heard this exchange between a mother and her young daughter while in a bathroom at Howe Caverns in New York.

daughter: Mom, how old do you have to be to be a teenager?
mom: Thirteen
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daughter: Mom, is Katie a teenager?
mom: How old is Katie?
daughter: Seven?
mom: No, she's not a teenager yet. She'll be a teenager in 6 years.
---------------------------- pause ------------------------------

daughter: Mom, is grandma a teenager?
mom: (Stifling a giggle) Well, she used to be a teenager.
---------------------------- pause ------------------------------

daughter: Mom, grandma took care of you when you were a baby?
mom: Yes, that's right. She took care of me.
---------------------------- pause ------------------------------

daughter: Mom, how come nobody took care of me when I was a baby?
---------------------------- pause ------------------------------

mom: Honey, I took care of you when you were a baby.
daughter: oh.

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Check in tomorrow at http://www.whoelsa.com for something positive.

How do you know?

Every Wednesday this September, I will share a story with you. It can be a folktale, a zen or Sufi tale, a fable, a personal story, or a story snippet of something I am currently working on or mulling over.

Today's story is a short little zen story. I have not yet done my research on this, so what I know about it is limited. In a few versions I have seen, the story is about a philosopher, Zhuangzi. According to Wikipedia, whether he existed is in question although he is referenced in a number of zen stories. From what I understand, he may have been used as the "face" for a certain philosophical thought. I can't help but wonder if this character is a zen version of Nasrudin.

Two philosophers were walking by a river. The air was crisp, and the sun was reflecting off of the water. It was a beautiful day.

"Look at those fish," the first philosopher pointed out. "They are swimming their hearts out! They are having a great time."

"How do you know what the fish are experiencing? You are not a fish!" his companion retorted.

The first philosopher smiled. "How do you know what I know? You are not me!"

This story has been rattling around in my head quite a bit recently. Good thing I like it! I hope you do too. :)

Check in tomorrow at http://www.whoelsa.com to read about (or see) something I've observed out in the world.

September Challenge

As much as I enjoy writing, I sometimes forget to sit down and actually do it. This September (starting today) I am challenging myself to write every day for one month. For accountability as well as support, I am taking this plunge with two good friends, Laura and Anna.

We've decided to pick a theme for each day of the week. My themes are as follows:

Tuesday = Ramble
Wednesday = Story / Story snippet
Thursday = Observed world
Friday = Something positive
Saturday = Original piece
Sunday = Sharing
Monday = Project Management (personal / professional)

Check in regularly at http://www.whoelsa.com to see how we do. Wish us luck!

http://www.whoelsa.com

Anyone up for a contest?

I have an idea for a contest I'd like to put out there, but I'm not sure yet whether folks who happen upon this would be interested. Curious? Let me know!

Shhhh!

Many years ago, I ventured into a plus-size woman's store with one of my sisters. She looked around anxiously and, when I asked her why, whispered "Someone might see us in here."


I couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, that's right. Then they'll figure out we're overweight."