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Newsletter – August 13, 2009 – 5 PMs and a Wedding
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Hi,
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Muddled Metrics
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Living in the UK now, after many years in Australia, I am often amused at the
Brit’s strange relationship with Europe and matters European.
Many years ago in Australia, we changed from the imperial system of weights and
measures to metric. There they took the decision to go “cold turkey” and
immediately drop the old measures.
That approach mostly worked and most of us quickly became used to the new way –
which is actually easier. (Although I am still 5 foot 7 ½ inches tall – god
knows what that is in metres.)
In the UK they have preferred to muddle along half heartedly, using the new ways
but still falling back on the old ways. On the weather forecast they will still
say “tomorrow will be 20 degrees – oh that’s 70 in Fahrenheit”. And this is
after more than 30 years since they switched!
The other day I went to buy some wood for my kitchen skirting, and I measured up
in metres, which I find much easier than feet and inches. I asked the helpful
assistant how long a particular piece of wood was and he gave me the answer in
feet and inches.
I said “sorry I measured in metric – what is it in metres?” He said “oh about 2
metres and a foot”!
Perhaps this is what you get for being the only nation in Europe that still has
its road signs in miles not kilometres.
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Project Managers are good goal setters?
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The other day I was reading a journal for IT
professionals when I came across an article which encouraged project managers to
use their professional goal setting skills to improve their own personal goals.
The idea of project managers being able to set
goals is quite an interesting one, but does it stand up to a reality check?
I've been a project manager for over 30 years
and I think I am one of the worst goal setters in the world when it comes to my
private life.
It doesn't seem to matter in my job. After
all, what project manager has ever set the main goal? The job of a project
manager is to deliver on other people's goals.
As Rob Thomsett so eloquently puts it in his
Project Management Master Class:
"As a project manager, your job is to take the
sponsor's concept for his or her project and through participative project
management processes define, refine, plan and manage the development of the
initial concept through to successful implementation and support.
The key here is, that while it is your
responsibility to project manage the realisation of the concept, it is not your
concept … it is your sponsor's.
Simply, you are the "passive" conduit through
which the dreams of the sponsor flow."
It’s amazing how many IT project managers
overlook that simple truth, and look upon project management as being a
discipline where you know better than the client and try to tell him what he
wants
Many of my friends and relatives are also IT
project managers (what a sad lot we are).
Some 10 years ago, when I remarried, my wife
(who is also a project manager) and I decided we would organise our own wedding,
which we held in a beautiful large garden donated for the occasion by a kind
relative.
Come the morning of the day there were 5 of us
running around like headless chucks (for those of you not familiar with this
wonderful Australian word, a chuck is a chicken) for an hour or so, then we sat
down for a beer (it was hot – well that’s our excuse). As we talked, it occurred
to me that around the table were 5 IT project managers, and not a plan between
us!
Needless to say, once we realised this we drew
up a "project plan" and delivered on time.
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Previous newsletters.
In response to several requests, we have published many of our older
newsletters. You can find them at
http://www.jacksguides.com/news.html
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This newsletter is published by Kevin Ramsey for Jack's Guides.
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I hope you've enjoyed this issue of our newsletter.
Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions or requests.
Enjoy and prosper in your chosen career.
Till the next issue.
Kevin Ramsey
Founder of Jack's Guides