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Newsletter – September 2, 2009 – Rain, Jobs and Oil Wells
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Hi,
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Scenery and Rain
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You may have noticed that this newsletter is a little late. I had forgotten when
I wrote the last one that the UK August Bank Holiday Weekend was due. It’s the
one weekend in the UK where everyone seems to go away – I guess to grab the last
of the sun before winter sets in.
Well we joined the exodus and drove up north to the Lake District, pausing along
the way to visit relatives we hadn’t seen for some time.
The Lake District has fabulous scenery, no doubt caused by all the rain! This
weekend was no exception with the rain right on cue. Still we had a great time
and have come back refreshed.
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IT Jobs Situation
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In the last newsletter I said we would get back to more discussions about how IT
jobs are going in the recession.
The trouble is – August is often a quiet month in the northern hemisphere as
many people are away on vacation and the jobs market can be very quiet.
I took the numbers on our usual searches but they really weren’t much different
to the July figures, so I won’t publish them.
This may mean that things are no better than they were, or it may be just the
August quiet spot. I will repeat the exercise in a couple of week’s time when
the vacations are a distant memory, and see what the situation is then.
Anecdotal evidence from friends and agents suggests that things are picking up,
so we will see when I take out the next round of stats.
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The Ultimate Project Manager?
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I also promised in the last newsletter to take a look at one of my favourite
project managers.
I’ve been running IT projects for more years than I really care to admit, and in
that time I have noticed how the job has changed. Twenty years ago there wasn’t
much in the way of formal methods for IT project management, so most of us made
it up as we went along.
Today, with methodologies such as Prince2 and PMP. Most companies have
formalised what project managers are supposed to do. This has generally been an
improvement, as it has made projects somewhat more under control and predictable
– remember some of the IT project horror stories of the 60s and 70s, when
millions of dollars were wasted on runaway projects.
There is however a corresponding downside. Organisations have become very
risk-averse, to the point where some projects move along in very small,
carefully controlled steps, observed along the way by countless project
assistants, cost controllers, project offices and the like.
All this bureaucracy is supposed to prevent some of the worst excesses of the
past, (although spectacular cost overruns are still common in the UK), but a
certain spark has been lost and, dare I say it, some of the fun of the job. It
seems that a project manager can’t make too many moves any more without first
consulting some controlling “authority”.
We discussed a couple of weeks ago how project managers really don’t set goals,
but actually are responsible for realising other peoples goals.
One of my all-time favourite project managers was a certain Paul Adair, better
known as “Red” Adair. Red died in 2004, at the age of 89, after a long and
famous career putting out oil well fires.
Red certainly never set goals other than to go where he was asked to go, and put
out that fire. His project goals were always very clear. I suspect he wouldn’t
have had much time for accountants and project offices.
One or two of his more memorable quotes are:
"It scares you—all the noise, the rattling, the shaking. But the
look on everybody's face when you're finished and packing, it's the best smile
in the world; and there's nobody hurt, and the well's under control."
If that isn’t job satisfaction then what is?
"Retire? I don't know what that word means. As long as a man is
able to work and he's productive out there and he feels good—keep at it. I've
got too many of my friends that retired and went home and got on a rocking
chair, and about a year and a half later, I'm always going to the cemetery."
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job,
wait until you hire an amateur."
So RIP Red Adair – the ultimate project manager.
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It won’t be around long at this price.
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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.
Copyright (c) 2001 - 2009, all rights reserved.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted without the express written consent
of the publisher or contributing editors and or writers.
DISCLAIMER: We disclaim any liability for the use of
Any contributed information contained herein.
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