Quote of the day
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 13. August 2010
I believe that every project manager is born happy; but it takes years to figure that out.
Found here
Tags: PM, Positive attitude
The Art of War for Project Managers 1.1 – Analysis
Dave Prior on 6. July 2010
“This is war.
It is the most important skill in the nation.
It is the basis of life and death.
It is the philosophy of survival or destruction.
You must know it well.” *
In Sun Tzu’s world, war was a heavy thing. Brutal, costly, painful and only to be taken on when it was absolutely necessary. (more…)
Tags: AOW4PM, Art of War, Art of War for Project Managers, PM, Sun Tzu
Merlin iPhone – how does it work?
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 6. July 2010
Merlin iPhone is such a great option for mobile project managers. Share your projects with Merlin for Mac OS X and the optional iPhone sharing service or use a Merlin Server in which iPhone share is build-in. As long as you have a connection to the mobile data net or WLAN hotspot, with Merlin iPhone you can access your project from anywhere.
It all sounds great to you but how does it work? Easy and straight forwards (as always in Merlin).
Check screenshots of the app in the product page, watch accompanied screencasts illustrating the functionality, read the Merlin iPhone QuickStart Guide, or test it for your own.
Wherefrom to download it? Merlin iPhone app is available in iTunes Store as free download.
Not always online? That’s fine with Merlin iPhone. You can view your project offline, and will need an online connection only when making changes and populating the new state of your project.
What about iPad or the new iOS 4? Merlin iPhone runs on iPhone 4 and on iPhone devices with iOS 4 just as well. Our developers are already working on an adjusted version to look better on the iPad or the new iPhone 4, so stay tuned.
How do I setup my router? Just proceed as explained in our blog post ‘using Merlin’s web module‘. Web and iPhone sharing are both using the same port and our configuration suggestions apply for iPhone sharing too.
Tags: iOS 4, iPad, iPhone 4, Merlin, Merlin iPhone, Merlin Server, Merlin Web, PM
Stateside 7-2-10
Dave Prior on 2. July 2010
Frank Illenberger
My Project Potion interview with AVTechnology.com Editor Kevin Hogan on emerging telepresence technology went live this week. For those of you (like me) who are not hip to the new AV lingo, “emerging telepresence technology” can be interpreted as new video conferencing stuff. It was a rare thing for me to be able to interview Kevin, not just because he had a lot of insightful information and ideas about what changes we should expect in the way of AV tech impacting our ability to communicate with teams in other countries, but also because Kevin is one of my oldest and closest friends. There were a few signal dropouts in the recording, but whaddaya gonna do – it ‘s Skype. You can find the video here.
This week I also had the opportunity to interview Frank Illenberger, Lead Developer for ProjectWizards. We discussed WWDC, the iPad, the iPhone4 and how those devices may impact the project management workscape. (more…)
Tags: Dave Prior, iPad, iPhone OS, Merlin, Merlin iPhone, PM, Project Manager, WWDC
Quote of the day
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 30. April 2010
Well… it’s not really a quote from this day, but it sure is one that keeps on popping up into my mind again and again today:
Thou shall have no other projects before this one*
_
*) From “The ten commitments” at www.Expiriance.com. Check out that blog post to find out what the other 9 are all about.
Tags: Commitments, PM
Improving communication through listening
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 19. April 2010
Good and effective communication among the stakeholders of a project is very important for successful projects. There are so many approaches to allow information transfer. Through Wikis, blogs, emails, reports, special PM tools, event invitations in calendar entries, face to face talks, video chats, etc. All approaches have pros and cons, so don’t expect us to give any recommendations. Simply pick the one fitting the needs of your team at best.
But no matter how you do it, whether you use Merlin for project management on Mac OS X or not, we think you should try and take the time to listen someone to the end or read the complete information given.
Four little tricks* can help in getting an active listener:
1. (repeat) Remember to Shut Up
2. Ask Questions (keeps us engaged)
3. Make Eye Contact (make the connection)
4. (and my favorite) The Imaginary Conversation Ball
_
*) Quoted text found in The Return of Listening. A blog post written by Raj Menon.
Tags: Communication, Listen, PM
Do you need a ScrumMaster?
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 29. March 2010
Do you develop software and use the Scrum framework? Do you wonder, like me, whether you need to have a ScrumMaster in your project team if you already have a Project Manager?
Lisa A. Grant (MBA, PMP, CSM) from the pmi.org gives an answer by using the following check list :
- Does the project manager have the technical expertise to assess technical tasks and set direction?
- Has the project manager been trained in Scrum?
- Does the project manager have the respect of the team for his or her subject matter expertise?
If the answer to all three questions is yes, Lisa Grant concludes, than the PM can probably successfully perform both roles, otherwise…
These two positions should work in concert with each other just as a project manager and a development manager do.
You will find the mentioned post here
Tags: CSM, PM, PMP, Scrum, Software Development
Mental Toughness, attribute of a great PM
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 15. March 2010
You are a good PM. You select your team members wisely. You can explain, define, plan their assignments the right way. You can motivate your team when issues appear and frustration arises, while remaining focussed. Your customer is happy, your goal is about to be achieved. On time and in budget. Congratulations! So you already possess the required mental toughness, embrace frustration as a chance and probably know by heart the 5 tips.
If not, no reason for bad feelings… simply check the above mentioned links and be adaptable to change…
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
Charles Darwin
Tags: PM
MacWorld 2010, commented by Dave Prior
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 23. February 2010
In the latest Project Potion episode of Bas De Baar and Dave Prior, Dave Prior comments his visit to the MacWorld, the outcome of his intention to meet up with other PMs, and some new products he found there.
Our favourite quote of the episode is…
And I went out there with the guys of ProjectWizards, that is the company which makes Merlin, which is for my money, the best Project Management software on mac, because it is the only one that lets you enter separate values for work and duration, which to me is a huge deal being as I am a bit of a geek when it comes to making my project plans.
Enjoy the episode, there is so much more PM relevant information to find there. It is awesome! Watch it until the end, and you will know why we call it so 
Tags: PM
My Team: my customers
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 18. February 2010
Reading a blog post about the importance for a good PM to build good relationships not only to clients but also within the project team, I found the following sentence:
your team are your customers
Just a few hours ego I had written a similar sentence to a colleague. I was asked whether it is really ok, that I was told to do so many changes to a specific newly created web content. Of course it was fine with me. My team are my customers. I have delivered the best possible result based on the original instructions, and was satisfied by the result. My ‘customer’ used the possibilities of the new product and was happy at first. But what happens when you use new products? First you try to understand them, and later on you try to customise them. So as expected customisation requests arrived, changing the scope of the project. Very well. Everything is fine. If the changes make sense and the effort is reasonable to the achieved benefits, why not? If my ‘customer’ is happy, I am happy to.
Tags: PM, Scope Change Request
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