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Facebook has announced that they are disabling the Notes feature – and have promised

“We’re focused on creating even better tools for Pages. Look for announcements soon.”

I am very interested in seeing what Facebook does next.

Facebook, the continuously changing, frustrating to predict, and cant complain too much because it is Free, tool.
I will be sure to email those on the subscription list once new strategies emerge.

In a way, I am a little glad. I personally like to drive traffic directly to the blog posts, where comments can be made rather than receive the comments on Facebook’s notes section directly.

What are your thoughts?

Today, I run 2 companies, and consult with organizations and individuals to improve their project management documentation, skills and approaches. Having a solid approach goes a long way to being organized, removing frustration, handling emotionally charged environments, and being productive.

This article is meant to answer the question, “How can I start to be a better project manager?”. This can be for those looking to make improvements, or those who want a starting point, similar to my post on “How to Learn Java”.

The advice here will be “progressively elaborated” – you can leave comments, or subscribe to be updated as the content grows.

It is not meant to be a perfect document. In fact it is 2am and I am jet lagged and almost burned down the apartment building I’m staying in. (More on that later) So I expect there might be some interesting formats and spellings, and fuzzy logic. But I promised a wonderful group in Dallas, TX that I would write up some of the things we discussed, and this can serve as a starting point – I am OPEN to feedback, change, and the fact I might not have gotten it right the first time. (Qualities I hope you all remember when you are presented with new ideas from other team members.)

So here we go…

BE HUMBLE
If you start to think you are the only one who has the “right” answers – then you close yourself off to the opportunity to learn, grow, and potentially avoid or eliminate many existing or potential risks that others might otherwise present to you. The #1 reason I see for low morale in organizations that I work with – is employees that are not being respected or listened to.

If you close yourself off – take on air of superiority – then you have just screwed yourself and your organization over my dear reader. Of course with anything there are ways to do this, you cannot just let yourself change direction with every slight breeze – but the key points are to respect others, keep your emotions out of it, realize you may be completely unaware of issues or innovations, and that being open to communications and viewpoints can be wonderful.

BEWARE THE MYTHS

There is an abundance of bad advice floating around – no wonder it’s estimated that over 65% of projects fail.
Various sources on this, and higher numbers given in technology projects.

Personally, I have had the great fortune to have really, really, bad project managers, directors, and so forth.
Wonderful, valuable lessons on how not to do things…this was very helpful to me as I formalized my Project Management knowledge, and when I want for, and received, my PMP certification.

On Project Estimation.
“Take your best guess, double it, and add 25%.” – a well intentioned manager who interviewed me for a tech position, but who I believe now was studying project management. He would share advice he learned, I wish I knew where he was getting it because I would have a section entitled BANNED LIST below with the good resources.

“You pick two” – same PM, in reference to the Iron Triangle. What a way to set yourself up for failure. I do not deny that the three main constraints of TIME, COST, and SCOPE have a HUGE dependency on one another. They CERTAINLY do. But the idea of you can only have it fast and cheap, but not good, etc is like saying – we are going to fail in one area.

The biggest thing I stress to my clients, spend time agreeing on what the project objectives are, realize there is some give and take on these, but then baseline your documentation. Manage change. Avoid scope creep. If the project does take on change, it is documented and
budgets are increased, time is extended, scope is modified, and everything is OFFICIALLY signed off. You cannot just modify willy nilly and move forward. Boy I can share some fun techniques we have used over the years such as caution tape, and “Do not Feed the Developers (any new ideas)”. The notion of, “It will only take 5 minutes”, and “But it’s just a button” go out the window. It might take educating your staff as well as your PMs but plan the work and work the plan, and NOTHING ELSE.

“I could do that in Visual Basic in 2 months, so you should be able to do it in Java in 3 months” – thank you JP, for that lesson, as well as how pathologically lying can cause people to jump ship, and bring down an entire company. RIP, C S.

On Human Resource Management
“I want your team to feel empowered” – AH, as he wasted our time saying one thing and doing another. He did come up with really good ideas, when he wasn’t taking credit for others, and while I was impressed with some of his creativity, I was astonished at his inability to be open to new ideas or realize what a d*&$head he was being.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT != MS PROJECT*
Sure MS Project can be a great tool for scheduling and resource allocation, but lesson #1 – there is a lot to Project Management. It is NOT just GANTT Charts. You need to get a grasp of everything that it covers and then “Mind the Gap” – ok, for those of you playing at home, I am currently in London, and feeling quite punchy. So, yes, take an honest assessment of where you are, and study up on the areas you would like to enhance.

* the notation != translates to “does not equal” in GeekSpeak…

GET AN INTRO:

I must say i am not 100% satisfied with any intro materials, but again, chart your course.

The PMBOK is a great resource when you have some experience, but intro books, I think, drop the ball on real teaching concepts, and step by step intros. It really becomes a matter of reading a lot, and absorbing what works for you. When I come in to help clients, I have my own process, rather than saying read this list of 100 books.

Here are some suggestions if you like to take this route.

I am a big fan of Amazon Prime and SafariOnline, but you might also consider more affordable ways – that I mention in my post:
http://www.karmoxie.com/blog/expand-your-mind-and-your-wallet/

I havent read through this one completely yet – but I really enjoyed what I have ready so far. Again, not a step by step, but good points throughout.

LEARN A STANDARD (PMI or Prince2)

You can get a certification from PMI (Project management Institute). This requires that you have experience as a PM. It doesnt hurt to see the standard and what areas you are missing in your background.

The PMI standard – PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) is a wonderful reference.
If you wish to become PMP certified, you will become INTIMATELY familiar with the concepts in this standard.

9 Knowledge Areas:
Project Integration Management
Project Scope Management
Project Time Management
Project Cost Management
Project Quality Management
Project Human Resource Management
Project Communications Management
Project Risk Management
Project Procurement Management

5 Process Groups (Phases):
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Closing

Although I PWNED* my PMP exam….I am not yet certified by PRINCE2. A goal for 2012 perhaps. My exposure to PRINCE2 though gives me this takeaway, more focus on having quality gates to ensure you do not pass from one phase to the next until you have done all that you need to. A great philosophy, and a LOT of the PM software my clients are using now have this concept built in, its just a matter of choosing what is right for your organization to configure it correctly.

*PWNED = owned, ruled, kicked the butt of, scored very well with minimal study

CREATE A PROJECT PLAN – if you havent already!

Okay, I am using singular “plan” here, and if you havent figured out already, this means a LOT of documentation. Really a summary of many documents that you can/will/should use. Formats? Excel / Word / Visio / MS Project / JIRA Tickets / Custom PM software and information systems….many choices here.

I think I will create further posts to discuss these in more detail, but as promised to a wonderful group of people here are some links to some templates so that you do not need to start from scratch.

Imperial College – London

PMDocs

There are many resources out there for templates, it really is going to be up to your organization to develop what works in YOUR organization.

For example, we have begun using Google Docs to track Project Documentation for Karmoxie…and…I…LOVE IT.

LESSONS LEARNED

Do NOT wait until the end of the project to do this. Its tough when a team is disbanding and you are all ready to move onto somethgin new, and you need to stop and think about what worked, what didnt, and how we could make improvements. Make this a weekly if not daily habit.

My lesson learned for today – do not attempt to make coffee until the brain fog of being jet-lagged has disappeared.
In other words, dont try and heat an electric kettle with a plastic bottom on a stove top.

Yes, I make plenty of mistakes. But I try to learn from them. We have to laugh at ourselves sometimes, and move forward.
I hope to share some stories in the future so that you can avoid some pitfalls that I have encountered, and leverage the tools and techniques I have found success with.

More business advice, Myth Busting, and DO NOT DO WHAT WE DID posts to come. Subscribe for infrequent, but yet informative postings.

And finally, paraphrasing the 3 questions we should always after an interview:
- do you have any questions/comments for me?
- is there anything else you think I should address?
- is there anyone you think would like to join this conversation?

Please leave comment or forward this post as appropriate. Thanks!

Cheers and Best Wishes,
Judy Lipinski
PMP

Recently I was asked about approaches to learn Java.

With learning anything new, my best advice is to check out different resources. Hearing the same information, in different ways, can help concepts sink in better. Plus, when you start to see the same topics over and over, you can ease your mind that it is not a never-ending list.

Read, Listen, Learn! But in all of these do the EXAMPLES!!!! Reading is one thing, but when you are faced with the blank screen, you need to have a process in place, and muscle memory of how to code!

Resources for Learning Java

Java IDE (Integrated Development Environments)

Yes, you can code Java from notepad, textpad. But who wants to be on the hunt for a missing semicolon?  And how fast can you actually move from one file to another?

Some options:

SlickEdit. (I registered their product and won a travel mug, so there is still a special place in my heart).

Netbeans and Eclipse are two options, that come with tutorials, and code completion to help enhance your learning. Look for the downloads page for your operating system.

Java Websites:

Oracle / Java.
OOOOOOOh OOOOH! Java 7 Java Docs are out! http://download.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/
There are a LOT of resources on the now Oracle branded sites for Java.
When you really want to know how the Java Classes work, read the JavaDocs!

They also offer tutorials online.

An old favorite is the website www.JavaRanch.com There are plenty of tutorials for beginners and forums to support you on a variety of topics, from beginning Java, preparing for certifications, and exploring more advanced concepts.

Java Books:

I LOVE the Head First series of books. Rather than just boring text, they break up learning concepts into games, puzzles, diagrams, and interesting analogies. It really helps to stimulate learning.

One man that I respect is Bruce Eckel. He has a FREE earlier version of his book, Thinking in Java available online. This book is almost conversational in nature discussing the concepts of Java. You can get a free sample of the latest, 4th Edition of this book, or order an electronic or hardcopy here.

Get Certified! Or at least study for it.
Here is a link to the Oracle certification for Java.
This exam focuses on the syntax and basic usage of Java. Essential skills! There are numerous resources to study online, with sample tests. I believe, even if you do not want to take the exam, this book is a great checklist to making sure you know the basics.

Beyond Basic Java

One mistake I have witnessed developers make, is learning only the basics. I have walked into organizations in which Java was in use, but code was not truly object oriented. This leads to messy code, and code that is expensive to maintain or add new features to. Once I had to rewrite an existing application for an organization from scratch, the existing code was unusable. Don’t let this happen to you!

It really helps to leverage best practices and solutions and approaches that are known to work.
This act of observing what works and documenting it, leads to Design Patterns.

Now the seminal book on Design Patterns is known as the “Gang of Four” book*, due to the four author’s. Don’t let the year this was published full you – this is a developer’s bible to good OO.

*Note – i never knew the word seminal until reading about this book. But almost every single article or review of this book includes the word seminal. To save you from doing a Google search…just make sure you focus on the first definition.

sem·i·nal/ˈsemənl/Adjective
1. (of a work, event, moment, or figure) Strongly influencing later developments.
2. Of, relating to, or denoting semen

The Gang of Four book is a GREAT reference, and as the first definition goes, it did pave the way for others, which reference the book profusely. I must admit, it may be a bit much for beginner’s for their first pass at Design Patterns. It certainly is a must for your library, but for your first exposure to Design Patterns, I highly recommend the Head First book.

What’s stopping you?

• No time to ride your bike or drive to the bookstore, only to find you don’t like any of the books?
• No room on your bookshelves or desire to spend a lot of cash?

If you have Moxie, and are a knowledge geek, you may want several resources and this can start to become costly.

Here are two options I’d like to suggest:

The Library

Hopefully you live in an area as nice as Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Our library system is hooked in to EINetwork – I can search online, and have books delivered to my local library.
The maximum books allowed out is 50, and I have come close on a few occasions. Most libraries also offer CDs, DVDs, etc.
When I studied for my PMP Certification, I was able to get all the books I needed from the library system.  Just dont be THAT guy/gal. A previous patron had marked all the answers in the sample tests of the Head First PMP Exam book that I had borrowed.

The library system has been a big support to Karmoxie – so in return, Karmoxie is helping Springdale Library with its first annual 5K Run. Mark your calendars for Sept 17th, and check the site for more information as it becomes available.

If you must write notes, or otherwise don’t trust yourself with borrowed books, consider Amazon.

Amazon

I joined as a Prime member, and LOVE it. Its $70 per year, but you can get special deals, and free shipping – usually 3 days. When you absolutely cant wait, like when I wanted my copy of the Four Hour Body, I paid $3.99 to have it next day delivery. Beats spending the gas money. Plus you can browse books online and other’s reviews to get a sense for if you will like the book. Or products – we used Amazon for our wedding registry and it worked out perfectly.

Have you ever had files on multiple computers and faced the chore of emailing, using thumb drives, or burning CD’s to move files back and forth? Even if you have worked out a time-consuming system to do this, how organized was it? Did you know which directory to go to on which machine to find files? Did you know where the latest version was located?

The Solution:

In researching different mechanisms for file sharing and for online backups, I found Dropbox to be the type of application that I just had to tell all my friends about.

The Process:

1. Sign up for a FREE account and get 4G of storage online. (in the cloud) Use this referral link and get an EXTRA 250Mb free. http://www.dropbox.com
2. Link all desired computers to this account. Any files you put into the DropBox folder will be updated on all computers.

Reason this rocks and can help your productivity:

1. Keep a consistent ordering of directories and files on each machine. (my favorite feature)
2. If your hard drive fails – you have a back up of your important files.
3. You can synch your song files
4. Create links to files you wish to share with others
5. Recover stolen laptops by uploading files to drop box that synch when the thief connect your laptop to the internet – capturing their keystrokes
6. You can set up one development environment and have i be consistent as you move form one computer to another

Some write that they are concerned about security. The company claims to keep your information private by encrypting it. If you are really concerned, you can still use it, just implement your own security encryption as well.

You are relying on a company or contractor for a pressing deadline and you are given all the assurances that everything is under control.
Then you find out “IT” isn’t ready yet or you get it and “IT” doesn’t work.

“IT” can be a website, a software solution, graphics, requirements…whatever.

Of course, as with most problems, risk can be averted by good communication. But how can you discuss these things if you yourself are not technical?

Here are some questions that we have compiled that should be answered with confidence before you proceed.

1. Do you have examples of your work. You do NOT want to be their first project, as much as you want to receive a surgeon’s very first slice. Let them cut their teeth on non-profit volunteer work for that.
2. What is your process? Time is wasted if they don’t have a procedure to follow to get requirements from you, document shared understanding, show you a prototype, etc.
3. Tell me why table-design layout is bad. If they hesitate, or argue with this, move on. They do not know about SEO, modern standards of design, or accessibility.
4. What is a box-model? Not knowing CSS well enough to answer this means your project can take longer than necessary.
5. How will I update my website? If they tell you they will be available at an hourly rate, think twice and ask yourself, how often do I need fresh information. If often, they should be recommending a CMS and have demonstrated example projects.
6. How will I know how well the site is doing? You are looking for their knowledge of metrics. Things to consider, search result ranking, how many are visiting your site, how long are they staying, and are they converting? (signing up for newsletter, purchasing products, etc.)

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