Love is the Killer App
Although this post doesn't directly address my study of the PMBOK, I do think it is line with Project Managmenet. A while back I read a great book by Tim Sanders called
Love Is The Killer App. I highly recommend
picking one up. I'm posting my notes below as a way of sharing my intangibles. (See Note 2.)
- We should create more value than we are paid. The value with you inside the situation should be greater than the value without you. (pg. 12)
- Love is sharing your intangibles; Knowledge, Network, and Compassion (pg. 13)
- The more people in your network, the more powerful your network. (pg. 17)
- Build a personal brand by differentiating yourself in a productive, positive way. An easy way of doing this is to share your intangibles. (pg. 38)
- People value trust over competency. (pg. 40)
- Attention is Money! ROA (Return on Attention) When you have someone’s attention make it worth while. (pg. 47)
- Trying to change someone who doesn’t trust you is nearly impossible. (pg. 49)
- Presumption rules in an attention-scarce economy. (pg. 49)
- Build a stronghold centered on the caring people who support you rather than on the company you work for. (pg. 66)
- Read good books. To find books search for key words in titles that deal with your field of work. (pg. 73)
- Find a comfortable, consistent location for reading. (pg. 77)
- In conversations, listen for insert points that allow you to use the knowledge you have gained from reading.
- Always be in collection mode, looking for people to add to your network. In most cases you’ll never have a second chance to add them. (pg. 122)
- Organize your contacts. (pg. 122)
- Always be ready to swap business cards. (pg. 124)
Project Processes (PMBOK Chapter3)
Project team activities that lead to a successful project Select required Process Groups to meet project objectives
Meet project requirements by using a defined approach to adapt product specifications and plans
Meet stakeholder needs, wants and expectations
Balance competing demands of scope, time, cost, quality, resources, and risk
Project Management ProcessesProcesses outlined by the integration of the Process Groups. (Process Groups are listed below.)
Product-oriented ProcessesSpecify and create the project’s product (or rather, the project’s end result).
Process Groups Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Closing
Initiating Process GroupDefines and authorizes the project or a project phase.
Planning Process GroupDefines and refines objectives, and plans the course of action required to attain the objectives and scope that the project was undertaken to address.
Executing Process GroupIntegrates people and other resources to carry out the project management plan for the project.
Monitoring and Controlling Process GroupRegularly measures and monitors progress to identify variances from the project management plan so that corrective action can be taken when necessary to meet project objectives.
Closing Process GroupFormalizes acceptance of the product, service, or result and brings the project or a project phase to an orderly end.
Organizational Influences (PMBOK Chapter 2)
Define Stakeholder – Individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be affected as a result of the project execution or project completion. Negative stakeholders’ best interests are served by the failure of the project.
Common Stakeholders Project Manager
Customers / Users
Project Team Members
Management
Sponsor
Influencers
PMO (If it exists)
Organizational Influences – A project will be affected by organization or organizations that initiated it.
Master Organizational Structure Functional Organization
Projectized Organization
Weak Matrix Organization
Balanced Matrix Organization
Strong Matrix Organization
Role of the PMO – The Project Management Office (PMO) is an organizational unit to central and coordinate the management of projects under its domain. A PMO may have varying degrees of influence within different organizations.
Project Management System – Tools, techniques, methodologies, resources, and procedures used to manage a project. A project manager uses the Project Management System to guide a project to completion.
Project Lifecycle (PMBOK Chapter 2)
Project Management Context – The environment in which the project takes place. The life cycle, techniques, organization, project teams, and stakeholders all affect how the project plays out.
Project Life Cycle - The project life cycle is the definition of phases that connect the beginning of the project to the end.
Characteristics of project life cycles Define technical work documents for each phase
Define who is involved with each phase
Define who to control and approve each phase
Project Phase - Scope of work within the project life cycle. Usually defined by some sort of technical transfer or handoff. A phase is not a Project Management Process Group. (i.e. Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing)
Characteristics of project phases Can be divided into sub-phases
Project Phases should have a clearly identifiable outcome
Relationship between project and product life cycles – Project life cycles identify transitional actions in order to link the project to other organizational operations. Project Life Cycles can be part of the overall Product Life Cycle.
Getting Started
Let me introduce myself. My name is Rhett and I work for a mid-size software development company. There are 5 program/project managers within our development organization and a few other project managers spread through our training, marketing, and IT departments.
I've been working as a program manager for about the past 6 years and have considered getting my PMP cert in the past, but I've never really gotten serious about. I think the most looming part of getting started is filling out the experience audit. Studying the PMBOK is almost secondary in my mind.
A few weeks ago at work all the project managers started studying together with the intent of getting our PMPs. The content has been fairly basic so far and I'm looking forward to getting into more of the meat. After outlining the 2nd chapter of the PMBOK to use in our study group, I found it helped me formalize my study.
I figured, I may as well be sharing what I learn with others. Hopefully in return I will better remember the things I study and write about. So, as the weeks roll into months, I hope my posts will be helpful.
