Everyone likes to have choice. No, that's not quite correct. These days people demand choice, especially in the arena of consumer goods and services. The more choice the better, it would seem - or at least the manufacturers would have you think so, as you try to pick out a new cell phone from the hundreds of similar models available on any given da…

Cost-Benefit Analysis A process by which you weigh expected costs against expected benefits to determine the best (or most profitable) course of action. http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/cost-benefit-analysis A few years ago I was at a customer site in Independence, Missouri. It is a classic American town, sitting on the eastern edge of Kans…

I recently attended an Outdoor First Aid course at Camp Waingaro, which is an old scout hall nestled in 19 hectares of New Zealand bush. Quite a long way from anywhere - or at least it felt like it when I found that I could no longer get a cellphone signal. It was a beautiful site, surrounded on three sides by a creek that wound its way down the va…

Today's interview is with Bryan Barrow, a widely recognized Project Management and Risk Management consultant and Speaker. Bryan is the founder of Nova Consulting Ltd in the UK. Over the past twenty years, he has worked with Project Management Offices, Project Directors and both public and private sector organizations, helping them to improve proje…

When I was in my late teens, I bought my first car. My friends were all doing the same - we all had our licenses and we wanted to put them to good use. Of course, not having a lot of money, we each ended up buying older, cheaper cars. I bought a 1974 Mazda RX4 from a family member, one friend bought an old Chevy Nova, another had an old sports car,…

When I was a child, I didn't like sports. Well, that's not exactly true - I loved swimming and spent almost every day during my young summers in the water at our local pool, and was part of the swim team. Wrinkly skin, and a persistent smell of chlorine - it was a wonderful way to spend a good part of your summer's day. Besides, when your town had …

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18 One of the most important things you will do as a leader or Project Manager is to communicate a compelling vision to your team or organization. It not only sets the direction for the team and the project, it also begins to pull a group of individuals into a cohesive unit - and eventual…

How do you make sure your projects complete on time? When you set a deadline, you are supposed communicate it to everyone, right? Then, presumably,the entire team will work towards that date, vendor and client alike, to make it happen. That is usually what happens on most projects - you may be a little late on some target dates, a little early on o…

The Cost of Change We have all heard about how the cost of change increases exponentially the further you are along the path of project delivery. If the unit of effort is, say, (1) at requirements stage to accommodate a feature change, in design it increases to (10x), in development it increases to (100x) and once delivered it may increase again to…

A few years ago I went on a fly-fishing trip with a group of work colleagues. I was working on a project in New Zealand, and we were going to be staying in an old company-owned holiday "bach" just outside of Taupo. You could book these properties for a weekend and pay a small fee. A basic type of unit - furnished with several beds, kitchen, TV, tab…

You know the drill - anyone who has ever flown on a commercial airline has heard this announcement from the flight attendant, usually followed by a safety briefing video and a demonstration by the crew. Most of us briefly look up, see the flight attendant standing there, snug our seat-belt, glance up above our heads, and resume reading - or listeni…

Let me ask you an important question: Have you Exploited your Project Team Today? Wait a minute, Exploit your Project Team? You are probably thinking - He can't be serious. That's a horrible, evil thing to do, right? You probably also have visions of unfair wages, an evil boss, overworked and under-appreciated staff, things like that. Unfortunately…

Fifteen minutes of Fame - we all seem to want it, and according to some we are all due our fifteen minutes in the limelight. Well, maybe, or maybe not. I am sure that the law of averages has something to say about that, and more likely some celebrity out there is using up a whole lot of other people's 15 minutes. I am sure mine has already been use…

When I was fifteen, I spent the summer visiting my relatives in Alberta. Nothing unusual about that, as we did that most summers. We would usually drive the nearly 14 hours to Calgary and then spend a few very enjoyable weeks visiting the grandparents, exploring the farmyard and visiting our many aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives in the ar…

zom·bie \ˈzäm-bē\ noun 1. Formal. a. the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose. b. the supernatural force itself 2. Informal. a. a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton. b. a person who is or appears lifeless, …

I have, for much of my life, lived close to sea level. Most people don't think too much about altitude, unless they travel a lot, climb mountains, or are professional athletes. If you live near hills or near mountains, you might not even think too much about a hike or drive up a couple thousand feet, or a few hundred metres or even a kilometre in e…

Have you ever saved a life? In an emergency, can you do what it takes to help someone? Could you rescue them from a life-or-death situation? Perhaps you might think I am being a bit dramatic, but it's a serious question. Are you prepared? In July 1983, the 15th World Scouting Jamboree was held at Kananaskis, Alberta, in the shadow of the Canadian R…

A colleague of mine has no taste. None at all - either he lost it in early childhood or he never had it, he can't exactly remember. I am not being mean about his clothing or sense of style - I am being quite literal. His taste buds do not work at all. When he eats, there is only texture, no flavor. "Food is simply fuel" as he says it - there is no …

Happy New Year - and welcome to your new project! The start of the calendar year often marks the start of new projects; the old year is done, the new year is fresh and full of potential. Everyone is rested from the break and raring to go...ok, perhaps recovering is the right word. However, it is still a great time of year to kick off new projects, …

Today's interview is with with Chris Cattaway, an expert in building successful teams. Chris's experience ranges from designing and project managing multi-million dollar telecommunications systems to leading disaster response teams in Africa and Asia. He is a PMP®, a Registered Prince 2 Practitioner, and graduated as an Otago (NZ) MBA in 2003. Reco…

When my father graduated from university and got his first job as an Electrical Engineer, his manager told him the following on his first day: "Congratulations on earning your degree. But I want you to know the only thing it shows me is that you know how to learn." My father was stunned. He had worked hard to get his degree over several long years;…

"I got here first!" "No, I did!" "Me!" "No, me!" I just got back from a three day school camp with my youngest son. We went to new and interesting places each day, and everywhere we went, walking or driving, the adults were constantly serenaded by the same chorus when we arrived at each destination. "I got here first!" Somehow, it seemed vitally im…

Today's interview is with Lynne Schinella, an expert on building “whole brain” organizations and teams. Lynne Schinella is an authority on masterful communication in the 21st century. She believes that at the heart of all great communication are 3 elements: empathy, understanding and respect for diversity. No stranger to these qualities, she discov…

Definition of PAIN a : a state of physical, emotional, or mental lack of well-being or physical, emotional, or mental uneasiness that ranges from mild discomfort or dull distress to acute often unbearable agony, may be generalized or localized, and is the consequence of being injured or hurt physically or mentally or of some derangement of or lack …

When I was younger, I was quite risk-averse. I said "no" to a lot of things that some might consider a "safe-ish" activity - like Bungee Jumping or riding a motorcycle. (Dirt bikes were OK though, because I never got going that fast). So why did I find myself backing away from a snake charmer who was walking towards me with a fully loaded Cobra hel…