How can you learn about Project Management?

There are many ways, including learning from role models at work, from internet articles or books and, of course, through training classes. That’s where BrenDaniel comes in. We offer several types of learning opportunities in project management, including online, classroom-based and individual coaching.

We specialize in project management and project leadership training. We have helped thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations develop and implement their project management skills and processes.

If you're considering taking the next step to get your Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification, we have several options to help you prepare.

Why Project Management?

Applying project management techniques and skills benefits both individuals and organizations.

If you know how to manage your projects well, you will gain many benefits, such as:

• Career advancement
• Competence in project delivery
• Confidence in working with project stakeholders and applying management techniques
• Greater opportunities for yourself and your organization
• Improved results at work: less stress, better time efficiency, fewer sidetracked projects - all resulting in a better run organization.

Project Management is one of the most in-demand careers and methodologies today. Whether you are in the business of information technology, retail, construction, oil and gas, or other, you will find that using project management tools and methods will lead to greater success.

“Done” for Wealth and Project Success

Twice this week I have read how the word “done” can bring wealth and project success.

According to Brian de Haaff (The One Word That Will Make You Rich on LinkedIn), being rich is about achieving what you have dreamed of accomplishing, and using the word “done” can confirm you’ve achieved it.

Similarly, Glen B. Alleman in Performance-Based Project Management states that being able to define what “done” looks like is the basis for project success.

So, if getting things done brings happiness and success, and completing projects successfully is getting things done, who could be happier than the project managers of successful projects?!

Alleman gives advice on increasing the probability of project success through answering “Five Immutable Principles”:

• What does “done” look like?
• How are you going to reach “done”?
• Do you have all the resources you need to reach “done”?
• What impediments will you encounter along the way to “done”?
• How are you going to measure progress towards “done” in units meaningful to the decision makers?

PMPs will recognize that these questions cover a lot of ground from the PMBOK. But even if you are not an official project manager, these questions can be helpful to achieving any goal.

And this article is... “done”!

Stress & Conflict Management

The Project Management Institute (PMI) says that project managers need to have good conflict management and stress management skills. When I mention this in class, there is usually one person who says, “I manage conflict all day long.”

No doubt how we see and handle conflict has to do with our personalities and other factors. And, of course, how we handle (or ignore!) conflict can give us more stress.

I have found two tools that have helped me with stress, and therefore conflict management.

About a year and a half ago I started meditating daily. Meditating has changed how I react to and see situations. I can’t quite explain it at this time, but I do know my world and stress level have changed dramatically for the good since I started meditating.

Another tool that I have found lately is tapping. I first heard about tapping (emotional freedom technique) a few years ago, and even bought a book on it which I promptly ignored. It just didn’t resonate with me at the time. But in the last few weeks I found another book (Tapping into Wealth by Margaret M. Lynch) that I dove into. Ms. Lynch explains why tapping works – it has to do with acupressure. She explains this fascinating concept very well. According to Lynch, “At a physiological level, it calms the sympathetic nervous system responsible for the stress response and turns on the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for the relaxation response.” Tapping has been used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and to remedy the fear of flying. You don’t need to have major fears to use it - it is good for even slight annoyances!

Meditation and tapping may or may not be for you at this time (or maybe any time!) but I have to say, they are good starting points for stress management.

The Opposite of Mad

Last week I was driving my eight-year old to school. Out of the blue, he piped up, "The opposite of being mad is being thankful."

I was a bit surprised. I thought about my brilliant son and said, "Yes, Zachary, I guess the opposite of being mad is being thankful."

He then continued, "The opposite of being worried is being excited. The opposite of happy is sad. Now you say a few."

"Well, Zachary, I think you've covered everything," I replied after giving it some thought.

"Haven't you ever thought about emotions, Mom?" he responded.

I laughed, "Yes, I have thought about emotions."

I gave a class that day and told them about my conversation in the car. One lady surmised that perhaps they had talked about emotions in school. So, when I picked Zachary up, I asked him if they had.

"No, that was just to break the silence," he said.

Many times I have started to get angry at a situation or a person, probably for not being the way I wanted them or it to be. I think maybe a lot of us are like that. So, I am focusing on catching myself in those “almost mad” moments and turning them around - what is there to be thankful about instead?

Maybe, like my eight-year old, I can understand that the opposite of being mad is being thankful.

Always Tell Why...

I recently fractured my ankle and got a cast on it at the hospital. They gave me a little booklet saying not to get the cast wet. However, I didn’t know why and didn't bother to ask.

In the next few days, it was pouring rain and I had a few classes to give so I was out and about. Even though I covered my cast with the required green garbage bag, it got wet on the bottom. On the weekend, my foot was starting to get pins and needles and it didn’t stop. I did know this was a sign to contact Emergency. So I called 811 and they said go in right away.

When I got there, they chastised me for getting the cast wet. It turns out my cast was a gremlin. (Never get it wet! Thank goodness I didn't feed it after midnight.) It was no longer a cast, but a piece of wet plaster, and not helping my ankle at all.

If I had known why a wet cast was a problem, I would have gotten into the hospital a lot sooner.

The moral of this story is always tell why (and if you're not sure why, ask!)

One Step at a Time

I had the best business advice ever last week. Karen Mombourquette, my tarot card reader, said, "Take everything a step at a time."

I laughed; assuredly this was the best advice for me, as I was starting a trend of over-committing to multiple projects. I was ignoring a simple truism of Project Management: break down the work into manageable steps and follow the plan.

I am now getting back on goal and following Karen’s advice. For the work I have already committed to, I am taking a step back and saying, "Okay, how can I get what I said I would do done?" The answer falls in line with Karen's advice: break it down! (Where was that WBS when I needed it?!)

One small step at a time can get us to big results. And no small steps, of course, leads to foggy thinking and nothing getting done.

(Thanks Karen!)

A Successful Person

A few weeks ago while I was visiting my mother in Newfoundland, she received a letter in the mail. It was a note from a doctor’s office saying she had an appointment for an urgent blood test. She had told me about the appointment, but it wasn't till I saw the letter that I realized it was urgent.

When I mentioned to my mother about the urgency, she shrugged and said, “I’ll deal with it when it comes.” I was impressed.

A lot of people become obsessed when they think they might have a problem, especially with their health. Not my mother. I would guess she did a quick rundown in her head about the options and alternatives, and decided her plan of action - which was to take it as it came.

I was going to write about how my mother’s situation is a perfect example of risk analysis - identify the risk events, figure out the probability and impact, and determine your response. And then I saw this article, and thought, “Hey, my Mom is one of those “successful” people.” (Of course, I already knew that!) She did exactly what the article said. So, whether the success is making money or achieving a happy life, here’s some research: How Successful People Stay Calm.

Managing Summer Interns

During the summer, organizations often take on students for intern positions. I have hired a few students over the years and find that it's important to have a plan for what they are going to do. No plan means it takes a lot more of my time.

Here's an article with helpful tips for employing summer interns:

3 Tips for Successfully Managing Summer Interns

I hope your summer is off to a great start!

Project Managers - Focusing to Get Results

“A recent story about the use of transcendental meditation by top Wall Street traders was given a lot of attention, but I just see it as more evidence of what our research has shown for years,” says Hannah Shaw Grove, an authority on the behaviours and characteristics of the high-net-worth markets and the executive editor of Private Wealth magazine. “The professionals who are the very best at what they do and have monetized their skills always find ways to stay focused on the most important tasks and forget about the trivialities.”

(excerpt from: To Become Wealthier Do What You Do Best, Forbes Magazine)

When I read this article in Forbes Magazine, I thought - that’s what project managers do: focus on the important tasks.

We have a few tools to help with this, not the least of which is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). In defining a WBS, we are looking at what the end result/product/service is to be, and breaking that down into manageable groups. We then define the steps to get there and follow these steps to achieve the outcome. What could be more focused?

How about those diversions along the way? Project management is largely based on having a good plan, being prepared for what could lead the project astray, and having a change control system. Whether the changes are related to the roles and responsibilities of the project, budget, scope, etc., following the plan and using the system will help keep us on track.

And, like the article said, meditation is an excellent input to keeping focused. I started meditating about a year ago after a few nudges. I can attest that meditation has changed my outlook on life and work - more positive and calmer. If making the big bucks is what motivates someone to start meditating, I say go for it. The results will enhance focus and much more.

There are a few more project management tools and techniques that help us stay on goal. If you'd like to discuss, send me an email at brenda@brendaniel.com.