Controlling Chaos

8 Stupid Mistakes Smart People Make

As you know, I'm on a neverending quest to achieve more efficiency and productivity, and I have read a while ago a fantastic article on Marc & Angel's blog. This note speaks about 8 key mistakes smart people do make that make them staggeringly unproductive. Not only was that note spot on with regards to the causes, but it also provided some solutions. Here is a short summary (I encourage you to read the full note here):

• They confuse being busy with being productive.
  Most things make no difference. Work smarter, not harder.
• They spend time pursuing bogus achievements.
  Bogus achievements are promoted online at an alarming rate (Facebook friends, Twitter followers, Linkedin connections, etc.).
• They learn how to do something and never do it.
  Acquiring knowledge doesn't mean growing. Growth happens when what you know changes your life.
• They use the wrong measurements to track their progress.
  If you can't measure it, you can't control it. If you measure the wrong things, it is equally useless.
• They become obsessed with making things perfect.
  Are you carried away with perfectionism? I am. Sometimes. The real world doesn't reward perfectionists. It rewards people who get things done.
• They wait until they feel 100% ready before acting on an opportunity.
  When an opportunity arises, it forces you to stretch your comfort zone. If you don't feel ready, the opportunity is gone. Embrace opportunity when it comes.
• They inundate themselves with too many choices.
  Abundance of choice leads to indecision, confusion and inaction. Choose something that you think will work and give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, choose something else and keep pressing forward.
• They lack balance in their life.
  If you focus all your energy in one arena (work life, social life, family life, etc.) you will end up off balance. No matter how successful you will be, it will lead you to long-term frustration and stress.

The Fred Principle

I'm attending a two days workshop on IT Cost Savings & Optimization. In the afternoon, David Baumann (our host) started using a statement I made during lunch break and - funnily enough - referred to it as "The Fred Principle": There is a direct correlation between the risk transferred to a vendor in an outsourcing agreement and the economic inefficiency of this deal. In other words, if you push it too hard on your vendor, you will just end up paying more than what you might have by insurring that risk yourself in the first place. The corollary David kept using during the afternoon session actually works in a similar fashion as Occam's Razor, but in the Outsourcing context: "How would I have done it if I had kept it?".

PMI's Consultants Registry

PMI has recently introduced a new feature: If you're looking for a Consulting Firm to help you optimize your project management techniques, you can find the ideal partner on the Consultant Registry. They have also issued some selection guidelines to support you in finding the right firm to fulfil your requirements.

PMI UAE Chapter is underway

PMI has officially announced the launch of a potential United Arab Emirates Chapter (as a spin off from the Arabian Gulf Chapter, who's serving the community for nearly two decades). This new Chapter will focus on enhancing the member experience and on supporting practitioners entering and advancing in the profession within the UAE. Beginning today, you may join the potential PMI UAE Chapter at no additional cost, and be a part of this adventure from the beginning.

This is an important milestone for the profession in the region, especially after 2007's rejection from PMI. I have witnessed the establishment of a potential Chapter in Czech Republic, and I'm glad to see this happening while I'm based here in the UAE.

PMO of the Year Award 2011 - Call for nominations

Applications are now being accepted for the sixth annual PMO of the Year Award, cosponsored by PM Solutions and the PMO CoP. Each year, the PMO of the Year Award recognizes PMOs that introduce novel ideas, methods and processes that result in measurable improvements and project management success within their organizations. Nominations for the 2011 PMO of the Year Award must be made by the director or manager of the PMO being nominated. All corporate and government PMOs are eligible for nomination, and entering the competition requires no fee. The deadline for entries is May 31, 2011 and you can click here for Application. The winner and top three finalists will be notified in August, 2011. Winners will be awarded at the PMO CoP’s PMO Symposium on November 6-9, 2011 in Orlando, Florida USA.

The PMO Symposium Call for Papers is closed

The Call for Speakers for the 2011 PMO Symposium closed on the 25th of February. We received an unprecedented 121 submittals, from 106 Community Members located in 24 countries. This record-breaking response reflects the dynamism of the PMOSIG, despite the deep changes we are undergoing. The responses also clearly demonstrate the strong enthusiasm for the PMO topic and for sharing this knowledge within the PMO community.

The number of options available to us to provide thought-leading content continues to grow! There is a strong percentage of practitioner submissions from leaders actively leading PMOs within industry (nearly 50%), enabling us to continue to offer a credible, globally relevant event for our attendees. We are now starting to reivew those proposals, and also finalizing two engaging keynote presentations and four unique PMO-focused workshops that we will be announcing soon. Stay tuned!

PMI is launching an Agile Certification

There are more and more practitionners investigating or applying Agile principles to their practice of project management. PMI is supporting this development with the launch of an Agile Certification. There is a growing demand from organizations and project professionals already using those techniques on the job have documented the benefits: Early and continuous customer feedback- as the customer is involved throughout development, they will end up with an end-product that they want and will use; High visibility and influence over the project progress leading to early indications of problems; and Early measurable return on investment-this allows for defined deliverables at the end of each iteration and early in the process.

Practitioners who are using Agile practices in their projects, or whose organizations are adopting Agile approaches to project management, will benefit from a standardized approach and from earning the Agile certification. Candidates will be able to submit an application for the pilot in May 2011, and pilot testing is scheduled to begin in August 2011.

318 connections changed jobs in 2010

Frederic, 318 connections changed jobs in 2010. Did you reconnect? is the title of an email I received yesterday from the well known business networking portal LinkedIn. I got lost for words. 21.24% of my network (on this site) changed job last year (me too). In other words, at this pace, in 4 years and 8 months ... statistically everyone I'm connected to would have transitioned...

Being optimistic by nature, I would assume that most of them made the jump by choice. But I cannot believe that, especially in the current economic context. The crisis did hit them hard. Really hard. It has completely reshuffled the cards, and I would assume that some of them now have a job they are not 100% satisfied with (it's a tough job market). One consequence of this situation is that as soon as the crisis is over, and there are better opportunities out there, they will be gone.

Now, let's assume for one second that you're a Project Manager, and that some of those guys and girls from my network are esteemed members of your project team. Let's look at the potential risk strategies available there...

• Avoidance: While this may typically be seen as the ultimate response to any particular risk, it also means losing the potential gain that goes along with that risk. Not hiring those "risky" employees, would mean not having someone doing some work for you, which is not really a practical solution.
• Reduction: This can take the form of reducing the severity (or likelihood) of a risk happening, or finding a balance between this risk and the benefit of the activity. You could look at outsourcing as a valid method of Risk Reduction in this scenario, if the outsourcer can demonstrate a higher capability at risk management than yours.
• Transfer Technically more of a Risk Sharing, this could take the form of and Insurance Policy that protects you financially from this risk (although not being able to perform a job has more than just a financial impact).
• Acceptance: If you can't do any of the above, well, you will have to accept the fact that they might just leave. Some risks just can't be avoided, reduced or transfered, in which case acceptance is a viable strategy, as long as properly documented, and a risk response accordingly formulated.

What would you do?

Still alive...

Wow ... 1 post per month in 2010, and nothing since ... too long. When I look back, this is probably my worst blogging performance ever since I started this blog. However, I have a boatload of plausible excuses, my year 2010 has been pretty rich in events, particularly the second half. Since I joined ADAC in July, I have been extremely busy at work. I have had some pretty decent achievements (have even been voted "man of the year"" by my peers, which was really moving), and I also faced some new challenges on the contracting and sourcing side of things, which all in all is interesting, since I haven't been overly exposed to those aspects of Project Management in the past. On the PMI front, I also had my share of sweat, and the groundwork for our 2011 Symposium in Orlando has started. The good thing is there will be more (challenges, and hopefully ... achievements) in 2011, and I promise I'll be more active on this blog to share those.

The PMOSIG Program Management Office Handbook

The PMOSIG is pleased to announce the publication of the PMOSIG Program Management Office Handbook. The PMOSIG is the first Project Management Institute component to publish a handbook in its respective area of expertise. Containing contributions from over 20 PMO practitioners and thought leaders, the handbook is a "must have" reference whether you're starting a PMO or maturing an existing PMO. Be among the first to get this comprehensive guide to the PMO!

Key features of the PMOSIG Program Management Office Handbook include:

• Discusses the various types of PMOs and illustrates the valuable roles they play
• Provides practical strategies, methods, insights, case studies, and though-leadership to serve the needs of government organizations and private sector enterprises of any size
• Presents best practices for successfully aligning PMOs to business strategies and objectives, and for delivering planned benefits
• Supplies project, program, and portfolio PMO practitioners with numerous proven tools, policies, procedures, standards, and processes for successfully developing, managing, and sustaining PMOs and for expanding their scope of services

Special Introductory Offer for PMOSIG Members: As a PMOSIG member, you can be among the first to receive the PMOSIG Program Management Office Handbook! The Handbook retails for $69.95 (USD), but as a special offer for PMOSIG members, we are offering the handbook for direct purchase for only $33.95 (USD) plus shipping and handling, over 50% off the retail price!

To order, simply click the link below. Your order will be securely processed! And, all of the proceeds from this special sale are returned directly to the PMOSIG, allowing the SIG to continue to pursue its mission to be the leading professional community for PMO practitioners! Visit the link below to order now! Order The Handbook!