Cliche Quote of the Week…
Come together right now over me
The Beatles, “Come Together”
Only the most important day in project management across the entirety of the universe, and we can’t agree on it.
OK, maybe that’s a bit grandiose, but still, one would think we could all come together on what day is the right one for everyone to honour their profession. The fact that it isn’t so just goes to show the task itself to be a tad grandiose, too.
Enough waffling, here’s what I’m on about: Worldwide, project managers came together to celebrate International Project Management Day Thursday…everywhere but in the UK, as we at The Camel discovered that project management day, according to PMI UK, doesn’t come until 11th November. Not only that, but it seems places are still available.
Blame Bonfire Night, one would figure. When you think about it, rare is the occasion when the entire world can agree on anything, let alone something so simple as an International Project Management Day. Holdouts are true in any event: think of when we change our clocks. The UK fell back an hour at 2am, 25th October; The US (where my side of the family still resides) waited a week, then gained their extra hour of sleep on 1st November. For a week, I felt closer to home, if only because the time difference was now four hours instead of five.
But I digress: in spite of The Beatles’ influence toward coming together, one thing I can tell you is you’ve got to be free…to peruse these Monday Morning Links.
Five For Linking
- John Estrella of Dr. John Estrella’s Blog gives us a nice Rule of 3 to live by with bad news: Target, Trigger and Tweak – http://blog.johnestrella.com/2009/09/how-to-manage-bad-news-in-your-projects/
- Sarah Fister Gale, who writes for the GreenBiz website, pens an article for PM Network Magazine on how beneficial the PR windfall from sustainable IT projects can be for your company – http://www.pmnetwork-digital.com/pmnetworkopen/200911#pg45
- Elizabeth Harrin of pm4girls took last week off from the Links, but apparently wants that prime parking space back. She is soliciting your vote for Best Project Management blog from Computer Weekly, and also offers a short, witty take this time on International Project Management Day…or is it? – http://www.pm4girls.elizabeth-harrin.com/2009/11/happy-international-pm-day/
- Cornelius Fichtner of PM Podcast offers another hard-hitting look into our profession, delving into PMO, PPM and Governance with Gartner’s Audrey Apfel – http://www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=265&Itemid=9
- Ciarán Norris at his Self Titled Blog astutely breaks down the McCartney classic ‘Hey Jude’: Project Management style! – http://ciarannorris.co.uk/2009/11/06/if-paul-mcartney-was-a-project-manager/ (UPDATE: Ciaran informed me to give proper credit for the Hey Jude chart to Love All This.)
Tweeter to Watch: @RolandMS – Roland McLain-Smith, an IT programme manager, seems to have reached the Howard Beale stage of his interaction with assumptions. Without cracking up, mind you. But the way in which McLain-Smith relays to us that ‘he’s not gonna take this anymore’ is subtle and clever: put the assumption in all its silliness up for display to the world, and watch as the world discovers how asinine the belief is. Calm, cool, controlled and abundant, McLain-Smith’s Assumption of the Day blows the lid not just on assumptions but on the ominous ways of thinking behind those assumptions. This week’s best:
‘Assumption of the day – A supplier will remember to factor public holidays into their lead times.’
Shameless Arras / Camel Plug: I’m biased for my own team, but the link that follows (actually the one after) may have been one of the greatest practices in constructive criticism I have ever seen written in person, in addition to being a compelling blog post at The Camel. Our own Mick Hides delved into the ever-growing body of applications submitted with an abandon so reckless, he felt compelled to write about it for the sake of future applicants. Inattention to detail, poor focus on the job’s essential information, and a candidate’s inability to put themselves into the shoes of the person who might want to hire them highlight an enlightening article that will leave you nodding like a bobblehead. And hopefully applying for roles with a clear, present focus from now on.
