Free Project Management Planning Tips

Most projects that fail, were failures before they started

Your project stakeholders are your best allies or your worst enemies – you decide

If your project plan hasn’t changed – be afraid

Ask for help, advice, assistance...from everyone! – early and often

Focus first on delivering the benefits then focus on costs

Don’t own the project, own the process

Document all valid assumptions

Don't allow jerks to work on your project....ever

Make friends not war

Weekend Break - Kayaking on the Sarasota Bay

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Weekend Break - Kayaking on the Braden River

Some bird photos I took earlier today

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E-mail Rules for Project Managers

High volumes of e-mail can be overwhelming. In the course of managing a long project a project manager can receive thousands of e-mails. To manage this level of e-mails we need some rules.

If you have time, there is a great video on this subject by Merlin Mann entitled "Inbox Zero". I have created a link to Merlin's video at the end of this posting.
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E-mail rules for Project Managers

1) Ensure your inbox messages are viewable in one screen. This means you should not have to scroll your Inbox window to see all your messages. To clean up your current inbox you may need a few hours (or a few days if you have thousands of e-mails in your inbox), but the effort is worth it in the long run.

2) Scrub your e-mail inbox using some of the same rules that exist for cleaning up the paper on your desk. These rules are simple: Act on It, File It, or Throw it Away.

a.) Act on it - Act on the individual e-mail now or if there is not time then schedule the time on your calendar to review it later. Also, you can create a “Pending” folder for e-mails you can’t act on because you are waiting on more information. Schedule time regularly to review your "Pending" e-mail folder. Lastly, delegate the message and ensure you set a date to follow-up

b.) File It - Decide if you need to keep it. If so, ensure you have setup a logical e-mail folder structure so you can find your e-mails quickly in the future

c.) Throw It Away – If the e-mail is not needed then hit “Delete”. The "delete" key can be very liberating

3.) Decide on a schedule to check your e-mail and stick to it (twice a day, every three hours, etc.). Be willing to adjust the schedule as you find what works for you. Don’t be one of those dorks that checks their e-mail device every time it vibrates. You probably aren't that important and neither is the e-mail you might be receiving

4.) For all important communications call the person(s), don’t send an e-mail.

5.) Don’t reply to the same e-mail more than twice. Pick up the phone or go talk to person face-to-face

6.) Setup time on your calendar each week to manage your e-mail

Finally, check out Merlin Mann's great video about managing your e-mail entitled "Inbox Zero" by clicking here

End of Project Survey Template - Repaired Link

Click here for a direct link to the document that was discussed in last week's post. Some people had problems viewing the document because of permissions.

Steve

End of Project Surveys are Important

Measuring customer satisfaction at the end of the project is critical. I recently started using a new Post Implementation Project Survey document. I send the document to all key stakeholders just after the project's completion.

Is the document useful to you? Is it too long? Is there questions you would ask that aren't listed?

Click here to review the document, and please take the time to leave me some feedback.

Corporate Purpose and Core Values

I came across this last year on the Internet. I thought it was worth sharing. I changed the company name to XYZ.

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Purpose and Core Values

Building a Better World: We better the lives of those we touch and improve communities around the world through our personal and professional contributions.

Our employees are our greatest assets and we will grow, inspire and protect them.

XYZ is committed to actively encouraging diversity through our people and our activities, as we truly believe in the value of a diverse workforce to both inspire our people and grow our business.

We will be uncompromising in our determination to achieve product excellence and, in turn, improve the world's quality of life. Our everyday work is focused on reducing impacts to the environment and improving focus on reducing impacts to the environment and improving society, while meeting client needs with superior project design and delivery.

We are committed to being involved citizens, both as a business and as individuals, in improving the communities where we reside and work. We want to leave a positive legacy in the communities we work in.

Our reputation as a trustworthy business partner is critical to our business success. Honesty, professionalism, ethical behavior, and integrity with our staff and clients. Our reputation with them is paramount to our success as is our technical leadership reputation.

Our business goals are only met when mutually we make our clients successful and we are fairly rewarded. By getting all these right, delivered through our project management, quality, safety, health and environmental management systems, we serve our clients' needs successfully.

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WOW, this sounds like an organization that is focused on the right things.