New Look for Real Time Reputation Scores for #PMOT

The only constant in the universe is change.  That couldn't be more true then on the The Plan Is website.  They created an interface that displays real time reputation scores for Project Managers on Twitter. The new interface displays not only the rank, name and score of the account trending the highest over at Twitter, but also which way they are trending.

Yes, #FollowFriday is an excellent way to discover people Tweeting about like topics.  But, this list is dedicated to Project Managers on Twitter.  Want a reputation score tracker for your own site?  They are offering that as well.  What I find so compelling is this list is impartial and dynamic.  If I'm not engaging with people, I fall off the list.  Considering this thing tracks by the hour and by the day, it provides a good feedback loop.

Just a note, the graphic above was captured an hour before this post was written.  The list below was just taken from the The Plan Is site.  By the time you read this, both will be out of date.

Rank	Name	Score	Last hour	Last day
1.	crgpm	6890	-210 in the last hour	780 in the last day
2.	derekhuether	5365	No change in the last hour	960 in the last day
3.	pmstudent	5000	-200 in the last hour	1600 in the last day
4.	purpleprojects	4835	175 in the last hour	-215 in the last day
5.	projectrecovery	3720	395 in the last hour	670 in the last day
6.	sara_broca	3385	-210 in the last hour	790 in the last day
7.	ppmcommunity	3220	420 in the last hour	3115 in the last day
8.	unlikebefore	3205	50 in the last hour	225 in the last day
9.	kareemshaker	3100	100 in the last hour	425 in the last day
10.	thegreenpm	2995	No change in the last hour	-2785 in the last day

Check out The Plan Is website and then follow them on Twitter @ThePlanIs

Let's see show them some Twitter love.

Green Eggs and Ham are…

Last night I read Green Eggs and Ham to my Son.  Because nothing is sacred in my world of blogging and project management, I drew a parallel between Sam and myself. If you don't know the story, Sam offers Green Eggs and Ham to an unnamed character.  This character adamantly states he does not like them.

Sam looks for different opportunities and scenarios where the character may enjoy the green eggs and ham.  Every time, he's dismissed.  I will not eat them here or there.  I will not eat them anywhere!

Still, Sam persists.

You do not like them.  So you say.  Try them!  Try them!  And you may.  Try them and you may, I say.

The character finally laments and tries the green eggs and ham.  Guess what?  He likes them.  He likes them a lot!  All of a sudden, he realized all of the scenarios Sam recommended really are perfect opportunities to enjoy green eggs and ham.

So, what are green eggs and ham?  I think they are ideas and opportunities. Yes, the same ones your colleagues had that got shot down.  The same ones you had but were also dismissed.  It's Agile, Scrum, Kanban, or some other approach the customer has never tried before, therefore, they don't even want to try it.

Next time someone has an idea or opportunity, try it!  Try it! And you may.  Deliver value in that way.

Image courtesy of themouseforless

If you liked this post, check out Compassion is the “Killer App” over at the Guerrilla Project Management website.

I also recommend reading Chug, Chug, Vroom, and Expectancy Theory, a blog post by Todd Williams, who explains its applicability in The Little Engine That Could.

Washington DC #PMOT Tweetup

The other night, I enjoyed the company of three awesome people who use the Twitter hashtag #pmot (project managers on Twitter).

It was nice to hear why someone else would blog about project management, why they would engage others on Twitter, or who they thought was interesting in the project management community.

We talked; we laughed; we shared stories.  What I found most intriguing was we weren't all that different.

If you ever get a chance to attend a Tweetup, I say go for it!  It's not like one of those swarmy networking events where someone you've never met walks up to you and hands you a business card.  These are people you've interacted with before.  You all have a similar interest.  You're not there to sell anything.  You go, have a few drinks, and enjoy the company.  It was really nice to shake their hands, making that direct connection.  Though I enjoying singing praises of people on #FollowFriday or tweeting back and forth, it doesn't top meeting them in person.

I hope I didn't talk to much.  I get so excited, I sometimes can't help myself.  Next time, I won't drink the pot of coffee and will just listen.  Thank you Joseph, Jhaymee, and Michiko for a wonderful night.  And thank you again, Joseph, for picking up the tab!

Image courtesy of Michiko's iPhone :-)

Why writing a guest post can be hard

I have to admit, doing a guest post for PMStudent was harder than I thought it would be.  I've been wanting to do it for a while but haven't because I couldn't think of the perfect topic and then wound up posting all of those topics on my own site.  What would be good enough for this guest post?  Clearly, the answer was whatever is good enough to post on my own site!   I've done a guest post before, writing about the challenges to task prioritization at the Personal Kanban website.  Still, pondering a topic and writing about it are two very different challenges.   I finally followed through and completed my guest post.  After I let go of my anxiety, it was really quite easy. I've been following Josh Nankivel, and his PMStudent blog, since I first logged onto Twitter and started PM blogging.  Josh is an excellent resource for anyone in the PM industry. Particularly, he is passionate about helping new and aspiring project managers succeed.  It shows!  Since I aspire to do the same thing, you can understand my trepidation in choosing a topic for my guest post on his blog.

My topic of choice was on "Contract type: Here’s the best one…"

Unfortunately, there is no ONE best type of contract because the risk the vendor and customer share is determined by the contract type.  The best thing to do is understand who bares the risks or benefits of each.  Being I don't know if you (the reader) are a vendor, a customer, or a project manager, I offered an objective description of each contract type to help shed some light on the subject.

Please check out Josh's blog and let me know what you think of the post.  Scathing reviews are welcome.  OK, that's a lie. No scathing reviews, please.  I hope this is the first of many guest posts I will be doing.  If you want me to write something for your site, please send me an email or direct message me on Twitter.

Now that I published some information on the PMStudent site, I think I'm going to add a little more content and provide it for download, as an informative product.

Give the Gift of Communications

I'm really disappointed that, for the second week in a row, a key communications meeting was canceled.  Though I review the slide deck hours before the meeting, I look forward to the interaction with everyone.  I'm sure some across the table from me don't agree.  Some may be relieved they don't need to look me in the eye and answer questions from me or my colleagues.  Unfortunately, regardless if it temporarily relieves their anxiety, it just complicates matters in the long run.  You can't get all of the information you need from a PowerPoint slide deck.  You need to read body language and engage with people.  In an age of PowerPoint slide decks, conference calls, and Go-To-Meetings, there is still a need to interact with people one-on-one. Do you want a better relationship with a customer, vendor, or colleague?  Then talk to them!  Get your butt out of that chair, walk down the hall, drive across town, and engage them.  Though you may actually have a need to talk to them about a given subject, take a moment and try to interact with them on some topic other than business.  We're all human.  Reach out and communicate!

My analogy is like bringing your wife (or loved-one) flowers (or some other gift).  Don't bring do it because of a birthday, an anniversary, or some other holiday.  They expect that.  Bring the gift because it's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or because you thought of something that reminded you of them.  Now, realize that gift is communication.

image by lrargerich

To PMP or not to PMP That is the question

My first exposure to the PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification was several years ago when I was dealing with a stakeholder over at National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Though I had worked in technical consulting before, I hadn't worked strictly as a PM until this point.  I remember seeing this stakeholder had this "PMP" at the end of her name and I also recall how she was horrible to deal with.  She was demanding, rude, and exhibited no control over what she did.  In retrospect, she didn't follow the PMBoK at all.  My boss at the time made things very clear to me.  He said talk to her a lot.  She liked to feel important and in charge.  I didn't have formal PM training at the time so I treated her like I would any customer.  I was polite and engaged her, listening to not just her needs but her wants.  Wow did she had a lot of wants.

Oh did I say I wanted that button in blue?  That's not the blue I wanted.  Be specific?  Bluer then that.  Make it bluer than that but not too blue.  No, I won't sign a change request.  Just do it.

I tried to understand her motivations.  But let's face it, sometime people are just miserable and mean and you have just let it go.  Because she had a PMP credential, she was suddenly justified in her actions.  I compare this with the age old question, "What do you call the people who graduate last in their medical-school class?  That answer is "Doctor".

This person clearly was hiding behind her credential.  As far as I was concerned, she gamed the system.  She passed the test but didn't learn the lessons.  That's not how I operate.  But, I saw the trend.  The PMP was getting the hype from stakeholders and hiring managers.  It suggests a PMP is a prerequisite to being able to manage a project.

My motivation was different from this "paper" PMP and many others I've met since.  I wanted to be a great project manager.  I wanted to create things and solve problems.  I wanted to be both disciplined and personal.  So, I studied and studied, with the hope of becoming a PMP and I did it.  For those out there who think they can go get the certification and be great project managers, think again.  That's like saying all great cooks are great chefs.  They aren't!  Great cooks can follow directions.  Great chefs can create something remarkable out of whatever they are given.  Just because you've been to culinary school doesn't make you a great chef.  If you don't have that creativity and passion, it's just not going to happen.

Don't get me wrong.  I am not so arrogant that I think I am a great project manager.  I am merely a student of project management who wishes to refine his craft and teach others to do it as well.  If you think getting the PMP is what you'll need to be taken seriously, do what you have to do.  I don't write the rule book.  I just try to play the game the best I can.  If I can help others out there, I will.

This post was inspired by Geoff Crane and the comment he made here on The Critical Path.

(Image by officiallifebydesign.com)

January PMP Numbers Up Over 6000 In One Month

Every month I get a copy of PMI Today and I annotate 3 data points: New PMPs for the month, New PMPs YTD, and Total PMPs.  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see PMI is certifying a volume of PMPs with no end it sight.  In January, there were 3,714 new PMPs.  Since they've only reported January (2010) numbers, YTD totals match.  What is the shocker is the total number of PMPs.  We're looking at 367,619, up from 361,238 in December.  That's right, numbers are up overall 6,381 in one month. I did a quick compare to January of last year.  The overall total of PMPs is up by 45,369 in 12 months.  Average that out and you're looking at 3,780 a month.

Some of you out there with other credentials curse the PMP®.  I have to admit, some of the worst project managers I have EVER met, were PMPs.  I guess the same could be said for any profession.  Certifications don't guarantee quality, but like it or not, a lot of people drank the Kool-Aid.  If you want to exceed in project management, many of you find yourself going after one certification or another.

I do think there is merit in the PMP certification, though I would feel more comfortable if I thought PMI wasn't in it for the money.  That's kind of hypocritical of me, since I do make money in the support of the PMP certification.  My prediction of 2010 is PMI will hit 400,000 PMPs by June and close to 450,000 by year end.

Though not all of these current 367,619 PMPs are currently PMI membership holders, if they were (at $119 each) you'd be looking at $43,746,661 in annual membership fees.

Isn't math fun!?

The Critical Path Week Ending February 28

Due to working crazy off hours in preparation for my v1.0 launch, I not only forgot to do a week in review on the 20th, I also missed meeting my writing commitment on the 24th and 25th.  Whatever the excuses, I was feeling a little burned out.  I have to remember this is a marathon and not a sprint.  Writing a daily blog takes a lot of discipline.  Though I have so much to say, it can escape me if I don't get the idea captured quickly.  Wow, it's hard to believe it's almost March.  At least there should be viewer posts about snow removal.

2/26/2010

Putting Things In Perspective

I had mild chest and shoulder pains this morning. I am in the ER waiting to see the doctor. I’ll let you know the outcome and my status shortly...

2/23/2010

Satisfying Needed Scope Versus Wants

There are many templates and means to ensure your project meets the requirements.  But I can’t stress enough how important it is to ensure you’re working to satisfy the requirements (or scope) first...

2/22/2010

The Hateful Cycle of Apathy Hits a Nerve

Have you ever stuck your neck out and get no support?  Did the trust among that team start to break down? I’ve seen it happen first hand and Geoff Crane wrote an awesome post over at Papercut Edge about it...

2/21/2010

How To Prevent Your Project From Hemorrhaging

This post is in response to a post written by Jennifer Bedell on the PMStudent blog about goldplating. Goldplating is very common in application development and can be very expensive...

2/20/2010

How Owners Managers and Leaders Differ

I was asked a very interesting question today, requiring me to stop and think. How do I believe being an entrepreneur and a business owner differ? It’s a very good question because...

2/19/2010

What You Need Is Some Kaizen

While sitting in a governance meeting the other day, I heard how (before I joined the team) a vendor brought in some high paid six sigma black belts to...

2/18/2010

How to Thank a Managed Camel

I was informed I am the winner of the very first Freedom of Speech February (FOSF) giveaway from How to Manage a Camel.  My comments last week on a blog post by Gary Holmes earned me a free copy of the Method123 Project Management Methodology (MPMM™) Professional from their partners at Method123...

2/17/2010

Creeping Ever So Closer To Closure

As my startup project is creeping ever so closer to its closure and the actual launch of the product happens, I’m feverishly completing activities late into the night.  It’s not easy working crazy hours to get this done.  My family goes to bed, I drink a pot of coffee, and get to work...

2/16/2010

Interesting PMI Perspective On Claiming PDUs

...Based on the telephone conversation I had, if you’ve worked as a PM for at least 6 months, you can claim 5 PDUs.  Otherwise, if you are able to say you spend more than 1,500 hours per calendar year in that roll, you also qualify to claim the 5 PDUs...

2/15/2010

Getting Exactly What You Want

I just wrapped up a week long logo design project at 99Designs, with an intellectual property transfer agreement.  Flash back to August 2009, when I was watching Episode 13 of This Week in Startups...