Waikiki at Night

It's been a hot summer in Hawaii. The streets of Waikiki have been jammed packed with foot traffic.

Project Managers and Educators under The Big Top

The two profession have something in common. They both are responsible to motivate individuals to complete tasks to achieve a deliverable. They both have limited authority over the individuals they are responsible for.

When you are in charge of a project you are borrowing staff from other managers to be part of your team. When you are an educator you are tasked with a mission to teach.

How do you achieve respect and control over individuals that you have no direct control over. It's up to you to set the ground rules in the beginning to show who is the master. It's like a Lion Tamer. You cannot show fear and you can't be over aggressive either. It's a delicate balance to gain true respect. It's a social game you have to play. If you come off as a jerk or too soft you will be eaten alive metaphorically.

Project Managers and Educators who feel they are qualified in their profession need to take a closer look at themselves. The two professions have a lot in common. They both need to have the ability to motivate people to achieve an accomplishment by dealing with resistance at times and getting back on track.

I have been using the blend in approach by not flaunting my limited position of authority. Grab everyone's attention early to get them onboard with you that we are all here to achieve an accomplishment. They all know I'm in charge. It's how you handle the people to make them comfortable with the goals you are guiding them to achieve. 

All the certifications and education does not make you a good project manager or educator. You need heart and soul. Ask yourself why you are in your chosen field. Do you have a passion to lead people to make an achievement because that's what it is all about. 

Life can be a circus at times. Who said it's a cakewalk to manage projects and teach? It's not for everyone. If your going to do it then put on a show and #MakeItCount

Educators using web based Project Management Software

Educators can benefit from using project management software by outlining their curriculum for the semester. Stay on track to meet the goals of the semester. You wil be able to tune your curriculum by tracking and making adjustments on where you need to spend more or less time on subjects.  

The software has more features that will make you a well organized educator.

Free trial to test it out: https://www.wrike.com/?r=HkkJ7vgL

Wrike Project Management - Part 1

Wrike is your web based project management solution. Test drive Wrike on a 30 day free trial to see if it meets the needs of your organization. Select a project that can be completed within 30 days that will exploit the capabilities of Wrike to draw a comprehensive conclusion that Wike is the right solution for your organization.

Wrike can be run from your web browser on your laptop or desktop. Stay connected with the Wrike mobile app for iOS devices or Android devices.

Upon completion of the 30 day trial you can decide to purchase Wrike. Select the appropriate plan for your organization to purchase. If you decide not to purchase Wike you will still be able to use the 5 users license with limited capabilities free.

Signup now to get started: Wrike

Romantic Hawaii Getaway at the Hilton Hawaiian Village

One of my favorite hangouts is the Hilton Hawaiian Village. You can go for a walk along the beach to have a front row view of spectacular sunsets. Watch fireworks every Friday night. 

Relax at night and cool down by the pool with a Mai Tai.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is located in a prime area of Waikiki. It's a mini city with everything that you need in walking distance. Restaurants, shops, bars, and more.

If your looking for a place to recharge and just hangout this is the place.

Relax at night poolside 

 Stunning sunsets

Project Management Key Performance Indicators (KPI's)

It's a good idea to complement your project by defining KPI's to present to your stakeholders. KPI's will demonstrate that the project is on track by meeting it's goals. Assemble your team to come up with ideas on what to measure and how you will achieve the measurement.

Project milestones are important, but they just mean that you reached a given point in the project. Stage your KPI's at milestones to get a thorough health check on the condition of the project then celebrate the milestone.

It's all about ensuring that you deliver the right results when you get to the finish line.

Project Manager v2.0

The key areas of Project Manager v2.0 

Deadlines, resources, and small budgets. I need it next month. Leverage technology to run your projects. Web based Project Management is here so use it. So many products for you to try out for free to see if it works for your organization.

The modern day project manager has a full plate of responsibilities:

- Cloud access to the project. 

- Staying on top of project management methodologies.

- A politician to negotiate tactfully. Charisma to lead. Social skills to be respected by the team.

- Social Media savvy. Communicate your project on social media. Get approval with your Public Relation Department on what you can post.

- Working out of your comfort zone by taking on projects that are not in your line of expertise. You will learn and grow to be a valuable project manager.

- Being a Subject Matter Expert in many areas. It's good to have some subjects under your belt, but in reality you are not going to know everything. Rely on your experience and skills to become a SME in a new subject. Over time as you assemble teams and work with SME's you will become a SME in many areas.

The sticky notes Project Management tool

One of the most high tech tools at your disposal is the sticky notes. When you are brainstorming and laying out your project you need to start labeling all your high level and detailed tasks on sticky notes. 

When you are all done creating your labeled sticky notes the fun starts. Look for a wall or window in your office to start arranging the notes. You are going to assemble a puzzle called your next project. You can keep shifting the notes around to ponder different approaches until you feel you have tasks in the right sequence. 

This is actually the high tech part of laying out your project. Enter your masterpiece puzzle of tasks into a web based project management software or Microsoft Project.

What Happened to Hawaii?

I always pass by homeless camps in Hawaii driving so this time I wanted to get a close up look and feel of these camps at a safe distance on foot. I'm not implying these camps are all dangerous, but a Hawaii lawmaker was attacked taking pictures and doing research near the area that I selected Kaka'ako Waterfront Park that is in the heart of Honolulu. In hindsight, I put myself in a precarious position. It did not help that I was dressed up in a Aloha Shirt and dress pants the standard Hawaii business attire. I snapped pictures with my iPhone discreetly and disappeared. 

The homeless problem is all around in Hawaii. Affordable housing does not exist in Hawaii when the wages that the average person earns can't even rent an apartment. Solution live on the streets and keep moving around when you get kicked out of your current location.

The previous Governor and current Mayor of Honolulu both failed on solutions. Only bandaid fixes that don't last. The current Governor is new and he is teaming up with the Honolulu Mayor that failed in the past. The Governor formed a new task force to tackle the mushrooming homeless problem. I will not make any judgements on the current Governor until I see him in action. Is his task force going to succeed with a long term solutions to help the homeless. 

Hawaii is becoming a Banana Republic, but we don't sell bananas we build 1 million+ condominiums and homes. The future of Hawaii is grim for our children because they will all leave Hawaii for a better life on the mainland. Hawaii is failing to bring in industries that will create employment at good wages to buy these 1 million+ homes. The tourism industry that is Hawaii's bread and butter is not a decent living for most. The people in the tourism industry need to hold down an extra part-time job or a second full-time job to stay off the streets. This is ridiculous. Is this America?

It's not an easy fix. The mainland states keep sending their homeless to Hawaii promising them a better life in a warmer state on the streets. That crap needs to stop. There are so many families with young children in these camps it breaks my heart how they have to live in a tent on a sidewalk playing in the street. How do these children get an education when they are living under these circumstances. We can't all be a Rocket Scientist, Doctor or Lawyer, but we need to help these children get a good education so they have an opportunity for good paying jobs in the future.

I'm calling you out Governor and Mayor to perform your duties that you were elected too. It's not rocket science to find solutions to help the homeless. It's a staged long term plan. You can't look for the slam dunk solution it does not exist. Put me on that task force and I will come up with proposals. You can find me here on my blog.

I recall when I was a little kid growing up in Hawaii it was a different place. Hawaii is changing not for the better, but for the worst.

In the background condominiums priced at 1 million+ and such a bargain. Note to self, I need to buy one of these bargains at 1 million+. 

This is the view around 200 yards away from the homeless camps.

Scope Creep a dirty word in Project Management

I worked on a project that was eventually terminated due to scope creep causing enormous cost overruns. The Project Manager did not stay within the scope. This happened slowly over time like a small crack in a dam leaks water. Change requests kept coming in and they were all getting approved. The cost of the project just kept going up. Change requests are a part of every project it happens. This project had change requests beyond sanity. We were replacing a system with the same system in the end if we did not pull the plug on it and cut our losses already.

Some causes of scope creep:

(1) Poorly defined requirements that don't clearly highlight the objectives you want to achieve. You need your deliverables defined clearly.

(2) Weak change control.

(3) Sponsors that are weak.

(4) Selecting the wrong vendor solution.

(5) A Project Manager that does not raise the flag when he sees the project spiraling out of control. He thinks he can salvage it.

(6) Having no sign-off from all parties that have a stake in the project. They need to speak up if they feel the proposed project falls short of their objectives. Hash it out before you formally kickoff the project.

My granddaughter loves playing Minecraft. The creepers job is to ambush players. Players can avoid creepers by running away or facing them to get rid of them. You can runaway from the creepers to avoid them, but they are still out there looking to cause trouble. Exterminate the creepers to get rid of them. The same goes for scope creep in project management. Don't allow numerous changes without challenging it. Face it head on and ask for a compelling justification. If your given a weak justification terminate that change request.

Minecraft Creeper