The November Golden Horizon Sunset

The November sunset lights up the horizon as it descends into the pacific ocean ending another day in the Aloha State.

Ala Wai Boat Harbor - Honolulu, Hawaii

Liquid Glass courtesy of the King Tides

Summer has arrived so get outside and watch the ocean and sun put on a show. I was able to catch a snapshot of a wave smashing into a sea wall on a day when it was a King Tide day.

Queen's Surf Beach
Waikiki

Painting the Sky with a June Sunset

The sun decided to hide behind the clouds. Nature can be an artist by painting the sky with brilliant colors when the sun is hidden. Any type of sunset is special because you were able to be there and see it in person. Alway remember to stop and appreciate the beauty of nature when you have the opportunity.

Ala Wai Boat Harbor
Honolulu, Hawaii 

The Golden Lagoon from a May Sunset

Watching a May sunset at the Hilton Hawaiian Village is just an awesome sight as it paints the sky and creates a golden lagoon.

Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon @ Hilton Hawaiian Village
Oahu

Project Management in Real Life

The Project Manager

Having project management certifications and taking classes will help you prepare for the adventure that you will go on when you accept a Project Manager position. Now for reality. Do think you can serve PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) or Agile Project Management on a platter to your team to deliver a project on schedule. Well wake up or go back to sleep and keep on dreaming. PMBOK is a must to know but know how to make it work to your advantage.

Being a good PM means that you should be staying on top of trends in the profession. Read blogs from project managers that have real life experience walking the walk to help you gain knowledge that might be helpful for future projects someday. Approaches and techniques are a hit and miss. Just keep on trying to you hit pay dirt. You will. Being a good PM means that you have genuine desire to take on a role to have people trust in you to follow your roadmap to achievement. 

Chicks Assembled 

The Team

Every team you come across in your PM role will be different. You need to get into their heads to understand where they are coming from. You want to bring out their best and not go to battle with them. Not an easy task but who said being a PM is a cakewalk. Groom your team one day at a time. You must gain the trust in your team to be successful or it will be a bumpy ride following your roadmap to success. Everyone on the team plays an important role no matter how small it is.

Getting Your Chicks Assembled

The ultimate reward is when the team is on the same page. You might not have ducks to get in a row. You might have chicks to corral. The main objective is that everyone knows their role on the team.

The April Sunset Said Rain Rain Go Away

It's April and the sun was able to deliver a spectacular fireball sunset with the clouds out of the way. The south shore of Oahu is the place to be spring time to view beautiful postcard sunsets.

The view from the beach near the Hilton Hawaiian Village

A True Friend

A true friend is a person that stands up for you when another person that is a fake friend puts you down behind your back. It's amazing how people love to talk behind your back. It's even more amazing when they don't believe your true friend coming to your defense. That's just a pure insult. I have one less friend that really was just an acquaintance. No time in my life for people like that.
                           

The Orchestra Conductor of Projects

The Symphony Orchestra Conductor interprets a composer's score to set the tempo for the Orchestra. The conductor stands most of the time on a raised podium with a baton, but also uses hand gestures and body language to convey the emotions of the musical score to the orchestra.

Will an orchestra function without a conductor?  Yes, the show will go on with some inconsistent interpretations of the score. Will there be a good review of that Symphony? Highly unlikely unless they get lucky.

Being a Conductor is an art. Just because you can play beautiful music does not mean you can conduct. The Symphony Orchestra needs a Conductor to be successful on their delivery of music.

The Project Manager is that point person that guides a team to complete tasks on time. The tasks can be completed independently of each other or they need to be completed in a defined order of dependencies to accomplish a deliverable. All the tasks make up a project with a defined scope to deliver results.

Being a Project Manager requires the ability to have a vision on how you will deliver a project on schedule by guiding your team members to stay focused on their part in the project. Every team member plays an important role no matter how small they think their part is. No room for slackers or weak links that will comprise the teams rhythm.  

Will a team function without a project manager? Yes, it's done all the time. Will the project be on time within a budget? I don't recommend taking chances without a project manager because you might be lucky to have some good team members that can guide the team to successful delivery of a project. That might not be the case all the time.

Being a Project Manager is an art too. The delivery of projects on schedule within a budget is like a Symphony Orchestra Conductor that delivers a beautiful Symphony with a standing ovation at the end. That's why the Project Manager is the Symphony Orchestra Conductor of Projects. They deliver results. No standing ovation, only pure satisfaction for the team delivering a successful project.

The March Hawaii Sunset at the Harbor

March rolled in fast and put on a show with some beautiful sunsets on the coastline of Oahu's south shore. Always take a time out if you get a chance to view a sunset. It's a few minutes of nature putting on a show for you. 

Ala Wai Boat Harbor
Oahu

Just a February Sunset in Hawaii

Sunsets in Hawaii are a pure treat when you are near a coastline. Just stop what you are doing and take a few minutes to watch a sunset. It's a beautiful show that nature puts on everyday. 

Ala Wai Boat Harbor
Oahu

The Project Manager's Attitude

Project Management Attitude 

Project Managers are a special breed of professionals. It's a calling to lead people on the right path to achieve results. Having the right attitude in Project Management is so important. Relying on education and certifications alone is not going to make you a good Project Manager. It's all about heart and soul for the role.

A person can know the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) inside out. Will that guarantee that you are a competent Project Manager. If you know how to recite the alphabets and have a good vocabulary does that make you a writer of novels. The point I'm making is just because you have an aptitude in a profession does not mean you belong in that profession. Project Management is special and not everyone should be in that role. I don't care how many certifications you have.

The Project Manager that knows how to read people to bring out their best and guide them to success is what Project Management is all about. Your role as a Project Manager means that you are the focus of attention. Your attitude will play an important part in your role to be a good leader that is followed and respected.

The Project Manager that makes it happen

Six key important areas that will deliver project results

This is just some tips to insert into your project. Keep them in mind on your next project. Be known as The Project Manager that makes it happen.

1. Define Key Performance Indicators at project milestones.

• You have reached that milestone so make sure it really is achieving it's purpose.
• Give your project a good review that you really earned that milestone.

2. What type of Service Level Agreements will the project produce.

• Give your stakeholders great expectations.
• The project must be improving a process so highlight it.

3. The Command Center Project Dashboard on a large screen.

• Real time status.
• The Project Team will be directed to update their status daily to feed the dashboard.
• Track budget.
• Monitor the Project Team's progress.
• Get a big picture of the project on a large screen.
• Accountability for a transparent project.
• Project Health will be monitored closely to address potential issues before they become a problem.

4. Change Control process to monitor Scope / Budget Creep.

• Document the justification and cost to insert change into a project.
• Analyze the impact on the project to insert a change order into it.
• Will a new go-live date result from the proposed change order?
• Present change order to management for approval.

5. Identify Potential Risks in the project.

• Monitor risks to address them early to find best remediation.

6. Special Meetings.

• Have a One on One 15 minute meeting with key team members before the project kickoff and biweekly thereafter.

   

The Awesome Voggy January Sunset

Vog from the erupting volcano on the island of Hawaii blows over Oahu when wind patterns change. The particles in the atmosphere create some spectacular sunsets to witness. This beautiful picture was taken on the beach in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
  

Catamaran at Port Hilton getting ready to sail away into the sunset.