The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow. Crunchy numbers A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats. About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was… [Read more…]
December 2, 2010 by David Kohrell
Weaving throughout the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK), ISACA content & CobiT, Lean Six Sigma best practice and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) / PRINCE 2 is the concept of proactively managing risk. Risk is based on a probability of an event occuring (positive and negative) and the impact should that even… [Read more…]
September 30, 2010 by David Kohrell
Risk management weaves through multiple disciplines. Addressing potential future events, both good and bad, is the focus of risk management. There are two primary factors: 1) the probability of that event occurring and 2) the impact of that event occurring. Take those two together (multiply) and a Risk Priority Number can be calculated. For example… [Read more…]
September 14, 2010 by David Kohrell
Nexus – 1. a means of connection; tie; link. 2. a connected series or group. 3. the core or center, as of a matter or situation. In geek’dom – a moderately successful 1994 Star Trek movie that saw one 700 year old guy named Soran (wonder if they’d been reading Tolkien) not only take on… [Read more…]
August 8, 2010 by David Kohrell
In a Request For Proposal selection process or project a flexibility, well defined rubric is critical. That rubric is more commonly known as score sheets, scales and weights. The best practice is to define that rubric prior to issuing the RFP – the selection committee needs to know 1) what they are selected and 2)… [Read more…]
July 27, 2010 by tapuniversity
A Request For Quotation is a seller selection process where the buyer knows what they need and specifies quantity, terms, even target price. It is a companion, complimentary seller/vendor selection tool to the Request For Proposal. You might use a RFQ at your work place and not even realize it. For example purchasing 100 copies… [Read more…]
July 24, 2010 by David Kohrell
A Request For Proposal (RFP) is a common way to select for a vendor based solution or product. They are used when what is needed can be identified and described, but a detailed step by step method may not be known. RFP’s may result in a fixed bid or cost plus performance contract awarded to… [Read more…]
June 21, 2010 by tapuniversity
“Welcome to the company, Kaite!” says Kenneth. “Thanks, I just finished the 3-day orientation session” says Kaite. “Did they talk about the Kentucky Derby taboo?” whispered Kenneth. “Uhh…no.” said Kaite confused. “Don’t ever mention it! The CEO lost all his savings betting on Trippi ten years ago. Actually, it’s best never to mention the names… [Read more…]
May 12, 2010 by tapuniversity
Good news for project managers who have earned their PMP®! It’s also an incentive for project managers who are considering becoming certified. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article indicating that increasing value is being placed upon having earned a certification such as the PMP. The article quotes the Project Management Institute (PMI) as… [Read more…]
May 5, 2010 by tapuniversity
Projects can be classified in different ways, and one common distinction is a Professional Services Project. These projects do not have traditional, physical products as their primary deliverable. Rather, the deliverable is intellectual in nature such as a scientific article, process documentation, or software. The PMBOK® (4th Ed.) defines a project as “a temporary endeavor… [Read more…]
May 3, 2010 by tapuniversity
The Not Invented Here (NIH) Syndrome is observed across many realms—not just project management. NIH Syndrome manifests itself as an avoidance to use certain products or ideas because of their origin (with this origin being something other than one’s own). Now if an individual or organization is truly the best at something, than it makes… [Read more…]
April 13, 2010 by tapuniversity
The term Fordism comes from the name Henry Ford who was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford was able to mass produce the Model-T efficiently enough that common people across America could afford their own automobile. He accomplished this productivity through means that include standardization, assembly lines, and decomposing complex tasks into… [Read more…]
April 5, 2010 by tapuniversity
The Mean Time Between Failure is the average time between system failures. It’s an index of reliability, usually expressed in hours, so it pertains to the quality of a product. The larger the number of hours, the more reliable the system. When used to predict (rather than describe) reliability, this relatively simple concept can involve… [Read more…]
April 2, 2010 by tapuniversity
A PESTLE Analysis is an examination of an organization’s external environment. PESTLE is an acronym for: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. There are many variations of this analysis such as PEST, STEP, ETPS, PESTLEE, SLEPT, STEEPLE, and PEST-G. Here are just some of the questions that could be asked relating to these factors:… [Read more…]
December 30, 2009 by tapuniversity
Do perfectionists make good Project Managers? Surely there are perfectionists out there who are good project managers and there are perfectionists out there who are bad project managers. But does the trait of perfectionism naturally mesh well with the demands of managing projects? I am a perfectionist, and I’ve been told in the workplace that… [Read more…]
December 29, 2009 by tapuniversity
How does a Project Manager motivate their team to do their best, and therefore increase the likelihood of project success? The most important thing to remember is that because team members are individuals they each have a unique set of motivators. I have talked to salespeople who were rewarded by being given a vacation day… [Read more…]
December 22, 2009 by tapuniversity
If your goal is to maximize productivity, then multi-tasking could actually be a culprit. Although some simple tasks may be performed simultaneously, such as carrying on an idle conversation while washing dishes after dinner, without noticeably detrimental effects, the complex multi-tasking and frequent task-switching that we subject our minds to may actually decrease efficiency overall.… [Read more…]
November 27, 2009 by tapuniversity
Pop’s Popcorn Factory employs 1000 people. Management wants to know employee views on a number of topics such as whether they would prefer having underground parking built for them or a soda-fountain shop opened in the factory. They randomly chose a sample of 150 people from the list of 1000 employees to take a survey.… [Read more…]
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January 2, 2011 by tapuniversity
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