Friday

It's the weekend..yay! I feel like I had a pretty productive week at work. I got out a proposal in pretty record time. I never have trouble with the writing part of these things. Coming up with scope, approach, deliverables and such are a breeze. But I don't love Microsoft Project for project planning. I don't even think its the tool itself, I just think it's my knowledge of it. I have always muddled through using it, setting up constraints, predecessors, fun stuff like that .

As Cliff talked about their awful SAP implementation I am always mindful of coming up with meaningful tasks for things, and covering the bases when it comes to testing, training, etc. Over the years I have done a lot of Project Management by the seat of my pants and its always a learning experience. It can be a tough job. You need to set client expectations, ensure you are delivering what they need/want, make them aware of constraints. Sometimes you are the nice guy, sometimes not so much. You have to work with and motivate your team to get the work done. You need to mitigate issues hopefully before they arise, and deal with ones that hit you square in the face.

I keep adapting my style. I have probably become a lot firmer with everyone over the years. When I say firm this isn't usually a negative thing. Its a matter of being very clear about expectations and dealing with things quickly when your spidey sense is tingling.

One of the guys on our project team told me he really admired my style because he said I stay calm and help the team to brainstorm resolutions. That was a nice compliment. I have realized I am often a facilitator. We have a lot of smart people so you really have to tap into their knowledge. I feel like I am a wedding planner at times, there is the caterer, a DJ and a bartender. They all know their individual jobs, but if you don't bring them together at the right time and in the right place, there isn't a wedding.

The other day when I was watching a house flipping show, I realized that half of those guys use the "pissy bitch" method of project management. Their tactic is to yell at everyone and demand shit. It is usually some poor Mexican contractors they are reaming out. It drives me nutz and makes me angry. Your not much of a leader if you just intimidate the crap out of people!

So the next while is looking pretty busy, but I don't mind as I prefer a bit more going on than less. The days go faster and I like the synergy of doing some new stuff.

So that was the week, it was good, but bring on the long weekend!