Journyx Project Management Blog

For project managers, “no” is often the toughest word in the English language to deploy. We often prefer the classic PM strategy of “Yes, but…” as the softer, kinder, gentler alternative. “No” sounds harsh. Uncooperative. It sounds reticent and recalcitrant. It sounds negative. And yet, for many of us, the time has come as professionals to set “yes, but…” aside and venture into the world of “no.”

I say this because I note that with increasing frequency, clients are not taking “yes, but…” as an answer. No sooner do we offer a “yes-we-can-do-that, but-it-costs-you-another-million” response that the customer hears only the first half of the equation. They often seem far more interested in capability than cost. As a result, when we come to the table with the costs for their ventures, they balk.

One of my clients recently asked for a much higher level of review and a much higher degree of involvement in my consulting work than that to which I have become accustomed through the years. I agreed to a single review, but during that review, it became very clear that this was not to be a one-time event. They wanted more and more involvement in the work I have historically done to great accolades. And so, at the end of the first conference call, I tried a “yes, but..” approach.

“Yes, we can do additional reviews, but there will need to be a change in our contractual arrangements to accommodate them.”

When they replied that they saw this as work under the contract, I realized it was not a “yes, but…” situation. It called for clear, defined action.

“No. I cannot continue to do these reviews, so we need to develop an exit strategy, as I cannot provide the requisite number of reviews and still achieve my financial objectives.”

The client was flummoxed. They wanted to know why I had suddenly changed my tune. They wanted to know why I was willing to walk away from such a critical opportunity. They wanted to know why we should terminate a long-standing agreement over such a minor issue. I explained that I had attempted to provide reasonable accommodation, but that it was no longer possible to make the required margins with the additional reporting pressure.

They grumbled. They groused. They threatened to walk away from the contract. And then they ceded the point and went back to the original levels of tracking and reporting.

At first the post-event relationship seemed strained and tenuous. But I think the reality is that I was projecting that on them. In fact, since I said “no,” only once, they have actually been more cooperative, more supportive, and more sensitive to my organizational needs. And I’M the consultant!

Read more at ProjectConnections.

The PMBOK defines Risk Management as “The systematic process of identifying, analyzing, and responding to project risk”. That being said, what is project risk? A project risk is an event that, if it occurs, causes either a positive or negative impact on a project. Not to be confused with issue management, which addresses those factors that are already causing impacts, risk management is about identifying potential risks and mitigating or managing them.

Elements of Risk Management

The purpose of risk management is to identify, address, and eliminate sources of risk before they become threats to successful completion of a project. Risks can be addressed at any of several levels.

1. Confrontation — Addressing risks only after they have become problems. Also called crisis management.

2. Reaction — Detect and react to risks quickly, but only after they have occurred.

3. Mitigation — Plan ahead of time to provide resources to cover risks if they occur, but do nothing to eliminate them in the first place.

4. Prevention — Implement and execute a plan as part of the software project to identify risks and prevent them from becoming problems.

5. Elimination — Identify and eliminate factors that make it possible for risks to exist at all.

A good project manager addresses schedule risks at levels 4 and 5 rather than at levels 1 through 3. The project is heading for failure if a project managers daily activity is addressing risks at level 1, 2, or 3.

Read more at PM World Today.

My company has rolled out our web-based timesheet software to hundreds of large companies. Usually it is for the use of a department or two, or for one division. Yet as people start to use our technology to understand their costs better, other departments want in on the action and buy licenses too.

When these follow-on departments do their rollouts, it happens in one of two ways:

1. They start all over and do it the way they want it.
2. They have some central and more experienced group roll it out on behalf of the new department.

We’ve found that in many cases the second way works better. In fact, I’d call this a best practice for rolling out successive phases of a large software installation. Have a central team do it so the learning can be captured and processes more easily repeated.

- Curt Finch, Journyx CEO

There’s very little that you can do before the start of a project without first defining the project scope. It’s an interesting process to go through if you’re used to the type of organization that many of us face these days. Executing the Scope Management phase of your project will allow you to create and maintain the Scope Statement that outlines the deliverables you need to produce by the end of your project. This phase also helps you as the project manager by ensuring and communicating that only the work that is defined in the Scope Statement is actually executed.

Step 1: Planning

Most organizations that have any type of Project Management methodology have their Organization Process Assess (OPA) available to the PMs in the company. This, along with your Project Charter and a Preliminary Project Scope Statement, are going to help you go a long way to getting this part off the ground.

When you’ve finished the planning step, you will have created your Scope Management Plan. Your Scope Management Plan defines how you will document, refine, verify and control the project scope.

Read more at TechRepublic.

Journyx customer ACS Dataline, LP has some nice things to say about Journyx - and we didn’t even have to bribe them!

If you’re someone who hasn’t yet joined the Journyx family, take a look at ACS Dataline’s review of Timesheet at DMReview.com. It just might tell you - from an independent point of view - what you need to make your decision.

Read more at: http://journyx.com/rss/redir/dmreview.html

Before we talk about team building, we must have a fair idea of the word “Team”. Team is a collection of people, often from diverse but related groups, assigned to perform a well-defined function for an organization or a project.

From the word, team comes “Team building”. Team building as the name so evidently suggests is the process of building an effective team. A team building exercise helps in making for a strong cohesive unit that has a common goal and purpose. It also involves coordinating the dynamics of the group to improve its efficiency. When you build a team, it is important to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and every team member. This will enable you to assign tasks that they will be good at.

Read more at at: http://journyx.com/rss/redir/projmag-teambuild.html

You already have Timesheet. But do you have the tools that make the most of your data? See what else Journyx has to offer to help you meet your unique business needs:

• Accountlink - The Timesheet/QuickBooks Integration
• Projectlink - The Timesheet/MS Project Integration
• Journyx Data Validation Tool
• Journyx Payroll Rules Engine
• Journyx DCAA Toolset
• Journyx Self-Service SQL Query Tool

Learn more about these tools on our website.

Read more at: http://journyx.com/rss/tools.html

I’ve often heard people complain about intense projects: They’re too much work and emotionally draining. But oddly, I’ve noticed that people seem to have more trouble after an intense project than during one.

Read more at: http://journyx.com/rss/redir/cworld-nowwhat.html

We don’t do this often, but sometimes we really feel strongly about introducing our customers to a partner of ours. And today, we’re feeling it. So without further ado, meet our friends at Cognitive Technologies.

Cognitive delivers enterprise IT project and program solutions to commercial and government clients by providing the project leadership, experience, and support our clients require. They apply their proven consulting services, tools, and methodologies to ensure that your critical technology projects produce targeted business results.

Their qualified, certified professionals apply their practical “know-how” in projects, process, technology, and people to successfully plan, manage, and lead projects to successful outcomes. Your can count on them to assess a critical project, turn around a troubled project, staff your project team, or lead your project to success.

So if you’re on the hook for the business outcome of a mission critical project, let Cognitive Technologies’ performance services assure your success.

Learn more at: http://cognitive-technologies.com

• What do the different authorities for Custom Roles do and how can I
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