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Volume X - Issue XII - December 2008
Featured Papers
By Zelda Jones, PMP Editor’s note: This paper was originally presented at the 2nd Annual UT Dallas Project Management Symposium in Richardson, Texas, USA (http://pmsymposium.utdallas.edu/) in August 2008. As a Media Partner for that event, PMForum agreed to republish selected papers in PM World Today. This paper is included here with the consent of the author and permission of the Graduate Program in Project Management at The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management, who is the copyright holder of the conference proceedings. All conditions and disclaimers of the copyright holder pertain. AbstractProject Management and Project Managers are not considered to be overtly funny. As the US economy begins a slow down with more companies announcing layoffs and closures, it is difficult for employees to remain positive and focused on their work. Studies have shown that encouraging humor in the workplace can increase worker retention and workplace satisfaction. Other studies have shown that humor stimulates the right side of the brain, the side that supports thinking outside the box which facilitates problem solving. Historic and contemporary figures have employed methods for bringing a certain light heartedness to difficult situations including managing projects. This presentation will contrast project management humor with that of other professions, show that leading companies are incorporating humor in the workplace, and give suggestions for finding humor in project management. The author will relate humorous project management incidents based on real-life experiences. Key words: project management; humor; effects of humor; stress management; workplace morale. Read complete paper in English
Executive Actions For Project Success By Michael O’Brochta, PMP Introduction “I wish that my boss could have taken this course.” “This is not the way we do project management where I work.” These and similar remarks are increasingly being made at the conclusion of much of today’s project management training. Indeed, as I write and speak to increasing numbers of project management practitioners at PMI conferences, and as I reflect upon the feedback provided by the thousands of employees who completed project management training and certification at the CIA where I was Director of that program, I see a gap between what increasingly better educated and skilled project managers need for success, and what they are getting from their organizations and their executives. Lets call this the executive gap. Leaders in the project management training industry that I have spoken to about this have offered confirmation for this executive gap; and not just here in the United States, but industry and world-wide. This paper is a shortened version of work that I have been passionately writing and speaking about recently. For more detail you are referred to the reference list at the end of this paper, to the proceedings of recent PMI Global Congresses and to the February 2006 issue of PM Network Magazine. Read complete paper in English
Applying Little’s Law to Agile Project Management:
Part 2
By Tathagat Varma Introduction Little’s Law states that inventory in a process is the multiplication of throughput and the flow-time. In first paper of this two-part series, we took an every-day example to discuss Little’s Law at length. We also briefly looked at the implications of Little’s Law for manufacturing and for software development. In traditional manufacturing, there is a strong emphasis on plant capacity utilization as a core driver in cost management. However, a high plant capacity utilization requires (or rather leads to) high inventory to ensure the production doesn’t slow down for want of raw materials. High inventory in turn leads to a low inventory turnover, signifying poor sales, thus having high economic implications. Inventory is also identified as one of the seven wastes in Lean. Read complete paper in English
Building Ethics in Construction Partnerships By William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD Introduction Improvements in the management of construction, the largest industry in the world, benefit all stakeholders. Improved productivity through virtuous collaborating will aid in bringing to the owner a quality facility, in a shorter time, at lower cost. The architect/engineer spends less effort acting as the referee between disgruntled owners and contentious contractors, and instead focuses on their value-added design activity. Constructors focus on their strengths of quality work and efficient building execution, while minimizing the wastes from claims, litigation and damaged relationships. All enjoy improved participation in congruous partnerships based on integrity and trust that lead to repeat business and greater profitability. The eventual tenants will enjoy a suitable environ that meets their needs. From a broad perspective, the home community benefits from safe environs for their citizens as living space, working locale, and a place to enjoy life. Read complete paper in English
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