Project Management

What Is A Project? Can you really manage one?

ask David Schmaltz.

part of the process is Planning.

Project Management Software probably won't really help. Especially if its focus is schedule forecasting.

Wiki For CollaborationWare might be more helpful, hosting either a TeamWiki or Project Wiki.

Some links relevant to Customer/Marketing involvement:

Links relevant to large teams or multi-team environments or Project Portfolio Management

OutSourcing

people on projects tend to work too much OverTime

I wonder whether a Pattern Language model could be used to provide a context for certain potential Best Practices?


The PMI teaches the GeorgeBanks method :

A British bank is run with precision | The British home requires nothing less | Tradition, discipline and rules must be the tools | With out them disorder, chaos, moral disintegration | In short you have a ghastly mess


Similarly, here's an Anti Pattern from "The List" from Arnold Lobel's Frog And Toad Together ISBN:0064440214 :

One morning Toad sat in bed.

"I have many things to do," he said. "I will write them all down on a list so that I can remember them."

Toad wrote on a piece of paper: A List of things to do today.

Then he wrote: Wake up.

"I have done that," said Toad, and he crossed out: Wake up.

Then Toad wrote other things on the paper.

Eat breakfast | Get dressed | Go to Frog's house | Take walk with frog | Eat lunch | Take nap | Play games with Frog | Eat supper | Go to sleep

"There," said Toad. "Now my day is all written down."

He got out of bed and had something to eat. Then Toad crossed out: Eat breakfast.

Toad took his clothes out of the closet and put them on.

Then he crossed out: Get dressed.

Toad put the list in his pocket. He opened the door and walked out into the morning. Soon Toad was at Frog's front door. He took the list from his pocket and crossed out: Go to Frog's house.

Toad knocked at the door.

"Hello," said Frog.

"Look at my list of things to do," said Toad.

"Oh," said Frog, "that is very nice."

Toad said, "My list tells me that we will go for a walk."

"All right," said Frog. "I am ready."

Frog and Toad went on a long walk. Then Toad took the list from his pocket again. He crossed out: Take walk with Frog.

Just then there was a strong wind. It blew the list out of Frog's hand. The list blew high up into the air.

"Help!" cried Toad. "My list is blowing away. What will I do without my list?"

"Hurry!" said Frog. "We will run and catch it."

"No!" shouted Toad. "I cannot do that."

"Why not?"asked Frog.

"Because," wailed Toad, "running after my list is not one of the things that I wrote on my list of things to do!"

Frog ran after the list. He ran over hills and swamps, but the list blew on and on. At last Frog came back to Toad.

"I am sorry," gasped Frog, "but I could not catch your list."

"Blah," said Toad. "I cannot remember any of the things that were on my list of things to do. I will just have to sit here and do nothing," said Toad.

Toad sat and did nothing. Frog sat with him.

After a long time Frog said, "Toad, it is getting dark. We should be going to sleep now."

"Go to sleep!" shouted Toad. "That was the last thing on my list!"

Toad wrote on the ground with a stick: Go to sleep. The he crossed out: Go to sleep.

"There," said Toad. "Now my day is all crossed out!"

"I am glad," said Frog.

Then Frog and Toad went right to sleep.


Here's another Frog And Toad story, "The Garden"

Frog was in his garden. Toad came walking by. "What a fine garden you have, Frog," he said.

"Yes," said Frog. "It is very nice, but it was Hard Work."

"I wish I had a garden," said Toad.

"Here are some flower seeds. Plant them in the ground," said Frog, "and soon you will have a garden."

"How soon?" asked Toad.

"Quite soon," said Frog.

Toad ran home. He planted the flower seeds. "Now seeds," said Toad, "start growing." Toad walked up and down a few times. The seeds did not start to grow.

Toad put his head close to the ground and said loudly, "Now seeds, start growing!" Toad looked at the ground again. The seeds did not start to grow.

Toad put is head very close to the ground and shouted, "NOW SEEDS, START GROWING!"

Frog came running up the path. "What is all this noise?" he asked.

"My seeds will not grow," said Toad.

"You are shouting too much, " said Frog. "These poor seeds are afraid to grow."

"My seeds are afraid to grow?" asked Toad.

"Of course," said Frog. "Leave them alone for a few days. Let the sun shine on therm, let the rain fall on them. Soon your seeds will start to grow."

That night Toad looked out of his window. "Drat!" said Toad. "My seeds have not started to grow. The must be afraid of the dark."

Toad went out to his garden with some candles. I will read the seeds a story, " said Toad. "Then they will not be afraid."

Toad read a long story to his seeds. All the next day Toad sang songs to his seeds. And all the next day Toad read poems to his seeds. And all the next day Toad played music for his seeds.

Toad looked at the ground. The seeds still did not start to grow. "What shall I do?" cried Toad. "These must be the most frightened seeds in the whole world!"

Then Toad felt very tired, and he fell asleep.

"Toad, Toad, wake up, " said Frog. "Look at your garden!"

Toad looked at his garden. Little green plants were coming up out of the ground. "At last," shouted Toad, "my seeds have stopped being afraid to grow!"

"And now you will have a nice garden too," said Frog.

"Yes, said Toad, "but you were right, Frog. It was very hard work."



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