Archive for the “Project Management” category
Landing the project jumbo
by moone on March 19, 2011
Having had the opportunity to experience long haul travel I appreciate a soft landing. In light of the vast combination of inputs, processes, factor management and skill that goes into landing a jumbo jet my appreciation increases to high respect. Also the regularly which this occurs in modern air travel is thankfully extremely high. Unfortunately this is not something that can always be said for project management, with many projects arriving late, crash landing or never making it to there final destination at all.
What is quality?
by moone on February 2, 2011
Swiss watches have long been seen to be the premier time pieces in the world. Envied, often copied yet rarely matched. The difference between top quality and cheap imitation is typically clear to discern. There are many different methods to increase quality in production and there are many different standards by which quality can be measured. Yet, does a Rolex tell better time than a cheap digital watch? Which begs the question, what is quality?
To the moon in this decade
by moone on November 7, 2010
When JFK stated ‘we choose to go to the moon in this decade’ the rally cry across the USA to achieve victory in the space race was clearly stated. And win that race they did. Rather unsurprisingly NASA are considered amongst the world leaders in project management. However, without a unifying statement to lead a project the vital first steps may in fact be the seeds of later problems.
Projects versus Operational Processes
by moone on October 25, 2010
After many years of working almost entirely in a project based manner it is very interesting to dissect this approach. The old assumptions are rapidly falling away to make room for a different mindset. A mindset based on a foundation of clarity and purpose. The bulk of project management is common sense. However without the appropriate mindset and perspective all decisions are potentially skewed. Hence the required clarity begins at the very basis of understanding what a project is.
Known unknowns & Unknown unknowns
by moone on October 15, 2010
Go back some years to the time when Donald Rumsfeld held powerful office and Iraq was a very hot topic for the USA. At that time massive amounts of money, political will and human life was being invested in the Gulf War II project. When confronted with a question relating to the increasingly complex situation in Iraq and specifically to the worsening levels of terrorism he evaded it with the following response.