Each month Mindavation will offer a template from our Project Templates CD free of charge. Don't miss out on this opportunity!

May's download is the Support Readiness Checklist. In this month's article, we discuss the top 5 things that can hurt a technology project. Our template offering presents you with a means of avoiding a sixth "trap" - the transition of your project's product into the day to day business environment. Even though a project is finished and the books closed, the image of the project and the sponsoring organization can be tarnished by a product that is not properly supported. This checklist - intended to be used by the project manager and the individual or team who will own the project's product going forward - assists with providing a smooth transition of the product for the ongoing business, long after the project is completed.

What Do You Do for a Living? A Bold New Vision for Leaders by Stephen Johnston

This book asks the reader to go beyond "defining your job" to understand what purpose you are serving as a leader and a person. That purpose defines how you support and promote your business, but more importantly, how you support who you are as a person and how you support the people who work on your teams. Using observations from his own career and extensive interviews with a number of business executives, Johnston challenges the reader to look at the lasting effects of decisions we make and the parallels (or lack of parallels) between the things we say - such as team or corporate values - and the actions we take.

Johnston provides interesting insights into the financial value of providing purposeful leadership focused on people and creating a work environment that is meaningful for line employees and managers alike. Filled with stories that reflect "common sense" that is actually uncommon in the average workplace, Johnston causes us to pause and reflect on what leadership actions we take on a daily basis, asking us "what do we actually value deep down to our toes?" Although laced with stories from senior leaders in large companies, the stories and principles espoused in this book can easily be applied to anyone in a leadership position, including project managers, business analysts and team leaders. This book is a good read, but more importantly, it is well worth the self-reflection that can result within any reader who listens to the message.

August 5-7 Denver, Colorado "The Hard Truth About Soft Skills"

August 13-15 Denver, Colorado "Effective Software Testing Techniques - A Guide for Project Managers"

Looking for a class to attend? Would you like to meet us face to face? If we are in your area, feel free to contact us to schedule a meeting.

By Bob McGannon, PMP

Managing technology projects can be one of the most challenging arenas of project management. Ironically, it is rarely the technology itself that presents obstacles for the technical project manager. Being mindful of the most common traps that await the unsuspecting project manager can help ensure your technical projects don't end up as financial disasters that don't deliver expected function, and diminish the reputation of yourself and your technical organization.

1. It is about business process, not the technical tool

The intent of a project is to move the business to a better place. That better place can mean increased efficiency, additional capabilities or an improvement in the accuracy of the business' output. Regardless of the nature of the business improvement, it is enhanced process that will drive the superior results. It is not necessarily as a result of a tool, a new IT system or improved technology - these are only the catalyst for the improved process which drives business results. Many project managers and their teams mistake the new technology as being the output of the project, rather than the enhanced process that results in conjunction with implementing new technology.

Mindavation offers more than 30 customizable project templates and tools to make your life easier! The CD includes full project lifecycle templates and tools.

Documents are in MS Word, MS Excel, MS Project 2003 (and Adobe). Modify each template to suit YOUR business and project needs.

Price (including shipping & handling): USD$100

Mindavation is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of ASTD's Rocky Mountain Chapter and their two-day event: Story Theater.

This event will be presented by Doug Stevenson, creator of Story Theater. Stevenson created Story Theater as a method for strategic story telling in business, training, and sales. This two-day event includes a dinner keynote on June 11, and a workshop on June 12.

If you would like to learn more about this exciting event, please download the information sheet by clicking here, or visit ASTD's Story Theater registration page. For information on all of the Mindavation sponsored ASTD Rocky Mountain Chapter events, click the link below.