Each month Mindavation will offer a template from our Project Templates CD free of charge. Don't miss out on this opportunity! We are offering a template to assist you in assessing the skills you bring to the table as a project manager. The Project Definition Document is useful as a means to collect and capture project requirements in a method that is easy to reference and verify. Collecting requirements in a predictable methodical way can help your project successfully meet your client's needs.

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler This audaciously named book, from the authors of Crucial Conversations, actually got us believing that the title was accurate. Citing that many of us choose to "cope" than develop our influence skills, the authors do not suggest we just work on "getting people to do what we want." Instead, they discuss approaches to lasting influential change, by helping us change how people think. By observing the behaviors of those we are trying to influence, so as to derive ways to change thinking and behavior, the authors focus on items that would be perceived as praise and reward (versus punishment and nagging) to make influencing others a relationship building and leadership exercise. This is accomplished via examination and learning what works with peers and others close to whom we are trying to influence. Using this observation approach, we can employ change to "cause and effect sequences" that inspire people to act. With the guidance of this book, new information, approaches and new benefits realization possibilities become the tool of influence, rather than a protracted effort to "find the right words" to cause someone to do something different. The techniques are sound, they make sense and they are implementable by anyone who has the patience to observe and expand their approaches to leadership and influence. Influencer is a substantive book we are likely to reference frequently for years to come.

OUR FINAL PUBLIC CLASS FOR 2009!!! November 2-3, 2009 Denver, Colorado Requirements Analysis, Scope & Risk Management 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 Denise DeCarlo, PMP Being a project manager is tough; we have lots to manage and juggle. Dealing with people performance issues is something we typically don't have time for - but must manage if our projects are going to be successful. In this article we'll discuss the common resource performance issues a project manager has to manage and options on how to best deal with these challenges. When we suspect that we have resource performance issues, we need to ask lots of questions to assess if this issue is due to lack of skill, poor attitude, too many things on the plate, the work not being clearly defined and communicated, or a personal issue which is impacting the person's work capabilities. Here's a list of good questions to assist in the evaluation process:

Mindavation offers more than 32 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

Pick the top three issues that you or your program manager experience as the most pressing problems facing the delivery of programs in your organization...
Constantly changing requirements
168 votes; 47.1% of respondents
Loss of resources to other activities
152 votes; 42.6% of respondents
Poorly defined requirements
137 votes; 38.4% of respondents
Lack of organizational strategy or vision
117 votes; 32.8% of respondents
Funding cuts
88 votes; 24.7% of respondents
Lack or loss of sponsorship
82 votes; 23.0% of respondents
Not enough resources of any type
82 votes; 23.0% of respondents
Lack of required skills in the organization
69 votes; 19.3% of respondents
Sponsoring organization "impatience" - they won't let you complete activities
62 votes; 17.4% of respondents
Technical problems with the product being created
42 votes; 11.7% of respondents

We received this story from an attendee at a recent keynote presentation we delivered on Real World Program management. Sometimes a simple and common image can show decisions in a different light.

In an Executive Program Review today, I used clipart of a person walking around with a tin cup, collecting coins. Along with the image, I included words to the effect of "I was reviewing the surveillance videos last night, and found this image of the VP of Engineering outside the CFO's office looking for the $190k in added cost for the project additions approved over the past 7 weeks." We do not have a great closed loop on budget adjustments, and I'm sure that now the whole executive staff will recall the $190k in approved budget changes when the VP of Engineering shows up with that cup in hand.

Sometimes management makes decisions in a vacuum, only when taken in the aggregate do we understand the implications to a program, and the organization as a whole. This was a very provocative and successful way to bring that to light, and make sure the appropriate action was taken to adjust the scope and budget successfully.