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Welcome to the Mindavation online project
management newsletter.
Our commitment is to share news about events in
the world of projects, tips & tricks of
the trade, recommendations for reference and
inspirational materials, and Mindavation course
offerings.
The kids are back in school and the weather is
starting to turn, but it's a rarity that work
will cool down. So, throw on a sweater and have a
look at Mindavation's September newsletter to ensure
you plan for your educational needs too.
| Free Template of the Month - Team Charter Checklist |
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Each month Mindavation will offer a
template from our Project Templates CD free
of charge. Don't miss out on this opportunity!
This month's download is our Team Charter
Checklist template. This template can be
used to effectively communicate as a team and
establish team norm expectations.
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| Book Recommendation of the Month - Think |
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Think - Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in
the Blink of an Eye
by Michael R. LeGault
This bestselling book came out in 2006, a year after
Malcolm Gladwell's bestseller "Blink" was
released. "Think" is the opposite in thinking
processes and takes a look at a much more logical
and analytical approach to the way in which we do
business today rather than relying on our intuitive
intelligence. He brings to light historical data in
relation to our world today through our work ethics,
politics, marketing, the media and the ever
popular "information overload."
Much of the information presented in this book cites
project work, those that have failed and those that
have been successful. The author defines our
success as being attributed to a much deeper
knowledge, analysis and use of logical thinking. In
fact, he delves into the works of great thinkers such as
Albert Einstein, Shakespeare, Thomas Edison and
Isaac Newton to understand how we need to change
our thinking today. He proposes that without critical
thinking and meaningful knowledge-based education,
it will be difficult for us to make the changes needed in
our society today.
This book encourages discipline, principals and
objectivity in the workplace as well as truly embracing
risk. How many times as project managers have we
failed to look closely enough at the problems or
issues and end up with an inappropriate solution?
How much time do we really devote to risk analysis
and understand the threats as well as opportunities
that may result from our project work? Take a deep
dive into this book and find out what you or your project
team may have been missing just by stopping long
enough to really "think" about the work we are
producing!
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| Coming Soon to a City Near You... |
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October 16-18 Minneapolis/Saint Paul,
Minnesota "The Hard Truth About Soft Skills"
November 5-6 Colorado Springs,
Colorado "Recovering Troubled Projects"
December 6-7 Denver, Colorado Managing
Integration Projects
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.
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| Article of the Month - Stop The Email Madness! |
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By Jayne Gnadt, PMP
The madness started early this morning when one of
your project team members sent an email posing a
simple question about one of the requirements.
Sounds simple enough, however he sent the question
to a distribution list that was a mile long! Before you
know it, everyone is responding and "Replying to All".
Information is flying back and forth at the speed of light
and all of a sudden you are sucked into the vortex of
email madness! How can we stop this kind of
craziness?
When the project team is formed, include a set of
email ground rules in your team charter and/or your
communication plan. Simply state that questions sent
out in the form of email should be sent to select
individuals. How about setting a ground rule that
states if an email goes back and forth more than 2-3
times, it's time to stop the madness and pick up the
phone, or better yet if you are in close proximity, how
about taking a short walk to discuss in person?
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| Mindavation Project Templates CD Available |
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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
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Project Management Education Opportunities |
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PMI Global Congress 2007 - North
America
Earn 17 Professional
Development
Units (PDUs), October 6-9, at PMI Global Congress 2007 - North America, to be
held in Atlanta, Georgia. Congress will feature
some of the world's leading practitioners, instructors,
and visionaries in the field of project management,
and will be followed by SeminarsWorld®, October 10-13, where
you can earn up to 28 additional PDUs.
Women and Technology Summit
The
2007 Women and Technology Summit will be held
September 26-29 at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara,
CA. The lead theme for this year's summit is
Innovation. The summit will feature roundtables,
workshops, and speakers that will discuss
accomplishments and solutions to pushing even
bigger ideas and innovation. For more information,
and to register for the conference, click here.
More Educational Information from Mindavation |
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