January 17, 2010 by Kim.

My dad always used to tell me that you are who you are when no one else is looking. It’s not what you do when others are watching, it’s what you do when you’re all alone and no one knows. I’ve spent my career following that advice and it’s served me well. I have had more than one instance where inappropriate opportunities presented themselves that would have benefited me—but I ran in the opposite direction.

There are two qualities I demand of all project team members who work for me—honesty and integrity. You can tell me almost anything, as long as it’s the truth. I worked with a fantastic team member one time who accidentally deleted one of our client’s database of customer records. Every customer, every record, gone. My team member did the right thing. He told me the truth, what he did, and how it happened. Thankfully, after working many long hours by his side, we were able to recover the data. Because he was truthful, we were able to right the situation for our client and he kept his job. 

What is very disheartening to me are those who are covert and sneaky about their actions but haven’t yet been caught. But I’ve been around long enough to know that most everyone involved in these escapades is eventually found out. I used to work at an unnamed government agency where an employee was caught stealing. She had spent years pilfering tax payer money. And we’re talking millions of dollars! I knew her personally and I have to admit, while I’m a pretty good judge of character, she wasn’t someone I believed could be involved in theft. She’s serving out her thirty-year sentence as we speak. I’m guessing she doesn’t think it was worth it.

As a PMP, we all agree to abide by the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. I had a very alert reader inform me that this site: http://pmptutorial.blogspot.com/ was plagiarizing some of my material. Sure enough, pages 26 – 30 are posted on this site, word for word, including a figure that I created. I have no doubt my publisher’s attorney will issue a cease and desist order. This person is violating copyright laws and the PMI Code. Again, it’s disheartening to think that there are project managers, even would be project managers, who could engage in this behavior. It gives us all a bad name. The other saying my dad used to tell me was that if you’re faithful in the little things, you’ll be faithful in the big things. Copying some text and a drawing may seem like a little thing, but where does it stop? How about taking a bonus under the table to approve requirements we know aren’t acceptable? How about a golf trip to Vegas if we assure the vendor that we’ll award them the contract? We know the answer to those questions—just say no.

My advice is don’t even take the first step. Because little steps can lead us right over a cliff if we aren’t careful. If we begin to justify the little missteps, it’s only a matter of time before the big ones follow. The problem is, as the women who is now serving her thirty-year sentence has found, you continue to gain confidence with each misstep and eventually think you’re invincible. And that’s when it catches up with you. Say no to the little things and the big things will never be a question.

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September 8, 2009 by Kim.

I took the redeye to Chicago this morning, which means I set the alarm for 3:30 a.m. I thought, no problem, I can catch almost two hours of shuteye on the plane. Wrong!

First, let me start out by applauding American Airlines for enforcing the two-bag carry on rule (okay, one bag and one personal item which can be pretty darn large by the looks of things.) We’ve all heard the rule and then witnessed the business person (or tourist) laden with roller bag, duffel bag, and a brief case or jumbo-sized purse just breeze right on by the attendant and board the plane. What fries me is the poor sucker who brings on one bag and there’s no space left in the overheads to hold it. It won’t fit under the seat so they’re forced to check the bag while Joe and Sally 3-bagger sit smugly in their seats and simply whisk their stuff off the plane upon landing. Yes, I’ve been the poor sucker who had to check a carry-on bag that ended up getting lost, that had my car keys in it because you’re supposed to put your car keys and medicines in your carry-on. But that’s a story for another day. Thank you, AA, for enforcing the two-bag rule.

So, picture this. You’re sitting in the airport holding coral and survey your fellow passengers. If you’re anything like me, I should say if your luck is anything like mine when it comes to flying, scan the scene and pick out the largest passenger you see or the most obnoxious one. Guaranteed, that’s the one who’ll be sitting next to me. And yup, it happened again this morning.

I’m not a big person. I don’t even hit 5’2” and I tend more toward the thinner side of the scale than the heavy side. I mean, I just don’t take up a lot of space. I can sit in the airline seat and have enough room to shove a good size purse between me and the airplane body. I don’t do this, and you’ll see why in a moment, but I could if I wanted to. Don’t get me wrong. I sincerely empathize with the tall and broad among us. My husband tops 6’5” and talk about being crammed packed into an airline seat. His knees are in his chest and he silently prays through the whole flight that the person in front of him does not put his seat back. Truly, I get it.

But for heaven’s sake, my seat is my seat—not your seat. I don’t even mind that all men, and I mean every last one I’ve ever flown next to or between, believes they have a God-given right to the arm rest. If you’re a woman, forget it. Don’t even try to claim it—it doesn’t belong to us. So I gladly relinquish the armrest upon boarding. But OMG. Can I have my seat? I would appreciate not holding your papers in my lap, or having my shoulders bumped fifteen thousand times in flight. A few times is understandable, I get the plight of big folks in a tiny airline seat but after the third or fourth bump, I’ve had enough. The guy this morning could clearly see I was trying to sleep. I crouched myself as close to the window as I could because I knew I was going to have to share my seat. And I did. With his jacket, his thigh, his shoulder, his arm, his phone, his morning paper, and the water bottle. I’m trying to sleep and perhaps out of nervousness (I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one) he squeezed the bottle so it made a popping, cracking sound every time he took a drink. And the guy must have taken his jacket off and put it back on at least six times over the course of two hours. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep.

I just have to resign myself to the fact that even though I can easily fit into the airline seat, I’m by golly going to be just as uncomfortable as those among us who don’t fit into the seats so easily. Sigh. I’ve adjusted my attitude now and I’m packing up the Mac for the connecting flight. I’m surveying my fellow passengers, and, oh, I spot her! She’s the one, jumbo purse and all. Happy flying!

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August 1, 2009 by Kim.

I’ve heard a ton of positive comments from many of you who have already read the PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, 5th Edition. Thank you for letting me know you’re finding the book helpful in your studies.

Writing a book is not an easy process–especially when you hold a full time job. I’m disappointed to say a reader has discovered an error. In Chapter 10, I incorrectly stated in the text that status meetings are a type of “push” communication when in fact, they are an interactive method. The answer to question 7 in Chapter 10 correctly identifies status meetings as interactive, but unfortunately the explanation to the question uses “push” instead of “interactive.” The question will score correctly if you choose option A, but the explanation doesn’t match up. I freely admit, it’s an error and I’m sorry that any errors ever make it to print. This book goes through three sets of eyes (mine and two editors) who review it carefully. Alas I must report, we are all human and this one escaped each one of us. We’ll correct it in the upcoming reprint and I apologize for the confusion.

Now I’d like to ask you all a question. Are you the type of project manager who fires a team member for making a relatively minor error on a project? The strict disciplinarian out there who thinks people should be flogged for making minor errors should reconsider whether they are in the right field. In my experience, team members don’t generally respond positively to criticism or punishment that is not in keeping with the crime, so to speak. That’s a great way to lose team members and to put your project at risk. I’d love to hear from you if you’re a project manager who has never once made an error on a project. Give your team members (and authors!) some benefit of the doubt. If they repeatedly make the same errors over and over or make a blatant boo-boo that’s cause for immediate dismissal, that’s one thing. But hard working team members who consistently hit it out of the park for you day in and day out will one day make an error. It’s not my leadership style to come down on them for minor errors, and I hope it’s not yours either. We all make mistakes.

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June 6, 2009 by Kim.

I’m happy to report that the 5th edition of the “PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide” is here! I am so appreciative of the tremendous support I’ve received worldwide from those of you who have used the “Study Guide” to prepare for your PMI® exam. I’ve kept this edition true to former editions with lots of real life scenarios regarding how to apply project management principles to your next project and have maintained an engaging style. I try to keep the material as fun as I can given the subject at hand.

The 5th Edition of the “PMP: Project Management Professional Study Guide” maps to the 4th Edition of the “PMBOK Guide®”. This is the newest edition published by PMI®. As of July 1, 2009, the new PMP Exam will be based on the 5th Edition of the “PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide (and the 4th Edition of the PMBOK Guide®)” . The previous editions of the “Study Guide”, including the “Deluxe Edition”, are no longer valid as of July 1, 2009.

I love hearing from those of you who are studying for your exam and even better, the emails saying, “I passed.” That’s a tremendous accomplishment and great feeling. For those of you who are looking for the best book on the market to study for and pass your exam, follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/PMP-Project-Management-Professional-Study/dp/0470455586/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244303146&sr=8-1

There are two other exciting announcements I have for you. I have co-authored the “PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Review Guide” with Vanina Mangano. We have taken the most critical exam highlights from the “PMP Study Guide” and distilled them down into a “Review Guide” that you can use as the “week before the exam” cram. This Review Guide has additional questions and bonus exams. The idea is that after you’ve read the “PMP Study Guide” and have all the concepts down, you can use the “PMP Review Guide” to help you memorize, recall, and do some last minute preparations for the exam. This book will be available the end of July and you can pre-order it at this link: http://www.amazon.com/PMP-Project-Management-Professional-Review/dp/0470479582/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244306515&sr=1-2

I’ve also partnered with Terri Wagner and Linda Kretz Zaval to create the “PMP: Project Management Professional Certificaton Kit”. This Kit has my “PMP Study Guide”, the “PMP Review Guide”, and a book that Teri and Linda co-authored titled “Project Management Street Smarts”. The “Street Smarts” guide has exercises galore, real life examples, more questions, and is based on the “PMP Study Guide” so you can use these books together to study for your exam. The benefit of “Street Smarts” is that you’ll get hands-on experience with the exercises Terri and Linda have developed that will help you remember and recall what you’ve learned from the “PMP Study Guide.” You can pre-order the certification kit here: http://www.amazon.com/PMP-Project-Management-Professional-Certification/dp/0470479604/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244306306&sr=1-2

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May 18, 2009 by Kim.

Okay, I know I’m in the minority here. But I really don’t like potlucks. Our department is having one tomorrow. I’m the big boss so I have to be there. I seriously thought about calling in sick, that’s how much I don’t like them, but I won’t. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Truly. My husband absolutely lives for potlucks. And the more dishes the merrier. Don’t tell anyone about this blog because I don’t want it getting back to the people I work with. They are wonderful—it has nothing to do with the people. Have I ever told you I work with the best team on earth? And I love to interact with them and listen to their stories about family and friends and hobbies. I just don’t want to eat all that food. I guess it’s because I’m one of the world’s pickiest eaters. If it looks like salad or fresh veggies, cheese (almost any kind except that smelly stuff), whole wheat bread, potato chips, or a brownie, I’m okay with it. Otherwise, I’m not much interested. I guess chicken is okay and an occasional steak. But potlucks are usually home to weird party dips, new food experiments, casseroles (don’t get me started on that one) and tons of desserts. I’m not a dessert fan, other than brownies. I prefer salty snacks to dessert anytime. When my husband reaches for the ice cream for his after dinner treat, I’ll grab a handful of chips and a dark chocolate square. Oh yeah, dark chocolate is another favorite. But it has to be 62% dark chocolate. And I’ll pass on milk chocolate every time, except for M&M’s.

I feel guilty if I don’t try a lot of different items at the potluck. People are proud of their concoctions and tend to take offense if others won’t put some on their plate. But for those of us who are satisfied with the dullest of choices, multi-colored, spicy smelling, espresso laden fare isn’t appealing no matter how nice the presentation.

But alas, I’ll go and make the best of it. I’ll put tiny portions of items on my plate I have no intention of eating to make it look like I’m joining in. I’ll table hop so no one knows if it’s my first plate or my second, and then I can feign being full and profess to having eaten too much and couldn’t possibly take another bite.

The great part is, I’ll get to visit with some team members I don’t generally see during the course of a day. I’ll get to ask them how things are going and really listen to their ideas and even read between the lines on some of our hot button issues going on in the department. They’ll get to see me in a relaxed setting where there are no expectations. So in the end, the potluck is worth every bite. Now I have to dash out and get that veggie tray for tomorrow so see you next time.

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April 28, 2009 by Kim.

I know it’s not fair to write about your grandchildren. Like, who wants to hear about somebody else’s kids? But I’m compelled and I promise there’s some value here so hang with me. I just received my first ever cell phone call from my oldest granddaughter from her new phone. She called me to say I should be sure to watch American Idol tonight. We’re both loyal fanatics. We watch the show and compare notes and debate about who will be voted off tomorrow night. (Trust me when I tell you I’m not old enough to have a granddaughter old enough to have a comprehensive discussion about American Idol contestants, let alone be talking on the phone. Suffice it to say I was young—very young—when I had my daughter and she was even younger when she had her girls.) Anyway, I’ll be certain to watch.

So, now to the meat of it. What is it about American Idol that keeps us coming back for more? I think at the heart of it, it’s the same thing that keeps project managers coming back for more. Projects, especially new projects when they’re just starting out, are exciting. There’s so much promise and so much potential. Wow! Won’t we look good when we pull this thing off? Each week, we’ll progress through the project schedule delivering on milestone after milestone to the cheers of the stakeholders and the team members we hold dear. Checking off a completed deliverable is probably the equivalent of applause for most project mangers. I know that I feel good when I successfully finish and deliver on a major project milestone. Much like American Idol fans, witnessing the maturing and blossoming of the contestants each week, marching closer to the ultimate goal of “project complete” keeps us coming back for more.

The excitement of implementing a new product or service that no one else has done before (at least in our department or organization) has an alluring effect. After all, no one has done this before in this way, at this time, in this environment. What a great opportunity to let our professional abilities shine. Like the Idol contestants, we can try new things, stretch our wings, and push the limits. While we don’t play to the same audience the contestants do, our stakeholders are just as important as Idol viewers. And don’t our stakeholders have the final vote? If you do well, they bring you back. If you don’t, um, let’s not go there. As a leader and as a project manager, the votes ultimately rest with your stakeholders, peers, and team members. That’s the audience you need to please. So go forth and make your project sing!

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April 17, 2009 by Kim.

We have had two examples of incredible, heroic leadership in the past few months. Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenburger, US Airways pilot and Capt. Richard Phillips, US Maresk-Alabama. These two gentlemen are heroes in many people’s eyes, including mine.

Let’s take Capt. Sully first. The engines on the aircraft he was piloting suddenly shut down. He had mere minutes to make split second calculations and decisions about saving the aircraft and the passengers on board. I have never had to make decisions that involved the life and safety of hundreds of people so I can’t imagine what was going through Capt. Sully’s mind when he was faced with certain disaster. But I have faced situations where quick decisions were needed in order to avert a risk, keep the project on track, or avoid a project disaster. I imagine you have faced this situation too.

I have also experienced sitting in a hot seat in a lively steering committee meeting where it seemed I was roasting alive. And I’ve had to make snap decisions with little information and no time to consult anyone. So what can Capt. Sully teach us when we’re in the hot seat or have a quick decision to make? Stay calm, control your emotions, make a decision, and act on it.

I could go on and on about the managers I’ve work for and worked with who refused to make a decision and the trouble that caused. What if Capt. Sully would have thrown up his hands and said, “Oh well, we’re going down and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Yikes. What a great example of the old saying, “no decision is a decision.”

Don’t let an imminent disaster paralyze you. You won’t always have the luxury of having all the facts or of having enough time to analyze all the angles. Make a decision based on what you know at the time and act on it!

Let’s talk about Capt. Phillips. His heroic actions got me thinking about what I’d do for my team. How far would I go? How about you? Would you put your own life in danger to save your team members? I can hear some of you laughing out there saying you must be kidding. Give up my life for Joker Jane? But good leaders go to great lengths to protect their team, even the jokers. It’s never okay in my book to berate a team member in front of others or allow anyone else to do so. As a leader, we should not only defend our team members in front of others, but we should protect them from the office politics and other negative influences as well. How many of us have instead thrown Joker Jane under the bus to save our own reputation? Capt. Phillips’ actions were exemplary.  He insisted the pirates take him and leave his crew behind. Once rescued he stated he was “…the byline.” He gave the credit to his rescuers and declared them to be the real heroes.

Be a hero in your team’s eyes. Make a decision and act on it. Take the hit for the team when the heat is on and give them all the praise when things are going well.

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March 28, 2009 by Kim.

I have been woefully behind in keeping up with my blog. I promise to do better in the coming weeks. I’ve had a good excuse because I’ve been working hard on the 5th edition of the PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide. We’re hoping to have the new PMP Study Guide available the end of May or early June. The 5th edition of the PMP Study Guide corresponds to the changes made in the PMBOK Guide 4th Edition. All of the process names, inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs have been updated where needed to reflect the new content in the PMBOK Guide. Stay tuned for the final publishing date.

I want to give a big thank you to all of you who have already written me to ask about the new edition, and to all of the instructors out there across the world who use the PMP Study Guide in their classrooms. Thank you for using my book.

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August 4, 2008 by Kim.

We recently lost a highly respected member of our senior IT management team. It happened quite fast after a short battle with cancer. Mark was otherwise young and energetic and an avid golfer. His staff members and me had the utmost respect for him as did the users he served and supported.

This whole experience got me to thinking about how we often let the day-to-day get the best of us. So much so that we don’t take the time to recognize those around us who are exceptional at what they do. We rarely tell our leaders they’re doing a good job or take the time to understand what they’re going through if things don’t seem up to par. We tend to assume they’ll always be there and always performing at those exceptional levels.

I admit it’s a huge blessing as a manager to know you have team members you can rely on. Mark was one of those. I could hand off an assignment or project to him and know the work was going to get done.  I didn’t have to follow up or worry whether we going to meet the deadline or not. But I think the last time I told him what a great job he was doing was at his annual performance review and that was months ago.

A few of the people that reported to Mark have expressed similar sentiments. They wonder why they didn’t tell Mark, when he was alive and well at work, that they thought the world of him. They wondered why they didn’t tell him they appreciated his quick wit and ability to make decisions.

Fortunately for many of us, we had the opportunity to express our appreciation in the few weeks prior to Mark’s passing. But what if his passing would have been instant and we never had the chance?

Tell your leaders and those you care for how much you appreciate them today. Let them know you think they do a great job. Don’t wait another moment.

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July 22, 2008 by Kim.

I think one of the inherent traits of a project manager is that we’re doers. We love to check things off our to-do list. We like order and efficiency. We like task lists. And we like getting things done.

Ironically, all those tasks and to-do’s can get us wildly off track when it comes to project work. Why? Because many times those tasks aren’t related to the project.

One of the primary killers of project management productivity is distractions. All those little things that you just have to get done before you can start on the WBS or put the final touches on that budget.

I fall into these traps as both a project manager and a writer. Distractions keep me from focusing on the “real work” and trick me into believing I’m being productive. After all, I blasted through fourteen emails, put out two employee cat fights, and got that report into my manager’s hand all within the space of three hours. It isn’t wrong to work on these things but the question I should be asking myself is, “What is the real priority?”

In the space of those three hours I could have had the project budget finalized. I could have finished building a good chunk of the project schedule in MS Project or knocked out the risk management plan. Granted, in this case one of the cat fights needed extinguished right away. But the emails and the report could have waited.

I don’t know why I convince myself that I’ll feel much better after I answer the emails (or do the countless other mundane tasks that have nothing to do with the project). I usually do it by telling myself, “Get these other things done and then you’ll have the time to get to that budget.” In fact I’ve used the very time I had available to work on the budget on unrelated issues.

I’m tired of the self-sabotage so I’ve made a deal with myself. Before undertaking any new task I will quickly question whether this task absolutely has to be completed now. I will also ask if it furthers the work of the project. If it doesn’t, and there isn’t another pressing reason to complete the task (like the building is on fire) I will add it to my to-do list. Here’s the key that seals the deal for me. I schedule time during the day to work on this to-do list so I don’t feel like all the little things are piling up. That way, I can focus on the project priorities first and the distractions get their own special attention and their own allotted time slot.

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