Dragonbyte Blog

Consumer Electronics Show Highlights

2012-01-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Consumer Electronics Show concludes today with awards from CNET, http://www.cnet.com/best-of-ces/?tag=TOCcarouselMain.0

Highlights include the Cell Phone category with the Nokia Lumia 900 as the winner with its 4G Windows Phone. The Makerbot Replicator, a 3D printer won in the Emerging Technology category. The Tablet winner was the ASUS MEM 370T.

The CES website has keynotes and videos: http://www.cesweb.org/

Thanks,
Mike Diaz, PMP
925-575-0125

Stakeholder Discovery – Minimize Surprises!

2011-05-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

As many experienced project managers know, identifying, and constantly communicating to all the possible stakeholders can add to the successful implementation of your project. A missing influential stakeholder, can stall or kill a project.

During an exercise of discovery, it is possible to identify additional stakeholders for a project.

Scenario

In the case of an automobile insurance claims management system, obvious stakeholders would be the end claimant , as well as the claims operations team . Other groups or personnel involved would be the Finance department, since checks for auto parts and labor repair would be produced by the Finance system.

The Sales department could also be another stakeholder, for an opportunity to sell additional coverage for frequent claimants. The company’s Marketing department may want to funnel customer information into its Customer Relationship Management system for future client communications.

Process

Conduct a brainstorming session to determine all the possible stakeholders, with the output of a roles and responsibilities document, providing the project manager a list of communication requirements. An example of information in the document is the sponsor of the project may be a vice president, whose updates are required weekly. The actual project team, with deliverables every six to eight weeks, may require daily status meetings.

Communication Channels Formula
There is a formula, provided in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) used to determine the lines of communication required for the number of stakeholders in the project.

N(N-2) / 2
With 10 stakeholders, the formula is 10 (10-2) / 2 which equals 40 communication channels. Compare to three stakeholders, 3(3-2) / 2 equaling 1.5 communication channels.

Communication Technologies

In a scenario with multiple stakeholders, the use of email, could be supplemented with online browser-supported project schedule dashboards, corporate social networking applications, Twitter updates, Texting updates, and of course, using the phone, and face-to-face.

Some people prefer quick text updates to voice conversations, etc. Also the standards of communication must be understood. For example, using Reply All in an email may or may not be fine, or efficient.

Since 90% of the project manager’s job is communication, thorough stakeholder discovery can minimize surprises to the delivery of your project.

Project Management: Constraints Management in Planning

2011-04-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

In a project, the planning of tasks, with associated estimates, resources, assignments and dependencies, can require a good amount of critical thinking. Introducing constraints adds even more thought, and can increase the maintenance of the project schedule.

There are many types of constraints, with varying degrees of flexibilities. In a project, many tasks can start ASAP (As Soon As Possible). For example, after cement has been poured for the base of a house, and has dried, then the wood framing construction can begin As Soon As Possible.

There may be an instance when, because of timing, tasks may start As Late As Possible. For example, back to the construction of the house, carpet may be installed as Late As Possible because the owner does not want anyone walking on it before the owner actually moves in.

There are other constraints such as Start No Earlier Than (SNET), Finish No Earlier Than (FNET), Start No Later Than (SNLT), and Finish No Later Than (FNLT), Must Start On (MSO), and Must Finish On (MFO). Packages such as Microsoft’s Project, provides these constraints for enhanced flexibility.

Many prefer to minimize the amount of constraints in a project since they require additional attention. Having Task B start As Soon As Possible, following Task A, is visually easy to see. If Task B has a constraint of Start No Earlier Than (SNET), it involves another dimension, time, on top of a dependency, which requires explanation.

Limiting the project schedule to simpler dependencies with as little number of constraints as possible, can make reporting, and managing the project easier for the project manager. With multiple concurrent projects, the discipline of constraints management can save quite a bit of schedule maintenance.

Project Management Best Practices and Sustainability

2010-09-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Advocates of sustainability emphasize re-use whenever possible. In project management, establishing the repeatable technology and processes for the nine knowledge areas of the PMBOK can significantly reduce the "effort" in the execution of multiple projects.

The idea of best practices, in any industry, can enable efficiency and re-use. Developers have understood the concept for decades, employing code and object re-use in their programs.

The added advantage of a good best practice is in its simplicity and possible viral nature. If someone shows you the most efficient way to sew a stitch, throw a baseball, or change brakes on a car, you may be likely to repeat the best practice to others, in effect adding to its sustainability.

Youtube has become a leader in sustainability, with videos provided by the internet community and has a number of project management best practice videos. Viewers save time and cost in the execution of their project by spending upfront viewing time. Video on Time/Cost/Scope Triple Constraint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EDG6rEidRc.

These are the nine knowledge areas: Scope Management, Time Management, Cost Management, Communications Management, Quality Management, Human Resources Management, Risk Management Management, Integration Management, Procurement Management.

An organization's Communications Management plan my include the standards of Email, Instant Messaging, Voice/Video Conferencing, Texting, Facebook (or internal equivalent), Twitter (or internal equivalent), weekly status reports, agendas, and face to face meetings. When the infrastructure and processes are established, it can be sustainable with minor support.

During the Initial, and Planning stages, part of the Communications plan may include just some Communications components, such as email, and document sharing.

During the Excecution phase, other components would be introduced such as an Intranet website for reporting. In the Control phase, an established Change Management package, would be another communication vehicle, which also includes the Scope, and Integration knowledge areas.

Project management best practices can be a Key Success Factor (KSF). The constant dependable application of PM best practices can be a differentiator and contribute to sustainability.

A martial artist can think, "Why wouldn't I want to know the best way to break a one-inch board?"
Why wouldn't I, as a delivery-minded Project Manager, want to know the BEST way to add VALUE to my customer(s).

Mike Diaz, PMP
925-575-0125
email: mdiaz@dragonbyte.biz

Project Management - Dependencies

2010-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Entering tasks into your project management scheduling application can be as easy entering items in a spreadsheet. Creating dependencies so the tasks have a flow towards a deliverable can require a good deal of additional thought and discussion.

Many project schedules, used as part of an overall project plan, end up being a list of tasks, with the number of hours, or days, to execute the task, and who is assigned as the only pertinent information.

The key advantage of entering the predecessor, and successor of the task is the determination of the tasks critical to the delivery of the project. This term is the "critical path." Some project schedulers can highlight the critical tasks in red, which is a quick and efficient method.

A simple example of dependencies
1.1) Determine and document the time management plan (e.g. schedules review)
1.2 ) Determine and document the communications management plan (e.g. email, texting, voice mail, status reports, signed SOW)
1.3) Determine and document the quality management plan (QA, QC-evaluate product
1.4) Determine and document the human resources management plan (Team member acquisition/development)
1.5) Determine and document the cost management plan (Estimates / Budget)
1.6) Determine and document the risk management plan (planning, monitoring, control)
1.7) Determine and document the procurement management plan (contract admin/ closeout)
1.8) Determine and document the integration plan
1.9) Determine and document the scope plan
1.10) Review and Accept the overall project plan (Tasks 1.1 to 1.9 must be completed prior to executing Task 1.10)

Understanding which tasks must be executed, and in which particular order can ease the delivery of the project, and provides a "blueprint" for the team to follow.

Security on Phones

2009-12-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Computer hackers showed their capabilities by breaking the security on the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) used on most of the phones in the current market. Phones using the newer 3G technology are not vulnerable to this particular attack.

Read further at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54ca8e66-f485-11de-9cba-00144feab49a.html

Audacity - Open Source Sound Recording and Editing for Pod/Audiocasts

2009-12-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hi this is Mike Diaz, PMP.

A number of people have been asking how to create their own podcasts or audiocasts.

Audacity, which can be downloaded from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/, is a free Open-Source application for recording and editing sounds.

Really, all you need is a microphone on your system. Some systems have either a microphone built in, a port next to the headphones port, or a usb connection, which one can plug in a webcam. Most webcams nowadays also record audio.

After you go the site, download the version you want, Windows XP, or Vista. Also, make sure you download the LAME encoder which allows you to convert your Audacity recording to an MP3.

Steps

Download audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows)
Download the LAME encoder
Launch Audacity on your system and record
Convert to an MP3

At this point you will be able to upload your sound file to websites, blogs, itunes, etc.

Creating the audiocast

Some of us are gifted with the ability to speak in a flowing manner. Others require or prefer a script. You can try both. Another thing to note is you may not like to hear your voice. You can always ask a buddy with a voice you like to read for you. That’s fine, you are still sharing knowledge with others.

I hope this helps. Thanks for your time.

Project Management - Developer Estimates

2009-11-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

In a previous entry, the testing areas of a project were presented; Unit, Systems, Integration, UAT, and finally release to production, which are used in the Execution phase of the project.

Developer estimates for numerous tasks to deliver components, are ideally based on historical data, meaning the developer has completed similar coding previously. Many developers with a clear understanding of requirements, are able to provide an estimate which includes each of the phases of testing.

One of the questions a project manager should ask is the breakdown of hours related to the testing phases. For example, if a task is estimated at 12 hours, does that mean each phase is 3 hours long?:

3 hours: Developmement and Unit testing - Developer creating code on own machine
3 hours: Systems testing - Developer testing own code in a testing environment
3 hours: Integration testing - Developer testing own code with other developer's code in test environment
3 hours: User Acceptance Testing - Developer correcting possible errors

Asking questions can spark a discussion, or push back, which is a good thing. Once it is understood a development phase, such as Unit test, may require 5 hours rather than 3, the overall estimate is closer.

Personality types and work ethics need to be considered as well. A hard-charging developer may provide an estimate, and because of the true passion and love of developing, could complete an assignment in less time. Additionally, a team member may decide to assist the developer, in their excitement, and enable the earlier delivery of the component or task.

With experienced developers, when estimating, the project manager should assess or understand the skill level of the additional developers which may be assigned the task. The experienced developer may be able to complete the coding in six hours, while the less experienced developer may required eight to ten.

Project managers, business subject matter experts, technical infrastructure support and developers all should be cognizant of how their pieces will affect the overall delivery of the project.

Joomla, A CMS

2009-10-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

Joomla, http://www.joomla.org, is an Open Source Content Management System which can provide extensive management of the content of a website. As many companies shift from brochure, or sites displaying just text and images, to highly interactive sites with forms, blogs, video, and ecommerce, Joomla eases the migration.

Commercial and free Joomla extensions number in the thousands. If you are working on your own, and trying to add extensions, it could be a challenge in time management to research each extsension, and the database tables associated with it. Many extenisons will add datbase tables to the core, and understanding the table relationships, can ease the development or addition of new functionality.

Some web sites like http://www.joomlapackages.com, offer Joomla with several useful extensions, and monetize by providing additional services. These extension-rich packages can greatly reduce the completion time of the site.

If you are looking to expand the content of your site frequently, and desire more control, consider using a CMS.

Testing Phases

2009-10-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

In this entry, testing phases of a project will be presented.

During development, the technical developers on a team, while possibly co-located with business users, still need to have environments set up for their coding. Programming and debugging tools, computers with fast processors, revision, and document management applications, facilitate the delivery of the products in an efficient manner.

The phases of delivery, while rapid in processes such as Agile, http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/scrum, may require separate environments for testing phases. A developer has completed coding, and tests the application on their workstation, without affecting the systems of other team members. This can be called Unit Testing.

Placing Unit tested code in an environment which contains the base configuration of the target application, but is not in a combined testing environment, is termed Systems Test.

Sometimes a forgotten area of testing is the Systems test environment. For larger integrated systems, combining servers, multiple layers server applications, and the introduction of new technologies, each sub-team may need their own systems test area. Many projects will place code directly into the Integration Test environment.

Integration Testing is where all the development code, technologies and components are combined to test all functionality.

Finally, an area for the user’s running their use cases/business process is usually called UAT (User Acceptance Testing). This environment most closely resembles production.

Again, in a rapid development environment, the developer’s code can jump quickly from unit, system to integration, and with co-located users, the UAT can proceed quickly.

Introducing the whole team to the concept of phased testing, can assist in the efficiency of delivering the project on time, and in budget.

Blogs and Content Management Systems

2009-10-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

The evolution for the creation and implementation of a website begins with a desire to establish a presence on the internet. Many people begin by creating web pages with basic information such as a home page, about us, products or services, possible links, and finally a contact us page.

The selection of graphics and images may take a back seat when a template is used just so the site can be up as quick as possible. In this case many are electing to start with blogs, containing established templates of colors and styling, so the client can concentrate on the content. Indeed blog systems such as Blogger itself, http://www.blogger.com/, has many features, enabling one to begin communicating on the internet very quickly.

Types of sites:

Brochure sites, or business card sites provide information about the company/person/non-profit with images and text.
The next level is a Slightly Interactive site where someone can send a request via a form for more information, or add comments which are then emailed to the webmaster or designated reviewer.
Highly Interactive sites allow for specialized logins for customers, purchase capabilities (ecommerce), and can include instant messaging with agents on standby, as well as other features.

Blogs and Content Management systems provide for highly interactive site capability, and with the plethora of additional plug-ins, become a certain selection for many. Joomla, an Open Source CMS, http://www.joomla.org/, has much support, and continuously evolves in ease of use.

Between CMS packages, and blog systems, creating an internet presence, is becoming easier.

Fast Internet Acces and Wi-Fi Hotspots

2009-10-15T17:35:00.001-07:00

Technical people love to hear about different technologies and the stages of development. There are many good sites, two of which are used here.

Finland stated it would mandate fast internet usage as a right to its 5.2 million citizens. see http://ping.fm/Te7Z6

On a side note "USA leads the public Wi-Fi hotspots race by a huge margin. The country has 67,420 hotspots, more than double of the country that is second, China (28,678 hotspots). Here are the top ranking cities in USA:

1. New York : 887
2. San Francisco : 872
3. Chicago : 792
4. Houston : 616
5. Seattle : 615
6. Los Angeles : 503
7. Atlanta : 451
8. San Diego : 439
9. San Antonio : 430
10. Austin : 417" source: http://ping.fm/fWorZ

Meeting Agenda - Time Management

2009-05-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Conducting productive, time-aware meetings requires, as with many projects, requires measurement. Defining the time for each presenter with objectives can result in useful future action items.

A objective facilitator, who can keep the meeting moving, a separate time keeper, and scribe or note taker, can give the team participants added freedom and expand the flow of information.

Additionally, some companies use the digital phone system to record the entire meeting for missing participants. This digital file can then be downloaded to one of the myriad existing digital devices for review on the way home.

It is useful for the participants to agree on the objectives of the meeting. Though an agenda should be sent prior to the meeting with scheduled presenters, and time allotment, up to date events can alter the course of the meeting, or sometimes negate it entirely. Agreement from all the participants can facilitate adherence to the schedule.

If a meeting is longer than an hour, schedule a short break, stating the meeting will resume in five or ten minutes from either the clock time, or the facilitator's watch. Begin exactly at the five or ten minute mark. Stragglers have made their decision to be late.

Example of an agenda:

10 minutes - Networking
5 minutes - Meeting Kick-off/ Objectives Review /Team Agreement.
10-15 minutes - Objective/Problem #1 - Repeat for additional Objectives
10 minutes -Review Action Items and Assigned Personnel

Times can change. The previous agenda is a relatively short meeting with one objective, but it already takes 40 minutes. If there are many objectives, more than one meeting may be necessary.

After the meeting send out a summary of the meeting and action items. The summary does not need to contain all the text of each 15 minute discussion, just the results.

Discussion Summary Example:

Team discussed whether or not to use the Windows versus Mac laptops

Results: The team has agreed on using the Windows platform for most of the team, with 2 Mac laptops designated for the graphics designers

Action Item Example

Follow up on purchase order for 5 windows laptops and 2 mac laptops. Due Date: 5/8/09. Assigned: MD.

Adhering to a schedule, and consistently following the practice in all meetings, will produce an increased level of confidence in the productivity of meetings.

Risk Analysis

2009-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Risk Analysis

Every project has an element of chance. The identification of the prioritized possible risks and investigated solutions increases the likelihood of a successful project completion.

The uncertainty of possible outcomes can have a dollar value assigned. For example, the installation of a critical building component in a remote call center, such as a working heating and air conditioning system, are possible risks to the opening of a new facility on time.

Possible solutions to the risk are:
1. Identifying an experienced HVAC contractor with prior installation successes
2. Budget contingency for shipping in case the HVAC installation is delayed because of newer transportation logistics
3. Do not build the new facility.

Yes, not doing a project is a risk solution and has its own associated costs.
Companies with governance controls such as banks, insurance companies, and public utilities often must weigh the risk of engaging in projects while budgeting for government mandated changes.

A simple technique for risk management is Brainstorming, where a team is facilitated by a leader encouraging the flow of ideas without limitations. The team would agree to reject suggestions at a later session. Business and technical team members with diverse backgrounds benefit and the "crazy" ideas may lead to an agreeable cost savings solution.

There are other risk management techniques such as Monte Carlo, Delphi Method, and Probability Method and so on.

We identify risks in our own life and select the solutions to minimize the risk, oftentimes with the least cost. An example is the use of public transportation to commute to work. Many times using public transportation is less expensive than driving a car, with a much lower incidence of accidents contributing to lower medical costs.