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

June'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 organisation 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.

June 11 Canberra "Intelligent Disobedience Keynote" As a chapter event for the PMI Canberra Chapter, Bob McGannon will present a keynote address based on our popular Intelligent Disobedience class. The evening will include an opportunity for networking as well as a chance to talk with Bob after the speech. For more information, or to register, click here.

June 16-17 Perth "Intelligent Disobedience"
Mindavation's Bob McGannon, through a partnership with Coffey Projects, will be presenting Intelligent Disobedience as a 2 day course open to the public. This is an advanced leadership course to prepare project managers for successful interactions with senior management and other various project stakeholders. For more information, and to register for this course, click here.

July 28-29 Canberra "Critical Judgment" at PMEd 08

July 30 Canberra "Intelligent Disobedience Keynote" at AIPM Canberra

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 organisation.

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 customisable 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): AUS$125. To order call (02) 6273-8749 or email info@mindavation.com.

Mindavation at PMEd 08
Mindavation is the Lanyard Sponsor of PMEd 08. PMEd is a powerful professional development event that brings together some of the region's leading project management educators and facilitators to offer a range of seminars and workshops relevant to all levels of project management.

Mindavation Director Bob McGannon will be presenting our 2-day Critical Judgment course on July 28-29 in Canberra. For more information, or to register, please visit the PMEd 08 website.

Mindavation is proud to be a Bronze Sponsor for PMOZ being held 18-20 August in Melbourne. Managed by PMGlobal, PMOZ offers a range of dynamic and exciting presentations encompassing all aspects of "creating success" from the high level concepts of translating strategy into action through a variety of tools and techniques. Bob McGannon will hold a 90-minute workshop based on our Recovering Troubled Projects course. Mindavation will also have a presentation of "Your Personal Mentor," our new self paced project management tool. Please stop by our booth and say hello; we look forward to seeing you there!