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 the Level-type Communication Table. This template assists the project manager in determining how to best manage a given project team member based on their level of experience for their project assignments and their behaviour preferences (such as Action oriented, Planner, etc...). This template is a fantastic aid to help the project manager be a more effective leader.

The Art of the Long View - Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World by Peter Schwartz

Good project managers typically are also good storytellers - they can sell the benefits of their projects; and project status, to a demanding senior management team. The Art of the Long View takes this a significant step further, using "scenario building" - a form of story writing - as a way of preparing for future possibilities and increasing our ability to prepare for them. Although not written specifically for project managers, the technique of building scenarios can help us envision possibilities for the changes our projects inflict upon our sponsoring businesses.

Using the concepts Schwartz calls driving forces; predetermined elements; and critical uncertainties, we can derive a variety of scenarios that address project possibilities, allowing us to position our businesses for success. With these we can ask the intriguing question; what would have to happen for scenarios to (or not to) come true? The alterations we make to our projects through the answers to this question can save thousands of dollars, and bring difficult projects to a successful conclusion.

Written in 1991 and updated in 1996, this book includes stories that are dated, but their concepts are still quite valid. As a means of understanding different viewpoints and new approaches to driving projects to success, this text is a quick read that can be quite helpful.

June 11 Canberra "Intelligent Disobedience Keynote" at PMI Canberra Chapter

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 30 Canberra "Intelligent Disobedience Keynote" at AIPM Canberra

By Bob McGannon, PMP

Certainly, project managers don't want to make it a habit to say "no". However, it is often the exact thing we need to say as a means of protecting the project's integrity, the sponsor's reputation, and the finances of the sponsoring business. So, how can we say "no" in an effective fashion? Often, it is not by saying "no" ourselves, but helping our customers down the "no" path. For those cases where we need to "defend the project", here are some effective ways we can "get to no".

· Ask questions of the project's customers or sponsor

At times the ramifications of an idea are not fully understood by the proposer. What may seem like a great idea often is a pathway to greater costs and major scope changes. Often, the best approach the project manager can take is to pose questions that cause our project stakeholders to review the considerations behind their "proposals' or expectations. An example: We can add that function to the product, however it will cost an additional $200,000. Do you have a means to increase the project budget to accommodate the incremental funding? This can yield the "no' a project manager is seeking, without having to be the contrarian. It protects the project, as well as protecting how the project manager is perceived. In instances where the budget might be available, and the function would support a positive business case, asking the question to verify this, is a good path for the project manager to take.

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 Director Denise DeCarlo conducted two Recovering Troubled Projects workshops, March 4th and 5th, at PMI Asia Pacific. 160 students were treated to a three hour workshop aimed at helping project managers who are charged with recovering projects. Denise also conducted a public version of our two day Recovering Troubled Projects course March 13-14 in Perth. For more information on this popular course, click here.

Bob McGannon presented a keynote version of our extremely popular Intelligent Disobedience course March 12th in Perth. Bob will also be presenting this keynote June 11 and July 30 in Canberra, and the two-day Intelligent Disobedience course June 16-17 in Perth.

For more information on all of Mindavation's keynote presentations, click the link below.