Do you Enjoy Being A PM?

One of the things that makes me wonder is when people introduce themselves as a project manager and you start talking to them about project management and then you realise they are not real project managers.

In fact the title of PM is very clearly defined.

1. The project must be controlled using a recognised project management methodology which varies by nature of Project, Country & Industry.

2. A PM does not define a project, only controls it. The PM controls only three aspects, time, cost & quality. The project is defined by the project board or consultant. If your project has no board, you are not a PM in the industry definition of the term. You are just a care taker.

For those that mange projects, it has to be one of the best jobs; every day is different, the achievement when a project goes well is fantastic (if not rare) and the way you have to deal with so many different people with different agenda makes it one of the most challenging. Change is a VERY difficult thing to accomplish - particularly on large organizations. Sometimes these projects don't go the way the owners wanted and get negative feedback. Thus PM become the scapegoats, though its not his creation and the (wrong) RFP was written by a "so-called" expert. However this is part of risk management and should be used accordingly. It is one of the few jobs that if done well goes unnoticed; the project was delivered on time and within budget that is expected and its not due to him. Projects get noticed when they go wrong and PM gets the credit for the failure. As non-technical (MBA) lobby is tirelessly trying to establish the notion - The secret to success is knowing who to blame. They are still not ready to take any lessons from this recession which happend because of this ostrich like approach of managers and decision makers.

I have also found Project manager to be a abused and misused term. I’ve been a project manager, technical specialist, QA/QC expert. I found that 90% of people don’t want change in their workplace, usually because it will adversely affect them. Situation becomes very alarming if there are people on client side who themselves don't want project to succeed as it may make them redundant (common in gov. projects). Contrary to that a failed/delayed project is good for their blame game approach. A project always creates change and rarely for the good for the people who are having it done to them by changing the status quo and throwing new challenges.

The term “project manager” is deliberately misconstrued by people who overestimate the earning potential of project managers. They wish to have associated with the term & include it on their CV as they think that this will a. get them a better paid job & b. give them some kudos by telling others they are a PM. I personally know many persons who following a project management awareness course or certificate course (few classes of powerpoint “this is a project” etc and online tests) added PM to their CV and started applying for PM jobs.

A project manager needs to be very good at pleasing everyone; they are blamed from all sides ehen the project is late/ over budget. Most of the times scope of work (SoW), time frames and budgets are unrealistic. Then there is the SoW and methods that the resources ( just hired in hurry) don’t understand and the sponsor (guy with the money) keeps changing because he started to understand SoW only when first delivery was made and invoice sent. You as the project manager have to deliver it to the same time frames and budget. Now who wants to be a Project Manager? Answer is obvious and thats the reason we see so many troubled projects and consequently co.s also?

ArcFM Developers Required

The candidate(s) should be able to work on the following activities:

Proposed responsibilities include:

Gather requirement and Preparing functional specifications document including;
UML based specifications, Logical Data Model, Preparing Design Documents, Physical Data Model Classes, Carrying out Application Development Work, Deliver new functionalities to existing GIS applications, Develop new functionalities to core software (ArcGIS / ArcFM)
Develop new GIS Applications, Emergency maintenance of existing GIS applications
Testing Application, Prepare Test Plans, Conduct Unit Testing, Conduct Functional Testing
Conduct Final Application Testing, Prepare User Manuals

The candidate is required to work in Bahrain at the end-client location.

B. Candidate Profile

The candidate(s) should have the following credentials

1. Graduate or Post Graduate in Computer Science or any related discipline
2. Familiarity with thin client tools such as Citrix and Windows Remote Terminal Services
3. Fluent with computer languages required for GIS development using ESRI and Telvent- Miner and Miner Tools
4. Familiarity with Oracle 10g and Access database
5. Fluent in English (written & spoken)

C. Experience

The candidate(s) should have at least three years of proven experience in:
1. Using ESRI and Microsoft Development Tools.
2. Data Modeling
3. Using SQL queries for Oracle 10g
4. VB6 and VB.NET for desktop applications
5. ASP.NET & VB.NET for web applications
6. ESRI ArcGIS 9.x (ArcObjects) / M&M AcrFM 9.x object library for desktop development
7. ESRI ArcGIS Server 9.2 / 9.3 for web development
8. Developing tools for Electricity and Water Utility networks

D. Contract Period

• The candidate(s) would be required for a minimum of five months during the yearly contract. The minimum duration of a given assignment (could be one or multiple tasks) would be for two weeks per developer.
• The duration required for a particular job would be mutually decided and accordingly the candidate would be deployed on site.
• Within two weeks from a request the developer should be made available for working on site.

Send your resume to ajaysrivast@gmail.com

Habits of a good manager

Read the full article 1st: The Seven habits of a typical bad manager

http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbit%2Ely%2F7HabitsBadManager&urlhash=ulwE&_t=disc_detail_link

I would like to add few more comments from readers across the world that you would also like to hear and may help 'some of us' in becoming a 'good manager' also.

• Always insecure and relying on shouting (lung power instead of brain power) to understand in attempt to fix any problem.
• Concentrates more on discussing things that are low on priority or any past mistake by others.
  
• Managers who doesn't believe what their Project leads says and make everything an open issue for brain storming. They take every issue with suspicion and wanted to clarify the same issue with some one whom they trust but has lesser knowledge. Suggestion- If you are unable to comprehend an issue related to technology, pls trust the people who are experts in that particular area and have the issue escalated for appropriate support instead of doing R&D to justify his ignorance by saying "its not rocket science".
• Constantly demanding your employees work faster, even when there's no pressing deadline and no road map.
• Trying to guilt-trip or bully your employees into doing what you want to make stories to save his skin than solving the problem.
• Takes two weeks to make a decision on even the most menial topics.
• People who worked would never be promoted because then there would be no one to do the actual work.
• Stealing the show from their subordinates - Often it happens that when the focus is on the success and easy bonus, these bad managers will depict them as the real achievers without any shame.
• Not owning the failure - This is again similar but reverse to above point, in case of failure, they dont own it, but scold the subordinates in front of everybody.
• Unwanted advise to peers - These bad managers will always poke nose in to others work and try to prove that their peers are less competent than themselves. They always give advise to others just to prove that they know better..
• Enough already with a spreadsheet that tracks everything from deliverables to the color socks you wore at the launch meeting. You gotta be engrossed in it 6 hours a day to understand how it can help you.
• They have no clear definition of direction where the organization is supposed to move to.
• Bad Managers treat people like equipment.
• The manager is always busy creating reports of work to be accomplished, but nothing ever gets accomplished because he is busy having his staff create pretty reports.
• The lack of common sense is the worst "habbit" could happen to a someone.
• There are managers who have bad sense of humor. They're always angry because they think it's going to get the team more productive.
• Acceptable sub-ordinates are those who dress like them, talks like them, and always agree with them.
• I see more managers who are good dressers than good planners. Seriously. I previously did audits for a very respected multinational company.
  
• A lot of folks want to be "managers" for the pay and power and career progress NOT because its their forte. In my last job, one chap was an engineer and he was promoted to manager the next day with zero training. You would not promote an air steward to pilot just because s/he has put in the time would you ?. s/he will be a really bad Pilot because he will be pretending whole day to be a genuine pilot. Long story short, often its not a person's fault when they are "Bad". Its fault of the person who hired him. He is doing the best he can do (ie pretensions).
  

Now My Comments:

1. I don't trash everything mentioned in the articles or the comments in the name of optimism and positively. You can always take lessons from such debates. Many so-called senior people may not agree with most of the things but these may help us in understanding the reasons for the last few failed projects in your co.. If you also don't agree then you are also among those bad managers who are misfits in the co. and thus screwing it everyday. Again, its not always persons fault when they are bad. Someone in the co. is responsible for breeding that culture of incompetence. Incompetence is a contagious disease that's is usually spread by few persons at the top. I have no doubts about it.

“Surround yourself with great people. Where you have intellect and brains, you’ll find the right answers.” Bad Managers can be changed into Good Managers, if they realise their weaknesses and improve themselves to have more confidence and less pretensions to survive in the business. Its a task that only they can do it for themselves. Buying degrees and certificates will not help much. Most of these bad traits have been noticed in the managers who lack subject knowledge and understanding of business and rely too much on commercially off-the shelf degrees and certificates to stay in the market. Its one who is suspicious about everything he listens from his own experts/staff and then relies on things from people who are not equipped to tell him the complete thing.

Many thinkers have taken different stances on describing this common crisis affecting the corporate world, but one thing is for sure, that one reason remains the same for all, and that there is a bad managers hidden somewhere within all of us and these things are helping in the rise of "Rajus"( small or big) in every organization.

And the one solution - The world needs to go back to the mantra of atleast some minimum level of honesty, work ethics and lesser drama to prove that "I got it coz I Deserve' it in the work place.

2. There should not be any PM who doesn't understand the domain and visualize the ultimate business needs of clients beyond the SRS document. A minimum level of first hand knowledge is required if not the expertise. 'General knowledge' is not usable knowledge because most of the time it is acquired by PMs during crisis when the problem is full blown. Its good for time pass only. They do a lot of miss-communication also and then create additional problems for the team. Domain knowledge helps a lot in the early stage of project when most of the challenges are identified and a lot depends on the PM to choose the right options and share the knowledge of his team members as well as the client. Usual manager who entered riding on degrees like MBA and certificates like PMSs etc alone will have no oversight and long term perspective and at the end totally fail in understanding these aspects and give undue importance to usual planning stuff like cost etc to show he is doing his best and only he can understand these things. Fact of the matter is that it doesn't help any way without the understanding of real issues affecting the project success. An ill conceived project will cost you many times more than initially planned no matter how many hours PM (with domain weaknesses) spends on planning and discussions.

Leader, Fake Leaders & their Managers

Lets discuss a real case study to understand the importance of this issue. General Motors and the MASSIVE failure on so many levels by that once mighty company. After all what went wrong. Can we blame only rising oil prices in 2008 for its failure? NO. Its all a leadership failure. Many people saw the crisis coming but there was also a lot of "whistling past the grave yard," as people hoped that this would not turn into a crisis. There was no real leader who had the guts to address these issues in GM and other co.s following the "American model." of management and marketing. That is the problem with this easy bonus culture. Everything is fine till you are getting more than what you deserve. Tomorrow is just another day of month in that organization. Is there anyone in America that want to argue against the fact that for 30+ years GM had fairly good management but NO LEADERSHIP? Who was looking at the foreign car manufacturers and doing some basic math and bench marking. The over riding reason for the failure of these companies is the failure at ALL LEVELS of management to have focus on the future and the will to do what was necessary.I am sure they have best of the managers (with degrees from best instt. & certificates like PMPs etc) and some "Leaders" too. Managers who refuse to take ownership and accountability both. They are just 'game players' who are more concerned about keeping the ball in other court and few reports on their laptop monitor. They could have done better. It is not rocket science but it does take commitment to a better way of doing things, a commitment to curing the common workplace. There are Leaders who pretend to understand everything, are great orators but lacked FOCUS, because they are not genuine stuff. Result is the poorly defined business needs and failed projects. There are many parts to that word "FOCUS" as it applies to business. One of the keys is that an organization has balance between the tactical world of what do we need to get done and what to we have to start working towards, strategically, so we will be ready to get it done in few years from now today.

http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/06/the-buck-stops-and-starts-at-business-school/ar/1

Developers, GIS Technicians & Surveyors Required

Our Utilities & Survey Div. in Bahrain has multiple openings for qualified Developers, GIS/ CAD Technicians & Surveyors to perform intermediate technical work generating and maintaining engineering (electric and water network) data and drawings. Must be able to work in field and office environment. Candidate must be able to generate engineering drawings related to system mapping, construction standards, or others as needed. Must be able to convert geographic information to digital data to prepare maps and integrate related engineering information. Knowledge of surveying, mapping techniques and principles, tabular and graphic data display, and computers a must. Education and experience equivalent to Degree/Diploma in EE, CE and/or related sciences with CAD or GIS experience. Experience with ArcGIS, AutoCad, GPS, TS equipments, and electric utility operations preferred. Possession of valid driver’s license required.

1. Electric GIS/ CAD Technicians

• responsible for transferring feeder information(cable type and size, feeder connectivity information, phasing, device placement, line and substation layout) and design from survey inputs to GIS.
• responsible for reading wire information (voltage, phasing, primary lines and secondary lines, types of wire used) from planning drawings and transferring it to digital format

2. Water Network GIS/ CAD Technicians

• responsible for transferring mains, valves, service pipes, customer information etc from survey inputs to GIS.

3. ArcFM Developer (Experience on .Net, Oracle, ArcGIS Server & ArcFM)

Apply: ajaysrivast@gmail.com

OpenSource & Geospatial Intelligence System (GIS)

GIS is not just maps and visulaization. It has left the geography train much before. Lets not dilute it by using its old definiation which centred around it and kept it at the periphery of overall IT infrastructure. Lets call it "Geospatial Intelligence System" (GIS).

Geospatial Intelligence System (GIS) is now at the core of many consumer applications. We all know it is more about the integration of locational intelligence with the existing IT setup so users can take the advantage of this powerful tool. With the addition of an integration platform, which may include an enterprise service bus, GIS services can be fused with the other shared services of complementary enterprise systems (CRM, ERP, CIS, etc.) to provide a more complete business picture. Along with the proliferation of consumer mapping and Free and Open Source (FOS) platforms, GIS integration has grown over the past five years, so has the overall interest of developers and new breed of GISers. Use of Open Source technology enriches service offerings and provides value in overall efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility to organizational business processes with lesser limitations due to sw specific requirements and architecture. For example, compare Microsft MSN with Google products. All google products are open source, youtube, orkut, g-maps, g-earth ocean etc. You can't fix many problems in the popular GIS softwares. You are always limited with ArcGIS, Mapinfo or Autocad or any other, but with open source there is no such limitations. In most of the audio video web applications, open source has given a new concept for web that is known as web 2.0 technology where these sites Google, eBay etc are launched. Very soon web 3.0 technology is about to come.

Scapability, Customisation, Compatibility and even performance is beyond desire in open source eg like WMS, WFS, Open Jump, GRASS, Postgre SQL, Web 2.0 etc. The core programming is back with bang and now even microsfot is afraid after the recent success of Google products. All the big co. have setup R&D div. for this and even smaller enterpreneur are happy as all they need now is buch of capable and motivated people only. EU has already taken the lead and soon when Indian and Chinese talent pool will also become familliar with this advantage then Microsoft and ESRI, MapInfo, AutocAD etc will face a tough challenge in market

Tool to Technology: Time to move From CAD++ to GIS

GIS is a wonderful tool, the problem is that it is used for cartographic reasons mainly. After seeing the growth of GIS and its utilization It looks like GIS itself is in crisis. There are many issues with GIS. Biggest problem is too much technology and not enough thinking about what it should be used for.

It seems engineer’s dont want to use GIS and the obvious reason is that GIS is not an engineering tool. It lacks many basic requirements of their engineering operations that these enggs tackle using their own methods in traditional ways. There are activities centered on viewing the territory, and generally speaking a huge percentage of these teams do not have access to GIS tools. I'm thinking of utilities/environmental studies/planning/assessment/monitoring as an example. Engineers in this area keep working in a manual fashion - they would benefit enormously just by having a simple and accessible spatial view of their object of study. Also, difficulties inherent to GIS should be ironed out - data and analysis tools should be streamlined to be effectively used on a daily basis. Once you give tools like these to a team, you'll see a huge gain in productiveness. That's what GIS should be selling today. In fact GIS should be sold as component of overall "IT infrastructure" with proper integration tools. Alone it becomes CAD++ (GIS used for the tasks that can be done with any CAD) and people usually use it to take colorful printouts and slides for presentations.

I think real profitability of GIS comes after integrating it with other real-time analysis software. Though, in itself, GIS softwares are a huge advantage for any utility company but that basically involves data processing capabilities, reports and some advanced analysis. Unless we will be able to let GIS softwares seamlessley talk with other softwares, its capabilities would be limited. Apart from ESRI, Intergaraph GE Smallworld provides wonderful solutions for Utility companies. But real challenge is to make it talk with other analysis s/ws or ERP s/ws with which can provide real-time Fault management system, Load analysis, Designing capabilities and so many other exciting features.

The real power of GIS is as a tool to increase operational efficiencies. I come at it from a more engineering-centric view and therefore not one of absolutes. When an engineer is looking to design a network, dam, or building for that matter, it is important that they know what the conditions are at the site. GIS allows them to understand a number of conditional attributes and onsite conditions (to a number of things). At this scoping or pre-feasibility phase, the level of accuracy required is really quite small. That is the reason utility co.s and engg. applcations dont require precision of coordinates. Engineers typically go through a series of phases (scoping, pre-feasibility, feasibility and design) which allow them to start at a very small scale and narrow the choices for the ultimate purpose. The power of GIS for these engineers is in avoiding costly and time consuming field visits and some level of simulation in the office.

So what does all this have to do with increased profitability for the typical business? I believe that, just as with engineering where you have to align the use of GIS with your objectives, in business you must also keep clearly defined 'business goals' in mind. Before diving into GIS analysis ask the question, how will GIS help this process and will it make it more efficient. In most cases the answers you get from using GIS are not as accurate as physical field work; however, using GIS to narrow the choices for fieldwork can be a very efficient and cost effective solution? In some cases GIS can also accomplish certain tasks in a fraction of the time it would take to accomplish using more traditional methods.

Anyway, GIS is a tool like any other IT application. It relies on skilled use to create a desired result by manipulating your database. The skill not only comes from knowing what buttons to push but also knowing what the appropriate processes as well as understanding the desired result. For ex. many orhanisations have realised now that GIS is a wasteful expenditure with no justification for RoI. Its time to correct the expectations and contain the hype created by sales and marketing persons that "GIS is the answer to their all kinds of problems" if you buy their boxes. GIS is nothing more than a location based "Asset Management System" that can be integrated with some other non-GIS applications. Most of the co.s fail to do that and they end up with CAD++ with all the expensive sw's instead of a real enterprise GIS due to lack of vision and expertise at right level. Use it as an enabling technology to improve your efficiency and not as a tool to print drawings, reports and posters.

As Joel Barker says;

Vision without Action is just a dream.
Action without Vision just passes the time.
Vision with Action can change the world.