I found this to be very educational, especially since I have been assigned the meaningful use project for our organization. There are 114 pages to study, so be sure to have some time to dedicate.

Here is the link to get started!

Also, I reviewed and studied until I got 100%, I expect the same from all of you.

                          

Anyway, they software is great. You can download a demo of MindView 3.0 here http://www.matchware.com/en/downloads/default.htm

Another great feature is not every single person needs a license to view the files, they have free viewers http://www.matchware.com/en/downloads/default.htm#freeviewers (Hint hint to MS Project)

Here is the full sales pitch from MatchWare about MindView http://www.matchware.com/en/products/mindview/default.htm. I can tell you I was fully impressed. Full integration with Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and of course Project. You can also create images, jpg, png, or pdf.

I personally love the export to Word, which displays a picture of the entire mind map, and then has a linked table of contents outlining your entire map. The export to MS Project is slick as well, as expected. You can edit either the exported document or the original mind map and sync your files. Wow. It’s hard to explain why it is so cool, but download the demo and export your mind map to all the different Office formats to view the coolness that results.

                          

Now this is the kind of paper I want to read! If you are not familiar with the Harvard Business school working knowledge papers, start reading them now. http://hbswk.hbs.edu The level of writing and thinking will keep your mind sharp and help you raise your game. The latest, Using What We Know: Turning Organizational Knowledge into Team Performance, http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6525.html?wknews=101210, addresses a problem everyone has experienced in the workplace, utilizing organizational knowledge. The paper examines the use of stored organizational knowledge and the affects on team performance.  I’m not going to butcher their work by trying to recap, but it is a must read for all team members, project managers, and managers. Really, if you  have a job you should read this and apply it to your situation.

Thank you to the authors, Bradley R. Staats, Melissa A. Valentine, and Amy C. Edmondso for all your hard work.

                          

Where groups display all the rows, filters actually hide rows of data from the view. See example below where I filtered the tasks based on critical tasks

I hope this helps you out

                          

PS – If you want this book I will sell you mine for less than you can  buy it on Amazon. Includes practice cd and trial of MS Project 2007. Catch: I used the test discount voucher.

                          

“Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.”

— James Belasco and Ralph Stayer, Flight of the Buffalo (1994)

As a project manager our entire job is change. We Initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close changes, but instead we call them projects. By the very nature of people, they are resistant to change! The question then becomes, how can we overcome irrational fears and people clutching to the past?

John Kotter lays out the plan for change in his book Leading Change

1. Establishing a sense of urgency

Identify the current state of the project. What are the risks and opportunities?

2. Forming a powerful guiding coalition

Find a good executive sponsor, get stakeholder buy-in, and work on Project team building

3. Creating a vision

Where is the team going? What are they working towards? Create a solid scope of work and a plan of how to complete the project.

4. Communicating vision

Open and frequent communication makes happy stakeholders. Ensure the communication is at the proper frequency and media for your target audience.

5. Empowering others to act on the vision

A primary function of a project manager is to remove obstacles so people can do their jobs. Using a project as leverage can be a good opportunity to fix a flawed workflow process in the organization. Encourage your team members to think about how things should be and work towards that end result, do not just focus on how things are done today. The phrase “because that’s how we’ve always done it” is a sign that person saying those words has no idea the why behind that process.

6. Planning for and creating short-term wins

Start off with visible results. The project needs momentum to succeed, just like anything else. Planning for visible performance improvements or wins, will keep your project team motivated, keep yourself motivated, and show your executive sponsor this project will be a success. Just remember who brought you there, there is plenty of spotlight for everyone.

7. Consolidating improvements and producing still more change

Do not let the project successes live in just one project, share them across the board. Use your increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don’t fit the vision of the organization. Make sure and complete your lessons learned for each project and use them! It’s easy to take notes, but make sure you actually implement the good parts on your next project.

8.Institutionalizing new approaches

Soon you will be noticed for your project success. Your CIO, COO, CEO…some C will come asking to talkt o you. There are no real secrets; you have just followed the steps of the change expert, John P. Kotter.  You understand the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success.

                          

Here is the quick scoop, you can upload and share Microsoft Project 2002, 2003, and 2007 files online for free. It’s quick and easy. I uploaded a mpp file, went to File > Share and they provide an URL to share.

Two immediate uses I can think of, I can upload and share my mpp files.

More importantly, users who get a mpp emailed to them and  do not have Microsoft Project or Project viewer installed can simply upload and view the MS Project.

My only complaint is they have the entire MS Project menu on the screen, when only a few of the menu options are actionable. Not a big deal, but it could be much cleaner and provide more screen real estate by removing disabled buttons. As they add features, then can add buttons.

Overall I love it, and I look forward to using www.amiproject.com as they grow it into a more robust product. I’ve already begun sharing my MS Project files.

                          

One of Trump’s posts I’ve been saving is Curiosity. An excerpt:

Curiosity also provides a starting point for discovery. It’s a bit like research–once you find something of interest, the natural inclination is to learn more about it. Sometimes it may not have anything to do with your current endeavor, but it can broaden your understanding. I don’t believe any knowledge is wasted. My interests are diverse largely because I’m curious, which has certainly helped me as a businessman.

Now, on to how we can apply this while you are sitting in a cubicle. Find something at work you are curious about and follow the path. My PMP certification started this way. When I began project management I knew that was what I wanted to do. I searched for the industry certifications, requirements, etc. Let’s face it, there are times when work becomes mundane and you need a change. Little adventures of curiosity can give you that spark to keep you going and drive your career further.

Think about what skills you will need in your future jobs…what skills does a PMO need? CIO? CEO? Start working on those now to give yourself an advantage in the future.