People First (PF): Advisory Committee

I have found it to be very valuable to have a list of folks who are willing to answer what every questions I might have regardless of how silly, picayune, or trivial they might seem to them.

During my Information Technology (IT) career, I had lots of opportunities to meet people in many industries, various levels of experience and responsibility, and numerous levels of education. They all had their strengths and weaknesses. And, the ones who knew these strengths and weaknesses were many of the ones I gravitated to.

It’s amazing how much one can learn about someone else if you ask them to give you their advice and suggestions.

t-p-t-i-v01-i05-pf-advisor-committee-20230425Download

People First Span of your Life (cycle)

Perspective is driven by several components: Experience, Dreams, your perception of a “horizon”, Desires, and, at times, the only measurable things in your reach.

A Life Cycle, in technology communities, relates to the span, time-frame, or scope of an effort like a project or a change applied to an existing application or environment.

Every organization has its own Perspective on what should or could be measured because these things are important to the participants AND their management / share holders.

Some examples of a perceived Life Span are introduced in this attached Newsletter. Enjoy!

Please Download, Read, Respond or Advice. Thank you, bgbg

t-p-t-i-v01-i04-people-first-20230418Download

Jobs for the Geri-Actives

You want jobs? You want to work? Do you NEED to earn money or do you just WANT to stay busy?

Check out this list of job types or categories and see if one of several might interest you:

CategeoriesCategoriesCategories
AccountantAdministrative AssistantBook Keeper
Bus DriverCashierCustomer Service Representative (Phone, In-Person)
Delivery DriverDental Assistant / HygienistFiling Clerk (manual, electronic)
Home Health AssistantLPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)Nanny / Care Giver
NurseOffice ManagerOrderly
ParalegalPharmacy Assistant / TechReception (Phone, Walk ins, Appointments)
Retail SalesSales AssociateSecretary
Security Guard (Days, Evenings, Weekends)Store / Merchandise Display
And …… Professional …… Opportunities … :
AnalyticsAsset ManagementContract Management
Finance / AccountingHuman ResourcesInformation Technology
LegalMarketing / AdvertisingPlant Operations
Research and DevelopmentShipping / DeliveryWeb Services
Job Categories 2023 April Geri-Actives

People First V01 I02

As my semi-official Inaugural issue of the T P T I Newsletter, I have updated my “Motto” or “Slogan” piece from my primary LinkedIn Profile: “People First!”.

Please Download, Read, Respond or Advice. Thank you, bgbg

T P T I V01 I02 People First 20230406Download

Soon To Be A Lost Art

This is a FIRST, although it really is a second or third depending on when you start counting.

I started writing a Newsletter back in the day (1980’s) when I was running a Technical Services team where we provided Standards (and Enforcement), Training (in support of an IT department interested in growing skills and people), Project Coaching (for applying the latest SDLC and techniques for Analysis, Design, Code and Testing). Back then I think we wrote two or three newsletters and published only one or two.

So, THIS could be a first: where I actually WRITE, PUBLISH and get FEEDBACK from several Newsletters.

Please download / read this and other newsletters and, if interested, please give me some feedback on what you think about the topics, format, content so far.

Thanx, bgbg

Lost Arts of WHG 202304Download

Instruction Guide for WHG

If you have ever wondered How To interact with me, this could become your “definitive” guide.

Health and Medicines:

I have very persistent allergies to almost everything that grows: grass, flowers, weeds, trees, bushes, and all their pollens, etc. And I am also allergic to milk except for soy milk; wool; and probably a few other things I have more rececntly forgotten about. I am also allergic to Pennicyllin.

The best cure I have found for when my allergies are truly debilitating is to get a Hot Compress over my eyes, take one or two extra allergy pills (over the counter Zyrtec or …), and recline in a dark room for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

If / WHEN my blood sugars drop I can usually just follow the “15 and 15” rule: Eat 15 mg of carbs and wait 15 minutes until my blood sugars come back up. One typical behavior pattern that can indicate that my blood sugar is low is that I will, sometimes, appear to be drunk or just goofy.

If / WHEN my blood sugar goes up dramatically, the only thing that has worked for me so far is to keep moving (I can’t walk fast or run anymore) for at least 15 minutes and hope that my blood sugar comes down after that little bit of exercise. A typical behavior when my blood sugar is high is that I will get a headache or may appear to be unsteady on my feet.

If none of these two blood sugar remedies work real well in less than one hour, it’s probably best to take me to an Emergency Room for more specialized treatment. Please do not try to inject me with insulin if you are not sure of the dosage.

In a Project Setting:

Communication is critically important to me and most other Project Managers.

I would prefer that my clients, users and my team members let me know if they are having difficulty with something we have decided or that we intend to build and install or where someone may be having doubts or difficulties in accomplishing their assigned tasks.

The earlier you let me know about any of these concerns the sooner we can develop a plan to resolve any of these issues. If you wait too long to tell me about these things, I will still figure out a way to resolve any issues but you may no longer be part of the team going forward.

I believe that self-assessment is absolutely critical to a project team’s success. And, it’s pretty clear to me that if we don’t SELF-assess, we will still be evaluated / judged by others.

Other Areas…

Intro to GPS 001

This is an introduction to using the Global Positioning System (GPS) on an Android cell phone.

Please let me know if you think this is valuable OR could use some improvements. Thanx, bgbg

PPM Operational Flows

A Portfolio Project Management (PPM) function will consider implementing operational work flows similar to this list:

  1. Identify Metrics for tracking all PPM data and processes
  2. Produce a Dashboard of current Metrics
  3. Measure PPM Process Compliance to published processes (SOP’s)
  4. Evaluate PPM Process Compliance metrics and recommend mitigation steps
  5. New Work Request Submission process and data collection
  6. Work Request Vetting and Revision processes
  7. Work Request Prioritization settings
  8. Portfolio Development / Proposals
  9. Proposed Portfolio Reviews / Recommendations
  10. Portfolio Review Board Selections and Communications
  11. Project Staffing, Scheduling, Kick Offs
  12. Project Execution Metrics Collection / Dashboarding
  13. Project Execution Oversight / Compliance Measurement Processes
  14. Project Delivery Quality Metrics Collection (Product, Process, Opportunities)
  15. PPM Feedback Review / Procedure Revisions (KPIs) Submissions to Step 5

Please review this list of suggested PPM Processes and advise us about your experiences and recommendations.

Thank you, bgbg

Portfolio Project Management – Level Zero

Portfolio Management is an organization’s process for capturing, vetting, budgeting and scheduling the execution of Work Requests from the users and other contributors within an organization.

A fundamental working assumption for any Portfolio Management process is that it has a high probability of changing on a regular basis to take advantage of new thinking, changing organization goals and objectives, and new capabilities within the implemented architecture.

As part of this expectation of continuous change, it is critical that a dedicated portion of this department be accountable for measuring the compliance, effectives, value of the results and also be looking for opportunities to improve the processes as a way to achieve the current goals of its organization.

The Portfolio Management function needs to include a tool for capturing the information about each Work Request and another set of tools for tracking the metrics of all the submitted history of Work Requests.

To get started an organization must ask itself some initial questions which will later evolve to much more insightful questions. To start, let’s discuss these questions:

  • What information should we start to collect to describe and categorize each Work Request?
    i. Submittor details
    ii. Targeted Business Function
    iii. etc.
  • How will these data be reported to the user audience (mail, text, mobile app, etc.)?
    i. Visual Dashboard / Graphs
    ii. Presentation Slides
    iii. Detailed Reports
  • What information will be collected to describe the execution of each approved project?
    i. Actual Costs
    ii. …
  • What information will be collected to describe the quality of the results?
    i. Match to Organization Goals
    ii. Match to Project Requirements
    iii. …
  • How do we intend to use these metrics to assess the effectiveness and value of the Portfolio Management processes and collected data to date?

Agilist Working Definition

In 2022 I started research into the Job Title of “Agilist”. This title appeared to me to be an evolution from SCRUM Masters, Project Managers, and uses of the Agile Manifesto.

For today, I am proposing and working job definition for “Agilists” which I would really like to hear about from those who are willing to read, advise, critique, or influence.

Please review these suggested job attributes and let me know how I should revise, review, or replace these characteristics.

An Agilist:

  • Subscribes to the Agile Manifesto / Methodology
  • Approaches Software Development emphasizing:
    • Collaboration
    • Flexibility
    • Rapid Iteration
    • Frequent Deliveries
    • Continuous Improvement
  • Focuses on:
    • Customer Engagement
      • During the Delivery Process
      • During Usage and for Support
      • During Revisions and Evolving Business Needs
      • Up to Sunsetting and Replacement
  • Adapts to:
    • Changing Infrastructure
    • Development and Delivery Tool Capabilities
    • Testing Techniques and Bug Tracking tools
  • Role Titles or Names include but are not limited to:
    • Project Manager
    • Application Developer / Tester
    • Team Leader
    • Agile Coach / Consultant
%d bloggers like this: