How Photography and IT Project Management Are More Similar Than You Think! Introduction   Have you ever thought about how taking a great photograph is similar to managing an IT project? At first glance, they seem like completely different worlds—one is a creative pursuit, the other is structured and technical. But when you dive deeper, both require careful planning, adaptability, and precision. In this blog, we’ll explore the fascinating similarities between photography and IT project management. 1. Vision & Planning: Setting the Foundation   Before capturing an amazing photo, a photographer envisions the perfect shot. They analyze the lighting, angles, and composition before pressing the shutter. Similarly, an IT project manager starts with a clear vision of the end goal. They define project scope, set objectives, and identify potential risks. Without proper planning, both can end up with blurry results—whether in a photo or a failed project. 2. Choosing the Right ...

Project Management Lessons from the Chinese New Year Lion Dance on Stilts As a project manager with several years of experience, I often find inspiration for leadership, teamwork, and execution in the most unexpected places. This Chinese New Year, while observing the preparation for a mesmerizing Lion Dance on stilts performance, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between this ancient art form and the essential components of project management. Watching the performers rehearse with precision, dedication, and teamwork reminded me of the critical importance of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and collaboration during a project deployment. Here are some key takeaways: 1. Preparation Is Everything: The Foundation of Success The Lion Dance on stilts is a breathtaking display of acrobatics and cultural artistry. However, what most spectators don’t see is the extensive preparation behind the scenes. Each performer practices tirelessly, ensuring every move is synchronized, every jump calculated,...

 The Power of Teamwork: Insights from Project Management and Culinary Support in Esports In the dynamic world of Esports, success hinges not only on the players’ skills but also on the collaborative efforts of the entire support team. A recent video titled "The Power of Teamwork" underscores the significance of collaboration, communication, and shared goals—principles that resonate deeply within project management. This blog explores these themes while highlighting the vital role of supporting chefs in fostering a family-like atmosphere for T1 team members. Key Themes from the Video 1. Collaboration is Key The video illustrates how effective teamwork leads to innovative solutions. In project management, fostering a collaborative environment among team members is crucial for brainstorming and problem-solving. Similarly, T1’s chefs, led by Head Chef Kim “Alex” Jae-hyeong, work closely with players to understand their needs and preferences, ensuring that every meal contributes t...

  Video from LiveNOW from FOX YouTube Channel Follow up on my earlier post on the PM perspective of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, today we will review my PM perspective compared that which has been generated by AI. Using Recall to extract the summary of the video above, and pasting the summary to chatGPT , we got the following version, when asking AI to translate it to more familiar Project Management IT terminology: Risk Identification and Monitoring : Loss of visibility on a critical risk after initial identification. Ineffective real-time risk assessment. Project Planning and Execution : Potential shortcuts in project planning and stakeholder coordination. Failure to secure critical components or areas of the project environment. Inadequate adjustments to project plans based on stakeholder feedback. Governance and Communication : Unclear roles and responsibilities during the project. Insufficient training and coordination with external stakeholders. Incident R...

Video from Youtube LiveNOW from FOX channel Been viewing with interest over the last few days, on the shocking assassination attempt on the previous President, and upcoming Presidential nominee, Donald Trump. As with all such events, there has been a lot of discussions on the postmortem from many sources on where the gaps were. These are a few lessons and take aways, from a project management perspective, and my personal experience. You are only as good as your current project. No really cares on the 100's of events that went smoothly previously without any issues, when something breaks and processes fail. No matter how well you plan, once the event starts, expect the unexpected, as anything can happen. No planning will be perfectly executed. Interlocks and communications are critical to project success. Communications with resources outside your direct control, has to be more precise, and confirmation that the correct message and assignments need to be acknowledged and confirmed. ...

Recently my car door latch broke, and I discovered how much leverage it actually provides.  After several attempts trying to open the door from within the car... I reached an inspiration to wind down my window and just open the door using the outside latch.  So, a few similarities to handling this situation and with project management. When something breaks, our first reaction is to try and resolve the problem from the same side of the situation. The thing that breaks, will most likely provide great leverage to the process. The solution may need us to look outside of the "normal" process flow, and look for a solution from a different angle. The immediate solution may not be pretty, but if the immediate problem is solved, which is to get out of the car in this example, then it does the job. What do you think? #pmandre Contact and PM me  

I remember when I was studying in the UK, how "Are you mental?!" was a phrase used to inquire about a person's sanity, when they said or did something ridiculous, outlandish or totally out of the ordinary. Over the years I noted that there was greater emphasis on physical fitness, but not so much on mental fitness or training. This is a sorely neglected area, and it is so crucial not to be neglected. In my viewpoint, everything we do is more mental than physical. As a project manager, planning starts with a thought. Before anything is typed on your computer, your brain is already processing, tasks, resources, contingencies and so on.  The need to train your mental side to be strong, and able to process all the tasks that you need to keep track of, will definitely contribute to be able to handle the role better. This is true for all roles in general. Few suggestions on things that have helped me that may work for you: Put all events you need to track including personal one...

  Having been in a project management role for some time, focusing on release planning and execution, I seem to automatically analyze the planning behind every event I attend. You could call it an occupational hazard. Last weekend, while attending a Dance Day event at a local mall, I found it peculiar that the event was situated in the middle of the main ground floor corridor. Although this provided a good, layered viewing deck for the upper floors, it seemed counterproductive to block the flow of people entering the mall. Considering the heavy downpour the night before, I suspected that this was their contingency plan to host the event indoors, due to the risk of further rain. Typically, their events are held in two main spaces: one outside and another in the main atrium. It was curious that they didn't hold it in the main atrium, which seemed like the most logical location. Even if another event was scheduled for that space, the layout suggested that it wouldn't have been too...

The new reboot  Fantastic Four  movie is just out, and running parallel to the release is the controversy with Josh Trank, the director stepping back from the final product due to issues with Fox studios interference in the project. As a director of the movie, Josh Trank plays the same role a any project manager. He is responsible for the final product and steers the project in the right direction. A movie is a major project that has all the moving parts that needs a firm leadership to ensure it's final product is a major success. Some interesting point can be gleaned from this as a guidance for any project success. 1. Agree upfront on the requirements and scope of the project Each project should start with the list of requirements that all the stakeholders want to be present in the final product. These should be agreed upon upfront and be specifically called out. In this case, for example, 3 major action scenes were specified. 2. Key stakeholders should have ...

Defects are all part of any project. How you manage them will determine how successful the project is perceived to be. You may have many defects but managed well, you can still give your customers / partners a perception that the project is going well. Why do I use the word perception ? Because inherently people's view on how things are going are based on perceptions. This may or may not be anchored on the reality of the situation. Part of the skill of a good project manager is marketing the situation at hand. With good marketing skills, a good project manager can create an illusion that the project is going well while sorting out issues in the background. More on this in later postings. Defects are essentially tasks that were not in the original project plan due to oversight or lack of planning. So instead of tasks to be done earlier in the project, these will need to be inserted into the plan later on in the project life cycle or even in post implementation phase. How ...

 Driving to work this morning, I hit the start of the highway and ran smack into a huge traffic jam. Four lanes were chock a block. Really unusual to be so bad. The right hand lane was moving a little bit faster as there was a right turning junction ahead so I maneuvered toward the right most lane and headed towards the junction. While trying to see if there was an opportunity to cut back into the lane, I noted that the queue ahead also was not moving very much. Must be an accident or something causing an obstruction ahead. Bearing in mind that the route ahead would also needed me to negotiate another set of traffic lights which would have a long queue normally, I decided to try route B, which was to make the turn off and cut across to the other main road to take the route around the back of the area where I worked. Surprisingly, the route which was normally busy was quite smooth and I got to work quite quickly. So what can we take away from this experience in terms of project...

Sufficient Reference Documentation Documentation is always the last thing to do in any project's list. No one really likes doing documentation so this is one of the lowest priority in anyone's list. We will do it later is the usual thought but unfortunately later usually never comes. Project Managers should always ensure that this is part and parcel of any activities in their plan and a gradual documentation along the way will ensure that there is no large pile of paper work to be done at the end of the project. This will ensure that there can be a proper transition for ongoing support as well as a reference point for current and future support team members as well future projects. Come end of the project and everyone moves on to other projects and tasks, the memories of the project team will diminish and who know even if they are engaged for future enhancements for the current project, their memory of what was done my not be as fresh so will involve another learning cur...

All projects have to come to an end. The end of the project is a beginning of a new phase in the project life cycle. Ongoing support can be seen as the icing on the project cake, after all the ingredients have been prepared, mixed together and cooked to perfection. Most of the points here are more related to technical projects but are still relevant to other areas too. The process of handing over and the quality of ongoing support is a delicate operation and is equally important as the previous phases of the project. A number of areas should be considered in this process: Current skill sets of supporting staff Adequate resources to sustain ongoing support Sufficient reference documentation Proper ramp up planning Align expectations of business partners. Current Skill Sets of Supporting Staff An evaluation of the current skill sets of the supporting staff needs to be done to determine if : additional training is required for technical and business skill sets are requi...