20 Project Management Proverbs

20 Project Management Proverbs

1. You cannot produce baby in a month by impregnating nine women.

2. The same work under the same conditions will be estimated differently by ten different estimators or by one estimator or by one estimator at ten different times.

3. The most valuable and least used word in a Project Manager’s vocabulary is “No”.

4. You can con a sucker into committing an unreasonable deadline, but you can’t bully him into meeting it.

5. The more ridiculous the deadline, the more it costs to try to meet it.

6. the more desperate the situation, the more optimistic the Project Manager

7. Too few people on a project can’t solve the problems – too many create more problems than they solve.

8. You can freeze the user’s spec, but he won’t stop expecting

9. Frozen specs melt when enough heat is applied.

10. The conditions attached to a promise are forgotten, and the promise is remembered.

11. What you don’t know, hurts you

12. A user will tell you anything you ask about – nothing more.

13. Of several possible interpretations of a communication, the least convenient one is the only correct one.

14. What is not on paper has not been said

15. No major project was ever installed on time, within budget, with the same staff that started it.

16. Projects progresses quickly until they become 90% complete, then they remain at 90% complete forever.

17. If project content is allowed to change freely, the rate of change will exceed the rate of progress

18. No major system is ever completely debugged, attempt to debug a system inevitably introduce new bugs that are even harder to find.

19. Project teams detest progress reporting because it vividly demonstrates their lack progress

20. Parkinson and Murphy are alive and well – in your project

Mr.CEO- how not to kill your organisation.

dear CEO
OF LATE I see in many organizations, certain diseases which are likely to affect their very survival .PAST SUCCESS IS THE ENEMY OF FUTURE SUCCESS.The symptoms are

1. complacency - we are the best,we already are doing well and nothing more is needed to be done, always highlighting past glory.
   
2. lack of listening to customer - we know what is best for the customer.
   
3. aversion for data- going by " feel" rather than data
4. meeting decisions are not followed up - minutes of meeting sleep in the files.
   
5. Poor execution and monitoring- accepting excuses, always working on fait accompli .Lack of comprehensive reviews and feeling of accountability
   
6. Firefighting for most of the time - put off things till they become emergencies
7. lack of capacity for accepting criticism- nobody points out problem issues to the management, maybe except to blame others .wrong decisions are vocally supported till they become untenable.

Dear CEO pl look at yourself and your organization and try to rectify before it is too late.

identifying essentials and desirables

I recently accompanied a friend to have a look at the family of a prospective bride groom( for his daughter). I realized that many people are not clear in their decision making . Marrying off a daughter is one of the most important duties of an Indian parent.
As the alliance had come through the internet , the father wanted to authenticate the contents of the profile and also the get to know the family before processing further.

1. horoscope matched.( both were manglik)
   
2. Caste and region from which both families hailed was the same.
3. the girl is an MA (unemployed) and now doing teacher training and the boy is a B.com(accounts executive in apvt co) now doing MBA

In the end, he dropped the alliance after the visit due to the boy's job nature (unknown private co) and also due the monthly salary of the boy(Rs11,000 ).
This could have been done even without a visit.
The job security and future prospects of the boy and also the family status were cited as reasons.
what are the points to take as desirable in this decision and what are points which are essential?
I feel as follows(practically so)
some people still prefer govt job as an important factor in this decision but I disagree ,since now there are many avenues to growth in pvt sector also and job security lies in the merit of the person.
Essential

1. good family
2. caste /social status
   
3. horoscope matching
4. educational level of the boy and parents
5. job and future prospects of the boy
6. antecedents of the family/boy
   
7. economic situation of the families matching
8. boy and girl seeing each other and accepting
   

Desirable

1. nearness to native place in the boy's posting
   
2. property/assets of the boy's family
3. etc etc

if the essentials 1 to 7 are not cleared, do not even meet the people.
what do you feel?
have i left out anything?

comments ?

dear Visitors

pl give your feedback and comments so that I can improve my POSTS

veera

The Essence of Management 15 Points

1. Feedback Is The Essence Of Communication
2. Anticipation Is The Essence Of Planning
3. Thoroughness Is The Essence Of Execution
4. Followup Is The Essence Of Co-Ordination
5. Definiteness Is The Essence Of Decision Making
6. Verification Is The Essence Of Control
7. Prioritization Is The Essence Of Resource Management
8. Credibility Is The Essence Of Leadership
9. Responsiveness Is The Essence Of Customer Service
10. Practice Is The Essence Of Training
11. Competence Is The Essence Of Performance
12. Insight Is The Essence Of Learning
13. Unity Of Purpose Is The Essence Of Teamwork
14. Trust Is The Essence Of Empowerment
15. Sensitivity Is The Essence Of Empathy

iso consultant

I am an iso9001 consultant.
also doing iso14001,ohsas18001,sa8000 etc
pl mail me at n.veerabaghu@gmail.com
all the best
veera

To live a better life

To live better is the desire of all human beings. The desire is not followed by action in that direction. Shortcuts are preferred to hard work.
The choice of living contentedly with what one has is rare nowadays, and the social evils and negativism we see around us are results of that. We see fear, jealousy, greed and selfishness all around us. The media creates consumerism by activating these triggers. Alcoholism and suicidal tendencies are on the rise.
Ultimately how many people are happy? But, if there is a better way, what is it?
1. Limit your desires for materialistic requirements, satisfy your minor desires.
2. Try to help others who are less fortunate than you.
3. Live within your means of income.
4. Avoid reading sensational news in the news paper.
5. For every rupee you are paid, try to provide the maximum value to the one who pays you. Save at least 10% of your income. Avoid easy loans and misuse of credit card.
6. Do not look for perfect people, look for people with more goodness, (they will also have their warts.
7. Do not carry tales of scandals, instead find something good to share with people you meet.
8. Watch T V for less than ½ hr a day.
9. Set goals for self improvement and have a plan of action for achieving it. Regularly check your progress on the plan.
10. Learn to keep a balance between your life and work. Mr. Jack Welch was a great manager of General Electric, but his wife left him due to his negligence of family life.
11. Read at least 1 hour a day about new ideas/ self improvement/biographies of great people etc.
12. Guard your reputation scrupulously, there is no way to repairs it.
13. Everyday live fully as if it is your last day in the world.
14. Be considerate to others in all your activities, do not create pain & anguish around you due to your actions. Already there is enough pain in the world.