Everything I Learned About Project Management, I Learned from ...
December 7, 1999
Okay -- I actually wrote it last night...
What follows is not true. It's close to true. It's true in spirit. In other words, it really should have happened exactly this way. [p.s. I really do like my boss.] Scene -- coming out of an all-day project management course, heading back to cubicles to add the GNP. Ron: Well, what did you think? Boss: I thought it needed a lot of work. Ron: Yeah, me too. It was meant to be focused on IT practices, but really its just like the company program, only all the company specific stuff was removed, and it glossed over all the good stuff to fit into a single day. Boss: How long is the company's proprietary program? Ron: Three days. Boss: Does it have all the VPI stuff in it? Ron: Yeah, it was originally based on NPPD&I, but since VPI replaced NPPD&I, it's really VPI, now. Except, of course, the program was developed well before I ever came to the company, so I'm sure it was really based on some other TLA. I mean, it still uses terms like SOW, and you won't find that in either CTS, NPPD&I, or VPI. Boss: But it covers all the coordination and commitments from other organizations you need to run a project, right? Ron: Oh, yeah. Just like this one. Only it's really pretty specific to the company. Boss: That's good. It's important to make sure people know you have to get buy-in from all the right organizations, otherwise, the project plan isn't worth the paper its printed on... Ron: I agree, boss. We walk in silence for a few moments until we get to the place where our paths must diverge. Boss: By the way, I need your revised cost estimates on my desk early next morning. Ron: Hesitating, and glancing at Boss suspiciously You're joking, right? Boss: No. I have a meeting with our customer, and I need those numbers. Ron: But I haven't coordinated them with anyone. Boss: No problem. Ron: I don't have any commitments. Boss: NP. Ron: They won't be worth the paper-- Boss: Just have them on my desk in the morning, all right? Boss walks away Ron: Glances at project management handbook received at training, then at the Dilbert cartoon on his desktop calendar, then laughs maniacally.   Have a good one. Many Thanks to Shannon Wendt for her award   Dilbert: Satan, or the Company Operations Manual? Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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