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Written by Dr. Andrew Makar
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As much as I'd like to maintain the illusion of a well organized project manager, I'll be the first to admit that my desk can be overwhelmed with sticky notes for to-dos, follow-ups and scraps of project information. Fortunately, I recently found a new solution that eliminates sticky notes all together and provides a searchable online archive for any kind of note - text, screen captures and even voice!
(and it is FREE!)
Last month I gave you a sneak preview of the tool and the article overview was recently published on Gantthead.
Be sure to check out this FREE tactical PM tool!
Stop the Sticky Notes!
If you like the article, please provide your comments at the end of the article.
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Written by Dr. Andrew Makar
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Over the past few years, the buzz around social media and Web 2.0 has increased. I'll forgo the statistical research but instead refer to my informal social media observations within my own family. Social media refers to the latest advances in Internet technology that includes blogs, wikis, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and social networks that enable collaboration and communication.
Recently, I have a growing number of family members who have all jumped on the social media bandwagon and have been posting to blogs, sharing photos and updating their one-line status every day. I knew it was time to start exploring social media's application to project management world when my 83-year-old grandfather was updating his Facebook status while golfing in Florida.
Promoting, marketing and branding your internal projects are key elements of successfully implementing change management within the organization. Change management teams typically create posters, newsletters, training materials and corporate communications to promote a project to improve change awareness and adoption. These traditional print media artifacts are useful, although the recent rise of social media tools can be used to support project promotion and branding. The following ideas are a few examples of how current social media tools can be used to promote, brand and market your internal projects.
Twitter Your Project Status
Twitter is a micro-blogging website that allows you to send a message to everyone in your network who is "following" you. These messages, called Tweets, have a maximum length of 140 characters and are a simple way to communicate immediate status updates, issues or risks without overloading your inbox. Twitter is supported on various mobile phones and information can be cascaded as quickly as one can type "Project launch party after work @ Baileys" on their BlackBerry or iPhone. It is similar to instant messaging except it supports distribution to everyone on your network.
A change management team can create a Twitter account and project's Twitter name (i.e. @employeePortal) can be promoted in the organization's employee communications. Employees can also engage with the change management team by responding to the different tweets and engaging in the change management implementation.
Of course, security and data privacy issues can be a concern. One approach is to have the project team create their own project team profile and only have project team members follow the specific Twitter name. "Following" is a Twitter term that indicates who is receiving your tweets. Just like any communication, project teams should be careful what they tweet as it is immediately distributed to everyone on the project team.
Podcast the Project Sponsor
Podcasting is a term made popular with the advent of iTunes and the iPod. It is an effective method to distribute an audio message using an MP3 format. In traditional podcasting, these files are published to an iTunes directory and new messages are immediately imported into a person's podcast. In lieu of a project's internal iTunes directory, project teams can simply record a podcast and post it to their corporate intranet or Sharepoint site. Providing a form to capture comments and feedback further engages the target audience.
Creating an MP3 file and recording a podcast is easy to do and doesn't require expensive recording equipment. An inexpensive digital recorder or a microphone and a computer are all that's required to capture the discussion. Using a free tool like Audacity will enable project managers to quickly turn recordings into downloadable MP3s.
Possible applications could include hosting a facilitated discussion with the project sponsor, host a "Meet the Vendor" podcast and learn about the suppliers engaged in the program or distribute a "Top Ten Tips" podcast on using a system's new features. If a project team is implementing a new payroll system, one topic could include "How to View Your New Paystub" and distribute it via a podcast. The key is transmitting your message in an engaging fashion that uses a variety of media. You'll definitely generate some buzz when your corporation starts using podcasts to distribute information in addition to the humdrum e-mail newsletter.
Blog Your Business
A project blog is a useful tool to provide immediate updates and communication to promote project awareness. A blog is an online journal that allows a "blogger" to easily post content on a website and readers can also leave comments and engage with others responding to the posts. The blog content can all depend on the project's communication plan and goals. An internal team blog could be used to post project status or immediate meeting minutes. An external blog to the organization could include a carefully crafted message from the project sponsor to further cascade information about change management.
Social Media Considerations
Organizations seeking to adopt social media techniques need to invest in the tools and technologies to enable collaboration and communication on their own network. In a high security IT environment, tweeting on Twitter may not be an acceptable practice as communication across the Internet is uncontrolled. However, installing a blog on the intranet or hosting a podcast can be easily achieved using a variety of open-source or commercial packages.
Before considering adding a social media campaign to your enterprise project, the team should consider the resources required to make it successful. In a traditional change management initiative, a project team member is responsible for leading change management. On large-scale programs, change management is a work stream tracked within the program and is staffed accordingly. If project teams are investing in a team to create newsletters, posters and facilitate change management lunch and learns, then they should also consider adding social media to their tool kit. I look forward to hearing how you've been able to tweet, blog and podcast your projects to future success!
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Written by Dr. Andrew Makar
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Successful projects recognize marketing and promoting a project's brand as a key contributor to successful change management and implementation. We often build logos, presentation templates and develop slogans to establish a project's identity and its reputation within the organization. However, as a skilled and talented project manager, how often do you promote your own personal project management brand?
By choice or by chance, we all market ourselves by informing the organization's key influencers and leaders on our latest achievements. Reflect on your latest performance review experience: Have you ever written buzzword laden prose such as "demonstrates customer focused leadership behaviors that consistently provide on-time delivery with high customer satisfaction"? You may have also been invited to a skip level meeting with the department director to highlight a key project's deliverables and your contributions the project. You may have been recognized as a knowledgeable project manager whose advice is often sought by novice PMs and your peers. These formal and informal examples demonstrate how you establish and promote your personal project management brand and reputation within the organization.
Knowing that there is still an ongoing war for talent, how do you promote your project management brand in the marketplace? This article provides a few creative approaches to establishing your project management brand and reputation using a variety of social media approaches. These approaches also help position yourself as a project management subject matter expert without appearing too self-serving.
Riding the Social Media Wave
I recently started riding the social media wave using a variety of social media tools including LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs to promote my own project management brand to the project management community. All of these tools have been categorized as Web 2.0 technologies--the latest advances in Internet technology that include blogs, wikis, Really Simple Syndication (RSS), social bookmarking and collaboration.
Linkedin.com is one example of social media at work, and I'm assuming everyone has heard of it. It is a useful professional networking alternative to the more personal social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. If you haven't created a profile or haven't updated it in a while, you'll want to log back in and review some of the latest features.
Using LinkedIn to Promote Your PM Brand
LinkedIn has recently added several new social media applications that allow you to share presentations, collaborate and edit documents within your professional network, host threaded discussions, join networking groups--and even promote your favorite project management reading list. LinkedIn continues to add different applications that integrate and connect professionals across your network.
The key benefit of these applications is they enable you to promote and share your project management knowledge using a variety of tools. As a professional you may contribute project management best practices within your company, but you can also contribute to the project management community at large. By promoting your project management knowledge through tools that enable knowledge sharing, you position yourself as a skilled and knowledgeable resource that the community can use. It is also a proactive way to demonstrate your project management skills instead of "keyword stuffing" your resume with a growing list of industry buzz words.
The following LinkedIn applications are just a few ways to start promoting your project management brand and reputation:
Google Presentation and SlideShare Presentation
The Google Presentation application is a simple way to embed any relevant project management presentations in your online profile. The application integrates with Google Docs and with a few clicks your Google Doc hosted presentation is embedded on your LinkedIn profile. I've used this tool to promote a recent public presentation on mind mapping and it is an easy way to share information in a slideshow format.
SlideShare also features similar functionality and it supports a variety of file formats. When you log into your account, you can also view all the recent presentations your colleagues have published to their network. Building your own custom presentation and adding your own logo, slogan or even a headshot is a simple way to brand your material that others in the PM community will recognize.
Blog Link
Blog Link is an application that links your existing blog and embeds the most recent articles in your profile. Using one of the popular blog platforms like Blogger, TypePad or Word Press, you can easily integrate your blog with your LinkedIn profile. It will support any RSS feed so you're not limited to just these blog platforms.
The Blog Link application allows you to view your network contact's blog entries. By reviewing blog postings from those inside your professional network, you're able to learn, share and communicate more information on focused project management topics. Another useful technique is to start a discussion within one of the LinkedIn groups based on the blog postings.
Amazon Reading List
Have you read any good project management books lately? The Amazon reading list is a useful way to promote the latest books on your project management bookshelf. The application integrates with Amazon.com and allows you to recommend books and provide comments. It is just another way to start a discussion with your network on noteworthy topics in project management. The application also lists recommended books from your professional network and your related industry. If you're a project management author, it doesn't hurt to promote your own book as well!
Building a strong project management brand incorporates your identity and the information you promote and share with others. By promoting and sharing advice, ideas and relevant information, you successfully market yourself as a competent project manager who is not only active within your internal organization but also active within the community. Linkedin is just one website that leverages social media and Web 2.0. If you're new to social media, get started by updating your profile, starting a blog and exploring other social media technologies like Twitter, YouTube and RSS feed readers that contain useful project management content.
You can start your social media journey by connecting with me at http://www.linkedin.com/andymakar, follow and tweet @andymakar or view my project management channel at http://www.youtube.com/andymakar.
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Written by Dr. Andrew Makar
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As a project manager, how to you improve your project management competency? The industry is full of options to provide training and learning opportunities ranging from in-seat training classes, project management organizations, conferences, on-the-job training, mentoring and various books and magazines targeted to our profession. You can't forget all the websites, discussion forums, e-zines and blogs that produce daily content filled with tips and advice on project management execution.
Since project managers are tasked with successful project delivery, there simply isn't enough time to review all these training sources to learn new ideas and improve existing skill sets. Is there ever a good time to take training during a project? If we are lucky, we have a small amount of time between meetings to skim a few project management websites in addition to checking ESPN.com for last night's sports scores. The other challenge is that all of these activities are outbound activities that require you to search, sort and scour the Internet for relevant content.
Wouldn't it be easier if someone just sent you all the information that you needed to know? Social media helps accomplish this goal by leveraging the interactive and collaborative platforms that Web 2.0 provides. Wikipedia defines social media as "the content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies". Mashable.com defines social media as "platforms for interaction and interacting". I view social media as a great communication platform for learning.
Wordpress blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Really Simply Syndication (RSS) technologies are all examples of collaborative social media platforms that enable communication and interaction. By simply tapping into these technologies, you can improve your project management competency with just a small amount of effort. Below are just a few examples of social media and PM Competency in action:
1. Project Management and RSS
I recently wrote an article on gantthead called "Global Programs and Global Tools". Gantthead also distributes articles via an RSS feed. The RSS feed syndicates the website content to anyone who subscribes to gantthead using an RSS reader. A popular and free RSS reader is Google Reader (Figure 1). Users simply add RSS feeds to their reader and new articles appear in the Google Reader dashboard.
Figure 1: Google Reader
Google Reader also supports integration with other social media platforms. Tim is a project manager who sees the article in Google Reader and likes the article. He then decides to share it using the "Share with Note" feature in Google Reader. His Google Reader account is connected with his Twitter account, and anytime he shares an article it updates his Twitter micro-blog. He can also send an e-mail to his account on Posterous.com and it will publish his comment to all his social media services.
Donna is a project manager who follows Tim on Twitter and uses TweetDeck to read the project management Twitter stream (Figure 2). Donna also likes the article and decides to re-tweet Tim's post to all her followers. The process continues as other project managers read the article, evaluate its value and pass on the bits of wisdom to their project management connections. As a content producer, I only need to create the content once and my information is distributed to the masses. As a content consumer, I follow the project managers and project management sources that contain great content and I'm informed daily.
Figure 2: TweetDeck
You don't have to become a social media maven to benefit from this inbound river of project management knowledge. You don't need a Facebook account or a Twitter account to get started. I recommend simply creating an account at http://reader.google.com and start subscribing to a few project management websites that support RSS feeds. To subscribe to a feed, you simply click on the RSS icon highlighted in red (Figure 3).
Figure 3: RSS icon
I recommend the following project management resources that support RSS and have my personal recommendation:
http://www.gantthead.com
http://www.techrepublic.com
http://www.joelonsoftware.com
http://herdingcats.typepad.com
http://mikeclayton.wordpress.com
These should be enough to get you started exploring Google Reader as a social media consumer for project management!
Authors Note: I originally published this article on Gantthead back in July 2009.
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Written by Dr. Andrew Makar
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Every now and then you run into a productivity tool that is actually...productive. Evernote is my new favorite project management tool to eliminate sticky notes. I'm working on an article that covers the features in detail but for now I highly recommend your check out http://www.evernote.com and download for your computer AND your mobile phone.
The interaction between the two devices and the web-based solution will ensure you'll never lose a key note or piece of information again. Check it out!
By the way...did I mention it is FREE!
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