MANAGING PROJECTS & ACHIEVING RESULTS

A PROJECT is "a planned piece of work that has a specific purpose (such as to find information or to make something new) and that usually requires a lot of time or a task or problem in school that requires careful work over a long period of time", Merriam-Webster dictionary definition.

Also, it is "An individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim:a research project", Oxford dictionary definition.

HOW TO MANAGE A PROJECT

1 - DEFINE THE SCOPE   you have to ask yourself certain questions to set the scope of your project:

 Q -What is it you are supposed to accomplish by managing this project?

 Q -What is the project objective? 

On the other hand, it will be equally important is defining what is not included in the scope of your project. If you don't get enough definition from your boss, clarify the scope yourself for confirmation.

2 - DETERMINE THE AVAILABLE RESOURCE   What people, equipment, and money will you have available to you to achieve the project objectives?

3 - CHECK THE TIMELINE   WHEN does the project have to be COMPLETED? As you develop your project plan you may have some flexibility in how you use time during the project, but deadlines usually are fixed.

4 - ASSEMBLE YOUR PROJECT TEAM   Get the people on your team together and start PLANNING.

5 - LIST THE BIG STEPS   WHAT are the OUTCOMES you are aiming to achieve. It is a good idea to list the steps in chronological order.

6 - LIST THE SMALLER STEPS   List the smaller steps in each of the larger steps. Again, it usually helps you remember all the steps if you list them in chronological order.

7 - DEVELOP A PRELIMINARY PLAN   Assemble all your steps into a plan. ASK YOURSELF the following questions:

             What happens first?

             What is the next step?

             Which steps can go on at the same time with different resources?

             Who is going to do each step?

             How long will it take?

8 - CREATE YOUR BASELINE PLAN   Get feedback on your preliminary plan from your team and from any other stakeholders. Adjust your timelines and work schedules to fit the project into the available time. Make any necessary ADJUSTMENT if needed.

9 - REQUEST A PROJECT ADJUSTMENT   Ask for the changes at the beginning of the project. Don't wait until it's in trouble to ask for the changes you need.

10 - MONITOR YOUR TEAM'S PROGRESS   You will make little progress at the beginning of the project. That will make it easier to catch issues before they become problems.

11 - DOCUMENT EVERYTHING   Keep records.  Every time a new requirement is added to the project write down where the requirement came from and how the timeline or budget was adjusted because of it.

12 - KEEP EVERYONE INFORMED   Keep all the project stakeholders informed of progress all along. Let them know of your success as you complete each milestone, but also inform them of problems as soon as they come up. Also keep you team informed.  Make sure everyone on the team is aware of what everyone else is doing.

However, ACHIEVING your RESULTS will be by using the five essential ways:

     1    Work harder

     2    Work smarter  -  betterfastercheaper

     3    Fix the base line

     4    Play the number game - use the annual ritual used in all organizations "meet year-

           end budget" 

     5    Mange for results  - make things happen through other people

References:

1. http://management.about.com/

2. http://www.merriam-webster.com/

3. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/

4. How to Manage, Jo Owen

WHAT OTHERS KNOW ABOUT YOU... and HOW MUCH YOU KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF - THE JOHARI WINDOW-

Self-knowledge is the key to personal development in positive relationships.


In philosophy, 'Self-knowledge' commonly refers to knowledge of one's particular mental state, including one's beliefs, desires, and sensations. It is also sometimes used to refer to knowledge about a persisting self - its ontological nature, identify conditions, or character traits. At least since Descartes, most philosophers have believed that self-knowledge is importantly different from knowledge of the world external to oneself, including others' thoughts.

However, we cannot 'grasp' our own personality, but we can be aware of what part of our personality we reveal to the outside world. This is the JOHARI WINDOW, JOHARI is derived from the first syllables of the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Lngham.

THE HOJARI WINDOW MODEL is one of the most interesting models for describing human interactions.Four windows divides personal awareness into four different types:

A. This window describes characteristics and experiences that we are aware of ourselves and that we like to tell others about.

B. This "HIDDEN" quadrant describes things that we know about ourselves but choose not reveal to others. It describes in size the more we build up a trusting relationship with others.

C. There are things that we do not know about ourselves but that others can see clearly. And there are things that we think we are expressing clearly, but which others interpret completely differently. In this window, feedback can be enlightening but also hurtful.

D. There are aspects of ourselves that are hidden from ourselves as well as others. We are more complex and multifaceted that we think. From time to time something unknown rises to the surface from our unconscious - for example in dream.

In conclusion, the Johari Window is generally used for teaching and considering an administrating and an understanding of:

How you can communicate with yourself and with others.

How you can present yourself to yourself to others.

How you can perceive  your place in the world.

Therefore, self-knowledge is the key to personal development for increasing you social network for a better place in the world. Accordingly, try to study your self, ask others for feedback and be conscious for the unknown.

Sources:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-knowledge_(psychology)

2. http://www.12manage.com/methods_luft_ingham_johari_window.html

3."The Decision Book", by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler

4."How to See Yourself As You Really Are", by Dalai Lama

5. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/self-knowledge/

THE 4MAT LEARNING SYSTEM

The 4MAT is a learning system  that was developed by Bernice McCarthy. The system has four major learning styles, each of which asks different questions and displays different strengths during the learning process.

The styles are:
1. Why?
2. What?
3. How?
4. What if?

These styles are based on the work of John Dewey, Carl Jung, and David Kolb (Germain, 2002). John Dewey and David Kolb are the greatest sources of inspiration. The main idea of John Dewey is that learning comes from the experience - and according to Kolb, learning is a circular process and not a result. The process of learning differs from person to person and is based on our experience.

However, Carl Jung's theory,  typologically speaking, about basic human differences is also the basis of the world renown Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). A personal assessment tool designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.

Thus, 4MAT is a method for helping all learners be successful.  It offers teachers a way to reach all the types of learners. It offers learners insight into their personal approaches to learning.

In addition, it is a model for teaching that will take any instruction to a higher level and it is a brain-based design that engages all learners.

The 4MAT Model explains learning in terms of the ways people perceive and process information.

 Experience–Perception by personal engagement–sensations, emotions, physical memories; the immediate; the self. Being in it.

Conceptualization–The translation of experience in conceptual forms–ideas, language, hierarchies, naming systems. An abstract approach to learning. Being apart from it.

 Human processing–what people do with new information–occurs in an infinite variety of ways, all of which range between reflection and action.

Reflection–Transforming knowledge by structuring, ordering, intellectualizing.

Action–Applying ideas to the external world; testing, doing, manipulating.

LEARNING STYLE

Type Four Dynamic Learning–Doing and feeling. Seeking hidden possibilities, exploring, learning by trial and error, self-discovery. Creating original adaptations. Key question: If?	Type One Imaginative Learning–Feeling and watching, seeking personal associations, meaning, involvement. Making connections. Key question:Why?
Type Three Common Sense Learning–Thinking and doing. Experimenting, building, creating usability. Tinkering. Applying ideas. Key question:How?	Type Two Analytic Learning–Listening to and thinking about information; seeking facts, thinking through ideas; learning what the experts think. Formulating ideas. Key question:What?

THE BRAIN - RIGHT AND LEFT MODE PROCESSING

Left – Operates best through structure, sequence. Prefers language, is sequential, examines the elements, has number sense. Works to analyze or break down information.

Right – Operates out of being, comprehends images, seeks patterns, creates metaphors, is simultaneous. Strives to synthesize, consolidate information.

4MAT AND ASSESSMENT

4MAT offers teachers and trainers a guide for assessing learner growth through the course of a lesson.

In conclusion, as a trainer or instructor you have to consider the above learning system to transfer the knowledge to a skill to be used in real life.

Check this video for more understanding:

Sources:

1  http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/instruct/4mat.html

2  http://www.ed.uab.edu/ymwang/BeginningTeachers/Washburn/EDT610Washburn4.htm

3 http://fenstudent.gordontafe.edu.au/dip_advdip/photo_imaging/creative_concepts/theories_of_learning_styles.pdf

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

5 http://www.aboutlearning.com/

Adult Learning Planning Process

Adult Learning is defined as the process of adult gaining knowledge and expertise.

Therefore, the adult learning planning process consists of four phases:

     1-  NEED   Determine what learning is needed so a to achieve goals.

     2- CREATE   Create a strategy and resources to achieve the learning goal(s).

     3- IMPLEMENTATION   Implement the learning strategy and use the learning resources.

     4- EVALUATE   Assess the attainment of the learning goal and the process of reaching it.

These four phases serve as the categories or lenses used to search for what is known about learners controlling their own learning process.

Source: The Adult Learner, by Malcolm S. Knowles, Elwood F. Holton 3, Richard A. Swanson

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOU WORK TASKS MORE EFFICIENTLY

By using THE EISENHOWER MATRIX, which considered as a master of time management tool. It will enable you to do everything as and when it needed to be done. With the Eisenhower method, you will learn to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.

Whatever the job that lands on your desk, begin by breaking it down according to the Eisenhower method (see the picture below).

Try to fill in the tasks that you are currently dealing with in the above picture, and then decide how to proceed.

How to be more CREATIVE

1. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME "When you go left instead of right," says Julia Cameron, author of the best seller 'The Artist's Way', you will force your brain to wake up and and pay attention to details you can draw upon later.
2. SLEEP IN when you are sleeping, your mind has a chance to sort through new information and draw expected connections. Then, settle in for a nap and you may wake up to a bright idea.
3. EXPOSE YOURSELF to keep your ideas bubbling, seek out new experience. To start, hit a craft or do any thing you like.
4. PRICK UP YOUR EARS ambient noise helps distance you from what you are working on, enough so it is easier to think outside the box. Thus, when it is dead quiet, you are likely to less creative.