The PMBookclub…A MUST See

Many of you already know that I am the co-founder and host of a weekly Twitter Chat (Tweetup) called #PMChat.  Most experts will tell you that social media should not be a megaphone, but more of a listening tool.  Unfortunately, not a lot of folks have heard that message and platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter have become a stream of advertisements and one-way sharing.  As a result, my #PMChat co-host and I saw a real need for a more collaborative community…especially among a group, such as PMs, that depend on lessons learned and best practices.  We couldn’t be more pleased!  We have a full website, LinkedIn group, live radio show and most of all…an engaged, collaborative community.

While I have shared some great resources, you should add to your repertoire, in my guest post “Blogs, Twitter…Uggh! Where do I start?” for TalkingWork, I have recently learned of another tremendous platform that every project professional should invest some time…The PMBookclub.  In this week’s post, I speak with Thomas Kennedy about this initiative.

What is PMBookClub.com?

PMBookClub.comis the online book club for project managers and project teams.

What is the premise behind PMBookClub.com? 

The premise behind PMBookClub.com is to provide a place where project managers and project team members can come together to study and discuss books about project management. What makes PMBookClub.com different is that we study the books WITH the book authors!

How did you come up with the idea?

The idea came from my studies at University of Phoenix. I found that I learned a lot from the assigned reading material. But the real value came from the discussions with other students and with the professors. Since my passion is in the area of project management, I wanted to create a similar environment focused on studying and discussing books about project management. PMBookClub.com was born!

How long have you been doing this?

The 3 Phases of an Agile Project

If you recall my post “3 Things to Know About Agile” then you know I am by no means an Agile expert.  The majority of my experience has been managing large, enterprise initiatives that may consist of an IT function running their piece in an agile fashion.  I have since taken a more hands-on, engaging role in this project delivery approach and said I would share my experiences (right, wrong, good or bad) as a traditional waterfall PM moving into the agile space.  As with much of the PM profession…I am moving foward with limited training and joined a group that had zero documentation or formalized process.  I find myself seeking out mentors, leveraging others’ skills and reading everything I can get my hands.  I am happy to say that after 3 months, I have 3 teams with approximately 12 client projects all brought back from red.  I am sharing my experience so other newbies can get an idea of the things to expect, as well as hear it in plain terms.

Ready….Set…Go!

When I receive a new project, I am given very little in the way of requirements.  I am told…Client A has purchased modules 1,2 and 4 of the application.  Your team needs to implement by this date, manage to these billable hours, and here is your client contact. Go.  As a traditional PM, my first reaction was “Great!  Where are the requirements?  Did they complete a Charter? etc”  As a sleeves rolled up agile PM (yes there is a PM in agile!) I have quickly learned that these few key parameters are all I needed to get going on the project.

After a quick call with the sales rep and my team to discuss the scope and relationship, I quickly engage the client.  We have an initial call (30 mins) with the key client stakeholder/s to make sure we are all on the same page with regards to the scope, timing, and other key (high-level) project parameters.  I run through the approach (agile approach, 2 week sprints, communication plan, etc) and tell them I going to send them some homework that needs to be received by X date.  Before we hang-up, I make sure I understand who from their organization needs to be on project kick-off, that they know what /when/how of the homework, and we lock down the kick-off date.

Does ‘Manager’ Really Belong in the Title Project Manager?

This is going to be a quick post.  I want to throw a thought out there and follow the discussion/comments below…

I had an interesting conversation the other day with an old colleague and he said “Project Management has essentially becoming a stripped down version of management.  They have removed all of the tasks and busy work of management and shifted it to PMs, while leaving them  with little authority.  Most organizations don’t let the PM develop the budget or truly own it. They are given a budget and track against it…sometimes, the project budget is completely yanked right out from under them.  Most decisions that have any real impact are brought before some kind of board via a change process.  They cannot hire or fire anyone.  They usually don’t have a say in the roadmap of projects and often aren’t even told how their initiative effects/supports the organizations strategy.”  He finished with “so why do they have manager in their title?”

 If you have followed me for any amount of time, you know that I am a firm believer that most organizations are leveraging project management completely wrong.  I wrote a post on TalkingWork about the value of PM and feel strongly that the plug-and-play approach is a huge mistake for our industry.