Posted on Kontain.com - [Flight 1549] from David Martin on Vimeo.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
2nd Miracle on the Hudson
Amazing time lapse footage of the Airbus A320 being hoisted from the Hudson River after a crash landing (all passengers survived) and a barrage of ice slamming it.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Ditch the granny knot
If you tie your shoes with an old granny knot, consider this way instead. The reef knot is a neater knot that is less prone to coming untied, a good attribute for those who walk, run, bike, etc. Give it a try. It's simple, faster, and really works!
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Legos and Project Management
The Lego method of project management
As a kid, I spent lots of time playing with Legos. That is pretty normal: it seems like every kid likes building blocks.
However, I was a bit odd as a kid - maybe I'm still a bit odd? My particular obsession was that before I started building anything, I had to sort my Legos by size, shape, and colour. My reason was simple enough. How can you build something unless you know what you have to work with?
In life, I still like to have everything organized and broken down in to the smallest parts. Everything just seems more manageable when you can see what you have to work with. Anyone who has managed a large project understands this concept. Rule number one for a project manager is break everything down, organize, order the pieces, and plan how to put them together to accomplish the end goal.
The PMBOK and its 42 processes organized in to 5 groups looks good on paper. It is also a proven methodology. If tasked with managing a project, the safe bet, and the accepted standard is to follow the PMBOK. Straying away from the PMBOK is done at one's own risk.
However, I always start with what I call the "Lego method of project management". If anyone asks, I include it under the "Planning" umbrella, but it really precedes everything. I don't like writing Project Charters until I have "sorted my Legos".
Three questions:
1. What are your first steps in tackling a complex project?
2. Have you ever walked away from a project - before even starting - if you can clearly see that the targets and objects are not realistic? In other words, you immediately identify that the project is a lame duck, and politely decline.
3. Am I the only kid that spent more time sorting his Legos than actually building things?
As a kid, I spent lots of time playing with Legos. That is pretty normal: it seems like every kid likes building blocks.
However, I was a bit odd as a kid - maybe I'm still a bit odd? My particular obsession was that before I started building anything, I had to sort my Legos by size, shape, and colour. My reason was simple enough. How can you build something unless you know what you have to work with?
In life, I still like to have everything organized and broken down in to the smallest parts. Everything just seems more manageable when you can see what you have to work with. Anyone who has managed a large project understands this concept. Rule number one for a project manager is break everything down, organize, order the pieces, and plan how to put them together to accomplish the end goal.
The PMBOK and its 42 processes organized in to 5 groups looks good on paper. It is also a proven methodology. If tasked with managing a project, the safe bet, and the accepted standard is to follow the PMBOK. Straying away from the PMBOK is done at one's own risk.
However, I always start with what I call the "Lego method of project management". If anyone asks, I include it under the "Planning" umbrella, but it really precedes everything. I don't like writing Project Charters until I have "sorted my Legos".
Three questions:
1. What are your first steps in tackling a complex project?
2. Have you ever walked away from a project - before even starting - if you can clearly see that the targets and objects are not realistic? In other words, you immediately identify that the project is a lame duck, and politely decline.
3. Am I the only kid that spent more time sorting his Legos than actually building things?
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