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Project Memoirs: Real Projects, Real Lessons
Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.
Reflecting back on some 30-plus years of managing projects, so many lessons have been learned along the way. Some projects were easy while others seemed to suck years off my life. Each project was a case study unto itself (and each still rattles around in my brain). But without question, a few stand out more than others for the lessons they taught and maturity they fostered. So take a stroll with me down memory lane as I use real projects from my personal experience as case studies for a few lessons learned.
Lesson 1: Sometimes it is better to go with chemistry than credentials.
When I got tasked with becoming the Corporate VP of IT for Showboat Casinos, I was charged with spearheading the IT portion of all new expansion properties. The budgets for the IT portions ran from about $6 million to $20+ million depending on the size of the property. The first new property was going into Sydney, Australia, so Task 1 was to assemble my away team. This wasn’t very straightforward because the corporate group was brand new and I was an IT group of one. After doing some initial research I learned that most IT opening teams were comprised of about 15 technical staff ranging from infrastructure experts to application experts.
When I got tasked with becoming the Corporate VP of IT for Showboat Casinos, I was charged with spearheading the IT portion of all new expansion properties. The budgets for the IT portions ran from about $6 million to $20+ million depending on the size of the property. The first new property was going into Sydney, Australia, so Task 1 was to assemble my away team. This wasn’t very straightforward because the corporate group was brand new and I was an IT group of one. After doing some initial research I learned that most IT opening teams were comprised of about 15 technical staff ranging from infrastructure experts to application experts.
Since the project had already broken ground I found myself instantly behind the progress curve. What to do? Should I recruit people with seasoned property …
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