How Does One Become An Expert?
Situation: You Need to Get People to Practice Being "More Perfect". Harvard Business Review is great. I never read it when I have a subscription, but I buy it every month at the airport. In the July 2007 issue, The Making of An Expert goes over what gives a person that title. The article refutes claims that people are born leaders, presenters, etc. It presents some great arguments that say - if you want to be an expert, just spend a decade practicing in a way that promotes progress. They also touch on the importance of practicing well. The author argues that you can spend decades golfing, but if you never aim you won't get any better. I think this could be a really cool part of a career management plan. Every person should have the equivalent of a "trade" that they can rely on for future marketability. There are some simple business skills, today's "presenter" or "writer" = yesterday's "blacksmith" -- ensuring a better job no matter what the future holds. |
Posted on: July 22, 2007 09:08 PM
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Crowd Around the Project Campfire
Situation: You Need to a Robust Group Chat Environment.  I picked this one up from comment in the posting before last. Campfire is a sophisticated group chat application, from the same people who brought you basecamp. There's not a lot to it: - upload files and graphics - discuss ...and that's pretty much it. |
Posted on: July 17, 2007 03:53 PM
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Manage to the Beat of Your Own Drum
Categories:
Time Killers
Categories: Time Killers
Situation: You Need to Snap People Out of Their Daze...  ... or maybe create a Pavlovian response. Hearing a drum beat might make them want to hit you hard on the chin. The Finger Drum Mousepad is a cute little office toy that will either make people laugh or irritate the hell out of them. It also makes a great gift for your favorite developer. |
Posted on: July 17, 2007 12:16 PM
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Short-term, Virtual, Collaborative Projects...
Situation: You Need a Lightly Structured Way to Collaborate Virtually --- and Temporarily. Sometimes you need to work with a group of contractors for a short time period. Let's say its an important project, but its happening with people outside of your organization with whom you might never work again. Huddle gives you a quick way to make that happen.It's great for: - brainstorming, using a whiteboard application. - broadcast communications (using blogging tools) - assigning and tracking tasks (via a group calendar and individual task lists) |
Posted on: July 15, 2007 12:58 PM
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Effective Group Task Lists
Situation: You Need a Simple Way to Organize Small Group Activities.  Sometimes you don't need a full-blown PM software package to track things. Especially with smaller operational projects and for people who are more in a team lead position. For those situations, tools exist that are more like a hopped up version of outlook.For example, Project360 is a very simple online collaboration tool that includes: Task Management— task assignments to team members, set start and end dates, priority level, and a clear view of task level status. Milestones—identify and review key accomplishments related to individual tasks. Calendar— a schedule at a glance, highlighting overdue tasks, etc. File Sharing—a shared team repository. Time Tracking—Simple time tracking. (probably redundant to your ordinary timekeeping system) Gantt Chart—The Gantt Chart gives you a visual representation of your project timeline. (just at the task level) Project Templates—This time-saving feature allows you to create projects based on already existing projects. (for projects you engage in repeatedly) General Project Calendar—This feature allows you to see all of your projects in a single calendar. |
Posted on: July 15, 2007 12:35 PM
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