Project Management 2.0

Situation: You want to do some teambuilding, but have no clue what to do...

I hate traditional team building stuff.  Show me a ropes course in use and  I'll show you a dozen people who wish they were somewhere else.  So if you're looking for something different - take your project team to the next Big Game!  

Here's how Area Code, the company that runs them,  describe a "Big Game".  

Big Games are large-scale, real-world games. A Big Game might involve transforming an entire city into the world's largest board game, or hundreds of players scouring the streets looking for invisible treasure, or a TV show reaching out to interact with real-time audiences nationwide.

or here's another option...

Here locally, I also keep threatening to enter our gantthead team in the local Cardboard Regatta.  These are held anywhere there's a large body of water and if there isnt one being held naearby, you can certainly hold your own.

and one more...

Dodgeball Leagues are coming back with a vengance and are STILL popular, years after the movie came out.  What could be more fun than putting your whole team in harm's way?

Situation: You're looking for a free PMO app or PM SaaS solutions.

Software as a service (Saas) is a pretty hot buzzword these days in IT.   It is essentially web-based commercial software that is managed by the vendor.  Many of these can be great if the software is essentially what you need "as is"  without customization.  This is often true if what you are looking for sits outside of your organization's core competency or if you are just dealing with some basic, generic requirements.  Salesforce.com has an interesting service to help you find these applications called AppExchange .   

In my travels through the site I found some neat litlle apps that many of us would find useful.  

- This adoption dashboard helps you track the usage (one measure of success) of the application you just delivered.
- There's also a free Project and Issue Management App that's worth a look.
- Many leading PM software vendors have apps on the exchange.
- There's even a free app, StraightThrough PMO,  that might be a good starting point if you have a new PMO.