Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
I taught project management from lot of years ago working for education providers, into Universities for undergraduates and graduates and inside masters. I created all the training materials and content. The course that is the most successful in terms of number of participants including I perform it inside the PMI World Tour in several countries is one I created and named "Project management for everybody". I always sustained this: people performs project management from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. Think about it and you will agree with me (I guess, hehehehe). The difference when you put it in practice inside your work place is the degree of formality. That´s all.
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 13, 2018 10:22 PM
Karan Shah
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Very interesting viewpoint, Sergio. Agree strongly.
I was more interested if any one of us have adopted the tools and techniques provided by the methodology and, if so, how it has helped.
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Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
I'm impressed by the ways in which some of you so diligently perform project management in your day-to-day lives. I am not so formal. That does not mean I do not exercise my project management mentality. On the contrary, though, it is mainly sub-conscious. I am alway's planning out what needs to happen, prioritizing, and executing, modifying as needed. Like Sergio consistently reminds us of, we perform project management from the time we wake up. Exactly! And Just to make my train every morning! Then we go from there.
@Karan - wow, those are some amazing examples. And always fun to create an excel template. Let us know once approved and available.
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 14, 2018 2:38 AM
Karan Shah
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Sorry Andrew, missed out on replying to your post.
Fully understand your point of the subconscious - it's like Kahneman's slow thinking vs. fast thinking. I guess after a certain amount of experience, such activities require little effort and come naturally to the practitioner? An interesting viewpoint, thanks.
For the template, will be submitting it for review today.
I tend to use more of the PM soft skills on a personal level, but the main tool I use is Kanban boards to manage family chores. Other than that, on occasion I will use "make or buy" analysis, EMV and three point estimates.
Kiron
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 13, 2018 10:24 PM
Karan Shah
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Thanks for the insights, Kiron.
3PE is something I could really begin to use in my life.
I do apply some concept and even tools to manage my daily routines. To do list, WBS and etc., are some samples.
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 13, 2018 10:25 PM
Karan Shah
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That's very interesting, Abolfazl. Have not thought about creating a WBS.
Come to think of it, a lot of tasks are repetitive (especially in house chores!). The WBS can provide some structure to these tasks!
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Vijay SelvarajLead Engineer| W-IndustriesHouston TX, United States
I have used Make or Buy analysis, WBS so far....
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 13, 2018 10:26 PM
Karan Shah
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Make or Buy is definitely something that is unofficially used by us when deciding to eat at home or eat out, ha ha!
But, yes, it could become more structured in the manner we use it.
Thanks for the insights, Vijay.
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Dhawal ShahPM Consultant| ElectronicMumbai, Maharashtra, India
I use MS project files for my professional tasks.
I also use Escalation matrix for assigning tasks to my colleagues.
In some critical projects which are quite complex to understand I divide issue into phases & apply one by one corrective actions & see the effect on the final product.
In my personal life, I use to have risk analysis, risk response plan, backup plan, fall back plan, especially when doing new or critical tasks.
These new or critical tasks include house/car repairing, travelling & investment decisions.
Overall, PM methodology helps us to maintain discipline, thinking in the most standard way & quite a good way of man & machine management.
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 14, 2018 2:40 AM
Karan Shah
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Very interesting! Especially your point on maintaining discipline.
Yes, the structure and organisation of various tasks and options is honed down to a fine science in the various PM methodologies. Might as well take advantage of them!
Thanks for the insights.
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Anish AbrahamPrivacy Program Manager| University of WashingtonAuburn, Wa, United States
Thanks Karan for sharing those wonderful examples. I would be interested to see the excel template.
Personally I use the Kanban board and it's very helpful for managing household projects.
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1 reply by Karan Shah
Feb 13, 2018 10:27 PM
Karan Shah
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Thanks for the insights, Anish.
Kanban is something I have not even thought of so far -- but definitely see its value. If there's a similar thread in 2019 - I am sure Kanban will make it to my list then.
- I primarily use scheduling methodologies for everything. For example, I have created an MS Excel-based work to-do list which calculates a priority rating for every task (based on importance, duration (using t-shirt sizing), and due date of each task) and shows me only the next task I should take up. This allows me to focus on one deliverable at a time.
- At home, I manufacture task dependencies to allow me to follow the same algorithm.
- When we were looking to shift, we used a full-fledged project selection approach by rating every contending house on various parameters (cost, proximity to work, condition, amenities, etc.) and reviewing the scores to shortlist our best possible options.
- The wife and I have a specific RACI for anything related to household -- we've distributed our responsibilities accordingly and are able to distribute all activities, chores, tasks, etc. evenly.
- I use the ROI calculations for deciding on investment options (granted, this was its original purpose! but I found affinity to these methods only after learning it during my early career and during the PMP preparation).
- I keep two sets of informal "lessons learnt" journals (one for personal, one for professional) introspection and review.
...And so on.
I can't imagine having a RACI at home...
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4 replies by Karan Shah, Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD, Sergio Luis Conte, and Vincent Guerard
Feb 13, 2018 2:44 PM
Sergio Luis Conte
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Just in case you are married then the RACI is easy to create.....
Feb 13, 2018 4:23 PM
Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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haha Mayte, depends who you live with. It might stop arguments over who is accountable or responsible for things like chores ;-)
Feb 13, 2018 10:30 PM
Karan Shah
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Ha ha. It seriously helps streamline a lot of activities and saves a lot of energy in arguments.
Of course, it is more of a guideline than a rule -- we do help each other out in our listed "Responsible" areas more often than not -- but it helps in the crunch situations.
For example, the cleanliness of the TV/entertainment unit is my responsibility. If we have guests dropping by shortly - I know to focus on getting just that section clean and not worrying about other parts of the house. (Very rough-and-ready example, I know, but it illustrates the point.)
Feb 14, 2018 9:18 AM
Vincent Guerard
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I have use a RACI at home with the kids, it worked for a time. Until teenager!!!
