tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post6079996684909554854..comments2024-03-28T19:58:31.110-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: Strategic planning for individuals and families, Part 1Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-67752646241114596952016-06-15T03:09:52.410-05:002016-06-15T03:09:52.410-05:00If I may....there's a lot of info available on...If I may....there's a lot of info available on Project Management, including the PMIBOK - the Project Management Institute Book of Knowledge - as well as a number of easier to digest works, and what you're talking about here, Peter, is at its base "managing a project." <br /><br />I'll agree a mission statement referencing metrics is critical; on my IT projects I <i>always</i> got full buy-in from the upper management, and the funders, developers, supporters and users around the philosophy of "what does this project have to accomplish to be defined as successful" concept, and built, first, a mission statement on that, and second, a <i>realistic</i> timeline with milestones; without that it's extremely difficult to measure anything, from funds release to procurement to accomplishment of steps toward project completion. Microsoft's Project Management software is excellent for that but perhaps a bit more complex than is needed. <br /><br />A couple of tips: When laying out milestones do not forget to include celebration points to commemorate reaching significant intermediate objectives, especially on long projects. People need pleasant mission reinforcement events to remind them why they're doing all this work, and; each project has a transition point when the project completes and the mission changes to one of ongoing support. In prepping that could be "take a 5-day breather at the beach when we've established one year of stored food per family member." <br /><br />To that last point, there comes a "switching point" in a project where it's complete, as defined by the project plan, and goes into "support and refinement" mode. In IT projects that's ongoing software upgrades, hardware replacement based on age and training of users and techs new to the system. With preparedness it could be "replace all AR-15 springs and extractor at 5K rounds, re-barrel at 10K" or "try one new freeze-dried recipe each month." And, IT support - the unseen gremlins in the computer room who keep everything running - require training on those software upgrades, similar to attending a good AR carbine class every 12-24 months. <br /><br />There's more, but this is too long already. <br />Inconsiderate Bastardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-76682326870212006272016-06-14T22:33:20.225-05:002016-06-14T22:33:20.225-05:00thank you .thank you .deb harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110992898072146282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-34601991502143845162016-06-14T10:00:31.526-05:002016-06-14T10:00:31.526-05:00Really good example of a mission: Medtronic. In 19...Really good example of a mission: Medtronic. In 1960, the company was struggling financially and was unfocused. Earl Bakken sat at his kitchen table and sketched out a plan to convince investors to stick with him.<br /><br />The result was the Medtronic Mission. Every new employee is given a bronze medallion with the "short mission" on it by a company executive (used to be Earl Bakken himself). The URL below has an image of the medallion.<br /><br /><br />http://www.medtronic.com/us-en/about/mission.html<br /><br />THE MEDTRONIC MISSION<br /><br />Purpose:<br />To contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments or appliances that alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.<br /><br />Objective 1: (Notice the last sentence)<br />To direct our growth in the areas of biomedical engineering where we display maximum strength and ability; to gather people and facilities that tend to augment these areas; to continuously build on these areas through education and knowledge assimilation; to avoid participation in areas where we cannot make unique and worthy contributions.<br /><br />Objective 2:<br />To strive without reserve for the greatest possible reliability and quality in our products; to be the unsurpassed standard of comparison and to be recognized as a company of dedication, honesty, integrity, and service.<br /><br />Objective 3:<br />To make a fair profit on current operations to meet our obligations, sustain our growth, and reach our goals.<br /><br />Objective 4:<br />To recognize the personal worth of employees by providing an employment framework that allows personal satisfaction in work accomplished, security, advancement opportunity, and means to share in the company's success.<br /><br />Objective 5:<br />To maintain good citizenship as a company.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com