Projects

ACCOUNTABILITY VERSUS AUTHORITY

2008-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

It is generally believed that as one gets higher in the corporate hierarchy, there is an increase in the individuals authority over others as also his accountability to the Senior Management.

However it is now time to debunk this myth.

Yes - Accountability increases as one gets higher, but not so the authority.

Lets look at this with a simple real life scenario in a manufacturing organization.

AT A FLOOR SUPERVISOR LEVEL

I am the one in position to know all of the changing circumstances reported by the individual team members.
I am the only one with the authority to select and deselect team members.
I am the only one with the authority to make or change task assignments.
Most importantly, I am the one accountable for those decisions.

AT THE FACTORY MANAGER LEVEL

I am the one in position to know all of the changing circumstances reported by the individual Floor Supervisors, mostly after they have resolved issues or if they’re escalated
I am the only one with the authority to select and deselect Floor Supervisors
Most importantly, I am the one accountable for all their decisions.

AT THE BUSINESS HEAD LEVEL

I am the one in position to know all of the changing circumstances reported by the Factory Head. Most issues are on an FYI basis.
I am the only one with the authority to select and deselect the Factory Manager.
Most importantly, I am the one accountable for all his/her decisions

As one goes higher, the pressure to get things done definitely increases. However, the power to get things done reduces as more and more control tends to get delegated. It is one thing to be in the know of issues at the ground level and a totally different thing to be hands-on and solving them by oneself.

The Big Question!

2008-05-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

I wish i had the answer.. not a set of Percentage points on this one

The learning curve

2008-03-21T00:59:00.001-07:00

When will people learn to negotiate the learning curve and start delivering results? I find myself with the unenviable task of managing 3 distinct categories of personnel.

Know it all - share nothing

Know nothing - project it all

Know nothing - share nothing

Each of these 3 categories of personnel are dangerous to different degrees at different levels of the organization.

So what does this have to do with a learning curve? Well, my job is to bring them to a common understanding point. This involves negotiating a learning curve, the gradient of which, will vary from individual to individual.

I factor that into my calculations as well. When results are slower I re-evaluate my working and make adjustments. But some folks - especially those at senior positions refuse to see the light. They believe in running things like a corner store where one man friday solves/works on everything. I refuse to be that man friday UNLESS, the accompanying respect is given. I have tried to put this into their head for quite some time now. However, they have a really really tough nut - nothing seems to permeate.

I'm not a quitter - so I will try to push the medicine in another way. My GOAL - this illness must be cured..

Office Conversation

2008-03-17T00:26:00.000-07:00

This is not about losing... or the fear of losing!
It’s about both sides winning!

I was listening to a wise man today He gave me some tips of having a meaningful conversation in office. He taught me how to convert a private conversation into something that would be a win-win situation for all concerned.

Understand the importance of the individual in the context of the organization / dept.
Understand what he/ she wants to achieve / aspires for on a personal level.
Be clear on what the organization requires and where those needs/ aspirations map!
Be absolutely clear of what you have to say.

He also talked of applying these on ones personal life and that they would get results.
I tried.... and the results were instantaneous

A fresh start

2008-01-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

Each year brings with it a new set of issues.
We work to optimize/streamline them through the year.
By the time we reach December is reached a whole new set of issues is ready and waiting.

This is part of the reactive process of business management... obviously things can't be going on like this for a long time!
I bet all the management Gurus would concur.

Yes yes - they keep saying how it is necessary to be proactive and innovative - but I say it's a whole lot of baloney & crap...!!

We need to stop this whole proactive - reactive business and do things differently!
yeah - the word is different!!!

Growing the organization

2007-10-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Much has been written in time past, about the pains of growing an organization. I’m not here to rescind their theories. Merely stating a point of view – as I see the story unfold.
Speed of thought& action coupled with a focused working – two key ingredients to having your business featured in the success stories of the year.

I stress on “year” because no business plan survives more than a year or two at most. You need speed of thought to catch the scenarios as they change. Thoughts without actions won’t get you anywhere – so there must be rapid (not knee-jerk) action to ensure that the plans are executed before they become outdated. Action working to a plan must be focused on getting results – tactical and strategic – the latter would take precedence – if you have the deep pockets to absorb the tactical costs.

I work with an organization in transition. It’ll not be easy to put a finger on the exact points of transition. Yes – the before and after scenarios are visible and clearly distinguishable.

Some key points stand out.

Systems are important – they build confidence
Product Quality is vital – quality sells!!
Knowledge management – enables growth and innovative thinking. It involves a good understanding of the market, the competition, past strategies and willingness to take risk.
Skilled Manpower – perhaps the most critical element of success
IT – force multiplier – effects at all levels.
TRUST

So how do we measure up?
I’ve been here a year now. I spent the first quarter as an observer. Since then, the mind is at work. I’m in a position that can make changes happen. But it’s wise to proceed with a clear roadmap.
Things have changed in the past year. I have been working effectively in a few areas only. It’s a delicate balance that needs to be maintained – between running too fast and running fast enough for people to keep up.

Systems have been developed and implemented. In some areas like administration (which is mostly what I do), we have done a few things to keep the sales force on their toes and present a clearer picture to the management.
Product quality has improved- it was already quite high – yet we continue to innovate. Increased sales volumes have not greatly impacted the number of quality issues coming in. We have a more or less stable product range.
Knowledge management – that’s the area with lots of loopholes. We are not effective in monitoring the forward supply chain. This is an area of concern, since the end user issues are sometimes left un-addressed. Market & competitor knowledge is not as high as it should be. It comes in bits and pieces and leaves us playing cards with a few blind sides. The training and monitoring of the team needs to be worked on.
Skilled Manpower – it’s not easy to recruit or retain – we have some work to do here. An improvement in knowledge management coupled with strong backup systems will strengthen this over the next Six months.
IT – we’re implementing stuff – but it’s not as fast as we’d like it to be. A lot of it has to do with managing change effectively. It’s not been easy integrating clicks with the bricks and mortar model.
TRUST – we have improved in some areas – but a lot is still to be done. How does one get the employees to trust the management and vice versa? It’s an age-old issue and I for one see TRANSPARENCY as a part time solution. There will never be complete transparency – so that can’t be the full solution.

Where do we go from here?
My ideas – valid for the next Six months (at least)
o Get the ERP online
o Improve the training of personnel and monitor its effectiveness.
o Foster a culture of trust and transparency
o Don’t run too fast – allow the people to ride along
o Manpower recruitment must be strengthened. Ensure that we pick the right person for the job.
o Stay on top of the market – keep a look out for trends. This also means we have to send more time than we are doing right now in the field.
o Develop a better understanding of our customers – throughout the supply chain – forward and backward.
o We have to enable decision-making – and encourage risk taking.
o The NEW products need MOTHERing. We need to develop our people do that..
o The environment needs to liven up. Having FUN at work is not a CRIME.

Most importantly – have a blueprint – develop a roadmap – then EXECUTE it.

9 Months

2007-07-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

I've finally completed 9 months today.
Drat - i didn't think I'd last so long.

It's not about the job or the people or the ambience. It was this whole thing of working with Family!

So here I am - Diagnostics Manager for J.Mitra & Co. Pvt Ltd.!!!
Technically - I should get a letter of confirmation today.
But i'll let it pass - never been one for too much Formality!!

Working with Systems

2007-02-23T02:46:00.000-08:00

it's so funny....
everybody says - they want to work with systems....
..they say it's the only way forward....
... it's important to fuel the growth....

What do i Do? I go ahead and design a system.

it even works......

then they override it

it can be really pissing off - if you know what i mean

Hyderabad Blues

2007-02-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

Some pics from our Annual All-India Sales Meet in Hyderabad
1st - 4th Feb 2007

... and finally a party!!

2006-11-04T03:29:00.000-08:00

Conversion of PDF Reports

Inorder to convert PDF reports to text and MS-Excel files using Adobe Acrobat version 5.0 use the following steps:

1. Start Adobe Acrobat (5.0)

2. Open the PDF report that needs to be converted.

3. From the Tool bar click on the more arrow with the Text Select Tool (this is a button with a T on it) more tools will be displayed. Choose the Table/Formatted Text Select Tool. The cursor changes to a cross hair.

4. Drag a rectangle to enclose the report that you want to convert and press the right mouse button.

5. From the menu that appears to convert to text format choose Text > Preserve Line Breaks, to convert to MS-Excel choose Table. From the same menu select "Save As" specify the destination details, choose the file type as "ANSI Text". Click on "Save". The file is saved in the specified format.

6. Use Notepad or MS-Excel (as applicable) to open and view the file.

Family ties mean big business

2006-10-14T03:29:00.000-07:00

Look around and you will spot them everywhere.
From the very established to the nouveau riche.... most of the big businesses today (excepting maybe IT) are owned by families.

Contrary to the olden days when such organizations were unprofessional and had adhoc styles of management - times have changed for the better now.

They have a greater propensity to take risks , be ambitious, faster at their decisions and are more profit focussed....

That's just what I think!!!

Starting anew!!!

2006-10-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Change is the only constant.
I am seeking to control this constant.

I feel 21.
There's a strange feeling of starting out at the bottom - yet again!!
It's like I've given up all the houses that I'd built to go live in a cottage. There is however, the ever-bright hope that this cottage will become a palace.

It's not been an easy decision; but given my penchant for calculated risks and love for the family - it was a given at some point or the other.
Now I've done my bit at Hi-tech electronics, Consumer durables, e-learning - last stop : Medical Diagnostics.

I've joined today and spent the entire day languishing at a seat in the middle of the office. Family run businesses move differently I guess. Strategic uncertainities are handled differently because the fallout is unlike the world outside.

This is one challenge that I must learn to tackle. Luckily time is on my side.
Promises to keep....
Miles to go before I sleep.

The Strategy Canvas

2006-09-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

This captures the current state of play in the known market-space.
I can think of a few parameters that would prove useful.
• Competitor moves,
• Industry factors, and
• Product offerings across the industry.

Plot these on the X axis against a set of numbers on the Y axis. These numbers could range from 1 to wherever you think necessary.
The resultant plot would denote a value curve.

What’s been observed on analyzing most industries is that the players have a “common” perception of what sells and what is valued by the customer. They are right in their perception and wrong too.

It’s important to move forward and challenge the existing model.
15 years ago – there were no cellular phones and getting a land line installed was problematic at the very least. Then companies launched cellular services way back in 1995. They challenged the existing line of thinking. The field remained communication – they just changed how it was done.

• Check out the factors that are taken for granted – which can be eliminated!!
• Which factors are overrated and need to be pegged down a bit?
• What’re the factors kept out of focus and need to have their bar raised?
• What are the factors to be created?

This way:
1. eliminate redundancies – cost control
2. lower the over-rated – cost control
3. improve the key areas – value add
4. develop differentiators – value add

Getting started - entering the Blue Ocean

2006-09-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yes – I want to move into a blue ocean. I guess that’s where the story always must begin.

Now comes the part for which there are no proven strategies. All our business strategies are designed to fight on existing terrain against enemies from the same league. There’s limited terrain and you got to beat the bad guys here and now. So you play and make the value-cost tradeoff. It gets you a lil bigger piece of the pie – for awhile at least!!!
That’s the RED OCEAN we live in…

6 Principles
Formulation Principles

Reconstruct market boundaries – reduce the risk of searching for something new.
Focus on the big picture – not the numbers – reduce the risk on planning
Reach beyond existing demand – reduce the risk on scalability
Get the strategic sequence right – get your business model right

Execution Principles

Overcome key organizational hurdles – integrate the organization
Build execution into strategy – manage proactively

The key issue here is that while I want to do something new and bright and shiny – risks need to be minimized and mitigated rather than turned into contingencies

Value Innovation

2006-09-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

This is a term that I have recently had to focus on. It’s not something new.
Yet we forget it quite easily in the humdrum existence that we lead.

It is about creating a leap in value for the buyers. This serves two purposes.
1. It makes the competition irrelevant – as the focus changes from competition to alternatives
2. It opens up new and uncontested market space.

The organization has to focus on both – value and innovation.
It is not about being the “first entrants” n the market or using “cutting edge” technology. History is witness to Technology pioneers opening the doors for others to trample over them.

It is generally believed that high customer value is synonymous with high cost. That’s not true.
It is essential to pursue “differentiation” and “low cost” simultaneously.

Hence it is important to integrate the functional and operational activities in an organization. The entire system has to be oriented to the LEAP!!!

That’s why Value innovation is the cornerstone to a Blue Ocean strategy (BOS).

The deep blue!!

2006-09-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Technically speaking, blue ocean strategy challenges companies to break out of the red ocean of bloody competition by creating uncontested market space that makes the competition irrelevant.

Instead of dividing up existing - and often shrinking - demand and benchmarking competitors, blue ocean strategy is about growing demand and breaking away from the competition.

The current corporate strategies have their roots mired in the military.

To focus on the red ocean is therefore to accept the key constraining factors of war- limited terrain and the need to beat an enemy to succeed. It also involves a denial of the distinctive strength of the business world: the capacity to create new market space that is uncontested.

Lots more coming in on this topic....

The Pearson Team

2006-08-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

That's a pic of the team out for lunch at Not Just parathas on 11th Aug '06.
This outing was kinda overdue... glad we finally got going someplace.
(L-R) Susharan, Vishal, Daljit,Amit,Shan,Johann,Arjun,Binita, Amandeep & Ila.
We're missing BIG BOSS in this pic... she'll be in the next one.
Now the BIG BOSS - Vandana is also in....she's the one with the "6 finger" halo behind her!!!

Always on call...

2006-08-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yep - we're somewhat like doctors - just a call away.
The only issue is that we save our own lives rather than others.
Project Managers ROCKKKK!!!

Bravery and fear

2006-06-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

Yes -it's a war that we fight.

I read this one liner about how the aim of war was not to die for your country, but make the other bastard die for his. These words are credited to General Patton of the US army, but the feeling is quite ancient in nature. Self preservation is in the heart of every soldier.

In battle, fear drives us - fear of losing. It is as they rightly say, mix a little hot blood with the knowledge that is is more dangerous to lose than to win. Ask a Russian soldier who fought in the great war of39-45. He would say very confidently that it was easier to move forward againt impossible German odds, than turn back - and be shot by the Comissars of the Red army.

The point I'm trying to make is that bravery is nothing but a channelization of fear. When faced with a cliff on one end and the advancing horde on the other, retreat is not an option. The spirit of man takes over then - fear gets lost somewhere internally after the catalysis.

From Good to Great

2006-05-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

There’s a big difference in being good at something & being great at it. That’s what, in my opinion separates the men from the boys.
I always strive to be great at everything I do – in my life – personal & professional. But I must confess I’m not great.

Yes, there are those brief flashes in the pan, when I know I can beat Godzilla at his game. But for most of the situations that come along – I’m good. A wise man (the one inside my head) reiterates that one line – don’t be in a rush. Greatness will come with time & experience. Did I really expect to be the best project manager without burning my fingers now & then. The learning must be collated, analyzed and acted upon.

If I were to fill up a Project management scorecard at this point of time – well, I wouldn’t like the results. I would ascribe that to an overload of work. But then that overload was my choice. It was definitely not imposed on me at that point of time.

My point here is not to get into a finger pointing exercise. That can be done post-facto when the remains of the day dictate the necessity for the same. I express the desire to understand the difference between good & great, between planned, projected and actual data. My thoughts are on bridging the gap between real-time performance and the individual potential.
I see the sky through the break in the trees. This perfect view comes at a cost. I must lie on my back. Lie down in the grass, getting my clothes dirty. I wish I was there – as high as can be. That’ll happen when I get understand my job like I should. I have made a start there.

Marketing.. the way it should be taught!!

2006-03-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

Professor at IIM was explaining Marketing concepts:

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm very rich. Marry me!" That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him." That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me." That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich. Will you marry me?" That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich.." That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm very rich. Marry me" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. That's Customer Feedback !!!!!

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "Im very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband. That's Demand and supply gap.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say, "I'm very rich. Marry me!" She turns her face towards you ------------ she is your wife!
That's competition eating into your market share.

The Marketing Mouth

2006-03-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

A new approach to Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing.
(actually the same old wine in the same old bottle)

The basic principles of WOM apply to both consumer and B2B challenges. We’ll focus on B2B here, since that’s the industry I’m currently servicing. These are the tenets, not to be forgotten.

A happy customer is the greatest endorsement (All’s well if they’re well)
Give the customers a voice (They will not be well – if you cannot diagnose their problems correctly. And guess what – you gotta let them tell you about it)
Listen to the consumers (and you have to listen to them)
Engage the community (Build a bond. They have to trust you to be able to tell you)

WOM transmissions occur in several ways. Here are a few:

A conversation concerning a referral
A comment on a message board
A letter to the editor
A product or book review
An email A post on a blog (again – lets focus on this one – the Blogsphere has arrived. It’s time we accepted that and gave them their time in the sun – I’ll put up a post on this sometime in the near future)

When you are designing programs, be honest and authentic. I do believe that full disclosure actually aids in the success of a WOM marketing program.

1. Sleaze sells short term. Values start slow – pick up momentum, and persist. We must understand that lying, and spam in any fashion all smell like dead fish and will only harm our efforts in the long run.
2. Research: Listen, observe, monitor and mine your data.
3. Customer relationships matter. Manage them: Provide consumers with tools to talk back, respond in a timely manner and personalize.
4. Grassroots: Reach out and inform.
5. Create evangelists: Find the influencers and build affiliate and direct marketing relationships.
6. Paid and earned media: Mix up your media, buy it, and deserve earning it.
7. Change the approach from "at you" to "with you". Campaigns that are generated by both the consumer and marketer will have much stronger legs.
8. Businesses need to be interesting to get customers interested.
9. WOM programs need to be integrated into many aspects of a company's operations, not just marketing -- product development, marketing, customer support. The more integrated the programs, the more successful they will be.

The Written word (Part2)

2006-03-06T02:52:00.000-08:00

Readability

It is nothing more than a clear style of writing. People apply mathematical formulae to the length of sentences, the use of abstract words and such. But those are merely guidelines. Writing was not meant to be inflexible...

It is vital to keep in mind a few principles for the written piece.

· Reader’s level
It is common sense that one does not use flowery language in business communication and jargon in poetic construction.

· Sentence construction
Good things come in small packages. It is quite true that long, rambling sentences wear out the reader. At this point he sent me off to search for my Wren & Martin high school grammar book. He was pleasantly surprised that I had preserved a copy of it 13 years after school.

· Paragraph construction
Use a topic sentence and focus on a single idea for a paragraph. If the idea is a big one (as some of them are), split it into subtopics rather than 10 pages of continuous unbroken type.

· Familiarity of words
It doesn’t really matter if you constructed the sentences well, if you give a medical journal to a business manager. The same would hold true in reverse. Use of jargon is good when this shop-talk reduces the time spent in explaining ideas to like minded individuals. My usage of Project management jargon to all aspects of communication (written and verbal) needs to be curtailed. Every-time she says I don’t understand her – I state that the requirements document was not signed off and hence these extra rounds of review.

· Reader direction
Where are you leading the reader? The lack of paragraph framing coupled with ineffective transitions between paragraphs can befuddle the reader. He talked about sub-conclusions to be used towards paragraph endings. I didn’t quite agree with him on that. This would be painful for readers if they had to revise ideas at the end of every paragraph. That was the instructor in him talking – I guess!

· Focus

The purpose of the communication needs to be clear. It’s like he said, “Arjun, I’m trying to teach you to write effectively”

The Written word.

2006-03-06T02:08:00.000-08:00

The ability to communicate is one of the aspects that make life interesting. This relates to all aspects of life – whether at home or in the work place. In fact, this is one of the prime requisites of a promotable executive.

The written word – the most powerful communication prior to the advent of visual communication has lost some of its sheen – but not the importance. It stays on record and cannot be undone.

I post regularly on my web-log. That’s what you are reading right now. I assumed I wrote well. That is, till somebody told me otherwise. It’s not an easy pill to digest. But I was luck because that somebody explained what was wrong.

What could be wrong?
· my spelling sucks
· I can’t punctuate for nuts
· the flow goes off on tangents and the structure is abysmal
· my grammar is disastrous
· The writing style is tactless and boorish.
These and many more trains of thought crossed my mind.

Then he told me that effective writing was about 4 things.
1. Readability
2. Correctness
3. Appropriateness
4. Thought
At an overview level – I thought I’d covered all these. He showed me an inventory of these attributes detailing the parameters against which I should be mapping my writing. This is good stuff.

Changing Perspectives

2006-03-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

Every assignment brings a fresh set of challenges to the fore. It is very important to maintain a positive attitude to adapt to the situation on hand. It is vital to be able to un-learn and re-learn new tricks. This is one circus that doesn’t permit laxity.

I’m writing this piece to highlight the differences I’ve observed over the last couple of months between 2 organizations. I’ve had the pleasure of being in Lionbridge (LB) for over a year and at NIIT for a period of 3 months.

This is my personal opinion and you are welcome to debate it.
Both the organizations are in the E-Learning business for sometime now. NIIT has been around for about a decade ahead of LB. They both serve US & European clients. The parameters for effective project management remain time, cost and quality for both these behemoths.
One difference you’ll observe at the very outset is the concept of bread and butter. E-Learning is BREAD at NIIT & it’s only BUTTER for the folks at LB. Their bread is Localization. Hence the perspectives vary. There is a perceptible difference in Project Management maturity between the 2 organizations. Things that are taken for granted at NIIT are still in their infancy as far as implementation goes at LB.

Here’s a list:

MS Project – Enterprise edition – SAP implementation completed at NIIT. This is still in the conceptualization stage at LB.
Centralized budgeting – with inputs available from all PMs – completed at NIIT. The PMs at LB are less than adequately coached on the nuances of project management. Hence their exposure to budget sheets is the Revenue recognition sheet which they fill up dutifully every 28th of the month. I’m not saying that NIIT systems are perfect – but at least they’re getting there.
Manpower management – centralized pooling of resources allows the PM to assign members online and manage their time. This is not used effectively because the attitude towards using the system correctly hasn’t been developed. The folks at LB may not be able to manage the leveling of resources for want of a system. The PMs at NIIT wantonly avoid the basic use of the system and leave it at that. So, they end up having resources assigned 500% tasks on any given day. Only adds to the frustration.
The folks at LB use the MPP effectively – at least to the extent that it is regularly updated and can be presented at any point of time. The systems at NIIT are not optimally used and so, while, a project plan exists, the people are not versed with MS-Project and it is rarely updated.
Risk sheets are vital to Project monitoring – we all know that. It’s just that either they’ll be created and forgotten or exist in the users’ heads. Both ways it’s a waste of human intellect. Even worse is the apathy that management has towards a risk sheet.
Processes are very well defined at NIIT. We were still developing them at LB. The attitude of people towards process conformance is definitely higher at NIIT. Yes – there were folks at LB – who were highly process conforming. But they were few and far between. This again, is a Management intiative.
It is great to have a Standardized process – but every project, like humans - has an individuality of its own. This needs to be recognized and catered to. Processes & metrics are good – but they need to be open to discussion – as and when necessary.
Quality Audits were as rare as a Blue moon at LB. I’ve been here 3 months – starting up on a few projects – and have already undergone a Quality Planning and Audit session.
Trainings – the measure of organizational maturity. I must have spent a good amount of time at NIIT getting my trainings done. It is part of my KRAs as well. We never thought of “training” at LB – unless there was a FIRE on some project and the relevant team members needed something special. We thought of Trainings before project kickoffs – but invariably – no FIRE – so NO training!!!
SME management – tried and flunked out at LB – we’ve got a decent system going at NIIT – it’s called the VENDOME – that’s SAP to the rescue!!!
Infrastructure – stuff that you could take for granted while executing a project. This is an area where LB has made the maximum changes in the year gone by – that’s a positive sign.

This is as much a critique of my actions as those around me. A few tried to do the right thing, but their efforts never got anywhere near success. It’s not intended to point fingers , just a catharsis of what I’d loved to have at LB and things that I will do at my end at NIIT.
It’s a start!!

Chocomania

2006-03-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

First - we steal the chocolates..!!! That's Karan... and he did not leave any for Ankur.

The Victim is not impressed. Ranit goes into varied hues and shades.

My Learning at NIIT

2006-02-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

As requested - by the Management at NIIT!!!
Here goes....

It has been a little over two months since I entered the portals of this organization. This may not be sufficient time to learn everything, but I cannot deny the value addition.
I will put down a few points to summarize the experiential learning (as it happens) and paradigm shift in my functional area.

Project Management (The Paradigm Shift)
Real paradigms are not about technologies or products. Maybe it's just the way we perceive things. Project Management is a daily function as much as it is a system of thoughts.
It is customary to measure Project success as a Satisfied customer who got what he/she wanted. We also did the Project at half the cost in 75% of the time allocated.

Now, I have started understanding the aim of the project and its vision, the reliability of task completions, negotiating the learning curve and examining how people grow in their roles. The big question is whether the customer is getting more value than expected.
I am learning the value of variables, not just outcomes.

We undergo trainings on a regular basis. It is a part of our ‘exposure to systems’ and Self Development plan. I am now learning to take them seriously. I am learning the value of applied thought and people dynamics.

This is not the slow process of evolution - either you "get it" or you "don’t". The change is similar to the light bulb - getting switched on – instantaneous!

Learning anew!!

2006-02-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Think you know it all - think again!!!
So I did.

The last 3 days(2nd-4th Feb) have been tremendous value add to me. Kinda like re-learning things. We spent the last 3 days - unlearning, learning and re-learing some of the things that are critical to effective Project management.

That's SEED - the NIIT training centre nestled within the cosy confines of Sainik Farms in South Delhi.

Click on the pic to get a detailed view.

It is a good place to learn - enhanced by better company to mingles in - and of course - a great faculty who was motivated enough to keep us alive and kicking - no sleepers there!!!

I'll be talking more abuot my learnings, for now - the experience.
It was great!!!

(I can already see my team members smirking - cos' they know I had a good holiday. Yes people - I know - monday morning is coming up pretty fast)

Life @ NIIT

2006-01-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a Month and 25 days - Kinda qualifies as 2 months - I guess!!!

The life has been interesting and fast.
I'm onto something new here. A new creature, so to say - something new that makes life interesting for students. It makes their learning experience better!!

I have a great team - some of the best people & they're an absolute pleasure to work with.

A small discussion on some of them would be of inertest here. They make life at work worthwhile.
Let me start with Ranit. He's a gem of a guy - an asset to every team - a peoples person. 45 days of working with him - and I can't find a single issue with this guy - he sits right beside me and is the my biggest help on the project.

Ranit(L) and Karan(R).

Then there's Rajiv. Very practical - knows all the ground realities. He is a knowledge bank like no other. Keeps me aware of all that is going around. He is so soft spoken - you'd never know he exists - unless - he speaks !;-)

That's Rajiv & Vandana

Then there's Roop - a total Balancer. She never lets me fly - keeps my feet firmly on the ground. A very intelligent young lady - that she is.

No discussion would be complete without Karan. Ancient indian mythology refers to Karan & Arjun as being siblings. Only this time I'm older. He has a great sense of humour and his desire to learn is infectious. Quite a harwirking fellow there. Pleasure to work and be with!!

Karan - again!!!

More on the others later!!!

All in all - I'm startng to like my life at NIIT.

HR Lingo at work

2006-01-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

Understand HR Lingo 'COMPETITIVE SALARY'
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.

'JOIN OUR FAST-PACED COMPANY'
We have no time to train you.

'CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE'
We don't pay enough to expect that you'll dress up.

'MUST BE DEADLINE-ORIENTED'
You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.

'SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED'
Some time each night and some time each weekend.

'DUTIES WILL VARY'
Anyone in the office can boss you around.

'MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL'
We have no quality control.

'CAREER-MINDED'
Female Applicants must be childless (and remain that way).

'APPLY IN PERSON'
If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told the position has been filled.

'NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE'
We've filled the job; our call for resumes is just a legal formality.

'SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE'
You'll need it to replace three people who just left.

'PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST'
You're walking into a company in perpetual chaos.

'REQUIRES TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS'
You'll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.

'GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS'
Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want and do it

The Project Manager & his team

2005-12-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

The fate of a Project Manager...
But this is generally what happens. Somehow this always happens to "ME" - not as in ME but as in the individual PM.

Then there is that thing about TRAINING. You can give it - I can take it - but dat don't mean that I retain it buster.

Getting Christmassy @ work

2005-12-26T02:26:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like putting up your work shoes for a bit and doing the one thing we all like - enjoy!!

Senior Management Review - Ajay & Kala

Intelligent people - after coming 2nd at Dumb Charades
There are others more Intelligent than us

3 Legs are always faster than 2

Yes - I'm on a vacation from tomorrow <Kala on the Phone>

6 Ladies & a Man. Interesting equation...

Laugh it up girl !!!!

I want to shoot myself. That's the Teams' Christmas gift

:-)

Merry Christmas!!

Lemon Juice and Project Management

2005-12-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they offered Rs 10,000 bet.
The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money. Many people like weightlifters, wrestlers, body builders, etc had tried over time, but nobody could do it.
One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a safari suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, "I'd like to try the bet." After the laughter had died down, the bartender said OK, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man. But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and 5-6 drops fell into the glass. As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the Rs 10,000, and asked the little man, "What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?" "No," replied the man.

"I work as a project manager in a software company!"

Am i getting this wrong - or are the Project managers really that bad...??? Me being one myself.

PS: This was sent to me by one of my Instructional Designers... Didn't know she felt that way

Shifting Paradigms!!!

2005-12-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

A close friend of mine is an intimate confidant of Dilbert.
He's stratified management into layers - based on knowledge levels and application of the same. We call him Johnny Gyaani
I took a cue from him and decided to move up his Management ladder.
This meant that I was to be in a position to disburse knowledge to the unwilling masses.

These Management types keep talking of a "paradigm shift" like paradigms were going out of fashion.
There is a new approach to the way we do things - or is it?

Paradigm, much like the cry of "wolf" in the folk tale of the shepherd boy who took that liberty too often, has been applied wantonly to the extent, that when a real paradigm shift looms on the horizon it meets a jaded acceptance.

Real paradigms are not about technologies or products. Maybe it's just the way we perceive things.

They define how we prioritize issues and the approach to be adopted when solving problems and activities. Basically they form the fabric of our view of reality.

It is not the paradigm that causes change. Change forces us to alter our paradigm of what is real and how to measure it.

This is not the slow process of evolution - either you "get it" or you "don’t".
The change is similar to the light bulb - getting switiched on - instantaneous.

Paradigms shift, like tectonic plates, from one perspective to another.
They also cause earthquakes when they shift.

One field where I think we go through a Paradigm shift ever so often is Communication.
Remember the time when telephones were scarce, letters travelled via the friendly neighbourhood postal service. Today we have the intranet internet,extranet and what have you. Linear systems have given way to the distributed system where barriers are down.

This has led to a paradigm shift in Decision making systems. The spread of communication systems gives us data points to infer from and decide thereon.

Success and it's synonyms have also transformed thanks to this shift. It is not so much as doing one thing right. It's about successfully managing parts of the whole to ensure a win and continuity of the business order.

So an Earthquake can contribute to success :-)

Active Learning Ideas

2005-12-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

I've talked about the Ideation process in a previous blog entry - IDEAS!

Constructing Ideas is not half as challenging as actually implementing them. I mean - drawing a Car with an improved Exhaust system is so much easier than actually getting to drive the same car !!

Let's assume we have to teach something new. Someone has got to come up with an innovative idea to teach anew. To do this successfully we've got to understand interference and consolidation.

The former refers to the degrading effect that new learning has on old learning: try to cram too many topics into one class and the new topics will be detrimental to retention and understanding of the earlier material.
Consolidation refers to the capacity of our brains to capture and structure new learning without making that conscious effort. If you want your students to internalize new concepts well, you should ensure that they have ample breaks (in class and out of class) in which their brains are not engaged in challenging tasks.

We would want to promote Active Learning in the classroom, Several approaches are possible.

These are not all MY ideas - but I had an idea that would them place all in One place for easy retrieval.

Creation and fostering of in-class teams
Think-pair-share
Cooperative note taking
Guided reciprocal peer questioning (kinda like passing the parcel around)
Team writing assignments
Problem-solving learning (works well for adult learner groups)

They've all been there - done that!!! Which ones do you think would work best?

Bossa Nova

2005-12-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

If you've ever felt your heart skip a beat after being screamed at by your boss, it may be more than just your imagination. Put another way, caustic, abrasive, and overbearing bosses just might be taking years off their employees' lives - Our lives!!!

I haven't been around for too long in the Workspace - but I've had my share of bosses. They've always helped me learn - good & bad. How to lead, manage, perform & how not to.

I will not talk about all of them here - just those who've made me think - in order of appearance.

Ranjit Kumar
Distinction: My boss during my marketing stint with LG in Pune.
Redeeming quality: Extremely Caring, had faith in the human spirit, Emotional bonding could prove to be his vulnerability.

Jatin Madan
Distinction: My boss during my Exports stint with LG inGreater Noida.
Redeeming quality: Extremely Hard working, reposed full faith & supported to the hilt. Wekaness is the tendency to get caught up in transactions rather than management.

Lydia Lobo
Distinction: My first boss at Lionbridge in Mumbai.
Redeeming quality: Hardworking, intelligent, good ideator. Not the best manager in town.

Vivek Sethi
Distinction: My boss at Lionbridge for the period that a lot of work happened.
Redeeming quality: Very intelligent, hardworking, always there on the ground, open management style. He's a sales guy in operations - hence the focus is fleeting and his interest in employee welfare is always doubted.

Rita Tiwari
Distinction: My boss for a very short period at Lionbridge. :-)
Redeeming quality: Hardworking - with no focus on where the work is going. Extremely short sighted. She's from another industry in another universe- not someone you'd ever want to work for. She's worked abroad for quite sometime now. It doesn't show.

Vikram Bhatia
Distinction: My last boss at LB
Redeeming quality: My favourite boss - if he'd come in a month earlier - I'd still be there!!

PS: These are all my personal opinions. So, if you need any specific advice - either write me or use alternative channels.

Ideas

2005-12-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

Ideas - especially the new ones - drive life!!!

How do we come up with new ideas & what do we do about them? I mean - I come up with new ideas each day (we all do) - just so difficult to collate them and do something about them.

It's vital to believe in the Practice of Ideas
This would involve identifying, advocating and then making them happen.

The first step in ideation is to identify an idea worth pursuing. Ideas don’t come pre-packaged; most of them are synthesized as multiple ideas and modified as per the need.
Rarely do we come up with REAL ORIGINAL IDEAS - they're original to the extent that the same ideas have not been tried in our operational areas.

Advocating the idea comes next - PACKAGING is extremely important here. The language of communication is an important aspect of how an idea is packaged in order to make it appealing and more likely to succeed. Two ways to do it - well packaged - sold to the world or financed out of your pocket!!! :-)

Keep the message simple
Understand the POT of GOLD at the end of the rainbow - just don't talk about it in such a way that Expectations are raised to that level. A truly radical idea is like a small child - give it time to develop and grow.
Try and ideate the BIG idea into smaller ones - that's like smaller cogs on a gear system- the gears get into motion and then things begin to happen.

Advocating the idea ain't easy. There are sets of believers and the obverse. If you're working for someone - link the idea to something he/she believes in. That should ease the pressure when you go in for the kill. It also makes the idea easy to comprehend.

The challenge lies in getting the backing financial & human to implement. The business of implementation is less about ideas than about managing people, budgets, projects, and processes. There comes a time, when actions speak louder than words.

Different people feel differently about the execution of the ivory tower ideas.
The Ideas need to show a quick payoff;
A fast win may actually be a loss; major change involves working on foundations, which takes time;
Every idea needs an implementation plan if it’s going to go anywhere;
Experiment, then scale up - don't rush in;
At some point, you have to know when to get out of the way and let others execute. Parents must let the child grow up.

Parameters for success

2005-12-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

We ususally measure Project success as a Satisfied customer who got what he/she wanted. We also did the Project at half the cost in 75% of the time allocated.

These are no doubt, important areas, but, are the result of doing other things well.

Aim of the project.Are we doing a design and building something, or we could describe the mission in terms of the overall value created for the customer. The latter one arises as the project arises and there are learnings. Even project missions can be expected to change over the project life. The customer learns, the team learns, circumstances change, and life happens.
The reliability of task completions. This is similar to the prince of Non-conformance
The learning curve and how we innovate across the PLC.
Are people growing in their roles?
Is the customer getting more value than expected?

Focus on the variables not just outcomes. That's called going back to basics.

The Big question still remains : Will this project finish as promised?
and the answer remains, "After you've done 90% of the project, you have the other 90% to do."

Managing

2005-12-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

Managers are not the decision makers any m0re.
That's obsolete thinking - the way it used to be!!!

This paradigm is left over from when we believed the head is smarter than the body. The one person on top could tell the rest what to do.

It's time we gave up the notion that the head of the organization can control the extensive body of independent thinking and feeling human beings.

So what is it that managers could do in this parallell universe?
They could cultivate conditions or circumstances for performance.

Managers care for the promises to the customers,
the network of commitments for delivering on those promises,
and the well-being or futures of the people they manage.

Giving more importance to one over the other won't succeed in the long-run.

The Day 0 syndrome

2005-12-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

What is it with the "first day thingy" ?
I am always nervous, butterflies all around and the like.

Today was no different.
I'm generally on tenterhooks for a few weeks - before I'm able to ease in and be part of something. It's not like I can get off the train and start running the 100 M dash off the platform.

Commuting in Delhi is not easy. 3 modes of transportation and 90 minutes later I was at work.
I did not know that Kalkaji was that difficult to get to.

The whole day at work (actually no work) just flew by - and at 6pm, I was on my way home.

Let's see what the future augurs. I hope, it augurs well.

There's something about Raghu

2005-11-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

Raghunath Giliyaru
*********************
Age : 33 (approx - give or take 1 year)
Status : Very Happily married (when wife is in town)
Profession : Project Manager at Lionbridge
Pastimes : Yahoo Chat and Walks in the Sun (with u know who)
Special Asset: Very mischevious smile

Other PROs : Doesn't Drink, ensures he is home for lunch, works weekends, nice guy

All in all - he's a great guy to have around!!

Some snaps from his Office Routine...

Intensely Tense

Underhand dealings

That smile we mentioned a lil while back - this is it!!!

A Historical Perspective - Unsolved crimes

2005-11-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

This is what could have happened.
Well - actuall these incidents did happen. They all happened to a gentleman by the name of Mr. Vivek Sethi.
I donot refer herein - to any particular individual - just the name as it comes up in the Google search. The links are given below for further reference.

Lawyer killed in mishap,Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22Mr Vivek Sethi, an advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, died here tonight after being run over by a vehicle in Sector 5. He was around 40 years old.Mr Sethi, a resident of Sector 7, was walking along with his wife, Manju, when the mishap took place. He was taken to the PGI, where he was declared brought dead.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021223/cth1.htm

Man killed, 2 abducted,Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 19A man was killed in a road accident, when the scooter he was pillion riding with his son was hit by a Ford car (DL-6CC-0800) near Punjab Engineering College, Sector 12 late last night.
The victim Om Prakash was declared as brought dead at the PGI at about 11: 54 pm. The driver of the car, Suraj Prakash Singh, was arrested under section 279, 337, 304-A of the IPC and was later released on bail.
Two AbductedA 17-year-old girl is alleged to have been abducted by Madan Singh Adhikari on April 15 from her residence in Burail. Another 17 year old girl was abducted by Vivek Sethi on April 18 from residence in Sector 23. In both the cases, complaints under sections 363 and 366 of the IPC have been registered.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010420/cth1.htm

Wonder if they ever got the second case solved???

How to Kill a Lion..

2005-11-25T04:08:00.000-08:00

Cognizant Method:
hire a lion... ask him to stay for late nights but give him no work to do.
give him gobi 65 to eat again and again.
hire 100 more lions but do not increase the space to sit
give them same gobi 65 to eat
hire 200 more....... and more .......

TCS method:
hire a lion
give him hell a lot of work and pay him government salary
lion dies of hunger and frustration

Kanbay Method:
Hire a Cat;
give him a salary of a Lion...
Give him work of 3 Lions
Tell him to work late and even on weekends...
No time for food and family, automatically die

Infy method:
hire a lion and ask him to meow like a cat ..
he will die eventually of frustration...

IBM's metbod:
hire a lion,
give him a pink slip in an hour ...
he dies of unemployment...

Syntel Method:-
Hire a Cat ...
assure him that he will eventually become a Lion once he reaches onsite and make sure that he never reaches onsite.
Cat dies in hope of becoming a Lion....

MBT method:
hire the lion,
make him take 14 tests and tell him that if he doesn't score > 60% he will lose the job.
lion dies of the strain?

i-Flex method:
hire a lion???.oops cow, tell him he is a lion,
send him in African safari for implementing flexcube in god forbidden territories,
tell him if he comes alive he will get band movement (promotion)
holy cow dies in fear of the real lion

COSL Method:
hire a lion .. tell him to merge with Goats (polaris) and reduce his allowance...
lion dies from fear that tommorrow he might become a goat....

Polaris Method :
hire ..sorry....purchase a lion(COSL) ...
change his timings...(instead of 9 AM ...change it to 8:30 AM )
cut down his allowance (coupons etc)
lion dies from fear of becoming CAT.....

Silverline Method:
hire a lion, declare a scandal and dont pay him...
he dies of hunger...

Quinnox method:
hire the lion. either give him no work or ask for a premature delivery.
Lion either dies of boredom or intense physical & mental activity...

Patni method:
hire a lion, give him a salary of a cat...
the lion dies before joining....

Nucsoft method:
hire a lion,give him job of grass eating (IBBS Support)..
the lion dies from lack of eating meat...

Satyam method:
hire a lion,
give him net access.. no work.. and deport him to Chennai centre...
no water.. no electricity.. no hindi speaking ppl... lion dies in oblivion......

Wipro method:
hire a lion...
give him lots of work...
transfer him to Wipro Lights division..
lion dies due to Lightness...

Mastek method:
hire a lion...
ask him to align himself with anything and everything...
ask him to fill complicated competency forms...
differ increments and pay him salary of a cat...
lion dies due to fear of getting mis-aligned or starvation...

and finally - the billion $ question - How do they kill lions at Lionbridge?

what lions???

The Final Round!!!

2005-11-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

There's a boxer in the red corner and one in the blue. Our HR department plays the refree.

Round 1 and Ms.B is calling the shots. She has things going her way because everybody is listening.

Round 2 and the crowd is fuming - she's going over the top. Her bashing is getting stronger. She doesn't play it subtle - always applying the right hook!

Round 3- people are up in arms. I protest!! The reporting shifts to Vikram. Breadth of fresh air. The one Sane person I can match. She hates me for being able to get away.

Round 4 - the exits begin. First the projects and then the people. I'm still there.

Round 5 - her bashing continues. The fight is getting ferocious. Now people do manage to stand up to her and say their piece. Pleas fall on deaf ears. Even the biggies don't listen. It seems like she has them wrapped around her fingers.

Round 6 - I'm outta here. NIIT, in fact, any place would be saner than this. I did spend 45 minutes in the HR dept - giving them my point of view.

The Final Round is still to be played out. Trust I have done my bit!!

Playing Meeting - Meeting

2005-11-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a collection of snaps taken during our various meetings. They're from the period March - November 2005.

Given the transient nature of this job - certain faces will vanish. There are however, a few pillars that never seem to fall... so hang on..... and enjoy the fun.

The Life & Times of Ms.B

2005-11-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

I really wonder what makes her tick... or is she really thick?

She drives us nuts, as she opens her guts
So here's what I have to say to her. Please take your Pick.. all lines are applicable!!!

Hi there, I'm a human being!

What are you?I've seen more life in a down and out's vest

Save your breath...You'll need it to blow up your date.

Shouldn't you have a license for being that ugly?

Calling you an idiot would be an insult to all the stupid people.

Folk clap when they see you...but they clap their hands over their eyes.

You're about as much use as a Betamax videorecorder

All day I thought of you....I was at the zoo.

I'd love to ask how old you are, but unfortunately I know you can't count that high.

You should learn from your parents mistakes - try using some birth control.

If I was as ugly as you were, I wouldn't say Hi to folk, I'd say BOO!

You've got the perfect weapon against muggers - yer face.

I heard that you went to the haunted house and they offered you a job.

Listen, are you always this stupid or are you just making a special effort today?

Sure, I'd love to help you out...now, which way did you come in?

Anybody who told you to be yourself simply couldn't have given you worse advice...

Why don't you slip into something more comfortable...like a coma.

I heard when you were a child your Mother wanted to hire someone to take care of you, but the Mafia wanted too much.

You must be an experiment in Artificial Stupidity.

You! Off my planet!

Whilst every girl has the right to be ugly, you seem to have abused that privelige!

I'd like to leave you with one thought...unfortunately I ain't sure you have anywhere to put it!

So now we know why some mammals eat their children...

My Favourite "Smile" at work

2005-11-14T01:27:00.000-08:00

That's Sarbani......my favourite smile at work!!!

She's the Skill Head for the Writing Team and one of my favourite persons at LB.

Her smile - when I get to see it - is the brightest one around.

I'm gonna miss her at NIIT.

Evening Meetings

2005-11-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in a meeting - Thursday 10th Nov .

This is getting on my nerves. All the ranting is making me jumpy.
Vivek is exercising his boss' privilege to the hilt. He is going on and on and on.

My sleep is catching up with me now. I haven't slept for 39 hours now. I simply don't have the patience to endure the torture any more of this. Ms.B is enjoying it - like in a trance or something.

We just got off a client call - and after that the ranting is taking its toll!!!

No solutions - just the talk :-(

My Last working weekend at LB (Hopefully)!!

2005-11-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

Yeah - I certainly hope so.
We're doing the testing for one of my projects today. A lot of it should be done.
Then the handoff to MS late next week.

I hope to be down in Nagpur next weekend spending quality time with my lady. The weekend after that to pack up and start the transportation. Then I'm home!!!

We're supposed to get the Saturdays and Sundays off from work.
I've spent more than 45 days of the 104 allotted holidays at work, in the last year. Speaks a lot for my hard work or inefficient work, as the case may be. Project commitments require us to use the weekends to play catch up. Nobody likes it - but that's the way it is.
Our focus has always been on making that delivery - it's never been the people. I am as much to blame for that as the Powers above me. Things will not change here - I know that for a fact - unless we have no projects at all. That again will not happen - so happy workin' folks!!!

Interesting work acronyms

2005-11-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

AFLO
Another Fucking Learning Opportunity. The project post mortem

AHOYA
Asshole Of The Year Award.Lots of contenders for this one. Wonder who should get it - old age or continued failures.

AKUTA
A Kick Up The Arse.What i'd like some of my vendors to be.

BURP
Bankrupt Unemployed Rejected Person. Another one for the vendors.

ATNA
All Talk No Action. Definitely the trait for members higher in the value chain.

AWOL
Absent Without Leave. This is what i'd like to be. Only problem is that i have way too many leaves available.

BDU
Brain Dead User. The HR department

BHAG
Big Hairy-Arsed Goal. The polite version 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal' doesn't have quite the same ring to it (no pun intended).

CADET
Can't Add, Doesn't Even Try. We know who this is - righhtttt - challenged with numbers

BIAT
Boss Is A Twat. No nonsense here... one of the more direct modern workplace acronyms.

BMT
Before My Time. This is the feeling when you clean up someone elses shit.

BMW
Bitch, Moan and Whine/Whinge. Behaviour that can be exhibited by a group when stressed, demotivated or unhappy with their situation.

BOHICA
Bend Over, Here It Comes Again. Every new project.

CRAFT
Can't Remember A Fucking Thing.

FOBIO
Frequently Outwitted By Inanimate Objects. I know a male program manager who wins this one hands down.

DILLIGAFF
Do I Look Like I Give A Flying Fuck? Gimme 2 weeks and hear me say this - aloud!!!

FIAT
Fart In A Trance. Every organization has a person who seems to be perpetually in FIAT mode. Most of us experience being in this state at least a couple of times a week, especially Mondays after heavy weekend, or while captive in corporate presentations or boring training sessions.

FUBAR
Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. My state of mind a month ago.

GMC
Garbage Made Carefully. Some of the work we get from our vendors.

IBM
I Blame Microsoft. Our favourite line at work - literally!!!

JTFL
Just Too Fucking Late. Amusing acronym for what happens when JIT fails to work properly.

MELVIN
Mediocrity, Ego, Limits, Vanity, Incompetence, Name-calling. The traits required to get to the top

The journey continues

2005-10-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

My "operations " experience is gonna get enhanced.
I'm on my way to a new organization now.

The invitation is in - and i have accepted.
So - here I come!!!

Project - One Liners

2005-10-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

All project managers face problems on Monday mornings - good project managers are working on next Monday's problems.

A project gets a year late one day at a time

Any project can be estimated accurately (once it's completed).

Good project management is not so much knowing what to do and when, as knowing what excuses to give and when.

Good project managers admit mistakes: that's why you so rarely meet a good project manager.

The same work under the same conditions will be estimated differently by ten different estimators or by one estimator at ten different times.

Project management with lot of documents is not project management.

The more desperate the situation the more optimistic the situatee."

Mindless Meetings

2005-10-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

Picture This :
Friday afternoon - 2pm. You are feeling lazy... just gettin into the mood for the upcoming weekend. Then there's a call, a meeting , you're molested and whammmm!!!

This was a meeting called by our Big Boss in tandem with the DPC (Defect Prevention Council). This is a relatively new group - carrying out Bug analysis and prevention of Defects , and trust me - these guys are really motivated at what they do.

But the meeting got hijacked.
The entire meeting focussed on the lack of ownership of the Project Management & the Skills team. The issues were related to Bug Fixing, triaging , process adherence & compliance.

Vivek raped us -for lack of a better word. And we kept quiet and listened as the Vitriolic speech flowed in the one direction. There was no shortage of reprisals - to my mind, but silence is encouraged. They don't like people willing to take the risk. The apple cart cannot be upset here. I am not debating the rights and wrons of what he said. There is truth in that. But - there are things that can be done and things that are way out of our league.

Again - that was not the agenda of the meeting. The presentation set up by the DPC didn't get past the Intro slide. Vivek is the delivey head - but he fails to comprehend sometimes, that he is a part of the problem too. He cannot - for those few issues - take a helicopter view of things. Things have improved constantly over the last quarter in terms of Processes & compliance to the same. But he wants a quick fix and unfortunately that don't seem like the best thing to do.

Our process maturity is low and the management approach to work focusses on - MS Excel trackers , data sheets (all day long) instead of actual work.

Todays meeting has confirmed to me - what was mulling at the back of my mind.
I'm a misfit here - time to pack me bags and move on!!

Its not for me to say who's the best fit here - but the looks around the table doesn't leave much to the imagination.

Best of Luck Lionbridge!!

Farewell John!!!

2005-10-07T15:40:00.001-07:00

John is leaving.
In fact - today is his last day. He's happy , I'm happy for him.
But I'm sad for me.

It's just that he's the only friend I have here.
What started in May with me being irked at his behavioural pattern , changed to grudging respect for his intelligence and now affection for this mild mannered guy. We spent a lot of time together - him and me - i don't claim to understand him fully.
But this much I know - he's a good man

He does like to distribute knowledge - but it's good!!
His predictions - however fatalistic / incredible they may sound - always come true.

He did predict that i'll be around in LB for a long time. Dunno if that one'll hold though.

We went out for lunch and bid him farewell. A collection of his peers.
Wishing him all the best for his new assignment in Wipro.

That's John on the Lower Right hand part of the image.

(L-R)Gayatri , Vrinda & Me

Sumanta & John <>

Policing the IDs

2005-09-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Instructional Designers are the lifeline of our projects.
They're as much, if not more in demand as the SMEs (Subject matter Experts)

As a Project Manager - i dunno all too much about Instructional Design- except for the basic tenets of what it's supposed to address.

The latest Directive to the members of the "B" Team is - STAND BEHIND YOUR IDs AND ENSURE THAT YOU KEEP CHECKING IF THEY'RE COLOR CODING THE SENTENCES.

Seems kinda funny to monitor something/task - you know nothin' about.
But then - they do it. Caught a pic on the camera and I simply had to put it up here.

That's Vrinda standing behind Mohua(ID) and Kurush(TW) on one of her projects.

Change of Guard

2005-09-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

So we move on...

Hey - I'm still at LB. Just that i got a new Boss. The 'B' lady is no longer my boss.
I report to Vikram - a brand new PD.
He's human - at least my first impression says that.

That's Vikram in the middle of things.
He's been a PM and knows his stuff.
He gets work done without pulling rank.

My Boss' Birthday

2005-09-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

28th August arrived - for the 37th time.
It was Viveks birthday. Yes, I did remember to wish him - despite it being a Sunday.

Apparently the only other person who remembered was Vrinda, a PM colleague.
We decided to celebrate on Friday - at lunch. Hafta was collected and allocated to the Guft and lunch departments accordingly.

We disguised it as a Farewell party for Mallik - on his last legs here and then "pow" - when Vivek least expected it - the plate was taken away - the cake was put - candles blown - cake cut and another year gone by.

(L-R) Vivek, Vikram and Johnny boy

Let's just wait for the food

Hands and Shoulders (L-R) Amit, Suresh, Mallik

Who's gifting whom???

I want my cake .. and want to eat it too.

Shooting my mouth off

2005-08-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

What is it with the Senior Management?

Decisions that are fait accompli should be communicated to the client as soon as possible. let there be no amibiguity on the fact that we need to give them a heads up on Serious showstoppers as soon as we become aware of them.

Yes - I did that today.

We had a call for the Burton project and, when questioned whether we'd make a date - i looked around, took in the response from my team and said , "NO".

The team - including members senior to me agreed on this. I conveyed the details of the call to my bosses and they said it was akin to painting a 4*4 target and running around shouting, "Shoot me".

So I told'em to shoot me :-)

My Boss is on Leave

2005-08-14T02:33:00.000-07:00

Yes... it's a long weekend - 13-15th August.
And - my boss is on leave. He's also on leave for the 6 days after that long weekend.

But, we are here - all of us. Project requirements necessitated that we cancel all leaves.
So, we work the long weekend and the longer week after that.

That's my boss!!!

So I'm here - updating my resume and reading Atlantis by David Gibbins. My team is working hard. Es repugnante. Estoy deprimido.
The next pic has Lydia dancing with Tony. She is our Program Manager based out of the US and he is a Content Dev Mgr with Microsoft.

Wet'n'Lonely - at work

2005-08-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

The last week has seen a lot of heavy rain and inclement weather hit Mumbai.
We Mumbaikars are resolute ones - but this cloudburst had us running scared.
It started on 26th July and even now - it refuses to stop.

Things have become better with a limping gait back to normalcy but we're far from there.
Staying close to the workplace puts me in a precarious position.
I am expected to be in at work - irrespective of the weather conditions. But then i'm in - all alone and that's my gripe.

So I went and bought myself a camera - an LS743 4.0MP Kodak camera.
I started clicking snaps... what else can one do with a camera!!!

Here are a few that'm putting up :-)

That's the view from out of my window - at home. Kinda like the way the colors have come out here.

Thats a vew from one of the windows at office. Pay a lil attention and you might catch the waterfall in it.

Another one from the same window at office. But here we catch a view of the Go-Karting track nearby

... and here are some pidgeons !!!

Working Late Nights

2005-07-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Quite normal here.

Currently on an IIS 6.0 project for Microsoft Learning.
We have a deliverable tomorrow - it's a Sunday.

And the Fire is in the ass - wish it were in the belly!!!

This is a critical delivery and nothing should go wrong here.

The entire LB- MS relationship is in jeopardy - so f***** what!!!!

Party Party

2005-04-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

Yes.. we do have parties.
We like to enjoy life too.

March 31st.. sunny.. hot ... totally uncomfortable !!
And we decide to have a party on the terrace at 4PM.

It was basically to celebrate the Birthdays in the Month gone by. The code was R&B... red & Blue.
We achieved an interesting turnout of over 50% in the prescribed format.

The pic for the same will be up soon.

It started with a "Know your Mumbai" contest , moved to a Cake in the Face for the newly borns and ended with lots of good food & feelings in the Tummy.

This was one really cool contest. There were clues indicationg Places of interest in MUmbai. And there was a set of answers. One had to match up the Questions and the Answers and get back to the Moderator (Brenda). Trust me - this reads pretty simple. But when 80 people play the game you have a furball in the making.
The best part was that sometime multiple clues had the sam answer. In that case, confusion reigned. All in all a great time.

Soapy Tales...Friday fun

2005-03-11T04:42:00.000-08:00

Those are the winners of Soapy Tales

Winds of Change

2005-03-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Everyday is a new day.
New challenges !!!

We have a new Boss.
Oh - Lydia is still there.
But the management has added one more layer to our interaction.
We have a new Delivery Head Mr.Vivek Sethi.

He's been shifted from the "Emerging Accounts" div to ours.
Andy will now be the Projects Director for the MS division.

I remember the Old days when it was just the Skill heads and the 2 PMs - Sumanta and Me reporting to Lydia - the program manager.
Times change, we continue to grow and learn to weather the Winds of Change.....

Monday BOOM

2005-03-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Things go BOOM
What better day, than a MONDAY !!!

IIS 6.0 - it seemed like an easy project - actually it is.
But then issues keep cropping up and things go boom boom...
They think i'm being too rough, that I don't communicate well enough to the team. I'm not a sissy and cry baby and well-- I respect peoples feelings and emotions - but I don't like pussyfooting issues. They made the schedules - so they must adhere to them too.

SMSg - SME's - Mr. M - his mom has gone boom boom

Burton - my SMEs have gone boom boom

Office Online - everything was fine - we're in the groove now. But MS has lost all its writers and so the project has gone boom boom.

soon I shall go boom boom!!!
i doubt if anyone will be sensitive to my pain.

One Problem SME

2005-03-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

Maybe I shouldn't be doing this.
The thought did arise in my mind; but then I pushed it aside and began this writeup on One of our problem SMEs.

The Name - Mr.M
The Project - ILT - Troubleshooting Exchange 2K3

The Problem(S)

NO ownership of the project,
NO accountability for delivery schedules,
LOTS of talk - no results,
GOOD Knowledge base - no application,
ATTITUDE problem - when working in teams.

Solution(s)

Jai is searching for a backup.
Have tried talking to him without success.
Have had Sarbani (Skill Head - Writing) talk to him too - No luck.
Have tried all of Dilberts tactics too - no results
Maybe we could just fire him - without any payments

Ideas anyone????

The SME syndrome

2005-02-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

There are lots of people who'd fit into different categories based on daily interactions.
There is however, one section of the public known as SMEs (subject matter experts) which takes the cake.
The ladies and gentlemen belonging to this cadre, are the ones who raise the chances of me having a heart attack on the job.
Lets talk about them in alittle more detail here.

Criteria for becoming a SME.

Extensive knowledge of MS Skills / Applications / systems.
Lots of certifications.
Attitude to answer all queries like Dilbert would - "no solution"
Have parents / spouses / children with health complications, facilitating the exit of the individual from the project at a critical juncture, leaving you high'n'dry.
Ability to work on deadlines - after they've swoooshed by.
Ability to convert their attitude problem to your perception problem.
Charge for items like specialist doctors would.

Why do we need a SME?
ILT (instructor led trainings) projects generally involve creating of educational content from Scratch. It would mean interaction between the Instructional designer and SME from the Author end along with the technologists and CDM (content dev mgr) from the MS pavilion.
Now, depending on the target audience and several other parameters, the course is structure to provide the optimal learning experience. ILTs are costly - to purchase and develop.
An SME helps by validating the Technical content, analyzing the Tech level and then getting the Labs and exercises in place. They're a vital to the course development - which is what they take advantage of. They have the highest level of tantrums, lowest level of accountability and have answers ready for all occassions.

Problems we have faced(are facing)

Never give data on time.
Leave midway on a project
No concept of deadlines
Technical incompetence
Our project may not be top priority for them. Other issues take the front seat,eg: seminars, full time job etc

There are exceptions to this general rule - such as Sharan,one of our inhouse SMEs.
But then that guy is something else. He takes ownership on his projects, which most of the other nicompoops don't.

SOLUTIONS

SME Manager - Jai is already there.
Developing In house SME capability and a Centre of Excellence
Tighter clauses in SME contracts - non performance results in Pay cuts.
All Project SMEs to be interviewed by MS technologists prior to appointment on projects.

Lemme know if I've missed out on stuff. We can definitely add it here. maybe even a section with names and details of SMEs... who've driven us nuts

I wish this was a leap year

2005-02-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

yep - Feb 28th.....
I wish this was a leap year.
At least that ways, we'd have an extra day to meet deadlines.

It's not a manic monday - this time around.
We've got important work happening today.

1) The IIS team has to turn around a module today... after fixing comments from the CDM & technologist

2) The Burton team has to put in some parts of earlier module which'd been missed

3) The office Online Video Team has storyboarding to do. I know now that Krista leaves early in Fridays. So we send her a video to review on Friday mornings. She invariably misses that and we buy ourselves another day

4) The SMSg team - workin hard as always... SME issues don't seem to be going away.. Wonder how we can work around that issue in life???

Daily Ramblings from the Workspace

2005-02-26T03:46:00.000-08:00

That's exactly what I'm going to put in here.
It's not something that everybody should be burdened with... so I'll pass on this URL selectively.

This is a BLOG where I plan to host stuff from the work zone. It'll have our sorrows, our victories, our trials and our tribulations.
I will welcome comments here too.... though not always.

So lets begin on this beautiful Saturday Morning at 3:45AM.
That's right the team is still IN.

This is my Team- Mohua and Renny working on the Exchange Server Project for MS.
We're developing an Instructor Led Training for Microsoft in the Field of Exchange Server 03.
Nope... we cannot discuss Project details here. But resta assures the team hasn't even said an OOF as they strive to perform and achieve their potential.

We are ably supported by Premnath and Satyajit, our resident Copyeditors. All of em at work and me - the Project Manager, chronicling their fortitude and perseverance.