Journyx Project Management Blog

In Hamlet, Polonius comments on the behavior of the Prince of Denmark: “though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t.” When I look at a lot of so-called project management methodologies, I am often tempted to invert Polonius’s view: “though this be methodology, yet there is madness in ‘t.” As Chief Project Officer, the project management methodology in use is your responsibility. Is there madness in yours? How can you tell? Before I address those questions, let’s take a minute to review the key reasons behind using a consistent Project Management Methodology (PMM)…

Learn more, Horatio, at: http://www.journyx.com/rss/redir/cpomadness.html

You’ve waited. You’ve wondered. You’ve heard the rumors and you’ve read the horoscopes. But now, dear friends, it’s time for your first real taste of Timesheet 7.0! Due for release in September, Timesheet 7.0 is a major revision of our market-leading time and expense application, Journyx Timesheet. So while we’re putting the finishing touches on this baby, we thought we’d let all our loyal fans have a sneak peak at some screenshots and juicy info on “the beast.” So check out the link below and get so excited that you start calling your sales rep every day asking “Is it out yet? Is it out yet?!?”

Take at peek at: http://www.journyx.com/rss/products/timesheet/70preview.html

Journyx CEO Curt Finch weighs in again with another thoughtful business article, and this time it’s focused on accurate cost projections. The BusinessEdge presents the second in Curt’s 3 part series about How Corporate IT Departments Are Doing More With Less.

Get accurate at: http://www.journyx.com/rss/redir/bedge-finch2.html

Miss the first installment? Check out The Build Vs. Buy Decision.

You have 24 hours in every day, seven days a week for a total of 168 hours to accomplish what needs to be done in your life. And every day, eleven time thieves gang up on you and work to take some of that precious time away from productive use. Let me introduce you to this inconsiderate troupe.

Poor planning. People don’t plan to fail but a lot of people fail to plan. Without a plan of action set up before your day begins you are likely to get caught up in ’stuff,’ responding [to] the loudest voice that gets your time and attention. Will you have been productive for the day? Sure, but not as productive as you might have been.

See the lineup of usual suspects at: http://www.journyx.com/rss/redir/projmag-thieves.html

• I’m using Project Approvals in Timesheet to finalize my records - how do I ensure that all of my finalized records will be transferred to MS Project or QuickBooks when I synchronize the programs?
• Why does Journyx recommend having a test site for your Timesheet installation?

These tips and more at: http://www.journyx.com/rss/support/tips/tiparchive.html

“The deployment role is a role that is often overlooked much to the pain of the users. The actions of this role are the final step before being able to hand over the code to the users for their first real road test of the solution. It is the deployment person who can have the largest impact on the initial perception of the software for the people who are first trying it out.”

Read more at: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3519186

You’ve been selected to be a project manager (or you want to be) and you want to be a success. Here are ten rules to help you be selected as Manager of the Year or the equivalent in your organization.

1. Hire good people. Having good people makes being a successful manager easy. Be selective. Personality and attitude sometimes are more important than experience or skills. And even mediocre employees can be improved with patience, training and effort on your part. But that requires time and work on your part.
2. Give them the tools that they need. A carpenter cannot build much without the right tools. The same goes for any employee. If it is a good computer and the right software - get it. If it is a certain piece of equipment - get it. Get them whatever they need, and I emphasize need, not want. Training is one of those tools, too. Frustration on the part of an employee who cannot do his or her job because of a lack of tools can destroy morale and productivity. It may cost money to get the tools and training, but it pays off in the end. Remember that a penny saved can cost you a dollar later.

Find out the other eight at: http://www.projectmagazine.com/v6i1/man_year1.html

There are two models for implementing a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) system:

• The budget alignment model
• The engagement profitability model

The budget alignment model corresponds with an operational environment where the value of projects varies, and project costs are expense overhead. Decisions and behavior are driven by the need to squeeze value out of the available budget. Examples of the budget alignment business model include enterprise IT and product development organizations.

In the engagement profitability model, ‘projects’ and ‘programs’ are vehicles for managing revenue-generating engagements with customers that produce profit margins. Decisions and behavior are driven by the profitability of customer engagements. Examples of the engagement profitability model include IT services firms and professional services departments within product companies.

Read more at: http://www.chiefprojectofficer.com/article/109

The Quality Assurance (QA) role is the role responsible for guaranteeing a level of quality for the end client, and to help the software development team to identify problems early in the process. It is not surprising that people in this role are often known as ‘testers’. Of course, the role is more than just testing. It’s about contributing to the quality of the final product.

Read more at: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3515426

Building a global corporate culture involves recognizing the differences among employees from a variety of nations. But the real key to developing a cohesive global corporation is to find a way to effectively communicate a common set of values and principals consistently across national, cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Our company, Cincom Systems, has been in the software business for 35 years and for most of that time we have been a global company. We began expanding globally in 1970, and by 1974, we had operations on six different continents. Today, we do business in more than 20 countries. Today, our company generates 60 percent of its revenue outside the United States, and many of our international clients have been with us for 20 years or more.

Read more at: http://www.projectmagazine.com/v6i1/cincom1.html