Journyx Project Management Blog

• Do new users have a default password?
• How can I view the approval process audit log for a selected time or
  expense sheet?

Get these great tips and more at:
http://www.journyx.com/rss/support/tips/

One other great part of the 10 year Journyx anniversary celebration is the launch of our redesigned website, which, if you haven’t seen it yet, we’d love for you to check out. So drop on by the Journyx site when you get a chance and see what we’ve done to the place. And be sure to let us know if you like - or, heaven forbid, *don’t* like - what you see. After all, our site is really for you, and not just for our webmaster to stare at narcissistically for hours on end.

Check out the new site design at:
http://www.journyx.com/rss/index.html

Curt Finch, CEO of Journyx, has published another article, this time with SmartBiz. Here’s an excerpt to get you interested:

Timesheet software is not just for payroll anymore. Increasingly, operational process accounting and project accounting (often for client billing) is becoming important to professional organizations of all sizes.

Time sheet software is recommended for companies that have outgrown their current paper-based or homegrown timesheet system, are trying to use Microsoft Excel for timesheets or have multiple installed time collection systems that produce inconsistent data. Without timesheet software, it is difficult to understand project costs and send correct and timely bills to customers. And it can make payroll very frustrating.

How can you be sure you’ll get a system that works for your company and is immune to the most common problems experienced when buying a timesheet collection automation system? Let’s take a look at some of the things that are important to consider.

Read the rest of Curt’s words at:
http://www.journyx.com/rss/redir/sbiz-timeright.html

A good trainer can find a lesson in something as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I collaborated this week with Kelly Wirges, president of ProMax Training & Consulting on an API Tailored Programs seminar for middle managers of the Ottaway Media Group. Kelly presented the opening session Sunday night and Monday morning, teaching the managers about “The Dynamics of a High-Performance Team.” The East Coast snowstorm over the weekend kept me from reaching Middletown, N.Y., in time to catch most of Kelly’s session.

By the time I arrived Monday, Kelly had taught the managers important lessons about understanding their own personalities and the people on their teams, using the DISC Profile. By the time I arrived, she was teaching some lessons about leading the team.

This is where the sandwiches came in. Kelly divided the group into three teams, giving each a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and some grape jelly. Pretty easy project, huh? Not exactly. Kelly also gave each group a set of instructions and seven minutes to complete the job.

Grab a bite at:
http://www.journyx.com/rss/redir/api-pbsand.html

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! Journyx is 10 years old this year. That’s ten wonderful years of helping our customers make the most of their time and expense data. And with Timesheet 7.0 readily available to all our customers, there’s even more we can do for you. Whether you’ve been with us since the olden days or just found out about our little family (or fall somewhere in between the two extremes), thanks for helping us make it to our diamond anniversary. And to make that thanks just a little more tangible, Journyx is offering a 10% discount on user seat purchases in the month of March.

So if you’re adding users to your existing Timesheet 7.0 installation or are just starting off on your Timesheet journey, there’s a little treat for you. Be sure to mention the discount, and that you heard about it here at the blog, to your sales rep when it’s time to talk money. There’s no trick to getting the discount - we just want to make sure that the blog is acknowledged as a great source of information.

Read more about our anniversary at:
http://www.journyx.com/rss/press/pr20060214.html

Need to know more about Timesheet 7.0? See:
http://www.journyx.com/rss/products/timesheet/70features.html

CIO’s expect a hiring spree in 2006 and more than half are looking for project management skills, according to a survey by CIO magazine. The fourth annual “State of the CIO” survey, released December 30, 2005, reported that CIO’s are more optimistic about hiring than at any time since the 2001 recession.

55% of respondents expect an increase in headcount in 2006, by an average of 11%. 36% expect no change, and 9% expect a decrease, by an average of 12%. The skills needed most in new hires are…

Read more at:
http://www.pmforum.org/blogs/news/2006/01/cios-expect-to-hire-project-managers.html

We all like to believe that the world is rational. If we behave in a logical and reasonable fashion, the world will return the favour in kind. Yet so often, we are disappointed when the behaviours that we encounter don’t align with our view of what is a sensible response. Frequently, it is our projects more than anything that illustrate to us just how irrational a place the world can appear. You might try to dismiss irrational behaviours as “just politics,” but understanding how and why people make the decisions they do is key to becoming not just a great project manager - but a better consultant and advisor to our sponsors and key stakeholders.

Think about the last time someone made a decision that from the perspective of your project appeared to be irrational, nonsensical or, at the very least, not designed to be overly helpful. How far back did you have to go? A month? A week? A day? Two hours?

How we navigate through the politics in our projects is the single greatest determinant of project success. While it is tempting to believe that we can ignore politics, they are a necessary and essential part of life. All too often, politics are viewed negatively - as being dishonest, disingenuous or manipulative. While there are appropriate and inappropriate applications of politics, the simple reality is that politics is the essential grease that lubricates our personal interactions. Any time we ask for resources, for support or any other assistance, we are engaging in political behaviour. This is not a value statement, but a simple declaration of fact.

Read more at:
http://www.projecttimes.com/main2.cfm?id=2167AC06-347A-5051-2CE98FF822EE9800
(free registration required)

t’s not often that a software project management book comes along that is practical, easy to read and stacked full of ready to use process scripts.

Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene have done just that with recent book Applied Software Project Management.

There are too many books about software project management or software engineering which are dry, overly complex and boring, but this book is not one of them. It was a joy to read because their style of writing is clear without being simplistic and the authors describe things in just the right amount of detail. It seems they understand their audience and set out to write in an extremely helpful and practical way. They have certainly achieved this.

Part one of the book covers tools and techniques that can be applied on projects. Project planning, estimation, scheduling, reviews, requirements, design and programming and testing each have their own chapter. Part two is about using project management effectively and has chapters on understanding change, management and leadership, managing an outsourcing project and process improvement.

Read more at:
http://www.webpronews.com/expertarticles/expertarticles/wpn-62-20060124AppliedSoftwareProjectManagementBookReview.html

Code reviews in most organizations are a painful experience for everyone involved. The developer often feels like it’s a bashing session designed to beat out their will. The development leads are often confused as to what is important to point out and what isn’t. And other developers that may be involved often use this as a chance to show how much better they can be by pointing out possible issues in someone else’s code.

Code reviews, however, don’t have to be painful…

Read more at:
http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3579756

The rush to finish a project is often inversely proportional to the ROI obtained from it.

A few years ago, Lincoln Financial Group completed a project that was originally given the green light based on its ability to reduce head count within a particular department. The project, which resulted in customer service improvements and other benefits, was deemed a success — that is, until Jason Glazier, chief technology officer at the firm, made an important discovery: No one had ever executed the layoffs.

Oversights like this highlight a major flaw in how projects are managed at many companies, Glazier says: the tendency to neglect important steps at the project’s close that can make or break your ability to achieve a full return on investment. While lots of IT and business groups are all over ROI at a project’s inception, it all too often slips off the radar as the project is winding down.

Read more at:
http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/management/project/story/0,10801,107704,00.html