Journyx Project Management Blog

Journyx CEO Curt Finch has evolved into a regular bon vivant and speaker-about-town. In October alone he’ll be presenting on how Web2.0 affects project management at the Austin PMI Professional Development Day and taking part in the Austin InnoTech as a panelist discussing how the iPhone interacts with Enterprise-level companies.

So if you happen to be in Austin for either event, please join us as we listen, thoroughly engrossed and utterly rapt, as Curt dazzles the crowds with his delightful discourse.

• The PMI PDD takes place on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at the Renaissance
  Hotel in Austin.

• The Austin InnoTech is scheduled for Thursday, October 16, 2008 at the
  Austin Convention Center.

Extra! A limited number of free passes to Austin InnoTech are available to our readers. Just email Regional Sales Manager Sommer Howser, to claim yours.

Project management is defined as the art and science of getting work done with the active co-operation of individuals and organisations who are directly or indirectly involved with the project. This includes Senior Management, Project Sponsors(s), Customers, End-users, Stakeholders, Team Members, Sub-contractors, Vendors and Consultants.

Given the reality of minimal authority and total responsibility for the outcome of the project, the Project Manager’s biggest challenge consists of “Getting Work Done…”

Read more at: http://journyx.com/rss/redir/psmart-humanside.html

We kid our CEO a lot on our blog. But we do it out of love and respect. Curt really is a pretty smart guy and he’s chock full o’ knowledge about time tracking, project management and crazy technology things like the aforementioned Web2.0 and what the future holds for businesses in the 21st Century. So rather than horde his pearls of wisdom we’ve decided to share him with you, our loyal readers.

To that end, we’re opening up the phone lines (metaphorically) to let you ask Curt for his thoughts on whatever’s on your mind. So drop us a line at askcurt@journyx.com and we’ll pose your questions to the big guy. Then, starting next month, we’ll share Curt’s answers to the most compelling questions from our readers.

Compliance is a tricky job even if all the data, devices and people are in the office. Introducing mobility to the equation makes the task significantly more complex. Amanda Finch, the CEO of ADV Group, says that the conversation between IT and the more financially-oriented parts of the organization often starts too late - after something bad has happened.

Listen to the podcast at: http://journyx.com/rss/redir/itfc-compliancepodcast.html

In our last exciting episode, you might recall that it ended with the project team leader wagging his/her finger in my (the risk assessment/risk management (RA/RM) proponent) face and accusing me of wasting his/her time, money, and effort with this risk stuff. The newsletter article concluded with the queries: “On projects that take years to go from inception to fruition, what case can you make that might convince any project team that implementation of a cogent RA/RM process is well worth their while? In spite of the existing reward system, what can you do or say that will change their behaviors?”

Read more at at: http://journyx.com/rss/redir/pmwt-riskchange2.html

• How do I delete entire rows from my timesheet?
• How do I close a project so that reports can still be run on that project but no time or expenses can be charged against it?

Get these and other useful tidbits at: http://journyx.com/rss/support/tips/

Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the humidity. Maybe it’s just that we love you this much.

In any case, we’re here to tell you that between now and August 15th, 2008, we’re having what some people might call “a sale.” But this isn’t some sort of lame “10% off your next order” thing. No siree. This is a bona fide “we give you something for free” kind of thing.

But enough hype. You need details. So here they are:

• Buy at least 10 Timesheet Online (AKA hosted, SaaS) license seats and we’ll give you 10 more completely free.
• Switch your existing local Timesheet license to Timesheet Online (AKA hosted, SaaS) and we’ll throw in an additional 10 license seats on the house.
• Purchase at least 10 local Timesheet license seats and we’ll give you 5 more gratis.

That’s it. No gimmicks. No convoluted schemes. No need to send in box tops from your favorite breakfast grain or cereal. Just a simple, “you buy, we throw in a little extra” deal for old and new customers alike.

To take advantage of this offer - which really is only good through August 15th - just contact your Journyx Sales Rep and let them know you’d like to order from the newsletter menu.

The Obligatory Fine Print: Offer applies to new business initiated after receipt of this offer. Previous sales agreements, quotes and verbal agreements are not eligible for this offer. Tax, title and license not included. Do not use discount while showering, sleeping or operating heavy machinery.

“This is what we need. You can use these resources. And you must deliver it by that date.

Does this sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Many project managers find themselves in just such a situation. There are lots of dictates, no flexibility, and more often than not little realism in the demands.

What value is there in estimation when your sponsor seems to have no interest in finding out what it will really take to do the project? The constraints have been chiseled in stone and we can’t change them. End of story. Our job boils down to trying to keep the project from being too much of a disaster.

Although it may not seem to be true, we can negotiate unrealistic project expectations. And the key is to do a good job of estimating what it really will take to do the project…

Read more at:
http://journyx.com/rss/redir/pcon-negotiate.html

Journyx has partnered with AimSourcing to give our customers the support of honest-to-goodness QuickBooks blackbelts.

AimSourcing is a leader in outsourced accounting and information management services. They provide innovative business solutions which enable a company to grow its business without the time, energy, and cost required to create and manage internal systems and staff.

• Does your current accounting system fail to give you up-to-date, accurate and meaningful data to make good business decisions?
• Are you having trouble meeting all the tax and regulatory requirements for your industry and location?
• Do you need a forecasting system that helps you determine future cash requirements?
• Would you benefit from senior level oversight of your accounting operation, including a month-end financial review and business advice?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then AimSourcing is definitely a team you need on your side.

And just so you can see how amazing they really are, AimSourcing is offering a free 30-min consultation with one of their experts.

Sign up now!

In business, if you ask N people for their definition of risk, you likely will get N unique responses. Within any corporation, each discipline views risk through a colloquial lens. For example, the Health & Safety department typically will define risks as threats to be rooted out and eradicated. Denizens of the Finance department, however, view risk as a positive thing. They seek and embrace risk (hopefully, not more than they can handle) because their job is to maximize return – low risk, low return; higher risk, higher reward. To them risk is an opportunity…

Read more at at:
http://journyx.com/rss/redir/pmwt-riskchange.html