Project Management Success with the Top 7 Best Practices

Whether planning your wedding, developing a new website or building your dream house by the sea you need to employ project management techniques to help you succeed. This article summarises 7 key project management best practices to help you achieve project success.

Keywords:
project management

Managing a project can be daunting. Whether planning your wedding, developing a new website or building your dream house by the sea, you need to employ project management techniques to help you succeed. I’ll summarise the top 7 best practices at the heart of good project management which can help you to achieve project success.

Define the scope and objectives

Firstly, understand the project objectives. Suppose your boss asks you to organise a blood donor campaign, is the objective to get as much blood donated as possible? Or, is it to raise the local company profile? Deciding the real objectives will help you plan the project.

Scope defines the boundary of the project. Is the organisation of transport to take staff to the blood bank within scope? Or, should staff make their own way there? Deciding what’s in or out of scope will determine the amount of work which needs performing.

Understand who the stakeholders are, what they expect to be delivered and enlist their support. Once you’ve defined the scope and objectives, get the stakeholders to review and agree to them.

Define the deliverables

You must define what will be delivered by the project. If your project is an advertising campaign for a new chocolate bar, then one deliverable might be the artwork for an advertisement. So, decide what tangible things will be delivered and document them in enough detail to enable someone else to produce them correctly and effectively.

Key stakeholders must review the definition of deliverables and must agree they accurately reflect what must be delivered.

Project planning

Planning requires that the project manager decides which people, resources and budget are required to complete the project.

You must define what activities are required to produce the deliverables using techniques such as Work Breakdown Structures. You must estimate the time and effort required for each activity, dependencies between activities and decide a realistic schedule to complete them. Involve the project team in estimating how long activities will take. Set milestones which indicate critical dates during the project. Write this into the project plan. Get the key stakeholders to review and agree to the plan.

Communication

Project plans are useless unless they’ve been communicated effectively to the project team. Every team member needs to know their responsibilities. I once worked on a project where the project manager sat in his office surrounded by huge paper schedules. The problem was, nobody on his team knew what the tasks and milestones were because he hadn’t shared the plan with them. The project hit all kinds of problems with people doing activities which they deemed important rather than doing the activities assigned by the project manager.

Tracking and reporting project progress

Once your project is underway you must monitor and compare the actual progress with the planned progress. You will need progress reports from project team members. You should record variations between the actual and planned cost, schedule and scope. You should report variations to your manager and key stakeholders and take corrective actions if variations get too large.

You can adjust the plan in many ways to get the project back on track but you will always end up juggling cost, scope and schedule. If the project manager changes one of these, then one or both of the other elements will inevitably need changing. It is juggling these three elements – known as the project triangle – that typically causes a project manager the most headaches!

Change management

Stakeholders often change their mind about what must be delivered. Sometimes the business environment changes after the project starts, so assumptions made at the beginning of the project may no longer be valid. This often means the scope or deliverables of the project need changing. If a project manager accepted all changes into the project, the project would inevitably go over budget, be late and might never be completed.

By managing changes, the project manager can make decisions about whether or not to incorporate the changes immediately or in the future, or to reject them. This increases the chances of project success because the project manager controls how the changes are incorporated, can allocate resources accordingly and can plan when and how the changes are made. Not managing changes effectively is often a reason why projects fail.

Risk management

Risks are events which can adversely affect the successful outcome of the project. I’ve worked on projects where risks have included: staff lacking the technical skills to perform the work, hardware not being delivered on time, the control room at risk of flooding and many others. Risks will vary for each project but the main risks to a project must be identified as soon as possible. Plans must be made to avoid the risk, or, if the risk cannot be avoided, to mitigate the risk to lessen its impact if it occurs. This is known as risk management.

You don’t manage all risks because there could be too many and not all risks have the same impact. So, identify all risks, estimate the likelihood of each risk occurring (1 = not likely, 2 = maybe likely, 3 = very likely). Estimate its impact on the project (1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high), then multiply the two numbers together to give the risk factor. High risk factors indicate the severest risks. Manage the ten with the highest risk factors. Constantly review risks and lookout for new ones since they have a habit of occurring at any moment.

Not managing risks effectively is a common reason why projects fail.

Summary

Following these best practices cannot guarantee a successful project but they will provide a better chance of success. Disregarding these best practices will almost certainly lead to project failure.

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E-Mail Marketing in London, Middlesex and UK

The practice of sending customer newsletters by email is seldom seen as a way forward for some businesses. While some individuals think it can be annoying, many businesses find it a cost effective marketing tool. Email communications are often more effective than printed direct mail, because a reader can click on a link and go straight to the sender’s web site.

Keywords:
E-Commerce Solutions and Multimedia Presentation, Logo Design UK, Web Solutions UK, ECommerce Solutions UK and Multimedia Presentation UK, Logo Design

The practice of sending customer newsletters by email is seldom seen as a way forward for some businesses. While some individuals think it can be annoying, many businesses find it a cost effective marketing tool. Email communications are often more effective than printed direct mail, because a reader can click on a link and go straight to the sender’s web site.

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You send your e-mail ONCE, your client looks at it or even deletes it. You send it the second time; your client looks at it Reads it briefly then deletes it. You send it the Third time, guess what! The client reads it and actually takes note of your e-mail. Now, the next e-mail you send your message to the same client he/she will probably buy your product.

Email Marketing Strategies at Techno Consultancy That Effort – While the main use of email marketing is to make traffic to your web site, there are other significant reasons that email infrastructure should be used as part of your firm’s marketing strategy. You should use them, and use them over and over again, to generate an effective largely marketing strategy, of which your emails are a significant part. Strategy One:

Email Marketing, A call to accomplishment is a Call – Email Marketing – A call to accomplishment is a? Call? Winning email marketing campaigns are a result of? Calls to accomplishment? That gets consequences. What results are predictable from an email marketing movement?

E-mail marketing, world’s necessity – E-mail marketing can be tremendously helpful at serving to build a affirmative relationship with your clientele, however if fail to spot used it can be equally destructive. The trickiest part of e-mail marketing is building up a list of targets that will be involved in what you have to speak to them. An opt-in newsletter is an unbelievable way to create building trust and value between you and your goal market.

Email Marketing Profitable: On Keeping Online Businesses Profitable – This article covers an issue that has in recent times moved to middle stage-at least it seems that way. If you’ve been thinking you require to be acquainted with more about it, here’s your chance. Since the arrival of the information technology, the Internet had been a precious service to a large amount people.

For a low cost solution to your companies e-mail marketing needs. Call our HOTLINE on 0208 570 6785 to see how best we can get results for you within days.

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Key Measures of Success for System Implementation Project Management

Learn key measures that will lead to system implementation project success. Understand key steps in a project that will keep your project on track and help you deliver not only what was actually requested, but deliver what your customers and sponsors understand they requested!

Keywords:
IT Project Management, System Implementation

Have you ever wanted a short list of of items to keep “in check” as you are managing projects? This short list would contain key measures which, if always kept in check and balance, would lead you to project success? Sure it is important to follow industry project guidelines from the Project Management Institute and within the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, but it is important to always keep these key measures at the forefront of my mind ALL THE WAY through the project – from beginning to completion. Sometimes these factors can be overlooked or forgotten, or thought of as “not needed” in the rush to get a project underway. Stand Up and stop the madness, make sure you have a clear path before trying to get to your destination…. Or you will get lost along the way.

Key Measures:
1. Before even looking at business requirements or spending much time on a project, make sure you know:
a. Who the executive sponsor is and obtain the following information directly from that sponsor:
i. Project intentions and scope
ii. What the project is NOT or what is out of scope
iii. Who the “Customers” are for the project. (many times, customers are internal to the organization)
iv. If a Return on Investment document has been created and what is expected of a ROI document. What areas of the business are returns expected?
v. Project Budget and how expenditures are approved
vi. Expected Project Success Factors
vii. That they want this project moving forward at the present time, if not, when is it to start
viii. Timeline expected for project completion
ix. Agreement to put companies resources on the project to get it done
x. Required project status and reporting
xi. Agreement on a communication plan to sponsors, customers and other impacted parties
xii. Agreement as to the assigned project manager and support from the sponsor that if there are problems with the project that require the executive sponsors attention, that the sponsor will extend support for obtaining the resolution
b. Then put all of that information in writing, generally in some sort of project initiation document and then all project leaders, sponsors and customers and CIO SIGN the document. I cannot stress
how important this part is. I cannot stress how many times we have come the end of a project and at least one of these parties (sponsors, customers or CIO) state they never agreed to some portion of the documented information in the project initiation document. This is especially important for System Implementation projects as a lot of time can pass between the time the project got underway and the time the final product is delivered.

2. Business Requirements
a. It is vitally important, before talking with any IT personnel (if the project involves internal IT – which, if it is system implementation, it most likely will) or product vendors, that you take the time needed to adequately document all business requirements from all customers. Documenting business requirements should, at a minimum, involve going through the following steps:
i. Identifying the subject matter experts and project representatives from each part of the business that serve as your customers for the end result of the project.
1. Identify the current problem or need
2. Document current processes
3. Discuss what is not working about the process
4. Review results they would like to see to support the business and analysis they need to perform to manage the business
ii. In business requirements documentation, DO NOT spend time discussing what systems or technology will allow them do. Discuss what is needed for the business. Do not let your customers try to define a process around systems or technology. Technology is there to support the business, not to dictate how a business should be run. Don’t worry, All the technical pieces will come together later.
iii. Document all the business requirements as discussed with all customer groups and subject matter experts. Be sure you specify the problems and needs, how it is hurting the business, what is needed, and how that will help the business. Be specific. This information will help you put together the ROI document to be sure the cost and expected benefits are in line with what the project sponsor(s) is expecting. Some project managers might disagree here and state that the ROI should be done before getting to the business requirements stage. However, I have always found new areas of investment (cost) and return on that investment present themselves when going through the business requirements discovery process.
iv. Always be sure to think about how a product will be used and how reporting will be required. This can really get you in the end if you don’t pay close attention up-front during the requirements phase.
v. You will then match the business requirements to the scope that you created in the project initiation document, or change the scope, which would require an amendment to the project initiation document requiring new signatures.
vi. Once the right set of requirements is documented and it lines up with project scope, then be sure to again have project sponsors, customers (remember, customers can be internal or external), and CIO acknowledging these are the business requirements, that the project is active and sponsored, and that they are in agreement with moving forward to the next project phases. This piece is especially important, as people tend to forget or say things like “I never said that” as you get further along in the project. You can always bring them back to the initial documentation and signatures.
If you do not get signatures, you are a sitting duck.

3. Now it’s time to figure out how you are going to deliver on these business requirements. This usually leads to a buy or build decision. That is, buy software from a vendor that specializes in the type of product needed, or build with internal IT personnel. The business requirements document is your basis for evaluating the buy or build decision. Do not stray; do not extend scope or budget, without going back through the sign-off process. If you are “buying” a product from a vendor, do the initial “paring down” process of determining top software products which match the business requirements.

4. Now that you have your top list of software contenders, have demonstrations performed by the vendors for your customer group(s). They can help cast the vote for the selected product. It is critical to get buy-in from your customers every step of the way.

5. If possible, it is a good idea to perform a trial phase with 2 top vendors to see how the business requirements match up to the product.

6. After the trial phase, get back with your customers to demonstrate the products against the business requirements. Then have your customers make their final selection. At that point, be sure a technical specifications document is written that matches up against the business requirements. The purpose of the technical specification document is to demonstrate within the product, how business requirements will be met, what business requirements cannot be met or can only be met partially, and the IT requirements for the product. Be sure that, before beginning a major development phase, that you have gone back to your sponsors, customers and CIO or other representative IT parties for agreement on the specifications and agreement for moving forward. This phase will also require an updated project schedule outlining the full development schedule, resource requirements, and commitment from involved parties.

7. Be sure to do a “pulse check” with your customers and sponsors at many points throughout the development cycle. This will ensure your customers are not surprised by the end result or that you haven’t gone completely down a path that they did not want or that you developed something incorrectly. It is much better to catch these things while development is still going on – your time-line will probably be impacted much less this way AND the perception of project success by customers and sponsors will be much higher this way. Ultimately, it is best not to have any such “hang-ups” during the development process. But, it is probably not realistic to expect that you won’t have any. That’s the job of the project manager – to work through such issues and still complete the project on time.

8. When the development phase is complete, it is important that you have documented not only how to use the product, but how it impacts that business processes. It will require discussion with customer group representatives about what the system will now do, and what the new process should look like. It is important to have this document and be in agreement with customer group representatives BEFORE any product rollout occurs. If you do this, you can expect a much smoother training and rollout phase of the product than if you just try to throw the product out there. If you do not have a carefully planned training and rollout phase, all your work will go down the drain, and the project will most likely not be perceived as a great success.

9. During the rollout and training phase, it is extremely important to communicate what the users need to do if they need help with the product. What support for the product is available? A good project manager will already have this in place and be ready to put the support process into motion during the rollout and training phase. It is also important that you obtain agreement from the customer groups on the support process and that they think it will work for their group.

10. Lastly, be sure to follow-up with customer groups ensuring things are running smoothly and to see what problems or issues need to be corrected. Keep doing so until your customers are happy with the product.

Remember, there are no levels of success. Either it was a great success, or it wasn’t.

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How Gratitude Works

Want to know what the highest-impact, lowest-cost tool is in your marketing toolkit? First, here are ten reasons to start using this tool right away:

Keywords:
marketing strategy marketing marketing implementation marketing success marketing your business business marketing marketing resources marketing consulting marketing education stategic marketing

1. It won’t get tossed out with the rest of the junk mail.

2. It builds a genuine bond with the recipient.

3. It’s personal, a 1:1 “marketing touch,” and customized.

4. It costs less than 40 cents.

5. It takes less than 10 minutes to do.

6. It requires no expensive investment.

7. It’s low-tech, but high-touch.

8. It’s a great way to turn downtime and waiting into productive marketing time.

9. It’s rarely used and sets you apart from the crowd.

10. It gets a higher response than any other marketing tactic you could use.

What is this amazing tool? A thank you note. Okay, wait…before you roll your eyes and stop reading, take a quick look at happens when you use this one simple tool:

“Thank you for your note. I’ve never been so impressed. It made me stop and send this email to you. When can we meet?”

“I’d like to say thank you for the note. Really nice touch—you’ve made an impression. Yeah, I’d definitely like to talk more.”

“Thank you for the personalized note. It is a very nice touch and will motivate me to think more about the marketing skills you taught me in your class. I will do my best to inform my management and colleagues about the value of your class and the services offered by TurningPointe Marketing.”

“Thanks for the nice card! I pinned it up in my office as it made my day!”

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked into a prospect or client’s office and my note is propped on their desk or pinned to the bulletin board. Can you say the same of your marketing materials?

Here’s when I send a handwritten note. I’m sure you can think of more opportunities, as well:

1. After a meeting to thank a prospect.

2. After a networking event, particularly to people with whom you had a genuinely good conversation.

3. When you earn new business.

4. When a client recommits to you by giving you more business.

5. When someone gives you a referral (whether it pans out or not).

6. When someone consistently gives you repeated referrals. Often, I send more than a note: anything from a $5 gift card to a high-end basket of their favorite goodies or tickets to an event should accompany a note when they’re been really good to you.

7. After you give a talk. I know it’s daunting, especially if your audience climbs above 30. But the payback is amazing. There are ways to “systematize” this, so that you don’t have to hand-write every single note yourself. Send me an email, and I’ll let you in on my secret process. Also, send a note to your sponsor, host, other speakers, and any co-panelists.

8. If you’re new to a committee or board – or welcoming someone new to yours – send a note to each member.

9. After a kick-off meeting, retreat, or visit with a new client – to everyone that was at the meeting, if possible. I also like to send thank-you’s to key support staff that were involved (i.e., meeting planners, secretaries, A/V technicians, vendors, etc.).

10. When you’ve ended with a client.

For tips on how to give thanks, keep reading…

1. Above all, be genuine. If you don’t feel grateful or don’t mean what you write, don’t bother. You’ll resent it, won’t make it a habit, and the recipient will know it’s hollow.

2. Do them immediately (i.e., the next day). I’ve found that if I don’t, chances are I won’t later. This is more about discipline than it is about creativity or a big marketing budget.

3. Make them a habit. On average, I do three notes every morning before I turn to other priorities. In less than a half hour, I start every day off with a high-impact marketing action.

4. Use a professional note card – I find that a 4″ x 5″ folded card is perfect. Mine are an exact replica of my business card, which creates a consistent “identity” after someone has received my business card at, say, a networking event. I slip them into sheer envelopes and include another business card, for a low-cost marketing piece. Before I had them, though, I used small note cards in my company colors – don’t let the lack of the “perfect” stationary keep you from starting now.

5. Hand-write them! This is about relationship building. A short note written by hand (even in sloppy hand writing) has a much more meaningful impact than a sterile letter with a (heaven forbid!) stamped signature. Nobody is too important or too busy to write a quick note. Many a U.S. President has hand-written-noted his way to the top. If they can do it, so can you.

The real key to this strategy? Being grateful. I don’t take any of my clients, prospects, and valued contacts for granted and want them to know it. By expressing my gratitude in writing, it’s a great mindset to start the day.

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Seven Simple Steps To Planning The Perfect Conference

It’s that time of year again and your organization is getting ready for its next big conference, and it feels slightly overwhelming. You may even feel in your heart everything that could go wrong. Perhaps, its time to take the guessing out of planning and begin to take care of what you can control when planning your next conference.

Streamline

First step always is to streamline your tasks; make sure to create a plan before you begin the event coordination. It is impera…

Keywords:
business,conference

It’s that time of year again and your organization is getting ready for its next big conference, and it feels slightly overwhelming. You may even feel in your heart everything that could go wrong. Perhaps, its time to take the guessing out of planning and begin to take care of what you can control when planning your next conference.

Streamline

First step always is to streamline your tasks; make sure to create a plan before you begin the event coordination. It is imperative to make sure you know the direction you are going before you start. Make a list prioritizing from beginning to end; from finding the right speakers to developing the right promotional plan that meets your organizations vision.

Know your Target Audience

Second, evaluate your organization and the people you are trying to reach for your conference. Prepare the right topics with the right speakers, to ensure you are connecting with the right audience. A communication’s plan is essential for everyone involved so you can put the focus of the conference back to the direction of its people.

Promote Early

Third, get the word out early, and give people something to talk an about, if you start late than don’t expect large numbers. The more hype you build through word of mouth the better direction you have to bring in large numbers.

Booking the Right Conference Center

Fourth, the right conference center is imperative in ensuring your events success, and everything from the layout of the room to the location of the bathroom should be checked before entering into a contractual agreement. It is vital that you meet the needs of the organization and the people attending, if they are uncomfortable throughout the day than it creates a negative impact on your conference’s perspective and outcome.

Location

Fourth, if you are bringing in out of Towner’s then location is key for everyone, make sure it’s in happening spot, at the right time of year. Ensuring this will meet the needs of everyone involved and draw more attraction the big day.

Plan B

Fifth, be prepared for the inevitable as you sometimes never know what will happen. A speaker may drop out last minute or perhaps there maybe a mix up with the catering. It’s not a problem if you have back up speakers in mind, and remember not everything is in your control.

Relax and Enjoy Yourself

Getting ready for the conference can be a huge stressful task but if you do it right; it can be a lot of fun. Remember, to enjoy yourself, while planning, and promoting the more excited the coordinator is the more apt people will come. Do it with a smile on your face to let everyone know this will be the best event, yet!

Get a head start, get organized, and get ready to host the best conference in your area. If you can follow these six simple steps than you are ready for instant success. Event coordination can sometimes be overwhelming but if you plan early it will be an instant success

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Your Secret Marketing Weapon

As a professional service provider, you’re paid for what you know. People come to your firm for the expertise you offer, first and foremost. Did you also realize that this is also your secret marketing weapon?

By sharing what you know, you actually attract people to you and build their confidence in you as the right solution for their problem. Now many professionals are afraid to “give away” trade secrets or expertise for free, but that’s not what I’m talking about. This is about putting content regularly out into the marketplace that is of enough value that prospects will automatically think of you when they have a need.

Keywords:
marketing strategy marketing marketing implementation marketing success marketing your business business marketing marketing resources marketing consulting marketing education stategic marketing

It seems paradoxical – the more you give away, the more people are willing to pay for your services – but it’s true. This exact approach has worked quickly and effectively for me for years. The key is that it’s got to be good and of high relevance to your target audience. This builds people’s confidence that you consistently know your stuff and that you can be counted on for long-term value. People soon realize that if you’re willing to give away such valuable expertise, think how great the solutions they pay for will be!

So how do you share your expertise with your target audience? Through writing and speaking. And it starts with being able to get your core ideas down on paper in a way that catches your audience’s attention and compels them to action.

If the idea of writing an article or giving a speech feels overwhelming, stay with me. I’m going to show you how easy it can be if you follow a basic formula that works every time.

Formula for Success

We’ve all stared at a blank page, at a loss for words or ideas…and wondered how in the world to write the article, proposal, report or presentation that’s due soon…with the deadline looming and no inspiration in sight. It’s the worst feeling and brings out the procrastinator in all of us.

Next time you’d rather clean out your desk than force yourself to sit down and write something, try this easy approach:

1) Brainstorm a short list of things that your clients struggle with. What problems drive them to you? Why are they willing to pay good money for your services. Remember, it’s not about you – it’s about them, their pain, and their needs. This is now your list of topics for articles and talks.

2) Pick one topic and answer the following questions:

• What’s the problem?

• What’s the lost opportunity?

• Why is this important to address?

• What will happen if it’s ignored?

• What’s your solution?

• What tips do you have for implementing your solution?

• What example can you use to illustrate your point?

3) Write your answers to these questions and don’t worry about how it flows or even that you’re using good grammar. Just get your ideas on paper (or into the computer). Notice that by now, you have at least a page written. Pat yourself on the back and keep going.

4) Go back and clean up what you’ve written, add a catchy title and some headlines to break up the text, keep your paragraphs short, add some bullets or numbers to guide the eye. Maybe add references or a diagram. Step back and review what you’ve done. By now, you’ve got an article!

5) Ask a couple of trusted colleagues, clients or friends for feedback on your draft – really do this because it helps! Plus, it’s a great confidence booster and low-risk way to share your writing with a small audience first.

6) Put your new article on your website, offer to send it as follow up when networking, send it to current clients, use it as the basis for getting booked for talks (more on how to in a future newsletter)…whatever you do, don’t let it languish. USE it as a way of sharing your expertise.

For more tips on how to share your expertise through writing, keep reading…

Taking a page from Twyla Tharp’s new book, The Creative Habit, this prolific dancer and choreographer shares her tips for moving from procrastination to creativity, regularly and with ease. Apply these ideas to your writing and notice the difference…

1) Set up a creative environment that’s habit forming. Creativity doesn’t just happen, it’s a disciplined skill that can be learned. Creativity is not a mystical, elusive gift that’s only accessible to artists. Everyone can develop it. Set up the right conditions and it eventually kicks-in. For me, it’s the act of daily planning that clears my mind to make room for ideas to flow. For you, it might be puttering in your garden or going for a walk. Whatever it is, do it daily and be disciplined about it.

2) Use an organizational system for your ideas. Over the course of a month, I run into articles, quotes, websites, books, photos, experiences, and conversations…all of which inspire me for an upcoming article or talk. I capture them in folders, labeled by theme or big idea. When I’m ready to start writing, I draw on this collection of resources to inspire and guide my thinking. Twyla Tharp uses a box for each new project. You might find a binder the best catchall. Whatever works for you, the mere act of labeling and filling your container demonstrates your commitment to the idea.

3) Scratch. Scratching is about seeking inspiration to fill your container. I scratch when I flip through copies of Fast Company and Inc. Magazine or browsing in my favorite bookstore (where I found Tharp’s book!). I scratch while networking with other professionals and ask what they’re working on or stuck on in their business. This is about where you get your ideas…it’s kind of primal, and you never know what’ll inspire you.

4) Beware of these deadly mistakes: relying too much on others, waiting for or expecting perfection, overthinking, feeling obligated to finish what you’ve started, and working with the wrong materials. Any one of them will undermine your best efforts. If you’re stuck, look at each of these to see if they’re holding you back.

5) Find your spine. It’s your one strong idea, the toehold that gets you started. The spine of this e-newsletter, for example, is that writing is a core competency of effective marketing. Related to it is the inspiration I found in Twyla’s book.

6) Master your skill. You have to master the underlying skills of your creative domain, then build your creativity on the solid foundation of those skills. You can’t write or speak effectively about your chosen profession, if you haven’t mastered what you bring to the table to begin with.

7) Know the difference between a rut and a block. Writer’s block is when you’ve shut down and your tank is empty. In that case, you just need to do something – anything – to change the patterns in your brain (walk away, sing, get outdoors, do some yoga, cuddle with your pet…you get the idea). A rut is more like a false start. This happens when you’re using a bad idea, it’s bad timing, or you’re sticking with old methods that don’t work. Get out of a rut by questioning everything except your ability to get out of it.
Fail often privately. This includes drafts that get thrown away, early versions that you share with trusted colleagues, testing your message while networking (”what’s your impression of…?”). Then figure out why you’re failing (is it the idea? your timing? a matter of skill? judgement? nerve?) and address it before going public.

9) Believe in the long haul. Sharing your expertise through writing won’t be easy over night. It’ll take discipline to create a habit that eventually builds the skill. Believe me, it’s well worth it.

I’ve found that committing publicly (i.e., to subscribers of this e-newsletter, due out on the first Wednesday of each month) creates the right kind of pressure to motivate me into taking a disciplined approach to writing. Writing one good piece per month is doable and frequent enough that your audience won’t forget you. Before you know it, you’ll have a solid repertoire of articles and speeches to draw from in your marketing arsenal.

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Good vs Bad Blogger

The difference between good and bad blogger determines also their long term success. The ones who are only blogging for money vs the ones who do it to help others.

Keywords:
blogging, blogs, weblog, internet marketing, guide

There are two general types of bloggers. The one that makes money with the site and the one that does it just for fun and money doesn’t matter. In the past years I saw several people changing from the “just for fun” to the “money matters” type of bloggers. One thing people have to realize is that it is not bad to make money with your blog. In fact if you choose relevant advertising readers benefit from it.

The common mistake people make is that they start to care more about the money than their readers. They focus on picking the highest paying ads and don’t care if they are in line with the topic of their blog. Have you ever seen dating ads on a gardening blog? This kind of behavior disappoints your loyal readers and scares new readers away.

Studies show that people evaluate the credibility of a site in the first 8 seconds. If your blog is covered with advertising people will think you are just here to sell them something and won’t bother spending time on your site. It is no surprise that blending advertising with content is so successful. It increases the credibility of your site, readers are more likely to spend more time on your site and when they see an ad – they are more likely to click because they don’t think you just do this to sell them something. A good idea is to start thinking about your readers as your friends. Would you try so hard to sell stuff to your friends? Probably not.

Good blogger…

- have the passion to write about their topic
- think about benefits for their readers
- don’t sell their soul and just recommend things or place advertising that they believe is worth it
- have long term success because they have loyal readers

Bad blogger…

- have nothing but profit on their mind
- think about how to make their their readers click on ads or affiliate links
- recommend everything with a high pay-out
- have short term success because people are sent away for a couple of cents or because people realize this blog is just about selling them something

If you approach your topic from an unique angle and your blog offers real benefits for your readers you will have success. Not over night because like everywhere else it also takes time and dedication to built something online. Making money online is easier than you think and with more and more people online every day an investment in the future.

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Non-Profit Strategic Planning

It is important to mention that it is the size of the organization matters more than for-profit or non-profit status in determining the objectives, steps and activities in the Strategic Planning process. Small non-profit and for-profit organizations have a similar manner of conducting business and planning activities that are different from larger non-profit and for-profit organizations.

Keywords:
strategic planning , non-profit strategic planning, strategic business planning, strategic media planning

It is important to mention that it is the size of the organization matters more than for-profit or non-profit status in determining the objectives, steps and activities in the Strategic Planning process. Small non-profit and for-profit organizations have a similar manner of conducting business and planning activities that are different from larger non-profit and for-profit organizations.

However, there are certain characteristic distinctions between non-profit and for-profit organizations in relation to focus of the planning activities. Unlike for-profits, which tend to focus primarily on profit-maximizing activities, the non-profit organizations generally are more focused on matters of board development, fundraising and volunteer management. Hence, Non-Profit Strategic Planning concerns keeping in mind the interests of the board, its development and the well-being of its units. It is also aimed at laying stress on raising funds, while the other aspects of planning take a backseat.

New non-profit organizations need to take down strategic plans on paper and create a formal plan, including all the number of considerations a starter non-profit organization needs to take care of.

In case of old or pre-existing non-profit organizations, Strategic Planning requires preparing a long-term map delineating the sequence of activities over several years, from where one is today to where one aims to be in the future. Usually, a period of 3 to 5 years is covered by a strategic plan. The following are to be presented in the plan:

•Mission statement of organization, stating the reason for its inception and activities.

•Vision statement throwing light on what the organization is hoping to become.

•Values to be adhered to by the organization in the conduct of its activities.

•Assessment and description of the needs to be fulfilled by the non-profit organization.

•The organization’s immediate goals.

•An assessment of the organization’s present status.

•Strategies adopted to meet the goals and objectives.

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Free Fun Surveys

Surveys comprise a set of pre-determined questions used by large companies to collect responses from the public. Surveys can be fun, depending on the questions being asked and the company that administers the survey. For example, if one is crazy for pizzas, then one can take part in free fun surveys from a favorite pizza chain. This will provide an opportunity to know more about a favorite pizza company, but it will also help the companies to develop new products tailored to customer interests.

Keywords:
Surveys, Paid Surveys, Online Surveys, Free Fun Surveys

Surveys comprise a set of pre-determined questions used by large companies to collect responses from the public. Surveys can be fun, depending on the questions being asked and the company that administers the survey. For example, if one is crazy for pizzas, then one can take part in free fun surveys from a favorite pizza chain. This will provide an opportunity to know more about a favorite pizza company, but it will also help the companies to develop new products tailored to customer interests.

Online surveys, phone surveys, mail surveys, and products testing surveys that allow the public to participate for free are among the different forms of surveys. Free fun surveys are for entertainment as well as to glean public opinion regarding a particular item. Basically, the subject selected for free fun surveys will be of general interest to the public. The response collected from the public helps market researchers to consolidate popular taste and opinion.

Free fun surveys will sometimes provide cash for response provided. More money can be earned when one persuades one’s friends to participate in the surveys. It is a great way to earn extra money working from home. At times, free fun survey takers also offer free gifts for filling out the questionnaire. Incentives in the forms of coupons, sweepstakes, and other rewards are devices sometimes used to encourage participation.

Online free fun surveys save cost and time. There are numerous research companies conducting free fun surveys. Survey Savvy and Survey Spot are Web sites that offer free fun surveys. In order to participate in free fun surveys, the respondents have to register their e-mail addresses with the Web site conducting surveys, so the company will have a way to contact them concerning the survey, or with other offers.

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Project Management – Design and Development Projects

In this article in our series on Project Management, we’ll look at the Project Management skills and activities needed to manage a design and development project.

Keywords:
project management

There’s no getting away from it, design and development projects are a nightmare to manage successfully, particularly the development of software. Nonetheless, in these days of customers requiring ever increasing functionality and ever more sophisticated technology, they are sometimes necessary.

Your company almost certainly has procedures in place such as Make or Buy (do you design/build the item yourselves or do you sub-contract) and Design to Cost (you’ve estimated how much it will cost, now make sure that it doesn’t run over budget. The Make/Buy procedure should have been used when compiling the bid and the advantages and disadvantages in terms of capability, price, programme and risk between procuring from internal or external sources analysed. The availability of required technology should have been ascertained.

The Design to Cost process should also have been part of the programme from its inception through the bidding stage but it too should be reviewed at this stage. If a significant cost/risk reduction can be achieved by changing your approach, it may well pay dividends in the end.

There are a number of things to consider in respect to design. Firstly, you don’t have to design from scratch. It may be that there are two pieces of electronics out there already which will do the job that your project wants and all they need is a piece of software or hardware to make them talk to each other. That is far preferable to designing the whole piece of kit from square one and far less risky. Make sure that your engineering fraternity know this. Bear in mind that, since you compiled your bid and did the initial technical assessment, technology may have moved on and something which didn’t exist then may well be on the market now. It’s worth a little time and effort to review your design decision and confirm that it’s still a valid one.

Rule number one for the Project Manager is that he must never forget that engineers are just that. They love to tinker and play, they love to solve technical problems and they will almost certainly be unaware of how long it’s taking or how much it’s costing. As the Project Manager, you will have to keep a firm eye on what they’re doing as even your Technical Lead may get carried away with the excitement of an emerging new technology.

If you really must design hardware, or heaven forbid, software, make sure that plenty of checks and tests are built into your plan along the way. It’s very easy to fall behind time on a design and development job.

Another important point is to liaise with your customer all along the way. There’s no point finishing a stunningly clever design only to have your customer tell you that he forgot to say way back that your electronic gizmo needs to be operational in temperatures of 100 degrees Centigrade.

In a nutshell, don’t reinvent the wheel, keep things as simple as possible and get customer approval as you go along. Above all, as the Project Manager, the ultimate responsibility is yours, so don’t sit back and just let the techies get on with it – manage them. This should ensure the smooth running of your design project.

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