Recently we have been busy with a major project (in addition to the many other projects) that has taken away all of our brain cells; this is why we have not posted an article here in a while. We are sorry for not posting but the good news is we are working on adding quite a bit of content to our project management knowledge portal, which our community can access.
Today’s article is an update from the past!
Every once in a while I think about posting a few notes about this topic that is really frustrating. I think about it but before I have a chance to write anything, something distract me and the thought goes away. However, this evening, the topic will not escape me and I will not sleep until I vent a bit – so sorry for the public venting.
What trigger this post tonight, another blog I just saw “10 Minutes Guide to Project Management”.
- The first point of frustration is that this blog post does not really do anything except give an outline — 14 topics in all … just a list, which one can actually read in 3 minutes. So why the 10 minutes?
- The second point of frustration: are we at a point where a highly valuable domain like project management is shrunk to 3, 5, or 10 minutes?
I joked in my e-book series on project management about a prospect who was asking for so much information to cover in a ONE day course – so I jokingly told him: “it sounds like you are asking for a PhD in project management in a day”. Obviously he was offended and we did not win the contract, but that is perfectly OK with us, since there is no way we can deliver on such expectations.
Why do people, and executives, be-little project management so much? Is their records really outstanding? Most reports and studies on project success shows more projects fail or are challenged than are successful. Why the dis-respect – is a mystery to me.
Another example on the above: another blog I read a few days ago and the blogger in that case was saying something like this: (the words are rephrase but no exaggeration) “I have learned about project management and it is simple, it is about 3 parameters (time, cost, quality) and consist of 6 phases” forgive me for missing out on the names of the phases. Is this project management?
Again, and some ask why project fails.
The frustration is not only limited to project management. How about the “Pocket MBA”? I know, some friends might be upset by this. I have seen pocket MBA by respectable university. Is the MBA something we can put in a pocket now?
Even better, I live in Dubai and last week we had the Formula 1 races in Abu Dhabi and this week there are Karting races in Al Ain, which is a nice city in Emirate Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. So let us forget the pocket MBA and talk about — — how about the “80 Minutes MBA”? Again, this was an Ad ran by a respectable organization.
Before I go nighty night in a few minutes, I decided to invent a pill.
Why waste time on 1 day PhD, or Pocket MBA, or 80 Minutes MBA, or 10 Minutes Project Management. By this time next year I will be a pillionaire since my pills is all you need. All you need is one pill, with a glass of Arak (Uzu) and you are set. You will be an expert for hire.
The pill will be only $100 for the first 100 takers, then it will jump to $10,000.
Good learning!