Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Video Podcast - 5KPM For Road Racing

Well, that was a fun. Andy Kaufman, PMP, of The People And Projects Podcast just released a short video that had me doing the intro and the outro.

You can watch it by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znF6UFDzan8



Andy arranged this about a month ago, and I wrote about it during a post in April. It was a happy surprise to see the episode in my podcast feed. In future episodes I'm certain he'll use my auto intro and outro. It's in these voice-only narrations that I was able to mention this blog.

As always, please get in touch via one of these methods: Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Certificate In Project Management - 5KPM - Project Management For Road Running

If I've learned one thing from running, (and I've learned loads,) it's that by putting one foot in front of the other the journey, the workout, or the race, will get done. Those initial steps can be difficult at times. In fact, those first steps can seem harder than walking it in to a tough marathon finish.

But by taking those steps, the workout, or race, or journey is completed. Eight weeks ago my formal Project Management training class began. Today I have the certificate of completion for my 36 hours. The journey continues. Boot camp starts next week. In many ways, the easy part is complete. The study and the certification exam come next and are higher hurdles and longer distances.

But I've often heard it said that they only workout one regrets is the one not started. That may seem trite, but it's also where my outlook is right now. I'm doing these workouts in PM, just like in running, and heading for good health or a race. I'm going to put that one foot in front of the other and study to pass that certification class. Every event finish (I'm so slow, kinda don't even like to call them races) has a great degree of satisfaction. This event, this PM study and certification, once successfully completed, will be a measure of me taking control of my future and another milepost along a continuing workout where I've put that one step in front of the other.

As always, please get in touch via one of these methods: Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Scope Management Starts Here - 5KPM For Road Racing


Admittedly the Scope Management Plan is quite daunting. But even though more has to be done to complete the plan, some of the work has already been done. The stakeholder register and the responsibility matrix have all been defined, created, and posted in prior blogs. At least now the plan has started and the project better defined.

In other news, the PM class finished last weekend, so I'm set for a certificate at least in Project Management. There's a week lag before the boot camp starts up and I'll dive even deeper into my studies. 

For now, there's the start of the Project Management Plan here. 
Scope Management Plan

Management Approach


The purpose of this scope management plan is to set forth the plans and procedures for defining, developing, monitoring, controlling, changing, implementing and verifying the 2017 Edition of the Closter 5k as a project. It’s the intent of scope management plan to ensure the completion of all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.
The project manager will assume overall responsibility for project scope management. The people listed below will assume the following scope management responsibilities:

Names /  Roles
Responsibilities
Project Manager
Stephen L Miller
Project Sponsor
Closter Recreation Commission
Project Team Lead
Stephen L Miller
Project Team Members
MAD





Scope Development


Sources

The scope of this project is defined in the Scope Definition section, below. Development of the project scope began with an examination of the following sources:



Scope Definition


The project scope baseline is comprised of the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure and the WBS dictionary, below.

Project Scope Statement


The Closter 5k Organizing Committee will conduct its annual 5k-running/walking event and kid’s fun run on Sunday, September 3, 2017. The event set up through clean up is anticipated to be between 6AM through 11AM, with the 5k beginning at 9AM. The event is held in the rain, but not if there is lightning. There is no rain-date or re-schedule date. This 37th annual 5k event will host about 200 participants from town and the surrounding community. The fun run will host approximately 20 participants. Local PD, EMS, volunteers, a timing company, sponsors, and the participants are all stakeholders in this event. Participants will pay an entry fee, and be rewarded with finish-line food, a t-shirt, and prizes in some cases. Volunteers will aid with same-day participant registration, course direction, and full site clean up.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)


Click here to view the WBS.
As always, please get in touch via one of these methods: Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com


Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Work Breakdown Structure - 5KPM Project Management For Road Racing

It's time to get back to the nuts and bolts of the Project Plan in this 5KPM series of posts. To that end, I've begun work on the project scope document. An element of the document is the WBS, or Work Breakdown Structure, which reduces each element of work to its smallest components. Maybe that isn't quite the case in this WBS, but it's a fairly realistic list of the steps necessary to conduct the event. 

Click here to be taken to the WBS, a shared document in Google Docs. 

As always, you're invited to get in touch via these methods.

Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com


Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Podcast Cameo - The 5KPM Project Management For Road Racing Gets a Big Time Boost

Well that was awesome. Today I spoke with an inspiring figure in Project Management, Andy Kaufman. He hosts a podcast called the People and Projects Podcast which has become a go-to listen as I continue to immerse myself in things project-management. Andy always closes his podcasts inviting listeners to connect.

But who am I at this point, half way through the PM class and months away from hopefully being ready to sit for the certification? Still, I felt compelled to write to him last week. His podcast is so chock full of interesting information and insight that I can't listen to it at the typical 1.5x speed as I usually do for other spoken word podcasts. I don't want to miss the content Andy provides, so I slow the listening speed back down to 1x speed. Well, I wrote this to Andy and he replied not only with appreciation but with an offer to provide a listener introduction to both the audio and video versions of his podcasts. During our discussions about the scripts, he even allowed me to mention the 5KPM - Project Management for Road Racing group I've got going in LinkedIn and in this blog.

The conversation was short, and taken up by me recording the intro (the videos were done on Sunday), but the real takeaway was how genuinely Andy was engaged in my path to PM and my goals within the PM profession and community.

When the People and Projects Podcast with my audio and video come out I'll post the links in this blog and in the group.

As always, you're invited to get in touch via these methods.

Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com


Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Putting The Plan To The Test - Early - 5KPM - Project Management For Road Racing

Well, it looks like the accumulated work for the 5KPM - Project Management for Road Racing will be put to work sooner than later. Instead of waiting until the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, the traditional day of our event, another 5k is being conducted in June. This event is a fundraiser for a local teacher who has cancer. Although I'm not on the organizing committee of this June event, two of the volunteers have already met with me and my cohort to discuss how the event is typically planned and conducted.

Having the organizational experiences mapped out through the project plan has already helped the organizers of this event. Indeed I'll continue to be a source of information when asked. And I've received an unexpected bonus. That bonus is to be able to run the Closter 5k course in an event for a time. Since 2011 I've volunteered for the event, but haven't run it in "anger" after that first one in 2010. Now I get to run the event with friends and family - and still be the volunteer for 36th running of the Closter 5k in September. It'll work out all around!

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

It's late March and after a week's break, we're only through the third of six PM classes. Still lots to learn. Each class both adds to my knowledge and helps me visualize how to apply PM practices to different past and present business situations. Today I'll continue to work through the Project Integration Management section of the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the PMBOK® Guide. But let me take a lesson from the Guide and from class, and well, from the practical art of working, and reveal that only certain aspects of this next section are applicable to the Closter 5k Project. Some parts of the PMBOK® Guide are not applicable and they aren't included below even though the section of the group remains as a placeholder. This just keeps the process in perspective for me.  

4.4 Monitor and Control Project Work

4.4.1 Monitor and Control Project Work: Inputs
4.2.1.2 Schedule Forecasts

4.4.1.3 Cost Forecasts

4.4.1.4 Validated Changes

4.4.1.5 Work Performance Information

4.4.1.6 Enterprise Environmental Factors

4.4.1.7 Organizational Process Assets

4.4.2 Monitor and Control Project Work: Tools and Techniques

4.4.2.1 Expert judgement

4.4.2.2 Analytical Techniques

4.4.2.3 Project Management Information System

4.4.2.4 Meetings

4.4/3 Monitor and Control Project Work: Outputs

4.4.3.1 Change Requests

4.4.3.2 Work Performance Reports

4.4.3.3 Project Management Plan Updates

4.4.3.4 Project Documents Update


As always, your feedback is appreciated, so please share your thoughts about the 5KPM so far:

Stephen Miller’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlornemiller
Contact Email: Millerslm@gmail.com