New Year, New Focus, New Projects

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

It took me a long time staring at the window and waiting for something before being able to post this, a new posting after three months and my first for the new year, 2010.

Why the hiatus? Admittedly, a question had been plaguing my mind for several months now. How can I make this blog unique and stand out amidst the more than 130 million plus blogs (as of January 2009) out there? Because of this question, I suffered from paralysis by analysis in my quest to find the answers.

After reading through several blogs about blogging, I came across two articles from Problogger which inspired me and helped me unstuck myself from this rut.

Principles of Successful Blogging – Confessions of a ProBlogger
What Are You Taking For Granted That Might Be Useful to Others?

As a result, even if I still do not have a clear answer to my question above, I thought it would be better if I'll be moving along and continue my blogging activities, moving rather than standing idly waiting for rhyme and reason. As Kahlil Gibran aptly said, "A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle."

What are my plans then for this year? Well for starters, I have been toying around the idea of my own version of lists and I already have a couple in mind. In addition to this, I am preparing to take the PMP exam and I am planning to share tips, lessons learned and best practices that I will be amassing along the way.

I am raring to blog this year and it is great to be back! =)

Star Wars and Project Management

I think the analogies between Star Wars and project management (PM) work are like the Energizer Bunny. They go on and on and on. =)

I found this article that Phil Bennett wrote about the similarities between Star Wars and project management. His children, when they were still small, asked him what did he do at work. This could have been quite easy to answer if he was a policeman or a doctor or a fireman. Necessity was indeed the mother of invention or if might say, creativity, thus the Star Wars metaphor in describing PM work was born from Phil's head.

I have listed below the salient points of the 3 Star Wars parallels that Phil wrote.

Context
Hans Solo was frozen in Carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back and then Luke and friends came to save him in Return of the Jedi.

PM Work Parallel
To "unfreeze" and save a project from "enemies," a project manager uses status reports, letters of executive support and corporate goals.

Context
"The Force" is one of the most ubiquitous concept in the Star Wars saga that it has become part of the pop culture, especially the phrase, "May the Force be with you."

PM Work Parallel
To bend the will of the people around a project manager much like "The Force," he can use strategic plans and stakeholders' sign-offs and support.

Context
The sequence of the Star Wars saga did not follow a linear path (from 4, 5, 6 first then moving to 1, 2, 3 later).

PM Work Parallel Project always tend to move in a non-linear path even if the Gantt charts are all finished and the critical path has been identified. If I may add here, projects are also susceptible to the Murphy's Law laying waste to even the best laid and organized plans.

C3PO and Job Hunting

I got this from {codesqueeze} using my preferred RSS reader, Google Reader.

This is another lessons learned derived from the Star Wars saga. Remember the scene in Stars War IV (A New Hope) when Uncle Owen was looking for a droid and he chanced upon C3PO. Here is a transcript of their conversation.

Uncle Owen: You, I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol.
C-3PO: Protocol? Why, it's my primary function, sir. I am well-versed in all the customs
Uncle Owen: I have no need for a protocol droid.
C-3PO: Of course you haven't, sir. Not in an environment such as this. That is why I have been programmed in
Uncle Owen: What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators.
C-3PO: Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programing binary load lifters very similar to your vaporators in most respects.
Uncle Owen: Can you speak Bocce?
C-3PO: Of course I can, sir. It's like a second language to me. I'm a-
Uncle Owen: Yeah, alright. Shut up. I'll take this one.
C-3PO: Shutting up, sir.

Max Pool surmised that 3 simple rules regarding job hunting or even job security could be learned from this conversation. From these 3 rules, quoting him, "It is always better to gain new experience and skills; however, do not worry about lacking the knowledge of everything the universe has to offer. Proving that you know how to learn, unlearn, and relearn is the greatest thing you can offer an employer."