I, obviously, took the summer off. Plus I am done with business travel for a while. But I am back now and will start up writing articles again.
My plan is still one a month with a new one going out near the end of September. This has definitely been an interesting journey as I have said before. And all of this because I wanted to highlight my communication skills when I went on interviews. It has definitely done that lol.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: communication skills
If you look at my posts from July through September of 2013, you will see that I wrote several articles for Dice.com. I still have an author’s page there. However, in October 2013, Dice decided to go in a different direction with their articles which is why I struck out on my own and started self publishing.
I was very pleased and surprised that a recent article from Dice discussing Apple’s iOS Map rollout that my article “Yes, Project Management Skills Trump Tech Skills” was actually linked to in the iOS article. So it is really nice to see that almost a year later my article on that topic still has relevance. Writing these kinds of articles is a long term goal for me. So it is wonderful to see my goal actually being fulfilled. I am also hopeful that these articles have been helpful to the larger community.
But without people willing to publish my articles, both online and in print media, and the people to read them and visit my blog, none of this would be possible (and also very frustrating lol). So a very big thank you to the Editors and the readers for your support. I am humbled by everyone’s encouragement and support for my writing.
Thank you so much.
Russell Harley
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Dice, Project Management, project manager
This was the best received article to date. Not only did it get picked up by Forbes,(with 8,733 views) but dozens of other sites too. Of course some of these are linked directly to the article on Forbes, but it is still an amazing pickup. At least for me anyway lol. Of course the next article (which just got sent out) is not likely to do anywhere this good. But it is nice to see that if I write on the correct topic, it can get great exposure.
Below is the full list.
Shared Services & Outsources Network – News Web Site
05-01-2014
Unique visitors to its site per month: 2,662. Article: http://www.ssonetwork.com/business-process-management/articles/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
Young Upstarts – News Web Site
05-02-2014
News web site covers small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurism; discusses the latest news, book reviews, highlights young professionals in the field, as well as offers product information, ideas and services. Unique visitors per month: 227,416. Article: http://www.youngupstarts.com/2014/05/02/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
Small Business Trends – News Web Site
05-03-2014
Discusses news and trends affecting the small business market; Offers advice to business owners and highlights notable awards, events and information concerning entrepreneurs. Unique visitors to its site per month: 211,462. Article, sourced from Forbes: http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/05/put-service-sales-master-secret-underdog-marketing.html
Forbes.com – Online Version of Forbes Magazine
05-07-2014
Online version of Forbes magazine, headquartered out of New York, NY. Designed for C-level executives, top management, high-end investors and those aspiring to positions of corporate leadership as a source of insight into the people, companies and technologies driving business and creating wealth today and in the future. Unique visitors to site per month: 9,956,125. Article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2014/05/07/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
Business Balla – News Web Site
05-07-2014
Highlights trending news from the web and features commentary on the hottest stories of the day. Unique visitors per month: 1,000,000. Article, sourced from Forbes: http://www.businessballa.com/2014/05/144750/how-hire-great-project-manager#full_story
RelevANTS – News Web Site
05-07-2014
Article, sourced from Forbes: http://www.relevants.de/portal/article?id=1413102244893465262
Crowd Chronicles – World Market Media News Web Site
05-07-2014
Provides original articles, updates and insights on the Crowdfunding sector and the JOBS Act (the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act). Article, sourced from Forbes: http://crowdchronicles.com/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
InLoox – Blog Site
05-08-2014
Covers vital aspects of project management. Article, sourced from Forbes: http://www.inloox.com/company/blog/articles/reading-recommendation-how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
Staffing Talk – Blog Site
05-08-2014
Blog covers news, business, events and advice geared towards individuals in the hiring and staffing industry. Unique visitors per month: 1,725. Article: http://staffingtalk.com/staffing-news-day-8-2014/
ProjectManagementAU.com – News Web Site
05-09-2014
Article: http://projectmanagementau.com/2014/05/09/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager-forbes/
BrightWork – News Web Site
05-10-2014
Blog hosted through news web site, providing news inspiring collaborative work and project management. Article: http://www.toptweet.org/search.php?q=how+to+hire+a+great+project+manager
PM Tech – Facebook
05-11-2014
Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/pmtech/posts/750337654987029
Buzztrick – News Web Site
05-12-2014
Highlights trending news from the web and features commentary on the hottest stories of the day. Article, sourced from Forbes: http://buzztrick.com/buzz/2014/05/12/how-hire-great-project-manager
Anthony Canova – News Web Site
05-14-2014
Article: http://anthonycanova.com/how-to-find-the-best-project-manager-for-your-company/
AITS – News Web Site
05-26-2014
Article: http://www.aits.org/2014/05/How-to-Hire-A-Great-Project-Manager.aspx
Shared Services & Outsources Network – News Web Site
05-28-2014
Unique visitors to its site per month: 2,662. Article: http://www.ssonetwork.com/business-process-management/articles/the-matrix-project-management-edition/
Bryant Conference Center – Facebook
05-28-2014
Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=799039223440110&id=114535888557117
Bama At Work – Facebook
05-28-2014
Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/KeepGoingUA/posts/717291601666781
PERQ — Facebook
05-28-2014
Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/PerqMarketing/posts/448525368617234
The Fast Track – Blog Site
05-29-2014
Blog covers QuickBase software and business topics; Offers information and ideas for improving team productivity and automating business processes. Unique visitors per month: 8,508. Article: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2014/05/29/how-to-hire-the-best-project-managers/
Project World & World Congress for Business Analysts – News Web Site
06-03-2014
Article: http://pwwbcablog.iirusa.com/2014/06/key-tips-on-hiring-project-manager.html#.U48qGXKwJcQ
TopTweet.org – News Web Site
Ongoing
News web site covers global twitter mentions and tweets; allows users to search certain key-word mentions for generating concise lists of company and individual tweets containing the same key-word mentions on their personal Twitter handles. List of tweets, searching key-words “How to Hire a Great Project Manager”: http://www.toptweet.org/search.php?q=how+to+hire+a+great+project+manager
Finance Courier: http://www.financecourier.com/news/story/440907/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager.html
Daily Me: http://dailyme.com/story/2014050700003117
Ajc.com: http://www.ajc.com/feed/business/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/fb97g/
Youeep.com: youeep.com/youeep/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
I4U News: http://www.i4u.com/news/2014/05/how-project-hire-great-manager
VEOOZ US: http://www.veooz.com/news/SHA9Xnl.html
AllVoices: http://www.allvoices.com/news/17031898-how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager
Airing News: http://www.airingnews.com/articles/1180804/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager/
PlexiDigest: http://www.plexidigest.com/summary/d366aeadbaa24a16f5696cc3d1e2f670.html
News.Nom.Co: http://www.news.nom.co/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager-9360678-news/
Hot Headlines: http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/redirect.php?h=How_To_Hire_A_Great_Project_Manager&artid=3203840
PM Connection: http://www.pmconnection.com
ProjectManagementAU: http://projectmanagementau.com/2014/05/09/how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager-forbes/
PMDP.com: http://www.pmdp.com/Project-Manager
PMO Magazine: http://paper.li/f-1358504371?edition_id=3ce3c190-d8bb-11e3-abc3-00259071bfed
Alternative Fuse: http://www.alternativefuse.com/item/211976_how-to-hire-a-great-project-manager
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Forbes Magazine, Hire, Project Management, project manager
I am working for a great company, The Versatile Company, www.versatilecompany.com, and I am setting up a Program for a major international client of theirs. While my article writing did not specifically help me get this role, it definitely had an impact. What is nice is that I plan on still continuing writing my articles and will post the results here as things progress.
Posted in Uncategorized
As my articles have gotten more exposure, I thought I would expand into other areas, like speaking engagements, pod casts, etc. So if anyone is interested in doing these with me, you can initially contact me at russellharley@thepmoview.com. If you want additional information about me there is always my LinkedIn profile, http://www.linkedin.com/in/russellharley, and InMails are always welcome.
I will obviously continue to write articles on a monthly basis and have no plans to stop that effort. Unless people start getting tired of Project Management topics 🙂
Posted in Uncategorized
The March article did pretty well. Much better than last month’s. Even though it may not appear to have done better, not listed here are some future publications for the article that sites and magazines are planning to do in the next 3-4 months.
One thing about this effort (and also not listed) are the sites that want me to write specific articles for their audience. As these general article continue to go out, requests for specific articles has gone up. Which of course I plan on doing as many as I can.
In addition to the article links, I also thought it might be nice to provide some additional details on the sites that published my article.
“Shared Services & Outsources Network” News Site
03-24-2014
Unique visitors to its site per month: 2,662. Article, titled “Can Project Management Take Short Cuts to Save Time?”: http://www.ssonetwork.com/business-process-management/articles/can-project-management-take-short-cuts-to-save-tim/
“Young Upstarts” News Site
03-26-2014
News web site covers small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs; discusses the latest news, book reviews, highlights young professionals in the field, as well as offers product information, ideas and services. Unique visitors per month: 227,416. Article, titled “Can Project Management Support High Growth Companies?”: http://www.youngupstarts.com/2014/03/26/can-project-management-support-high-growth-companies/.
“Clarizen” LinkedIn Post
03-27-2014
News web site provides articles written by experienced practitioners from the shared services and outsourcing industry, including case studies based on real-life situations; serves as an excellent resource for anyone looking for answers to some of the day to day services delivery challenges. Article, picked-up from YoungUpstarts.com post: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clarizen
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Project Management
After January’s article, I thought I had a good understanding of how publishing was working. Unfortunately that was not the case. As it turns out, not everything you do in this area is always a success.
I always wanted to do an article discussing using Matrix teams on projects and using the movie, The Matrix, as a basis for this discussion. For obvious reasons. So I did that and had the article sent out. What a difference from January. Only a few sites picked it up. These are listed below.
http://www.networkedwealth.com/the-matrix-project-management-edition/
http://upmymind.com/the-matrix-project-management-edition/
Although a print magazine is looking at publishing this in their June/July issue as well. But still not along the lines of what I have done previously. No Inc magazine here.
While the article was creative and addressed the topic, it turns out it was too creative for the editors involved. This has been duly noted. Future efforts will still be creative, but not too creative.
So there is a boundary for publishing in the Project Management area. Too technical and dry is one and too creative is the other. So the article that is sent out for March will fall solidly between these two points and the results will be posted here. Hopefully my efforts will be back on track.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Project Management
An amazing thing has occurred. My article last month, Five ways to be a more effective Project Manager, has made the headline on the front page of a national print magazine !!!!. The magazine is called Survey and here is the link to the online version of the magazine. The article itself is on pages 46-49. http://viewer.epaperflip.com/Viewer.aspx?docid=aef12f78-762e-44fb-acd3-a2dc00c2996e#?page=0 (No that is not my picture on the cover unfortunately lol)
One interesting thing about publishing these articles is that a lot of times they are used but you may never find out where. Or they may be used months after they are sent out. So the listings of where they are published that I have listed in my previous posts, are just the locations I know about. So there could easily be a lot more publications/websites that have used these.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Project Management
My article was sent out on the 24th and received an amazing number of responses. Below is a listing of all the sites that picked it up. Pretty amazing.
In addition, I have had several sites contact me for writing original content for them. Which obviously I am willing to do.
My current plan is to send out one article a month. It will be interesting to see where all of this ends up, but it is a fun experience regardless of where it ends.
FullStart
Blog site nationally distributed online and driven through WeWork. Unique visitors to its site per month: 5,396.
http://fullstart.com/knowledge/five-ways-effective-project-manager/
This one has 98 Likes on Facebook and 4 shares on LinkedIn
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
AITP is the leading worldwide society of professionals in information technology
http://www.aitp.org/news/153969/Five-Ways-To-Be-A-More-Effective-Project-Manager.htm
Information Executive
News web site headquartered out of Chicago, IL and nationally distributed online. Unique visitors to its site per month: 42,540.
www.aitp.org/news/153969/
S Son
News web site nationally distributed online. Unique visitors to its site per month: 2,662.
http://www.ssonetwork.com/communication-culture/articles/five-ways-to-be-a-more-effective-project-manager/
Cold Chain IQ
News web site nationally distributed online. Article posted in ‘Tools & Templates’ – ‘Articles’ section of site.
http://www.coldchainiq.com/tools-templates2/articles/
IDGA
News web site nationally distributed online. Article posted in ‘Articles’ section of site.
http://www.idga.org/tools-templates2/articles/
AZRE
Magazine headquartered out of Phoenix, AZ and nationally distributed online. Circulation: 25,000.
http://aznow.biz/featured/5-ways-effective-project-manager
Wax Marketing Blog
Blog site nationally distributed online and driven through WeWork. Unique visitors to its site per month: 5,396.
http://blog.waxmarketing.com/
PaperBlog
Blog site nationally distributed online and driven through Self Expression Magazine.
http://en.paperblog.com/five-ways-to-be-a-more-effective-project-manager-780594/
BusinessNewsDaily
News web site nationally distributed online. Unique visitors to its site per month: 277,776.
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5837-5-tips-for-better-project-management.html
Mother Nature News
News web site headquartered out of Atlanta, GA and nationally distributed online. Unique visitors to its site per month: 354,491.
http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/stories/5-ways-to-be-a-better-leader#
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Project Management
I hope everyone is having a great holiday. I have a really nice early Christmas present in that the Strategy Driven web site (http://www.strategydriven.com/) has published the article below in the Blog section. The article is dated 21 December so you may need to scroll down to get to it. One other nice touch is that they include a link to my blog here.
I hope you enjoy the article and I plan to have more published sometime in January 2014.
For those that may not know, Picasso is a famous artist. Like others similar to him in related fields, his art has made an impact on the world. But art, like many other things, is relative to the observer, i.e. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” (This saying first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greece). So while many people may like Picasso, many others may like Jackson Pollack, Thomas Kinkaid, etc. instead and not care about Picasso at all.
Of course art extends way beyond just painting. Films, books, etc. all have their impact on society. And everyone has their personal preference as to which type of art they prefer over other. This just means that if they love films, they may still read a book. It is just their preference to like one better than the other.
This means that artists will cater to the type of art their audiences want. They do this by starting with an idea or concept. This can be from something they saw or imagined, real or not. It can be a new creation or based off of a different from of art, book to movie or vice versa for example. Or even a simple enhancement, like a book’s re-release with extra chapters or a film’s Director’s cut.
Obviously each of these different ways of creating art has very different levels of difficulty. Creating a Director’s cut is much easier than creating the original film from scratch for example. Even within the same type of art, like painting, the differences between artists and their creations are huge. From painting by numbers to the Sistine Chapel there is a massive gap. Both create something, but one obviously has more of an impact than the other.
So what does any of this have to do with Project Management? The common theme from the above is with projects themselves. Just like art, there are projects that have major impacts on society, like the Sistine Chapel (Pyramids, Moon landings, etc.). While other types of projects are more the paint by numbers type.
The art field has many different ways to express art. Projects (and Project Managers) also have many different ways to reach the end goal. As in art, just because someone uses Microsoft Project instead of Primavera does not mean that the end result will not be realized. Both can create the desired result just like one artist can paint in oils, while another likes watercolors. Both paintings could be considered great works of art, just as both projects could be ones that helped improve society.
Also like art, each project is unique, even if the same desired end result is exactly the same. As an example, I worked for three different companies that all wanted the same exact end result for their projects. Each one used vastly different processes, different tools, etc. but they all got the desired end result.
The point of all of this is that project managers are really artists and not scientists. Projects are works of art and not scientific theory. Just like different artists, there are really great people in their field. However generally speaking someone that is a great Project Manager in road construction (painter) is not going to suddenly be a great project manager in a major software project (author). However, it is likely that they could also be a great Project Manager in a dam project for example (water colors versus oils).
If projects were able to be managed like science labs, then why would you ever need a project manager? If Y is needed, you do X and you get Y. The scientific world is looking for Y each and every time you do X. However, in my example above with the three projects, the different companies all needed Y but each of them did A, B, and C to get the same result. This is nowhere even close to the scientific method!
This is why there are so many different project tools, methodologies, etc. The community is trying very hard to convince everyone that project management as a field is a scientific one. We keep looking for some formula or scientific theory that will allow us to get projects done with less effort and better quality. This is an admirable goal to be sure, but not a very realistic one.
The fact that with all the study and effort, this had not happened (and I doubt it ever will), I see no reason not to accept that we are just another form of art and continue to create the great art works our sponsors want. Whether they just want a paint by number picture or the Sistine Chapel, the project managers of the world can certainly create the paintings they want. Are your paint brushes ready?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Project Management, project manager, Project Managers
The PMO View 