Outsourcing

I finished my project in India. It was a great opportunity to see what was going on in the world of global outsourcing. For those of you that might think India is a place to turn to as a cost savings, I think you're missing the boat. I was impressed with the capabilities of the people I worked with. Their approach to project management was very mature, this is a place to turn to for high quality project execution.

I'm off tomorrow to Montreal to start working on some portfolio management stuff. It will be some interesting work, plus it's a lot cooler there then here in Kansas.

A Rememberance

My Father passed away earlier this week. We knew his time was near, but it still happened faster then anyone expected.

The Family has all gathered here and we've been sharing stories from our past. I heard a story about how I almost ran my mother over when I was 18 months old and I released the parking break while the car was parked on a hill. This sharing of stories and laughing is how my family is dealing with the grieving process.

Always remember,

life is short,

break the rules,

forgive quickly,

kiss slowly,

love truly,

laugh uncontrollably,

and never regret anything that made you smile. - Unknown

A Hindu Prayer

I learned a Hindu prayer today

"In the human life,
Let there be light where there is dark,
Let there be truth where there is untruth
and let there be nectar where there is death"

I also heard a new tradition at the start of a project (or starting anything new). A project sponsor I was talking to said he "Goes to the temple and cracks some coconuts." This is a Hindu tradition. When starting something new, to pray for luck, you go to the temple and offer a coconut by cracking it at the temple. I don't think that technique made it to the PMBOK Guide.

In the Land of Gandhi

I have been in Bangalore, India for the past week. Today's newspaper had an article about Gandhi. He once said “My life is my message.”

So what's the message we are conveying? As project managers, we should be leaders. Are we thinking about all the aspects of that role?

As I've spent time with people here, I have given pause to a number of things I have done without thinking. Even something like eating meat or having a beer with dinner. Just because we've always done something doesn't mean we have to keep doing it. And when someone's different, we should take the time to understand why. Being in a place like India really gives me the chance to understand another culture.

Mistakes of Man

One of the mistakes of man, as stated by Marcus Cicero, is to insist that something is impossible because we cannot accomplish it. If we think something is going to be impossible, then it probably will be.

Do we run into this on our projects? What do you do when faced with an impossible task? Do you give up or get more creative in trying to solve the problem? Next time, before labeling something as impossible, try looking at it from another perspective.

And to my old friend, yes it's really me. Drop me a note with your email address.

Get to Action

“Lose this day loitering, ‘twill be the same story Tomorrow, and the rest more dilatory; Thus, indecision brings its own delays And days are lost lamenting over days, Are you in earnest? Seize this very moment; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Courage has genius, power and magic in it; Only engage, and then the mind grows heated. Begin it and the work will be completed.” - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Ever sit around procrastinating about what to to? Stop it! Just get to action. If you get started, the task will get done.

A new social network

I found a new networking site, described as "MySpace with Integrity" It's called Zaadz.

Their mission is "We're gonna change the world. Our math goes like this: you be the change + you follow your bliss + you give your greatest strengths to the world moment to moment to moment + we do everything in our power to help you succeed + you inspire and empower everyone you know to do the same + we team up with millions like us = we just affected billions = we (together) changed the world."

So if you want to connect with other people that care, go check them out.