Beyond Folders : project management

Get the Summer Project Done!

Community Manager — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:33:00 GMT

We know the beach beckons and your summer reads are calling you from the hammock. But the summer slowdown is the perfect time to squeeze in one of the organization projects that never seem to get done during the busy fall and winter months.

Summer has a few more weeks left, so time to get cracking. Come September, you'll be happy you did!

Getting Started

One and Done: Pick a project that will really and truly provide a sense of accomplishment. If you feel like you ought to clean your messy garage but would prefer to spend time sorting photos, go with the photos. Devote yourself to whatever project will provide the most gratification.

Limit Chaos: Ensure summer fun still stays on track by choosing projects in spaces that won't limit your ability to function. By tackling the spare room or attic first, you can use those newly organized spaces as a staging ground for future projects in high-traffic zones such as the kitchen or home office.

Bite-Sized Pieces: Plan carefully to make the project stress-free from start to finish. Plot out all steps: If you want to empty an attic, the first step might be tossing broken and outdated items, next, giving unneeded items to family members and then finally donating the rest to charity. Defining success before you dive in also helps you determine when a project is successfully completed.

Get Equipped: Carefully consider all your needs before launching a project and then stock up on needed tools. Filing projects require files, moving projects require boxes. Running out of hangers half-way through a closet reorg is as much fun as a rainy beach day.

Enlist Helpers: Many hands make for light work so enlist family and friends. Make the project fun (filing while listening to music!, garage cleaning with Popsicle breaks!) and you better your odds of getting helpers to pitch in.

Reward Yourself: Reward yourself for getting through your project and link your reward to your project if you can. Did you tame a cluttered guest room? Treat yourself to new throw pillows or a duvet cover. Did you tackle a mountain of paperwork? Reward yourself with new desk accessories. Print and frame all those family pictures? Host a BBQ to show off your new home décor.

Making August all about one major project betters your odds of getting it done. Who knows? The glow of accomplishment may even carry you through another project or two.

Do you have a major project in mind? What is the one area of the house you never seem to get to? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Dealing with Missed Deadlines

Community Manager — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:37:00 GMT

Life throws curveballs. Problems pop up and deadlines go off track. Do your best to keep one step ahead of botched deadlines with a little contingency planning.

While not every problem can be anticipated and planned for in advance, having a general game plan for dealing with missteps will get you back on track faster. The next time a missed deadline looms, reflect on these tips and power through.

Fess Up: If you have missed, or are going to miss a deadline, the first step is coming clean. Let your boss or client know that the deadline isn't going to be met. When possible, give advance notice that the deadline is slipping. By coming clean in advance, you may be able to renegotiate the deadline. At the very least, your client or boss will appreciate not being blind-sided.

Mea Culpa: Missed deadlines generally mean apologies are in order. If your client or colleague dropped the ball and this resulted in the unmet deadline, this may not apply. But if the responsibility for missing the mark lies with you, a sincere apology is in order.

Get Cracking: Missed deadlines require an action plan for getting the project back on track. Determine if more time, additional staff or new resources are needed to right the course. Having an action plan in place when you reveal a deadline is likely to be missed can help soften the blow and allow you to still appear in control.

Not Again: Once a deadline has been missed, do your utmost to ensure it doesn't happen again. Chronically missing deadlines reflects poorly on your work and time-management skills. Do whatever it takes-work late, get up early, subcontract the work-but get it done on time.

How do you deal with missed deadlines? Do you have tips to ensure you never miss them? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

When You Can’t Do It All: Picking One Major Reorg Project for 2012

Community Manager — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:11:00 GMT

January is the month for making resolutions that are too often abandoned by February. This year be realistic and pick just one outstanding organization project that you never seem to find time for and get it done.

Does your messy garage drive you crazy? Or is it the piles of paperwork that have taken over your desk? Are your closets stuffed past capacity? Everyone has a project they really wish they could get to: make 2012 the year you move that back-burner project front and center.

Getting Started

Go for gratification: Pick a project that will really and truly provide a sense of accomplishment. If you feel like you ought to tackle your overflowing attic but would prefer to spend time sorting photos, go with the photos.

Limit chaos: Start with spaces that won't limit your ability to function such as the spare room or attic. Once you have those spaces in better shape, you can tackle future projects in high-traffic zones such as the kitchen or home office. Use the newly organized rooms in your home as staging ground for sorting through paperwork or warehousing kitchen items as you tackle bigger projects in high-traffic zones.

Break down a big project: Determine what steps you need to take to get from the starting line to your end goal. If you want to empty an attic, the first step might be tossing broken and outdated items, next, giving unneeded items to family members and then finally donating the rest to charity. Defining success before you begin allows you to know when a project is successfully completed.

Get equipped: Filing projects require files, moving projects require boxes. Don't overlook the basics when getting started. Carefully consider all your needs before launching a project and then stock up on the tools you need.

Enlist helpers: Many hands make for light work so enlist family and friends. Make the project fun (filing while listening to music! a family reunion garage cleaning!) and you better your odds of getting helpers to pitch in.

Reward yourself: Reward yourself for getting through your project and link your reward to your project if you can. Did you tame a cluttered guest room? Treat yourself to new throw pillows or a duvet cover. Did you tackle a mountain of paperwork? Reward yourself with new desk accessories. Print and frame all those family pictures? Have a party to show off your new home décor.

Making 2012 all about one major project betters your odds of getting it done. Who knows? The glow of accomplishment may even carry you through another project or two.

Good luck!

Do you have a major project in mind? What is the one area of the house you never seem to get to? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook.

Best Old and New Project Management Tools and Techniques

Community Manager — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:04:00 GMT

From the ancient pyramids to the iPhone 4, teams of individuals have successfully banded together to produce celebrated results. While most projects don't become tourist Meccas or headline news fodder (Note to self: don't take your top secret phone prototypes into bars) all projects requiring team effort can benefit from topflight project management tools.

In past Beyond Folders blog posts we've looked at aspects of project management in The New Project Collaboration and Management Tools and in How's the Tunnel Coming? Tracking Long Term Projects.

Now we've assembled lists of resources of the best old (traditional) and new (innovative) project management tools and strategies around. Our traditional list has resources on the fundamentals of project management; the other list has resources that tweak those concepts. One list isn't better than the other, different tools or strategies fit different needs.

Traditional Resources

New Resources

No list of resources is totally comprehensive. Are you using helpful tools we didn't include here? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

How’s the Tunnel Coming? Tracking Long Term Projects

Community Manager — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:34:00 GMT

It took 20 years for the character Andy Dufresne to tunnel his way to freedom in the Oscar winning movie The Shawshank Redemption. While most of us will never tackle a project of this scope, we all face long-term projects in the workplace. How best to track progress?

There is no one size-fits-all answer. Large companies, with deep pockets and dedicated project managers, can avail themselves of tools such as enterprise project management software, Gantt charts, PERT (Program Review and Review Technique) and Earned Value Analysis .

Looking to learn more about the fundamentals of project management? Visit the Project Management Institute (PMI), a non-profit professional organization, for resources including the seminal A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). PMBOK is the internationally recognized standard on project management as it applies to a wide range of projects including construction, software, engineering and automotive production.

Smaller companies, or independent workers, require simpler project management tools that allow energy to be focused on completing projects rather than tracking progress. Pared down tacking tools for leaner infrastructures can include:

Online Project Management Tools (Use software or for hire-services)
Time Tracking (Critical if you bill hourly; helpful for anyone wondering "what the heck have I been working on?" Keep track manually or with software.)
Task Management (Tasks include document uploads, document versioning, notes and comments, due dates, task status, and daily email reminders about what is due.)
Milestones (Determine deliverables and deadlines, plug these into your time tracking calendar to stay on track)
Evaluate Progress, Analyze Results (Find the right evaluation method or software to analyze your day-to-day workflow and outcomes.)

The bottom line, long-term projects need to be chipped away at a day at a time, much like Andy Dufresne's tunnel. Make use of project tracking tools to ensure that you are staying on track.

How do you track-long term projects? What role do milestones and deadlines play in getting to the end of your tunnel? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

The New Project Collaboration and Management Tools

Community Manager — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:04:00 GMT

Just ask any manager or leader in the average workplace and they will tell you that project management is pivotal to their team's success and to the company's bottom line. They will also tell you that the nature of project management is changing along with larger changes in the workforce.

As we discussed in (past posts here, here and here ), we are experiencing the rise of a mobile workforce that will number in the billions by the end of this year. The new workplace ecosystem thrives on remote collaboration and virtual teamwork. As this article on The Diverse And Digital Workforce suggests, adapting the old to the new is a challenge that every business organization - and each one of us - needs to rise to in order to survive and thrive.

As a starting point, it is important to learn about - and learn how to use - the latest project collaboration and management tools designed with remote workers in mind. To facilitate the learning curve, we culled this library of informative articles and posts:

As we shift how we engage in work collaboration and project management, we do not have to lose sight of traditional approaches that might still suit our businesses and us.

If you have tips on new project collaboration and management tools, please share them with us. We would also like to know which traditional approaches you are still using and why. We will report on your feedback in future posts.

by Bradley Eggers