Bang Bang on the Head

This was once drawn for me by a friend during my short career as a manager.  Perhaps more accurately drawn for herself during a particularly long meeting, but she gifted it to me.  It's a metaphor about her experience with a project manager.  A bit of a transparent metaphor, given the brick wall she's banging her head against clearly says PMO.  I don't imagine the artist would be impressed with my current PMP studies so I can take the test with Ming after he finishes his continuing education.  At that point, should I ever become a PM because there becomes no need for functional managers, I will become another brick in the wall.  Hopefully a soft one.

Light Reading

I've been getting threatening letters from work to return my overdue book.  Here's proof I'm returning it.  It was in the back of the Mustang when it was totaled, and I took the trouble to respond using my iPhone from my basement prison that I'd return it when I came back to work.  When I did come back, they'd completely shut down the library for remodeling for a few months.  After that I had to find it again.  I've still never read it.

PMP

Today was my last day of PMP certification training over at Benchmark in Edina.  I've been there all week earning the 35 credits necessary to take my test.  While I don't intend to be a project manager, I've always wanted to know the terminology and process as it intersects with my work so much.  Doesn't make any sense to me to work with a PM constantly and not entirely understand how they do their job.  Great class.  The group I was with, particularly the onsite folks, were a personable bunch and it kept class light and fun despite spending all week talking inputs, outputs, tools, and formulas.

I'm not taking my test until November-ish when Ming is ready, so I've got some time to prep and memorize. Tomorrow I'll be drafting myself a blank chart so I can practice for the next sixty days in addition to reading the books and taking the tests.  And I need to fill in my application this weekend.  That should be a no brainer, just a time sink.  But it's the equivalent of a CV, and I don't exactly have that up to date either.

Project Management?

I think this blog may be trying to tell me that the culmination of WW II was Project Management.  That explains a lot of my ambivalence regarding project management.

"In the World War 2 and the Post-World War 2 eras, the US accomplished impressive feats using the skills & techniques of Project Management The Manhattan project which developed the atomic bomb was one example of project management.  The Apollo Program which put a man on the moon was another example.  Virtually all large construction projects now are constructed using project management tools.  Project management forces good planning and strategy on a manager.

Why can't we make better use of project management techniques in developing reliable alternative energy sources.   What about using the techniques in fighting global warming."

Snarky Reboot

Snrky.com has rebooted! You can probably see the picture/link on the right of this blog, but in case it's too small, the art is brand new.  The site is temporarily moving to five posts a week while it reposts three of the originals each week and posts two new cartoons as well.  There are even some new frames that will be showing up.  It finally looks like something that could be put on the side of a coffee cup or on a wall.