Assessing the Contribution of Each Team Member
If selected to be a project manager, you have a major duty to keep the project team happy and performing well. In order to have project success, each member needs to pull their own weight and contribute towards the project equally by doing their part assigned. When assessing the contribution of a team member, the project manager must take into account the quality of work being produced, as well as the morality of the member, among other things as well. Being considerate of each members talents would be a virtue as well. Knowing you're project members skill sets and needs is crucial for project success.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Internal Politics in Project Success
I personally do not know much about politics in general. And when it comes to internal politics, I have no idea what it means. But if it has something to do with ethics, then it can have a dramatic impact on the project and even the project team. If there is an issue or a debate about a certain aspect of the project, then it should be addressed appropriately and handled in the appropriate manor as well.
The Impact of Outsourcing on a Project
Outsourcing is becoming more common than ever these days. When a company decides to outsource, they are deciding to have an external company come and provide a service or something along those lines to get an objective completed. A common example would be the outsourcing of accounting firms to check balances and create income statements etc. When it comes to a project, outsourcing can become especially essential when your team may not have the specific expertise needed to complete a certain component of the project. It will end up costing you more money to outsource, but at the same time it could work to your advantage and possibly bring in a good return for profit upon completion.
Outsourcing is becoming more common than ever these days. When a company decides to outsource, they are deciding to have an external company come and provide a service or something along those lines to get an objective completed. A common example would be the outsourcing of accounting firms to check balances and create income statements etc. When it comes to a project, outsourcing can become especially essential when your team may not have the specific expertise needed to complete a certain component of the project. It will end up costing you more money to outsource, but at the same time it could work to your advantage and possibly bring in a good return for profit upon completion.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
CS 250 as a Project
When it comes to the course CS 250, as a project, I personally think it's a slow going process. If I was to compare what I think my progress level is at to a project phase I would have to say I'm still in the planning phase. I do not know as much about computers and the IT field as my classmates do. When it comes to homework I get very confused when I don't have the skill sets needed to complete the assignment. Like Microsoft Project for example, I have no idea how to operate it. I understand the idea of it, but when it comes to navigating it, I'm a sitting duck. Overall as a class however is much better than my personal level. We all had a slow start to our project because of complications, but now that ideas and goals are set in place the whole class as progressed tremendously over the 2nd half of this semester. I feel more comfortable around my classmates now because I know that they are willing to help me out when I need it, and I think that's good when it comes to the class as a project because its showing trust between team members.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
User Centered Development --- Successful Systems Development Projects
In any case, user development is essential when it comes to success within system development projects for the sole fact that it will increase chances of success for the project. In order for success to take place, you need to know what the user wants out of the project and have an understandable, clear cut scope. If this is not done, the whole project could become a disaster waiting to happen. With that said, communication between the user and the project team is needed, and feedback between each other should be encouraged so that you can reach full potential for the project.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
What Makes a Great Speech?
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/specialengagements/moviespeechbraveheart.html
Braveheart Speech (1995)
This is probably one of my favorite speeches of all time. The inflection in the voice of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) invokes emotion not only to the army of Scotland but to the watchers of the movie as well. What makes this speech so good is that William Wallace manages to get the entire Scottish army to side with him to fight against the English, even after seeing the size of the opposing army and completely demoralizing the Scots. Wallace targets the integrity of each man in his audience by stating that freedom is what is the most important. He wins this argument of fight and die vs. run and live (for a while) when he says that "the enemy can take our lives, but they can never take our freedom". If you aren't moved by that last line in his speech then there is no patriotism running through your veins. He jacks up the army to fight. I know for a fact that I sure as hell would be the first one behind him after a speech like that.
Braveheart Speech (1995)
This is probably one of my favorite speeches of all time. The inflection in the voice of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) invokes emotion not only to the army of Scotland but to the watchers of the movie as well. What makes this speech so good is that William Wallace manages to get the entire Scottish army to side with him to fight against the English, even after seeing the size of the opposing army and completely demoralizing the Scots. Wallace targets the integrity of each man in his audience by stating that freedom is what is the most important. He wins this argument of fight and die vs. run and live (for a while) when he says that "the enemy can take our lives, but they can never take our freedom". If you aren't moved by that last line in his speech then there is no patriotism running through your veins. He jacks up the army to fight. I know for a fact that I sure as hell would be the first one behind him after a speech like that.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Presenting in Front of the Class
F50 AdiZero Soccer Shoes
Presenting in class was a disaster for me. In short, I choked. I ended up practicing what I wanted to say and get across to the audience before class even started, and still I managed to screw up. I didn't even get the point I wanted to make across. I really wanted to make a stance that Adidas is the superior brand within the soccer community. I realized afterwards that really all I talked about was what the shoe was made of and what the capabilities of it were. My strongest argument was probably passing around the shoe so everyone could see and feel how light of a shoe it is. Overall I would revise my previous statement that it was a disaster, but it wasn't one of my strongest presentations.
Presenting in class was a disaster for me. In short, I choked. I ended up practicing what I wanted to say and get across to the audience before class even started, and still I managed to screw up. I didn't even get the point I wanted to make across. I really wanted to make a stance that Adidas is the superior brand within the soccer community. I realized afterwards that really all I talked about was what the shoe was made of and what the capabilities of it were. My strongest argument was probably passing around the shoe so everyone could see and feel how light of a shoe it is. Overall I would revise my previous statement that it was a disaster, but it wasn't one of my strongest presentations.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
What is Failure?
Failure, as defined by dictionary.com, is "an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success, insufficiency. To be honest it does a really good job of defining the word. However depending on the person, the definition of the word can change and vary in many ways.
Personally, I think of failure as being a way that I've let myself down. Although I do not associate myself with the word too much, if I look back on my life I suppose that I could consider some aspects of my life a failure. But on the other hand I think life is too precious to dwell on "failure" or what one perceives as "failure". My first semester I did not do well enough in a required class for my major, therefore I have to retake the class. I may not have gotten an "F" in the class, but I consider it a failure on my part since I did not get a good enough grade. If I work really hard in a week of soccer practice and do not get a starting spot in the next game, I feel as if I failed to display what I am capable of. The word failure I think might be overused these days. We are all human and we have our missteps and mistakes. Sometimes we do not do as good as anticipated. That does not mean that you are a failure or have failed. Keep the head up and continue to do what you do.
Personally, I think of failure as being a way that I've let myself down. Although I do not associate myself with the word too much, if I look back on my life I suppose that I could consider some aspects of my life a failure. But on the other hand I think life is too precious to dwell on "failure" or what one perceives as "failure". My first semester I did not do well enough in a required class for my major, therefore I have to retake the class. I may not have gotten an "F" in the class, but I consider it a failure on my part since I did not get a good enough grade. If I work really hard in a week of soccer practice and do not get a starting spot in the next game, I feel as if I failed to display what I am capable of. The word failure I think might be overused these days. We are all human and we have our missteps and mistakes. Sometimes we do not do as good as anticipated. That does not mean that you are a failure or have failed. Keep the head up and continue to do what you do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)