Note From the Editor by Raechel Logan
I don't know how it is for you, but during the holidays my house tends to get a little bit… chaotic. Everyone is excited and it almost seems like the more excited you are, the busier you get – and that's just for home life. Add work to the mix, with all its end-of-the-quarter and end-of-the-year project deadlines, and sometimes it's like everyone just takes off running in different directions, scrambling to make sure everything gets done in time.
I'm sure you can agree that it's times like these when having everyone run in different directions is the last thing wanted. The inspiring Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." I'm a big advocate of that principle – on projects it's so necessary that everyone on the team, though they have different tasks to complete and different jobs to do, be working toward the same goal: making the project succeed.
With only a few weeks left in December, now is probably a good time (if you haven't already) to do one last check – making sure that everyone is on the same page; that all understand what success means specifically for each project and how what they're doing directly contributes to that success. This week's newsletter is centered on that idea in hopes that we can all say a big, "All together now!" and finish strong.
Feature Article by Ty Kiisel
Success and Focus
Long before the United States Olympic Committee had ever thought of a "Dream Team" they fielded teams for competition with amateur and collegiate athletes-including the 1980 hockey team. I remember sitting in front of the TV in those days wondering how an amateur team from the U.S. could ever have a chance against the athletes "sponsored" by the Soviet Olympic machine…
Read the complete article here
What's New With AtTask
You're Never too Old to Learn
In the economic downturn many people are finding themselves taking new avenues and learning new skills to keep their job or even to find a new one. Like individuals, companies have had to cut back and are looking to find new ways to be more efficient in their work…
Read More Here
Are You Social?
Connect with AtTask on Facebook and Twitter to see our blog posts, get AtTask tips, give us your product feedback, and more! Also, join the AtTask Community Group to connect with other AtTask users and exchange ideas, ask questions, and discover new ways to leverage the tool.
Top 10 Project Management Practices You Need to Know for 2012
December 20th at 1p.m. EST. Register Now.
Companies and project leaders like you are putting together strategies and project plans for the upcoming year and we've got some insights to help you stay ahead of the curve. Whether you're in the middle of your planning or you're completely done, AtTask project professionals, Shane Westra and Burke Alder, will walk you through the Top 10 Project Management Practices You Need To Nnow For 2012.
Join us for our next webinar in the Product Leadership Series, December 20th at 1p.m. EST to say goodbye to 2011 and kick off 2012 right. This should be the final item on your to do list before you end 2011. As a reminder, this webinar is eligible to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) recognized by the Project Management Institute.
Don't delay, space is limited, register now to reserve your seat.
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Your Dynamic Workforce Asset
Now Available On-Demand — Watch Now
Thank you to those who attended the Thought Leadership Webinar Series, featuring Tim Harmon, Principal Analyst with Forrester. Tim explored the motivations and technology utilization attributes of knowledge workers today, by age group, role, and vertical industry; and mapped those to the type of dynamic, distributed work teams, activities, and environments becoming increasingly prevalent, so that you can better apply technology to maximizing the effectiveness of your workforce.
A big congratulations to Lisa Hagan, from Duke University, the winner of a Tauntaun sleeping bag from ThinkGeek. If you would like to review the presentation and/or share it with your colleagues, you can view it now HERE.
As a reminder, this Webinar earns Professional Development Units (PDUs) recognized by the Project Management Institute. After logging into the pmi.org website, search for AtTask and be prepared to enter the Event Code W-001.
Blog Posts
Does Anybody Really Know What’s Going On?
Keeping project teams focused on the right things requires that they all understand what the right things are. When team members don't understand their role and how it plays into the bigger picture of the project they're working on, it's difficult for them to know whether or not their contribution has any value. Most people gain great satisfaction by contributing to something bigger than themselves…
Read the complete blog post here
3 Lessons I learned from Managing an Unconventional Team
In working with such a large team of volunteers (individuals not getting paid to do the work) from different places and walks of life, I couldn't help feeling like I was managing a giant, short-term project and let me tell you, I learned a lot. First, for a project like this we had to take extra care to make sure all the volunteers understood what failure meant…
Read the complete blog post here
Managing the Queue and Capacity Planning
All too often it feels like the squeaky wheel gets the most attention while more important work sits patiently in the queue waiting. Sometimes because of the title or authority of the "squeaker," insignificant work gets top priority-which makes capacity planning problematic at best and impossible in many cases.
In my opinion, before we can accurately capacity plan, we need to effectively manage the queue…
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"I Wanna Suck Today!"
I have to admit, I've never known anyone who wakes up in the morning and thinks, "I wanna suck today!" Without exception, I can't think of anyone I have ever worked with who didn't want to excel and be successful at their job. I'm convinced that people really want to do a good job-they just need to know what we define as a good job…
Read the complete blog post here
