On Projects*

This one is for the PM who travels too much, being one myself I can relate to the quest to find the perfect travel kit, taking up the smallest possible space and weighing next to nothing.

As a avid hiker in a previous life, I could be found the night before cutting my toothbrush in half, packing the famous “fred” tool (a 2×5 cm flat tool that was part spoon, part can opener, part knife (v blunt) and part bottle opener) and squeezing out anything liquid to only take the precise amount required for one week’s walking.

Fortunately in the business world you don’t need to be so dramatic but the quest for travel kit utopia persists!

So while I was cruising around the productivity blogs I came across “Building the Perfect Dopp Bag” by Brett from “The Art of Manliness” (Sorry girls, I really struggled with researching what the girl travels with tho Beth did help out with her blog post “How I Pack for any Length Trip in under 10 pounds“). Brett’s suggestions made me review my efforts and in doing so I thought I might add my two cents worth…

Dopp Bag Contents

• A couple of small zip-lock bags
• Shampoo (in FAA Compliant Travel Bottles)
• Shower Gel (not as messy as solid soap)
• Toothpaste (pick the smallest tube size, squeeze half out if you’re keen)
• Deodorant (go the small, light, mini option)
• Lip Balm

Note for liquids and gels: Consider putting these bottles into a zip lock bag to stop leakage but also to show airport security officials

• Toothbrush, Floss (again go the small travel option)
• Small electric razor (Life is too short to shave with a blade :)
• Multi-vitamin tablets and Berocca (for general health, jet lag and hangovers, use a small pill case instead of the whole bottle)
• Mini scissors, nail clippers (careful with airline travel)
• Ear plugs & eye mask (for sleeping just about anywhere!)
• Band-aids
• Hotel Sewing Kit, Safety Pins (thanks to the Le Meridien hotel chain)
• Ibuprofen (headache, pain)
• Imodium (anti-diuretic)
• Small lint roller or brush
• €20 (or USD) in small notes
• Pegless clothes line (try a outdoors store, very cool for emergency washing)
• Mini mag-light

It seems like a lot but if you focus on buying the smallest and lightest product or using samples you’ll be surprised how much space your Dopp bag still has. Now you just have to ignore the temptation to put more stuff in there!

In upcoming posts I’ll be dealing with it in more detail but for now I’m going to assume that you’re full bottle on Project Risk Management practices just so we can kick off with the Risk Log Template (or the Risk Register for those of you with a predilection for alliteration) and provide some tips on implementing it.

The PM who didn’t manage risk.

The risk management process is based on an keen awareness of your environment and the changes that (can) occur in it but all too often the risk management box gets ticked at the start of the project then shelved. One quick and dirty tip for successful risk management is to actually do it which means incorporating your risk assessment throughout your project lifecycle. From the project mandate to the project brief to the PID, the stage plans and the closure, risk happens! The depth of your assessments depend on your context. They can be done formally or informally, but the key is to do it regularly or whenever there is a fundamental shift in your environment.

I’ve actually incorporated it as a weekly consideration to reflect on in the Friday Afternoon Checklist which is aimed at keeping your project on course but I’ll leave it to you on how to best approach this cycle.

Stay tuned for more on Risk Management and some Tools and Templates (we’ve only just scratched the surface)…

Related Resources

• PRINCE2 Templates
• The Friday Afternoon Checklist

The PRINCE2 product itself isn’t that practical for me but I’ve found if you’re running an effective personal time/task management system that includes note-taking or journaling, it can be a very powerful tool in the Project Manager’s toolkit.

Why use a Daily Log?

There are a couple of good reasons for capturing daily log information.

Your memory isn’t perfect…

Project management systems are great at capturing issues, risks, defects etc but you still need to have a place to record bits and bobs of information that aren’t captured in these logs because let’s face it, your memory isn’t perfect and it was you’d be making a living as a texas hold’em player. A couple of uses for a log or diary could be to record:

• Staff member performance notes
• Interview notes
• Meetings notes
• Telephone conversations

Recording notes while they are fresh in your head is a good idea as it can be a day or so before you get the chance to write up the notes or meeting minutes and in the meantime life happens, you get distracted by the next fire and you end up forgetting some key information.

…neither is theirs…

Another reason to keep a daily log is because the people you work with also don’t have perfect memories and sadly, sometimes less than perfect motives. Aside from fail aspirations of late night poker championships, project life is busy and people can quickly forget important details to important discussions.

…notes are a record of history.

And finally there is also one other very good reason to keep notes - court. Sadly some projects end up in court, so keeping a professional diary can work in your favour. Obviously this will depend on what country and/or jurisdiction you are operating in but your original notes can be considered documents produced during the course of the project and maybe considered admissible in court. If prepared correctly your notes can even be considered factual over that of a witness.

Is My Daily Log Admissible in Court?

If you’re working in a particularly litigious environment, seek legal advise on what information you have to keep and in what format. For example some of the following components maybe required to make a legally admissible paper-based daily log.

• Use a book style note book (so the page order is maintained)
• Start writing on a new page
• Identify names, date, time and topic of discussion
• Use the same pen throughout the entry
• Cross out empty space with a “z” line (so you can’t add further notes later)
• Sign or initialise and date bottom of page