Why rock? And why one at a time?
For over 25 years I’ve been involved in project management. I’ve been a bar tender, sailing instructor, camp counselor, advertising sales person, event planner, hitch hiker, store manager, and now online (and offline) marketing / eCommerce consultant. What? I hear some lout at the back asking, “what the heck has any of that got to do with project management?”
Prepare, Grasshopper, to be enlightened.
noun |ˈpräjˌekt; -ikt ˈmanijmənt : Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of the particular project. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to achieve a particular aim.
Whoa! So project management fits about everything we do, from serving a drink to executing a $200k marketing plan. < lout takes a seat > “Mmm, so how does this site help Joe Schmo and I to get what we want i.e. ‘achieving a particular aim?'”
Great question! Often in client ‘pitch’ meetings, when I’m after a new project a client will ask, “So why should I pick your company over the competition?”. My answer is pretty basic. “Our passionate application of knowledge, common sense; and expertise will ensure you achieve your business goals”.
Sounds like project management being done the right way! So what is the right way?
The approach in getting to my client’s goals is simple. “One Rock at a Time”!
Issues, problems, road blocks, whatever stops a project being executed well, are normally results of bad planning, bad strategy, and bad time management.
It’s like if someone asked you to move a mountain 10 feet to the left, and you then proceeded to spend 300 million bucks and 3 years planning how to jack the mountain up, roll a helluva big trailor under it and hire a fleet of trucks to pull it. Meanwhile, a thoughful chap has employed 100,000 folks to each grab a rock, walk 10 feet, and drop it!
Big projects don’t necessarily need big ideas, they just need vision, and an intelligent application of the right resources.
And so back to project management. It’s what I do, and it’s what I do well. No matter if it’s a Mai Tai, a round the harbor sailboat race or a Search Engine Marketing campaign with (or working for) a major US company, I’ll get the job done, on budget and on schedule.
How? I’m glad you asked… one rock at a time of course 🙂