#PMChat

Description:   From the website – “Podio users create workspaces to collaborate with specific groups of people, use an Employee Network for company-wide communication across departments and locations, and get their work done using Podio Apps. Anyone can build their own Podio Apps without any technical skills, and can choose from hundreds of readily available, free apps in Podio’s App Market. These apps add structure to any business process or project and are connected to social, collaborative activity streams used for commenting and discussion… What really sets Podio apart is how it puts people in control of their work tools, rather than the other way around…”Podio supports these broad functions:  Project Managment Social Intranet Collaboration Product Development CRM & Lead Management Recruiting Event Management The free version supports up to 5 employees, 5 external workers, unlimited workspaces, unlimited apps , and much more.    Link:     https://company.podio.com/product Publisher: Podio (recently become part of Citrix) –  https://company.podio.com/about What Publisher is Selling:   Additional services, workspaces, and apps beyond the base number of 5 employees/5 external workers, etc. provided in the free version. (Students and non-profits may be provided special sponsorship. Read More »

———————- EDITOR’S NOTE & WARNING: With this post  I broke my own rule about profiling only freebies that could be used on an unlimited basis.  Truth is, to use these PM freebies you will need to 1) Download a free trial version of AEC Software’s FastTrack Schedule 10 and, 2) use the free templates before the software trial period expires (21 days) . While I normally wouldn’t call something a true “freebie” when it expires so quickly, I decided that this robust-looking list of industry-specific PM templates may very well provide many new project managers with lots of good insights and technical information regarding unique project structures, best practices, and so on. Given the potential value, I decided that the “expiration” trade-off may be well worth it to some folks. My recommendation: Check out the list of free templates for yourself and see if there’s something here you can use. But remember these downloads will vanish in 3 weeks unless you purchase the software. Read More »

Description:   This is a great collection of models and problem-solving approaches that can provide you with that “outside the box” perspective  that is so important when conceptualizing an appropriate project strategy. Each of these visually-appearing listings is presented as a summary graphic that is typically supported by additional explanatory documentation in PDF or web-page form. The models/approaches include: Change Acceptance Cycle The Solution Engineering Process Ben Franklin Decision Making Job Aid Performance Ecosystem The El Paso Problem Solving Model Six Major Theories of Motivation Organizational Analysis Model … and MANY more! Link:    http://www.nickols.us/toolroom.html Publisher: Fred Nickols’ Distance Consulting   website:   http://www.nickols.us/index.htm What Publisher is Selling:   In a nutshell, Fred sells all sorts of management consulting services. His site explains, “ I am available for presentations, workshops and consulting.  I am particularly interested in helping you make use of the Solution Engineering Process and the Target (GAP-ACT) Model.” Read More »

Description:   This classic article from the 1959  Harvard Business Review provides a fascinating look at the roots of PM. In particular, it illustrates PM’s seminal role in “advanced technology” initiatives. From the free PDF: This article will consider those functions of management which receive special emphasis in advanced-technology industry: • What does a project manager in advanced technology industry do? • What kind of man must he be? • What training is prerequisite for success?” Link to classic article in PDF form:   http://www.nickols.us/ThePM.pdf Publisher:   Initially published by Harvard Business School Publishing ,  it has been archived and made available by Fred Nickols’ Distance Consulting website:   http://www.nickols.us/index.htm What Publisher is Selling:   In a nutshell, Fred sells all sorts of management consulting services. His site explains, “ I am available for presentations, workshops and consulting.  I am particularly interested in helping you make use of the Solution Engineering Process and the Target (GAP-ACT) Model.” Read More »

Description:   This tight little 3 1/2 minute video focuses on one question: What’s the most appropriate time to use a simple “To Do List” versus a formal Project Plan? Link to video:   http://www.projectmanager.com/using-to-do-lists-versus-project-plans-2.php Publisher:     ProjectManager.com website What Publisher is Selling:    From the website –  “We were founded in 2008 by 3 guys who wanted to create a better toolset for managing projects. In just 12 months of going live, we grew to 25 staff and a healthy revenue stream. We now have customers in more than 100 countries and we’re one of the fastest project management service providers on the net, with our customer base doubling every 8 weeks. More than 70% of our customers are based in the USA with organizations like NASA, United Nations, Boeing and Volvo all managing projects on our platform.” Read More »