Management Scholars Academy

Management Scholars Academy was a sponsor for SPICON 2010 annual conference of SPIN Chennai which was a well organized event by a set of dedicated SPIN volunteers. The theme this year was very timely – Operational Excellence for sustenance and growth. K.Dinesh co-founder of Infosys was the key note speaker. He shared his experiences at Infosys on persevering with the dream and the willingness to change to scale up and how the value system was established and communicated by the leaders by living the values themselves. Bala Balachandran from Kellog School of Management had the audience eat out of his hand with his crisp quotes and acronyms, timely jokes and very practical management advice.

This is a slight diversion. MS Academy decided to sponsor SPICON 2010 the annual conference of SPIN Chennai. My next tip to you – Research professional associations like SPIN Chennai, visit their websites and attend their monthly meetings and conferences to get the inside scoop on what’s happening in the industry. You can meet and network with individuals who could provide you with the key to your next job (-:)

Develop a solid business case for your project. Developing a business case will identify whether it is worth it. You should even consider if the project fits your personal strategy for career growth. But for the senior management your business case should

• Briefly describe the business issue that the recommended project would solve
• Describe the anticipated outcomes of implementing the project that addresses the business issue.

We said, tips to PM, right. Let’s begin to talk about projects. The first tip here is - See if the project you are asked to manage is worth it,  for your organization, that is. If the risks outweigh the rewards, and you can convince key stakeholders, try it. Be very objective here because your reputation is at stake.

The earlier you realize that it helps you, your self-esteem to thank others, the faster you can climb the management ladder. There will be times you will have to ask them to ‘get it done’. If you have thanked them every time in the past, they may not mind to ‘get it done’ for you.

But there is an even better way to build your self esteem – This is acquired taste – By being nice to others. It is easier than you think. Participate in a community event or teach someone a new tool or technique till he /she experiences the benefits of it fully. Tell me how you did this recently – Built your self esteem by helping others…

The first tip to you is  - Focus on your self esteem. If you are feeling good about yourself it will show in the way you look and speak and smile. Build your self esteem by doing something nice to yourself, once in a while – like buying a watch or a gadget that you will enjoy, not just use. What did you gift yourself recently?

Quality Management

PMBoK definition of Perform Quality Assurance:

Applying the planned systematic quality activities to ensure that the project employs all processes needed to meet requirements

The scene from Ramayana: