Project management is actually a carefully planned and organized effort which is set to accomplish a particular project in a one-time deal. Building construction, establishing businesses or implementing new computer systems are some of the more basic projects that call for proper project management. Project management includes the development of the intended project plan. This may seem simple yet it involves planning and organizing all the needed details for the successful implementation of the project. The process of project management commonly includes defining the goals of the project, setting project objectives, specifying tasks in order for goals to be achieved, the needed resources and budget, timelines and completion dates. Furthermore, proper project management includes implementing the project plan to make sure that each step is being properly followed. Highly organized would properly define a well-considered project management plan following carefully differentiated steps to complete the project. Feasibility studies would be the first step, followed by project planning then implementation, evaluation, and finally maintenance or support.

A lot of people have turned to project management due to its efficiency in meeting set objectives within the given budget without foregoing the importance of project completion within the given timeframe.

The Roots of Project Management

It is innate for humans to plan things. This may be one of the reasons why planning seems as natural as the more basic processes in life, especially when planning for the future.

More complex project management was apparent as early as the onset of the great civilizations. The Egyptians surely made use of proper project management when they built the pyramids evidenced by the artifacts found later on. This may well be the basis behind the more structured project management that we now know. At present, every industry employs project managers for the successful execution of projects. The efficiency that includes maximizing all possible resources is optimized by the presence of a project management arm.

By: Thomas Morva

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Any successful project needs a project manager who is fully aware of what it takes to embark upon the completion of a project. A successful project manager should hence be experienced, and knowledgeable about certain unwritten regulations to ensure his stature as a good project manager. If you are interested in finding out what those 10 rules are, read on.

Primarily, you should be able to communicate with people in your organisation in a comfortable manner. Remember, communication is the key to getting anywhere. If, your team is able to communicate with you effectively, and you with them, that means your project will run smoothly without any miscommunication. By learning to speak publicly, you can enhance your ability to communicate with people successfully in any tier of your organisation.

Learn how to solve problems in a confident manner. Do not shy away from difficult situations; it will not gain you any points from anyone. Instead, try meeting difficulties head on, even if you fail. At least you tried. Be confident in your ability to manage any roadblocks along the way, and nine times out of ten, you will get the work done.

You should also hold regular team meetings to be up-to-date about the project progress. A team meeting also allows team members to collectively collaborate on new ideas, and interact with each other in a manner that improves team morale, and trust. It is essential that you time yourself. Time management is of the utmost importance whether it is planning the project, or implementing it. Try being more productive and efficient, this would allow you to spend less time on more things.

Do not be afraid to delegate in between your team members; your project is a team effort. Assigning different tasks to other team members would allow them to have a say in the project as well as to get the work done in a more timely and efficient manner. Delegating ensures that the ideal person for a particular task gets to handle it as well.

You should also keep a strict record of every process, and task that goes about while the project is in progress. Use project management software to make it easier for you. Keeping a record of your practices will allow you to understand what is being done, and will alert you to any errors along the way.

For a project manager, decision making must come naturally. You need to be strong- willed when taking decisions. Know that sometimes your decisions may go against what some people want, and may make them unhappy. However, if it is something you feel will prove beneficial for your project, go ahead with your decision.

You can also stay in touch with other project managers, and get an idea about how things work. Knowing about other projects might help you iron out any errors in yours. To be able to do the job well, you need to utilise what comes your way. It is a good practice to praise your team on its accomplishments, no matter how small it is. A good project manager should also know how to formally kickoff, and close a project. A lot of work goes behind project management systems, and thus all the stakeholders, and team members, including you, should be acknowledged to boost the level of confidence and good will in each individual.

By: John J Nash

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Project Management Resources

Every company irrespective of its size, type of business it is involved in, or its culture has been from early times involved in project management. However, in last 10 to 15 years, project management has been taken as a separate task and occupation by businesspersons. Now a firm appoints a project manager who is liable to tasks and functions that lie in his vicinity of job specifications.

Let it be an IT firm, manufacturing firm or an architecture firm, each of these requires a project manager to be responsible for the entire project itself, which obviously is inclusive of the project’s inauguration, planning, execution, and finally the closure.

Putting this in other words, the project manager is ultimately responsible and liable for the overall accomplishment of the project itself and will be accountable for ensuring any objectives or goals that are predetermined in order to complete the project as and when desired by the organisation.

A project manager needs to posses a variety of qualities if he is to successfully attain his goals and gain respect as a project manager. He is accountable for resource planning and developing schedules. Cost, time, and budget estimation are also his areas to cover. He should be able to solve interpersonal conflicts, detect any undeclared assumption, ask penetrating questions, and be emphatic, competent, and enthusiastic.

He need to be good at communication, should have vision, integrity, team building and problem solving skills. The tasks that a project manager needs to accomplish are complicated at times. These involved ensuring that the entire project meets the budget requirements and time deadlines. A company can lose significant clients if the project specifications are unmet and hence lose prospect profit, not to forget the reputation and image it has created over years in the market.

A project manager has to actively define, plan, and create and manage the sequence of activities. He should be able to satisfy task, team and individual needs. The task needs involve planning and achieving team objectives, defining and allocating tasks, and resources, assigning responsibilities to various employees, quality monitoring, and controlling combined with checking performances.

In order to fulfil team needs, the project manager should ensure maintaining the team spirit and uplifting it at critical times, appointing secondary leaders to equally distribute responsibility and to assure timely completion of targets. He should set achievable standards and maintain regulation, develop effective communication system and coordination. Lastly, he should be able to conform appropriately to the individual needs, which include developing individuals emotionally and professionally, creating balance amongst all needs, and finding ways for performance appreciation and rewards.

It’s the responsibility of the project manager to take all team members that are assigned by the company to a project, and work with them hand in hand. He should know that all individuals need to be tackled differently and hence he should behave in a way to get the maximum output from everyone with the standardized time limits. However, a project manager cannot carry out his job efficiently and effectively unless he is provided with the required authority by the senior management.

By: John J Nash

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You have worked hard at your job, and your education and experience is golden to you. But experience is also what you need to land the perfect position at your favorite company.

A career in Project Management is a fulfilling one and can bring many years of joy by sharing with others the skills that you know.

If you are looking to create a resume that will guarantee a call back or even if you just want to tweak your present resume, here a few tips and suggestions into making your resume stand out.

First off, be sure to eliminate all wording in your resume that you don’t need, try to stay away from using too many slang and fluffy words that only tend to fill in the gaps and steer around the point. You want to make a strong statement that you mean business and you really want this job. Stick to action verbs that will announce and speak for you on your behalf. You need to set it up so that the resume is going in place of you and taking your spot in that chair, basically make your resume talk for you.

At the top of the page you will want to briefly summarize your skills and what you have to offer the employer, this is a very important piece of the resume if not the most important part, make sure you are brief and straight to the point!

Make sure to compliment yourself and your skills, for example use keywords and turn them into statements that can easily sum everything up in one sentence such as- Over seven years of experience in implementing, developing and managing complex projects with the ability to meet deadlines and time constraints with ease and accuracy.

Use some bullets to highlight your skills related to the position such as; I have coordinated benefits for the transfer of employees and new hires, proficient with home marketing, budget planning, permanent housing, temporary housing, home sale buyouts, tax assistance and expenses reimbursements. My years education and on the job success will bring fresh ideas and trusted experience to your company.

Always stick to a generalized type face such as Arial or Times New Roman. Keep your font size to 10 or 12. You can use 10 for the body of the resume and the introduction, and if you please use a slightly larger size for the header which will include your name, address, phone number, email address and any other contact information. This will provide an easy view if the employer needs to look at the resume at a glance.

Always make sure you proofread and even have a trusted secretary thoroughly look over your completed resume. As much as you think things have turned out perfect, someone else can always locate a simple mistake, and lets face it, we all make them.

You wont have another chance to make this impression again. So make it sparkle and shine!

By: Jay Tokarz

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Project Management Tools

I’ve been in various IT leadership roles since I started my career over 20 years ago and there is nothing quite as challenging, or as rewarding, as being a Project Manager. As well as all the very important technical skills a Project Manager needs such as the ability to build a schedule and budget and track to them, understand the delivery lifecycle, and report status, a Project Manager needs to be a negotiator, a team builder, a collaborator, an influencer, and an innovator. These roles require leadership skills of the highest caliber. It is this combination of technical management and leadership ability that makes the role so challenging.

So why is this? The problem is that it’s rarely the case that the Project Manager has a clear scope, a team that he manages directly, no issues, and no-one external to the project with whom he needs to influence or negotiate. Project Managers are typically required to operate in a matrix environment, where they have little or no control over resources, timelines, or deliverables. They are likely to spend a considerable amount of time negotiating for more resources, trying to influence stakeholders to nail down the scope and deliverables, and trying to find innovative ways to deliver according to a tight, often time-boxed, schedule. In the midst of all this, they need to be role models to keep the team members engaged and leaders who can effectively navigate different types of people from the variety of organizations with which they must interact. This is no small feat for a Project Manager of a small project, let alone a larger multi-million dollar IT project that is typical of today.

How, then, can Project Managers find help and support on their career journeys, ones that often turns into journeys of self discovery and self growth? There are many courses to teach specific techniques for managing a project, and there is the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional (PMP) credential. There are also many Project Management leadership courses with topics such as team building, collaboration, and negotiation. Though these courses are invaluable to developing technical and leadership skills, Executive Coaching is also invaluable to Project Managers as they find themselves in increasingly complex and stressful environments, and as they strive to institutionalize new learnings.

So how can Executive Coaching help? The Executive Coach (who may be either hired directly by the individual or by the Project Manager’s employer) will start by understanding the client’s goals. This will form the basis of the Coaching Agenda – the key goals that will be worked on over a period of time, including guiding the Project Manager to define what ’success’ will look like. For the purposes of this article I am going to assume that the Coaching Agenda is based on the goal of improving a Project Manager’s leadership skills, in the following four areas:

* Increased level of self awareness
* Improved ability to negotiate and collaborate with stakeholders
* Increased courage and confidence to challenge and innovate
* Improved ability to manage conflict

The Executive Coach will take the Project Manager through a journey of self discovery and development, in order to improve their overall leadership skills, and enhance their effectiveness.

Self Awareness

One of the first things an Executive Coach can do is help their clients identify and increase their level of self awareness. Daniel Goleman popularized the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the 1980s and 1990s, one critical component of which is self awareness. There are many assessment tools that can be used to help Project Managers understand their level of emotional intelligence and self awareness. Such an assessment provides opportunities for one to achieve a greater level of self understanding, an enhanced ability to self regulate, an understanding of motivation, and an increased level of empathy and social skills. This can help Project Managers obtain an accurate picture of the phase of leadership development they are in, as well as identify areas that need to be addressed. Executive Coaches will help facilitate and interpret Emotional Intelligence assessments so that the information can be assimilated and action plans put into place to support the overall goal.

Negotiation and Collaboration

Having established a starting point of self understanding, another critical skill for a Project Manager to strive for is the ability to obtain positive results from different people, in a variety of teams, with potentially very different styles. I had a boss that called this ’style width’, meaning the ability to understand the style and motivation of the person you are dealing with, and to modify your own style in accordance with that, to get a more positive outcome for everyone. Using the foundation from the EI assessment, an Executive Coach can take the Project Manager further in understanding his or her own ability to stretch their style in negotiating with others.

Another way to improve the Project Manager’s ability to negotiate is through tools such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Not only does this deepen our understanding of our own styles, but also about enhances our ability to recognize different styles in others. I once attended a Project Management class on negotiation with a team of Project Managers that I led, during which an MBTI assessment for each person was performed. It was enlightening for us to see the various types in the group and effective in helping us use the results of the assessment to find different methods and language in working with others in the organization. The net result was that all of us improved our ability to negotiate and collaborate with other people and groups.

The data gathered in such tools can form the basis of a personal development plan to enhance negotiation and collaboration skills. Executive Coaches operate as Thought Partners to talk through ideas and approaches, help identify obstacles and blind spots and provide support and feedback while the client tests and refines techniques over an extended period. In some circumstances an Executive Coach may have the opportunity to observe the client in action as the client puts the new techniques into practice in the work place. The Coach will then provide constructive feedback in a non-threatening, non-judgmental, safe environment. This process will allow the client to move from the starting point of self understanding, through increased self development and improvement in his or her leadership skills.

Courage and Confidence

Two important characteristics of being a successful leader are courage and confidence. This can be illustrated in numerous forms… risking an innovative approach in order to meet a tight deadline, pushing back assertively and appropriately when a Business Sponsor attempts to increase project scope, negotiating with another possibly difficult part of the organization in order to obtain resources and tools that the project needs. An Executive Coach will assume the role of Trusted Advisor and Thought Partner as the Project Manager continues to develop these characteristics, and guide the Project Manager as he or she tries various new techniques.

One technique that can be particularly helpful is Appreciative Inquiry (AI). AI can be used at either the organizational or individual level and is the process of carrying strengths and positive experiences from the past into the present and future in order to bring about positive transformational change. This reminds me of the ‘Lessons Learned’ process that Project Managers implement with the very crucial exception that the sole focus of AI is on what worked well, how we can do more of that in the future, and how we can implement a more positive culture moving forward.

An Executive Coach helps Project Managers apply this process to themselves, using a series of visualization exercises to identify peak experiences from the past. As part of this, the Project Manager will identify the strengths that were used in those peak experiences, and how they might be used in the present and future. This focus on strengths results in a significant increase in a client’s confidence. It can also be combined with another assessment tool, ‘Strengthsfinder’, based on the book by Tom Rath. The premise is that it is much easier to do more of our strengths than it is to ‘fix’ our weaknesses, and so a person’s top 5 strengths are identified out of a possible 34. Combined with AI, this is a very powerful technique in building a Project Manager’s courage and confidence. An Executive Coach will guide the Project Manager through the process, helping define action plans for designing and sustaining change for the future. An Executive Coach will work with the Project Manager to tie these techniques into the established coaching agenda and support them as they use them to meet their development and project goals.

Managing Conflict

Managing conflict is another challenge for Project Managers. Matrix projects can result in conflict just by the very nature of the organization structure. Add to that the natural tendency of any team to experience conflict at some point, and skill in conflict management becomes critical to a Project Manager’s success. Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) is a particularly helpful assessment tool in that one aspect of it looks at how people operate under conflict. This can be invaluable in identifying not only our own style under conflict, but also the styles of others. An Executive Coach can then help a client understand the effective use of different language or behavior in order to navigate through conflict to obtain a more positive outcome. In another project management class that my Project Managers and I attended, this tool was used to help us identify our three stage ‘conflict sequence’, i.e., the stages in which we react to conflict. It is much easier to resolve conflict when a) we can resolve it in the initial stage before the conflict becomes too deep and b) when we understand the conflict sequence of the people we are dealing with. Some of us predicted our conflict sequences; others were surprised. All of us learned a new way to communicate under conflict, and all of us achieved better resolutions as a result.

So in summary, what is in it for a Project Manager who works with an Executive Coach? The relationship between Executive Coach and Project Manager is lasting, and so the Coach can help a Project Manager use the training that they have been through, and the data gathered by using assessment tools, to bring about sustainable changes to meet their goals. The Coach can empower a Project Manager to grow from someone who has the technical skills to manage a schedule and budget, to a strong leader who delivers successful projects not only using technical skills, but also their newly honed collaboration, negotiation, influencing skills, with a confidence that allows others to recognize him or her as a true leader. The Executive Coach will keep the client aligned with the overall coaching agenda, as well as support the client in institutionalizing the changes over time. As the learning becomes sustained, the challenges of project management lessen and the rewards increase.

By: Karen Davey-Winter

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Project Management Templates

If you’re currently searching for promotional gifts then the chances are that you have been given the dubious honour of organizing a corporate event. Promotional gifts will make an impact at any company event, from a conference to a meeting, a presentation or party.

To make your life that little bit easier, this list of ten corporate event essentials will make sure your event goes off with a bang.

1. Venue – be clear about your event objectives and match the venue. Ask the venue to suggest options and ideas – they know their venue best.

2. Consider venues other than hotels, sometimes an unusual venue can make an event (such as a private house, stately home, museum or club) and you can often get very good rates.

3. Lighting – try to use natural light during the day and softer lighting in the evening but also consider if delegates will need to read material.

4. Test AV equipment before the event.

5. Allow time for late arrivers – it does happen.

6. Try to make Wi-Fi available especially during day events.

7. Remember attention spans are very short – make sure there’s plenty of refreshments and breaks.

8. Try to change pace and mood throughout the event; informal discussion periods, time for networking, or speakers or presentations.

9. Get to know the staff at the venue – this will help ensure the day runs smoothly and staff will be more willing to help if there are any problems on the day.

10. And don’t forget the promotional promotional gifts. Promotional gifts are an effective way of marketing your company and enhancing your brand, so they are an essential part of any corporate event.

For more information visit http://www.promotional-gifts-co.com.

By: Alan J Grainger

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Project Management Tools

The success of any project manager is depends upon the way he utilizes time and the available resources. For that purpose the project manager should be trained enough and he should be able to meet deadlines. The training plays a considerable role in handling the projects efficiently. Therefore proper training is needed for project management. It can be done only if the manger has understood fully the project management templates, tools and the methodology of the projects.

Now the question is why project management templates and tools are required. The answer you can get here is as you know that time is too precious and it should be utilized properly. With the help of project management tools you can get quick results and can save time and cost. You can get these templates on affordable price and very much flexible in nature as these are compatible with older versions also. These templates are designed professionally and easy to use. It allows you to create detailed documentation, complete with tables, graphs, and charts to analyze project data.

If you are spending hours for searching templates on internet it will be a time consuming process and you would not be able to meet the deadlines. There are lots of project management templates and forms which can make your work trouble-free with quick and simple installation. These templates can offers you benefits in the initial stage to start up a new project in making project checklist and SWOT analysis. Not only in initial stage to start up a new project but it benefits you in execution and planning by analyzing the risk factor, training plan, resource planning and so on.

If you make best use of these tools and manage these properly your project is most likely to run smoother and will achieve its target.

By: John Steve Jacob

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Project Management Resources

Generally, the project manager is responsible for the overall accomplishment of the project, and accountable for ensuring objectives of the project’s assignment.

One foremost responsibility of the project manager is; the very project itself.

The person who takes this ultimate responsibility and guarantees for the desired result to be achieved on time, and within budget is the Project Manager. And his job is to coordinate a project from initiation to completion; using maximum utilization of project management tools, techniques, experience, creativity, and management skills, to reach the predetermined objectives.

In a project as a Role his “Leadership quality” and as a Skill his “Management excellence” is accredited. The role a project manager performs is in many ways similar to those performed by other operation managers; however there are some important differences; as Project managers have a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels and are often “generalists” differentiating themselves from an operational type role to one whom specialized in the respective areas of management. In addition, project managers play specific roles to facilitate the project team rather than supervising them.

Role of the Project Manager:

As a role, project managers must satisfy these sets of needs:

Task Needs + Team Needs + Individual Needs

The project manager role; he should meet his “Task Needs” as follows;

Attaining team objectives Planning work Allocating resources Defining tasks Assigning responsibility Controlling and monitoring quality Scrutinizing progress Checking performance

The project manager role; he should meet his “Team Needs” as follows:

Appointing secondary leaders Building and upholding team sprit Setting standards and maintaining regulation Training the team Setting up systems to facilitate communication with the team Developing work methods to craft team function cohesiveness

The project manager role; he should meet his “Individual Needs” as follows:

Developing the individual Balancing team needs and task needs Balancing team needs and individual needs Performance appreciation and rewards Helping with other team members personal problems
Skills for Project Manager:

Furthermore, in order for an effective project manager, he needs the following core skills;

Leadership skill to arouse action, progress, and change. Contractual skills to organize subcontractors. Legal knowledge. Evaluation of alternatives and ability for decision making. Planning and controlling for necessary counteractive measures. Financial familiarity for budget risk management. High communication skills. Negotiating abilities. People management to motivate them towards the project goal. System designing and maintenance.

Overall, a project manager has responsibilities from the beginning of project initiation, planning, controlling, and executing to both management and to the project team. A project manager must steer his project towards the bigger picture and be responsible for the job, a project manager must be experienced, committed, dependable and flexible, as his position remains in the nucleus of the system and success and failure centralizes on the project manager’s shoulders.

By: Bharat Bista

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Project Management Tools

I have worked with and managed project managers over many years. Based on my own observations of what I did or did not do well on my projects, and similar observations about other project managers on their projects, I offer my assessment of the top 5 skills of good project managers:

1. Attention to Achieving the Project Goals – In many types of projects, especially technology projects, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the details and the technology and lose sight of the business goals. The focus of the team and the project shifts to a technology goal – for example, building an XYZ system -?instead of?the goal of?solving the business problem. When that happens the resulting system may not meet all of the business expectations.

The project manager and the team need to clearly understand the business goals before detailed planning and work starts on the project. Then, the project manager needs to remind the regularly about the goals and how the project work relates to those goals.

2. Attention to Details – Probably the most-cited skill for project managers is attention to detail, and rightfully so. Projects of any size have hundreds and thousands of little details that must be attended to at the right time and in the right way throughout the course of the project. That’s why senior managers should not manage projects… They are supposed to deal with the big picture, not the details.

It is?not the job of the project manager to handle every detail, but it is the project manager’s job to remind the team or ask the team about the details of the tasks they are doing.

3. Communication and Coordination with the Team – The planning and execution of the project is done in the day-by-day, week-by-week grunt work of the project. And it’s done by the project manager working directly with the team to make it all happen… communicating and coordinating about their activities, the dependencies between the activities, the amounts of time to get the activities done, the issues that must be resolved, and so on.

Daily communication and coordination is the core of managing the project. It requires good organization and good people and verbal communication skills.

4. Problem Solving and Communication outside the Team – General problem solving is an important project manager skill because problems and roadblocks must be dealt with frequently. In most business projects, it usually means finding the persons outside of the team whom the project manager or team must work with and taking the appropriate steps to get the problem resolved. It may mean going up the management ladder to escalate the problem and get the necessary attention, prioritization, and resources directed toward the problem.

This particular skill set also involves communicating regular status to management about the progress of the project and issues that might be impacting work results, schedule, budget, etc. It requires excellent people and verbal communication skills and good written communication skills as well.

5. Customer Relationship Management – In business projects, it is important that the project manager maintain a good working relationship with the customer, whether the customer is external or internal. Managing the customer’s expectations is a key part of this – not in a manipulative way, but in an honest and relatively open way. The customer needs to know what is realistic in developing the product and what is not, and customers always like to be kept informed about how the project is going and whether you, as the project manager, are responding to issues in the most effective way.

Managing the customer relationship also involves communication with management – keeping them informed about project issues, whether the customer is happy and quiet or unhappy and likely to escalate. Like several others, this area of performance obviously requires good people and communication skills too, as well as good issues management, which is all about tracking customer issues and managing them to the satisfaction of the customer.

Bottom-Line: There are many skills that a project manager must have, but if he or she does these five well, their probability of success with most projects will be high.

By: Raymond Posch

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Project Management Resources

Project management, at its core, is all about leadership and control. If you are going to manage a major project, you need to be a strong leader, and you must do whatever it takes to stay in control – to know the details and the big picture, to have the answers when people need them, and to make correct decisions quickly.

Recently, I was able to project manage two major undertakings: The creation of my new information product, and the construction of a 5 room, 1200 square foot of addition to our basement. Oddly, despite the two projects being completely different, the management of them was actually quite similar. In this article, I will share the 4 of the biggest project management lessons to learn.

Lesson 1 – You can’t do it alone

Clearly, adding 1200 sq ft of living space is a major undertaking, and one that few would attempt to tackle alone. But, while the creation of an information project is just as daunting, many entrepreneurs somehow get caught up in the idea that they can do it all alone. The first lesson to learn is to simply get that idea our of your head. Trust me – you are going to need help, and if you are smart, you will enlist the help of anyone and everyone that can add value to the final result.

Lesson 2 – Stay in control of your vision

The lesson here is to make sure that you stay true to your own vision. When you are working with outside people, it’s easy to be swayed by other opinions. When I mentioned the work we were doing in the basement, it was shocking how many people instantly “knew” exactly what we should do and how to do it. While I listened politely to each opinion, in the end the rule was simple: My basement. My vision. My rules.

When I created my Fiction Secrets for Dominant Marketing course, the same idea applied. Lot’s of people “knew” what I should do. But at the end of the day, it’s my name that goes on the course, and it’s my vision that will come to life.

Lesson 3 – Plan with the end in mind

Sure, this sounds like the old Stephen Covey cliché, but it’s true. I could not start the design of either the basement project or the Fiction Secrets project without having a 100% clear plan for how the end result would be used. What did we need the extra rooms in the basement to accomplish? And what did I want my students to learn from the course? Only when I could answer those two questions did I begin the next phase of planning.

Lesson 4 – See your vision: simulate

One of the first things I bought when I began to design the basement was a 3D architecture program that would allow simulated walkthroughs of the space we designed. I spent an entire weekend entering the dimensions of each wall in the house, and learning to place walls, plumbing and electrical. The results were spectacular. Being able to see each change in 3D helped my wife and I quickly discard several potential designs before choosing the perfect setup.

Similarly, my Fiction Secrets course went through a simulated edition where I created book covers, CD covers and video screens to “see” what the final product would look like in the hands of my students.

By: Kevin Franz

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Project Management Templates