For those of you who don’t know me or haven’t been following what’s been going on with my life, I’m planning to move back to the Boston area after spending over two years in Austin, TX. While I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent in Texas, I always knew that I would eventually make it back [...]
After reading Seth Gottlieb’s Social Network Policy and seeing similar posts on the subject, I figured I’d come up with my own policy, particularly around how I update social networks. It’s a good response to those people who decide to unfollow me on Twitter (which doesn’t hurt my feelings so much) and to those who [...]
Team morale must never fade whenever something like this happens
Whenever a project ends abruptly and without closure, a project team that is fully invested emotionally and/or financially is going to suffer a hit to its members’ morale. As a stakeholder, you can’t prevent the team from having certain feelings or thoughts. What you can’t do [...]
Your stakeholders must understand and agree to the definition of and criteria for “sign-off.”
The “sign-off” is an important component of the project because it lets everyone know when something is in a state of completeness. How is this different from something actually being “complete”? The definition varies by your project methodology. On an iterative project, [...]
Your project methodology only works when everyone has bought into and understands it.
Whether you’re running a project using an iterative or waterfall methodology, it’s important that everyone involved in the project — those who manage the budget and those who are delivering it — knows what’s involved and how much time must be committed in [...]
After nine weeks of working on a project designing an e-commerce solution for my client in Nashville, the project team I was one was sent home with sign-off, a job well done, and best wishes. Unfortunately what we didn’t get was the chance to build the solution. In an uncertain economy and with a set [...]
A while back, I posted a question on Twitter about suggestions for sleep aids, and I received a surprising number of responses. Here’s the rundown:
Alcohol
According to this article, while alcohol is widely used as a sleep aid, it actually contributes to reduced, interrupted sleep. Admittedly, I’ve tried this technique with limited success, but I know [...]
As a frequent business traveler, I’ve managed to accrue a wealth of award points with various hotel chains, rental car agencies, credit card companies and airlines, which makes traveling for leisure more of a financial possibility, especially when it involves other people. Of course, these companies have some restrictions — blackout policies, extra fees — [...]
A friend and former colleague sent me a link to Hank William’s blog post that lent credence to Robert Scoble’s diatribe on why startup websites tend to suck, mainly because it was relevant to how he approaches marketing of his own startup projects.
The moral of the story is simple: In the simplest of terms, tell [...]
It’s no secret that I travel a lot — whether it’s for business or pleasure. Not bad for someone who was once petrified of flying at one point in his life. Over the years, I’ve learned how to be a better traveler; learning how to prepare for the flight, getting through security, and figuring out [...]