We Need Practical Stuff!

I have discovered in working with various economic development organizations that there is a need for practical advice on how to confront and manage the issues economic developers confront in their work. Time management, project planning and management, dealing with career issues, and many other very practical concerns are on the minds of economic developers.

ED Futures will try to provide some help in this area in the future. We have posted a series of "practical tip" articles from other fields that apply to the economic development world.

Hopefully this information will help.

What are you looking for? Let us know.

ED Futures: dtia@don-iannone.com.

Project Management Tips for Economic Developers

Economic developers live in the world of project planning and management. Everything in the economic development world is a "project."

Here are 25 useful project management tips from the American Management Association that can ease your pain of project planning and management:

1. Develop a team consensus on the nature of the problem. Otherwise, you can develop the right solution to the wrong problem or wind up with paralyzing bickering about goals.

2. Remember and follow the mission statement throughout the course of the project.

3. Develop a project strategy that will meet all project objectives.

4. Check back periodically to make sure the project stays within the original scope of work.

5. Determine milestones and benchmarks: the desired outcome, obstacles to achieving it, guidelines that will let you know you have achieved the desired result.

6. Get buy-in from all stakeholders on a project to avoid running into conflicts of interest later on.

7. Choose the right people for the project team—people who bring insights and information to the effort, not only available to work on the team.

8. Work as a team. If all members of a team operate individually, the end product will be as disjointed as the team was.

9. Be realistic about the number of projects your organization can undertake and the goals set.

10. Plan the project by answering questions: what must be done, by whom, for how much, how, when, etc.

11. Brainstorm solution options, then choose the most suitable choice based on parameters set early on (e.g., based on cost, time, goals).

12. Negotiate for scarce resources.

13. Have a deliverable at each major project milestone so that progress can be measured more easily.

14. Qualify estimates, specifying any factors that might affect their validity.

15. Don't schedule any task with a duration greater than four to six weeks—subdivide longer tasks to monitor progress.

16. Continually ask questions. The more you ask, the more you'll discover how to solve problems or uncover issues about what's needed versus what's been defined.

17. Avoid the temptation to perfect everything—that's what the next generation product or service is all about.

18. Keep float or extra time in reserve in case of unexpected problems or bad estimates.

19. Do whatever you can to keep critical tasks on schedule-a slip up here can stall the entire project.

20. Be alert to roadblocks and be very pro-active, not reactive, to help project members complete their tasks.

21. Consider co-locating team members on critical tasks so that they aren't constantly being pulled off to do other jobs.

22. Identify team members who will champion various parts of the project management process.

23. Don't let project members wait until the latest possible start time to begin tasks. Then, when problems occur, there is no float left and they wind up missing the end take.

24. Remember the Triple Constraint: to complete the project at cost, on time, and in keeping with the scope set and customer expectations.

25. Do a post mortem review of projects—review both group dynamics and task implementation.

More here.

Some Blogging Tips

A few economic developers have asked me if they should start a blog. My response is always the same: Only do it if you plan to keep your blog up-t0-date. Others have asked me how they can work blogging into their busy schedules. Those concerned about the time it takes to blog might find these tips from About.com to be useful:

1) Blog in Small Chunks.
Often, big ideas can stop you from blogging. After all, big ideas take time to organize and to clarify. So, instead of blogging about your big ideas in one go, just try to blog one simple point at a time.

2) Blog the Way You Talk.
When you try to sound clever, intelligent or funny in your blog and it's not really your style, then blogging will feel like a chore. So, forget what you think blogging should be like and just do things your way.

3) Get an Aggregator.
Blog hopping (going from blog to the next) can be very time consuming. Although this may be a great way to pass some idle moments, when you're reading blogs for a purpose (e.g., looking for material to blog about), then it's not the most efficient way to find content.

That's why aggregators are great!
More:
Setting Up Blog Readers
List of Aggregators

4) Schedule Your Blogging.
Whenever you "run out of time" for something, it's usually because you did not prioritize that activity in your schedule. That's why if you wish to find the right time to blog, it's best to schedule it. For example, if you told yourself that you wish to blog at least 1-2 times a week, then you might want to give yourself specific days and/or times for a 20-30 minute blogging session.

5) Take Note of Your Blog Ideas.
Let's face it. Finding ideas to blog about isn't always easy. That's why when you do have ideas that you wish to explore in your blog, make sure that you list them down. This way, you will always have a place to check when you have no idea what to blog about.

More:

What Do I Blog About?
Ten Ways To Create Content For Your Weblog

6) Use Blog Tools for More Effective Blogging.
Desktop clients, blogmarks, and mobile blogging tools are just some of the additional blogging tools that you can use to help you save time when you blog.

More here.

Economic Developer's Professional SWOT Analysis

Every once in a while, we need to take stock of our professional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. After all, we do this for our communities regularly. Right?

Click here to download a simple worksheet you can use to start yourself thinking about how you stack up on the personal/professional level.

By the way, as you complete this simple SWOT analysis, don't forget to give some thought to your personal qualities as well as your professional ones. The two work together!

This could be helpful to you, especially if you are entering a career opportunity search mode.

Dealing with Difficult Clients

Everybody works for somebody so everyone has "clients" they work for. Economic developers work for business prospects and representatives of geographic areas. Consultants like myself work for economic development organizations that represent geographic areas.

Ever had an especially difficult client? Everyone has. Here are some tips to bear in mind in dealing with clients that give you heartburn.

1. Don't take it personal.

There is one thing that many difficult clients have in common. They sometimes try to attack you on a personal level by instilling guilt or making you feel inadequate. Often it's subtle.

2. Don't overdo the “customer (client) is always right” concept.

You should always try to accommodate a client within reason, but do not allow that concept to go too far.

3. Realize it isn't always your problem.

Sometimes people just have a bad day and are looking for someone to take it out on. If you listen to their ranting and raving, then respond kindly telling them you understand their frustration and you want to work with them to come to a resolution, you will often diffuse the anger and uncover the rational human being beneath it.

4. Don't fall for fear invoking bluffs.

I will take my business elsewhere. Heard that one? Sure you have. Often it's a subtle threat, but a threat no less. If you know you are right, stand your ground.

5. Be prepared to decide whether or not a client relationship is worth salvaging

You've heard it said that one happy customer tells one person about your business while an unhappy customer will tell 10 or more. Word of mouth can be the best or the worst exposure for your organization. This is the very basis of the “the customer is always right” concept. Of course it is best to salvage a customer relationship if you can, but again, do so within reason.

Just some points to keep in mind if you encounter an especially tough client.

Is a Messy Office Hazardous to Your Career?

Some believe a cluttered desk makes a bad impression, others feel that it's a sign of a creative mind. What do bosses think?

By Anne Fisher, CNN FORTUNE senior writer
March 27, 2006
[REPRINT]

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - Dear Annie: Please settle an argument. A co-worker (and friend) of mine says that my messy cubicle makes a bad impression on our boss. I say, who cares whether my office looks as if a hurricane blew through it, as long as I get my work done? Who is right? --Pigpen

Dear Pigpen: Well, personally, I've always subscribed to the old maxim, "A clean desk is the sign of an empty mind." But according to Christine Reiter, a productivity specialist at Corporate Coaching International in Pasadena, Calif., I am wrong, and your friend has a point.

"People often don't realize that piles of paper, boxes in corners, and stacks of stuff behind the office door can affect one's upward mobility," she says. "Appearances are important."

Why? "Your office is a reflection of your capabilities," Reiter says. "Even though a messy desk isn't a sign of a character flaw, it does tend to give your managers and peers the impression that the job is too much for you to handle, you can't make decisions, you are not doing the job, or all of the above."

Okay, then. Time to tidy up.

If your cubicle is truly a disaster area and you're at a loss as to where to get started, consider these tips:

Store the information and materials you use most often within easy reach -- perhaps in your right-hand desk drawer.

Put things away as soon as you stop working on them. If you're working on something and get interrupted, try posting a sticky note on the page, jot your thoughts on it, and then file it, Reiter suggests. That will help you pick up your train of thought more quickly when you get back to it again.

Keep a to-do list close at hand, preferably sorted by category (Do, Call, Write, etc.). Update it at the end of each day.

Set up a filing system. Many people feel more secure when all their active projects are in sight, Reiter notes, but that doesn't mean everything has to be strewn across your desk (or okay, in my case, the floor).

"If any projects are visible, they should only be the four or five that need your immediate attention on any given day, stacked in a vertical file," says Reiter. "Put them away as you go. Your day is complete when all the files are off your desk." Noting each project on your to-do list, she adds, "keeps everything within view and alleviates 'out-of-sight, out-of-mind' anxiety."

Plan your day. "A short daily session to review each day's accomplishments, and a weekly plan to track your goals a week or two ahead of time, are a must," Reiter says. "Planning helps to prevent many of the fires that cause our days to spin out of control. If you do it carefully, it will also eliminate most of the paper from your desk."

Taking the time to get organized, Reiter says, "will reward you with a greater sense of control." It may also encourage your friend to stop fretting over the impression you're making on your boss.

Indiana University Schools Get High Marks

Indiana University schools of library and information science, education and business are near the top in the latest rankings of graduate and professional schools by U.S. News & World Report.
The rankings, included in the magazine's "America's Best Graduate Schools," were released today.

IU biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics departments showed up among the best science graduate programs. They had top-10 programs in analytical chemistry, ecology and evolutionary biology and nuclear physics.

More here.