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  #1  
Old 01-15-2006, 02:02 PM
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Put First Thing First

Let say Mr "X" has been given an assignment to lead and manage one high profile, very important and fast track project. Fyi, this will be his first assignment as a project manager. He just recently graduated (with MBA) from a reputable university from USA. What would be your advise to him to ensure he will not fail the assignment?

Let us discuss.....

Thanks

norzul

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Old 01-16-2006, 05:16 AM
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Thumbs up

I'd say "Good Luck" for starters....
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Old 01-16-2006, 09:38 AM
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Given the circumstances you defined, I would have to assume that management is setting him up to take the fall for an impossible situation because no one without experience is going to be assigned a project of that nature IMO.

My advice therefore would be: CYA
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Old 01-17-2006, 01:57 PM
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what is CYA?
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Old 01-17-2006, 03:51 PM
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Talking

CYA = Cover Your Ass

Ie. take preventative measures to limit political or fiduciary damages.
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Old 01-18-2006, 01:47 AM
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agree with you pmkb...
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  #7  
Old 01-18-2006, 04:02 AM
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Part 1

My background was primarily as a project engineer and rotating equipment engineer working in a refinery. Just to share with yu my experience being appointed as a project manager....by coincident....not my choice or properly planned...

It happened several years ago....about 7 years to be exact. To start with, there was a big fire in the Hydrocracker Unit (HCK), one of the most critical process unit in the refinery, normally considered as "cash cow" for the refinery. The incident had caused half of the refinery to be shutdown for 3 weeks... millions of dollars gone. Preliminary investigation had revealed that the fire was initiated by the failure of the seal oil system of the recycle gas compressor. In addition, the seal oil pumps were required to be replaced. They were badly damaged. Without the pumps, we can't operate the compressor and the HCK. To me it was a crisis and was not an easy task to replace the pumps. Not many refinery within the region having HCK at that time. The main focus of the management was to operate the unit asap. The incident had caused a big headache and pressure to everyone. To cut short the story at the end of week 3, we managed to get the pump replacement and operated the HCK.

However, that was just a temporary solution. The root cause or the permanent solution not yet known.....(to be continued if I have time)
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Old 01-19-2006, 12:08 PM
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So do you consider an emergency situation a project or a fire fighting excersize?
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  #9  
Old 02-02-2006, 01:40 AM
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Communication is key

If all else fails but this person has kept his sponsors, team members, customers, and whoever else that has a stake in this project, in constant communication on status, issues, delays etc., I believe the outcome would be successful.

IMHO, the main issues I see are a breakdown in communication, which cause expectations to be off, which cause project failure.

Romeo ELias
[URL="http://www.interneer.com"]Project and Process Management[/URL]
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