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PM Tips: Phone call logging

Teen "Project Managers" take on the FIRST Robotics Competition

Featured PMP

Cheetah in the Spotlight

For more information or to register, visit www.cheetahplanning.com or call us at 1-800-246-9106.

People remember pictures better than words. In the Cheetah Accelerator Course for the PMP®, we present key concepts using color-coded graphics. These graphics are presented with our key word analysis worksheets in short ten to twenty minute sessions. We keep lecture time short as we have also found that most people can only learn and retain information they hear for twenty minutes or less before they tire and have to use a different learning technique. Also, when people are exposed to new material three times in different formats and contexts, it becomes rote and speeds instant recall. If you're studying for the PMP® exam, find a variety of formats that presents the information on the test and review your study material at least three times. 

Government Discount on all Cheetah Learning Accelerated Courses for the PMP®
Are you a government employee? Don't get left behind! Join the fast-growing segment of government employees who are becoming PMP®s. 

Cheetah Learning is excited to announce our new Government discount rate on all PMP® courses. Register by December 31, 2003, and you can receive 10% off the price of the course! Contact our sales department at 888-659-2013 for further information. 

This rate applies to U.S. Government employees only. 

Can't Come to Us? We Can Come to You!
It is true that we offer PMP® and PDU classes in many locations across the United States and internationally. However, depending on where you live, you may still need to travel to take the class you want to take.

We know that many of you are facing budget restrictions on travel, or that sometimes travel is not a possibility for a number of other reasons. We've heard your need and we're responding.

Cheetah Learning will bring any public course we offer to your location. All you have to do is gather five fellow participants who can commit to taking the course. So contact your fellow local PMI® chapter members, contact your project team members or other work colleagues, and then contact Cheetah Learning and tell us you want to set up a course in your area. It's that simple.

Once you find the participants, we will work with you to arrange a mutually agreeable course date and will discuss other scheduling logistics. 

For more information or to arrange a course in your area, contact our sales department at (888) 659-2013 or write us at email@cheetahlearnng.com.

Upcoming Classes
We are offering classes in many locations this spring and summer, so that you can conveniently earn your PMP® or your PDUs.

Accelerator Course for the PMP®

U.S. locations:

Atlanta, GA
Burlington - Billerica, MA 
Chicago, IL
Cleveland - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Dallas, TX
Denver - Englewood, CO
Detroit - Farmington Hills, MI
Hartford - Windsor, CT
Houston, TX
Los Angeles - El Segundo, CA
Madison, WI
New York - Saddle Brook, NJ
New York - Tarrytown, NY
Orlando, FL
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco - Burlingame, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington DC - Fairfax, VA
Wilmington - Newark, DE

Canadian locations:

Calgary, AB
Halifax, NS
Kitchener, ON
Ottawa-Hull, QC
Ottawa, ON
Richmond, BC
Toronto, ON

Other International locations:

India
New Zealand
United Kingdom

Visit www.cheetahlearning.com to view the complete course schedule and to register online.

Questions? Want to register by phone? Call (888) 659-2013

Cheetah Project Management-- Project Accelerator

U.S. locations:

Cleveland--Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Detroit-- Farmington Hills, MI
Hartford-- Windsor, CT
Seattle, WA
Washington DC--Chantilly, VA

Other International locations:

India (4 locations)

Visit www.cheetahplanning.com to view the complete course schedule and to register online.

Questions? Want to register by phone? Call (800) 246-9106.

Special Events
Come see the Cheetah at these upcoming PMI® events this Spring:

• Westchester, NY PMI® Chapter-- Vendor Corner Sponsor,
  Thursday, May 8, 2003
  Visit www.westchesterpmi.org for more information.

• North Carolina PMI® Chapter-- Monthly Meeting Featured Speaker, Thursday, May 15, 2003
  Visit www.ncpmi.org for more information.

• San Francisco Bay Area PMI® Chapter-- Regional Conference 2003, Friday, May 16, 2003
  NOTE: Michelle LaBrosse, Chief Cheetah and CEO will be one of the featured speakers.
  Visit www.pmi-sfbac.org for more information.

• Portland, Oregon PMI® Chapter-- Vendor Night Sponsor,
  Tuesday, May 20, 2003
  Visit www.pmi-portland.org for more information.

If you attend any of these events, don't forget to register to win one of several great Cheetah Learning raffle prizes!

Events schedule updated frequently at www.cheetahlearning.com/index_frame.asp?task=events.asp or click on the Events link on the home page.

Jump-start your projects with Accelerated Learning principles
By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP - Chief Cheetah and CEO, Cheetah Learning

Did you know that you can use accelerated learning principles to accelerate your projects? 

We’ve received feedback from a number of our PMP®s, indicating that after successfully completing our accelerated PMP® program they have gone back to their work environments and implemented any number of the techniques they learned. We've heard many enthusiastic reports that these techniques help move things along in terms of their Project Management responsibilities. 

An accelerated learning technique that I initially used to accelerate project disaster recovery, and now use to launch projects, was to have the entire team develop a color-coded logical buildup of the new project plan. This technique enables a team in a crisis mode to quickly come to a consensus on who needs to do what, and when. It enables team members to be fully engaged (rather than asleep while the project manager does all the re-work!) and  to quickly learn what other team members are thinking with respect to the project recovery requirements. 

The creative application of accelerated learning practices in order to speed up projects is the topic of my book, Accelerated Project Management. The speed at which people can process and assimilate information can be increased, whether the information is used to pass a test, or to get and keep a project moving. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how we use accelerated learning to accelerate projects, you can visit our website at www.cheetahlearning.com to download a copy of a paper I wrote for the PMI® National Conference in 2001. You can also purchase a copy of Accelerated Project Management to learn step-by-step ways to accelerate your projects, using a number of accelerated learning techniques that are built into the process. 

If you’d like to experience how to accelerate your projects using accelerated learning, we run a one-day simulation at our training centers every quarter, and teach this technique in our innovative Project Accelerator online learning course. We also teach this program on-site for companies. If your company has a large enough demand, we can develop a custom simulation that assimilates your standard project types.

Good luck, and here's to your happy and successful projects!

PM Tips: Phone call logging
By Linda Fitzgerald - Training Manager and COO, Cheetah Learning

It’s pretty much a fact that a project manager spends 90% of his or her time communicating. Much of this communication is on the phone - at your desk, in the car, at the airport, and probably during lunch. Do you document these calls? If not, you should.

We’re all very busy and don’t always have a computer nearby so that we can make a short memo. Over the years, I’ve developed a trick to capture my phone conversations, and while it’s not glamorous, it works. I keep at my desk a small marble-type bound composition book (you can use what works for you.) I’ve divided this notebook into sections about 20 pages each. Each section is for a project/customer and is identified as such by a tab with the customer name on it, much like the indexes you put in a 3-ring binder. These self-sticking index tabs can be found at any office supply store.

Once I know I am speaking to a customer, I grab the book, open it to the appropriate section and start taking notes, such as:

• Date

• Caller(s)

• Time

• Notes

• To Dos 

• Promises (theirs and mine)

On the road, I carry a very small pad-like notebook for taking these notes. Once back at home base, I tape the notes into the composition book. Like I said, not glamorous, but it works. When the project is completed, I cut these notes out of the composition book, staple them together and put them in the customer file.

This method has been great for me. It’s easy to verify when a call was made, and gives you lots of tidbits of information that might normally be lost. It’s especially useful when your boss says “When was the last time you talked to customer XYZ?” When you can tell her the exact time and date and have all the facts, you look like you’ve got it together  – because you do!

Teen "Project Managers" take on the FIRST Robotics Competition 
The Avon High School Robotics Team in Avon, CT, comprised of students ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old, was recently awarded the “Rookie All Star Award” at the UTC New England For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition in Hartford, CT. The 18 member team and team leader built “Marvin”, their award wining robot, by utilizing Project Acceleration techniques they learned from corporate sponsor Cheetah Learning.

The FIRST Robotics Competition, now in its 10th year, challenges 800 teams and over 20,000 high school students and mentors from the US, Canada, Brazil, and the UK to solve a complex problem in a six-week time frame, using a standard “kit of parts” and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from kits, and test solutions to an annual problem in a series of competitions. The mission of the competition is to design accessible, innovative programs that build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. However, the goal isn’t simply to excel at engineering or to simply build a robot. The real goal is to build a collaborative team, a supportive community, and a solid strategy for problem solving during the competition. That’s where Project Management comes in.

Vying for a chance at over $2 million in college scholarships awarded at the FIRST National Championships, the Avon High School Robots Team knew the challenge would be a group effort, and knew that managing their project with 18 students over six weeks wouldn’t be easy. So, in addition to receiving financial support from Cheetah Learning, the team leader and advisor received Project Acceleration training from Cheetah Learning CEO Michelle LaBrosse, and a copy of her book Accelerated Project Management (HNB Publishing) as an ongoing reference guide. Additionally, each student received a copy of the book as a project tool and worked with the Team Leader.

The Avon Team was allowed a total budget of $3,500 for materials, in addition to their basic robot kit. The effective and efficient management of time, materials, and people was critical. Ms. LaBrosse trained the team leader in Project Facilitation, Project Agreement, Teaming, Project Planning, Project Risks, Scheduling, Budgeting, and Project Tracing. The Cheetah Learning 100% hand-on training immersion method worked well with the medium-sized groups of non-technical beginners. “This was a fun and rewarding training project, with the youngest group I have been part of in over ten years of Project Management and accelerated learning training,” said Ms. LaBrosse. “This proves that Project Acceleration training is a valuable tool for anyone involved in groups with a common goal.“ 

The training paid off for the Avon Team with the Rookie All-Star Award. “This gives you a lot of perspective on what engineers do on a day-to-day basis, and how to work your way around a complex problem when it comes up,” said freshmen Mike Dulla. Dulla helped Avon Team members Caitlin O’Nan and Jen Stickler replace a wheel tread that was knocked off during a competition scrimmage. 

In addition to the Rookie Award, the Avon Team placed a competitive ninth out of 38 other experienced teams in the Regional Competition. 

About the FIRST Competition
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools, and their communities. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, the FIRST competition motivates young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. To learn more about FIRST and FIRST Robotics Competition visit their website at www.usfirst.org.

Cheetah in the Spotlight

Brain Bakke, Systems Programming Analyst
Brian Bakke grew up on the shores of Lake Washington. He spent lots of time on the water, in the woods, playing and sleeping outside, hiking, and boating up the inside passage to Alaska. Luckily, he survived long enough to get a Master's degree in clinical psychology, but still spent much of his time in the mountains - most of it alone - climbing, contemplating philosophy, and often just sitting. 

Brian worked sporadically with low income and disturbed kids, sometimes in wilderness-based programs teaching survival and climbing skills. He became fascinated by computers, however, and eventually got an actual job (a big thrill for his parents) teaching computer classes for Computer Education International - a small company with a big name. He worked as the Seattle branch manager of the company for several years. 

After another few years of living in the woods, Brian came back to society, got married (his wife swore she would never marry an unemployed man, but she did), went to work for Microsoft, got rich, retired, lost much of it in the market, and is now working happily for Cheetah Learning as a programmer and technical support person.

CN: Are there any special goals you'd like to accomplish in the near future?

BB: I've just purchased a professional level digital camera system and am looking forward to developing my photography skills. That's a rather open-ended goal. Whatever turns out is fine - I just want to put some time into it. At work, my goals are more product oriented. We're developing a web-based event management system, as well as opening a new research and development center in Haines, Alaska. Each is composed of many smaller sub-goals, and each has sub-goals of its own. I tend to focus on what has to be done right now, so my immediate goals change quite a bit.

CN: Are there any new realms explored by computer technology today that you'd like to elaborate on?

BB: Most of us have come to accept computers as a part of modern life, but the fact is that computer technology is still in its infancy. We've really just gotten through the first stages of figuring out how to use these gizmos. The last ten years have been about connecting to resources and each other through networks and the Internet. Faster computers have become much less important. Now there's a growing emphasis on incorporating computer power into other devices – tablet PCs, automobiles, digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs, GPS devices. There's talk of building computers into our clothing, if not our bodies. Some of these ideas will work and some won't. I'm glad to see the Internet refrigerator didn't take off, but other ideas hold promise. I spent the other night at a talk by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the new Segway "Human Transporter" (the scooter-like device that's gotten a fair amount of media attention recently.) He's a person who is looking out-of-the-box for innovative and useful ways to apply technology. The Segways, by the way, are a great deal of fun to ride and very intuitive to control. I think we're going to see some very interesting computer-based products over the next decade, but it's very hard to predict which ones will work out.

CN: What are some of the projects you've been working on?

BB: The last project I finished was programming a schedule management form for some of our online courses. This will allow students to plan and record their time usage during the course. Like the rest of our class management system, it's all managed and used online. It's actually part of a much larger development project to create a system by which classes can be designed, scheduled, managed, and even provided over the Internet. Our current system does most of that and is quite good, but we're continuing to expand and improve it. 

CN: When did you get interested in the work you do?

BB: In 1978, my father handed me a Texas Instruments programmable calculator and asked me to teach him to use it. Of course, I had to learn how to use it myself first, and I became hooked very quickly. The next year, I bought an Apple II computer and began to spend many hours programming with a friend of mine, Rudi Mallant. Rudi is still a very close friend - and also my manager here at Cheetah Learning. It was just a hobby for us back then. Later, I managed the Seattle branch of a computer education company and through the '90s I worked for Microsoft. Computers have fascinated me ever since I first came in contact with them. When I was in school, however, we used slide-rules.

CN: What is the most challenging part of your job?

BB: As with any growing company, there are a tremendous variety and quantity of tasks we'd like to accomplish. The most challenging part isn't any particular task, but rather managing so many tasks. The techniques we teach in our classes help make it possible for us to do so much, but there's always more we'd like to get done. Making progress on the big projects while keeping up with the daily needs of a growing company is probably the biggest challenge for me. It's not as simple as making a plan and sticking to it. We have to be constantly tuned to what the company needs most right now, which may not be the same as what it needed yesterday. We must have a plan, but we have to be flexible. It's a real juggling act.

CN: Would you like to improve anything about yourself in your career, or is there anything more you'd like to learn?

BB: There's a tremendous amount I'd like to learn yet. I've never limited my interests to a particular job or career. Right now, I have a great interest in digital photography, but I'm also learning to play the piano, studying physics and cosmology, and continuing my practice of Yoga and meditation, which I've been practicing for over 30 years. My interests may not be immediately applicable to my job, but that was the case when I began working with computers in the first place. At the time, I was pursuing a career in clinical psychology. I really didn't think of computers as anything more than a hobby. It's interesting how one thing leads to another.

CN: Is there anyone who has been a mentor to you, or someone who has influenced you?

BB: Absolutely, and in many different ways. My friend and co-worker Rudi has certainly helped me come to grips with programming for the Internet, but he's also taught me skills from gold-dredging in Alaska to accounting and banking practices. My wife is constantly teaching me about compassion and giving. My meditation teacher, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, has taught me things I can't even put into words. Perhaps you meant the question in a more work-related way, but I really don't make much of a division between work and the rest of my life. I look for mentors everywhere – and sometimes find them in very unexpected places.

CN: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

BB: Oh, heavens, I don't think much that far ahead. I really don't. I will still be doing my yoga, but I'm afraid I'm not much of a planner with respect to my own life. It seems to unfold in much more interesting ways than I could dream up.

CN: What do you do for escape?

BB: Well, I'm not sure I would call it escape exactly, but I do schedule time for reflection. I get up early and spend two to three hours every morning with my yoga, and each year I take a two week solo hike into the mountains of Western Washington to sit alone and be very quiet. These are very important to me and I've been doing them regularly for many years.

CN: Of all your accomplishments, what makes you the proudest?

BB: It may seem curious, but nothing pops to my mind. I'm quite pleased with the way many of my projects have turned out - and less pleased with others, of course. Right now, I'm very pleased with some of my photographs. At Microsoft, I developed testing processes and managed the testing of a number of Office products. To realize that these products would be used by tens of millions of people was pretty amazing. But there is so much more I could do and there are always people who can do it so much better. If one day I feel like I'm a master at my job, the next day I feel incompetent. It's a funny thing.

CN: Is there anything you'd like to be able to do, something you've dreamed of?

BB: I have an image of my wife and me as an old couple sitting on the weathered porch of a cabin up in the mountains. Just a couple of old codgers. I like the image. That's a tough question for me. I feel like I'm pretty much doing what I'd dream of doing, if I dreamed of doing things.

CN: What's most important in life?

BB: That's a tough one, too, because what can be said is not what is most important. To know one's heart, to know one's soul – perhaps that is a good way to express it. But there is also compassion, and gratitude, and joy. Tomorrow, I would probably say it differently. What's important does not change, but how we perceive it and how we act on it – that changes all the time. Perhaps the most important thing is just to keep pushing forward.

Dear Cheetah

Q: I am part of a project team, with a big project coming up that has escalated in size and importance. Unfortunately, the team's performance has historically been somewhat lacking. We all try to get it together, but for some reason there always seems to be at least one person who is either unmotivated or who somehow slows the whole process down. Why does this happen, and how can we get it together enough to complete our projects as a unified group?

A: One important thing to remember is that teams are made up of people, each with their own individual interests and internal motivations. A person cannot be a good team player consistently if his or her own individual interests are not in some way being served by participating in the project team. People can participate in an activity that is detrimental to their own individual interests only for a very short time. 

If being on the team contradicts a team member's individual interests, motivational problems can occur. As you well know, one unmotivated person can slow down the whole team. Even before the selection of team members takes place, the prospective team member must decide whether or not his or her individual interests will be served by being on the team. Individual interests can range from someone simply wanting to keep his or her job, to someone finding the project compelling enough to work long hours for little pay, as in volunteer projects.

Regardless of motivation, the most important thing for a potential team member to think about is how the project team will meet his or her own interests. People should be asked or invited to be on a team, not ordered, even if being on the team is an important factor in that person's employment. Teams using Accelerated Project Management principles perform far better if the people involved have made the choice to be on the team.

It is the responsibility of the unmotivated members on your team to either develop a different attitude regarding their self-interest in the project, or to leave the team. To help determine their self-interest in the project, these team members should delineate why they are interested in the project, and how it will help them both personally and/or professionally. In order to gain a better sense of self-awareness, this list should not be shared with other team members. If a team member cannot come up with any reasons to be involved, it is better for them to remove themselves from the project altogether.

By having the unmotivated team members do this, you can be sure that all of the members on your team are "on board" with the project, and that all individual interests are being met. By encouraging team members to assess for themselves how the project will help them individually, you'll find that the team's performance as a whole will improve and flourish.

Thanks for your question, and good luck to you! 

Have a problem that needs solving? Need some help with your most recent project? Bogged down and burned out? 

Let the experts at Cheetah help you get things straight - write us at email@cheetahlearning.com today, and we'll attempt to answer your question by publishing it in a future newsletter.

Featured PMP® 

In each newsletter Cheetah News features a newly certified PMP®, who shares his or her ideas, insight, and experience with potential PMP®s considering certification.

What first attracted Elaine Goodman, PMP, who is in the IT industry, to the Cheetah Learning accelerated approach to passing the PMP® exam? 

Her motivation was partially due to the competitive climate of the current job market, and partially because of Cheetah's guarantee.

"Many years ago I took an accreditation exam in a different discipline," Elaine explains. "It took me four months of intensive study to successfully prepare for and pass the exam. The norm was six months to a year. 

"Based on this experience I knew I had it in me to pass a rigorous exam on my own. This time, however, I was job hunting in a very tight market. I did not have the luxury of preparing for several months. I needed guaranteed results, and I needed them immediately so that I could quickly distinguish myself from other jobseekers."

Elaine found that Cheetah's program suited her needs to a tee. "Cheetah Learning offered a strong balanced preparation program that promised fast results," she says. "Their ironclad guarantee ensured I would pass the exam, and at worst, would get my money back. I couldn’t lose, and that gave me the added confidence to take the course and the exam without added pressure."

Elaine's motivation to become a certified Project Manager was because of the realization that she needed to distinguish herself in the marketplace. Her only preparatory work prior to the Cheetah Learning course was reading the PMBOK®. In taking the Cheetah course, she found that the preparation that helped her most in passing the exam was "knowing the formulas and definitions, plus knowing how to manage the structure and approach of the actual exam situation."

Elaine discloses these words of wisdom to potential PMP®s: "Enter the Cheetah Learning course with trust and full confidence in your instructor’s abilities to give you what you need to pass. Allow this person to truly mold you as needed to succeed. The more you are open to stepping out of your old ideas and accepting Cheetah’s expert coaching, the greater your chances are of passing on the first try."

Elaine's experience with the Cheetah Learning class definitely paid off. She is now a certified PMP® and on track with a successful career in IT. 

Elaine Goodman, PMP, is a Project Manager in the IT field, and is currently working on contract. Her experience includes involvement in the full project lifecycle, getting projects started successfully, and helping projects in trouble. Elaine is involved in both national and international work, with an emphasis on businesses based in the New York metro area. If you are interested in utilizing Elaine for your Project Management needs, please contact her at elaine.goodman@mindspring.com.

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Cheetah News is a quarterly newsletter designed to bring you up-to-date information on programs, new Cheetah Learning Centers, PMI® updates, special events, and other pertinent information on Project Management. We hope you find this a valuable resource for information on Project Management. Check back every quarter for news, updates, and tips!

Questions? Suggestions? Hot news tips? Call us at (888) 659-2013 (from within the U.S.) or send us an e-mail message at email@cheetahlearning.com. We’d love to hear from you!

For more information on Cheetah Learning, check out our website at www.cheetahlearning.com.

Cheetah Learning is a PMI® Registered Education Provider.