Problems With Project Management

Sometimes I feel as if there is just something that needs to be put out there, even in the face of much opposition.  Companies nowadays are real big on project management and many include mine have a PMO so they can manage project managers.  Seems like a lot of overhead to me but that is not the real crux of its problem.

Where the real problem lies are with those who choose this vocation.  They tend to be more concerned with the forms and reports then they are with what these “tasks” are suppose to fulfill.  Now I cannot disagree that a properly instituted project process helps even out the field a tad.  Superstar employees will be shackled a bit and brought back down a tad and those who are not as adept will have the process force into them some discipline.  But is this really where we are looking to go?  Blindly filling out forms and useless processes are more the rule than the exception.  When running a project PM’s must realize the the forms etc. are merely tools or means to an end and not the end within themselves.  It is not how you communicate that matters, but how effectively communication is occurring.  It is not how pretty you format a report but more that the readers or audience get the message.  It is a difficult task to insure both adherence to process and results as many times they are in direct opposition.  I remember Jack Welch saying something along the lines of “Don’t celebrate the process, just the results.”  this is so true.  No one will remember who batted what in the series, but we can all tell you who won.

So my suggestion to all those out there looking to use PM process in the future to remember that these are merely tools and even as a PM you will be judge on the success of a project at a far greater scale then the adherence to the process…or at least you should be but I ramble

Websites for Traditional Media

I have been away for a while, ok not away physically but not writing the blog and I have a few posts in mind that I will be writing in the next few days.  Today I wanted to put out what i see as the biggest problem with Traditional Media websites.  First a disclaimer, I currently am not involved in website design, development, etc although I have been in the past.

What i see most lacking is the lack of focus and understanding who the customer is.  Lets look at a single type of site, one that uses advertising and is not subscription based.  In this example the customer is the advertiser and the product is cpc/cpm whatever your current metric is.  Where most fail here is they believe that the customer is the person who views the site.  This approach not only lessens the value of the site but prohibits its true potential.

When comparing the two view one is after page views the other revenue.  So you say is not page views revenue, yes it is but it is only a piece of the pie.  Do you focus your strategy on page views or cost per $ of revenue?  When looking at page views you are content driven, get page views up at any cost, be more concerned with design then the cost of the design to implement.  This leads many companies to not realizing the economic benefits that are achievable.  One must always keep an eye on margins and to attract more customers (advertisers) find way to penetrate the market faster, cheaper and with better results.

I have seen many companies not understand the web or realize that beyond just the technical and creatives involved in the actual site building there needs to be a strong business acumen involved.  Whether the same or different people these three basic roles must be integrated in any site.  Ok any site that has the intention of making a profit.

Where the creatives go off course is that they do not understand the customer.  They believe their role is to provide the greatest site experience to the viewer of the site and while a great experience is an essential component the business mind must develop the “at what cost” standards. 

Lets also look at “true costs”.  Most media companies look at the site costs as the cost to develop.  They leave out their share of corporate overhead, support, maintenance, all these cost must be included when calculating a true margin calculation, as a web segment does not exist in a bubble so not only does it need to account for its direct costs but its costs on other segments.

Not a very clear and concise blog today but rambling is what I do