Comments on: You Project Managers are Tools Crazy http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/ Helping new and aspiring project managers reach their career goals! Sun, 20 May 2012 01:38:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/#comment-11300 Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:57 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=3153#comment-11300 PS: You asked how to prevent it? And I come back to exactly what my shop teacher did to us. We learned how to do it by hand FIRST, before allowing us to use the tool..... I take this same philosophy in the courses I teach. People learn how to estimate costs by hand, they learn how to create schedules by hand, then they learn how to do do the forward and backwards pass by hand and they learn how to do create activity based costing and then earned valeu..... All by hand first. After they learn how the tools work, then they learn how to interpret the OUTPUTS from those tools. Then, when they demonstrate having mastered an understanding of the how the tool works and in understanding how to apply the output, then and only then do they move up to actually using the tool. And before you challenge me, as you undoubtedly will, my wife is an 8th Grade Science teacher and she follows exactly the same approach- teach tbe fundamentals FIRST then teach them how to use the various tools. Gotta run...... BR, Dr. PDG, Jakarta PS: You asked how to prevent it? And I come back to exactly what my shop teacher did to us. We learned how to do it by hand FIRST, before allowing us to use the tool…..

I take this same philosophy in the courses I teach. People learn how to estimate costs by hand, they learn how to create schedules by hand, then they learn how to do do the forward and backwards pass by hand and they learn how to do create activity based costing and then earned valeu….. All by hand first. After they learn how the tools work, then they learn how to interpret the OUTPUTS from those tools.

Then, when they demonstrate having mastered an understanding of the how the tool works and in understanding how to apply the output, then and only then do they move up to actually using the tool.

And before you challenge me, as you undoubtedly will, my wife is an 8th Grade Science teacher and she follows exactly the same approach- teach tbe fundamentals FIRST then teach them how to use the various tools.

Gotta run……

BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta

]]> By: Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/#comment-25156 Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:46:00 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=3153#comment-25156 PS: You asked how to prevent it? And I come back to exactly what my shop teacher did to us. We learned how to do it by hand FIRST, before allowing us to use the tool..... I take this same philosophy in the courses I teach. People learn how to estimate costs by hand, they learn how to create schedules by hand, then they learn how to do do the forward and backwards pass by hand and they learn how to do create activity based costing and then earned valeu..... All by hand first. After they learn how the tools work, then they learn how to interpret the OUTPUTS from those tools. Then, when they demonstrate having mastered an understanding of the how the tool works and in understanding how to apply the output, then and only then do they move up to actually using the tool. And before you challenge me, as you undoubtedly will, my wife is an 8th Grade Science teacher and she follows exactly the same approach- teach tbe fundamentals FIRST then teach them how to use the various tools. Gotta run...... BR, Dr. PDG, Jakarta PS: You asked how to prevent it? And I come back to exactly what my shop teacher did to us. We learned how to do it by hand FIRST, before allowing us to use the tool…..

I take this same philosophy in the courses I teach. People learn how to estimate costs by hand, they learn how to create schedules by hand, then they learn how to do do the forward and backwards pass by hand and they learn how to do create activity based costing and then earned valeu….. All by hand first. After they learn how the tools work, then they learn how to interpret the OUTPUTS from those tools.

Then, when they demonstrate having mastered an understanding of the how the tool works and in understanding how to apply the output, then and only then do they move up to actually using the tool.

And before you challenge me, as you undoubtedly will, my wife is an 8th Grade Science teacher and she follows exactly the same approach- teach tbe fundamentals FIRST then teach them how to use the various tools.

Gotta run……

BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta

]]> By: Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/#comment-11297 Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:11:02 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=3153#comment-11297 Unfortunately, in the world I move in, I see people taking courses in MSP, Primavera ad infinitum and they think that just because they can run the tool means they can use the tool. Patently false. And moreover, dangerous. So that tautology is just as valid today as it was 45 years ago. Different set of tools, but the same end result..... And not to get off on another tangent, but project management is NOT a profession. It is a process, system or methodology. Hey, gotta run..... On our way to the Systems Dynamic Society meeting in Albuquerque NM..... Yep, more "tools" to play around with..... BR, Dr. PDG, packing in Jakarta Unfortunately, in the world I move in, I see people taking courses in MSP, Primavera ad infinitum and they think that just because they can run the tool means they can use the tool.

Patently false. And moreover, dangerous. So that tautology is just as valid today as it was 45 years ago. Different set of tools, but the same end result…..

And not to get off on another tangent, but project management is NOT a profession. It is a process, system or methodology.

Hey, gotta run….. On our way to the Systems Dynamic Society meeting in Albuquerque NM…..

Yep, more “tools” to play around with…..

BR,
Dr. PDG, packing in Jakarta

]]> By: Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/#comment-25155 Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:11:00 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=3153#comment-25155 Unfortunately, in the world I move in, I see people taking courses in MSP, Primavera ad infinitum and they think that just because they can run the tool means they can use the tool. Patently false. And moreover, dangerous. So that tautology is just as valid today as it was 45 years ago. Different set of tools, but the same end result..... And not to get off on another tangent, but project management is NOT a profession. It is a process, system or methodology. Hey, gotta run..... On our way to the Systems Dynamic Society meeting in Albuquerque NM..... Yep, more "tools" to play around with..... BR, Dr. PDG, packing in Jakarta Unfortunately, in the world I move in, I see people taking courses in MSP, Primavera ad infinitum and they think that just because they can run the tool means they can use the tool.

Patently false. And moreover, dangerous. So that tautology is just as valid today as it was 45 years ago. Different set of tools, but the same end result…..

And not to get off on another tangent, but project management is NOT a profession. It is a process, system or methodology.

Hey, gotta run….. On our way to the Systems Dynamic Society meeting in Albuquerque NM…..

Yep, more “tools” to play around with…..

BR,
Dr. PDG, packing in Jakarta

]]> By: Glen B. Alleman http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/#comment-11296 Glen B. Alleman Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:02:38 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=3153#comment-11296 Paul, How did this people learn to run the tool without learning how to manage with the information from the tool? How did these people become "fools with tools?" How could you have prevented that outcome from happening on your watch? With that answer in hand, you'll be ready to add value to the process of learning the tool and how to manage a program with the information from the tool. Until those two are joined in the same education process - I'd conjecture - you'll be stuck in the loop you're in now - trying to implement the shop teachers advice you gained some 45 years ago. How can you break the cycle described by the shop teacher? The answer to that is where the value to the profession is. Restating 45 years tautologies is just that. Paul,

How did this people learn to run the tool without learning how to manage with the information from the tool?

How did these people become “fools with tools?”

How could you have prevented that outcome from happening on your watch?

With that answer in hand, you’ll be ready to add value to the process of learning the tool and how to manage a program with the information from the tool.

Until those two are joined in the same education process – I’d conjecture – you’ll be stuck in the loop you’re in now – trying to implement the shop teachers advice you gained some 45 years ago.

How can you break the cycle described by the shop teacher? The answer to that is where the value to the profession is. Restating 45 years tautologies is just that.

]]> By: Glen B. Alleman http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-tools-crazy/#comment-25154 Glen B. Alleman Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:02:00 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=3153#comment-25154 Paul, How did this people learn to run the tool without learning how to manage with the information from the tool? How did these people become "fools with tools?" How could you have prevented that outcome from happening on your watch? With that answer in hand, you'll be ready to add value to the process of learning the tool and how to manage a program with the information from the tool. Until those two are joined in the same education process - I'd conjecture - you'll be stuck in the loop you're in now - trying to implement the shop teachers advice you gained some 45 years ago. How can you break the cycle described by the shop teacher? The answer to that is where the value to the profession is. Restating 45 years tautologies is just that. Paul,

How did this people learn to run the tool without learning how to manage with the information from the tool?

How did these people become “fools with tools?”

How could you have prevented that outcome from happening on your watch?

With that answer in hand, you’ll be ready to add value to the process of learning the tool and how to manage a program with the information from the tool.

Until those two are joined in the same education process – I’d conjecture – you’ll be stuck in the loop you’re in now – trying to implement the shop teachers advice you gained some 45 years ago.

How can you break the cycle described by the shop teacher? The answer to that is where the value to the profession is. Restating 45 years tautologies is just that.

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