I have to again give credit to 37signals.  In their book Rework, they pointed out the 800 pound gorilla in the room, over and over again.  This video is a “gorilla” I’ve been dealing with for the last 15 years.

I usually arrive at the office around 06:30 or 07:00 (2 hours before anyone else).  Why?  I’ll probably get more done in those 2 first hours than I will the rest of the day.  Though I only check my email at the top of each hour, I still deal with meetings and people “dropping by” to ask me questions or to tell me about the newest restaurant in their neighborhood.  Interruptions mean you don’t get work done. I’m not saying you shouldn’t make your customer happy. I’m saying you should be able to get it done without working late.

Tell me if this sounds familiar.  Some of your co-workers show up at the office around 09:00 (closer to 09:30) and then take a 1.5 to 2 hour lunch break.  They then don’t understand why you turn down meeting requests scheduled for late in the afternoon or don’t respond to emails sent to you after business hours.  Just because someone is unable to manage his or her work, I am not going to feel guilty for not working late.  Before I had a family or understood work-life balance, I didn’t hesitate pulling an all-nighter at the office.  Now it just looks like poor time management.

So, are you working late tonight? Do you really have work you need to do are are you just trying to make yourself feel better by creating work for yourself? I’ll make you a deal. Drink your preferred caffeinated beverage around 05:00 and get to the office no later than 07:00. You’ll probably have the most productive day you’ve had in months.

I don’t normally drink coffee from Starbucks but someone gave me a gift card.  I like black coffee, with no cream or sugar.  I like my coffee fresh so I order a small size.  So, why on Earth did the person behind the counter not listen to me?

I ordered a small Caffè Americano. For those who do not drink coffee, that’s nothing more than a small espresso and water.  My expectation was I would get a small cup of coffee.  When I looked at my receipt it said Tall.  I brought this to their attention and I was dismissed.  “Oh, it’s the same thing.”

Well, no, it’s not.  Line up the cups and this is what you will see.  Extra-Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra-Large.  What does Starbucks call them? Tiny, Small, Tall, Grande, Venti. So, what I got was a medium.  I’m not going to split hairs here.  I’m trying to make a point.  There needs to be a common understanding between the vendor and the customer when you both define the same thing differently.  This is a financial transaction.  I want what I paid for.

How does this apply to Project Management?  From the customer’s perspective, what is the definition of done.  From the vendor’s perspective, what is the definition?  From every stakeholder perspective, do you all have the same definition of done?  You should!

It’s important to note, it doesn’t matter which approach you use.  Waterfall, RUP, Agile, or Kanban.  Everyone needs to understand and agree to what done means.

When I was young man, others told me my parents were pretty strict.  I didn’t think my parents were strict at all. It’s just the way we were raised.  There were some pretty basic rules I remember following when it came to courtesy.  Some call them common courtesy.  But, I’m starting to think it’s not as common as you might think.  So, today I’m going to give you a few rules of common courtesy. They will not be in any specific order.  Please apply to your work and home life. Hope you enjoy.

Derek’s Rules of Common Courtesy

1. Hold the door for people
2. Say thank you when someone holds the door for you
3. If someone says hello, say hello back
4. Listen, don’t wait to talk
5. If you must interrupt someone, say excuse me
6. If someone sneezes, say bless you, gesundheit, or something similar
7. Say goodbye to your boss and colleagues before you leave for the day
8. If someone sends you an invitation, either confirm it or deny it.  Don’t not respond
9. Don’t take credit for work others have done
10. Look people in the eye when they are talking to you
11. Say please
12. Say thank you (hand written thank you’s are a big bonus when appropriate)
13. Don’t talk on you mobile phone while in a checkout line
14. Turn off your mobile phone while at the theater or restaurant
15. When in traffic and you come to a yield sign…yield
16. When in traffic and you come to a N-way stop…stop
17. Arrive at appointments or meetings on time
18. If you say you’re going to do something, do it
19. If you drink the last of the coffee, please make another pot
20. If you use the last of the toilet paper, please replace the roll (at least tell someone)

I would love to hear if you have a rule to add to the list.

Regards,

Derek

People who know me know that I drink a lot of coffee.  I’ll drink it hot.  I’ll drink it cold.  I’ll drink it from the pot, 9 days old.  OK, not 9 days old.  That’s just gross.  One of the places I like to drink coffee is a diner.  9 out of 10 times, diner coffee is good.  It’s simple, it’s basic, and…did I say it was good?  Don’t tell me it’s organic, fertilized with bat guano from El Salvador.  I really don’t care.  The other think I like?  It’s usually $1 for endless refills, printed with pride on the menu.

This post isn’t about cheap coffee.  It’s about a pet peeve of mine.  It applies to me ordering drinks at a restaurant.  Here comes the rant.

Today, my family and went out for lunch.  At the restaurant, I plainly saw the prices for everything on the menu but one thing.  Beverages.  Yes, drinks.  Where the hell are the prices for the drinks?  Is this some kind of trick or tactic? Am I to be embarrassed by the fact that I am unwilling to pay $3.00 for a fountain soda or $8 for a beer?  Chances are, if you don’t post the prices for your drinks, I’m going to order plain old tap water.  Screw you and your clever lack of information.  It’s not my job to ask you how much my drink is going to cost.  You are providing me with a service and that includes prices for the food and drink I’m willing to have with my meal.

If you leave the post at that, I think it stands on it’s own.  If you want me to put a project management spin on it, here goes.  If you are a vendor, and you’re doing contracted work, don’t make your customer ask.  I hate the big reveal.  If you’re going to do contracted work, and you fail to inform your customer what the cost is going to be, you should eat it.  Yep, eat the cost.  Why?  Did you promise to throw in a pair of Ginsu knives when you delivered that product?  I’m going to go out on a limb and say no.  Then why would you expect a customer to give you more money for services rendered or product delivered?

I know there are always exceptions.  What if you, as a vendor, don’t know how much it’s going to cost?  That’s fine.  Communicate with your customer.  Treat them like the intelligent beings they are.  They were smart enough to hire you, right?  Then keep them informed and guide them through the options.  Don’t sneak that $5 cup of coffee onto the final bill and expect a 20% tip.

Takeaway?
Vendors:  Keep your customers informed and don’t make them ask.
Customers:  Don’t let vendors get away with the big reveal.  It will just leave you feeling short-changed.

Every child’s first game, CANDY LAND is a colorful way for a preschooler to experience the joy of game play. The game teaches color recognition and matching while reinforcing the lesson of taking turns and being a gracious winner or loser. You will love to see the smile on a young person’s face as they travel through CANDY LAND.

That’s what Hasbro has to say about it.  What do I have to say about it?

Every father’s first game, CANDY LAND is a colorful way for a parent to tell his child that this is not how life really is.  The game teaches color recognition and matching while reinforcing an attitude that you can still succeed, even without a strategy.  It teaches the lesson of accepting an outcome, when nothing is within your control and everything is left to chance.  You will love to see the smile on a young person’s face when you play your first game of chess.

I’m a loving father.  But I’m also insanely competitive.  I don’t think we do our kids any favors by teaching them to just throw the dice or spin a wheel and let life hand them a destiny.  I’m going to raise my son to not expect a ribbon for just showing up.  I’m going to raise my son to not expect something for nothing.

I want him to know that there are risks is life but there are also great opportunities.  It might not start with a game called CANDY LAND but it sure will in the game called LIFE.

Do you think everyone should be rewarded for just showing up?