I know this has been my theme for sometime: agenda challenging the intellect and impeding arriving at root cause. Some of you may not be aware but I trying to make the most of the available free time that I am enjoying since cutting back from 60-70 work weeks to 40, I took up the idea of signing up for some certification courses online: - Fundamentals of Project Management & - Project Earned Value, Procurement, and Cost Management I am basically securing certification after the fact. I have significant work experience and success in this field and have made and continue to make a good living at this game. The classes are offered by UCLA. Every week, required reading is followed by discussion boards that at times lean much like the Dungeon. It must be a California thing but I find it amazing at how socialist minded the rest of the students are. The second course, in particular, requires extensive discussion. One must present 200 t0 500 word write up on the theme of the week and comment on two other student postings. The things that is challenging is to exercise civility and silence to some of the case reviews/opinions which, are mostly far left leaning an anti-business. We had this one case, where a project manager was working on a project (8-month duration). It was expected that if a company provided a great job, they would be guarantee work the next year. The client during the current project informed the PM that they were having funding issues and that next year's plan may slip three months. The PM had been afforded the best employees and challenged them to find the saving to cover the three months between the completion of the current project and the next. The team was successful. The PM informed his supervisor and all was well. However, later in the year the supervisor asked the PM to release the funds so that it would reflect well on the supervisor and project manager and would improve the chances of a Xmas bonus. Now, what says you - the Dungeon? Is the supervisor within his role to request the funds to be release? Is the supervisor a greedy bastard? Does the PM not know his role? Don't go California bat shit crazy on your responses.
Well, just on the surface, if I understand your topic. Won't releasing the extra funds now, set them back to square 1 and they will have a shortfall of three months again? I mean the whole idea was to save money to cover a shortfall for NEXT year so everyone would have a year round job, right?
The current project is funding. The PM and the team managed to save the incurred cost in providing the deliverable detailed in the contract for the current project. The savings are internal to the company. The client funding issues has to do with the next project, the next year. The current project will under run, a cost saving to the company. The monies saved does not belong to the project team. If not to be use in providing a product, or a task, monies can be transferred away from the project. Generally, are. The reason why forecasting is critical (and why I can afford a Slate.
Give me call this weekend. I would not mind trying to make the Memorial Weekend event again. What it the latest with the new munchkin?
I haven't even looked at the cra schedule. Busy as a chronic masturbator at an all-night Chyna porn viewing. Suffice to say that sleep is a luxury we are prepared to spend considerable resources to obtain.
The current project has not under run until the project is 100% complete and the warranty period (assuming there is one) has passed Savings can be re distributed after that criteria is met. Don't run a business like the gov't. Supervisor is greedy If the savings don't go to the team that saved it (in ANY form) where is the incentive not to spend? again running like a govt budget. Give teams a bonus on money they save the company the company take the lions share for stockholders of course, but long term, more teams will be more efficient, with lower cost and winning more clients/ projects. = more Christmas bonuses long term
If the work packages on the project can be closed out with the current forecast, than the monies get released. The incentive to minimized actual cost to produce is the goal of the PM. I would agree that a good company would consider the team that produce saving to be included in the bonus program. The other main issue is that the PM has no say what happens to his project team after the project is complete. The is no condition ensuring that he or the team would be the team selected to carry on with the Client's next year. This team was put to ensure the current project was completed on time and for the approved budget. When that project is done, it is done. Team disperses into their functional role/report back to functional manager.
I get this aspect, put the proper talent for a specific task where it needs to go... To answer your original question, The Super is a greedy bastard IMO
Working a 60-70 hour work week, and cut it down to 40 hours, i would spend that extra spare time in the Dungeon? I'd be out looking for a girlfriend, trying to get layed. The classes are great, nothing wrong with improving yourself. But damn go get some pu$$y, have a drink.
So what Im getting is the PM and Sup could get a bonus, but the team would not have a pot of $ to cover their salaries for the 3 month gap? Given the case the Sup is a greedy bastid, however that is par for the course if the company is not thinking long term. Human capital is expensive to fire, hire, and retrain. they would be better off burning through the savings, and retaining quality employees. Best case scenario the employees could be re-purposed to support a behind schedule project or surge for a needy project during the lag. Additionally how will the client respond to having a new team that needs to be brought up to speed, vs one that can hit the ground running on day one of the new work? Plus think of the loss of the knowledge base that would be lost and could potentially bring further savings over the next project.
The scenario implies FFP, as there could not be a pot of saved funds on the vendor's side with cost plus.
