Primavera Trainer

بريمافيرا بي6 الإصدار رقم 8 رسمياً في الأسواق

2011-12-13T11:28:00.002+02:00

Oracle released a totally modified edition of P6 under a release numbered 8, the program is a P6 Professional edition with updated features.
Training for the program is provided in Libya by Abdel Eljaroshi in Libya.

أصدرت أوراكل النسخة رقم 8 من برنامج إدارة وتخطيط ومتابعة المشاريع بريمافيرا بي6
التدريب الخاص بالبرنامج يوفره عبدالسلام الجروشي

Basic Project Management - Primavera P6 Rel7 Training in Benghazi

2011-01-09T08:40:00.006+02:00

Sponsored by LYPMO - Libyan Project Management Office, Assalam Training Center in Benghazi - Libya is planning to start a Basic Project Management - Primavera P6 Rel7 Course on Saturday, January 15th 2011.

Training will cover Project Planning basics, along with Primavera P6 implementation skills, and Project Monitoring using Primavera P6. It will be based on , Oracle University Content, Daniel Burk's Practical Training in Primavera P6 and Abdel Eljaroshi's 3L Training in Primavera P6.

Training will go on for 2 weeks, 6 days a week.

For more information call: 0925103053

or send an email to: training@lypmo.com

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Categorizing Units of Measure for easy search

2010-10-23T10:30:00.004+02:00

This technique is used to categorize units of measure according to their purpose, to make searching for the proper unit of measure easy when assigning them to Material Resources.

Software: Primavera P6 Release 7

Subject: Categorizing Units of Measure for easy search

Step 1:

Open the software

Step 2:

Open Admin menu and choose Admin Categories

Step 3:

Click Units of Measure tab:

Step 4:

Type Unit Abbreviation for Meter (m), and when you type Unit Name, type the unit of measure purpose before it (e.g. Length, Area, Volume, Weight..ect.).

Step 5:

After you complete and repeat Step 4 for all the units of measure in the library, close Admin Categories and click Resources from the Home screen, or Directory buttons.

Step 6:

Click the Details Tab from Resource Details, and select a material resource from the list.

Step 7:

Click the Unit of Measure Select Button to open the UoM list.

Step 8:

In the Search field type a measurement type (length, area, time..etc.), and a list of its Units of Measure will be displayed

This will narrow your choices, and make it easier to find the required Unit of Measure for your material resources.

==========

Abdel Eljaroshi
MBA MPM CIPM CPE CSE
PROJECT/PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST
INFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEER

PRIMAVERA P6 Coach / MS Project Coach

Primavera Trainer is to launch the largest Online Project Management Library

2010-10-17T11:01:00.005+02:00

Primavera Trainer developers announced last week that they are working on launching the richest Online Project Management Library free.

Leading a team of developers is a Libyan engineer hired by Primavera Trainer to launch the website by the end of this year, and the blog's managers explained that the new "LYPMO Library" as they called it, will be one of the largest free scientific resources destinations ever to be available to internet users.

أعرب القائمون على مدونة بريمافيرا ترينر أن فريق المبرمجين وأخصائي إدارة المشاريع والتخطيط والجداول الزمنية الذين يشكلون الأساس الذي تقوم عليه المدونة، أعرب ممثلوهم بأن المدونة ستطلق قريباً أضخم مكتبة إلكترونية خاصة بإدارة المشاريع.

ويقود الفريق أحد المهندسين الليبيين الذي تم توظيفه من قبل القائمين على المدونة لإنشاء وإطلاق المكتبة، وقد أشار المتحدث بأن المكتب التي سيطلق عليه اسم (ليبمو) ستكون من أضخم الوجهات المتاحة مجاناً كمصدر للمعلومات الخاصة بإدارة المشاريع على الإنترنت.

Primavera P6 Training Survey استبيان نهاية دورة تدريبية...ريمافيرا بي6 - دورة رقم 17

2010-10-05T11:38:00.003+02:00

Dear attendants of the Primavera P6 Training Course No.17 that is held in Albariek Telecom Company from Oct 2nd 2010 to Oct 21st 2010, please click on the following link to take the training survey:

Primavera P6 Training Survey استبيان نهاية دورة تدريبية...ريمافيرا بي6 - دورة رقم 17

Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Certified Implementation Specialist

2010-09-27T12:28:00.004+03:00

Oracle announced a Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Certified Implementation Specialist and OPN Certified Specialist exams, to provide Primavera P6 specialist with a certification opportunity.

The 90min 49 questions exam is announced as the way to a Primavera P6 Implementation Specialist certification, and it is the first one since Oracle's acquisition of Primavera in January 2009.

Oracle exam code is 1Z0-535, and fees for taking it are US$ 195

You can find detailed information on Oracle's website, just follow this link:
http://www.oracle.com/partners/en/knowledge-zone/applications/primavera-exam-page-168722.html

Abdel Eljaroshi
MBA MPM CIPM CPE CSE
PROJECT/PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST
INFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Member of AAPM™ Global Board of Standards (Click here)
Presidential Advisor for AAPM™ (Click here)
Member of AAPM™ Global Advisory Board (Click here)

S Curve for Microsoft Office Project

2010-09-15T11:04:00.003+03:00

A program that drafts your project's S Curve according to a preset data of your selection.

Libyan government decides to extend Alemara's operations

2010-07-20T11:13:00.002+03:00

A decision by Libya's General People's Committee extended Alemara Engineering Consultations Office's operations 25 years more, after studies to end it as a government company.

The decision was released after Libyan authorities confirmed certainty of allotting the company more then 1 year ago.

Alemara is a major engineering firm that manages construction of major strategic projects in Libya, of which are 3 infrastructure and services projects in the city of Benghazi, compromising 70% of the total area of the city. In addition to housing projects in Sirt, Tobruk, Ajdabia, Misurata, and Derna.

Seven Essential Skills to Look for in Project Managers

2010-07-10T13:53:00.000+03:00

Seven Essential Skills to Look for in Project Managers
By Kerry Wills

I have recently created some new job postings for Project Managers which lead me to start thinking of the skills that I look for in a Project Manager. To me, I always assume that the fundamentals are there (use of MS Project, understanding of plans, risks, etc.). Therefore I look more for traits and management style.

Some big ones for me are:

1. Sense of urgency – Follows up on actions, decisions, etc
2. Ability to look at project metrics and gauge progress and risks
3. Good relationship with the team members (being seen as approachable means they get status and risks known early)
4. Solves problems vs raising them
5. Ability to make decisions and facilitate meetings and closure of open items
6. Responsiveness to issues and action items
7. Stays on top of his/her work and doesn’t need reminders from me

I find that most resumes are filled with acronyms and certifications but it is very hard to distinguish if that means people will be solid Project Managers. That’s why I try to ask situational questions to see how someone would approach the situation.

What are other skills that people look for or view as important in Project Managers today?

================================================

Kerry Wills is a proven Program Manager/Portfolio Manager with an extensive background in Project Management, consulting, and application development. Kerry has consistently demonstrated the ability to plan and implement large and complex projects on time and on/under budget. Kerry runs a blog, Adventures in Project Management.

Resource Product & Resource Working Hours

2010-07-03T13:20:00.002+03:00

Download (PRIMAVERA P6 APPLICATION STUDY: Resource Product and Resource Working Hours).

PRIMAVERA P6 APPLICATION STUDY: Resource Product and Resource Working Hours

Prince2 Project Management

2010-05-28T21:50:00.000+03:00

ALBARIEK to provide Primavera P6 training program in accordance with Oracle University course content

2010-05-17T23:24:00.002+03:00

Benghazi's ALBARIEK IT and Telecom Company is planning to provide 3 Oracle University Primavera P6 Project Management training courses as a training program starting next March.

The company's training center provided Primavera P6 training based on Abdel Eljaroshi's 3L System, thus recognizing more then 50 Primavera P6 Project Management Operators through out the 4th quarter of 2009/

The company will be announcing the following courses soon:
1. Project Management - Primavera P6 Release 6.0 - 7,
Certification: (Primavera P6 Operator)
2. Resource Management in Primavera
Certification: (Resource Management Operator using Primavera P6)
3. Project Management - Primavera P6 Rel 6.0 - 7,
Certification: (Planning Engineer using Primavera P6

ALBARIEK is a Microsoft Certified Golden Partner, an Oracle Testing Center, and a Prometric Services Provider in Libya, providing training and preparation training for various IT specialties and software.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Albariek Communication and IT
Telephone: +218 91 4341215
Email: info@albariek.com

ALBARIEK to provide Primavera P6 training program in accordance with Oracle University course content

2010-02-23T19:31:00.005+02:00

Benghazi's ALBARIEK IT and Telecom Company is planning to provide 3 Oracle University Primavera P6 Project Management training courses as a training program starting next March.

The company's training center provided Primavera P6 training based on Abdel Eljaroshi's 3L System, thus recognizing more then 50 Primavera P6 Project Management Operators through out the 4th quarter of 2009/

The company will be announcing the following courses soon:
1. Project Management - Primavera P6 Release 6.0 - 7, Basic
2. Resource Management in Primavera P6
3. Project Management - Primavera P6 Rel 6.0 - 7, Advanced

ALBARIEK is a Microsoft Certified Golden Partner, an Oracle Testing Center, and a Prometric Services Provider in Libya, providing training and preparation training for various IT specialties and software.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Albariek Communication and IT
Telephone: +218 91 4341215
Email: info@albariek.com

Measuring the Business Value of a Project

2010-02-04T12:00:00.002+02:00

Project Times

Angelo Baratta

How do we measure project success? Do we measure budget and schedule or do we measure net value delivered to the organization? Today, we tend to measure the former. But it is the latter, delivered value, which is the truer measure. This is the way projects will be evaluated in the future. The current Triple Constraint focuses on the delivery portion of a project, rather than its business value. It focuses on a single project, and is primarily based on a cost view.

The Value Triple Constraint is an evolution of the Triple Constraint. It is a framework for measuring the on-going value delivered through projects and for bringing to light the "value left behind". It is pictured below

Exhibit 1 - Value Triple Constraint

The Value Triple Constraint states:

Value delivered is a function of the Scope of the business opportunity and of our Capability to identify, decide and deliver to the opportunity.

From a business perspective, a project is aimed at taking an organization from one level of measured performance to a higher level of measured performance. To determine if we have achieved that objective we need good methods of measurement.

The Value Triple Constraint: Tracking Four Distinct Phases

The Value Triple Constraint (VTC) tracks an opportunity through each of four distinct phases as follows, from last to first:

Realization Phase. This is where we implement the output product or service and begin to harvest the results. Naturally, we want to deliver a positive value. In reality, this may be considered mostly outside the project, since it occurs after the project is complete.
Delivery Phase. This is our current focus of attention. It consumes most of the effort, attention and costs of the project. It is the phase where we apply the classical triple constraint. However, the conditions for business success are largely set before this phase, outside the actual project. Also, while the project is being delivered, the eventual benefits are being delayed and so speed of delivery is important.
Decision Phase. This is the phase where we select among the many to decide which projects will go forward and when. Although this phase doesn't consume significant costs or effort, it does often consume significant calendar time. It focuses on cost-benefit, not value delivered.
Identification Phase. This is not a phase with which many organizations are even familiar. There is a point at which we recognize that there is an opportunity. However, that opportunity may have existed for many months or many years. Just because we didn't see it until now, doesn't mean it didn't exist.

We tend to focus on the delivery phase. That's where our budget lives. The decision and identification phases contain very little budget costs. But they represent significant opportunity costs. However, opportunity costs don't show up on any P& L statements. There are no statements that present us with value that did not show up. The Value Triple Constraint^TM measures both value delivered, and value not delivered that could have been delivered. This is largely ignored, yet represents a significant opportunity. To understand how the VTC approaches measurement, we need to understand the major value components in the VTC and how they are related.

Project Value - Measuring the Outcome at the Project Level

The four major components that affect long term value delivery are:

Realized Value
Project Cost
Decision Opportunity Cost
Identification Opportunity Cost

Let us explore each of these in turn.

Realized Value. This is the actual benefit experienced after implementaion. The realized value is delivered, over time, across organizational boundaries. Because of this and other reasons, it is often not tracked for any meaningful period of time. And yet, it is the single most important measure that can tell us how well we are doing overall, across all projects. Why is it important to measure the value delivered across the entire benefit projection period? Business processes have a way of deteriorating. So we need to know, over the entire benefit projection period, what the value delivered was. It is not unlikely that organizations have a tendency to select a "sampling period" that is favorable rather than representative.

Project Cost. This is the familiar budget portion of any project. Under the Value Triple Constraint^TM, it is divided into two separate components:

Delivery Cost. This is the usual cost component which is reflected in the budget. This represents money actually spent, whether capital or expense.
Schedule Opportunity Cost. Under the Triple Constraint we track the schedule in terms of time. In the VTC, we track schedule in terms of its benefit equivalent. This is both new and different. To convert schedule time into schedule cost, we need a formula. It is calculated as:

Schedule Opportunity Cost = Monthly Net Benefit x Schedule Months

For example, a project with a projected monthly net benefit of $50,000 and expected schedule of 10 months, would have a Schedule Opportunity Cost of $500,000 ($50k x 10 months). The Schedule Opportunity Cost provides a better mechanism for choosing among alternative schedule options, because it reflects the time cost of delivery - time is money.

Decision Opportunity Cost. While an organization waits to decide, no benefits can be delivered. And so, there is a real cost to the time it takes to make a decision. The quicker we decide, the quicker we begin to realize benefits.

Identification Opportunity Cost. We may recognize that we have an opportunity today. However, an opportunity begins when the conditions that gave rise to it, came to be. So there is virtually always a gap between the time an opportunity arises and when someone in the organization acknowledges it. That gap has an opportunity cost

Identification and Decision Opportunity Costs reflect our capability with respect to those two functions. In many organizations a focus on those two would result in the delivery of much more value to the organization than would a focus on project delivery skills, which might already be quite high.

If project managers wish to be more successful, then the projects need to be more successful from a business perspective. They need to think outside the project because that's where success begins. A project that will, in the end, deliver very little Realized Benefit is not going to be a business success. Such a project is born handicapped.

Some Uses of Value Triple Constraint

The VTC has these major uses:

Quantify the business value of a project
Select from alternative schedules.
Look for opportunities to deliver more value through speed along the entire opportunity chain.

To reduce risk on a single project, we should continuously update the Value Profile, not just the costs. This would include:

Projected Realized Value
Projected Delivery Cost
Projected Schedule Opportunity Cost

By tracking and projecting all three, we could detect some important things that we don't currently manage. For example, if the projected Realized Value begins to decline and the Delivery Cost begins to increase, we know there is the risk that the project will be cancelled. And perhaps it should. Also, if the Realized Value after completion shows a tendency to be less than predicted then perhaps projects are being oversold.

On the other hand, when the projected Realized Value increases, then our projected Schedule Opportunity Cost will also increase. This should tell us to revisit the schedule because time has become more valuable.

What about scope management? When an increase in scope results in an increase in the schedule, we should take the additional Schedule Opportunity Cost into consideration. For example, an increase in scope may result in an increase in the Realized Value of $100,000, an increase in cost of only $30,000, and an additional two months of schedule.

Without looking at the schedule impact this seems like a simple decision. But it the benefit was $50,000 per month, then we would incur an additional $100,000 (2 months) of Schedule Opportunity Cost in addition to the $30,000 Delivery Cost. This changes the equation. The organization would be paying $130,000 of value to gain only $100,000. Suddenly it doesn't make sense any more.

Another example is a change request which is in budget but does not increase the projected realized value. This should be declined because the net Value would decrease and should be declined. Today, the tendency is to accept a change which is in budget, even if it adds no value. Projects exist to capitalize on opportunities. Therefore, we need to measure lost opportunity just as much as measuring adherence to an estimate, which may not even be correct.

Enterprise Value - Measuring the Outcome at the Enterprise Level

How do we determine what the optimal sequence is for projects? Look at the following example. We have two projects requiring the same resources. So which do we do first?

Exhibit 2 - Comparing ROIs

From an ROI perspective, Project A appears more attractive and so we might be tempted to do it first. But, by including the schedule cost, we can compare the two alternatives.

The total Realized Value and the total Delivery Cost are the same regardless of order. However, the total Schedule Cost is different for each alternative.

If we do A first, then the Schedule Costs will be:

Schedule cost for A is 12 months at $50,000 per month or $600,000
Schedule cost for B is 12 months waiting for A to finish, plus 12 months to complete B for a total of 24 months. Each month is worth $75,000 (benefit from B) for a total of $1.8 million.
Total Schedule Cost for this alternative is $600,000 + $1.8million = $2.4 million

If we do B first, then the Schedule Costs will be:

Schedule cost for B is 12 months at $75,000 per month or $900,000
Schedule cost for A is 12 months waiting for B to finish, plus 12 months to complete A for a total of 24 months. Each month is worth $50,000 (benefit from A) for a total of $1.2 million.
Total Schedule Cost for this alternative is $900,000 + $1.2 million = $2.1 million

Clearly option B is has the least opportunity cost and, therefore, the highest value, which may not be the intuitive choice.

Program, Project, Portfolio and PMO

How do projects, programs and portfolios relate? First, we begin with a quantifiable business opportunity, and designate a program for it. Then, as we determine all the projects required to deliver to the business opportunity, they become part of the program. Beginning at the opportunity/program level provides us with a way to pull necessary projects into the measurable program, rather than trying to group projects after the fact. The VTC can be used to determine the best way to organize and schedule projects within the program and also helps determine sequencing for programs. Once we apply the VTC to a program, we can determine what criteria we wish to use to develop portfolios.

Exhibit 3 - How Projects. Programs and Portfolios Relate

Summary

The Value Triple Constraint moves the focus from the project manager to project

management as a whole. It requires the business to take responsibility for establishing and confirming the benefit and focuses attention on the opportunities of identification and decision in addition to delivery. It requires the quantification and validation of actual project benefits. This will discourage any practice of overstating benefits to get approval and then abandoning that metric. The proposed VTC model gives us a better way to evaluate project success. It also allows us to focus our attention on where the true opportunities lie. If most of the value lost is in the identification and selection, then there may be more opportunity in improving how we identify opportunities and how quickly we make decisions rather than improving our delivery capability.

Don't forget to leave your comments below

Angelo Baratta, PMP, CMC is dedicated to significantly raising organizational capabilities. His ePPM^TM framework goes beyond best practices. It is a scientifically engineered system for raising the effectiveness of project, process and requirements management - key competences for all organizations.
Web: www.PerformanceInnovation.com Email: ABaratta@PerformanceInnovation.com
Tel: 905-270-7591

Read full article on Project Times

Construction managers' should change their point of view!

2010-02-04T11:25:00.002+02:00

It was brought to my attention in one of the Primavera P6 training sessions, that most of construction managers, scheduling and planning engineers, and also field and site engineers working in major construction projects in Libya do not have the clear sense about the program.

The question was raised by a planning engineer, with a dare in the beginning of a Primavera P6 training course: What is the difference, what ever you say I can do it with P3!

It wasn't until the third session of the 12 sessions that he said: Oh, there it is, using it is easier. He stared answering his dare with the accumulation of the differences, whether it was the interface, user facilitation, graphic presentation, calculations precision, organization of application, and data entry and extraction powerful possibilities and uses.

The total of converts, as I like to call them, because they converted from P3 to P6, is more then 200, those are people who profited from being trained with the Operator Level of the 3L P6 Training System, and more then 150 are asking for levels 2 (Planning Engineer), and 3 (Project Manager), but my advise was and will always be: Discover the possibilities of the program, before moving onto another level by training, because you can always move on to develop experience by practice.

The Project Liberation Checklist: Finishing Unfinished Projects

2010-01-14T19:02:00.001+02:00

We all have one hiding over there in the groan zone. It’s the unfinished project that lives in a strange sort of limbo. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb reminds us in The Black Swan, the longer a project goes unfinished, there is an exponential increase in the time to finish the project. Sound familiar?

So, you see them lurking there getting dusty and forlorn, what should you do about them? How can you move these projects from limbo to liberation (aka completion)?

Here’s my Project Liberation Checklist:

1. Look at all your unfinished projects. Which ones are still relevant? What’s important, and what no longer matters?

Measuring the Business Value of a Project

2010-01-14T19:00:00.002+02:00

The Value Triple Constraint is an evolution of the Triple Constraint. It is a framework for measuring the on-going value delivered through projects and for bringing to light the “value left behind”

Read on at Project Times.

Worldwide Cost of IT Failure: $6.2 Trillion

2010-01-14T18:58:00.001+02:00

Most IT professionals know that project failure is a common and serious problem in organizations of all kinds. New research attempts to quantify the extent of IT failure in the worldwide economy.

Most IT failure research seeks to determine the percentage of projects that run over-budget, are late, or do not deliver expected results. While those numbers are important, they do not convey a concrete sense of the overall cost impact created by failed IT.

Lego My Schedule

2010-01-14T18:39:00.003+02:00

There is no question that one of the keys to success on all projects is communication. Almost every project struggles with communication at some point. We define communication plans, have meetings, share minutes, utilize the latest technology, build tools, and still communication is at best difficult. Though we are all born with the basic tools to communicate, and most of us spend a large percentage of our time communicating, we could all use some help being better communicators.

I believe that some of our communications challenges have to do with our predisposition to use speaking and writing as our primary means of communication.

[...]

On a recent project, we were having numerous discussions regarding the complex scheduling of incrementally adding functionality to a new system (using an Agile approach) while simultaneously rolling it out to a large number of users over the period of a year (using a Six Sigma approach). The interdependencies were complicated and the combination of the two different approaches made it all the more challenging.

So like all good project managers we went to our tool of choice (Microsoft Project, right?) and built a beautiful representation of the proposed rollout and product development to communicate the plan. While this was a valuable exercise to understand dependencies and forecasted resource demands, the look on our stakeholders’ eyes as they glanced at the Gantt chart said they needed something else: Legos.

Read the entire article at ProjectConnections.

Work Breakdown Structure: What It’s for and How to Use It

2010-01-09T16:30:00.000+02:00

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIPS AND TRICKS

By Mark Wilfer

AT&T Business Solutions

Every project is regarded as a unique endeavor. Therefore, when a project is first chartered it is assumed the project team cannot immediately know all details of the work to be done. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the tool used to determine those details. The WBS is considered an essential part of project planning because it serves as a framework for discovery, exploring the full extent of work to be conducted. Understanding the role of the WBS and how to use it effectively can make a substantial difference in the project team’s ability to successfully manage the project.

The WBS is aptly named; it is truly a structural breakdown of work. More specifically, the breakdown is in terms of the project’s deliverables—that is, the nouns, or things, that need to be produced, compiled, designed, built, created, or otherwise made ready. The WBS is hierarchical in nature, with the very top showing the highest level deliverable: the product, service, or result that serves as the project purpose. The next level of the WBS represents the highest-level component deliverables necessary to complete the overall purpose. These are often identified in, and carried over directly from, the scope statement.

Through experience, inquiry, and expert judgment, the Project Manager and project team determine all subsequent deliverables that comprise each of the major deliverables.

To read entire paper (click here)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Wilfer

Mark Wilfer is a Senior Program Manager at AT&T Business Solutions Project Management. He earned his PMP certification in 2004, and went on to develop numerous tools, templates, and guides, to help other project managers become more efficient at their work. Mark also volunteered for the Project Management Institute (PMI), leading development of Chapter Two for the PMBOK® Guide Fourth Edition, as well as assisting with the review and adjudication of several other chapters. In addition to a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University, Mark holds a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and speaks Mandarin Chinese as a second language. His experience in the Telecommunications industry spans more than 12 years, covering the installation of complex voice and data services for some of the largest Fortune 500 corporations in the United States. Prior to joining AT&T, Mark worked for State government on a project delivering Internet service to schools and libraries through the TEACH Wisconsin program. Mark can be reached at mark.wilfer@att.com.

How to be Ready for the Recovery!

2010-01-09T16:26:00.002+02:00

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIPS AND TRICKS

By Curt Finch
CEO of Journyx

CNN recently published an article about the aftermath of the recession, claiming that the economy is “finally back in gear.” What does this mean for businesses like yours? Projects that were sidelined for the past year or two could come off the bench, and there might be more money to go around. Great news, right? It depends on how ready you are to make the most of this new opportunity. Are you confident that you will be able to put the right people on these projects and make the right decisions about how to spend this money?

Successful project execution requires quality data on who is available and qualified to do the work, when specific tasks will be completed, and which projects are in danger and why. Without this data, project managers are often scrambling to keep tabs on everything and address problems before it is too late. Here are a few questions you need to ask to be sure that you are getting the data you need and putting it to good use in your organization.

1. Where Are We Profitable?

Now that money is not as tight as it was last year, how can you be sure that you are investing it in the right projects rather than wasting it on projects that will bring in a minimal ROI? It is easy when you have the right data. Believe it or not, simple project time data can tell you which of your past projects were successful and which were failures, how many people worked on these projects and how much time they spent, and which of your clients are profitable and which ones are not. Without this information in hand, you cannot ensure success.

To read entire paper (click here)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Curt Finch

Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx (http://pr.journyx.com), a provider of Web-based software located in Austin, Texas, that tracks time and project accounting solutions to guide customers to per-person, per-project profitability. Journyx has thousands of customers worldwide and is the first and only company to establish Per Person/Per Project Profitability (P5), a proprietary process that enables customers to gather and analyze information to discover profit opportunities. In 1997, Curt created the world’s first Internet-based timesheet application - the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. Curt is an avid speaker and author, and recently published the book “All Your Money Won’t Another Minute Buy: Valuing Time as a Business Resource”. Curt also authors a project management blog at www.project-management-blog.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/clf99.

Management of Communications in IT Projects

2010-01-09T16:26:00.001+02:00

Training the Customer in Project Management

2010-01-09T16:20:00.000+02:00

By Rebecca Winston, Esq.

Idaho, USA

Pleasant moments of reward don’t come along every day and when they do, one should treasure them. I do. I had one of those days of reward when I came to the end of week in which I had one of our customers for a Program I manage in the project management class arranged for staff.

Project managers, myself included, have long stated that if our customers and upper management only understood in more detail what we do; our role, efforts, and product would be more appreciated and applied. In fact, books and studies have been done on how best to get them to understand the role of project management. In the class, I had not only one of my customers from the US Federal Government but three of the upper management team. In this age of cutbacks on training, the class was indeed a luxury. By inviting the customer into the fold, the class became more cost effective for the customer and the idea was well received by the senior management for the customer as well as internal to the company for which I work.

Senior management attended as they noticed that those who had attended the first class were much more prepared and spoke a common language. The previous class participants also appear surer of themselves in their job and the role of project manager. Besides as stated previously, training is not an option these days unless it is a job requirement, so this training was one not to be missed.

Click here to read entire paper

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Winston, Esq.

Rebecca (Becky) Winston, Esq., JD, PMI Fellow, is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). An experienced expert on the subject of project management (PM) in the fields of research & development (R&D), energy, environmental restoration and national security, she is well known throughout the United States and globally as a leader in the PM professional world. Becky has over 25 years of experience in program and project management, primarily on programs funded by the US government. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s College of Law, Juris Doctorate (1980), in Lincoln, Nebraska and has a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) degree in Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University in the USA. Active in PMI since 1993, Rebecca Winston helped pioneer PMI's Specific Interest Groups (SIGs) in the nineties, including the Project Earth and Government SIGs, and was a founder and first co-chair of the Women in Project Management SIG. She served two terms on the PMI board of directors and was elected a PMI Fellow in 2005. She is a licensed attorney and a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of Female Executives in the USA. She has extensive recent PM experience in the areas of national defense and security, and has worked closely with local, regional and national officials, including federal agencies, the US Congress and the Pentagon. Becky is currently Chair of the US Technical Advisory Group for the new ISO Standard for Project Management, currently under development. She also serves as a Global Advisor to PMForum and is a PM AmbassadorTM, available for international speaking engagements. She lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.

The Need for Speed!

2010-01-09T16:16:00.000+02:00

By James Brown, PhD

Florida, USA

There is nothing wrong with speed when a system is designed for it. I had a harrowing taxi ride in Germany on the autobahn. The ride was uncomfortable not because of the very high speed, but the condition of the dilapidated taxi I was riding in. It is not a good feeling when you know you are going too fast. It is uncomfortable. That taxi was not ready for high speed.

If you have ever ridden in a car that you felt was going too fast because of the car, driver or conditions, you are aware of that uneasy feeling associated with the experience. It can cause you to try to mash an imaginary brake when you are sitting in the passenger seat. That same uneasy feeling can overtake you as a project manager if things are going too fast. The bad news is projects are a lot longer than a ride in a car.

Odds are high that your organization is obsessed with speed

Your organization should be obsessed with speed. Speed is necessary for success in today’s market. The question for you and your organization is “Do you know what truly enables speed?” When speed is required you should focus on two things. 1. Insight. 2. Braking. Consider the following quote by the famous soccer player Johan Cruijff:

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Dr. James T. Brown, president of SEBA® Solutions Inc., a Registered Education Provider for the Project Management Institute, has provided training and consulting services for dozens of companies nationally and internationally. SEBA® Solutions also provides OnePdu.com http://OnePdu.com for online project management training. A recognized authority in project management, Dr. Brown is a frequently invited speaker on project management areas of interest. He is the author of The Handbook of Program Management published by McGraw Hill and is a member of the Project Management Institute, the National Speakers Association and the National Association of Corporate Directors. Dr. Brown has a patent for a project scheduling methodology, and has received numerous awards including "Engineer of the Year" from the Cape Canaveral Technical Societies and is a recipient of the "NASA Public Service Medal" for exceptional contributions to NASA’s mission. He has a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida, a MS in Engineering Management from Florida Institute of Technology and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified speaking professional (CSP). To learn more about SEBA® visit www.SebaSolutions.com. You can contact James directly at jtbrown@sebasolutions.com.

Series on Construction Project Scheduling - The Principles, Processes & Practices of Construction Project Scheduling

2010-01-09T16:10:00.001+02:00

By Earl Glenwright

The fundamental concepts of scheduling principles and processes were laid out by Jim Kelly and Morgan Walker 50+ years ago when they formulated the activity network method of managing a project’s resources and time. Whereas these principles and processes are unchanged, the practices have evolved ever since.

I. Principles. The principles are embedded in the definition of a project. These are that a ‘project’ has a definitive scope of work, is a temporary endeavor, and has a fixed ending time for producing a product. Moreover, work-items or activities are arranged in a logical network where activities are linked to predecessors and successors such that an activity can not start until all of it’s predecessors are completed and none of its successor activities can start until the activity is functionally complete. This can be restated as an activities inputs and outputs for the ‘work’ done by an activity-work item. This is the bedrock upon which the processes and practices take place.

II. Processes. ‘Processes’ include decomposing the project’s scope of work [SOW] into deliverable components, sub-components, and work packages of activities. This structure, the Scope [work] Breakdown Structure has neither implied durations, logical sequences, nor activities…To read entire paper Click Here

Construction Project Scheduling Today: Issues and Controversies

2010-01-09T16:07:00.000+02:00

By Earl Glenwright

Editor’s note: This editorial launches a new series of articles in PM World Today related to construction project scheduling, by one of the world’s leading project scheduling experts. Earl Glenwright has nearly 40 years of experience in the field of construction project scheduling. He has agreed to provide a series of articles on various aspects of the topic for our readers. We hope this series provides new and useful information for those of you engaged in planning and managing construction projects around the world. This guest editorial introduces the series.

PM World Today is introducing a new monthly series of presentations on contemporary construction scheduling issues and discussions about controversial aspects of construction scheduling in the real world of today’s projects.

Construction Scheduling has been evolving from its beginning in 1957 until today. Consequently practitioners and management teams should upgrade their understanding of the principles, processes, practices, and how they can profit by taking full advantage of current techniques.

Hence we must put today’s scheduling practices in a contemporary perspective.

To understand the issues, explanations, and remedies one must accept the reality that an evolution has occurred in the way we practice the use of scheduling principles and processes today. Many prior practices, albeit appropriate work-arounds of software and hardware limitations at the time they were used, are no longer appropriate. In fact they are hindering full use of current hardware and software in the most effective way of achieving the full benefits that are now available. Good scheduling practices will enhance achieving on-time completion of construction projects which ultimately manifests itself in larger contributions that increase the amount of profit.

Experienced senior scheduling managers are not all in agreement but they do acknowledge the issues.

Read Complete Editorial

About the Author

Earl Glenwright, PSP

Author

Earl Glenwright, PSP, has a career spanning 40+ years in construction project scheduling. Earl is certified as a Planning and Scheduling Professional [PSP] by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International [AACEi]. He frequently gives presentations at their annual conferences. Earl has both a BS in Civil Engineering and MBA degree and is a Registered Professional Engineer. Earl’s career has included multi-year positions in several countries including Brasil, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. He currently lives in Colorado and Bulgaria. Prior to 1988 he was employed by the [US] Bureau of Reclamation and the [US] Army Corps of Engineers. After retiring in 1988 he has been a free-lance consultant for both contractor’s construction scheduling and small business Enterprise Project Management. His experience includes large and very large [super-mega] construction projects, very small projects such as construction planning, and scheduling for home construction by his Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Through his extensive scheduling experience he has been recognized as a Subject Matter Expert [SME], a Master Scheduler, and an Expert Advisor. Earl has been active in the Project Management Institute (PMI) for 30+ years. He has presented “Time & Cost” training at PMI’s annual seminar-symposia, and was a member of the initial PMBoK Guide Project Team, the 2000 update team, and the project team that prepared the 3rd edition. Earl has recently presented ‘workshop/seminars’ for Bulgarian project scheduling and controls persons which cover the 3 phases of scheduling: framework preparation/planning, schedule development, and schedule management and control. The workbooks are dual language English and Bulgarian. Earl can be contacted at earl_csss@yahoo.com.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:43:00.000+02:00

Astronauts Get Two Christmases in Space

2009-12-28T22:42:00.000+02:00

Clara Moskowitz
Staff Writer
SPACE.com clara Moskowitz
staff Writer
space.com – Thu Dec 24, 10:46 am ET

Christmas comes twice to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station this year as the multi-nation crew celebrates the traditional Dec. 25 holiday as well as Russian Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7.

Current station commander Jeff Williams of NASA is leading a crew of five, including Russian cosmonauts Maxim Suraev and Oleg Kotov, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, and American spaceflyer Timothy "T.J." Creamer.

Kotov, Noguchi and Creamer arrived just recently, docking at the station aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft on Tuesday.

"We're privileged this time of year to be in this unique place looking back at our planet," Williams said in a video beamed down from the orbiting outpost. "It's a time for us to be thinking about our family and friends... It's also a time to look forward to the future year, finishing the assembly of the International Space Station."

Each year, the crew gets to choose when to hold their official holiday feast, during which they gather to share special delicacies beyond the scope of their normal daily rations.

This year, the spaceflyers have all elected to take American Christmas and American New Year's as their official holidays, NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries said.

Nonetheless, there will likely be some festivities on all the upcoming occasions, including the Russian Christmas.

"They'll probably celebrate a little on both," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said.

Space feast

The special treats for Dec. 25 include smoked turkey, candied yams, green beans with mushrooms, and cornbread dressing.

"There's the traditional food, and also I think that Soichi is bringing up some Japanese food, and of course they have the Russian food," Byerly said.

That day will be a particularly light one, with minimal duties scheduled for the astronauts. They will have a chance to make phone calls and send e-mails back home, and of course, enjoy their meals.

"They gather around the table and kind of break out all the food," Byerly told SPACE.com. "They probably barter with one another and trade different foods. It's a big feast."

Christmases past

Christmas has a storied history in space that began with Apollo 8, when astronauts read Genesis from the moon. That year, in 1968, astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders sent a Christmas Eve broadcast back to Earth showing the now-famous view of Earth rising over the lunar surface.

In 1973, the crew aboard the U.S. Skylab space station constructed a homemade Christmas tree out of empty food cans.

Later, on Russia's Space Station Mir, NASA astronauts John Blaha and David Wolf celebrated American Christmas in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

The crew of space shuttle Discovery's STS-103 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope celebrated the holiday by releasing the rejuvenated observatory back into space.

Since 2000, astronauts have lived continuously on the International Space Station and have celebrated the holidays each year.

Wall Street prepares to coast to end of 2009

2009-12-28T22:40:00.000+02:00

NEW YORK (AFP) – Wall Street prepares to close out 2009 on an upbeat note with the market holding hefty gains from a stunning comeback following a disastrous start to the year.

The stock market enters the final week of trading at its highs for the year on the heels of a stunning nine-month rally that lifted the main indexes from their lowest levels in over a decade.

The final four trading days of the year in the upcoming holiday-shortened week are expected to see light activity and a favorable mood, with the market enjoying a so-called Santa Claus rally.

In the holiday week ending Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.85 percent to 10,520.10, its best level in nearly 15 months.

The tech-rich Nasdaq composite meanwhile rallied 3.35 percent to 2285.69 and the broad Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 2.18 percent to 1,126.48.

Fred Dickson, market strategist at DA Davidson & Co., said the mood on Wall Street should remain positive through the coming week.

"Trading activity should pick up next week as investors make last minute portfolio changes like tax-loss sales and portfolio rebalancing," he said.

"We still expect to see the minor Santa Claus rally continue through New Year's Eve."

Some said the upbeat mood was helped by a steepening of the yield curve -- or a rise in the difference between short-term and long-term bond rates. Analysts say this is a positive sign because it encourages lending and risk taking.

The opposite phenomenon, an inverted yield curve, suggested recession was coming in 2007.

The yield curve is "a good barometer of the health of the US economy," said Chris Gaffney at EverBank World Markets, who noted that the difference between the short and long bonds rose to a record high in the past week.

With the year almost over, the Dow blue-chip index is sitting on 2009 gains of 19.87 percent, with the Nasdaq up 44.94 percent and S&P index ahead by 24.71 percent.

Although the market remains well below highs hit in 2007 and is stuck near levels from a decade ago, many traders are satisfied with a positive year.

"The year now ending will be remembered more for what didn't happen, than what did," said Peter Buchanan, economist at CIBC World Markets.

Buchanan said the year opened "with talk of financial and economic Armageddon," but that a recovery came with surprising speed.

"Few developments have been more striking than the turnaround in equity markets," he said.

Many analysts say that following the stomach-turning ups and downs over the past months, the stock market may be fairly valued, leaving the possibility of an extension of gains into 2010.

"We have made a lot of progress during 2009 and we have a lot more to make," said John Wilson, equity strategist at Morgan Keegan.

"This has been a difficult decade for investors. If history is any example, the next decade should provide a more favorable environment."

Bonds fell amid a shift to equities in the past week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond increased to 3.807 percent from 3.546 percent a week earlier while that on the 30-year bond rose to 4.687 percent from 4.458 percent. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.

Airport Security: Why It Failed

2009-12-28T22:36:00.000+02:00

Airport screening procedures failed for many reasons to catch the Nigerian man who aimed to blow up flight 253 as it approached Detroit. Scanners that might have spotted the explosives are not fully deployed, and even at airports where they exist, the scanners aren't used on all passengers.

Bottom line: No system will likely prove foolproof, experts say.

Investigators say 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab hid an explosive device and the chemical explosive PETN on his body while traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit aboard the Delta flight on Christmas day.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano admitted the security system didn't suffice.

"Our system did not work in this instance," Napolitano told NBC's "Today" on Monday. "No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way."

Well-known explosive

PETN is a white powder that resembles a less-shiny version of sugar and is used by the military and commercial mining outfits.

"So anywhere people are allowed to handle explosives, it's there, and it's usually there in quite a bit of abundance because it's present in detonating cords and sheet explosives," said Jimmie Oxley, an explosives expert at the University of Rhode Island.

PETN was widely used in terrorist plots in the 1970s and 1980s, and as a result was among the first detectable explosives when tests were developed. PETN can be easily detected with today's airport screening technology, but it usually requires that a passenger or their luggage be singled out for screening, Oxley said.

According to investigators, Mutallab was not screened for explosives in Amsterdam.

Experts have also speculated that a new full-body screening method employing millimeter waves, or MMW, could have also detected the explosives, or at least the packaging affixed to Mutallab's body.

But unlike currently employed screening machines, which can identify banned chemicals directly, MMW scanners are only "anomaly detectors," said Oxley, who is a co-author of the book "Aspects of Explosive Detection."

MMW scanners can see through clothing to reveal metallic and non-metallic objects or other suspicious things on a passenger's body, but they cannot identify explosives by their chemical signatures.

Nothing is foolproof

Another weakness of MMW scanners is they cannot see inside a person's body, so a determined terrorist could conceivably hide explosives inside their body cavities.

"I doubt there's any foolproof [screening] method that we can instigate," Oxley told LiveScience.

Early this year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began implementing MMW as a primary screening technology next to metal detectors at airports in San Francisco, Miami, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

Airports in 20 U.S. cities, such as JFK in New York City and LAX in Los Angeles, have used or plan to use MMW tech this year. Other countries have also begun using or evaluating MMW for airport screening, including the UK, Netherlands, Japan and Thailand.

Not every passenger is put through the new scanners, however. And some privacy advocates have complained that the technology is too invasive. TSA has said that it will blur the facial features of passengers going through MMW scanners and that the scans will not be saved.

Meanwhile, passengers can expect longer delays at airports as additional security measures are employed in response to the recent bombing attempt, Department of Homeland Security's Napolitano said in a statement over the weekend.

"These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere," she said. "Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in."

Shanda and Kingsoft in expanded partnership

2009-12-28T22:35:00.000+02:00

NEW YORK – Shanda Games Ltd., a Chinese video game company, said Monday it is partnering with Kingsoft Corp. in a joint venture aimed at developing new online games.

The companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal, which expands an existing partnership in which they both operate Kingsoft's "JX" martial arts game franchise.

Under the new agreement, the companies plan to cooperate on improving other games published by Kingsoft, which is based in Beijing, and distributing them both in China and internationally.

Shares of Shanda, based in Shanghai, slipped 2 cents to $10.23 in midday trading.

Google sharpens aim on mobile marketing with AdMob

2009-12-28T22:32:00.000+02:00

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke, Ap Technology Writer – Fri Dec 25, 11:11 am ET

SAN MATEO, Calif. – Four years ago, Omar Hamoui was just another ineffectual entrepreneur trying to spruce up his resume in graduate school.

Now, he's poised to become Google Inc.'s newest weapon as the company aims to extend its dominance of online advertising from computers to mobile devices.

Google is buying Hamoui's expertise in a $750 million acquisition of AdMob, a network for ads on iPhones and similar gadgets. He launched the business while struggling to support his wife and children as a student at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Hamoui, 32, changed his life by setting up a system for advertising on mobile devices. Though that sounds simple, it was a breakthrough because Hamoui's network got around stifling controls that wireless carriers had imposed on the content their customers could see on their phones. The crack that AdMob opened in the carriers' "walled gardens" made it easier for independent programmers to profit from applications planted on mobile phones.

"It took a lot of guts because (the carriers) were the gatekeepers of the industry," says Rich Wong, an AdMob investor and board member who is with Accel Partners. "Back then, it was sort of like if you said no to the Godfather. Bad things could happen."

More than a year after Hamoui ignited the fuse, Apple Inc. blew up the status quo with the June 2007 introduction of the iPhone — which created a platform for applications chosen by users.

That has spawned more than 100,000 mobile "apps" for doing everything from bird watching to cooking poultry. The revenue from AdMob's ad network is one of the main reasons application developers can give the programs away or just charge a few bucks.

"Omar was absolutely the tip of the spear in this mobile media revolution," says Jason Spero, general manager of AdMob's North America operations.

If Google's proposed acquisition is approved by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Hamoui thinks he and AdMob's 150 employees will be in an even better position to turn mobile phones into moneymaking magnets.

Google is banking on it.

Drawing upon the more than $20 billion in revenue that it generates from Internet ads, Google has been investing aggressively in mobile technology. The Internet search leader has developed a free software system, Android, that runs mobile devices and is experimenting with its own phone, called Nexus One, that could be sold directly to consumers.

Google believes explosive growth in mobile advertising will justify its spending. For now, the market remains relatively small, with U.S. mobile advertising revenue expected to reach $416 million this year, according to the research firm eMarketer Inc.

AdMob has delivered nearly 140 billion ads on mobile Web sites and applications since its inception. That has helped AdMob double its revenue this year after tripling it last year. Hamoui won't be more specific, leaving it to analysts to estimate that AdMob's revenue this year will range between $45 million and $60 million.

That's less revenue than Google generates in a day. Nevertheless, AdMob's early lead in mobile advertising could trouble antitrust regulators already concerned about Google's growing power. The Federal Trade Commission has asked for more information about the deal — a sign that regulators want to take a closer look at how it will affect competition in the mobile ad market, which is expected to quadruple in size during the next four years.

Only two of Google's acquisitions have been bigger than the proposed AdMob deal. Regulators quickly approved Google's $1.76 billion acquisition of the Internet's top video channel, YouTube, in 2006 but took a year before signing off on the $3.2 billion purchase of another Internet ad service, DoubleClick Inc., in 2008. (By coincidence, AdMob is headquartered across the street from where YouTube started in San Mateo, Calif.)

Google contends its AdMob acquisition won't hurt competition. Among other things, Google points to other mobile ad networks from rivals such as Jumptap, Mojiva and AOL and argues that mobile ads still don't generate attract enough spending to be considered a distinct market.

Hamoui started AdMob out of frustration a few months after he enrolled in graduate school. He was building a phone-friendly Web site to make it easier for people to share photos with their family and friends, but he couldn't seem to attract much traffic.

To get the word out, Hamoui bought ads that would appear alongside certain search results at Google, Yahoo and other engines. That ended up costing him about $30 per referral, which he couldn't afford. So Hamoui decided to try advertising his site on other mobile Web sites, which are specially designed to work with the small screens and technological restraints of mobile phones.

Hamoui found a mobile Web site willing to run his ad for dramatically less money and wound up paying just 10 cents per referral. The experience resonated with Hamoui's studies on efficient markets, and inspired him to build a network that would make it easier to advertise on mobile devices.

If nothing else, he thought he might be able to turn the ad network into a project that would let him get out of having a conventional internship during his summer break in 2006. As it happened, AdMob created enough buzz that Hamoui dropped out of Wharton in the spring.

One key element of his system is that it lets programmers specify when and where ads can show up while their apps are running on a phone. Advertisers, which range from mass merchants to other app makers, can aim their messages widely — for instance, to everyone with an iPhone. Or ads can be aimed at a particular demographic. An ad for the movie "Fast and Furious" might show up on a mobile game such as "Tap Tap Revenge" that's popular among young men. The targeting frequently hits the mark: Users tend to click on mobile ads five to eight times more often than they do on PC ads, Hamoui says.

Jim Goetz, who joined AdMob's board after his firm, Sequoia Capital, put up the first $4 million of the $47 million in venture capital raised by AdMob, likens Hamoui to some of the other successful entrepreneurs that Sequoia has backed. That group includes Apple's Steve Jobs, Yahoo co-founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

"Omar is a lot like them," Goetz says. "He has the ambition, the intelligence and that special sparkle."

By selling his startup to a larger company, Hamoui is doing something those other entrepreneurs didn't. His investors say he didn't do it for the money — AdMob still had plenty in the bank, and Hamoui doesn't seem to be driven by striking it rich. He still drives a lime-green Toyota Camry that elicits good-natured gibes around AdMob's offices. When he splurges, he does so frugally. AdMob's holiday party is being held next month when the prices are cheaper.

"It just seemed like we would be able to do the things we want a lot faster and a lot better with the resources we will have at Google," Hamoui says. "We already have achieved a big part of what we wanted to do — getting mobile advertising going and making it possible for people to start a mobile company without having to do a deal with a carrier first."

Russian YouTube cop charged with fraud

2009-12-28T22:30:00.000+02:00

MOSCOW – Russian prosecutors are filing fraud charges against a police officer who had complained on YouTube of abuse and corruption in the law enforcement system.

The prosecutor's office in the southern Krasnodar region said in a statement Monday that former Maj. Alexey Dymovsky embezzled about $800 while working as a narcotics investigator.

In November, Dymovsky posted three videos on Google's YouTube site in which he said he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. He also accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes.

Within days, the videos were seen by 700,000 people, provoking a public outcry and prompting several similar YouTube postings.

Dymovsky was fired and founded a rights defense group.

Consumer groups try to block Google purchase of AdMob

2009-12-28T22:23:00.000+02:00

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Two consumer groups urged the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday to block Internet search and advertising giant Google's proposed purchase of mobile advertising company AdMob.

In a joint letter, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) asked the FTC to oppose Google's acquisition of AdMob on anti-trust grounds and said the deal also raises privacy concerns.

The move comes after Google said last week that the FTC was seeking more information about its proposed 750-million-dollar acquisition of AdMob.

"The proposed deal would substantially lessen competition in the increasingly important mobile advertising market," Consumer Watchdog and the CDD said in their letter to FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz.

"Instead of acquiring dominance in this increasingly important market through legitimate competition and innovation, Google is buying its way to a preeminent position," the non-profit groups said.

They urged the FTC to use its"statutory and regulatory authority to oppose the merger."

"In addition to the antitrust issues, the specter of a combined Google/AdMob raises substantial privacy concerns that must be addressed by the commission," the groups said.

"Permitting the expansion of mobile advertising through the combination of these two market leaders without requiring privacy guarantees poses a serious threat to consumers," they said.

"The mobile sector is the next frontier of the digital revolution," Consumer Watchdog and the CDD said. "Without vigorous competition and strong privacy guarantees this vital and growing segment of the online economy will be stifled."

Paul Feng, a group product manager at Google, said in a blog post last week that Google had received a "second request" for information from the FTC about the acquisition of AdMob.

"While this means we won't be closing right away, we're confident that the FTC will conclude that the rapidly growing mobile advertising space will remain highly competitive after this deal closes," Feng said.

"We'll be working closely and cooperatively with (the FTC) as they continue their review," he added.

Google, which previously has drawn scrutiny from US antitrust regulators, hopes AdMob will help it more effectively extend its lucrative Internet advertising domain into the booming world of mobile devices.

Earlier this year, Google was forced to revise its legal settlement with authors and publishers over its digital book-scanning project amid objections from the US Justice Department.

Last year, Google was forced to abandon a proposed advertising agreement with Yahoo! amid Justice Department anti-trust concerns.

High-tech vehicles pose trouble for some mechanics

2009-12-28T22:09:00.001+02:00

By DAISY NGUYEN, Associated Press Writer Daisy Nguyen, Associated Press Writer – Sat Dec 26, 12:48 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – A sign inside the Humming Motors auto repair shop says, "We do the worrying so you don't have to."

These days, owner David Baur spends a lot of time worrying in his full-service garage near downtown Los Angeles.

As cars become vastly more complicated than models made just a few years ago, Baur is often turning down jobs and referring customers to auto dealer shops. Like many other independent mechanics, he does not have the thousands of dollars to purchase the online manuals and specialized tools needed to fix the computer-controlled machines.

Baur says the dilemma has left customers with fewer options for repair work and given automakers an unfair advantage.

"When I was younger, I kept going until I solved the problem," the weary mechanic said as he wiped grease from his hands while taking a break. "Lately I find myself backing out. I'm more reluctant to take complex jobs on."

Access to repair information is at the heart of a debate over a congressional bill called the Right to Repair Act. Supporters of the proposal say automakers are trying to monopolize the parts and repair industry by only sharing crucial tools and data with their dealership shops. The bill, which has been sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, would require automakers to provide all information to diagnose and service vehicles.

Automakers say they spend millions in research and development and aren't willing to give away their intellectual property. They say the auto parts and repair industry wants the bill passed so it can get patented information to make its own parts and sell them for less.

"Coke doesn't give away the recipe for Coke," said Charlie Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "What this bill seeks to get is the recipe for Coke."

Many new vehicles come equipped with multiple computers controlling everything from the brakes to steering wheel, and automakers hold the key to diagnosing a vehicle's problem. In many instances, replacing a part requires reprogramming the computers — a difficult task without the software codes or diagrams of the vehicle's electrical wires.

Mechanics say repair information gets constantly updated so they must know how to find answers amid the sometimes overwhelming amount of data. Keeping up with technology has become almost a part-time job and requires thousands of dollars to get the right tools and online manuals for each model.

"Doctors have it easy because the human body doesn't change model every year," said Paul Brow, owner of All-Car Specialists, a 30-year-old shop in suburban San Gabriel.

The technology wave has made even the simplest tasks difficult for some ill-equipped mechanics. Baur, for instance, said he couldn't turn off the "check tire pressure" light after fixing a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis because he lacked the roughly $1,000 tool to reset the tire pressure monitor.

The customer said he has to visit the dealer shop to complete the job.

"The tires are fine, for some reason the light just stays on," Louis Ontiveros, 42, said. "I haven't had the time to deal with it."

Dealership shops may be reaping profits from the technological advancements. A study released in March by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association found vehicle repairs cost an average of 34 percent more at new car dealerships than at independent repair shops, resulting in $11.7 billion in additional costs for consumers annually.

The association, whose members include Autozone, Jiffy Lube and other companies that provide replacement parts and accessories, contend automakers want the bill rejected so they can continue charging consumers more money.

"You pay all this money for your car, you should be able to decide where to get it repaired," said Aaron Lowe, the association's vice president of government affairs.

Opponents of the bill counter that the information and tools to repair the vehicles are available to those willing to buy them. They say any mechanic who can't get what they're looking for can file a complaint with the National Automotive Service Task Force. The nonprofit takes the complaints to carmakers and tries to resolve them through a voluntary arbitration process. Of the 44 complaints filed last year, all were resolved, according to the organization.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., has been stalled in the House committee since April but has attracted 51 co-sponsors. It's unclear when or if the committee will vote on the matter.

Not all independent mechanics want to see the proposal approved.

Donny Seyfer, owner of a repair shop in Wheat Ridge, Colo., said the bill gives the impression that mechanics are unable to fix cars unless Congress steps in.

"I am so upset they're out there telling my customers that I can't do my job," said Seyfer, who leads training classes for mechanics. He said the modern mechanic must take regular training classes and spend hours reading and networking with other mechanics to share the latest repair information.

Seyfer said mechanics can't afford to work on all types of cars because vehicles are increasingly built with unique specifications and require their own set of tools. Mechanics must specialize in a select number of models to stay competitive, he said.

Baur said specialization is a luxury he can't afford. He said he bought the garage 20 years ago from a former boss who serviced all kinds of cars.

"What are you going to do? Refuse service to the people who've been coming here all these years?" he said.

Carolyn Coquillette, owner of a 2-year-old shop in downtown San Francisco that specializes in hybrid vehicles, said she spends about $11,000 a year on diagnostic tools and subscriptions to online databases. She said she passes the cost down to the customer but can compete with dealer shops by offering better deals.

She said her shop offers another advantage: Her team of mechanics can modify technical features and convert the hybrids — which are powered by battery and gasoline — into plug-ins.

"Cars present a challenge to me," Coquillette said. "I can think it's a pain in my butt, or I can think this is why I'm paid to do this job."

EBay: holiday cell phone shopping up threefold

2009-12-28T22:06:00.000+02:00

By RACHEL METZ, AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz, Ap Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO – EBay shoppers used cell phones to make more purchases this holiday season than in past years. And it was not just to buy the hot toy du jour, Zhu Zhu Pets.

The online marketplace operator said Monday that people used cell phones to buy 1.5 million products in the past several weeks — three times the number for the same period last year, which ran from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve.

EBay said holiday mobile purchases include a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette that sold for $75,000 and a 23-foot boat that sold for $19,108. Other items bought through mobile applications included watches, cell phones and video games.

Counting both mobile and traditional online purchases, eBay users bought more than 500,000 Zhu Zhu Pets robotic hamsters.

EBay, which is based in San Jose, Calif., said nearly 6 million people have eBay's applications on iPhones and people use mobile apps to visit its site more than 2 million times each day. EBay released its mobile Web site in 2007 and its iPhone application in 2008.

For the full year, eBay users completed more than $500 million worth of transactions on cell phones.

Cell phone mania forces scramble for more airwaves

2009-12-28T22:00:00.000+02:00

By JOELLE TESSLER, AP Technology Writer Joelle Tessler, Ap Technology Writer – Sun Dec 27, 1:27 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Wireless devices such as Apple's iPhone are transforming the way we go online, making it possible to look up driving directions, find the nearest coffee shop and update Facebook on the go. All this has a price — in airwaves.

As mobile phones become more sophisticated, they transmit and receive more data over the airwaves. But the spectrum of wireless frequencies is finite — and devices like the iPhone are allowed to use only so much of it. TV and radio broadcasts, Wi-Fi networks and other communications services also use the airwaves. Each transmits on certain frequencies to avoid interference with others.

Now wireless phone companies fear they're in danger of running out of room, leaving congested networks that frustrate users and slow innovation. So the wireless companies want the government to give them bigger slices of airwaves — even if other users have to give up rights to theirs.

"Spectrum is the equivalent of our highways," says Christopher Guttman-McCabe, vice president of regulatory affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association, an industry trade group. "That's how we move our traffic. And the volume of that traffic is increasing so dramatically that we need more lanes. We need more highways."

That won't happen without a fight. Wireless companies are eyeing some frequencies used by TV broadcasters, satellite-communications companies and federal agencies such as the Pentagon. Already, some of those groups are pushing back.

That means tough choices are ahead. But one way or another, Washington will keep up with the exploding growth of the wireless market, insists Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. He is sponsoring a bill that would mandate a government inventory of the airwaves to identify unused or underused bands that could be reallocated.

"It's not a question of whether we can find more spectrum," says Boucher, chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. "We have to find more spectrum."

CTIA, the industry group, is asking the government to make an additional 800 megahertz of the airwaves available for wireless companies to license over the next six years. That would be a huge expansion from the industry's current slice of roughly 500 megahertz. The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to make more frequencies available for commercial use, but has just 50 megahertz in the pipeline.

Two trends are driving the demand.

First, advanced new wireless applications — such as mobile video and online games — devour far more bandwidth than voice calls or basic text messages, says Neville Ray, senior vice president for engineering operations for T-Mobile USA Inc.

Second, consumers are flocking to wireless Internet connections, in some cases dropping landline accounts altogether. ABI Research projects U.S. mobile broadband subscriptions will climb to 150 million by 2014, up from 48 million this year and 5 million in 2007.

The predicament, says Jamie Hedlund, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Consumer Electronics Association, is that many users "assume the wireless experience should be the same as the wired experience, but the capacity is just not there for that."

The industry's concerns are finding a sympathetic ear in Washington.

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC, says finding more room for the wireless industry will be an important part of his agency's broadband plan. That plan, mandated by the 2009 stimulus bill, is due in February and will propose using wireless systems to bring high-speed Internet connections to corners of the country that are too remote for landline networks.

"If we are going to have a world-leading broadband infrastructure for the nation, wireless is an indispensable ingredient," says Genachowski aide Colin Crowell.

Lawrence Strickling, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department that manages the federal government's use of the airwaves, says the agency is also hunting for more frequencies the wireless industry can use.

Some of the crunch can be addressed with technologies that make more efficient use of airwaves and new equipment that lets users share bands. The FCC also wants to promote greater use of frequencies that aren't licensed to anyone, such as the "white spaces" between the bands used by TV channels.

But such solutions alone won't solve the crisis, the wireless industry warns.

The FCC's attention for now is on TV broadcasters, which hold nearly 300 megahertz of airwaves that are mainly used to serve just 10 percent of American homes — those that still rely solely on over-the-air TV signals.

The FCC is exploring multiple options, most of which would leave broadcasters with enough capacity to deliver a high-definition signal over the air. One possibility, which might require congressional approval, is a voluntary program that would let broadcasters sell excess bandwidth through an auction, to either the government or directly to wireless companies. Although the FCC awarded spectrum licenses to broadcasters for free many years ago, those licenses are worth millions today.

"Fewer people are getting over-the-air TV and at the same time, more and more people are using mobile broadband," says Blair Levin, the official overseeing the FCC broadband plan. "So it only makes sense ... to get that asset into the hands of whomever can realize its greatest value."

The idea faces opposition from the powerful broadcast lobby. Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters, says the proposal would stunt the industry's plans to make innovative use of the airwaves that became free when it turned off analog broadcasts and went entirely digital in June. Broadcasters have already returned more than 100 megahertz of those airwaves to the government and plan to use the rest to transmit high-definition signals, "multicast" multiple channels and deliver mobile TV to phones, laptops and cars.

"The FCC proposal would kill many of our future business plans in the cradle," Wharton says.

Wireless carriers are also setting their sights on frequencies held by companies that deliver voice and data services through satellites.

Hedlund, of the Consumer Electronics Association, notes that some of these companies have a lot of bandwidth but not a lot of customers. TerreStar Corp., for one, launched its satellite in July and is just building a subscriber base. And ICO Global Communications, which is running tests on a satellite launched last year, has not announced when it will begin commercial service.

But TerreStar General Counsel Doug Brandon believes the company has a strong argument for keeping its airwaves: Satellites can provide a critical lifeline in emergencies when other communications links go down and in rural areas where other carriers don't offer service.

If anything, added ICO Vice President Christopher Doherty, satellite phone companies are ideal partners for cell phone companies that want to expand coverage. TerreStar, for one, has a deal for AT&T Inc. to resell the satellite service.

More potential sources of frequencies are federal agencies that handle everything from emergency communications to surveillance operations. The Defense Department, for instance, needs the airwaves for such critical equipment as radars, precision-guided weapons and drone planes.

The Pentagon has vacated some frequencies and is developing technology that can make more efficient use of airwaves. It also says it is committed to finding compromises that work for the government and commercial sector, so long as those don't jeopardize military capabilities.

Karl Nebbia, head of the NTIA's Office of Spectrum Management, points out that federal agencies may be open to moving to different bands because the government is "a huge user of commercial broadband services." But one challenge will be to ensure federal users get the resources to relocate — including new equipment, potentially paid for with spectrum auction proceeds.

For now, one thing everyone agrees is that there are no easy pickings in the airwaves.

"There is no open space anywhere," says Kathleen Ham, vice president of regulatory affairs for T-Mobile.

China unveils 'world's fastest train link'

2009-12-27T14:37:00.000+02:00

Chinese workers put the final touch on the interior of a new railway station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. China has unveiled what it billed as the fastest rail link in the world -- a train connecting the modern cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan at an average speed of 350 kilometres (217 miles) an hour.

(AFP/Str)

Sat Dec 26, 7:54 am ET

BEIJING (AFP) – China on Saturday unveiled what it billed as the fastest rail link in the world -- a train connecting the modern cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan at an average speed of 350 kilometres (217 miles) an hour.

The super-high-speed train reduces the 1,069 kilometre journey to a three hour ride and cuts the previous journey time by more than seven and a half hours, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Work on the project began in 2005 as part of plans to expand a high-speed network aimed at eventually linking Guangzhou, a business hub in southern China near Hong Kong, with the capital Beijing, Xinhua added.

"The train can go 394.2 kilometres per hour, it's the fastest train in operation in the world," Zhang Shuguang, head of the transport bureau at the railways ministry, told Xinhua.

Test runs for the service began earlier in December and the link officially went into service when the first scheduled train left the eastern metropolis of Wuhan on Saturday.

By comparison, the average for high-speed trains in Japan was 243 kilometres per hour while in France it was 277 kilometres per hour, said Xu Fangliang, general engineer in charge of designing the link, according to Xinhua.

Beijing has an ambitious rail development programme aimed at increasing the national network from the current 86,000 kilometres to 120,000 kilometres, making it the most extensive rail system outside the United States.

China unveiled its first high-speed line at the time of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 -- a service linking the capital with the port city of Tianjin.

In September, officials said they planned to build 42 high-speed lines by 2012 in a massive system overhaul as part of efforts to spur economic growth amid the global downturn.

The network uses technology developed in co-operation with foreign firms such as Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom.

Indian Railways Executive Reviews Frankly Discusses Issues at 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi

2009-12-25T14:46:00.000+02:00

Thursday, December 24, 2009 - Reported by David Pells in New Delhi

The opening keynote presentation on Day The of the 17^th Global Symposium 2009 - Managing Projects, Programs & Portfolios - held during 14 - 16 December 2009 at the Hotel Hyatt Regency in New Delhi, India, was by Mr. Rakesh Chopra, Member of the Board of Directors of the Railway Board of India. Mr. Chopra's presentation was entitled "Imperative of Optimally Managing Portfolios."

The Railway Board of India is one of the largest project-based organizations in the world, currently with 316 major projects associated with main lines, bridges, and metro systems. Such national projects as "Mega bridges" are included. Total budget exceeds 1 trillion Rupees (1 lak crores), or approximately US$20 billion.

According to Mr. Chopra, "Distribution of funds is a big issue. Of course, there is a long wish list of projects, but projects languish for various reasons. Each project must also meet political criteria; but gage conversions are among the highest priorities.

During his presentation, Mr. Chopra described some problems confronting major rail projects in India that cause delays, including land acquisition, forest clearances and labor problems. Since India does not have an eminent domain policy, land acquisition can be a big problem, often delaying projects by several years. At the same time, approval for clearing forests or removing trees can delay projects for decades.

He added, "There is also a big shortage of skilled manpower, especially inspectors. It is inadequate even in private industry. The capacity of builders is also inadequate. There has been some expansion, but the big are getting bigger while there is little growth among medium and small enterprises. There are also many equipment failures due to poor maintenance."

Mr. Chopra mentioned problems associated with contracting methods and suggested that the design/build approach is gaining acceptance in India. But, he said, foreign contractors often do not understand local problems.

Mr. Chopra suggested some areas where additional improvements could significantly enhance project management on rail programs and projects, including: (1) more consistent guidelines; (2) more training prior to construction; (3) standards for performance; (4) better procedures for security, land acquisition and forest clearing; and (5) more accountability, with consequences.

"I am of the opinion that railway projects are for the benefit of the country," he concluded. "China is building 2,000 km of rail per year, while India achieves only 250 km. The USA is spending $10 billion. India needs more funding. We also need more honesty, ethics and transparency. Nevertheless, I am sure that implementation of projects will come up in a big way."

Other speakers on day three of the 17^th Global Symposium in New Delhi included: Ruchira Jain, Director of CEPM, India; Dr. A S Pillai, CEO and Managing Director, Brahmos, India; Mr. R S Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director, Oil & Natural Gas Commission, India; Mr. P S Bhattacharyya, Chairman & Managing Director, Coal India; Mr. R S Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, NTPC (India's largest power company); and Mr. Adesh Jain, Honorary President, PMA India (also pictured above right with Mr. Chopra).

The 17^th Global Symposium provided an opportunity for Indian government officials, project managers and company executives to come together for presentations and discussions about managing projects & programs in India. The 17^th Global Symposium was jointly organized by Project Management Associates (PMA) and the Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM), in association with the International Project Management Association (IPMA). The 17^th Global Symposium in New Delhi was organized under the Chair of Mr. B K Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, who is also the Chair of the 2009 International Advisory Committee (IAC). The Programme Director was Mr. Adesh Jain, Honorary President of PMA. For information about the symposium or to see copies of presentations, visit http://www.cepm.com/gs09/default.aspx.

Founded in 1993, Project Management Associates (PMA) is a non-profit registered professional body of projects and business managers, aimed at strengthening project management in India. PMA's vision is to be an apex agency for promotion of project thinking in India and worldwide for continuously enhancing delivery potential of programs and projects, thereby providing competitive edge to organizations, and growth to individuals. Based in New Delhi and with branches in Hyderabad, Pune and Ranchi, PMA serves members and stakeholders throughout India. PMA is the Indian national association member of IPMA. The Managing Director of PMA is Mr. Arvind Agarwal; the honorary president is Mr. Adesh Jain. For more information, visit www.pma-india.org. For more information about IPMA, visit http://www.ipma.ch/Pages/default.aspx

The Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM) is a project and programme management education, training and consulting organization based in Noida, New Delhi, India. The company offers basic and advanced project management courses, on the web, in public seminars and in-house workshops. CEPM's Certificate in Project Management (CIPM) is a high quality, low-cost project management qualification; CEPM also offers certification training in support of both PMI's PMP® certification as well as IPMA's 4-level competence-based certification program. For more information, visit http://www.cepm.com/.

Photos courtesy of PMForum, Inc.

Elizabeth Harrin wins Best Project Management Blog Award

2009-12-25T14:44:00.000+02:00

Friday, December 25, 2009 - Reported by Miles Shepherd in UK

Elizabeth Harrin's blog, A Girl's Guide to Project Management, took the top prize in the project management category of the Computer Weekly IT Blog Awards in November.

Harrin collected her award at a ceremony at Shoreditch House, London, from James Garner, Computer Weekly's Editor. It's the second year in a row that Harrin has won this award, which is voted for by Computer Weekly readers. "It's great to hold on to my title this year," she said. "There were 400 blogs nominated, and the quality of the entrants was really high, so I was happy to make it on to the shortlist - and even happier to win!"

Photo: Elizabeth Harrin and James Garner, photo courtesy of Computer Weekly.

There were over 12,500 votes cast in the competition, across 11 categories. Michael Krigsman, author of the ZDNet blog IT Project Failures, was the runner up in the project management category.

Elizabeth Harrin, BA (Hons), MA, MBCS (pictured right) is an author and project manager living and working in London. She has a decade of experience in projects. Elizabeth has led a variety of IT and process improvement projects including e-commerce and communications developments. She is also experienced in managing business change, having spent eight years working in financial services (including two based in Paris, France). She writes the award-winning blog, A Girl's Guide to Project Management (www.pm4g irls.co.uk ).

For more details on the Computer Weekly Blog Awards see http://www.computerweekly.com/static-pages/blog-awards-2009/.

UN Roads Project Aidx Impoverished in Haiti

2009-12-25T14:42:00.001+02:00

Friday, December 25, 2009

A cracked, flood-prone and sewage-infested stretch of road in a quarter of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, has recently been transformed into a resurfaced, smooth and clean highway for cars and pedestrians. The United Nations (UN) funded project has improved both the health and image of the area.

The $900,000, 645-metre project at Martissant 23, part of National Highway 1, was carried out by the UN Office for Project Services together with the Haitian Ministry of Public Works and other UN agencies, and paid for by the World Bank. The road is bordered by a metre-wide pavement on both sides, allowing passage for both vehicle and pedestrian where both previously feared to tread.

"It was important to remedy this situation to change the face of the quarter and to allow residents to resume a more normal life," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Hédi Annabi said at the inauguration on 21 December.

Mr. Annabi added that the repairs had a four-fold goal: improved living conditions, job creation, better economic opportunities through improved access, and enhanced security by creating an environment favourable to reducing violence and crime.

"What has been achieved by this road is symbolic," Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said. "It is part of a global vision of reconstruction for the area."

Mr. Annabi noted that with regard to security, the improvements enhanced the operational capabilities of the joint patrols by the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti and the Haitian police. He reiterated that MINUSTAH would continue to use its military engineering units to respond to urgent needs and create greater stability in the strife-racked country.

The mission has been on the ground in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, since mid-2004 after the then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile amid violent unrest. Currently there are more than 9,000 military and police personnel deployed and nearly 2,000 civilian staff.

For more information, visit UNOPS

Coaching for Development Initiative Launched by IPMA Young Crew in Nepal

2009-12-25T14:41:00.000+02:00

Friday, December 25, 2009

A new initiative has been announced by the members of the IPMA Young Crew, project management students, mentors and supporters. They also invite interest, participation and support from around the world to make it indeed a global effort.

According to PMForum's International Correspondent in Nepal Suraj Dahal, who is also chair of the newly recognized Project Management Association of Nepal, "The days before Christmas and New Year's Eve are the time to look back at the achievements of the year, share good news and give presents. I wanted to share with you an initiative that has kept some of us, PM enthusiasts, active after our initial discussions during the 23rd IPMA World Congress in Helsinki.'

Suraj (pictured left) continued, "My international colleagues and I felt inspired to participate in the creation of a new endeavor of the IPMA Young Crew: Coaching for Development. Through this project we intend to encourage people in project management to contribute and cooperate in developing countries and assist them in transmitting and generating knowledge through collaboration."

Objectives for the new initiative are to train and coach young project managers in developing countries, to share experiences and knowledge, and to extend the networks of all parties. This initiative is starting out in 2010 with a pilot project: a training-coaching workshop in Nepal. Project management coaches from all over the world will meet social entrepreneurs in Nepal for an intense one and a half week workshop in September / October.

Mr. Dahal adds, "To make Coaching for Development real, we need support. Please help us spread the word. There are, I'm sure, organizations or individuals who would want to be a part of the initiative and help make it possible."

To learn more please visit www.coaching4development.org, or get in contact by email at info@coaching4development.org. Also, feel free to become a fan on Facebook and to follow us on Twitter @ co4development.

The Coaching for Development Team wishes a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone in the project management discipline!

Let your life be filled with love, joy, peace, wisdom, prosperity and lots of happy projects!

Oracle News Briefs

2009-12-25T14:39:00.001+02:00

AT ORACLE: Oracle News Briefs

Oracle Application Development Framework Mobile Client Preview Available

Oracle has released a developer preview of Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) Mobile Client, which enables developers to extend their enterprise applications onto mobile devices. It provides built-in security and database synchronization services to manage data distribution and reconciliation with mobile applications.

Oracle ADF Mobile Client also supports disconnected access to enterprise applications from mobile devices; offers mobile application rendering in the native look and feel of each device; and integrates with on-device services such as calendar, contacts, and peripherals.

“With Oracle ADF Mobile Client, developers can write their applications once and deploy them on multiple mobile platforms, saving time and allowing developers to focus on building better applications,” says Ted Farrell, tools and middleware chief architect and senior vice president at Oracle.

Oracle VM 2.2 Accelerates Application Deployment

The latest release of Oracle’s server virtualization software, Oracle VM 2.2, enables customers to accelerate deployment of and simplify management of enterprise applications. Now available, the new release enables organizations to run their data centers in the most environmentally sustainable and efficient manner, while lowering costs.

Oracle VM 2.2 features the latest Xen-based, industry-standard hypervisor, Xen 3.4, and provides substantial performance enhancements for customers running Intel Xeon processor 5500 series and Six-Core AMD Opteron processors. Other enhancements include new CPU power management, memory management, and direct disk I/O capabilities. Additionally, this release delivers on the initial integration of Oracle VM and Virtual Iron technology.

“The release of Oracle VM 2.2 enables customers to capitalize on the latest advancements in server virtualization technology to better manage their virtual environments and reduce both cost and power consumption in the data center,” says Wim Coekaerts, vice president of Linux and virtualization engineering at Oracle.

Updated Line of Oracle Berkeley DB Embeddable Databases Released

Three new releases in the Oracle Berkeley DB family of open source, embeddable databases are available: Oracle Berkeley DB 4.8, Oracle Berkeley DB XML 2.5, and Oracle Berkeley DB Java Edition 4.0. Oracle Berkeley DB products can be integrated directly into software applications, devices, and equipment to deliver high performance, reliability, and availability with virtually no human administration.

Oracle Berkeley DB 4.8 delivers improved scalability, performance, and ease of use. New features include support for foreign keys, improved failure handling for multithreaded applications, and a new db_sql utility that generates Berkeley DB application code from a SQL schema description.

Oracle Berkeley DB XML 2.5 delivers several performance and data management improvements, including support for external functions, a smaller on-disk footprint for XML containers, and certification on Oracle Berkeley DB 4.8.

Oracle Berkeley DB Java Edition 4.0 includes new replication features for high availability and scalability, significant performance improvements, and a plug-in for JConsole, which eases application deployment and monitoring.

“These new releases contain significant new enhancements to the products in terms of performance, high availability, and ease of use and reinforce Oracle’s commitment to open source products,” says Rex Wang, vice president of product marketing at Oracle.

Oracle Secure Backup 10.3 Supports Virtual Tape Libraries

Did You Know?

Tales of Encryption
In a survey of more than 600 IT security professionals, 41 percent said they encrypt backup tapes, 43 percent encrypt databases, and 49 percent encrypt full disks. The single most important factor preventing encryption was cost, with 26 percent citing the cost of acquiring encryption and 26 percent citing the cost of managing encryption.
Source: Trust Catalyst

More Companies Think Green
60 percent of organizations in the U.S. have a partial or comprehensive green IT strategy, and 72 percent conduct audits of energy consumption and power management, according to a CompTIA survey. Worldwide, about 25 percent of companies have a green IT program in place, and another 9 percent plan to have one within a year, according to a Deloitte survey.
Source: CompTIA and Deloitte

Accidents Worse Than Hackers for Data Loss
85 percent of companies surveyed say data loss through external hacking is “very unlikely,” and 45 percent believe that accidental employee error is the most likely channel for data loss. Almost 60 percent plan an IT security audit. The survey included more than 400 IT security decision-makers in 18 countries worldwide.
Source: Dimension Data and IDC

Social Networking Restricted
A survey of 1,400 CIOs in the U.S. found that 54 percent of companies completely prohibit employee use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter at work. 19 percent permit social networking for business purposes, 16 percent permit it for limited personal use, and 10 percent have no restrictions.
Source: Robert Half Technology

Oracle is now shipping the latest release of its centralized tape backup management system, Oracle Secure Backup 10.3. The new release provides enhanced virtual tape library support through serverless tape duplication, which helps increase performance and reduce server overhead when backup data is copied from virtual to physical tapes. Oracle Secure Backup 10.3 also allows backup encryption to be performed on the host or by leveraging LTO-4 tape drives to offload encryption processes from the host. Other new features include tape vaulting enhancements that better automate management of tapes between multiple locations; support for IP version 6; and platform support for HP-UX Itanium, AIX, Linux, Windows, and Solaris SPARC.

Oracle Application Testing Suite Includes Test-Scripting Platform

Oracle has unveiled the latest version of its application testing solution for Oracle Applications, Web, and SOA applications: Oracle Application Testing Suite 9.0.

The suite introduces OpenScript, a Java-based, integrated test-scripting platform for automated functional testing and load testing. Users can now create test scripts that automate both Web- and Oracle Forms-based application interfaces. Leveraging OpenScript’s intuitive graphical scripting interface, users can record automated test scripts by stepping through their Oracle E-Business Suite business transactions in the browser.

To help ensure the health and performance of packaged, Web, and SOA applications, Oracle Application Testing Suite 9.0 delivers Oracle E-Business Suite accelerators that support automated functional testing and load testing of Oracle E-Business Suite applications.

“Comprehensive application testing is among the most important parts of today’s IT toolbox for delivering cost efficiencies to the business,” says Melinda-Carol Ballou, program director, application lifecycle management, at market intelligence firm IDC.

Oracle and Sun Achieve World-Record Benchmark

Oracle has announced a new world-record Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC-C) benchmark result for Oracle Database 11g running on Sun SPARC servers with chip multithreading technology and the Sun Solaris Operating System.(1) Oracle Database 11g running on the Solaris 10 Operating System achieved a record-breaking 7.7 million tpmC at $2.34/tpmC. This result proves that the Oracle-Sun combination runs faster than IBM DB2 running on IBM’s flagship Power 595.(2)

The Oracle-Sun benchmark used a combination of Sun’s chip multithreading servers to power the database, along with Sun’s Flash Storage technology to speed I/O. With the Sun Storage F5100 Flash Array, Oracle and Sun were able to set the world record using eight times less hardware than IBM used for its largest benchmark.(3) Oracle Real Application Clusters allowed Sun and Oracle to scale performance on a 12-node Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 cluster.

Web Locator

Oracle Application Development Framework Mobile Client
Oracle VM
Oracle Berkeley DB
Oracle Secure Backup
Oracle Application Testing Suite
Oracle and Sun Benchmark
Oracle Application Integration Architecture
Oracle and HyperRoll
Oracle and GoldenGate
Oracle Database Vault
Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.1
Oracle Media Intellectual Property Management

The Oracle-Sun configuration also consumed four times less energy than the IBM configuration even though it ran 26 percent faster.

“With this benchmark result, there’s no denying that Oracle Database 11g running on Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 servers outperforms IBM and DB2,” says Juan Loaiza, senior vice president of systems technology at Oracle.

As of October 11, 2009. Source: TPC-C, www.tpc.org.
(1) 12-node Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 server cluster: 7,717,510 tpmC at $2.34/tpmC. Available December 14, 2009.
(2) IBM Power 595 server, model 9119-FHA: 6,085,166 tpmC at $2.81/tpmC (best IBM DB2 TPC-C result). Available December 10, 2008.
(3) Hardware size measured in racks of equipment as priced for the benchmarks.

Oracle Application Integration Architecture 2.5 Supports Industry Solutions

Oracle has released Oracle Application Integration Architecture 2.5, which includes 10 new cross-industry process integration packs, 6 new industry-specific process integration packs, and a library of more than 1,000 enterprise services and 100 enterprise objects. Oracle Application Integration Architecture 2.5 provides an open, standards-based approach for organizations to integrate end-to-end business processes across a broad range of custom, Oracle, and third-party applications.

With an increased focus on end-to-end industry solutions and prebuilt integrations across Oracle and non-Oracle applications, Oracle Application Integration Architecture Release 2.5 helps organizations reduce business process integration complexity and accelerate delivery of enterprise application solutions. With 30 process integration packs and 4 foundation packs, this release supports critical business processes across multiple industries, including manufacturing, utilities, retail, and health sciences, and provides customers with integration solutions that can be extended and managed over time.

“Oracle Application Integration Architecture Release 2.5 reinforces our unwavering commitment to reducing the cost of integration for our customers,” says Jose Lazares, vice president of application development and product strategy for Oracle Application Integration Architecture.

Oracle Agrees to Acquire HyperRoll Assets

Oracle has agreed to acquire certain assets of HyperRoll, a leading provider of financial reporting acceleration solutions. HyperRoll’s products help improve reporting performance, shrink the close cycle, and improve visibility of financial data to line management. Customers across multiple industries including retail, consumer goods, and financial services currently use HyperRoll’s products.

“Enterprise performance management is a critical requirement for organizations,” says Robert Gersten, senior vice president of Oracle product development. “Oracle enterprise performance management already enables rapid, accurate, and secure financial consolidation and reporting. With the addition of HyperRoll’s reporting acceleration technology, customers are expected to be able to execute a faster and more compliant financial close.”

Oracle Acquires Data integration Provider GolDenGate

Oracle has acquired GoldenGate Software, a leading provider of real-time data integration solutions. GoldenGate’s best-in-class solutions enable real-time data integration and continuous data availability by capturing and delivering updates of critical information as the changes occur and providing continuous data synchronization across heterogeneous environments.

“The need to improve operating performance in a global 24/7 environment has led to the need for data integration to support real-time and high-availability capabilities,” says Hasan Rizvi, senior vice president of Oracle Fusion Middleware product development. “With the addition of GoldenGate, Oracle will help customers achieve better performance through improved business intelligence and business continuity with real-time information.”

Oracle Database Vault Certified with SAP Applications

In order to provide customers with increased security for mission-critical SAP application data, Oracle has certified Oracle Database Vault for use with SAP applications. Oracle Database Vault enables organizations to efficiently increase security and address regulatory compliance by controlling who, when, where, and how existing SAP application data can be accessed by any users, including privileged database users such as DBAs.

Using Oracle Database Vault, organizations can further ensure that database users cannot bypass SAP application security features and access SAP application data directly using ad hoc database query tools. Oracle Database Vault establishes protective realms around SAP application database objects to prevent privileged database user access to sensitive data.

“Oracle Database Vault proactively and transparently safeguards application data, preventing unauthorized access and providing customers with the necessary database security technology to help achieve regulatory compliance. This certification extends that protection to SAP environments, allowing companies to protect their critical business information,” says Vipin Samar, vice president of database security at Oracle.

Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.1 Unveiled

Oracle has released Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.1, which includes release 9.1 of PeopleSoft human capital management solutions, PeopleSoft PeopleTools 8.50, PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal 9.1, and PeopleSoft Enterprise Learning Management 9.1.

Release 9.1 of PeopleSoft human capital management solutions includes a core platform that addresses end-to-end human resources responsibilities for global organizations. In addition to best-in-class integrated talent management, workforce management, and workforce service delivery, the latest version includes embedded Web 2.0 capabilities and new industry-specific enhancements.

PeopleSoft PeopleTools 8.50 offers a flexible development environment for customers to manage, customize, integrate, and support their PeopleSoft applications. This latest update features an enriched end-user experience through the use of new Web 2.0 capabilities, enhanced integration, and expanded reporting options.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal 9.1 helps organizations promote engagement and collaboration through the deployment of online communities and Web-based self-service sites for their enterprises.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Learning Management 9.1 enables organizations to proactively manage their learning environments, ensuring that employees acquire knowledge and skills consistent with corporate objectives and regulatory compliance.

“Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.1 includes many new features that customers have told us they need today,” says Paco Aubrejuan, vice president and general manager for Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise product line. “This approach ensures our products continue to drive real business value today.”

Oracle Media Intellectual Property Management Released

Oracle is shipping Oracle Media Intellectual Property Management, a comprehensive software solution acquired from Sophoi that manages intellectual property and the content value chain for media and entertainment companies. It automates intellectual property rights and royalty management and sales and distribution across content owners, aggregators, and service providers to reduce revenue leakage and develop new revenue models.

“With the proliferation of media and entertainment distribution channels, the management and licensing of intellectual property rights and royalties has become increasingly complex,” says Liam Maxwell, vice president of products, Oracle Communications. “The addition of Sophoi technology to Oracle’s product line for the communications, media, and entertainment industries is expected to accelerate the adoption of standards-based software to monetize digital content and enable better financial control of content assets.”

Oracle to Buy Sun

2009-12-25T14:24:00.003+02:00

SANTA CLARA, Calif. April 20, 2009 Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA) and Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Oracle will acquire Sun common stock for $9.50 per share in cash. The transaction is valued at approximately $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of Sun's cash and debt.

"We expect this acquisition to be accretive to Oracle's earnings by at least 15 cents on a non-GAAP basis in the first full year after closing. We estimate that the acquired business will contribute over $1.5 billion to Oracle's non-GAAP operating profit in the first year, increasing to over $2 billion in the second year. This would make the Sun acquisition more profitable in per share contribution in the first year than we had planned for the acquisitions of BEA, PeopleSoft and Siebel combined," said Oracle President Safra Catz.

"The acquisition of Sun transforms the IT industry, combining best-in-class enterprise software and mission-critical computing systems," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. "Oracle will be the only company that can engineer an integrated system - applications to disk - where all the pieces fit and work together so customers do not have to do it themselves. Our customers benefit as their systems integration costs go down while system performance, reliability and security go up."

There are substantial long-term strategic customer advantages to Oracle owning two key Sun software assets: Java and Solaris. Java is one of the computer industry's best-known brands and most widely deployed technologies, and it is the most important software Oracle has ever acquired. Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle's fastest growing business, is built on top of Sun's Java language and software. Oracle can now ensure continued innovation and investment in Java technology for the benefit of customers and the Java community.

The Sun Solaris operating system is the leading platform for the Oracle database, Oracle's largest business, and has been for a long time. With the acquisition of Sun, Oracle can optimize the Oracle database for some of the unique, high-end features of Solaris. Oracle is as committed as ever to Linux and other open platforms and will continue to support and enhance our strong industry partnerships.

"Oracle and Sun have been industry pioneers and close partners for more than 20 years," said Sun Chairman Scott McNealy. "This combination is a natural evolution of our relationship and will be an industry-defining event."

"This is a fantastic day for Sun's customers, developers, partners and employees across the globe, joining forces with the global leader in enterprise software to drive innovation and value across every aspect of the technology marketplace," said Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's CEO, "From the Java platform touching nearly every business system on earth, powering billions of consumers on mobile handsets and consumer electronics, to the convergence of storage, networking and computing driven by the Solaris operating system and Sun's SPARC and x64 systems. Together with Oracle, we'll drive the innovation pipeline to create compelling value to our customer base and the marketplace."

"Sun is a pioneer in enterprise computing, and this combination recognizes the innovation and customer success the company has achieved. Our largest customers have been asking us to step up to a broader role to reduce complexity, risk and cost by delivering a highly optimized stack based on standards," said Oracle President Charles Phillips. "This transaction will preserve and enhance investments made by our customers, while we continue to work with our partners to provide customers with choice."

The Board of Directors of Sun Microsystems has unanimously approved the transaction. It is anticipated to close this summer, subject to Sun stockholder approval, certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

There will be a conference call today to discuss the transaction at 5:30 a.m. Pacific time. Investors can listen to the conference call by dialing (719) 234-7870, passcode 923645. A replay will be available for 24 hours after the call ends at (719) 884-8882, passcode: 923645. A live audio webcast of the call will be made available at www.oracle.com/investor and a replay will be available for seven days after the call ends.

About Oracle

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.

Trademarks
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Solaris and the Network is the Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including but not limited to, statements regarding Sun's expected contributions to Oracle's earnings and profits, the integration of Sun's product offerings into Oracle's business, the anticipated value of the combined business to customers and partners, and the expected closing of the proposed Merger. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed Merger, satisfaction of closing conditions precedent to the consummation of the proposed Merger, the ability of Oracle to successfully integrate Sun's operations and employees, the ability to realize anticipated synergies and cost savings of the proposed Merger, and such other risks as identified in Oracle's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2008, Oracle's most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Sun's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, and Sun's most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, each as filed with the SEC, which contain and identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Oracle and Sun assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release.

Additional Information about the Merger and Where to Find It

Sun plans to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and mail to its stockholders a proxy statement in connection with the proposed merger with Soda Acquisition Corporation, pursuant to which Sun would be acquired by Oracle (the "Merger"). The proxy statement will contain important information about the proposed Merger and related matters. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT CAREFULLY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement and other documents filed with the SEC by Sun through the web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement from Sun by contacting Investor Relations by telephone at (800) 801-7869 (within the U.S.) or (408) 404-8427 (outside the U.S.), or by mail at Sun Microsystems, Inc., Investor Relations, Mail Stop UMPK14-336, 4150 Network Circle, Santa Clara, California 95054, USA.

Sun and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Sun in connection with the proposed Merger. Information regarding the interests of these directors and executive officers in the transaction described herein will be included in the proxy statement described above. Additional information regarding these directors and executive officers is also included in Sun's proxy statement for its 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on September 24, 2008. This document is available free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov, and from Sun by contacting Investor Relations by telephone at (800) 801-7869 (within the U.S.) or (408) 404-8427 (outside the U.S.), or by mail at Sun Microsystems, Inc., Mail Stop UMPK14-336, 4150 Network Circle, Santa Clara, California 95054, USA, or by going to Sun's Investor Relations page on its corporate web site at www.sun.com.

Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project 2007 Training in Libya

2009-12-04T20:54:00.004+02:00

MICROSOFT PROJECT TRAINING IN LIBYA

Course: Microsoft Office Project 2007
Coach: Abdel Eljaroshi - MBA Project Management
Acquired hours: 30 hours

Location: Albariek IT and Telecom Company
Alberka., Benghazi - Libya
Tel: +218 (91) 4341215
Email: info@albariek.com
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Sat - Thu
Starting: Dec.20. 2009

PRIMAVERA P6 TRAINING IN LIBYA

Course: Primavera Project Management - P6 Enterprise
Coach: Abdel Eljaroshi MBA Project Management
Acquired hours: 30 hours
Download Course Program
Primavera P6 Abdel Eljaroshi
Location: Albariek IT and Telecom Company
Alberka., Benghazi - Libya
Tel: +218 (91) 4341215
Email: info@albariek.com
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Sat - Thu
Starting: Dec.10. 2009

Location: Assalam Training Center
Tabalino, Benghazi - Libya
Tele/Fax: +218 (61) 2241985
Email: naserby@yahoo.com
8:00pm - 10:00pm
Sat - Thu
Starting: Dec6. 2009

Location:Almaqar Information Technology Center
The University rod Across TMC, Next to Tripoli Licensing office, Alfernaj, Tripoli - Libya
Tele/Fax: +218 (21) 4628507
Email: info@almaqar.ly
Starting: Dec.20.2009

Primavera P6 Training Schedule in Libya

2009-10-31T20:38:00.006+02:00

PRIMAVERA P6 TRAINING IN LIBYA

Course: Primavera Project Management - P6 Enterprise
Coach: Abdel Eljaroshi MBA Project Management
Acquired hours: 30 hours
Download Course Program
Primavera P6 Abdel Eljaroshi
Location: Albariek IT and Telecom Company
Dagadosta Camp St., Br. Dubai St., Benghazi - Libya
Tel: +218 (91) 4341215
Email: info@albariek.com
8:00pm - 10:00pm
Sat - Thu
Starting: Nov.7. 2009

Location: Assalam Training Center
Tabalino, Benghazi - Libya
Tele/Fax: +218 (61) 2241985
Email: naserby@yahoo.com
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Sat - Thu
Starting: Nov.7. 2009

Location:Almaqar Information Technology Center
The University rod Across TMC, Next to Tripoli Licensing office, Alfernaj, Tripoli - Libya
Tele/Fax: +218 (21) 4628507
Email: info@almaqar.ly
Starting: Not defined

Benghazi welcomes winter by drowning in its first showers of rain

2009-10-27T20:51:00.000+02:00

Libyan Times Special

Abdel Eljaroshi Project Management Specialist

With the drops from heaven that struck the locals on October 25^th Sunday morning (2009), the piling of rain water in ponds, and low grounds all over the city's main streets, the 5 rings roads, and the drives connecting the western entrance with the eastern exit, this proved the Benghazi is far away from ready to receive any amount of falling rain.

The showers that started early Sunday morning, went down all day in an irregular fall, causing waters in most of the city's round-abouts, and the heavy rain caused serious traffic jams in Ahmad Rafik Almahdawi Dr., 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th ring roads, with emphasis on the 3^rd ring road, on which the water ponds caused its cross sections with Lebanon Street, and Palestine Street to collapse due to lack of proper road courses compaction, and wearing due to lack of asphalt on a very busy road.

As for residential areas, and neighborhoods, such as Alwehishi, Shebna, Assalam, Zwawa, Assirti, Assherif, Assalak, Greish, Sidi Younis, Allithey, where accumulations of rain water resulted in the appearance of huge water ponds, causing difficulty in the movement of people on foot, especially school students who were faced with the fact of walking to school and back-home in the lakes that rain water produced for them, with water over their heads, and under their feet.

The fact is that Benghazi drowned, and that was just a day of rain, a solid proof that the city is not ready yet to deal with mother nature, even the routes that were known to be get-aways for the locals were jammed with traffic, where water rose to a level cars could not pass.

A recurring episode that we expect every year, will the time come to resolve this mysterious puzzle, or will the episode of drowning homes and neighborhoods, crashing cars, and ones failing in water, will this become the way we welcome winter to our homes?

The War Against Islam

2009-10-20T15:53:00.000+02:00

Islam is misinterpreted everywhere, most young Europeans or Americans think that Islam is some kind of terrorist cult to annihilate Westerners, a clan of mad killers fighting everyone who is not a Muslim.

What I would like to ask is to read about the history of Islam, where it began, and the true leaders and heroes in Islamic history. Read how prophet Muhammad PBUH dealt with the torture of first Muslims from his own people, how he asked them to go to Aksum (Ethiopia) where it was governed by a Christian king at that time Aṣḥama ibn Abjar, and they did not attack the kingdom of Aksum, but peacefully asked to stay away from the torture, and hostility in Mecca.

Islam is not just a religion, it is a way of life, peaceful and harmonious. Islam drives the followers of this life method to be forgiving, and non-hostile, and rather cool when thinking or taking decisions.

Other then that: Islam is not reflected by the deeds of those who say they are Muslims, it is the truthful, meaningful, clear, and caring acts of a person that make him/her a Muslim.

Racism is totally rejected in Islam, there is no BLACK, WHITE, or any kind of discrimination at all, people are all equal. A person is not judged for what he/she looks, talks, or walks, they are judged for doing good, or bad, Quran proves this, so does Sun'na.

The last point is: the guides to Islam are Quran and Sun'na, and they are not to be read apart whether from each other, or in their entities, Quran is to be read as whole, so does Sun'na, so does the both of them.

Primavera Training

2009-10-16T21:34:00.001+02:00

By: Jamie Hanson

Primavera training is the excellent way by which you can plan, manage, execute any project proposed by the organization effectively and easily. In today's extremely competitive conditions, large business entities and companies have just realized that the businesses are driven forward by assignments only. Due to this reason, companies have become challenging on each project that they start. Therefore, Primavera is a helpful course to manage projects, their resources involving human and artificial, their plan, their whole business procedures, the budget included and project change. Here are a few ways by which huge business entities are benefited with perfect Primavera courses, like:

Identify prior caution of the risks included in execution of project
Get better project's transparency
Predict the project status- on time or on budget, at project finish
Working as a team within enterprise environment

An effectient Primavera training course provides all the participants better contact on Primavera software. The main advantage of this training is that the students get practical training of the software. If you are searching for some genuine and extremely qualified company offering project management, project controls consulting, software sales, implementations and coaching on Oracle Primavera software suite, look no more. You get required Primavera training provided by certified training institutes, so that you can confidently handle any large enterprise project easily. Because of the advanced technology, it is become very essential that students get a perfect coaching and learn the significance of operating Primavera P6 project management software for their execution and planning.

Every teacher at Emerald has hands-on experience operating enterprise projects using Primavera tools. During Primavera class, answers are adapted to attendees real life experience by Emerald Associates's highly qualified teachers.

There may be several training institutes out there, but today, Emerald Associates is one among the 6 worlds Oracle Primavera Premium Partners offering an entire list of certified Primavera training programs . This is the entire list of training programs provided by Emerald Associates: Project Risk - 501, P6 for Turnarounds - T100, Primavera P6 - Basic 102, Primavera P6 - Adv 106-A, Primavera P6 - Adv 106-P, Primavera P6 - Adv 106-R, Primavera P6 - Web 101, Primavera P6 - Web 107, Expedition - E202, Cost Manager - CM100, Primavera SureTrak - 401, Primavera Prosight and Custom Training. One of the remarkable achievements of Emerald Associates is that it has been rewarded with "Oracle Certified Advantage Partner" status, which is the latest Primavera attainment by Oracle.

You can get a thorough certified Primavera training in North America. This company provides top training courses to help buld and complete any project offered by the company most successfully. As the students get practical training, it helps them to gain thorough background in basic concepts of project like planning, forecasting, scheduling and management on Oracle Primavera software suite.

Author Resource:-> Know more about Primavera training - USA and Primavera training - Canada at emerald-associates.com Article From Articlebliss

Electronic Banking, in Libya!

2009-10-15T17:20:00.000+02:00

The first privately operated Libyan banking service provider, Bank of Commerce and Development, launched an e-banking service, an Online Bank they called it, but my question is: Is it secure?

Banks deal with very sensitive data, its sensitivity comes from having to deal directly with bank accounts, and those have MONEY in them. So is the quality of services that high? Did Libyan banks, private or government owned, become that capable of providing such service, and running it without the risk of an info leak, or a security breach?

I guess not, my answer will be... But what might you think? My advice: Do not use such services, or any other kind of service that might make you the victim of online banking theft crimes, and believe me, there are a lot of those who can hack into banking systems and rob them clean.

Eljaroshi: Libyana goes a long way the other way!

2009-10-15T17:17:00.000+02:00

Not a long time ago, I was installing some games on a friend's portable computer, and I was amazed to find on his computer a copy of Libyana Mobile Phone Company's client's database, containing all kinds of very important information, to name a few: names, phone numbers, and addresses, I asked him: Where did you get this? He said: Everyone has it.

I found some people I know, and this just disturbed me, if they have to have it, they have to take care of it.

The other issue is the use of this database goes against all ethics, Islamic teachings, and it just disgusted me.

Please be aware that Libyana's database contains more then 2 million users, that just make the concept of Information Security trash material in Libya. And they get paid 150 Dirhams per minute, what a waste of time, money, and what a risk we take giving our REAL information for those people.

Libya Launches the 2009 Libyan Rocket

2009-09-11T04:58:00.003+02:00

ANIThu, Sep 3 11:05 AM

Tripoli (Libya), Sep.3 (ANI): Libyan leader, Muammar al-Qaddafi, has designed a 'rocket car' to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Alfateh Revolution in Libya.

The "Libyan Rocket", as the prototype is called, is described as an "elegant sedan" 17 feet long, more than six feet wide, with a 3-liter, V-6 gasoline engine.

According to the BBC and Fox News, it also has airbags, an unspecified 'electronic defense system', and a collapsible bumper.

The car can go hundreds of miles on a flat tire, a feature that could come in handy while driving in the vast Libyan desert. Other safety features include a device to cut off the fuel supply to avoid a fire in case of accident.

Domenico Morali, CEO of Tesco TS SpA, an automotive design company based in Turin, Italy, said Qaddafi joined in discussions about the car's styling and asked for an original car using Libyan materials including marble, leather and fabric.

The car was unveiled earlier this week in Tripoli at the end of an African Union summit. According to the BBC, construction of a factory to produce the car will begin next month in Tripoli. (ANI)

Read the bullet-in on:
TechnoLibya
Yahoo! News India

Project Management World Wide - PMWW

2009-08-30T03:21:00.001+02:00

PMWW - MS Project and Primavera P6 Twinning by Abdel Eljaroshi

Project Management World Wide - PMWW

2009-08-30T03:17:00.003+02:00

Abdel Eljaroshi explains: Microsoft Project and Primavera P6 are both favourites for me!

Sense of Urgency – The Missing “Project” Link

2009-08-26T16:47:00.002+02:00

By Donald A. Pillittere

Introduction

Maybe it's due to my Type A DNA, but I've noticed something very disturbing about project teams recently, they just don't have a sense of urgency anymore. This is not the uncontrolled running from the burning house urgency, but the drive to kick the competitor's backside! In fact over the last couple of years it has become obvious that the sense of urgency amongst my project team members has taken the path of Jurassic Age dinosaurs – a future as compost. It's as if they've lost the battle before the very first team meeting. What was once a vibrant group of people, like fans at an NFL game (Raider fans excluded), has transformed into high school seniors at a library. Individuals struggling to complete homework, while waiting for the bell to ring so they can escape and do something more enjoyable.

Has project history with its inherent propensity for delays taken the edge off of teams? Has the frustration of the typical project journey that traveled 25 miles to transverse a mire 10 feet after missteps and redirections pushed team members to reserve energy to survive? Has the constant threat of layoffs and the desire for self-survival, fostered an environment where workers know that hard work doesn't always pay? Well, as US teams crawl at a steady pace throughout a project, global competitors outpace us to market with superior products and services.

It has become so bad at times, that team members in close proximity fail to meet face-to-face to discuss issues. Instead sending the occasional email that ends up being unread until it's on the critical path. Even the functional barriers that 1980s business books tried to mitigate have come back into fashion. Everyone is waiting for someone, anyone to tell them what to do, when to do it and how to do it? Independence of thought, creativity, and tenacity, has been lobotomized from team members. There is just no energy to speak of when it comes to project teams.

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Donald Pillittere

Author

Donald Pillittere, is a Subcontract Manager with ITT Space Systems Division, LLC, where he manages activities related to the design, manufacture and deployment of space system products. He previously worked as the Director of Product Engineering and Program Management with Transonic Systems Inc., where he managed R&D activities for the development and launch of a medical flow measurement product portfolio as well as the Phases and Gates process for adherence to health, safety and EMC regulations. Mr. Pillittere has consulted on a wide range of projects including the launch of a new CD-authoring product and the redesign of a factory site. As Worldwide Product Manager for the Eastman Kodak Company's Professional Division until 2004, Mr. Pillittere managed the development and introduction of numerous award-winning products that exceeded sales projections and profitability goals. With Kodak, he also held positions in the Health Sciences Division and with Kodak Health Imaging Systems, Inc. Mr. Pillittere has taught graduate courses in Operations Management, Manufacturing Strategy & Tactics, Managing Manufacturing Resources, and Supply Chain Management as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) since 1999. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo in Electrical Engineering; and an MBA from RIT in the USA. He can be contacted at dpillit1@rochester.rr.com.

2009-08-26T16:46:00.001+02:00

By Dom Moorhouse
Managing Director, Moorhouse Consulting, UK

PRIME Intelligence © ‘top tips’ to get you started on enthusing a successful attitude across a programme team.

Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders is a well acknowledged cause of programme failure and stakeholder management is increasingly, as such, recognised as a relevant discipline. There are many tools and techniques already available but they over emphasise a mechanistic, ‘left brain’ view of the world. What is really needed is something quite different. We call this PRIME Intelligence ©.

There is no intent, however, for this to be cleverer than it sounds. PRIME Intelligence © identifies five thematic viewpoints that have relevance contingent on the type of programme you are involved in (see diagram below).

Familiarity and experience with these themes, and the ideas characterised within them, will enhance the chances of successful stakeholder engagement.

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Dom Moorhouse

Authors

Dom Moorhouse , Managing Director of 'APM Project Management Company of the Year' Moorhouse Consulting Ltd, is a former Royal Marines Officer (serving an 8-year commission). Dom founded the company after previously working for Deloitte Consulting in their Programme Leadership practice. He has considerable experience of managing large-scale programmes within the Public and Services sectors - involving the enhancement of processes, operations and organisational structure at a corporate level. Whilst managing a £10m/annum, 50-person+ business now precludes full-time delivery roles, Dom remains active in directing and assuring many major client engagements. Recent examples include, working to the direct tasking of the BT CEO, the strategic mapping of BT's major programmes and PPM resources (as well as facilitation of a roadmap aimed at delivering a pan-organisation PPM methodology and SRO support infrastructure). At BT, Dom also defined and initially led the PACE Project that successfully produced a deep intranet-based resource for the execution of £multi million outsourcing programmes. Previous delivery roles have included the establishment of a strategic assurance capability to oversee a £12billion investment programme at Transport for London (TfL) and, prior to that, leadership of a one-year initiative aimed at improving the organisations PPM delivery capability. This latter initiative was widely recognised as a radical business change exercise (winner of the Office of Government Commerce's 2004 Team Award and the 2005 London Excellence Award - Results category). Dom has a first-class computing degree, an MBA and programme management accreditation (PMP, PRINCE2, MSP). He is a Chartered Director (Institute of Directors) and a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting, with Certified Management Consultant status, and a Fellow of the Association of Project Management. www.moorhouseconsulting.com

Managing projects virtually four conditions to succeed

2009-08-26T16:45:00.002+02:00

By Liliana Buchtik, PMP
Montevideo, Uruguay

Abstract

This article discusses four major lessons learned and conditions towards succeeding when managing a project virtually and/or working with project virtual teams. Working virtually is a trend that is growing fast worldwide; many leading global companies are looking for this different way of work, to attract and retain key talent, to decrease costs, to protect the environment, to be more competitive and responsive to the market, to improve their offers to their employees, etc. This article presents important things to consider before starting managing in this scenario, and presents a particular case: when the Project Manager is thousands of miles away from the project team. The concepts presented can be applied to any virtual team.

1- From day zero, not assuming that we know how to work virtually

If you don't have experience managing virtually, it is important that from day zero you look for understanding what it means and what you need to make it happen. We are probably used to working virtually some hours a week, however, working virtually full time is different, and it is harder when the project team is in a distant location and you only interact electronically for months. There you definitely need to master the virtual environment.

So my first suggestion is, don't assume you know how to do it or the people around you know. Look to learn and understand how to work virtually and what are the tools and level of support needed for it. That includes the support needed from your team, your managers, and your company.

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Liliana Buchtik, PMP

Author
International Correspondent- Uruguay
Based in Montevideo

Liliana Buchtik, PMP is the President of Buchtik Global, a consulting and training firm in project management (PM) and information technology (IT) based in Uruguay and providing services globally on site or remotely in Spanish and English. She is also an International Correspondent for PMForum and the global PM World Today eJournal. Liliana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems Analysis, is a Project Management Professional (PMP®) certified by PMI®, and has a Diploma in Directing People. She graduated from the PMI Leadership Institute Master Class in USA. She has worked for North America, Europe and Latin America in the IT and PM fields for the past thirteen years, in private industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations. She has been a Project Manager for the Project Management Institute (PMI) and provides training services to PMI. Liliana worked in the Uruguayan Department of Justice, in the Uruguayan Judicial System Fortifying Program and also managed the Jurisdictional Software Development area of the Technology Division of the same corporation. She taught International PM in the Masters Program of the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences in Austria, and taught PM at the ISEDE School of Business in Uruguay. She has published articles on PM in various international publications, and has been a keynote and speaker at various regional and international PM events. In 2007 she was part of the PMI Component Mentor Program Member Advisory Group, and in 2006 she was the PMI Component Mentor for Southern Latin-America. She integrated the PMI Board of Directors Other Committee Ethics Appeals Committee in 2005 and was PMI® Montevideo Chapter President in 2004. She is a PMI® member, PMI IS SIG member, and former Government SIG member of PMI. She is bilingual English-Spanish and understands Portuguese. Liliana lives in Montevideo, Uruguay and can be contacted at Liliana@buchtik.com

The Top 6 Things to Consider When Choosing a PPM Solution

2009-08-26T16:44:00.001+02:00

By Curt Finch
CEO, Journyx Inc.

According to a recent article in a leading technology magazine, the demand for project and portfolio management (PPM) solutions is rising in response to the weakened economy. Many businesses are choosing to implement PPM solutions in order to “identify which IT projects are mission critical and to help them execute those projects as efficiently as possible.” These customers have also found that PPM solutions offered as software-as-a-service (SaaS) are both more affordable and easier to deploy than traditional ones.

One of the problems many businesses face when choosing a PPM solution is wading through all of the functionality of complex solutions. It can be difficult to understand what functionality a business needs, as well as how to strike the right balance without paying for things that are not needed. When it comes to project portfolio management, most companies have two basic needs: to understand costs and profitability on a per-person, per-project basis, and to know who is going to work on which projects for the next few months. This means that resource allocation and project status, cost and time tracking should be at the top of any PPM shopper's list.

Project portfolio management solutions are critical to organizations that manage many projects and people. Choosing the right solution, however, can be challenging, but there are some key criteria that businesses should focus on during the selection process.

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Curt Finch

Authors

Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx (http://pr.journyx.com), a provider of Web-based software located in Austin, Texas, that tracks time and project accounting solutions to guide customers to per-person, per-project profitability. Journyx has thousands of customers worldwide and is the first and only company to establish Per Person/Per Project Profitability (P5), a proprietary process that enables customers to gather and analyze information to discover profit opportunities. In 1997, Curt created the world’s first Internet-based timesheet application - the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. Curt is an avid speaker and author, and recently published the book “All Your Money Won’t Another Minute Buy: Valuing Time as a Business Resource”. Curt also authors a project management blog at www.project-management-blog.com and you can follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/clf99.

The Guide to (Ordinary) Greatness: Fifteen Simple, Everyday Habits to Help You Create a Life of Success

2009-08-26T16:41:00.002+02:00

By Pam Bilbrey

If you've ever longed for greatness, it's not too late. Here are some secrets for propelling yourself out of a life of mediocrity—and they're not what you think they are.

When you hear the word “greatness,” certain people probably spring to mind: Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Mother Teresa. Think a bit harder and you'll realize you know a few real-life “greats” as well. Perhaps your officemate is a computer whiz or a teacher at your child's school is a genius at inspiring kids.

Heck, maybe you have some hidden talent, too. If only you'd been born with that elusive “greatness gene” or raised by super-achieving parents or accepted to an Ivy League college, your life would be soooo much better…right?

Wrong. Greatness has far less to do with that “one special thing” about a person than it does about his or her day-in-and-day-out habits and his or her character as a whole.

Most people think that there is some silver bullet to being great. And while it's true that certain circumstances may give you a leg up in life, they don't determine greatness. Your own actions do. Greatness is really about doing the ordinary, everyday things consistently well.

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Pam Bilbrey, Brain Jones

Authors

Pamela Bilbrey helps organizations maximize their current strengths and bring out their ordinary greatness to achieve extraordinary results. A sought-after consultant, coach, and international speaker, she has authored three books and over fifty articles on employee engagement, leadership and team development, and organizational change.

Brian Jones has been described by his clients as “a breath of fresh air” and “the most effective consultant we've ever hired.” He travels around the USA helping teams and organizations achieve real results with ordinary yet great tools and advice. He is the author of several articles on leadership development and employee engagement.

For more information or to contact the authors go to www.OrdinaryGreatnessBook.com

Prioritising Risks as Simply as Possible

2009-08-26T16:40:00.001+02:00

RISK DOCTOR BRIEFING

Dr David Hillson
The Risk Doctor

A lot of effort goes into prioritising risks, so that an appropriate level of attention can be devoted to dealing with them. Several different parameters can be used to rank risks, although it is common to use just two: probability and impact. Other relevant factors might include urgency, manageability, or response cost etc.

People spend a lot of time on prioritisation because they know it is important to concentrate on the biggest risks and avoid wasting effort on small ones. But perhaps we are trying too hard? Maybe a more simple approach to ranking risks would work just as well.

In the health service, resources are often stretched, with insufficient time or funds to treat every patient who asks for help. In situations when doctors cannot examine everyone, it is common to adopt a triage approach, first screening all patients to decide which ones need to see a doctor and which can be treated by a nurse. Decisions might be made on the basis of the severity of symptoms or the urgency for treatment. The medical triage decision is often made by a junior professional following simple guidelines, dividing patients into two or three groups for further attention.

Click here to read entire paper

About the Author

Dr. David Hillson

Authors

Dr David Hillson, PMP FRSA HonFAPM FIRM FCMI, is internationally recognized as a leading thinker and practitioner in risk management. He is Director of Risk Doctor & Partners ( www.risk-doctor.com ), and has worked in over 40 countries. He is a popular conference speaker and award-winning author on risk, with six books on the topic. David has made several innovative contributions to improving risk management, and is well known for promoting the inclusion of proactive opportunity management within the risk process, and for his ground-breaking work in risk psychology. David is an Honorary Fellow of the UK Association for Project Management (APM) and past chairman of its Risk Management Specific Interest Group. He is an elected Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM), the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), and the UK Chartered Management Institute (CMI). David is also an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and was a founder member of its Risk Management Specific Interest Group. He received the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award for his work in developing risk management over many years. Since 1998 he has been a core author for the risk chapter of the PMBOK Guide®, and is a core author for the PMI Practice Standard for Project Risk Management. David can be contacted at david@risk-doctor.com . To see his latest book, Managing Risks in Projects , published in July 2009 by Gower, visit http://www.gowerpublishing.com/isbn/9780566088674 .

Interview with Dr. Martin Barnes – Reflections on the Profession of Project Management

2009-08-26T16:35:00.003+02:00

INTERVIEW

Project Management Pioneer

APM Honorary Fellow

Current President of APM, UK

Editor's Note: Martin Barnes is one of the world's most respected authorities on the subject of modern programme and project management. We are honored that he has agreed to share his experiences, perspective and opinions with us. Part I of the interview covering Martin's professional career and experiences was published in the June 2009 edition of PM World Today, which can be seen at http://www.pmworldtoday.net/interviews/2009/june/Interview-with-Dr-Martin-Barnes.html.

PM World Today (PMWT): Like other leaders in the project management professional world, at some point your career led you to get involved in a professional association. As one of the founders of the Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK, can you share some of your memories on how that happened?

Martin Barnes: I went to the ‘Internet' international congress in Stockholm in May 1972. My colleague John Gillespie and I thought this would be a good platform for launching our new ‘Project Cost Model' software – and it was. I enjoyed the conference hugely and made some friends who are still and always will be very good friends. Our paper got an award. The experience was such good fun and so professionally interesting that I have been to later congresses every time I could. When we got back to the UK, everybody who had been to an Internet Congress was invited to a meeting in London to set up a UK branch. This took place at the Royal Society of Arts.

Those who signed up were given a membership number in alphabetical order. This is why Russ Archibald has a lower number than me! I am member 010. I was very soon on the committee alongside great men still with us like Arthur Tulip, Jim Gordon and Dennis Gower. Our first president was Professor Geoffrey Trimble of Loughborough University. Later, of course somebody else usurped the name Internet, so the international body became IPMA (International Project Management Association) and Internet (UK) became the Association of Project Managers, abbreviated to APM.

PMWT: What were some of the ideas and objectives for the new organization?

Barnes : Most of us had had a wonderful experience at the Internet Stockholm congress and wanted to do things like that at home in the UK . Most of it was about network analysis and computer programmes which helped you do it. Intense arguments about whether ‘activity on arrow' was better than ‘activity on node'. I was a passionate ‘activity on node' person as this was the only way my cost model software could work. The argument went on for years – long after the answer became blindingly obvious. In the beginning we had no vision for the long term. An association for network enthusiasts was what we were.

PMWT: Did you have any involvement or interaction with IPMA founders elsewhere in Europe ?

Barnes : Of course we did, as we were an offshoot from IPMA. Most of the great men of IPMA at that time are still with us. Russ Archibald, Ivars Avots and Larry Bennigson of the USA (who went on to help set up a project management association in the US called PMI), Bob Gillis from Canada, and a host of super guys from all the countries in mainland Europe.

To read entire interview (click here)

Eljaroshi: I use Microsoft Project as regular as Primavera P6

2009-08-26T16:03:00.004+02:00

The Libyan project management specialist announced when interviewed during a training session in which he was coaching Microsoft Office Project 2007, Eljaroshi clarified his usage for Microsoft's project management software, and what are his priorities between Primavera and Microsoft.

Abdel Eljaroshi explained that he uses both products to provide his services for various clients, whether engineering firms, or construction corporations. Eljaroshi wrote on his blog that he uses the both programs as many project management professionals do.

Eljaroshi has just completed a 30 hours training in Microsoft Office Project 2007, in which he coach a class of fresh engineering schools graduates in Benghazi. It is planned that he will start a similiar class next October in the same city.

It is worth noticing that Abdel Eljaroshi is the first highly recognised Libyan Project Management Specialist, supervising the activities for LYPMA (Libyan Project Management Association), and the first Libyan with possible nomination to the Young Project Manager Award from the IPMA (International Project Management Association).

for Primavera Trainer - James Johnsson

Eljaroshi's Primavera P6 3L Training Manual

2009-08-02T18:31:00.002+03:00

As a statement to Primavera Trainer, Abdel Eljaroshi declared his Primavera P6 3L Training Manual to be published before the end of October 2009.

The manual as described by the author is based on references, the most important of which is the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK(C) published by PMI. Most reliance of the manual is upon its authors experience in controlling and monitoring contruction projects, and implementing the use of Primavera P6 EPM.

Eljaroshi is determined to make the method he uses a (cut to the chase) way, not having to contain complexities, and useless introductions about the industry. Eljaroshi's justification is that his method's Training Levels deal with 3 kinds of people: Operators, Planners, and Project Managers, so each of the levels should get certain very well chosen content for training to use the program, and implementing it in their everyday activities.

From American to International

2009-07-29T22:49:00.002+03:00

It is no longer news that Brett King announced recently the IAPM (International Academy of Project Management), as a successor to the AApM (American Academy of Project Management). I see this as an outstanding leap, but the issue that stroke me as one of this academic institution's members is that AApM is still operating under the guidance and steering of Prof. Dr. George Mentz, who is a known attorney, and renown project management specialist, and I personally consider him a mentour, but this is not the strangeness, its the conflict caused by operating IAPM as successor to AApM, and the last one is still offering its professional certification and training services world wide.

The conflict comes as a surprise for me, and the reason is that AApM was operating as a unified body, with a board of standards, commission, and an honorary advisory committee of which I was part. I hope this issue is resolved as soon as possible, because this will be reflected as bad publicity for this great academic institution, and for its members all over the world.

Abdel Eljaroshi MBA AApM MPM CIPM
Project Management Specialist
IT&IS Engineer

Eljaroshi to publish Primavera P6 3L soon

2009-07-22T16:02:00.008+03:00

Libyan project management specialist, and information systems engineer Abdelsalam Khalil Eljaroshi (aka Abdel Eljaroshi) announced yesterday July 21st 2009 to Primavera Trainer Blog, that he will be publishing his training method to be used as a levels system for preparing P6 operations professionals.

Eljaroshi clarified that the method is not a formal of Primavera Inc. (now acquired by ORACLE), and that he does not intend to pursue any official recognition from the company, but as a guideline to train seekers of knowledge in this area.

He also said that he'd already tested the method to Levels O and P (1 and 2 Operate + Plan), and: "..a sum of 51 engineers, 14 of those completed level 2 with excellence.". Eljaroshi wishes his methods to be implemented so he could be able to discover their faults, and strengthen its weak points.

Eljaroshi is known in the Libyan engineering society, for coaching very noticeable programs like Primavera P6 EPM, Microsoft Office Project, and Bentley ProjectWise. He's known for his own ways of training, and combining on-job, on-site sessions with conventional classroom teachings, making him one of the best locally and internationally in the industry. He contributes to this blog, in which he participated to establish, occasionally with profession oriented articles.

Space Shuttle Endeavor finally Launches from Florida to complete Japanese Lab

2009-07-17T01:13:00.002+03:00

PMFORUM Breaking News

Thursday, July 16, 2009

After five previous attempts over the past week, the Space Shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew finally launched at 6:03 p.m. EDT (23:03 GMT) Wednesday, 15 July 2009, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission is to deliver the final segment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station.

Image at left: Endeavor liftoff, courtesy of NASA.

Endeavour's 16-day mission includes five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside the Japanese module. One platform is permanent and will allow experiments to be directly exposed to space. The other is an experiment storage pallet that will be detached and returned with the shuttle. During the mission, Kibo's robotic arm will transfer three experiments from the pallet to the exposed platform. Future experiments also can be moved to the platform from the inside of the station using the laboratory's airlock.

Shortly before liftoff, Commander Mark Polansky thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "Endeavour has patiently waited for this," said Polansky. "We're ready to go, and we're going to take all of you with us on a great mission."

Polansky is joined on STS-127 by Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, and Tim

Kopra. Kopra will replace space station crew member Koichi Wakata, who has been aboard the station for more than three months. Kopra will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-128, targeted to launch in August 2009. Hurley, Cassidy Marshburn and Kopra are first-time space fliers.

Image at right: Front row, Commander Mark Polansky (right) and Pilot Doug Hurley. Back row (left to right), astronauts Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Canadian Space Agency's Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn and Tim Kopra, all mission specialists.

Endeavour's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for Friday, July 31 at 10:45 a.m. STS-127 is the 127th space shuttle flight, the 29th to the station, the 23rd for Endeavour and the third in 2009.

NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Endeavour's mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

NASA's Web coverage of STS-127 includes current mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos.

Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Polansky will send updates about the mission from space to his Twitter account, Astro_127. He can be followed at: http://www.twitter.com/Astro_127

Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa

Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America's focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For over 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the use of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov.

Obama Pushes for More Aid to Community Colleges

2009-07-16T12:49:00.005+03:00

President Obama speaks at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., to promote his plan for a $12 billion investment in community colleges - Paul Sancya / AP

Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2009
By Laura Fitzpatrick

Poor community colleges. President Barack Obama made a historic announcement on July 14 — that he's seeking $12 billion over the next decade to beef up funding for these two-year institutions, which educate nearly half of U.S. undergrads — but you'd never know it from the crickets in medialand. CNN and Fox devoted no live airtime to the speech, which Obama delivered at Michigan's Macomb Community College, while MSNBC cut back to the Sotomayor confirmation hearings partway through. The fear of eyeballs glazing over isn't surprising: glamorous these trade schools are not. But there's a good reason why Obama calls community colleges "one of America's underappreciated assets." They set up their alumni for about a 30% earnings premium compared to high school grads, give a 16% return on every dollar state and local governments invest in them and are one of the best tools we have to pull ourselves out of the recession. In short, as Obama noted at Macomb, "community colleges are an essential part of our recovery in the present and our prosperity in the future."

That is, if Congress will approve the boost in federal funding for two-year schools, up from just $1.9 billion in 2006. Finding the cash to pay for this proposal hinges on Obama's plan to save money by nixing subsidies to private lenders under the Family Federal Education Loan Program. That legislation faces opposition from student-loan companies and some Republicans, who say the shift to direct lending — in which Uncle Sam acts as your loan officer — will cost thousands of jobs and keep colleges from choosing between competing loan programs eager to underbid one another. (Read about the new college-loan plan: pay back by what you earn.)

Obama is dangling the possibility of more federal aid for community colleges just as they are grappling with state budget cuts as well as record enrollments, as laid-off workers rush to get retraining. Many of these two-year schools, which get about 30 cents for every dollar of per-student funding the Federal Government awards to four-year institutions, have had to let go of faculty or effectively cap enrollment. (See how colleges are bracing for a financial-aid crunch.)

The bulk of Obama's proposal, $9 billion, would go to helping schools try out promising programs to improve student learning, track progress and train workers. Another goal: nosing completion rates up from their current, abominable level: just 31% of community college students who seek a degree actually get one within six years. An additional $2.5 million would go to helping two-year schools rebuild their crumbling, outdated infrastructure — a key to equipping them to prepare students for high-tech jobs. Among the most compelling of the new proposals is the $500 million in grant money that would make online education more widely accessible by making it free.

The possibilities are intriguing. Even if all that passes, however, the Administration may still face a bigger challenge: getting Ivy League–obsessed Americans to notice.

See TIME's Pictures of the Week.

See pictures of the college dorm's evolution.

Find this article at:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1910472,00.html

Professor Jang Ra named International Academic Advisor for PMForum and PM World Today in Alaska

2009-07-16T04:02:00.002+03:00

July 14, 2009

Professor Jang Ra of University of Alaska Anchorage named International Academic Advisor for PMForum and project management eJournal PM World Today

Dallas, Texas — PMForum is pleased to announce that Jang Ra, Ph.D., professor of project management and Chair of the Engineering, Science & Project Management Department at the University of Alaska Anchorage has been named an International Academic Advisor for PMForum and the monthly project management eJournal PM World Today. The Master of Science in Project Management is one of the fastest growing programs in the UAA system.

According to PMForum President and Managing Editor David Pells, “Professor Ra is now growing one of the most visible and robust project management programs in the USA. As Chair of the department, he has helped bring project management to a higher level of visibility and academic standing in the University of Alaska system; and now they are introducing a PhD in Program Management. Dr. Ra has also been active internationally in recent years, having hosted the ProMAC 2008 conference last year. It is an honor to have Dr. Ra join our academic advisory council.”

Dr. Jang Ra, PhD, PMP is a professor and founding Chair of the Master of Science in Project Management Program (MSPM) at University of Alaska Anchorage. Under the leadership of Dr. Ra the MSPM program has grown to be one of the major graduate programs in the University of Alaska system. His specialties are in project management, multi-criteria decision making, and quantitative analysis. He has taught more than fifteen different graduate-level subjects since 1987 at University of Pittsburgh, Portland State University, George Washington University, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Han-Yang University and UAA. Dr. Ra has offered extensive PM professional consulting services and training in the State of Alaska and the Pacific Rim.

UAA's Engineering, Science, and Project Management (ESPM) Department offers the MSPM degree program and project management (PM) training courses as a Project Management Institute Registered Education Provider (PMI REP®). These courses are offered at UAA's Anchorage University Center campus and via the Web, allowing participation by students from across Alaska, the USA and the world. In addition, the department has successfully delivered an 18-month customized, on-site MSPM degree program to a major, international transportation company in Seattle. All MSPM and PM courses are taught by highly qualified faculty and recognized industry professionals. The MSPM degree program includes detailed study and application of PMI's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) process domains and knowledge areas across many industry sectors. Professional training courses include Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification examination preparation, Microsoft Project, Primavera, Project Controls, PM for Non-PMs and customized classes. For more information, visit www.uaa.alaska.edu/espm.

About the University of Alaska Anchorage

The University of Alaska educational system spans three separately accredited urban universities in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, and includes a dozen community campuses, from Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska, to Kotzebue, in the state's far north. The system enrolls over 32,000 students studying among the 430 programs offered, everything from certificates and associate degree programs to bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees. The mission of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is to discover and disseminate knowledge through teaching, research, engagement, and creative expression. Located in Anchorage and on community campuses in South-central Alaska, UAA is committed to serving the higher education needs of the state, its communities, and its diverse peoples. The UAA is an open access university with academic programs leading to occupational endorsements; undergraduate and graduate certificates; and associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in a rich, diverse, and inclusive environment. Visit www.alaska.edu.

About PMForum

PMForum operates http://www.pmforum.org, the world’s oldest project management website and a leading source of global project management news and information. PMForum also publishes the monthly online PM World Today e-Journal, where articles, reports and stories about projects and project management around the world can be found. PMForum is rapidly gaining global recognition due to its growing team of international advisors and correspondents, now representing more than 50 countries. For more information, visit www.pmforum.org. PMForum’s International Academic Advisors includes professors and heads of departments from some of the world’s leading universities. Information at www.pmworldtoday.net/team.htm.

SOURCE: PMForum, Inc.

editor@pmforum.org

Libya's Number One Engineering Consultancy Allotted

2009-07-14T22:23:00.002+03:00

Exclusive for Times - 14-7-2009

After a long time of delaying this indispensable process, the Libyan government finally decided to execute the regulation to allot the most successful of its engineering organizations. Alemara Engineering Consultations Office which was founded in 1984 by the Libyan government at that time will be converted into the private sector to compete in a market that has been nourished in the last few years.

Alemara which designed, supervised, and managed humongous construction, infrastructure, housing, and multidisciplinary entities since the commencement of its operations in 1986, leading the industry directing it and shaping its interface for the last 2 decades.

The decision is being executed after the so-called struggle, and status evaluation of the company that started early this year. Alemara is still supervising and working on important projects for the Libyan government, and it is kept not declared yet what will happen in case of allottment regarding the previously mentioned projects.

Primavera Trainer

بريمافيرا بي6 الإصدار رقم 8 رسمياً في الأسواق

Basic Project Management - Primavera P6 Rel7 Training in Benghazi

Categorizing Units of Measure for easy search

Primavera Trainer is to launch the largest Online Project Management Library

Primavera P6 Training Survey استبيان نهاية دورة تدريبية...ريمافيرا بي6 - دورة رقم 17

Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Certified Implementation Specialist

S Curve for Microsoft Office Project

Libyan government decides to extend Alemara's operations

Seven Essential Skills to Look for in Project Managers

Resource Product & Resource Working Hours

Prince2 Project Management

ALBARIEK to provide Primavera P6 training program in accordance with Oracle University course content

ALBARIEK to provide Primavera P6 training program in accordance with Oracle University course content

Measuring the Business Value of a Project

Construction managers' should change their point of view!

The Project Liberation Checklist: Finishing Unfinished Projects

Measuring the Business Value of a Project

Worldwide Cost of IT Failure: $6.2 Trillion

Lego My Schedule

Work Breakdown Structure: What It’s for and How to Use It

How to be Ready for the Recovery!

Management of Communications in IT Projects

Training the Customer in Project Management

The Need for Speed!

Series on Construction Project Scheduling - The Principles, Processes & Practices of Construction Project Scheduling

Construction Project Scheduling Today: Issues and Controversies

Happy New Year!

Astronauts Get Two Christmases in Space

Wall Street prepares to coast to end of 2009

Airport Security: Why It Failed

Shanda and Kingsoft in expanded partnership

Google sharpens aim on mobile marketing with AdMob

Russian YouTube cop charged with fraud

Consumer groups try to block Google purchase of AdMob

High-tech vehicles pose trouble for some mechanics

EBay: holiday cell phone shopping up threefold

Cell phone mania forces scramble for more airwaves

China unveils 'world's fastest train link'

Indian Railways Executive Reviews Frankly Discusses Issues at 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi

Thursday, December 24, 2009 - Reported by David Pells in New Delhi

Elizabeth Harrin wins Best Project Management Blog Award

Friday, December 25, 2009 - Reported by Miles Shepherd in UK

UN Roads Project Aidx Impoverished in Haiti

Friday, December 25, 2009

Coaching for Development Initiative Launched by IPMA Young Crew in Nepal

Oracle News Briefs

Oracle to Buy Sun

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project 2007 Training in Libya

Primavera P6 Training Schedule in Libya

Benghazi welcomes winter by drowning in its first showers of rain

The War Against Islam

Primavera Training

Electronic Banking, in Libya!

Eljaroshi: Libyana goes a long way the other way!

Libya Launches the 2009 Libyan Rocket

Project Management World Wide - PMWW

PMWW - MS Project and Primavera P6 Twinning by Abdel Eljaroshi

Project Management World Wide - PMWW

Abdel Eljaroshi explains: Microsoft Project and Primavera P6 are both favourites for me!

Sense of Urgency – The Missing “Project” Link

BEYOND CONVENTIONAL STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT Developing PRIME Intelligence © on complex programmes

Managing projects virtually four conditions to succeed

The Top 6 Things to Consider When Choosing a PPM Solution

The Guide to (Ordinary) Greatness: Fifteen Simple, Everyday Habits to Help You Create a Life of Success

Prioritising Risks as Simply as Possible

Interview with Dr. Martin Barnes – Reflections on the Profession of Project Management

Project Management Pioneer

Eljaroshi: I use Microsoft Project as regular as Primavera P6

Eljaroshi's Primavera P6 3L Training Manual

From American to International

Eljaroshi to publish Primavera P6 3L soon

Space Shuttle Endeavor finally Launches from Florida to complete Japanese Lab

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Obama Pushes for More Aid to Community Colleges

Professor Jang Ra named International Academic Advisor for PMForum and PM World Today in Alaska

Libya's Number One Engineering Consultancy Allotted