Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Business Management Tools in Your Organization : ProTasker ...

Resources, in any organization, are important assets that should be allocated in an efficient manner. Efficiency of resource allocations may be defined in terms of assignments being aligned with business priorities and in a way where their associated costs are expended wisely. Costs can be efficiently managed by viewing them in multiple contexts.

Business management tools facilitate intelligent resource allocation based on prioritizations. Costs can be managed with efficiency because they are viewed in terms of actual values and their impacts on current and planned initiatives. Financials on projects or programs based on extrapolated data can accurately predict future states based on current conditions.

Business management tools help executives see what is going on and provide the necessary information to decide, when appropriate, what actions are needed. Information, from a cost perspective, on how much work should have been done in comparison with what has actually been accomplished. What does the business expect the project to cost when it is completed in comparison with what the initial estimate was. These too are examples of important financial data. Of note is that with good business management tools, this information can be provided taking into account multiple related factors: Actual costs, project expenditures, resources and their allocation impacts on initiatives and projects.

Business management tools also allow users to view what-if scenarios to improve the decision making process. For example the business management tools can show what would happen if resources from one project are allocated to another. It could display the results from multiple perspectives including financial.

Timely reviews and approvals of key artifacts can be another plus of business management tools. Business management tools have the capability of tracking, for example, a design submitted as it passes through multiples Subject Matter Experts (SME) for review and functional managers for approval. The tool can inform management where the design submitted is, who has reviewed, who has approved or rejected it and what is its current status. This functionality can be very useful to project and program managers.

Monitoring the review and approval process of important documents helps project management professionals as, oftentimes, these approvals are scheduled dependencies. These dependencies are typically linked to other activities in the schedule and may be on a critical path.

The business management tool capabilities to monitor paper flow, resource allocations and costs represent a powerful combination of tools that facilitate the work of management. The tools ability to sort, filter, calculate and extrapolate data augments the assistance provided by business management tools.

When business management tools are coupled with other application modules the suite becomes more comprehensive. In this way, artifact flow tracking, cost monitoring and resource data can be complimented with collaboration, task management and schedule modules. This powerful combination is useful from the team member level to the project manager level and beyond to the executive level as well.

The business management tool, fully integrated, empowers project and program managers. It enables them by outputting practical information they can use to successfully bring projects to closure.

Source: http://www.protasker.com/r/project-management-resources/general/business-management-tools-in-your-organization

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Team dysfunction - Business Management Daily

Managers can bring the most intelligent, creative people to their departments, but if the employees aren?t able to work as a team, the department?s productivity will suffer.

If your team isn?t firing on all cylinders, it?s important to identify the reasons why ? and what you can do to overcome the dysfunction.

The 5 big causes

Many teams don?t work well for one reason: ?Because they are made up of human beings with varied interests and frailties,? says Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. ?When you put them together and leave them to their own devices, even the most well-intentioned people will usually deviate towards dysfunctional, unproductive behavior.?

As a result, small problems left untreated can spiral into ugliness.

Here are the five major causes of team dysfunction that managers must routinely contend with, according to Lencioni, and the strategies to successfully overcome each one:

Dysfunction #1: Absence of trust

This occurs when team members are reluctant to be vulnerable with one another and are unwilling to admit their mistakes or need for help. Without a certain comfort level among team members, trust is impossible.

Manager?s role: Be vulnerable.

  • Identify and discuss your strengths and weaknesses. Openly accept that a team member might be more skilled in a particular area than you.
  • Spend considerable time in face-to-face meetings and working sessions. The goal is to get team members to open themselves up.

Dysfunction #2: Fear of conflict

Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered, passionate debate about key issues. This caus?es situations in which team conflict can easily result in veiled discussions and back channel comments. In a setting where team members don?t openly air their opinions, inferior decisions are the result.

Manager?s role: Demand debate.

  • Acknowledge that conflict is re??quired for productive meetings. Stress that conflict must be up front instead of underlying and underground.
  • Establish common ground rules for engaging in conflict.
  • Understand individual team member?s natural conflict styles.

Dysfunction #3: Lack of commitment

Without conflict, it is difficult for team members to commit to decisions. This creates an environment where ambigu?ity prevails. Lack of direction and commitment can make employees, particularly star employees, disgruntled.

Manager?s role: Force clarity and closure.

  • Review commitments at the end of each meeting to ensure all team members are aligned.
  • Adopt a ?disagree and commit? mentality?make sure all team members are committed, regardless of initial disagreements.

Dysfunction #4: Avoidance of accountability

When teams don?t commit to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven individuals hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that may seem counterproductive to the overall good of the team.

Manager?s role: Confront difficult issues.

  • Explicitly communicate goals and standards of behavior.
  • Regularly discuss performance versus goals and standards.

Dysfunction #5: Inattention to results

Team members naturally tend to put their own needs (ego, career development, recognition, etc.) ahead of the collective team goals when individuals aren?t held accountable. If a team has lost sight of the need for achievement, the business ultimately suffers.

Manager?s role: Focus on collective outcomes.

  • Keep the team focused on tangible group goals.
  • Reward individuals based on team goals and collective success.

________________________________________________

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Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/29865/team-dysfunction-why-it-happens-and-how-to-fix-it

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Bird flu, pig flu, now bat flu? Human risk unclear (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - For the first time, scientists have found evidence of flu in bats, reporting a never-before-seen virus whose risk to humans is unclear.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120227/ap_on_he_me/us_med_bat_flu

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The Rapid Rise of Pinterest's Blockbuster User Engagement [CHART] (Mashable)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Mashable - "Time on site" is one of the most valuable metrics for social networks, publishers and online marketers. More than mere follower counts or even pageviews, the amount of time users spend with your content is always top priority in the quest for user engagement.
Social network superstar Pinterest has enjoyed hockey stick growth in recent months, but it's also worth noting that the time visitors spend browsing and pinning has also increased sharply.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20120228/tc_mashable/the_rapid_rise_of_pinterests_blockbuster_user_engagement_chart

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Satechi 12 Port USB 2.0 Hub

This 12-Port USB Hub with Power Adapter and 2 Switches from Satechi is for the person who has everything – and needs to charge/sync it!? The USB 2.0 hub has two switches that allow you to turn on the first six ports, the last six ports, all, or none.? It has a data rate of [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/02/27/satechi-12-port-usb-2-0-hub/

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

All About Online with free streaming Training | Afk Cafe

Posted by brandonw on February 28, 2012 in Marketing

Online education has become very popular for a lot of students. It can make it easy for people to obtain a qualification, diploma or even a amount at their own usefulness. Yet, despite this interest levels still not be able to take advantage of it. Why? Its because most online educational packages are very expensive. Also a certificate can cost you a lot of money. And degrees or maybe diplomas will cost you sey lingerie hundreds and hundreds. This is not good for folks who need career education yet have cheaper budgets. However, pray is not lost seeing as there are many companies offering online for free training for various work-related skills.

Why will a company offer online for free training to Web users? The answer to this question is determined by the companys motives. For example, http://Freeskills.com offers a member?s program program where website visitors get access to hundreds of their training tutorials. They provide a temporary type of online for free training to allow people to try their services before actually b maternity swimwear uying. Other companies, (such as http://E-learningcenter.com), supply free online training for e-mail internet marketing purposes. In order to can access their free online education programs, you must produce your name and e-mail address. This subscribes yourself to their newsletter, which can advertise products or services that could be of interest to you. And then there are the companies or folks who make free online education content for their web-sites. They get their income from pay-per-click networks they can be a part of. The hope is by reading their engaging content, you?re on the site long enough to be able to click on one of their ads, allowing them to gain a commission.

Depending on type of free online training curriculum you decide to use, you may even get a certificate showing you bose companion 5 efficiently completed your education. This is the case along with http://Freeskills.com, though don?t forget their free online education is temporary, (because you will have to pay $149 a year to get long-term access). If you are fortunate enough to be able to get a certificate coming from a free online training program, make sure you make mention of that on your resume with a Certifications section. If not you are able to still make reference to the knowledge you acquired from free online education, though you will have to stick it in the Skills or Qualifications sections.

To find free online education programs, its best if you say hello to the skill youre looking to learn about plus the phrase free on the internet training into a search engine. Remember that some sites proclaiming to offer free online education programs may only employ a tutorial that is a couple pages. While this can still help you, it best if you could get something more extensive. Format-wise online for free training can come in an outside interactive program, a good PDF file or a standard web page. Free online education that is more detailed will be given through a separate program, (which usually is available from the companys website).

In summary, if you do not have the money to invest in a normal online course, take into consideration taking advantage of a free on the internet training program. Sure, it will not be as amazing as a certificate, diploma or degree from an accredited school, but it can still be an excellent resume constructor.

Tags: education, learning, training

Source: http://afkcafe.com/?p=1897

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Mini Must-Have: Nahla Aubry?s Mix & Match Mary Janes

Check out Halle Berry's little girl in her mix and match Chooze Mary Janes shoes, plus get details on where to buy them.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/TFicsQTXLtQ/

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Interview with Traci Jensen (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/205173097?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Chinese Flock to Obama Website

Posted Sunday, February 26th, 2012 at 7:30 am

Hundreds of Chinese have flooded U.S. President Barack Obama's Google-plus page with messages, after China seemingly unblocked the social networking service.

Google-plus has not been available in China since it was launched last year, apparently blocked by the communist nation's strict censorship system.

But in the past few days, access has been available, either because China lifted its blocks or because of a bug in the censorship system.

The comments to Mr. Obama center on freedom of expression and human rights, as well as everyday topics such as how to get U.S. green cards.

Source: http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/02/26/chinese-flock-to-obama-website/

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