I installed dd-wrt on my router recently and enabled the PPTP VPN server to provide remote access while I’m on the road. I was able to set up VPN on all of my remote machines and it worked great until I tried from my iPhone. for some reason it could only connect when I was [...]
I was recently trying to setup Concerto, an open source digital signage platform, on my GoDaddy shared hosting account. I was able to get it installed and pass all the diagnostic tests other than the PHP_SELF script check. Please note, you may need to change all of the ‘PATH_INFO’ to ‘ORIG_PATH_INFO’ in the script as [...]
I think one of the most challenging aspects of portfolio project management (PPM) is actually implementing a PPM system. In my experience, changing the culture of an organization that is used to ad hoc project selection/project management requires a significant ROI, and even then may not be implemented because management is not comfortable with such [...]
My current company manufactures hardware and develops software that assists Athletic Trainers perform their job duties. They have numerous projects that run concurrently to design and develop new hardware and software revisions. Every fiscal year management develops a list of key strategic goals that will improve the company over the next year. Each proposed project [...]
When I worked as a web developer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, I acted as both the developer and project manager for my projects. There were about 20-24 individual projects that were being developed concurrently by a team of 6 developers. The manager of our group acted as the sole member [...]
I’ve recently needed to reformat a Windows Vista (Home Premium) machine, and I was trying to load Windows XP Service Pack 2 on it. It kept on blue screening with the STOP error 0x0000007b. I did some research and it seems that it may have something to do with XP not communicating properly with the [...]
There are many traits that make up a good team but the three I think are most important are commitment, appreciation, and communication. When everyone on a team is committed, the team works much more efficiently. Each team member is happy and knows the other members have their back. Every member will ideally be committed [...]
I recently had an issue where a Word 2007 document (.docx) was on a shared server but users were unable to download it correctly. I tested it in Chrome and Firefox (yeah, you can tell I’m a computer guy) with no problem. The next day other users were complaining of the same issue, so I [...]
Integrated change control procedures are made to allow for consistent change control from project to project. This allows for the same change control protocols to created once, and used between projects. Change control procedures should be used in every project because they provide a constant method of change metrics as well as reduce the time [...]
There are a few different ways to estimate in projects but a general rule of thumb is to use the most accurate method available. There’s the rough order of magnitude, top down, budget/engineering. Rough Order of Magnitude This type of estimate is of a top level conceptual nature. It is generally used when not many [...]
I came across an interesting topic while reading “Trading and Exchanges”, by Larry Harris. It dealt with shifting cash flows in time. I personally love learning of new topics, and this definitely was a paradigm shifter for me. I decided to dig a bit deeper to see what else I could learn about the topic. [...]
I think one of the most challenging aspects of portfolio project management (PPM) is actually implementing a PPM system. In my experience, changing the culture of an organization that is used to ad hoc project selection/project management requires a significant ROI, and even then may not be implemented because management is not comfortable with such [...]
Project management can be a difficult enough endeavor, but managing a multi-cultural project team can add additional differences as well. It’s important to remember that not all of the differences that arise are negative. The three main differences are: Team member motivation (Anbari 2010) Communication style Heterogeneous idea generation Team Member Motivation According to Geert [...]
My current company manufactures hardware and develops software that assists Athletic Trainers perform their job duties. They have numerous projects that run concurrently to design and develop new hardware and software revisions. Every fiscal year management develops a list of key strategic goals that will improve the company over the next year. Each proposed project [...]
