Being a management consultant, I get to work on interesting projects with interesting people formulating interesting solutions. And when I’m finished, the problem, department or company is better than when we started. I get to say what I think –most people appreciate it– and get paid for it.

It seems, recently, a lot of people with little or no experience have been made responsible for projects that will determine their own, as well as their company’s future. Maybe you think you’re going to save money, or maybe you think since someone was a great technician they’ll be a great PM. If you’ve got the time and money go ahead and try the trial and error process. But, I recommend you hire a consultant or interim manager to help you through the change process. Sure I’d like you to hire my company, but if not, hire someone, either full or part time, to mentor and watch over what these new managers or project leaders are doing.

Coffee breaks at work may be counterproductive–particularly for men. Researchers at Britain’s University of Bristol gave coffee to groups of men and women and then asked them to perform stressful tasks. The coffee seemed to help men and women solve problems while working alone, but it undermined their ability to collaborate. And while women became more relaxed from the caffeine hit, men stressed out. The findings, researcher Lindsay St. Claire tells New Scientist, suggests “the commonplace tea and coffee break might backfire in business situations.”

The focus is on IT, but Computerworld has issued their Project Management Special Report. Some interesting articles, information and ideas. There’s even a short quiz so that you can Evaluate your PMO.

These are challenging times for IT project managers. The business wants new systems built yesterday to meet customer demands. IT projects have to be run through the ROI gauntlet and get intense scrutiny from all corners of the company. Business conditions change midproject.

But taking shortcuts can lead to project failure, which isn’t good for the business or IT credibility. So IT projects are caught between the need for speed and flexibility on one hand, and the need to follow a disciplined, successful methodology on the other.

If you provide any type of service–and who doesn’t–you know that customers anticipate a high level of professionalism and courtesy from your company and your employees. Good service builds a good attitude in customers. Good service is an indication of capable, knowledgeable, and interested workers and a company that cares about its customers. Most service providers are denied a second chance when they fall short of their customers’ expectations.

Here is my list of Service Basics. I provide this list to all employees, contractors, sub-contractors, temps, and vendors that will be working or in any type of contact with clients. Use it, it works.

Service Basics
• Every project and every task will have a deadline and will be completed before the deadline. A task is not completed until you have followed up to confirm client satisfaction.
• A client should never have to inquire about the status of their project or problem.
• Every telephone message will be returned on the day it is received.
• The priority of client communications is:
• Face to face
• Telephone
• In writing (e-mail, fax, letter)
• Get into the client’s head. A problem can only be understood from the client’s viewpoint.
• Each of us is responsible for a positive work atmosphere. Have a “can do” attitude.
• A problem is not solved until it is resolved to the client’s satisfaction.
• You own a problem until it is solved.
• The only measure of success is client satisfaction.

Baseline magazine (free registration) has a comparison between Webvan and FreshDirect. If you remember, Webvan was the unique Internet grocery store and delivery service trying to break into 26 markets. After raising millions, with plans for billions (yes, billions) to finance the operations, it never took off and eventually went bankrupt. It was one of the biggest dot-com busts.

FreshDirect is keeping costs down by concentrating, for now, on one market, New York, and tweaking shrinkwrapped technology rather than going the customized route, saving millions. FreshDirect: Ready To Deliver is a case study reviewing more than just the software, but does hit on the key point, don’t custom write software.

Indeed, where Webvan relied heavily on developing its own software and systems to deliver “competitive advantage,” FreshDirect has not. The company’s strategy is to buy applications off the shelf where it can, customize where it has to and scrimp on areas that don’t have a direct impact on its business.

They’ve turned profitable only 16 months after startup. Next step: can they duplicate this in other cities?

After 7 weeks the tally is 3 PM’s fired vs. 4 team members. Check my previous comments and the official Apprentice recap site.

This Fortune article questions just how good Trump is as a business person: For Trump, Fame Is Easier Than Fortune

There’s just one question: How is Donald Trump—the businessman, not the TV star—doing these days? The answer seems to depend on which part of his empire you’re talking about.

One of the differentiators between Internet shopping and local stores is satisfying the need for personal service. Unfortunately, many retail establishments don’t seem to know this. A Fast Company article Getting to “Very Satisfied” offers some tips to go beyond taking customers’ money.

…after a three-month, admittedly unscientific $5,000 spree, the duo came to this sad conclusion: Only 3% of their store visits had left them “very satisfied.” The remaining 97% failed mostly on the basics: lack of courtesy and skimpy product knowledge.

The Office of Advocacy of the SBA offers these top 10 reasons to love small business, the heart of the American economy:

1. Small businesses make up more than 99.7% of all employers.

2. Small businesses create more than 50 percent of the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
3. Small patenting firms produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.
4. The 22.9 million small businesses in the United States are located in virtually every neighborhood.
5. Small businesses employ about 50 percent of all private sector workers.
6. Home-based businesses account for 53 percent of all small businesses.
7. Small businesses make up 97 percent of exporters and produce 29 percent of all export value.
8. Small businesses with employees start-up at a rate of over 500,000 per year.
9. Four years after start-up, half of all small businesses with employees remain open.
10. The latest figures show that small businesses create 75 percent of the net new jobs in our economy.

You may remember Louis Patler co-authored a book called, If it ain’t Broke…Break it!. His most recent book, TrendSmart, offers the top 10 business trends for 2004:

• Best customers get the best services.
• Customer retention is emphasized over customer acquisition.
• Crossover loyalty, ie., shopping at upscale and discount stores.
• Businesses recognize value of workers who previously didn’t get enough attention.
• Lateral moves keeps workers enthusiastic about their jobs.
• Renewed emphasis on management skills, not leadership skills.
• Intergenerational conflict resolution becomes a priority.
• Renewal and balance emphasized to offset burnout.
• Deferred maintenance no longer deferred, and upgrades become a priority.
• Beginning of “The 3G” workforce: Three generations of workers with three different work ethics.

If you’re working with Microsoft’s Project Server you need to keep tabs on projectified, a blog authored by Brian Kennemer. He writes about project management issues as they relate to Project Server. It’s a new blog started within the last month. I hope he keeps it going. Enjoy!