About My Skills

I have a number of skills in a number of areas and have a few topics around which I can talk for 40 mins or 1-2 days!! You may consider them to be a bit eclectic and not really connected .... but in fact they are all connected through my project management, business investment and general management experience. All of them are well grounded in my personal journey ....good and bad!

I am mostly engaged through my consultancy firm HolisTech® Pty Ltd or my small investment firm Padden Industries Pty Ltd, but I do have relationships with companies and businesses big and small through which I sometimes sub-contract.

You can of course read a little more about me here.

If you think I might be able to assist but have not specifically addressed the area in my skills list below ....please feel free to contact me for a confidential obligation free chat.

My Skills List

My skills list includes:

• Project Manager.
• Project and Program Mentor and Coach.
• Problem Projects Resolution.
• Enterprise Change Architecture.
• Using IBM Rational DOORS in a Project or Program.
• Tender Evaluation to Contract Management.
• Value Engineering Facilitation.
• All about Web 2.0.
• SMEs in a Big World: Some Stories of a Continuing Journey.
• Managing the Corporate Knowledge Asset.
• Strategic Risk and Regulation Frameworks.
• Business Mentoring, Coaching and Advice.
• Research.
• Organising and Leading Learning Tours.
• Tailoring Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.

Project or Program Manger Mentoring and Coaching

I have consulted to projects and programs a fair bit, during which I provided advice and tips to the project and program managers. I have never formally called this mentoring or coaching, but it is another string to my bow I feel. I am very comfortable providing a project manager coaching and mentoring service. Project managers get pressures from so many different directions and can be so busy that they just don't have the time required for honest and balanced reflection. Having a third party, and an independent third party at that with no particular stake in the project, to discuss challenges and issues, is useful. This is the service I provide.

I have an enormous amount of experience across numerous technologies and in numerous industries, and across the whole product or system development life cycle. I have coped with or resolved many different situations and issues and can get to the heart of a problem quickly.

So if you after an independent third party view of how to move ahead in a constructive way or to provide a sympathetic but objective ear, please contact me for a confidential obligation free chat.

Problem Projects Resolution

Rescuing or resolving problem projects is an interesting challenge and one I relish. There are a number of factors that need to be considered when recovering a project and I have a process I undertake to get to the heart of the matter quickly. This process includes:

• Project Investigation and/or Audit. This is required to determine the status of a project, its stakeholders, stakeholder understanding of the project, the requirement, the financials and the schedule to name a few. It is the gathering of "facts" and I am expert at researching and investigating the complete project picture.
• Knowledge Deficiencies. Determining deficiencies in the knowledge base of a project, whether that is explicit knowledge (the project documentation and other related correspondence) or tacit knowledge (what project staff and stakeholders know), assists in determining the project risks. Additionally, the lack of knowledge can be a cause and/or symptom of existing or past project problems. Getting the project knowledge asset up to date is a priority for me in any project recovery assignment.
• Governance. Governance and probity and issues of fairness, completeness, accuracy and business alignment are fundamental to getting a project underway again. I have a deep understanding of governance issues in projects and other systems. I also understand the need for governance boards and project reviews to ensure projects are oversighted and their business aims maintained.
• Risk. I am a Certified Risk Manager (CRM) and use risk identification and amelioration as a management tool for problem projects in particular. Identifying risks and "clearing the way" for the project to progress is one way a program manager and project manager can assist projects.

Having said all of that, sometimes the resolution of a problem project is to close it. It has become a problem because it is no longer supported or it no longer has its champion or it is no longer being resourced properly due to other priorities. In cases like these, there is no sense in throwing good money after bad ....close it and archive all its information in case you wish to restart it sometime.

Enterprise Change Architecture

This is about understanding how an organisation can use projects as a controlled and governance based method to move toward the future.

Projects provide a way of pulling one or more of the levers of revenue, expenses or investment in a "controlled" manner, because projects are a deliberate and "controlled" mechanism that supports proper governance with defined expenditure, risks, schedules and outcomes or benefits."

So an Enterprise Change Architecture provides the understanding of what levers to pull to create "aligned change" ....aligned with the strategic intent of the organisation as articulated in a business plan. Further, it is "controlled change" as allocating projects to change provides a bounded initiative for change ....bounded by budget, schedule and requirements. Still further, it provides "change governance" as a program of projects has a series of governance and oversight mechanisms to ensure their relevance, probity and business imperatives among other elements.

Using IBM Rational DOORS Efficiently in a Project or Program

IBM® Rational® DOORS® is the world's most popular requirements management tool (it used to be known as Telelogic DOORS). It is an easily configurable object oriented database and can be used not only for project requirements but for most of a project's information asset. See more on DOORS® at IBM.

I am a world class expert in this product and have loads of experience using it in a project and program. I have deployed it in small and large projects many times and deployed it across a huge program. There is a way of doing efficiently that can include as much or as little as the project or program requires. When I manage a project using DOORS I have a standard "architecture" that includes:

• The various requirements including user/operational requirements and system requirements. In some contexts and when going to contract, the system requirement becomes the Statement of Requirement (SOR) for the Request for Tender (RFT).
• The solution space including what I call a system breakdown structure which is in effect the system design. In a tender context, this is the solution offered by the tenderer to the RFT.
• The contract terms and conditions.
• The work required of the contractor if indeed there is one. This is sometimes called the Statement of Work (SOW).
• The list of deliverables once a contract has been let or the task or build is underway.
• The contract change proposals (CCPs) or engineering change proposals (ECPs) and their status and outcomes.
• All tests and trials including results.
• A Project Diary which contains all the required logs including what I call an Event Log for the project. This records all major events in the life of a project where entries are made by any team member.

I have in fact used DOORS to manage the entire project information/knowledge asset although I use specialised scheduling and cost management tools.

I consult on DOORS in a program management, project management, contract management and tests/trials context. I also run training courses on DOORS and requirements management.

Tender Evaluation to Contract Management

I have managed or been a consultant to the entire process from issuing a tender to tender evaluation, contract negotiations, contract signature, monitoring contract delivery and closing a contract.

There are certain principles to which this process must adhere particularly within a government context in the expenditure of public funds. These include probity, security (in terms of confidentiality), fairness, transparency (in terms of defensible positions and decisions), accuracy and timeliness.

I have also used specific tools for this process or in some cases modified or developed tools to assist in the process. I have also tailored DOORS to this process with great success.

Value Engineering Facilitation

I have facilitated a number of value engineering efforts to make more cost effective a system or product. Value engineering a system or product is achieved by:

• First taking the system or product design and identifying and then removing or modifying redundant functionality.
• An additional process of analysing the way the product is manufactured and assembled is also investigated to identify cheaper, but no less effective alternatives.

It is often achieved using detailed analysis with the client coupled with the conduct of formal and informal workshops.

The techniques can be applied to:

• existing systems or products,
• newly designed but yet to be manufactured systems or products,
• old but no longer manufactured systems or products to become the basis of a new system or product, and
• a competitor's systems or products to better understand the competitive features and cost drivers.

All about Web 2.0

This can be either a 40 minute presentation and discussion or a one to two day workshop and experiential learning activity. It is full of examples and useful tips and can be tailored to small business, big business or big and small government. I also consult in Web 2.0.Here is the marketing blurb:

Understanding the Philosophy, Concepts, Tools and Techniques of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 and How They Can Help in Delivering Better Business Outcomes

Pat helps to reveal the utility of Web 2.0 / Enterprise 2.0 and how organisations (commercial and government) can leverage this new wave to better deliver products and services and meet the challenges of this century. The participatory and collaborative nature of Web 2.0 / Enterprise 2.0 offers new ways of engaging customers and the public. Learn about the philosophical foundations, the implications and the technologies of this exciting new future.

 

SMEs in a Big World: Some Stories of a Continuing Journey

This is a 40 minute plus presentation and discussion on my experiences in small business. It tends to create some considerable discussion and encourages the audience to discuss their experiences as well. I also mentor and coach small business owners and/or their managers.

Held under Chatham House Rules, join Pat in this informative and entertaining presentation on being an SME in a big world. Pat, who has owned a number of businesses and has done business with Government and global companies as well as other SME's, has some very real lessons to share.

Using examples and stories from his numerous business involvements, Pat takes you on a professional and personal journey extracting numerous lessons including on cash flow, contracts, payments and billing, agreements and fair dealing, business relationships, franchising, the Trade Practices Act, inventory and supply, partnerships, intellectual property, staff, buying into a business, business value and extracting personal value. He finishes with a list of consolidated lessons that are a wonderful addition to your own business knowledge base.

If you currently run or own a business or are simply just interested in SMEs, this journey is one that will inform, delight and warn.

 

Managing the Corporate Knowledge Asset

Government departments and agencies, businesses, indeed any organisation needs to manage its complete corporate asset of data, information and knowledge to get the best outcomes in an efficient way. This is what I call Managing the Corporate Knowledge Asset. That means an organisation needs to manage many asset types including:

• data in databases such as financial data, project data, inventory, or any other sort of data;
• documents in document management systems;
• physical hard copy files;
• people's personal knowledge;
• group knowledge if there is such a thing,
• aggregated information and reports derived from databases and other sources; and
• ........ so on.

All of which is about growing, cropping, making more accessible, categorising, organising and otherwise managing the Corporate Knowledge Asset in total. It is not about just managing the human knowledge asset or the data or the documents. Undertaking and assignment to better leverage that knowledge asset is what I call conducting a "Knowledge Weave".

There are a number of ways of doing this and my expertise is in developing that plan and assisting the organisation to do so in an enduring and effective manner.

I consult in this area but I have also put together a one day workshop to take people through a process that permits them to conduct their own "knowledge weave" and to develop what might be called a strategic Knowledge Management Plan.

Strategic Risk and Regulation Frameworks

Coming from a very large assignment in which I led a team to review and realign a strategic risk management framework or regulatory framework, I can assist your organisation to design its own framework from scratch or to modify a low performing or inappropriate framework.

It is a strategic level approach to risk and regulation based upon a very robust generic risk and regulatory system developed with the participation of nine of Australia's premier regulatory organisations. The result is a generic strategic management paradigm of risk and regulation and the various behavioural interactions that risk and regulatory systems may utilise. It includes risk and regulatory strategies that may be employed to influence how organisations and people behave, as well as other aspects of regulating, including risk and regulatory metrics, risk and regulatory types, and the mechanisms of risk and regulation. The generic nature of the framework permits its application in almost any context and to any objective. It provides for a top-down strategic approach to risk and regulation management.

Business Mentoring, Coaching and Advice

Due to my investments, I have considerable insight into the machinations of running a small or medium sized business. Accordingly, I mentor and coach business owners and their management teams where I am invited. These have taken the form of:

• The occasional lunch or dinner to go over issues or to be used as a sounding board. You pay for the meal of course!!
• A formal engagement of a certain number of hours per month or week. So far these have only been face to face. But, I am looking at being able to do this "remotely" in the future although there will obviously be limitations on the interaction....but not that many.
• Becoming an investor in the business and formalising my role in terms of ownership. If this is the direction you wish to take, then please have a brief look at my investment company's site Padden Industries Pty Ltd.
• I can also tailor your various information outputs such as financial or inventory data to help you with better, evidence based insights, into your business.
• Looking at how Web 2.0 might assist you in your marketing or management efforts or your businesses general operations. Web 2.0 is not just a marketing tool.

If there is another model you would prefer to use, then please let me know. I am more than happy to discuss how we might work together.

Research

I am a fan of evidence based management (EBM) and believe in the collection of data in the support of decision making. EBM has a place in general management as well as in project management.

I am able to assist in designing a metrics or data collection effort to support your decision making process ...to assist you decision making process with the compilation of evidence. This can also entail a research effort to identify the pre-existing research in the area of your endeavour.

Organising and Leading Learning Tours

Supporting the research effort above, I am able to arrange, support, lead and otherwise manage learning tours in support of your organisation.

As part of a number of different assignments, I have been required to conduct research into how other organisations go about their operations. This has often involved direct visits to businesses to hold discussions and/or view products, systems or processes. I call these "learning tours".

Learning Tours should come after a good deal of desk top research to identify the current literature in the relevant area.

Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel Tailoring

I have developed these skills over many years and numerous assignments. Not all them specifically to tailor an application. They are generally an adjunct to supporting an assignment to gather and report the evidence or to gain a better insight into a business or project situation. Accordingly, I can:

• Tailor Microsoft Word to say generate templates for you business operations or contract management solutions or to provide a report from a database.
• Tailor Microsoft Excel to provide reporting or calculation templates.
• Take data from a database like MYOB and place it into an Excel template that to give you a better insight into your financial status or operations. I can do the same with your inventory data.
• Speed up the process of applying styles in complex documents with the development of macro and purpose built toolbars to make you process more efficient.

Sometimes, you may be thinking of something more complex, but would prefer to develop some bridging processes and concepts prior to expending too much effort and money in developing something that may not be suitable. That's where I can assist. I also have numerous contacts and business associations if you seek something more complex or wish to build on my initial engagement.