p.1 Projects originate because something not done before must be done.
p.48 Plans relate to future events. That is, your plans are a simulation of how things will occur
in the future. Clearly, however, plans can be no better than your present understanding. Because
assumptions are involved in your planning, it is important to include contingencies
p.48 In preparing plans... you are frequently confronted with options. Your plan may be
considered the record of your choice between these options... Which you choose depends on what is most important to
you
p.103 Plans represent the future. Because nobody has a crystal ball, plans must include contingency.
p.138 The overriding issue in time management is "first things first." The project manager
must know the most important things to do this year, this month, this week, today, and right now. Only when he or
she has a clear perception of priorities can a project manager effectively manage his or her time.
p.139 Abraham Maslow has developed a theory of the hierarchy of needs... The worker is motivated
to achieve a specific goal because of an inherent internal need... Once this first need is filled, continuing to offer more
food, sleep, or shelter has no motivational value. Higher levels of need now come into play... To take advantage
of Maslow's findings, a project manager would have to understand the levels of need an individual has already satisfied. Then,
he or she could offer satisfiers for unmet needs as an encouragement.
p.141 Stimulating Creativity...
In general, the less precedent for the project, the more creativity will be required... People are
permitted to fail when asked to produce creative results and are not castigated for doing so.
p.141 Brainstorming
Brainstorming techniques are often used to deal with some intractable problem... At this meeting, restate
the problem and reiterate the ground rules:
1. Absolutely no criticism (including smirking) is permitted.
2. The more ideas produced, the better is the session.
3. Novel, unusual (even impractical) ideas are desired.
4. Improvement or combination of prior ideas is also desirable.
p.186 The key to problem solving is understanding the real problem rather than the apparent symptoms.
p.187 Once a plausible or possible solution has been identified, the winners and losers
rapidly separate in their approach to problem solving. The losers inevitably adopt the first solution that comes to
mind... The winning approach to problem solving is to develop several alternative solutions.
