Fundamentally

Project Management - into the 21st Century

Too often people hire an old friend or a so-called 'expert' to manage a project, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Here is an approach to get the right person into the project - whether to implement a change or to become a new member of the Board of Directors.

The science of Management is loaded with books and articles about resource management, costs and planning to mention just a few. Very rarely do we come across anything that characterises the exercise itself or how we might identify the right person to optimally manage it.

To begin to fill in some of the mysteries, we can examine projects under three strategic headings, and also practical managers as three distinct types - it's not difficult to put the two together to get the most effective and efficient outcome

Please click here for a discussion about the relationships between projects and their managers

Government Savings in Perspective - Please Get Real

When numbers get big, I have a tendency to overlook their real implications. By equating government debt repayment with the time it would take to repay just some of the interest, it is easier to put our debt position into perspective.

For example, in the news of 23rd July 2011 there is an article describing a saving of about £13m by closing social centres for youngsters in London; closures that will undo accumulated good work over many years that has reduced teen crime, reduced youth pregnancy and reduced STDs

This saving of £13m will buy approximately two and a half hours leeway in the UK debt repayment schedule. Yes two and a half hours in the course of a year that will undo many years of dedicated and committed support that is improving the lot of the youngsters of London

And not just London, these savings of a couple of million here or there are tinkering at the very edges of the issue. Libraries closing, social centres deprived, people who need support the most finding themselves even further distanced from the things that can bring them a bit of hope or restore dignity.

We need to address the hangover from past government profligacy which increased the employment of unproductive labour to keep the numbers looking good; when in reality all that was created was another Ponzi scheme, but because it was by government, they got away with it.

Please click here for one argument that begins to put the real issue into perspective

Practical financial management

One of the things that brings me a degree of satisfaction is the opportunity to teach, where (strangely) I am more open to challenge than when I work as a consultant for someone's business that needs a fresh approach in order to maintain growth, sustainability and the employment of others

Often, one of the areas that causes concern is applying financial understanding to a management role and making it relevant to current business activity.

Given that the organisation has a sound purpose and one single clear objective - lots of aims and wishes, but just one objective - then providing control through financial management becomes relatively straightforward

This paper sets out to begin to demysify financial management

Where's Copernicus Now?

According to Mandelbrot (fractals) the financial system is based on a fundamentally flawed statistical model where everything circles money - much like the astronomical model of the Middle Ages when everything circled the Earth.

To prevent societies around the world fragmenting, we need to re-visit the financial model and put people, and not money, at the centre of things - like Copernicus did with astronomy, moving the earth away from the centre.

Click here for the opening discussion

Why development and regulation can be difficult bed-fellows

The entrepreneur works in new uncharted territory where there are visions and ideas but few rules; the regulator works in an environment of case studies, precedent and prior learning.

The two are diametrically opposed, so any attempt to regulate the entrepreneur through more rules has to lead to an increase in the gulf between the two

Click here for the article

Why more regulation may make matters worse

Two types of people are the Entrepreneur/Explorer and the Regulator/Safety Officer.

The entrepreneur doesn't talk to the Safety Officer (Sales prevention department) and the Safety Officer doesn't talk to the Explorer because there's risk involved.

In world markets there are the Regulators, but they need some framework of rules, so they will always lag behind the Explorers.

This note considers the idea that yet more regulation will lead to an ever greater risk of financial melt-down in the future by driving these two parties even further apart

Download Why regulation will not work

An alternative look at economics

It may be argued that one of the reasons we are in the mess we are is because we live in a debt-based economy; we make money by trading money, not by adding value.

If the basic principles were to change to add value at the point of purchase not during manufacture, or a trade, we would have a more honest system where people would develop themselves.

One such model is discussed here: Download Birds in trees - the new economy