CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Sales discussions

0403 -    ..
0404 - Summary/Objective
0405 -
040501 - Followed up work at ref SDS 6, and letter ref DIP 1 to Edward P.
040502 - Mahler, PMP responding to his paper in the PMI Conference report, page
040503 - 653.
040504 -
040505 - Talked to Ed             914 834 4162
040506 -
040507 - Made preliminary contact on aspects of PM where we might work
040508 - together on marketing services and SDS.  Will call back in two weeks.
040509 -
040510 - Submitted ref DIT 1 line 30 to confirm understandings.  Submitted this
040511 - record and the discussion with Cheryl ref SDS 8, and with Bob at
040512 - Axiom. ref SDS 7
040513 -
040514 -
0406 -
0407 -
0408 - Discussion
0409 -
040901 - Ed recalled seeing my letter ref DIP 1, but did not understand what
040902 - SDS does, similar to Cheryl Leff,
040903 -
040904 - I explained use of SDS at PG&E where I applied SDS in a Project
040905 - Management Assistant role similar to the recommendations in Ed's paper
040906 - presented to PMI in Vancouver, ref DIP 1.  After our discussion he was
040907 - still troubled that he could not grasp what SDS does that is different
040908 - and/or beneficial.
040909 -
040910 -     Will send Ed the discussion with Bob at Axiom Management, since
040911 -     their perspectives seem similar. ref SDS 7
040912 -
040913 -
040914 - Communication Metrics
040915 -
040916 - He asked if Communication Metrics produces a numerical analysis like a
040917 - CPM or a cost report.  I mentioned the process of discovering gaps in
040918 - understanding cited in the POIMS paper at ref OF 1 line 339, and the
040919 - NWO paper, ref OF 2 line 444.  Ed said this is not a correct applica-
040920 - tion of "metrics," similar to Cheryl Leff's comments at ref SDS 8 line
040921 - 207, and earlier Morris Jones point at ref SDS 4 line 211.  I
040922 - suggested a wider horizon in the notion of work "measurement" might be
040923 - useful in the field of communications for the reasons at ref SDS 4
040924 - line 217.
040925 -
040926 - Ed feels we have a common grasp of the need for support in project
040927 - management, i.e., that managers typically have too much to do.  Ed's
040928 - solution is to provide assistants who perform traditional "reporting"
040929 - tasks, including cost and scheduling analysis.
040930 -
040931 -    This solution succeeded on projects like the Bay Bridge in the
040932 -    1930's discussed at the Cal Tech seminar, ref SDS 1 line 76, but is
040933 -    less practical today for the reasons at ref SDS 1 line 92.
040934 -
040935 -
040936 - Ed noted that project management work needs to be done in greater
040937 - detail, for example no activity on a schedule should be longer than
040938 - the reporting period, and that reporting periods should typically be
040939 - no longer than 2 weeks, otherwise slippages and problems become
040940 - obscured or too difficult to solve.
040941 -
040942 -    I agree this is an important part of the solution.  The challenge
040943 -    then become managing the explosion in the amount of detail.  Some
040944 -    projects have thousands, even tens of thousands of activities. This
040945 -    tends to obscure and diffuse management focus. Of course they could
040946 -    hire more assistants to divide the work volume, but that typically
040947 -    does not occur for the reasons at ref SDS 1 line 92.
040948 -
040949 -
040950 - SDS Improves Management
040951 -
040952 - I explained that PG&E uses a class of employee they call "Project
040953 - Analysts" to accomplish the support Ed has in mind.  Yet Bill DeHart
040954 - who has two project analysts, reported that SDS improved his work more
040955 - than anything PG&E has tried in the past 30 years.  This indicates SDS
040956 - offers something helpful that no one has thought of before.  In
040957 - February of this year, we hit on the idea of describing it as
040958 - "Communication Metrics."
040959 -
040960 -
040961 -  ..
040962 - Ed's Background & Work
040963 -
040964 - Ed said he was formerly a program manager with IBM.
040965 -
040966 - I told him about the demonstration for IBM in COMDEX and that SDS was
040967 - well received, ref SDS 3 but not followed up.
040968 -
040969 - Ed said IBM's problem is that no one is in charge.
040970 -
040971 - He is now an entrepreneur, sole proprietor.  Does training and
040972 - support for project management.
040973 -
040974 -
040975 -
040976 - Collaboration
040977 -
040978 - Ed asked about my purpose in contacting him.
040979 -
040980 - I explained I am seeking alliances to promote Communication Metrics as
040981 - a vehicle to sell my software program, SDS.  Ed's work in training
040982 - Project Assistants fits this objective because SDS adds value to the
040983 - services they can provide to customers.
040984 -
040985 - Ed asked if I am attending the PMI meeting in New Orleans.  I advised
040986 - I am not.  He indicated he occasionally has work on the West coast,
040987 - but has nothing planned at the moment.  We will need to work toward an
040988 - opportunity for him to see SDS.
040989 -
040990 -
040991 -     PMI Communication Event Program
040992 -
040993 -     I mentioned the PMI NCC is doing a series of 4 coordinated events
040994 -     this year on communications.
040995 -
040996 -     Ed said he is getting ready to do some training in Project
040997 -     Management.
040998 -
040999 -     Possibly Ed would like to be a speaker at one of these events,
041000 -     and we could meet at that time.
041001 -
041002 -
041003 - Ed asked me to call him in two weeks to follow up our discussion.
041004 -
041005 -
041006 -
041007 -
041008 -
0411 -