Week 2 Review - Not as Easy as it Looks!

And So It Begins

Never As Easy As It Looks!

Evening All,

It seems this evening my identity has been uncovered by a few members of the course, if this is the case, ALAS, this may be my last post & chorus so to speak. I have tried in vein to keep this blog a vestitute of anonymity and ability that lay therein to challenge the thoughts of the course from day to day may now be gone! If not HAPPY DAYS see ye all tomorrow night!!

My apologies for not getting a meaningful review of last weeks "action" up sooner, it was so draining I was asleep until just after 2pm today! When Brendan's Nazi style personality analysis started. It was very subtle but you just know the weak among us could be led to the Gas Chamber at any stage!!

Taking a look back at last week, I suppose its best to continue on from my last post where I looked back at Geraldine's rubber ducky and De Vito's project! That brings us swiftly on to David Staunton on Tuesday afternoon! (Would it not be better to give the "social drinker's" among us the Monday morning off, instead of Tuesday! just a thought)

David started on a rather funny note talking about 'Fuzzy Front Ends' (projects wise) now I am not the fussiest of listeners, but I tuned out for about 5 minutes after that opener! Also during this presentation I was slightly frustrated by David going back to the old teaching mantra of 'There's no such thing as a stupid question'! Sorry David, you're a smart guy', but yes there f***ing is and its compounded by the fact that the 'stupid questions' had often been answered in either the slide on the projector or the last 5 mins of the lecture! And yes it could be a Corporate Governance issue (you know who you are), but that's like Father Jack once said 'that's an ecumenical matter'!! Venting over! Of course we were reminded as possible future Project Managers of our 'Sacred Responsibility to Disappoint' when has that happened in Ireland except after the proverbial horse has bolted!

"There are no Stupid Questions, only Stupid Questioners!" - Anon

We move on to the final day of the week, Wednesday, where we have a Geraldine - Frank double header and where you must have your wits about you! It's a long day! We started with Geraldine who began by outlining the tools required for the business analysis process. The importance of interpreting your business analysis findings and also the context in which they are arrived at.

The importance of context was no more ably demonstrated than by Geraldine's comment:

"If they are straddling each other, it's Ok"

Now those of us in attendance knew she was talking about the factors in PESTEL analysis, but hey if you just walked in!!! We moved on to review Key Success factors in business and also Key Drivers for change! Overall a great lecture & plenty of food for thought!

We move on reluctantly to Frank Munnelly's appearance with his trusted sidekick in tow!

Now I am sure Frank can do a lecture on his own, but then who would carry his Ego! After Frank had finished his impression of a stripogram by emptying all but his clothes onto the desk we began by exploring Innovative Thinking and after a cautionary tale of the Tragedies of Logic we began to drift to the Men-A-Porche (male version of the menopause!!) Frank are you trying to tell us something!

Key Points;

1. Defer Judgement
2. Strive for Quality
3. Seek Wild Ideas
4. Build on Other Ideas

Our final task of the week was to solve world hunger and oh the Irony McDonalds mentioned more than once!!

Until my next bout of verbal diarhea,

Good Night & Safe Home,

The Blipping Student