I read this week’s QSWeek magazine. Sadly you have to register (it’s free) to view content, and even to contact them…but that’s another story.
You might find the fact that I read such a publication a little odd, especially considering that I’m “in software”. I believe that it is important to keep up with what’s happening elsewhere in my employer’s business, hence I read many of the magazines that appear in the office!
Anyway, our Business Relations Director was interviewed and came out with a few useful gems worthy of note here:
We have to all work together to make projects succeed.
Projects don’t manage themselves, nor do they succeed if there’s only one person doing all the work…it does take team work, it does mean we all have to work together.
A lot of other things can be added to quantity surveying to make a wider offering to the client and I don’t think that will stop.
As many of you know, I have written “value add” applications for my employer, generally these applications augment the existing quantity survey, cost management or project management function that the primary business is providing. I’m sure that software falls into these “other things”, and I’m glad to read that it has a future.
Lastly, the If I ruled the world box-out really caught my attention:
IF I COULD change anything it would be to bring back respect for people and property. We have lost the ability to respect other people and get on with each other. I’m not going to say ‘bring peace to the world’ – that’s crackers – but if people went back to respecting each other instead of this continual blame culture, I think the world would be a much happier place.
I think that last bit strikes true, as I noted here and here, a blame culture isn’t a good thing: it doesn’t do your project or your organisation any favours.
Hi Craig,
Totally agree with all the comments – the last in particular.
When things go wrong there are two main groups of people:
1) Those who look around for someone to blame.
2) Those who get it sorted.
well there may be a 3) those who don’t care either way.
We can do without 1) and we need a hell of a lot more of 2).
It was interesting to see you take the time to read QSWeek.
If there’s a culture where everyone understands the basics of what’s involved in the employer’s line of business (for the technical people) and the technology (for the business people), it’s a lot easier to have respect and less of a blame culture.
When employers concentrate on their “core” business and try and distance themselves from “non-core” activities, such as developing software, the two groups drift apart and it is easier for one to blame the other.
Thanks for your post Craig.
In an established blame culture, everyone involved in any project will spend 50% of their time covering their back everyday, and only therefore 50% of their time working on the actual project.
I think this issue needs to be raised. I was looking at this concept in my blog http://www.calebstorkey.net/2011/01/business-blame-culture/ and I think it’s really sad just how much energy is wasted both practically and emotionally by a negative working environment.
Seeing alternatives out is really important.