Steve's SMOS Blog

Things looking up?

2012-02-01T02:19:00.000-08:00

A new year and a new search for a fresh assignment.

Early signs are that the market for interim programme managers is improving. The job boards seem fairly busy and agents are calling.

My fingers are crossed for something interesting to come along soon.

Quiet Time

2011-12-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

After a really hectic year on two different assignments with virtually no time off I'm now enjoying a break.

Playing a lot of golf (and improving!), doing those jobs that always seem to be ignored when you're working and catching up with old friends.

I've let it be known that I'm looking for a new assignment for the New Year, but I don't expect much to happen in the market now until January.

Programme Management for the 21st Century

RPP Assessors' Training Day

2011-11-17T01:43:00.000-08:00

Spent a good day yesterday at the APM's RPP Assessors' training day.

It's great to see how committed to the standard everybody is.

RPP (Registered Project Professional) is also being well supported by more and more organisations, and in time it's likely to become the first thing employers look for when recruiting Programme/Project Managers. One or two corporates have already declared that it will be compulsory when they recruit in future.

The verification process that has been added to the assessment process should ensure that all candidates receive a consistent evaluation, and in time all assessors will achieve a common view of what constitutes a successful application.

Once APM achieves Chartered status for this denomination the slow burn of applications we are seeing at present will become a raging fire!

I'm really pleased to have been part of it right from the start.

All change again!

2011-08-29T04:21:00.000-07:00

My current assignment comes to an end in September.

I'm looking forward to a break, because the last two assignments have been a log slog and I've only had a week off all year.

This current assignment has been one of my most enjoyable, probably because the programme was in such a state when I arrived.

The end client had been promised a lot and had received little. The transformation part of the programme was roughly a year behind schedule, with no signs of delivering much in the near future.

Some people on the programme had to be replaced; they were either getting stale and jaded or they simply weren't up to the challenge.

In some cases, the developers had been asked to achieve the impossible, but it took a change of management for anyone to realise it was impossible and so change the way they were working.

Structurally, the organisation's business model did not lend itself to efficient delivery, because people were not necessarily incentivised to focus on one particular account.

The parlous state of the programme was hidden - not necessarily deliberately - because reporting was very subjective.

My first task was to make the reporting objective, based on the programme schedule. This turned most RAG reports red almost instantly, and people began to understand the scale of the problem. Then, we reorganised the way the account was set up, to incentivise people to focus on the one account.

I also replaced people in key positions, created a whole new programme management team below me and restructured the sub-programmes into outcomes-based projects in order to reduce complexity and risk.

Next, I mandated a better governance structure, based on MSP and PRINCE 2, and increased the size of the PMO. Programme and sub-programme boards were dramatically reduced in terms of the number of attendees so they became proper management forums instead of talking shops, and finally RAID management became effective.

All of this, of course, was done against a backdrop of commercial/contractual "discussions" with a somewhat unhappy and tense end-client.

Things are back on an even keel now, but it has become clear that the programme will take far longer to complete than was ever envisaged. Consequently, I've started replacing contract staff with FTEs to reduce burn rate.

With the programme in a far healthier state and on track to deliver, I can hand over to a permanent Programme Director and look for my next assignment - once I've played a bit of golf of course!

Busy Times!

2011-06-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'm typing this using my iPad on a train, which is where I seem to do a lot of my work these days.

The programme I am directing has run into serious difficulties, which is why I was brought in, and we are in the middle of completely revising our approach to the work and new timelines. The end client, with the potential to become my client's biggest customer, is understandably disillusioned and will take a lot of convincing that the programme can be turned round, but the delivery teais so committed that I am confident it can.

Today is a visit to one of the end client's sites to give them the opportunity to express their misgivings and for me to tell the what we are doing to turn the programme round.

One other thing going in our favour is that the end client continues to behave collaboratively and genuinely wants to help us succeed. Yesterday was a full day's workshop with 30 representatives of all areas of the delivery team, and it went very well; strong commitment from everyone present and some real insights into what we can do to turn things round. I've several more workshops of a similar nature, often including the end client, over the next week or two before we present a revised proposal to the board.

Lots of travelling, hard work and lots of mental stimulation - I'm loving it!

Two weeks with the Mac

2011-02-11T01:33:00.000-08:00

Well, everyone who uses a Mac raved about them, so I decided to join them and see what the fuss ia about.

I bought an Apple MacBook Pro - the 13" for portability - and upgraded it to 8Gb of RAM and a 128Gb solid state hard drive. It flies like the wind!

The build quality is superb; far better than any PC I've ever owned.

I've deliberately opted to avoid using a Windows parallel system, and I've resisted the temptation to use Office for Mac.

I find that Apple Mail suits my email purposes just fine, and in place of Business Contacts Manager for Outlook I've bought Daylite, which is a very impressive CRM package for Mac, and it integrates perfectly with Apple Mail.

Instead of Office, I've installed NeoOffice (don't even get me started on how superb the Mac is for installing and uninstalling programs!) and it's great! It will open all my Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and contains all the functionality I need without the bloatedness of its Microsoft counterpart. It's also free, although you can make a donation, which seems only fair.

The only concession I've had to make in switching to a Mac is the loss of the ability to take handwritten notes as I did on my tablet. The input pen I bought to use with the Mac was very unimpressive. To get round that, I'm going to buy an iPad 2 to take notes on and integrate them with the MacBook.

All things considered I'm delighted I made the switch. The Mac boots up in 14 seconds, does what it's supposed to do - very quickly - backs itself up to an external drive every hour without my even noticing, never crashes, needs no anti-virus software and defrags itself instantly every time I write to disc.

Am I smug? You bet I am!

Meanwhile, on the work front, it continues to be a fascinating environment to work in. It's the first time I've been involved in a brand new outsourcing site, and the amount of storming and forming has to be seen to be believed. Both sides of the equation are feeling their way. There are misunderstandings and dissatisfaction on both sides but people are doing their best to make it work.

Add to that the large offshore element of the work, and the fact that half a dozen companies are involved, and the whole thing is very challenging. At least there's never a dull moment. And of course, I get to come home to my Mac!

To switch or not to switch?

2011-01-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

I've been using my iPhone - a very basic model - for about a fortnight now, and I'm completely blown away by it!

I'm also in the market for a new laptop, because my current one is creaking with age.

Then again, I'm sick of error messages, crashes, endless reboots and registry errors.

Perhaps the thing I'm most sick of is the frequent slowing down almost to a standstill while my anti-virus software does whatever it does; am I alone in thinking that being monitored by anti-virus software is almost as bad as having the virus itself?

All of the above points to making the switch to Apple.

And I would, and I'd use iWorks and all that other good stuff and not be one of those people who buys a Mac for its looks and then installs a parallel OS to use all the software that causes the problem in the first place.

I do, however, use certain killer apps that are the very things that make me so productive, and they might ultimately stop the switch to Apple.

The first is Outlook - OK there, because Microsoft produces a Mac version.

The second is Business Contact Manager - vital to me, but I've found a Mac alternative, so that's OK.

The third is Personal Brain. If you've never seen it, Google it - you'll thank me for it. Fortunately, PB is available for Macs too, otherwise that would be a deal breaker.

The fourth and final killer app, and the one that is a deal breaker I think, is OneNote. I don't even necessarily have to stick with this app - I know that Apple have something similar and I could happily live with that. However, the single thing that boosts my productivity more than anything else is the ability to handwrite notes straight on to my tablet laptop. That, I cannot live without.

So what am I to do? I plan on buying a powerful beast that will last me years rather than year, but I need that handwriting function.

There are several great convertible laptop/tablets out there now, sporting solid state hard drives, 8Gb RAM and Intel i7 processors, but ultimately they will keep giving me the same Windows OS grief.

A MacBook Air is very tempting, but I can't handwrite on it. An iPad screen is too small, and the OS wouldn't let me load the programs I need.

Rumour has it that Apple will launch a convertible laptop, but that could be ages off, and what if it turns out to have a disappointingly small 10.1" screen? I want portability, not a squint. My current tablet is just over 12" and that's my benchmark, give or take half an inch.

So do I wait and hope Apple come up with the (near-) perfect answer for me, or do I go out and buy a mega-powerful convertible laptop PC now, and so turn my back on Apple for at least another four years?

Or is there another alternative I'm missing?

I'd love suggestions from all you Apple aficionados out there - preferably before my PC gives up altogether!

Adding Project Management Value

2011-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

I heard yesterday about an excellent manager who has fallen victim to the public sector cuts. I'm sure he won't be the only one, and anyone who thinks the cuts are an opportunity merely to discard the deadwood is sadly mistaken.

Don't think for a minute it couldn't happen to you.

Now more than ever it's essential for project and programme managers to demonstrate that they add value for organisations.

It's not enough to merely maintain marvellous governance documentation. Documentation and methodologies are only enablers to help deliver programmes and projects effectively.

Project professionals need to be able to show their worth by bringing projects in on time - or sooner - and on budget - or below it! They should also always be looking for ways to cut project spend without compromising quality. In austere times especially, organisations often want to see "Good enough" for purpose, not all-singing, all dancing deliverables that cost the Earth.

Striving to identify ways in which your project can reduce your customer's operational costs is also something good project professionals do as a matter of course.

There will always be sceptics out there who believe project management is an unnecessary overhead. We know they're wrong, but we have to demonstrate it in our behaviours.

My contract at IBM is in a highly competitive market and there is always tremendous pressure to drive down costs without compromising quality for the end client.

Similarly, I'm currently helping with the next edition of the APM's BoK as well as being an assessor for the new project professional standard, due to launch in March 2011. I'm sure the quest for value for money will loom large in both activities.

Make sure that your customers recognise that you add value to their organisations to strengthen your position in these difficult times.

A good start to 2011

2010-12-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

IBM has just asked me to manage a second programme for them at Legal & General and offered me a six-months extension to my contract with a rate increase.

All of this is really good. There are some really professional people at IBM, not least many of those who transferred over from L&G back in October, and there are some interesting challenges ahead, both in terms of the programmes I'm looking after and in helping to integrate transferred staff into IBM.

It's a new world for me because I'm far more involved in infrastructure than I ever have been before, and it's a long while since I worked at an insurance company, so it's all good personal development stuff as well.

Between this and the work I'm doing for the APM on the professional standard I ought to have a satisfying time in 2011.

APM Awards Ceremony

2010-11-25T01:42:00.000-08:00

I've a hectic day's work for IBM today before heading off to the APM Award Ceremony in Central London this evening.

The award is for the new Project Professionals' Standard, hopefully to soon be chartered status.

Awards will be going to founder members of the Association's new Professional Standard Register and to those people who qualified as assessors for the standard.

I qualify on both counts I'm pleased to say!

The new standard will boost the professionalism of Portfolio, Programme and Project Management and reassure potential employers that they are engaging someone who is judged by his/her peers to be knowledgeable, experienced and professional.

I was delighted to be selected as a Fellow of the APM to help with the pilot process. It gave me the opportunity to put something back into the profession and to help create a meaningful standard.

It will be good to meet up again with all the other people who worked on the pilot. I'm really looking forward to the official launch next year!

Never underestimate the importance of Stakeholder Engagement

2010-11-23T01:49:00.000-08:00

I've always considered stakeholder engagement to be one of the primary skills I bring to the table on any assignment, which was why I volunteered to write the Stakeholder Management section of the upcoming revision of the Association for Project Management's Body of Knowledge.

Stakeholder engagement loomed large on each of the programme rescue assignments I undertook over the last five years, and it's playing a large part in my current role.

People are newly TUPE'd over to a new organisation, and so are understandably nervous and concerned for their futures, even though their futures can be very rosy in the new organisation if they embrace it.

The retained staff too are inevitably struggling to come to terms with the changes. There are new processes for them to learn, they can no longer "call in favours" from colleagues to cut the bureaucratic corners because those colleagues now need a Purchase Order, and some of the retained staff feel that the new outsourcing arrangement is a judgement on their past performance.

Add to the mix the fact that this is quite a political working environment and you can see why careful stakeholder engagement is so important.

Fortunately, I have an excellent programme sponsor, so, whilst my stakeholder engagement skills have brought most people on board with the new proposals, the sponsor's experience in dealing with one or two stragglers has been invaluable.

I'm always careful to remember that:

1. People must be won over
2. Logic alone won't do it
3. Neither will adhering slavishly to a methodology
4. Often the most sceptical once won over become the most evangelical.

Have a good day and keep that "Can do" attitude!

http://www.stevesyder.com

IBM Assignment

2010-10-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm currently a month into my latest assignment at IBM, the end client being a major insurance company, with my attention being focussed specifically on a Solvency II programme and an online protection service improvement programme.

It's an interesting place to be.

I started before the contract start date, so I was there to witness all the TUPE process, on-boarding etc.

It took me back to my days with EDS, where my assignment started before they signed the contract with Lloyds TSB; both assignments were for American companies, both were right at the start of the contract and both involved a lot of very professional people, so all in all, work is pretty stimulating.

Most of the people I have spoken to who have transferred over to IBM as part of the TUPE process seem genuinely excited abot the move, and see it as enhancing their career prospects, so they are good to work with too.

Solvency II is interesting to be involved in because it has far-reaching implications for all insurance companies, and work will need to be well underway in every company by early 2011.

Online protection is also very interesting, being complementary to my eCommerce work at Camelot last year.

Looks like being a good run up to Christmas and the New Year for me!

Green Shoots of Recovery?

2010-08-13T00:57:00.000-07:00

Maybe the jobs market really is beginning to look up. I'm at least finding more appropriate contracts to apply for this month.

I'm waiting for the result of an interview I had yesterday, and expect to hear today if I have been selected for interview for a second role.

Both opportunities are roles I would relish.

Having said that, I'm not easing up on my search for an assignment; competition is too tough out there to take anything for granted.

When I'm not job hunting I'm now busy working on the Stakeholder Management section of the APM's next edition of the Body of Knowledge (BoK), so at least I'm keeping my brain ticking over.

The Power of the Internet

2010-08-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

The internet seems to be an integral part of most people's lives these days. I know that I and most of my friends, family and colleagues are connected to it most of the day.

This gives the worldwide web great power, and sometimes I wonder if that is necessarily a good thing.

My wife and I went away for a golfing weekend last weekend. We booked it through our usual golf trip arranger, so we were confident it would be OK. I then did a bit of research about the hotel at the golf course, and, much to my dismay, I found one very damning review.

The writer clearly felt very strongly, as she had written a very long review, listing a whole catalogue of things wrong with the hotel, not least the lack of hygiene.

In counterbalance to that review, I read many that praised the hotel, its staff, the food etcetera, but needless to say, we arrived at the place somewhat concerned about what we would find.

We need not have worried. It was, as one reviewer said, a place of "faded grandeur", but the cleanliness, size of the rooms and quality of the facilities was absolutely fine.

More than absolutely fine was the service given by every single member of the staff, who were very impressive.

The food was a little mixed, dinner and lunch being very good while breakfast was less impressive.

The only point of agreement I found with the damning review was the poor quality of the mattress, and we were assured that is due for replacement.

So it just goes to show - one damning review could spread like wildfire and damage that hotel for years to come, and yet we had a great weekend.

It takes a long time to build up a good reputation but only moments to build up a bad one. Never was that saying more true than in these internet days.

Association for Project Management

2010-07-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Another good day with the APM last Friday - a feedback session for all those involved in the work we've been doing lately.

Everyone was very positive and things are moving forward at a good pace.

I'm hoping to be involved with the rewrite of the Body of Knowledge, and I should hear about that next month.

I enjoy my work with the APM; everyone is so professional and committed. I'm really looking forward to our project going public towards the end of this year.

Programme Management cf Project Management

2010-07-20T01:21:00.001-07:00

(with apologies for the spelling of "Program"!)

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/4751.html

Four Ways Social Networking Can Help Build a Business

2010-07-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

Four Ways Social Networking Can Help Build a Business:

http://www.bnet.com/2403-13070_23-219914.html

Twelve Tips for Team Building: How to Build Successful Work Teams

2010-07-19T00:50:00.000-07:00

Twelve Tips for Team Building: How to Build Successful Work Teams

Good Day

2010-07-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday felt like a really productive day, helping the APM.

I collaborated with some very professional people, and it's good to feel that we are giving something back to programme and project management.

The work is fairly hush-hush at the moment, and I'm frustrated that I can't say more, but when the news is made public it will be very exciting.

For now, I'm back to the mundane, looking for a new programme management assignment, but at least I'm out tonight with wife, son and his girlfriend so I'm looking forward to that.

Stuttering Job Market

2010-07-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm seeing some improvements in the job market for interims.

The financial services sector has been busy for some time and now other areas of the economy are waking up to the fact that they cannot stagnate because times are hard.

I expect to see some areas of the public sector become more buoyant as the extent of Government intentions becomes clearer, whilst other areas, of course, will retrench.

One area that will come on strong will be online gaming

PWC recently forecast that annual gambling revenue will top US$155 billion by 2012 and a survey conducted by TNS and Gamesindustry.com estimated that there are 13.3 million Britons playing on various games portals, spending £280m on online games and £170m on mobile games last year.

I believe that more and more of that will be generated by online gaming as governments, strapped for cash, realise that, by softening their stance to online gambling they can generate massive new tax revenues.

This will inevitably benefit interims and freelancers as companies scale up their development operations. Bring on those better times!

Got any cost-cutting ideas? government asks | Reuters

2010-07-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Got any cost-cutting ideas? government asks

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6681OD20100709?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

German Legal Action for Facebook

2010-07-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

Link

PMOs

2010-06-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked why so many programme and project managers regard PMOs as an unnecessary overhead.

Too many PMO staff, in my experience, seem to think that the main purpose of a programme/project is to produce management artefacts, e.g. Risk Logs, reports etc.

They lose sight of the fact that the PMO is there to help the project achieve success via efficient and effective governance processes.

I worked on one assignment recently where the PMO person allocated to the programme had no concept of what the programme was delivering - despite my best efforts to explain it and have her read the Business Case, Vision etc. - and was simply hell-bent on having the Risk Register updated on a fortnightly basis. It wouldn't have been so bad if she insisted that the risks were actually managed, but it was only the documentation she was interested in!

Once she was removed from the programme we delivered on time and to budget, and our governance satisfied successive OGC Gateway Reviews with no-one from the PMO assigned to the programme.

I've managed other programmes where PMO staff understand that they are there to add value and to help achieve the end-goal, and in those cases they have been a tremendous aid to the programme. It's all about people understanding why good governance matters.

The Budget

2010-06-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

All things considered, yesterday's budget seems to be a wise one to me.

It's a refreshing change to hear a long-term budget instead of one crafted to garner short-term support for the governing party.

Many of the things the Chancellor addressed are things most people have been aware of for years, but nothing has ever been done.

Hopefully now the public sector will reign in its spending on multi-national accountancy consultancies and taxpayers' money will be spent prudently. Other changes should stimulate the economy for everyone's benefit.

It's likely to be a rocky ride, but let's hang in there and hope for the best!

MSP Advanced Practitioner Exam

2010-06-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting the MSP Advanced Practitioner Re-registration Exam today.

It doesn't seem like five years since I first attained the qualification, but in these hard times I think it's important to keep your core qualifications current.

The public sector in particular insists on freelance programme managers being MSP qualified, and it's also a useful addition to my Continuing Professional Development Log to maintain my standing within the Association for Project Managers (APM).

I'm confident the exam will go well; I've used MSP in practice solidly since before I qualified, so if I don't know about it by now I never will!

Government Spending Cuts

2010-05-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

It's good to see the new Government act so quickly to reduce the UK's budget deficit.

What will the changes mean for interims like me?

In the short term it will probably reduce our options, as government departments adjust to the changes and opportunities offered via agencies handling public sector areas diminish.

However, in the medium to long term, it's probably good news; the private sector will grow in confidence in response to this decisive action and the public sector will replace "Big name" consultancies with interims to reduce overhead. Interims also do not appear on headcount, so we tend to benefit from recruitment freezes.

So far so good - here's hoping my optimism is justified.

2010-05-13T00:49:00.001-07:00

Hung Parliament

2010-05-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

The hung parliament is bad news for many people, not least interim programme managers like me.

My day job is to manage multi-million pounds programmes of business change/transformation.

As long as we have no settled government agenda in place - with a sufficient majority to see it through - then the public sector will just tread water and no major programmes will be initiated. Similarly, the private sector will be reluctant to plan massive investments if it doesn't know what government reaction will be.
Whatever the outcome of the talks between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, I fear that any government will be short-lived. We should probably gird our loins for a second General Election in the autumn. Effectively, that means that there will be few large business change programmes kicked off before the new financial year in April 2011.

Worrying times indeed, but at least my handicap should come down!

Social Oomph

2010-04-22T02:02:00.001-07:00

I've taken out a free trial of the professional version of Social Oomph - https://www.socialoomph.com/

I think the paid version is too expensive for individuals, so I'll be making the most of the professional features for the six days I have it.

One of the features I particularly like is the ability to add a recurring post with lots of variants. You type as many tweets as you like into one post and tell Social Oomph which Twitter account you want to post to and how frequently you want to post (for Twitter once a day is the most). Social Oomph then posts randomly from your variations to keep your online activity busy all the time.

I've used the feature to advertise that I'm currently available for interim work and free programme health checks. I've also advertised my free programme case studies. I have a second recurring post set up to promote my pub directory www.findfriendlypubs.co.uk
One of the side effects I've already found is that it has increased my number of followers.
I really recommend you take a look at Social Oomph if you have any kind of social networking account. Even the free version is good; if only they had an intermediate paid version for individuals!

Free Programme Health Checks

2010-04-20T04:25:00.001-07:00

I've decided to offer organisations free health checks for their business change programmes with budgets in excess of £10m.

More than ever, in these current economic times, organisations need to be sure that they are doing the right programmes, aligned to corporate strategy, in the right way and with the right people.

A programme health check or gateway review should provide reassurance, but can cost thousands of pounds. Now people can have them for free if they contact me (remember, I'm an OGC Approved Gateway Reviewer).

Why would I do it for free? Well, the market is so quiet at the moment that most of my assignments only occupy a small proportion of my time. By giving these health checks for free I'm creating a larger business network for myself, and hopefully generating plenty of goodwill that could repay me at a later date.

For more details about the offer - and it genuinely is free with no catches - visit http://www.stevesyder.com/free.htm

Hard Times Indeed!

2010-04-01T08:11:00.001-07:00

Proof if it were needed that times are hard; I was just called by one of the best agents I have ever worked with who told me his company has folded.

To add insult to injury he was given no advanced warning and arrived to locked doors one morning. What a bad way to treat loyal members of staff.

Things really are bad if people like this cannot sustain business. I wish him well for the future.

Lessons from the recession

2010-03-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

I was approached today by a senior manager I worked with some years ago, asking my advice about freelancing.

I suggested that now was not the best time to leave the comparative safety of a permanent job. A combination of the recession and the impending - and somewhat unpredictable - General Election makes an assured monthly pay cheque something that should not be abandoned lightly.
But I did advise him to increase his networking activity and his web presence.

One thing I have become firmly convinced of over the last fifteen months or so is that the interim market will never be the same again. In my experience, freelancers fall into one of two categories; they either select a handful of reputable agencies and rely on them to come up with suitable contracts, or they spray their CV around like confetti, forging no lasting relationship with any agent and being content to take work from anyone who can deliver it.

Both models, I would suggest, are now fatally flawed.

If the hard times brought on by the recession have taught us one thing, it is the value of networking. Of course, recruitment agencies will always be major players in the interim/freelance market, but when times are hard the pressure increases to get appointments right first time, and the value of personal recommendations comes to the fore.

I've always tapped into my personal network to learn of potential assignments for myself or to pass on potential assignments to others. Now, even that is not enough, and the interims who survive are those who up their networking game and build solid business relationships.

I've dabbled with various networking groups over the last nine months, in a bid to find one that is right for me. Some were dominated by small, local businesses, so I felt they were not the best place for me to commit time and money. Others seemed more like money-generating schemes for their originators. Not scams - that would be too harsh by far - but perhaps a little opportunistic.

I've now settled on two where I feel I can forge the most promising business networks - the Institute of Directors and the Interim Managers' Association. I've yet to attend an IMA networking event, but the IoD ones have started to yeild results, with people I have met really "getting"networking.

I've also, with the help of a handful of like-minded colleagues, started a micro-consultancy - The Freelance Network, www.freelancenetwork.org.uk which is designed to be in part a networking community but, more importantly, it affords each of us the opportunity to add more value for our clients because of the collaborative nature of the organisation and the good blend of skills and experience within the membership.

I firmly believe that the business relationships forged now, while the going is tough, will be the ones to endure, and as the economy revives more and more interim assignments will be carried out by people introduced through personal recommendation.

Data Backup

2010-03-25T03:54:00.001-07:00

I'm fanatical bordering on obsessive when it comes to backing up my data, so when I inadvertently deleted huge swathes of important stuff yesterday I wasn't too worried.

Twenty minutes later it was all restored thanks to the excellent backup software I use.

However, I had a folder containing around twenty files that I hadn't backed up, as they were comparatively insignificant and I was going to get round to "sorting them out eventually". Now they're lost forever. Feels quite cathartic really.

Worldwide Recession

2010-03-23T01:44:00.000-07:00

Golfing in Spain last week really brought home the effects of the recession.

OK, so it was early in the season, but the (three) golf resorts we played at were almost deserted. Great on the courses where you could enjoy a leisurely round, but the bars and restaurants at night were practically empty, leaving the place with no atmosphere.

Returning home, the market for interim programme managers remains quiet, but there are signs of the private sector waking up.

I think things will remain pretty flat until a General Election produces a government - of whatever hue - with a working majority, and if the polls are to be believed that could be some way off.

Golfing in the sun!

2010-03-08T07:51:00.001-08:00

I have a couple of things on the go at the moment, bu thtings in general are quiet, so now is a good time for me to go off to Spain for a week to play golf with the sun on my back!

A few tidying-up activities plus an IoD networking event this week, then I'm off!

The threat of a hung parliament

2010-03-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

I think that the threat of a hung parliament is making the private sector as cautious as the public sector.
the public sector will kick off very few initiatives when there is so much uncertainty about who will form the next government. The private sector minds less so, but when the UK runs the risk of a hung parliament, and therefore an ineffectual government, even the private sector becomes nervous.
A hung parliament will be dreadful because it normally leads to another election about six months later, which means uncertainty for the whole of the country until 2011!

Currently, the only exceptions to the trend seem to be banking - particularly investment banking - and the NHS. The banking sector needs to regroup after the huge number of redundancies a year ago, and the NHS seems to be in a permanent state of flux so no surprise there.

The only frustrating thing for an interim like me is that, in the current buyers' market, the banks can be extremely precise about what experience they require, and the NHS totters along trying to introduce change but insisting on interims with extensive NHS experience. If you want change, you need a new broom!

New Web Site

2010-02-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

I just published my new web site - Kingston Web Designs - introducing web design and hosting services.

The permanent URL won't be ready for a couple of days. When it is it will be www.kingstonwebdesigns.co.uk

For now though, it can be viewed at www.syder.net

Keeping Busy

2010-02-15T05:12:00.001-08:00

I've had a couple of conversations this morning about interesting assignments. Hopefully at least one will amount to something.

Meanwhile, I've helped a client select a CRM solution for his business, and I'm in contact with a Chinese manufacturer with a view to starting an import business.

Just to make sure I stay busy, I'm polishing up a short article I wrote about the NHS before sending it off to some magazines.

Must remember to eat at some point as well!

Demand for Contract Staff at 22 Month High

2010-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

A new survey reports that recruitment consultancies experienced significant increases in the demand for temporary and contract staff at the end of 2009, with the rise in vacancy levels the highest for 22 months.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG Report on Jobs also indicated a fifth consecutive month of rises in staff appointments, with the growth of permanent placements accelerating to the sharpest since July 2007.

The survey, which draws on data provided by recruitment consultancies, showed a further rise in permanent salaries. The rate of growth was solid and the fastest since June 2008. Hourly rates of pay for temporary/contract employees fell for a fifteenth successive month, but the latest drop was only marginal and the smallest in that period.

However, amongst all the encouraging news, a cautionary note was sounded by Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG: “We now need to see this improvement carried over into 2010 for the jobs recovery to be consolidated. However, the prospect of possibly extensive public sector job cuts in the second half of 2010 casts a long shadow over everything. The jobs market has been cushioned in recent years by continued public sector expansion. If this is put into reverse post-election, it could have a significant effect on employment figures.”

The Value of Contact Records!

2010-02-04T04:56:00.000-08:00

I keep almost every contact I have ever made in Small Business Manager for Outlook, and yet again it paid off this week.

I had a meeting with a client and knew someone who could help with his business problem. Thing was, I last dealt with that "someone" eight years ago!

Not a problem. Looked up the records in SBM and one phone call confirmed that he is still in the same company, which is going from strength to strength.

Good to be able to potentially help one person's business problem and pass work to another business at the same time, not to mention renewing an old business acquaintance.

A week with potential

2010-02-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

I'm meeting a potential client on Tuesday, which could lead to work for a team from The Freelance Network - www.freelancenetwork.org.uk

On Friday I'm meeting a previous client who always gives me great testimonials.

In between, I'm creating a web site for a new client.

I lost my new Blackberry last weekend - on my birthday, of all days! - and the person who found it called my landline to say she had it. Blackberry and I will be reunited on Wednesday; it makes you feel just a little bit more optimistic about people!

LinkedIn Advertising.

2010-01-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

The market for what I do - large scale programme management in bluechip organisations and Central Government - is so competitive that the current economic climate has had a real debilitating effect and even strong CVs like mine struggle to be noticed in the deluge recruiters are faced with.

It's important to try to "do things differently" in a bid to stand out.

I have created a PowerPoint presentation version of my CV and made it available via LinkedIn.

I've also made one-page Case Studies of some of my previous assignments available on my website - www.stevesyder.com - and on LinkedIn.

Today, I've added a LinkedIn advert to my marketing initiatives. I'm looking forward to seeing what interest that generates.

Networking Breakfast

2010-01-26T04:14:00.000-08:00

I'm busy preparing handouts for tomorrow's networking breakfast.

Hopefully they will give people food for thought (no pun intended!).

I subscribe to the theory that, if you use networking to give you end up receiving as much if not more.

A Busy Week

2010-01-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

A busy week this week, in which my carbon footprint will be hobnailed-boot size.

I've recruitment agents to speak to today and tomorrow; Wednesday I'm at a networking breakfast at 6:30, a golf competition at 9 and then drive to Merseyside to see Everton, over to Manchester to get some sleep before an early start to drive to Maidenhead to meet another recruitment agent.

Friday I'm off to Bristol for a weekend of catching up with chums.

In between the driving and fun stuff I expect to be doing some web design work for clients and possibly an online training course if there's time.

Market Improvement?

2010-01-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

I've certainly noticed a pick up in the market since the turn of the year, especially in the finance sector and the NHS, which brings me on to another point; I can understand why the finance sector wants prevoius experience as it recruits for some very specialised stuff, but the NHS often asks for business change experts, but wants them to have plenty of NHS experience under their belts.

This strikes me as really sort-sighted. Surely a business change expert lacking NHS experience would bring a fresh pair of eyes and new ideas to the table. I don't think this blinkered approach to recruitment really helps to improve things at all.