It's that time of year when people pile into cars and campers or jump on airplanes to take a break and enjoy their vacation. As busy as we all are, it's easy to get caught up in work and think that we can't take the vacation. There's too much going on at work. What will my team do while I'm gone? How will this place run without me? The answer to that last question is especially important: If you're a good project manager, your team should be able to run well without you. If they need you there 24/7, then you're doing something wrong.

This was a lesson I experienced a few years ago on my summer vacation when my daughter, our two dogs and a cat, drove together from Connecticut to Florida.

I knew about the trip a few months beforehand, so I spent a month getting ready. I delegated responsibilities to key people on my team, and I set up processes so we could easily keep track of projects. I made sure that my team members created Project Agreements before I got on the road, so they had a clear road map for what they needed to accomplish and what the roles and responsibilities of each team member were. Other tools we used were the Wiki, so team members could post documents and progress reports, and my blog, as a key interactive communication tool. I posted about where I was, what I was doing and also about project management. Team members could comment and also could be part of the journey if they wanted to be -- a kind of virtual post-card community.

During my sojourn, I also learned some important things about my team. I could clearly see those who could operate independently and accomplish tasks and goals with little oversight, and also those who needed more management. This gave me a lot of insight as a manager and let me know how I could manage my team even more effectively -- who needed more coaching from me and who had the capacity to take on more responsibility.

Consider the productivity aspects of vacation. According to a survey from Expedia, 33% of employed adults in the United States usually don't use all their vacation time, with the average worker surveyed giving back an average of four days to their employer. This translates to 574 million vacation days/year, worth $75.72 billion.

What that number doesn't capture is the lost productivity from fatigue. We all know that feeling when you haven't had time off in a long time, and you are both physically and mentally tired. Your performance suffers, and even worse, I think your passion dwindles.

Passion is rejuvenated from the time that we spend away from our routine. For some people, it is the sound of the ocean that relaxes and soothes. For others, it's a hike in the mountains or in the desert. Vacation is the time when you can find your own "zone" -- that place where ideas, inspiration and "ah-ha's" come from.

There's a reason that Thoreau's "Walden Pond" stands the test of time. In it, he captures our relationship to nature, the importance of reflection, and poetically and philosophically explains to us the purpose of "getting away from it all."

"Sometimes, in a summer morning, having taken my accustomed bath, I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in a revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumachs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sing around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at my west window, or the noise of some traveller's wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the lapse of time. I grew in those seasons like corn in the night, and they were far better than any work of the hands would have been."

-- Walden, Henry David Thoreau, 1854

If Thoreau were here today, he'd tell us that the only way to grow ideas, people, relationships or businesses is to take a vacation and find your own private reverie.

As we head into June, think about your vacation. How can you prepare for it so you can relax and come back to your office rejuvenated and ready to contribute new ideas?

Here's a vacation prep list to help you get the most out of your vacation:

Vacation Prep List

1. Review status of all projects two weeks prior to leaving and delegate responsibility while you are away.
2. Create project agreements for any new projects that will be in progress while you are away, and make sure your team is clear on what they should be accomplishing while you are gone.
3. Set up clear communication boundaries for your vacation. Can you be reached on your cell phone? If so, is it for emergencies only? Will you be checking your e-mail at all or only at a certain times? Do you only want to be contacted about certain issues? Define these boundaries before you leave so you get some downtime, and your team knows when it is appropriate to contact you.
4. Bring your favorite guilty pleasure that has nothing to do with work. Whether it's "MAD" magazine or a romance novel, indulge the part of your brain that may not get to stretch at work.
5. Laugh. No matter where your vacation takes you, laugh as much and as hard as you can. Take that laughter yoga class that you've read about or just laugh at life. It reduces stress, lowers your blood pressure, lifts depression and even boosts your immune system. Laughter is more than funny, it's healthy! Enjoy your vacation.
   

I was recently at a conference of women business owners, and I attended a break-out session about blogging. By the end of the session, I was struck by how many of the women in the room were digitally challenged. These were highly successful and intelligent women, but it seemed that many of them were fearful of technology. With technology affecting all aspects of our lives exponentially, I realized that their digital fear could become paralyzing and get in the way of their personal and professional success.

When we think of the digital divide traditionally, it focused on access to the Internet, computers, software and education. That division hasn't gone away. It has shifted, but it's still a critical issue -- especially when we look globally at the developing world.

In the United States, there is an income digital-divide. According to speedmatters.org, a site managed by the Communications Workers of America, more than 62% of households with incomes over $100,000 subscribe to high-speed broadband at home, while just 11% of households with incomes below $30,000 subscribing. There is also a rural/urban digital divide: Only 17% of adults in rural areas subscribe to broadband compared to 31% in urban and 30% in suburban areas.

Beyond the socio-economic factors, I think there is another digital divide that is perceptual. If you have the access to technology, but you don't use it to your advantage, you're throwing away your ticket to the great digital concert. You're wasting an opportunity that many people don't have and potentially affecting your ability to succeed in the future.

If you see yourself as a digital disaster, it's not too late to learn and take the digital dive.

Five Ways to Take the Digital Dive

1. Think of what technology or software skills would improve your performance. Sign up for a class online and experience e-learning.
2. Spend time with your IT friends or colleagues. Pick their brains. Ask them what they read online and what sites and blogs they visit.
3. Choose a topic that you're passionate about, do an Internet search and begin reading and participating in a blog that speaks to you.
4. Watch your children or the youth around you. See how they communicate. Text message your favorite niece. Build a profile on FaceBook or MySpace. Get in the groove with where the next generation is going.
5. If you're a project manager, make sure you're using technology to automate processes. Always ask yourself: Can this be automated?

In project management, being digitally proficient is a key part of your success. You can use web-based tools like the Wiki to manage your teams and projects or web meetings to bring a virtual team together. The more technology is working for you, the smarter your workflow will be.

How technology savvy are you? Try our technology crossword puzzle and see how you rate. No matter what you score, remember the game isn't over, it's just beginning. So, get out there and change your view. See yourself as part of the digerati, and you will be. See you online!

Remember that strategic plan you wrote in December or January? Or even your New Year's Resolutions? Did you write them down and file them somewhere or are they hidden in one of those infamous piles we all have?

If you filed them and there's some dust on them, not to worry. We're going to give you five keys to rejuvenating your goals at any step of the way. Remember, successful people don't always get it right the first time. They keep trying. As renowned coach Vince Lombardi said: "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up." Project Management is a life skill that shows you how to get back up and stay on the road to success.

Five Keys to Give Your Goals some Get Up and Go

1. Know Your Top Priority

Look back at your goals or resolutions. What has changed since you wrote them? Are your priorities or the priorities of your organization different now? This is where a project agreement is an invaluable tool. A project agreement is a living document. When life changes, as it often does, document the changes in your project agreement and adjust your timeline and tactics accordingly.

To keep a project moving fast, the project team, team leader and project sponsor all have to remove or prevent obstacles that may get in the way of the project's success.

The first step is to set up the project correctly so that it is built for speed and efficacy. This means getting the team aligned on what is required to do the project: setting up the project agreement and project plan together, and then agreeing on the overall project priorities

2. Identify What's Getting in the Way of Your Success

What's getting in your way? Here are some common project blockages and how to remove them and get back on the road to success.

Blockage Removal

• "Feature Creep." You keep adding new features trying to make the end result better, but time is running out and your team is restless. Use a change impact matrix. You can also freeze the design of the product or service, including the set of features, at a specified time in the project. The earlier this is done, the faster your project will move. Save your future feature ideas as upgrade possibilities for later versions of the product or service.
• A Broken Team. Is your team broken and no longer communicating or working from the same set of goals? An inability to work together towards a common goal comes from lack of commitment, lack of interaction, and a lack of interest in constructively resolving conflict. Many projects also lose and gain people during the execution of the project. When this happens, it is important that the team spend a half hour together developing their new team guidelines and meeting protocols. With any new people joining the team, it becomes a new team. Re-developing your guidelines and protocols is done for the same reason it is done initially – to facilitate working relationships, to create a way to positively interact, and to prevent destructive conflict.
• Lack of Focus. Is there too much multi-tasking going on or are people overscheduled? If people are working on multiple projects, it's best if they set aside blocks of time to focus on one task at a time.

If people are too over-scheduled, they become less effective. Let the team members create a schedule that they can do in a normal workweek and still have some time to breathe and live their life outside of work.

3. Be a Bureaucracy Buster

Envision yourself as a business ninja who breaks down time-consuming bureaucracy at every turn. In your personal life, this could be tasks in your home that can be automated, but are not. Are still paying your bills manually or are you saving time and paying them online? In business, when you identify bureaucratic time wasters and get rid of them, the entire team will operate more effectively.

4. Create Calm Instead of Chaotic Work Environments

How long does it take you to find the information you need to get your job done? Clutter, on your desk and on your computer slows down project work. It is also distracting and causes multi-tasking. A calm work environment helps people to focus and use their energy to get things done. Ask your team members what you can do in your office to make the environment more effective for them. The changes are often small, but can reap big rewards.

5. Give Your Project Heart

Is your project like the Tin Man looking for a heart? Here are some ideas to infuse some humanity into your project:

• Passion. Give people a reason to be passionate about it. What is the outcome of their work going to be? What is the impact, what will the success look like, and how will it feel when they've finished?
• Pause. Celebrate the successes along the way as you reach key milestones. This gives people time to pause and realize what they've accomplished, and gives them the fuel to keep going.
• Recognition. "Thank you" are two words that go a long way. Show your gratitude to your team members regularly and in front of others. Do it with authenticity. When you let others shine, the light reflects on you, too.

It's Never Too Late

It's never too late to be more effective. Use the five keys I've shared here to reinvigorate your project or your personal goals. Go, 2nd quarter!

Project management is one thing we all have in common. Every person and every organization does projects. When you come right down to it, life is just a series of projects. From selecting a college and applying to it, to getting the grade you need on your class projects, to successfully studying for exams and – finally – graduation. Each of these events is a project that you have to manage.

After college, you get a job and that, too, becomes a project. Then, if you choose to look for someone to spend your life with – that’s a big project. From there, the project list goes on: Buying your first home, managing that home, and managing change as your life continues to evolve. Sound familiar?

For organizations, projects are the life-blood that flows from department to department. Those organizations grow and succeed based on their ability to successfully complete projects. Whether it’s developing more efficient ways of operating, upgrading a financial system, getting a new product to market, launching a new promotional campaign or upgrading a facility, all of these activities require Project Management.

As we all know from experience, some projects fail and some succeed. So, how can you make sure you’re on the winning side? Getting certified as a project management professional (PMP) is one way to stack the odds in your favor. When you improve your ability to manage projects, you can achieve more personal success and help your organization become more successful as well. And success is infectious on teams. When people become better at doing projects, they inherently raise the capability of everyone else around them as they step into leadership and mentoring roles.

The PMP certification is more than those three letters. It’s a solid foundation of knowledge that helps people and organizations improve the way they do projects. It gives people a common base of knowledge to build on together, creating a unity that can’t be underestimated when a team works together from the same starting point.

An important part of successful project management involves understanding how people learn. People develop capabilities through four levels of learning: awareness, knowledge, skills, and mastery.

In order for learning to occur, people must first become aware that they need to further develop their capabilities in a specific area. This awareness drives the desire to learn more about a particular subject matter. For instance, a project manager who consistently finishes projects late and over-budget may realize that he needs to learn how to manage his project team better. With this awareness, he can now determine how to improve in this area.

Once people are aware that they can develop their capabilities and become more successful, then they need to create a foundation of knowledge upon which to improve. Pursuing the PMP certification helps people develop that critical base of knowledge to improve their project management capabilities. With the PMP credential, people develop more self-confidence to learn and apply new skills in their day-to-day work, ultimately achieving a much higher level of success with their projects.

With more success comes more skill, and with the consistent application of skills, eventually there is mastery. Mastery is the highest level of learning, where people have consistent outcomes whenever they apply their skills.

How important is project management and your mastery of it? Consider this: In its 2003 CHAOS Chronicles Report, the Standish Group reported that the lost dollar value for US projects in 2002 was estimated at $38 billion with another $17 billion in cost overruns for a total project waste of $55 billion against $255 billion in project spending. Without a consistent approach to project management, losses to the bottom-line can be significant. When you’re a master of project management, you directly contribute to the bottom-line.

If you or your team members want to get achieve mastery in project management, earning the PMP credential is a great way to start building the knowledge foundation needed for individual and organizational success.

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, is the founder of Cheetah Learning, and author of Cheetah Negotiation and Cheetah Project Management. The Project Management Institute, www.pmi.org, recently selected Michelle as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the World, and only one of two women selected from the training and education industry. She was featured in the October 2006 issue of PM Network Magazine, and also graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Owner President Managers (OPM) program in March 2006.

She created the origins of the Cheetah Project Management methodology as an Air Force Officer in the mid 1980s. In 1995, she prototyped the concept of accelerating learning using "virtual classrooms," to accelerate the way people learned and applied core business skills. As a corporate research scientist in systems engineering and adult learning for a large multinational corporation, she later created and tested a one-day approach to teaching Project Management. This approach would later evolve to become Cheetah Project Management, a fast and effective way of launching projects.

Today, she is the leader of the course development team at Cheetah and sets the strategic direction for the company. Using the Cheetah Project Management techniques, LaBrosse has grown the company from three employees in 2000 to more than 100 in 2006. Cheetah is now the global leader in Project Manager Professional Development.

Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including European CEO Magazine, Plant Engineering Magazine, Industrial Engineer Magazine and Control Engineering Magazine.

LaBrosse has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. She has done extensive postgraduate work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Educational Studies and with the University of Washington Industrial Engineering Program in accelerating adult learning with respect to meeting core business objectives.

She lives in Nevada with her family and likes to rejuvenate in Alaska where you’ll often find her kayaking, golfing or hiking. Her company site is at http://www.cheetahlearning.com/. Contact her through chiefcheetah@yahoo.com.