You have probably noticed some great vampire pictures and Gothic type fantasy art online these days. The images and quality of the works are incredible. You also might of wondered how this type of art is produced, CG fantasy art makes use of software to produce fantasy style art.The initials “CG” stand for computer generated and involve the artist using a variety of drawing or rendering software programs. The first movie to use computer generated imagery was Westword in 1973 but that was 2D, today’s 3D Computer generated imagery used by Disney and others has come a long way since its origins. CG art can now be done by anyone in the comfort of their own home with the help of software programs like Maya, and Bryce or using more common graphic design programs like Photoshop and Gimp. The market for computer generated art is much larger than most people realize. The Internet has really expanded the commercial prospects for alternative works of art. Many of these digital artists make a living selling prints of their Gothic, fantasy or vampire pictures online. You can buy high quality prints on eBay and others sites devoted to the medium. CG digital artists often will work on a commission basis either for commercial purposes or when contacted by a customer to produce a one of a kind work. Its hard to know if CG art will be a good long term investment as the market is so new, but some of these works command high prices.If you would like to try your hand at drawing some vampire pictures or other fantasy art be patient, realize many of these digital artists have spent much of their life perfecting their craft, which isn’t that long since most are fairly young. So do not expect to produce something that blows people away 5 minutes after you install the software.
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Business Process Vs Project Management Process
All attendees of “Project Management… by the Numbers” know that every project is a project within another project(!). In other words, every project we manage is a part of another bigger project. So, what is the difference between a business process and a project management process?Let’s begin the answer with an example…The CEO of the organization believes the project is to bring a new product to market. Let us call the product the Wireless Internet Waffle Iron (WiWi).The CEO knows he/she has a process to get the WiWi though his company. This includes identifying the best possible WiWi and all the way to sustaining the WiWi when it is sold to the consumer.The company has a published plan based on stages for this process (for example; Stage 1 – Ideation, Stage 2 – Assessment, Stage 3 – Feasibility, Stage 4 – Development, Stage 5 – Commercialization, Stage 6 – Sustainment), in order to get the WiWi from one stage to another.Most often, the process progresses by passing the responsibility of the project from one group to the next along the way of each stage. It does make sense that Engineering manages the conceptual work and Marketing manages the marketing.Because of this process, the CEO passes the project to his direct reports with confidence that the project can now be managed on time, on budget and that the Wireless Internet Waffle Iron will be exactly as envisioned.Working with my clients, I have identified this scenario hundreds times over the years and it is easy to recognize this as a “business process” as this is how the business (company) views the work as a project.Now, back to our scenario…The WiWi project is running behind schedule because the assessment stage took longer than planned and the project is running over budget because the feasibility stage was not properly analyzed up front. Now you (the next project manager in line) have been assigned the development stage and are expected to bring the project back on time and schedule as well as manage all the work the development stage requires.All this time the CEO continues to have confidence in his people and processes that the WiWi project will be on time, cost and objectives. You are backed in the corner with this (can’t let the CEO down) and have to cut corners as they did during the feasibility stage.After some major frustration, a few all-nighters and some creative reporting, you breathe a sigh of relief and can pass the project with all of its problems to the next group in the process line. Unfortunately, the WiWi is still over budget and running even later.What we have described above is a classic business process that is mistaken for a project management process. The difference is that the business process sees the product as the project, not the stages or even the tasks as individual projects.Business processes are absolutely necessary for management to plan and work from, but if we view each stage and task as a project, and the leader of each stage and the doer of each task as a project manager, then we will have an accountability chain within the project. Back to our scenario… but this time as a Project Management Process.The Four Phases of a Project Management Process…Phase One – Concept/FeasibilityThe WiWi has been dropped into the business process by the CEO. The person that is leading the Ideation Stage must consider this stage a project within itself, and themselves as the Project Manager.Ideation is a part of the WiWi project, but has its own separate time, cost and objectives. These must be defined and agreed to by the Ideation Phase Project Manager and a Project Customer (maybe the Project Customer has to be the CEO!).Before agreement can happen, the Ideation Stage Project Manager has to be convinced his/her part of the WiWi Project can be accomplished within the time, cost and objective constraints given. In order to determine the true TCO vs. the goal TCO, each member of the Ideation Project Team must view their tasks as projects with themselves as the Task Project Manager and the Ideation Stage Project Manager as their Project Customer. Each person then follows the same project management process to gain agreement that their tasks can be accomplished to the individual time cost and objective constraints given.When the entire team agrees all tasks can be done based on individual concept/feasibility studies, agreement can be reached or negotiated between the Ideation Stage Project Manager and the WiWi Project Manager.Wahoo – Phase 1 done!Phase Two – Organization/ScheduleThe Ideation Stage Project Manager now has agreement at a high level to TCO of the Ideation Stage, so it is time now to do detailed planning and scheduling of the Ideation Stage Project of the WiWi Project.After reconfirming tasks and team members schedules, a critical path analysis is completed by the Ideation Phase Project Manager (including detailed costs) and run by the Ideation Phase Project Customer for another agreement and:Phase Three – ExecutionDouble Wahoo – It’s time to actually do all the Ideation Stage tasks.The Ideation Stage Project Manager manages the critical path tasks, people and budget, and in turn delivers the Ideation Stage Project to the Project Customer.The Ideation Stage is almost complete (not quite, but almost) because:Phase Four – Review/AuditNow it is time to review the project management during the Ideation Stage Project. Did we do enough concept/feasibility? Did the team members follow-through on their promises? How can we improve the project management process? Etc.Your part of the WiWi Project, the Ideation Stage Project, has been successfully managed by using a project management process. I think a party is now in order, don’t you?So, back to our original question: What is the Difference between a Business Process and a Project Management Process?The answer: The difference is that the business process sees the product as the project, not the stages or even the tasks as individual projects.We as everyday project managers are responsible for the successful completion of the time, cost and objectives of our piece of the Wireless Internet Waffle Iron Project, not the whole thing.If you are the CEO (or the CEO’s designated authority) and want the WiWi on time, on cost and on objectives, then consider each stage within the business process a project and allow the project management process to work.But for now, back to us, the Project Managers. When you get your assignment, whether it is a stage or a task, ask who your Project Customer is and stick to the four project management phases of your specific work.Phase One – Concept/Feasibility (What is it?)
Phase Two – Organization/Schedule (How to do it?)
Phase Three – Execution (Doing it!)
Phase Four – Review/Audit. (How did we do?)Now THAT’S a project management process!
Where to Enjoy the Best Family Holidays in Africa
The very best family holiday, in my opinion, is a safari. A safari offers absolutely everything and is a fun filled holiday, whether a young child or a teenager, and perfection is then ending up on the coast or sailing around an island at the end.Being a parent myself, I am always on the lookout for the very best family holiday and I come back to the same one time and time again, which is a family safari. It simply offers something for everyone, providing one has the budget. Whether you have young children (and there are always malaria free regions, such as in South Africa), or older children, then it simply ticks every box. I am lucky enough to take my family on safari every year and they have been happy enough to be my guinea pigs!The best family holidays take into consideration everyone’s interests and hobbies – whether you are an outdoorsy type of family who would like to have a private, tented camp erected just for you in a wildlife rich region, or whether you would love to simply fly camp for just a night beneath the stars. Then there are treehouses too, that one can sleep in for a night.Learn about other cultures – I remember watching my eight year old daughter spending time in Kenya with Maasai children – the only adults present were our guide and tracker, whom she knew well and trusted and who acted as her interpreters, and she sang and danced with the children and they taught each other songs – the fact they didn’t know each other’s language didn’t matter at all. I have never seen such laughter on both sides of the fence. And this to me is really important. In our western society, our children have so much and I do believe that in a gentle and sensitive manner, we should introduce them to other cultures and educate them accordingly. My children learned how to make bows and arrows, which trees were good to use for this, and how to shoot them. They learned how to make fires with no matches, they visited a school and spent half a lesson with other children, which was illuminating for everyone!They then learnt about the Maasai warriors and what it takes to become a warrior these days, together with learning about how these cultures are struggling to hold onto their identity in the 21st century. This is all very much here and now, and relevant. Perhaps you might like to go on a walking safari assisted with camels and led by Samburu warriors. Learn so much along the way.The children can then go off to the coast – perhaps to a beautiful villa which comes complete with a private skipper and boat and so the days can be spent with complete flexibility and freedom, snorkelling around islands and having picnic lunches on them. Or perhaps staying at a beautiful, chic, Robinson Crusoe lodge on its own private island? Going out with the fishermen in their Arab dhows and learning how to fish.Perhaps it might be sailing on a catamaran in Madagascar which is wonderful fun, and fishing and snorkelling and diving at random. If a luxury family safari is more your style, then you can stay in villas throughout Africa or luxury lodges and camps. Charter from place to place in your own aircraft which means that you don’t have to wait at any point. The best thing is to have your own private vehicle and guide which does allow one complete flexibility and freedom and it means that you can bond together as a family, without the need of making small talk with strangers at the dinner table.Namibia also offers wonderful family safaris, with quad biking on the desert dunes and adrenaline oriented sport invented for the desert, such as sand boarding etc. Spend time with cheetah, up close and personal – something children – no matter what age – always enjoy!Botswana too offers fabulous experiences – from sleep outs under the stars in the Kalahari desert, to being with habituated meerkat and quad biking across the salt pans. You can even go out for a couple of nights with your guide and bedrolls and have your own adventure, away from everyone! Or have a tented camp closed to you, headed by a wonderful guide who is so good with children and teaches them everything from learning about the night sky, to poling a mokoro (and in our family’s case – losing the pole!), but it is all good fun and educational.Ultimately, the best family safari is one where everybody has got something out of it. You return united as a family, sated and happy.