First, an acronym for remembering: M-V-G-O-D … “My Vision (for) Goal-Oriented Delivery”

Mission, vision, goals, objectives, and deliverables (MVGOD) form the framework for the collective “payload” that a project delivers. Want to charter a project with only a single, simple statement of purpose? Go for it, but then be prepared to slip-slide around in ambiguity while your project shape-shifts in front of you. Define MVGOD up-front, together with your sponsor and/or customer, and everything else will flow much more easily to a completed, satisfying set of outcomes and deliverables. And don’t forget to write everything down (once), date it (once), and have all stakeholders review, agree and sign-off (again, only once). You’ll then have an unambiguous “contract” (and written memory) for kicking off your project with clear intent. (more…)

I’ll wrap up this short series about open-source software by talking about just a few more applications that caught my attention while doing the research for these posts:

PDF Creator is an alternative to Adobe Acrobat; it enables the creation of PDF files (and a number of image-format files, for that matter) through the printing subsystem of Microsoft Windows, and also facilitates the merging of many PDFs into a single file.
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My previous post about open-source software included links to Google’s and Ohloh’s online directories of open-source apps, operating systems, and tools. Today I stumbled onto Wikipedia’s list, which is very nicely arranged as a complete portal site. Check it out and see if there’s not something there that you can use.

If you want to make yourself instantly more creative and productive on behalf of your clients or employer, at no additional cost to you or them, please read on:
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There are some trends I really like; I like the .MP3 format for music, and I like music download services and file-sharing networks for getting only the songs I want, and no more. I like free web services (blogs, networking sites, search services) that empower people to learn, communicate and interact in new and compelling ways. I like free samples of anything at CostCo or Sam’s Club.

And since mama didn’t raise no fool, I really, Really, REALLY like free software.
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