The Veteran’s Administration is providing additional funding to encourage more veteran’s to attend college. This is a great financial commitment but many veterans are intimidated by the thought of attending college. Most veterans fall into the adult learner category because most of them are over 24. Sitting in a class with much younger students can seem awkward. Some veterans have graduated from high school and they have right into the armed services. There was no time to think about college. One way that a veteran can prepare for college is by having a college success plan.

A college success plan is a set of activities that a veteran can use to improve their chances of graduating from college. Just the thought of submitting a college application can cause some veterans anxiety. It may not be fun to sit in classes where the students view you as an outsider. This is one reason why it is important to have a college success plan. Veterans need time to adjust to college life. They must work on their own perceptions that they are not ready to enroll in college. There is no need to be fearful about the amount of work that will be required for each veteran. Colleges have many resources such as advisors, tutors and counselors who can make the adjustment to college life a lot easier. You can call a local college to determine the different types of services that they offer.

One of the important things that a veteran can do is to work on study skills. This is one area where students of all ages have difficulty. Each veteran can benefit from learning how to study prior to starting first year classes. For example a good study habit is taking time to read all chapters before classes start. The chapters should be read several days before a class begins. It’s important to get your mind ready to absorb the information you are studying. By studying early you eliminate the stress of needing more time to read your textbook. When you are listening to a lecture the important facts from your textbook will be familiar. If there is something that you don’t understand don’t be afraid to talk to your instructor.

Planning to manage your time is a vital element of a veteran’s college success. Veterans who learn how to manage their time have much greater success. The management of your time will help you to set priorities for your week. Getting control of your time will enable you to do an accurate time management schedule. It is far better to plan your test preparation than to wait until the last second. If you have a plan to study several hours you can also put time in your schedule to enjoy yourself. You will experience less stress because you have a road map to meet all of your assignment deadlines.

Veterans should get ready for every test early. Students who have success on their tests know that starting test preparation early yields good results. Take time to clear up any missing information in your notes. Use 3 x 5 cards to memorize important facts. You can have a stack of cards for each class. Then set aside some time each day to memorize your 3 x 5 cards and important facts presented by the instructor. This is just one way to organize your study sessions. Recognize that you are in control of the amount of knowledge that you obtain each day.

Veterans need to spend time getting to know what the instructors require for each class. An important place to start is reading the syllabus. The syllabus is a guide to the important topics that your teacher is discussing. Compare notes with other students who are in your class. Creating time to form groups with other students is beneficial. Organizing a study group can be a very easy way to get to know people in your classes. During each session you can find out information that is missing from your notes.

It’s important for each veteran to take time to identify which classes are interesting during the first semester of attending college classes. You can position yourself for success during your first semester just by dedicating yourself to learning and eliminating distractions. The fact that you have decided to go to college is a great accomplishment. More veterans need to take advantage of this opportunity. This country needs more veterans who will use their minds to improve the global competitiveness of this country.

Ultimately, Federal Disability Retirement is a benefit which must be fought for, and secured, in order to attain a level of financial security for one’s future. The questions which are asked when first confronted with a medical condition which has begun to interfere with – and which leads to one’s inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job – are varied and many. Where to go for the answers, whom to trust, and then to decide what knowledge is both accurate and useful, are the keys to a successful application for Federal Disability Retirement benefits for Federal and Postal employees under FERS and CSRS.

The Internet has flourished and expanded. Information on any subject is merely a Google search away. However, a distinction must always be made between information and knowledge. The vast amount of information on any subject does not necessarily result in knowledge about the subject. This dictum is true in the field of information and knowledge concerning Federal and Postal Disability Retirement.

At the outset, one must determine the type, extent, and severity of the medical condition. Thus, is the medical condition physical in nature, or psychiatric, or is there a combination of both physical and psychiatric medical conditions? If physical, do the medical conditions impact one’s ability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job? Does the job itself – the Position Description – require physical demands which are impacted by the particular medical conditions? If psychiatric, have the proper treatments been engaged – have psychotropic medications been prescribed? Have psychotherapeutic interventions occurred?

Proper medical documentation is important to the foundation of compiling an effective Federal Disability Retirement application. Note the distinction between proper “medical treatment” and “medical documentation”. Such a distinction is not to be easily overlooked. For, while one’s treating doctor may be the best Orthopedic Specialist in the world, or a top-notch Neurosurgeon, if that same doctor is unwilling to formulate and take the time to write a thorough, proper medical narrative report, then such specialty of knowledge and expertise are ineffective in preparing and submitting a Federal Disability Retirement application.

A Federal Disability Retirement application is a paper submission. Thus, as part of compiling the Federal Disability Retirement application, the two most important components are: (1) Supporting medical documentation and (2) The Applicant’s Statement of Disability (Standard Form 3112A, both for FERS and CSRS employees). As a paper submission, with no clinical examinations by a doctor at the Office of Personnel Management (the Agency which reviews and decides on the approval or denial of all Federal Disability Retirement applications under FERS or CSRS, both for Federal employees and Postal employees), the description of the medical conditions, the impact of the medical conditions upon one’s inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job – all must be effectively conveyed in the medical narrative reports, as well as in the Applicant’s Statement of Disability. Thus, knowledge is the path to success, and such knowledge must be adequately and descriptively conveyed to the Office of Personnel Management.

Note the important distinctions between a Federal Disability Retirement application and applying for OWCP (Worker’s Comp) benefits. Worker’s Comp is not a retirement system; its purpose is to temporarily compensate an injured worker for the purpose of rehabilitation and eventual return to the workplace; causality of the injury can be an important issue; and the person who seeks compensation from Worker’s Comp may be subjected to examination by a doctor who is not your treating doctor – what is often termed as a “Second Opinion” or “Independent Medical Examination”, and further, by a “referee” or Third Opinion doctor. Also, one should not be surprised if OWCP sends a nurse to visit with you during your clinical meetings with your own treating doctor.

One question which is often asked is whether a particular kind or type of medical condition “qualifies” for Federal Disability Retirement benefits. OPM Disability Retirement is not so much concerned with an official diagnosis; rather, what is the greater focus in Federal Disability Retirement cases involves the underlying symptoms of the medical condition (or conditions), and their impact upon one’s ability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job. Thus, some common physical conditions may include (but are not limited to): Cervical, Lumbar or Thoracic disabilities; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Plantar Fasciitis; Migraine headaches; Systemic Lupus; various Cardiac problems; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; Parkinson’s Disease; Fibromyalgia; and many, many more medical conditions. Note that the importance of such medical conditions are not so much the “official” diagnosis; rather, what is important are the symptoms which then impact one’s physical inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job.

Similarly, in psychiatric medical conditions – from Major Depression, Anxiety, Panic attacks, Agoraphobia, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – to paranoia, ADD, ADHD, Schizophrenia, suicidal or homicidal ideations: the cognitive dysfunction, the inability to focus, concentrate, be able to perform cognitive-intensive work, or work which requires daily and sustained focus and attention, are the important focal emphasis of the medical conditions described and delineated.

Ultimately, it is the cumulative knowledge of multiple factors which will ensure the success of a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS or CSRS submitted to the Office of Personnel Management. Knowledge is obtained through a combined synthesis of knowing the medical conditions, obtaining the proper medical narratives and documentation which will enhance the viability of one’s Statement of Disability, as described in Standard Form 3112A. As knowledge is the path to success, so proper knowledge of the medical issues, the legal tools, and the gathering of effective documentation will provide for greater success in getting an approval of a Federal Disability Retirement application.

It takes guts, insight and decision to choose to become a business owner and to help you might want to consider some ideas from the secrets of truly successful people.

Running a one-person organization is an imaginative, difficult and flexible way to become your own employer and chart your success in life, to be and prosper in good health with vibrant over-all well-being.

It is about developing a life, as it is about making a living.

From the relatively safe cocoon of the corporate world, where paychecks get here regularly, you might otherwise be thinking about venturing into the unchartered territories of an entrepreneurial service.

Is there a method to figure out whether you can adopt the success habits and be an effective business owner, or you are better off to work for someone else?

Most effective business owners share this bundle of qualities I will mention today.

To attain the kind of success and a prosperous life that you want, you need to dream big.

I mean, you need to have big dreams for yourself – which you desire to be someone rich, satisfied or popular deep within to your inner-most-core.

You need to have a clear vision of exactly what you want to accomplish.

As you read along and absorb what this article offers you, keep in mind this principle from the text of the Course in Miracles stating, “When you have accepted your mission to extend peace you will find peace, for by making it manifest you will see it.”

Effective business owners who have the secrets of successful people possess an attitude of openness and spiritual growth.

Yes, it takes tons of faith that you can have what you want if you can merely imagine it as the primary step on the path of action to acquiring it.

Management gurus have taught us the power of visualization – seeing yourself in your mind as having accomplished your dreams.

Visualize yourself signing books for a crowd of people who have actually lined up to have your autograph, if you desire to be an effective writer and author of helpful books and more.

If you want to be rich, see yourself in glamorous surroundings holding a fat savings account, and the procedure of picturing success for you should be a consistent activity!

True Belief

You have to believe that you will be prosperous in life every waking hour.

An individual self-improvement coach shared her little secret to help her constantly picture her objectives and goals for the moment: when opting for climbing up the stairs instead of an elevator, recite your objectives with every foot step upward you take.

If you desire more money, say within yourself, “I will have the resources I need,” in every action of the stairs.

This technique will strengthen your objective and keep it fresh in your consciousness.

Be passionate and enthusiastic about the process with exactly what you do. You begin a business to change any or all part of your life.

To achieve this personal transformation, you have to establish or reveal an extreme, individual enthusiasm to the secrets of successful people and change the things that are holding you back so you may live life at your full potential.

Real Passion

Previously I discussed wonderful free information online in the form of e-books and videos about manifesting the life you truly want.

Success in life comes easily if you love exactly what you do.

Why is this?

It’s due to the fact that we are more unrelenting in our pursuit of objectives and goals about things that we like and adore.

If you dislike your job today, do you believe you will ever be successful at it? Not in a million years!

You may plod along, even end up being skilled at the jobs, but you will never be a terrific success at it.

You will achieve peak efficiency and do what you have to do to prosper just if you are doing something that interests you, or something that you want and appreciate to extend, to where it helps others in some manner.

Business owners who practice the secrets of successful people do not mind that they are putting in 80-90 hours a week to their company due to the fact that they absolutely like what they do.

Success in life is all about persistence and diligent work, which can just be attained if you are incredibly passionate with your activities, and even with the not-so-fun little details we must address.

Focus on your Strengths

Let’s face it; you can not be everything ALL THE TIME to everybody. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses.

To be reliable, you need to determine your strengths and focus on it. You will end up being more effective if you are able to transport your efforts to areas that you do best.

In business, for example, if you know you have excellent marketing instincts, then harness this strength and make complete usage of it.

Look for assistance or support in areas that you might be horrible at, such as accounting or bookkeeping.

To change your weakness to strength, think about taking hands-on learning more about your inner Self, perhaps begin a collection or library at home or office with personal transformation videos, books, CD’s, and so much more.

You will need to learn to be ALL YOU CAN BE!

Never dwell on Failure

The late Wayne W. Dyer, said something like, “It is not in the nature of your inner real Spirit to begin by quitting.”

By the way it was Wayne Dyer who inspired me on my own writing career, and I tell that story in my books.

As an entrepreneur, you need to completely be occupied on your goals and objectives, and of the secrets of successful people is in ‘knowing’ you can do it.

Believe that exactly what you are doing will contribute to the improvement of your environment and your personal self.

You should have a strong faith in your concept, your capabilities and yourself. You need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have the ability to acknowledge and fulfill them.

The more you can develop faith in your capability to attain your objectives, the more rapidly you can obtain it.

Your confidence needs to be stabilized from the pitfalls of calculated threats that you need to take to achieve higher rewards.

Effective entrepreneurs that own the secrets of successful people are those who evaluate and minimize lacking thoughts and fear of failure in the pursuit of revenue.

Plan Accordingly

You have a vision, and you have enough faith and love in yourself to think that you can attain your vision.

The Course in Miracles teaches, “Only love is strong because it is undivided.”

Do you know ways to get your vision to become a reality in the material world by using the power of manifestation and reflection principles?

To accomplish your vision, you need to have concrete objectives that will provide the stepping-stone to your ultimate vision.

Put your goals in writing; not doing so just makes them as intangible fantasies.

You have to prepare every day in such a way that your every action contributes to the achievement of your vision.

(Please note I suggest searching the web for further helpful material on topics like, a deep exploration of the millionaire habits and how successful people grow.)

To happiness and success in your life!

THE DPA METHOD FOR SUCCESS

The “DPA” Method mean (Decision, Planning and Action.)

It’s very important for any success do this DPA method by sequencing.

1) DECISION

That’s the big reason why some succeed and other fail.

The great majority of people have a dream to be successful, but just few of them achieve their success. because the main difference between them is the decision.

The unsuccessful person are just want to, intend to, hop to and pray to without make a decision!

They will still wait until death if they don’t make a clear decision for their dream or goal, and then go to the next step.

Decision mean I decided, mean I decided, mean I decided.

BONUS TIP:

When you decide to achieve a goal, don’t tell anyone. but you can tell someone a few steps of the goal if you see that person can help you.

2) PLANNING

After you have been decided your dream or goal by power and focus, you should make this goal clear by make a plan detailed. This plan detailed must include six points.

1- Goal defined by sentence start with “I”

Example:

I write a book of creativity

2- Goal defined by KPI key

Example:

I save ≥ 1,000 dollar

≥ is a KPI key

You can use (≥, ≤, <, >).

3- Goal defined by deadline and sub-deadlines if necessary

Example of goal defined by deadline:

I buy “this car” by day/month/year

Because: “A Goal Is A Dream With A Deadline.” - Naboleon Hill

Example of goal defined by deadline and sub-deadlines:

I write “this book” by day/month/year

I write down the mind-map of “this book” by day/month/year

I write the first part of “this book” by day/month/year

Because: “Nothing Is Particularly Hard If You Divide It Into Small Jobs.” - Henry Ford

4- Goal defined by obstacles that can stop you from achieving this goal

You must define the obstacles, then discipline yourself to avoid this obstacles by learning, improving your skills, work smart and hard.

5- Goal defined by key support

Key support can be knowledge, information and skills you need to success on each step of your goal.

You should improve the skills that will help you to achieve your goal faster than any other way.

So, don’t forget to discipline yourself on learning every day, improving your skills and yourself every day.

And key support can be help and cooperation. that’s who you’ll need to achieve your goal like your family, friends, customers… Then ask yourself this question “What I need to do for them to help me?”

You can help them by satisfying their needs, wants and solving their problems. Then they will be happy and wants to give back your good deeds by help you.

6- Goal defined by all tasks you need to achieve this goal

The tasks must be include all steps of learning, training, planning and working.

Then organize all tasks by priority and sequence. and write monthly plan in the beginning of each month. And weekly plan each weekend, and daily plan before day start.

“Setting Goals Is The First Step In Turning The Invisible Into The Visible.” - Tony Robbins

3) ACTION

And then you should take action by now, by what you have now and by where you are now.

Take action and go to achieve your goal by self-discipline and focus, with step-by-step.

“Take quality and quantity, work smart and hard, discipline yourself on each one single task.

And when you achieve your success, don’t forget to help others by anything you have.”

Thank you for reading my words.

We often hear or read about various success stories. But what is success and what criteria should organizations use to identify success? What factors lead to a successful project? The purpose of this article is to define project success criteria, clarify their difference with success factors and analyse their importance in project management methodology.

One of the vaguest concepts of project management is project success. Since each individual or group of people who are involved in a project have different needs and expectations, it is very unsurprising that they interpret project success in their own way of understanding (Cleland & Ireland, 2004, p2). “For those involved with a project, project success is normally thought of as the achievement of some pre-determined project goals” (Lim & Mohamed, 1999, p244) while the general public has different views, commonly based on user satisfaction. A classic example of different perspective of successful project is the Sydney Opera House project (Thomsett, 2002), which went 16 times over budget and took 4 times more to finish than originally planned. But the final impact that the Opera House created was so big that no one remembers the original missed goals. The project was a big success for the people and at the same time a big failure from the project management perspective. On the other hand, the Millennium Dome in London was a project on time and on budget but in the eyes of the British people was considered a failure because it didn’t deliver the awe and glamour that it was supposed to generate (Cammack, 2005). “In the same way that quality requires both conformance to the specifications and fitness for use, project success requires a combination of product success (service, result, or outcome) and project management success” (Duncan, 2004).

The difference between criteria and factors is fuzzy for many people. The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary describes a criterion as “a standard by which you judge, decide about or deal with something” while a factor is explained as “a fact or situation which influences the result of something”. Lim & Mohamed applied those definitions to project success and illustrated the difference as show in Figure 1. It is clear now that critical factors can lead to a series of events which ultimately meet the overall success criteria of the project, so they shouldn’t be used as synonymous terms.

Success Criteria

Many lists of success criteria have been introduced in the previous decades by various researchers. Primal success criteria have been an integrated part of project management theory given that early definitions of project management included the so called ‘Iron Triangle’ success criteria – cost, time and quality. (Atkinson, 1999, p338)

Atkinson continues that “as a discipline, project management has not really changed or developed the success measurement criteria in almost 50 years”. To meet the urgent need of modernizing the out of date success criteria, he suggest the ‘Square Route’ (figure 3) success criteria instead of the ‘Iron Triangle’, where he groups the criteria that other academics have proposed. The main change is the addition of qualitative objectives rather than quantitative, namely the benefits that different group of people can receive from the project. These benefits are seen from two perspectives, one from the organisational view and one from the stakeholders view. It is obvious that each part will have benefit differently from projects. For example one organisation can gain profit through achieving strategic goals when a project is completed and at the same time these goals have a serious environmental impact in the stakeholders’ community. This means that a successful project must bargain between the benefits of the organisation and the satisfaction of end users. The fourth corner of the ‘Square Root’ is the Information System which includes the subjects of maintainability, reliability and validity of project outcomes.

One of the “Square’s root” corners, organisational benefits, drew much attention because of it’s significance and it was further analysed. Kerzner (2001, p6) suggests three criteria from the organization perspective in order for a project to be successful. The first is that it must be completed “with minimum or mutually agreed upon scope changes”, even though stakeholders constantly have different views about projects’ results (Maylor, 2005, p288). Second, “without disturbing the main work flow of the organization” because a project has to assist organisation’s everyday operations and try to make them more efficient and effective. Finally, it should be completed “without changing the corporate culture” even though projects are “almost exclusively concerned with change – with knocking down the old and building up the new” (Baguley, 1995, p8). A project manager’s main responsibility is to make sure that he delivers change only where is necessary, otherwise he is doomed to find strong resistance from almost all organisational departments (Kerzner, 2001, p158) which ultimately could lead to project failure.

A more structured approach to project success is grouping the criteria into categories. Wideman (1996, p3-4) describes four groups, all of them time dependent: “internal project objectives (efficiency during the project), benefit to customer (effectiveness in the short term), direct contribution (in the medium term) and future opportunity (in the long term)”. The characterization of ‘time dependent’ is based on the fact that success varies with time. Looking at the future benefits of the organisation can be really difficult, because in some cases they don’t even know what they want, yet is vital to know what the project is trying to achieve after completion time so that success criteria are clearly defined in the early stages. This is quite a different approach, because the focus moves from the present success criteria to the future, in a way that a project can be unsuccessful during execution if it is judged by criteria like cost and quality, but in the long term it can turn to be a thriving story. A good example of this hypothesis is hosting the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, which received mass criticism both during the planning period, due to delays in construction time, and when it was finished, due to huge cost. But the benefits that Greece will gain from the Olympic Games can be fully understood after 5 or maybe 10 years from the hosting year (Athens2004.com).

All the above success criteria “should be simple and attainable and, once defined, they should also be ranked according to priority” (Right Track Associates, 2003). Straightforward criteria are easy to understand by everyone involved in the project and therefore commitment is guaranteed. Unrealistic criteria can put a ‘failure’ label on many projects because of the unreachable standards, can generate low team esteem and team performance in future projects and finally generate unfair disappointment among stakeholders. As for priority issues, it is inevitable that things will go wrong and the project manager will be in a tough situation where he must make the right decision having in mind that he has to sacrifice the least important success criterion.

Success Factors

As mentioned earlier, “success factors are those inputs to the management system that lead directly or indirectly to the success of the project or business” (Cooke-Davies, 2002, p185). Some project managers “intuitively and informally determine their own success factors. However, if these factors are not explicitly identified and recorded, they will not become part of formal project management reporting process nor they become part of the historical project data” (Rad & Levin, 2002, p18). Belassi & Tukel (1996, p144) classified these factors into 5 distinct groups according to which element they relate to:

1. The project manager

Having a project manager is not going to guarantee the success of a project. He must have a number of skills to use during the project to guide the rest of the team to successfully complete all the objectives. In the 2001 CHAOS report (The Standish Group International, 2001, p6), business, communication, responsiveness, process, results, operational, realism and technological skills are mentioned as some of the most important skills a project manager should have to deliver success. However, more resent research by Turner and Muller (2005, p59) has concluded that “the leadership style and competence of the project manager have no impact on project success”. It is very interesting to investigate why a highly respectable professional body for project managers published such a contradictive position. A possible answer could be found in the fact that project manager’s results are difficult to prove and even more difficult to measure. If the project is successful, senior management will probably claim that all external factors were favourable. On the contrary, if it turns to be a failure, project manager easily becomes the scapegoat.

2. The project team

Project managers are very lucky if they have the option to choose their project team. More often, their team is inherited to the project from various sectors of the organisation. It is vital to have a good project team to work with, with core skills that can be evolved to core competences and capabilities for the whole organisation. All members of the project team must be committed to the success of the project and the overall mission of the company. Apart from their skills and commitment, project team members should have clear communication channels to access “both the functional manager and the project manager within a matrix organization. Effective management of this dual reporting is often a critical success factor for the project” (PMBOK Guide, 2004, p215).

3. The project itself

The type of a project underlines some factors that are important to success. For example, if a project is urgent, the critical factor in that case is time. The Wembley stadium is expected to be fully operational due to May’s 2006 FA Cup Final and that is the primary target. However, the increase of cost “that has thrown the management’s calculations out of kilter” (Evans, 2005) was not a big issue at that time. The size, value of a project and it’s uniqueness of activities can be a puzzle for the project manager who is used to planning and co-ordinating common and simple activities (Belassi & Tukel, 1996, p144).

4. The organization

Top management support is the principal success factor for many independent research groups (Tukel & Rom, 1998, p48) (CHAOS Report, 2001, p4) (Cleland & Ireland, 2002, p210) (Tinnirello, 2002, p14) , which means that no project can finish successfully unless the project manager secures true support from the senior or operational management. It is extremely difficult to work in a hostile environment where nobody understands the benefits that the project will deliver to the organisation. “Stakeholder management and contract strategies (number of and size of the contracts, interface between the different contracts and the management of contracts) are separate success factors which are also considered part of organization issues” (Torp, Austeng & Mengesha, 2004, p4).

5. The external environment

External environment can be the political, economic, socio-culture and technological (PEST) context in which the project is executed. Factors like the weather, work accidents or the government’s favourable or unfavourable legislation can affect the project in all of its phases. “Note that if a client is from outside the organization, he should also be considered as an external factor influencing the project performance” (Belassi & Tukel, 1996, p145). Competitors should also be accounted as external factors which can undermine project success because the original project could be overshadowed by a more glamorous and successful project launched by another organisation.

Conclusion

It is critical for a project manager to understand what the stakeholders consider as a successful project. In order to avoid any surprises at the end of the project, there is an urgent need to identify the different perspectives of what success means before the project goes live. It is also vital to remember that success criteria are the standards by which a project will be judged, while success factors are the facts that shape the result of projects. Success criteria have changed considerably through time and moved from the classic iron triangle’s view of time, cost and quality to a broader framework which include benefits for the organisation and user satisfaction. An additional framework to capture success criteria depending on time was also described. As for success factors, they were grouped into five distinct sets and the literature views were find to contradict on the issue of how critical a project manager is to the final success of the project. A common factor mentioned by many authors is senior management support for the project and it is recognized as one of the most important factors of all. In conclusion, early definition of success criteria can ensure an undisputed view of how the project will be judged and early detection of success factors will guarantee a safe path to deliver success.

References

1. A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2004, 3rd Edition, Project Management Institute, USA

2. Atkinson, 1999, Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, its time to accept other success criteria, International Journal of Project Management Vol. 17, No. 6, pp 337-342, [Electronic]

3. Baguley, 1995, Managing Successful Projects: A guide for every manager, Pitman Publishing, London UK, p8

4. Belassi & Tukel, 1996, A new framework for determining critical success-failure factors in projects, International Journal of Project Management Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 141-151, [Electronic]

5. Cambridge University, The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, UK

6. Cammack, 2005, Principles of Project Management – 1st session, MSc in Project Management, Lancaster University

7. Cleland & Ireland, 2002, p210, Project Management: Strategic Design and implementation, McGraw-Hill Professional, USA

8. Cleland & Ireland, 2004, Project Manager’s Portable Handbook, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, USA, page 210

9. Cooke-Davies, The “real” success factors on projects, International Journal of Project Management vol.20, pp. 185–190, [Electronic]

10. Duncan, 2004, Defining and Measuring Project Success, Project Management Partners, [Online], Available: http://www.pmpartners.com/resources/defmeas_success.html , [2005, Nov.4]

11. Evans, 2005, Overdue and over budget, over and over again, The Economist Jun 9th 2005, [Electronic]

12. Kerzner, 2001, Project Management – A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling, 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York

13. Kerzner, 2001, Strategic planning for project management using a project management maturity model, Wiley & Sons, New York, page 158

14. Lim & Mohamed, 1999, Criteria of project success: an exploratory re-examination, International Journal of Project Management Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 243-248, [Electronic]

15. Maylor, 2005, Project Management, Third Edition with CD Microsoft Project, Prentice Hall, UK, p288

16. Rad & Levin, 2002, The Advanced Project Management Office, St.Lucie Press, USA, page 18

17. Right Track Associates, 2003, Defining project success, [Online], Available: http://www.ittoolkit.com/cgi-bin/itmember/itmember.cgi?file=assess_pmsuccess.htm , [2005, Nov.5]

18. The official website of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, [Online], Available: [http://www.athens2004.com/en/Legacy] , [2005, Nov.6]

19. The Standish Group International, 2001, Extreme CHAOS: The Standish Group International, [Electronic]

20. Thomsett, 2002, Radical Project Management, Prentice Hall, USA, page 16

21. Tinnirello, 2002, New Directions in Project Management, Auerbach, USA, page 14

22. Torp, Austeng & Mengesha, 2004, Critical Success factors for project performance: a study from from-end assessments of large public projects in Norway

23. Tukel & Rom, 1998, Analysis of the Characteristics of Projects in diverse industries, Journal of Operations Management, Vol 16, pp43-61

24. Turner & Muller, 2005, The project manager’s leadership style as a success factor on projects, Project Management Institute, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp 49-61

25. Wideman, 1996, Improving PM: Linking Success Criteria to Project Type, paper presented to the Southern Alberta Chapter, Project Management Institute, Calgary Symposium

Everybody likes success in their life. However, Success is not a fairy tale that revolves around the element of miracle and imagination. Rather, a person has to pass through the realities of life to understand what is success. As the two eyes are essential for biological life, there exist three ‘I’s which are indispensable for successful life. Certainly, the possession and employment of them ensure achievement and contentment of any individual. They also help to bring discipline and efficiency in all walks of our life. The three ‘I’s are discussed hereunder.

Interest: A person should develop the interest in whatever he does. Else, not only the efforts and time spent will be in vain but breeds discontent among the surrounding people. In the same way, over-enthusiasm is also not preferred. Maintaining the interest in anything needs grit and tenacity of the person.

Initiative forms the second step in reaching the desired target. Having interest alone does not suffice to get the result. One should take efforts to plan well and expend the resources, including the time and faith in others. Moreover, one must take new and consistent steps to overcome any foreseeable adversities. Remaining optimistic with a positive mindset tends to produce new ideas.

Involvement. This is the crucial stage for guaranteeing success, and it refers to ‘Staying alert and sticking to the set course of actions.’ In case of any setback or deviation, there will not be any loss of interest or initiative. Rather, the determined mind keeps faith and moves ahead with confidence. Because Persistent efforts produce success ultimately.

Simply having interest wouldn’t yield results unless a person takes concerted efforts to stick to that and continue in that direction without any loss of focus. The effects of the three ‘I’s can be understood with an example.

A gardener keeps working without bothering about who visits the garden and how much wages he gets. Because he has a deep interest and attachment to the task and takes all initiatives to grow all species of plants and trees. His involvement in the garden is immense that he never feels it as a work or duty but enjoys it. Naturally, the owner of the garden is not only bound to appreciate and reward his sincere servant but bears the responsibility to take care of the welfare of the gardener.

Success by itself cannot be the life but sweetens the latter. Anything that helps in the spread of peace and happiness in the world amounts to success.

Growing your own Japanese Maple from seed is a very rewarding experience. What could be better than to watch a seed sprout and become a little twig, then grow to be a beautiful tree? The secret to starting you own tree from seeds, is something called stratification. This is where you trick the seeds into thinking they have gone through a freeze/thaw cycle; also known as winter. Here are 5 simple steps to get you on your way:

1.  Start with fresh seed. Fresh seed increases the likelihood that the seeds will be viable. As a seeds ages, the chances of it germinating goes down. Gathering seeds from a local tree is a great way to ensure you start with fresh seeds, but be sure to ask permission first! When the seeds have turned reddish-green they will be ready to harvest. One thing to remember with ANY Japanese maple seed: there is no guarantee that you will get the same color tree as the one the seed was picked from. A seed from a Red Japanese Maple will usually be red, but there is also the possibility it may be a cross between a red and green tree, which may produce a tree that has traits from both parents. But this is the exciting part; your tree will be one of a kind! You can also purchase small quantities of seeds from Ebay, but be sure to confirm they are the current years crop.
2. Determine what your zone’s “last frost date” is. This is the day in the spring that it is usually safe to begin to plant gardens. In Maine, it is usually just after Memorial Day. Now count backwards 120 days. This is the approximate number of days the seeds will need to germinate. This is the date you will start the stratification process. You may find that some seeds don’t sprout until much later than the 120 days, but be patient, some seeds are just late bloomers, or is it sprouters?
3. On or around the date you determined in step 2, Fill a cup with hot water from your faucet, but do not use extremely hot water. If your hot water steams when it comes out of the faucet, it may be too hot. Just adjust the temperature with cold water.  If the water is too hot, it will kill the seeds. Do not overfill the cup, you need room to add the seeds. Dump your seeds into the cup, and let everything sit for 24 hours.
4. Most of the seeds will now be at the bottom of the cup. The seeds have absorbed water and have now started the germination process. Remove these seeds, and place them in a small baggie that contains moistened sand, peat, vermiculite, or a combination of them. The exact mix is not extremely important, just be sure it is moist and not wet. Personally, I have had better luck with vermiculite, and it is easier to find the seeds when it comes time to plant them, but go ahead and use what is easiest for you. Poke a few holes in the baggie with a fork to allow air to circulate. Place the baggie in the refrigerator. I place mine in the door, or crisper. Be sure to place them somewhere that you can see them. You will need to check on them every so often, and if they get shoved behind something, you may forget. Check the baggie occasionally to be sure the sand, peat, or vermiculite is still moist, and add water if needed.  Opening the bag to check the moisture also exchanges the air in the bag, which help eliminate mold and fungus. If mold or fungus is present, don’t panic. Simply rinse the seeds with a 50/50 mix of water and Hydrogen Peroxide, and place back in a baggie with fresh, moist sand, peat, or vermiculite.
5. As the seeds begin to sprout, you will see small white “tails” coming from the seeds. You are getting closer to growing your tree! You can choose to plant the seeds outside after the last frost, or use the method that I have found works best for me. Either way works, but I have found that I don’t have a lot of control over the weather, and it occasionally doesn’t cooperate. There have been times that my seeds were ready to plant outside, but the ground was still frozen. Not much I could do about that! I decided to plant the seeds in individual Peat pots. You know the ones; the ones that swell up when you add water. Poke a hole in the top of the pot with a pencil, and place the seed in the hole. Keep the pots moist, but not wet. This method gives you a little extra time for the weather to cooperate. Be sure to give the plants plenty of light when they start to develop leaves. I use a fluorescent light suspended above the plants, but a bright window works just as well, and be sure to rotate the plants if they begin to bend towards the light. One other thing to watch for is something called damping off. This is when the plant dies and rots near the soil line. It is caused by a fungus that lives in the soil, and  is usually from lack of air circulation and over watering. If I find seedlings that exhibit damping off, I remove them from the area to reduce the spread, and adjust air flow with a fan, and reduce the watering frequency.  When you can work your soil outside, simply plant the pots in the ground. I plant mine in a bed that I made to grow the plants for a while until I can re-pot them to sell. For the seeds that have not germinated, plant them in a shaded bed approximately 3/8 deep, watering them occasionally. Leave them until the next year, and see if any have sprouted.

New Japanese Maples should be shaded for the first year or two to minimize the likelihood that they will be scorched by the sun. For small quantities of plants, you can build a small cage of lattice that will provide shade. For larger quantities, lattice suspended above the plants on a frame of wood or cement blocks is an option, but a piece of shade cloth may be a better option. After the plants have grown for a few years, they can be transplanted to their permanent home. Be sure to dig and transplant the trees after they are dormant to ensure their survivability.

Congratulations! You now have a beautiful Japanese Maple that you can enjoy for years to come, and you even get to tell everyone who comments on it that you grew it yourself!

Is there actually any difference between a prosperous man and a successful or rich man? Or are they mere synonyms? If they are different which group should a Christian belong to? Which should reflect in a Christian? I would like to make an analysis with the Bible and on that base we could differentiate and draw a conclusion.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shall make thy way prosperous and then thou shall have good success.”

Joshua 1:8(KJV)

We could see it is God’s will that we be both prosperous and successful as we abide by his word daily. We could also say that prosperity is different from success or riches but they are related as the bible also made us to understand. What is then the difference between this two? Is it possible to be rich and not be prosperous or is it also possible for one to be prosperous and not rich? Who is a prosperous man? These questions would be answered from the Bible.

“With God you will be both prosperous and you will have “good” success. But without God you can be only be successful”.

In the book of Luke 16:19-31 Jesus gave us the parable of a rich (successful) man and a beggar called Lazarus. The man was successful, he had wealth but was not prosperous because his riches were not affecting the lives of the needy or the poor, his wealth was for him alone and for whom he dimmed fit. He was only a rich man.

“And the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man; and he was in his master’s house. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper”.

Genesis 39:2-3(KJV)

Joseph was a prosperous man but he was not rich materially at that time and because he was prosperous his master’s house was blessed. If you see a prosperous man, the blessing of the Lord in his life will radiate and affect the lives of others positively. Prosperity and success (riches) is not limited to material (Money) and tangible things, you could be rich in talents and so many other useful things but the fact still remains that you should affect lives. A prosperous life blesses the lives of other with what God has given him/her.

“When riches or success are used to bless lives to the Glory of God it becomes prosperity”.

Point 1

Riches or success could be gotten from God or by man but prosperity is only from the Lord. For a man to be prosperous he must abide by God’s word Joshua 1:8. The bible said and the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. Prosperity here should not be confused for influence.

Point 2

As Christians we should use whatever God has deposited in us to bless others. This is when we will be recognized as prosperous.

Vince Lombardi’s Nine Principles of Success:

“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” Vince Lombardi

1. Commitment- “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” Vince Lombardi. Lombardi goes on to state, “A winner must be committed to discipline, committed to sacrifice and self-denial, and committed to hard work.”

How committed are you? If you are an athlete, are you the first one at practice, and the last one to leave? If you are part of an organization – are you making sure that you efforts are helping the entire organization? Are you willing to jump in and help others even when “it is not my job.” As an educator, do you take the time to visit with other teachers in your field – learning ways to make yourself more valuable in the classroom? Are you willing to WIT? Whatever it Takes to be successful?

2. Truth- “In football and business, a leader must be honest with himself and the people he is working with. Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences and endowments of the human mind.” Vince Lombardi

Are you being honest with your greatest fan and your strongest critic – yourself? Are you doing the things on a daily basis that will allow you to do more, be more, have more? Or, are you being dishonest to yourself and those who count on you on a daily basis? With today business ethics or lack of ethics, people are looking to be able to deal with reliable, trustworthy individuals and organizations.

3. Excellence- “If you demand perfection of yourself, you’ll seldom achieve it. Fear of making a mistake is the biggest cause of making one. Instead of pushing for perfection, relax and pursue excellence.” Bud Winter

Lombardi stated, “No one is perfect. But boys, if you’ll not settle for anything less than the best, you’ll be amazed at what you can do with your lives. You’ll be amazed at how much you can rise in this world.”

Perfection rarely happens…it is the perfect game thrown by a baseball pitcher, but requires the help and support of his teammates. It is a 300 game in bowling, rarely reached by anyone but the best bowlers. It is the hole in one in golf…a feat rarely accomplished. However the pursuit of excellence should be a goal we all seek.

4. Results- “Winning is not everything, but making the effort to win is.” Vince Lombardi

Hall of Fame basketball player, Bill Walton, stated this about winning- “Winning is about having the whole team on the same page.”

In team sports, there is usually one team that wins, and one team that loses. The team that plays together can often overcome a lack of talent to be successful. A team with lack of character may win games, but will not be successful in the long run, and success will be short lived.

We always set goals for our teams, and winning were not a major goal. We felt if we could reach the majority of the goals set for every opponent, the winning would take care of itself. We wanted results. We wanted improvement each and every time out. What is it that you expect for yourself and your organization?

“There is no limit when no one cares who gets the credit.” John Wooden

5. Passion- “I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it.” Gayle Sayers

Are you passionate about what you do? Do you have the first one to the office, practice field, classroom mentality, or are you dragging in as things are starting? Do you believe in what you are doing, in your teammates and/or co-workers, do you have it in your heart, your mind, and in your soul – and are willing to take no excuses from yourself and your teammates? Does that fire burn deep within you?

“There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything. I do, and I demand that my players do.” Vince Lombardi

6. Habit- “The difference between a successful person and others in not a lack of strength, nor a lack of knowledge, but rather the lack of will.” Vince Lombardi

It has been said that doing the same thing today as you did yesterday and expect different results is a definition of insanity. Habit is an act that we repeatedly do. It can be good or it can be bad. Psychologists estimate that 90% of the things we do is habitual. Think about it, starting with your morning routine, and ending to when you retire at night. There are hundreds of things you do the same way every day, often without thinking about them.

Robert Ringer, author of Million Dollar Habits states-“Success is am matter of understanding and religiously practicing specific simple habits that always lead to success.

7. Mental Toughness- “If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head, and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.” Vince Lombardi

You often hear coaches tell their players, “We have to be mentally tough.” Just what is mental toughness? It is one of those words that are difficult to explain. I think my definition of mental toughness is- proper mental and physical preparation that enables you to forget the price- the sacrifices that you must pay for success. It is the thing that allows us to climb off the mat one more time after we have been knocked down. It gives us the ability to strive on inspire of the hurt and the pain that we may be experiencing. It is what allows us to rebound from temporary failures that life sends our way.

When I was coaching, we were down 92-75 with five minutes left in the game. I called a timeout and asked my players how much gas they had left in the tank. I knew the other team was tired. I needed them to tell me that they could reach down inside – give it their all for the remainder of the game. We began to press. Our frame of mind is we were not going to lose. The gap closed, slowly at first, and then like someone had opened the flood gates, we were magically back in the game. With :08 seconds left in the game we hit a three to send it to overtime. Our opponent was spent……but mentally we were ready for the challenge. We wound up winning the game 119-111 in overtime.

8. Discipline- “Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.” Julie Andrews

Normally when we hear the word discipline we associate it with punishment. According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, discipline can be defined as: to train or develop by instruction or exercise- especially in self-control; to bring a group under control. George Washington stated, “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”

For most of my coaching career, I did not saddle my team with rules. Our basic rule was to be where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it – and doing it to the best of your ability. By following that simple set of rules, my players graduated, for the most part grew into the individuals I can be very proud of today.

9. Perseverance- “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” Calvin Coolidge

Persistence and perseverance may be the single most common quality of successful people. They refuse to lose, to give up. They know the longer they hang in there, the greater the chance for success. Thomas Edison failed to invent the light bulb over 1000 times. When asked by a reported how it felt to fail so many times, Edison responded he didn’t fail, he discovered ways not to invent the light bulb.

H. Ross Perot, Texas billionaire and former presidential candidate says this about perseverance- “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.”

There are going to be times when it isn’t easy. People will doubt your ability, your effort, or your value to the organization. They may not believe in your dream, or have the same passion you do. They may think you are over your head or over the hill. What if Kurt Warner had believed all of the things people were saying about him before the Arizona Cardinals run toward the Super Bowl?

I have been fortunate to know some people who have overcome tremendous odds to reach their goals. Kevin Saunders, bronze medal winner in the Para-Olympics (Barcelona, Spain) wrote a book about his journey title appropriately enough, “There’s Always a Way…Never Give Up!

I leave you with this thought- “The power to hold on in spite of everything, the power to endure-this is the winners quality. Persistence is the ability to face defeat again and again without giving up-to push on in the face of great difficulty, knowing that victory will be yours. Persistence means taking pains to overcome every obstacle, and to do what’s necessary to reach your goal.” Anon.

Having your own commercial cleaning franchise may seem like a very promising idea, but it involves careful and strategic planning and decision-making in order to maximize your business’ growth potential.

And the first key decision you have to make is choosing the right commercial cleaning franchise.

Some franchises promise high return on investment, while others promise full advertising support. While these factors are definitely very important they are not so powerful in isolation. You have to look for a franchise that offers you ‘the full package’ before you can make your decision.

Here are the key success factors you need to pay attention to that will help you make a success of any commercial cleaning franchise.

1. The Overall Reputation of the Cleaning Business.

This makes a lot of common sense. If the franchise has a good reputation with its existing customers, you will have a much easier time getting clients of your own in your area.

You can use client testimonials and referrals to help you get started, then form your own loyal client base to keep bringing in new clients.

2. Business Development Support.

It’s important that the franchise owner gives you 100% support to ensure that your business will have long-term success. Business development support includes: training and seminars, giving advice on which locations are best for you to set up your business in, and comprehensive market research statistics.

3. Marketing Support – Expertise and Materials.

Successful franchise owners provide adequate advertising support to franchisees. You should look to be getting pre-defined marketing materials for all necessary mediums – online and offline. These marketing materials should have been tried and tested ready for you to just customise and use straight away.

This minimizes your risk of spending a lot of money on working out what marketing works in your area and what doesn’t.

4. Detailed and Tested Business Processes.

This is critical! If you are looking to buy a commercial cleanining franchise, you must make sure you are getting good usable processes with the business package. These are the things that will enable you to “hit the ground running”.

Processes create a fail-safe environment, and allow you to get on with the more important things in your new business – like getting clients – as opposed to having to worry about teaching your employees the correct way to clean a kitchen…

5. Business Goals Alignment.

You and the franchise owner should work towards achieving a common business goal. Remember, it’s ultimately a joint venture – both of you have high stakes on it.

Look for a franchise owner who immediately conveys his long-term plans with you. This means that the franchise owner is not looking for a ‘quick buck’, but is rather confident about the long-term success of the business.

6. Customer Support.

Although customer support is often overlooked, it is one of the critical elements in choosing the best commercial cleaning franchise.

Does the customer support immediately respond to your queries? Does the customer support attend to your needs? Since customer support is essential to this type of business, the franchiser should set an example.

Having your own commercial cleaning franchise requires hard work, motivation and determination. In return though, you’ll get financial freedom and the opportunity to create your own future, as opposed to working for someone and relying on their ‘good grace’.

If you spend good time preparing and researching the different aspects of owning a business, you should increase your chances of success.