Craig Brown writes a blog at BetterProjects.net. Craig and I are regular readers of each other’s sites and now we are having a conversation from site to site.

Dear Craig,

A while ago we were discussing the idea of a project shrink: "A person is engaged by a project manager on a part time basis to help the project manager see above the day to day drams and look at the big picture." Projects are complex, the speed is amazing, the information overwhelming, a project shrink would assist in reflection and guidance. "With a project shrink I was thinking more along the lines of relationship therapy. Without having all details, you can improve a situation by means of having guided counseling."

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In Paris I tried to order some croissants in a bakery. I spoke slowly "six croissaints", pointing to the crummy broad. The woman behind the counter looked at me like I was insane. After 7 times repeating this act, she responded "Ah… croissants!"

Photography by LongHornDave.

I went to a customer a couple of years ago and I tried to explain him the steps to be taken to install his new system. The guy worked for over 30 years in this industrial company, and had worked his way up from bottom to the top. I rolled out my A3 Gantt chart. He looked at the sheet, tore it apart, took a small piece of paper and a pen, asking me: "what do you want me to do?"
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[sarcasm]

The professionals enter the building, their suits, hair and shoes all shiny and stuff. They roll out their charts, the flashy binders, and difficult words. They are very expensive, so they must be good.

Photography by AnyJazz65.

They try to avoid too much contact with the users; the dinosaurs that perform the "normal" work, not the divine "project" tasks. When talking about the users, the professionals always lower their voices, they almost whisper. "They are all nice people, but not as smart as us."
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Craig Brown writes a blog at BetterProjects.net. Craig and I are regular readers of each other’s sites and now we are having a conversation from site to site.

Dear Craig,

Of course, we do need more than training alone to improve Project Managers and everyone else involved in projects. From the top of my head: "discipline". You can train as much as you like, but if you drop everything you learned the moment things are getting a little tough, there is no use. Especially in PM, it is tempting to cut corners on documentation, taking minutes and communication in general, when the pressure is on. But we all know that the first things we drop, were supposed to avoid the bad situation in the first place. So, if you ask me what more is needed, that would be my first answer.

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It's time for a reader suggestion thread and today's question is:

What is the best advice you can give to project managers supervising offshore development projects?

Please place a comment with your tip on managing offshore development. It might be the importance of communication; it might be the need for bridging cultural differences. Don't hold back.

As a little incentive I will give an ebook version of my book "Surprise! Now You're A Software Project Manager" to the most original entry (so make sure you include your email address in the comment box - closing of entries is July 1st). Sorry, closed.