Project Management – how important is it anyway?

Well, if you’re reading this, you were intrigued enough by the first installment of this blog to come back for more. Last time, I promised to fill you in on why Project Management is so important for customers and for the companies that provide it. The first lesson in effective project management is delivering on promises, so, here goes.

The Executive Summary:

Project Management is important for customers because it helps ensure they get exactly what they asked for—delivered on time and on budget.

Project Management is important for companies because it helps them organize workflow to maximize capacity. This affords the opportunity to take on more business at higher profit margins, all while increasing customer satisfaction.

I know – that’s boring, so let me use an example to illustrate…

Imagine you just retired and found the perfect piece of land in Montana to build your dream home on. While picturesque, lush, wooded, and secluded, it is 38 miles from the nearest electrical substation, county water, and sewer service.

Can you see the dilemma emerging?

How will this work? Do I need a windmill? Where will we get our water? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea – doubt creeps in. Do you just move to Florida like everyone else?

You know where to start: breaking ground. You also have an idea that the project ends with an inhabitable structure that doesn’t require walking to the local stream to get water, or worse, an outhouse – bet that isn’t part of your dream. What separates you from your dream is all the work in-between.

Who is going to organize the thousands of details and tasks required to get this Project done? Who is going to monitor progress and ensure things are getting done on time and on budget. Who is going to administrate the contract between you and the builder to ensure both of you are treated fairly and the end result is what was agreed upon? Who is going to create the boundaries with you, the homeowner, so when you change your mind every five minutes there is a rational person talking sense to you tying everything back to the budget and the timeline? What processes and methods will they employ, and what budgeting and tracking tools will they use?

Do you expect that one of the numerous subcontractors working on the Project will be responsible for all of this? Will they manage themselves? Well – decide if you want to retire on that land or be buried on it, because if you don’t have someone acting as a Project Manager applying Project Management Tools and Techniques, that just may be what happens.

Ok – I realize that’s a little exaggerated, but anyone who’s had remodeling done or a house built gets the point.

When it comes to any Project, organization, coordination of efforts, and accuracy do not just magically happen; someone is behind it – that person is the Project Manager. And they are utilizing a vast array of tried and true Project Management tools, techniques and methodologies, along with perpetual analysis and reporting to keep the train on the rails.

I’ll end with this - Project Management is critically important to all facets of business because we live in a world that revolves around efficiency and the bottom-line. Project Management is all about doing things better, faster, and cheaper. Given the current state of the global economy, there has never been a more relevant time then now to reap the benefits of properly executed Project Management.

Check back in a few weeks - next time I’ll talk about how to determine what a Project actually is. 


-Steve K.

Someone You Can Count On...

When it all goes wrong--all at once--and you are in way over your head, you need to be able to rely on someone that you know will get the job done. A single point of contact. Someone who is competent and will execute according to what is necessary to get things back on track. Relationships like these are very hard to come by and are becoming more rare as the technology in our lives gets more complicated.

If a company could offer this type of individual service--a professional relationship that allows me to lean on one person for support, before, during, and after my purchase--they would have me as a customer forever. Lets run with that for a minute...

Being able to offer this "one-neck-to-choke" is nearly impossible these days. With broadening product lines and incredibly demanding timelines, it seems like one person just can't handle the entire spectrum. Some companies have totally given up on the idea altogether. It's too expensive. Furthermore, where do you find even one person that has the capacity to fulfill this role, let alone an entire team.

Well, it wasn't easy. But, we found them and we offer them to our customers every day. Our K-20 account managers master this task. Their passion is education and their gifting is in building and keeping relationships. Driven by their desire to take care of each customer's needs, they continue to improve the services we offer and forge new friendships.

Our unique company culture of customer centricity is understandably attractive to clients, but also has been the focal interest of so many talented professionals. Without giving too much away, this is how we do it: We care. We want to help you and grow to be that person that you can always count on. On an individual basis, we strive to cover every angle to ensure that everything goes according to plan. However, when crisis rears its ugly head, you can depend on us to be there for you.

The SALTO Virtual Network

Violence on school campuses around the nation has created an urgent need to find the best solution for protecting students and faculty. Because campuses have a constantly changing population of students, faculty and visitors, adequate access control—controlling who has access to building entrances and interior doors—becomes the linchpin of school safety. Access control systems can provide the structure and security to deter problems before they occur.

However, traditional hard-keyed locks are inefficient and costly, requiring complicated systems of multiple locks and keys for different levels of access, as well as requiring the expensive and time-consuming re-keying of locks when a key is lost or stolen. In addition, it’s almost impossible to track who has accessed any door at any given time.

Electronic locks have addressed many of the problems of hard-keyed systems, but they present their own set of challenges: hard-wiring each door is often prohibitively expensive, and they still require door-to-door visits to re-program each door’s lock or to pull data on access. As a result, standard electronic locks are typically found only in corporate settings.

In response to the shortcomings of both systems, educational facilities across the globe, as well as security-conscious facilities such as Heathrow Airport in London, have turned to SALTO Systems for their unique solution to security needs. The SALTO Virtual Network offers all of the advantages of standard electronic locks, with increased efficiency and much lower overall costs. Users’ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards, which communicate data over a series of online “hotspot” locks and offline electronic locks, link the network and transmit data back to the central terminal that maintains the network. This immediate communication means that lost or stolen cards can be deactivated and new cards activated instantaneously, doors can be locked or unlocked with the click of a button at the terminal, and audits of door access can be run in real time. If a visitor needs access to only certain doors, their card can be restricted to open only those doors. Access can even be restricted to a certain time limit, after which the card automatically becomes deactivated.

Because the interior door locks communicate wirelessly over the network, interior door locks do not require hard-wiring, which makes installation quick and inexpensive. Whereas a hard-wired electronic lock can cost between $3000 and $4000, the SALTO system costs approximately $750 per interior door. Because cards can be deleted from the system immediately, there is no need to re-key locks when a card is lost or stolen, or when a faculty member leaves, which saves schools’ money in the long term. The wireless nature of the system also allows enormous flexibility in coverage. A series of data relayers, in addition to the RFID cards, makes it possible to control access for any number of doors over any area of campus, no matter how large the size.

Kevin Shupenia, Chief Operating Officer of Logical Choice Technologies, explained why working with SALTO was such a natural fit. “With our teams installing equipment in schools on a regular basis, we’re well-versed in the challenges that schools face with security. I knew that the SALTO Virtual Network was something that schools would be enthusiastic about.”

For more information, visit www.logicalchoice.com.

- Brian B.

How Summer Killed the Projector

During the Summer break, it is easy to forget about projector maintenance. After all, very few people are in the building and most units are not being used. However, it is during these quiet Summer months, LCD projectors are most vulnerable to damage.

With no movement in the classroom and air conditioning units turned off, dust will gather on the top and inside of the projector. Dust will continue to amass all Summer long. When the projectors are finally turned on in the Fall, the small internal cooling systems will instantly choke on the accumulated dust. Often, air filters are left quite dirty at the end of the semester. The additional dust collected through the Summer dormancy finds its way past the filter and directly in contact with sensitive mirrors and lenses. This results in a hazy, distorted image as well as brightness and color degradation. In many cases, this can also damage the cooling fan and lead to overheating and a shorter lamp life. 

Most manufacturers consider damage caused by dust to be a maintenance issue, which is not covered under their warranty programs. In cases like these, they will charge for cleaning and repair.

Fortunately this scenario is easy to prevent, with a little help from your friends in Customer Care. 


Step one: clean your filter. We cannot stress this enough. Get up there and clean it. When in doubt, clean it out. There is no such thing as cleaning your filter too often. Before you start up your projector for the first time of the semester and before you say goodbye to it for vacation, clean the filter. OK...I think you get the picture. Clean your filter.


Step two: bag it before you go. You can protect the projector from dust by sealing a plastic bag around the whole unit. There is no need to dismount the projector for this. Most trash bags will work perfectly; just use masking tape to seal the bag and hold it in place.


Step three: clean your filter.


We hope this helps. Let us know what you think!


-Luke B.

Project Management – you’ve heard the term before but do you really know what it is?

Let’s start with the basics…the formal definition given by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is below (PMI is the organization responsible for creating and maintaining the global standard in Project Management methodology).

Project Management - “is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements.”

(PMI*, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 4^th Edition, p. 6)

Now let’s put it in layman’s terms…when Project Management is applied correctly, it’s a lot like cooking a great meal. To do it well, you need to know what ingredients to add, how much of each, what temperature to set the oven or stove, how long to cook it, when to stir it, turn it,  or baste it, in conjunction with the correct timing to do so, and so on.  The cook did not just slop together whatever was lying around the kitchen; they took calculated steps at precise times to ensure the food tasted, looked, and smelled exactly as one would ideally expect it to.

It’s no different with project management – there are specific steps and processes that must be utilized at specific times.  For instance, you have to get the right people in the room before you can gather requirements. You have to gather requirements before you can write the scope. The scope of the project must be written up before you can faithfully estimate the material and labor required to achieve your goals. Of Course, you have to estimate the material and labor to set the budget…and it goes on.

In essence, like cooking, Project Management is as much an art as it is a science. 

Hopefully this has sparked your interest.  Stay tuned for the next installment when we’ll cover what makes Project Management important for customers as well as providers.

- Steve K.

Conquer Illiteracy, Fight With Tools

Letters alive™ has been our pride and joy. Having the opportunity to design software using cutting edge technology is the dream of every young programmer. But, building something so revolutionary that fills a need in the foundation of our educational system--this has purpose. Kids need help.

Literacy has always been an issue. The mastery of which opens doors to new ideas and innovative thinking. If we can find a way to conquer illiteracy in our global community, imagine what lies ahead. 

We believe we have found a path toward this goal. By engaging students in a way that captivates their attention, we can defeat illiteracy. Integrating technology into a lesson is not enough, we needed to build from the ground up. We incorporated methods that work like phonics and flashcards, however, we started with the technology that we know will grab their attention. Most importantly, we used teachers and early reading experts to help design the curriculum. This is how we know it will be successful for your class and for your students.

ABC recently reported on Letters alive™. What an honor. Take a moment to see what they had to say. 

If you believe, like we do, that this will have a positive effect on the literacy rate in our youth, please join us in sharing this on whatever social media platform you subscribe to.

ABC News | Reading software that will change the way students learn to read - FOREVER http://t.co/CucgaHZ #LettersAlive

If you want to add this curriculum to your classroom, click here to visit our Web Store designed specifically for Educators.

Thank you for your support! 

Don’t be caught in the dark...

Nothing is worse than not having light when you need it. In today’s classrooms, we rely heavily on our technology. If the technology goes down, the classroom is crippled. Educators depend on their projectors for presentations. If the light bulb goes out, the projector is useless and the teacher’s lectures are interrupted and far less effective. 

To prevent this unfortunate occurrence, most projectors have been outfitted with a warning light. This light is connected to a timer and is designed to turn on when the projector lamp is approaching the end of its expected life. Since most projectors are mounted in the ceiling, it is difficult to read the labels describing the function of each indicator light. However, if you know where to look, you won’t have to climb a ladder just to identify your indicator lights.

The warning light on a Promethean projector is the yellow colored light next to the power indicator. If you see both a green and a yellow light next to each other, it is time obtain a replacement light bulb for the projector. You can buy replacement lamps by visiting our Web Store here.


- Luke B.