2. How (not) to win a contract

The second part in the series of “10 (un)common mistakes to avoid in Project Management”, is How (not) to win a Contract
The pressure to grow multifold, to get more revenue into the kitty prompts companies and business development executives to resort to "unconventional" means to procure projects.Most of us have encountered various unconventional methods used by the go getters of organisations who spare no effort in winning a project for the company.  During the initial stages of bidding for the project this often comes under the guise of agents who can "help" you to get a project. As a Business development executive this is an easy solution but you have only postponed the problem and successfully invited disaster for your Project Delivery team. Not to mention the strain it will create between you and the client as you start the project on the back foot because the client has the upper hand in this relationship. Not the best way to deliver a project. Other problems include a huge dent in your revenue as the agent is going to take away a huge chunk.
Valuable lessons to learn from such uncommon incidents :

• As a professional entity, disallow such practices at the highest levels as they are a surefire way to invite disaster. One project acquired in this fashion will wipe out the reputation earned from all your past projects. The industry in which you work is a small group and word travels fast.
• Emphasise on traditional values like honesty, integrity and hard work above all else – though they might sound archaic and old fashioned in today’s fast paced world.

"Don’t promise the impossible in a ridiculous time frame" is the third in the series. Read about the previous post here.
1. New Business Areas

Sustainibility - What it means to me.. Part 1 of n

In the past few years the word "Sustainability" has probably been the most used and abused word. Penny pinching sometimes qualifies as sustainability and at times it is deemed as "too expensive".

How can being sustainable be deemed expensive?

If you are living in the Gulf, yes being sustainable can actually mean being expensive. Let's take the case of gasoline or petrol - whatever you call it in your part of the world.

While the rest of the world is probably forming laws on car sharing and LEED gives incentives for Car pooling, reduces the amount of car parking spaces and gives a credit if you include bicycle parking, the middle east clients gawk at you if you suggest any of this. 

Fact 1: Petrol / Gas cost (per litre of course) - 100 fils for 90-octane is cheaper than a can of coke 330 ml - 150 fils

Fact 2: Public transport - almost non existent except in Dubai and parts of UAE.

Fact 3: Most of the labour (Read Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Srilankan and Filipino) is imported.

Ultimately all this boils down to the fact that you either end up buying a car or renting one. The Indian notion of trying to figure out "kitna deti hai?" (What's the average?) doesn't come into the picture at all as the measure of how much fuel one uses is not a factor of fuel efficiency but the number of trips one needs to make to the gas station. One no longer says "500 ka daalo". Its more like "Full tank please" and the maximum one would pay – depending on the capacity of your monster 's belly (gas tank) – would be in the vicinity of 5 Dinars to 8 Dinars (600 Rs – 960 Rs) for 50 to 80 litres of 90 octane petrol. A full tank would reasonably last for about 400-600 km or let's say a week of travel.

This false feeling of abundance of petrol has resulted in the following

·         Size of your ego = size of your car.

·         Most Car manufacturers have "special" models for the Middle east which have "better" airconditioners!

·         The Hummer, probably sells the maximum number of units in the Middle East.

·         You don't switch off your engine at signals and your car airconditioner runs full blast. Even if you are picking up your child from school, you would be nuts if you switch off your engine while you wait.

·         You don't hesitate to go 20 kms out of your way to pick up your veggies from a hyper market at the other end of town.

·         If you have the time, you can go home for lunch – even if you live 20 kms from your work place.

This is true for locals and expats alike.

In this scenario how can one be sustainable?