My discussions in the past few weeks have been centered on project management so that’s what I’ve decided to write about for this post.

It’s inevitable that some projects will have more than one project manager during their lifetime. Some longer projects could take upwards of 6 years and in this day and age the reality is people may decide to move on to new roles sooner rather than later. So here’s my questions is it easier to kick off a project or take over mid way? There are so many factors to consider when answering this question but let’s give it a try.

One of the many challenges of kicking off a project is getting all the resources and SME’s commitment.  Some may say that this commitment has already been established when the new PM steps into the role. The reality is people see this as their way out and may pull a fast one on the new PM.

A fresh pair of eyes may want to take the project in another direction but the original PM may have depleted the financial resources early on. How does someone change their strategy mid stride with tight deadlines and a restricted budget? That one is for you to answer.

Yes we’re back to this again. Will we have an accessible Ontario by 2025? That is a question that is up for debate so let’s have at it!  The answer is we don’t know yet. We do know that since the AODA became the law nearly four years ago only one of the five standards has been released.

I have been talking to many organizations that have to comply by the end of this year and the consensus is that the requirements are somewhat vague. The Guide to Accessibility Standards for Customer Service provided by the Ontario Government states that “the standard does not specify what reasonable efforts are because they may be different in each situation”. This lack of clarity is challenging and the fact that “barriers” are not defined also adds that “huh?” element. Clearly everything isn’t black and white but it seems the legislation leaves a lot up to the service provider. For instance the new feedback process is a huge step towards accessibility but the standard doesn’t outline who receives it and what should be done with it. Is anyone else getting the same impression?

We have a little over fifteen years and four more standards to plow through so it is hard to say if we will in fact reach our goal. Seems like plenty of time, but how many times have you said to yourself “time flies”?  Hopefully the next standards will roll out sooner than the Customer Service Standard.  

I’ve read many resumes in my day and I’ve attended many resume writing workshops if you will. My only conclusion is that there is no right way to write a resume. Well that’s not the only conclusion I’m clearly going to elaborate.

A resume is ultimately evaluated by a person not machine and people by nature are subjective. Certain things will pique our interest. The number one pointer out there is “quantify your resume”, which is a very valid point but does not guarantee moving to the next step in the process. If you were evaluating resumes would you have a check list of all the pointers out there that should be included? That’s what I thought.

Next item on the table, “don’t pigeon hole yourself”. Is this really a bad thing? It depends, it always depends. Is there something specific you are looking for? What level in an organization would you like to be? These are only a few questions to consider. When I look at a resume I ask myself are there transferable skills? And more specifically I’m looking for something that stands out. Play around with the format. Don’t make the reader dig out important information (oh no I just put out another “pointer”).  When I read a broad or general resume I’m not sure what the individual is looking for. Having different resumes if never a bad thing, let’s face it you don’t provide the same cover letter with every application do you? If you do that’s a whole different conversation.

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Will Ontario reach its goal of becoming fully accessible for persons with disabilities by January 2025?

An accessible Ontario has been in the works since the Harris government (a name I haven’t heard for some time). So where are we now? In 2005 the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was passed. Under the act there are five standards,

-          Customer Service Standard

-          Transportation

-          Information and Communications

-          Built Environment

-          Employment

The Customer Service Standard became the law in January of 2008. What does the standard entail? A great deal of work and here’s the catch – a fast approaching deadline. For the public sector there is less than a year left to meet all the requirements, January 2010 to be exact. The private sector on the other hand has a little more time since their deadline is January 2012. I’ve been reading the compliance manual that is provided online and I must admit it seems a little daunting from new written policies to training all your staff. What is more alarming is the general lack of concern over the standard. From the discussions I’ve had mainly with the public sector there seems to be a resounding “we haven’t started to think about it”, which worries me a little. There is however exceptions, in fact some agencies have written their policies and trained all their staff.

What if you don’t comply? Failing to meet the requirements carries with it some large fines. So why hasn’t anyone taken this seriously yet? What can I say; I don’t have all the answers.