Updated Services & Resume Page, New Release Version of Paws and Tales Games Website

Just did some clean up on the Services and Resume pages while taking a quick break from the final prepping for a new release version of the current product that I’m managing. Look for a new design, branding and features at pawsandtalesgames.com, starting June 1st, 2009. Be ready for a drastic improvement in the look and feel of the site, while expecting the same great level of functionality. From the testing feedback that I’ve been receiving over the last few weeks it’s like night and day compared to the exiting Beta version of the site. Some of the new features in the Paws and Tales Games World include:

• Updated artwork for both the website and MMOG.
• Free Games page.
• Streaming Episodes of the Paws & Tales Animated Series.
• A What’s New” Blog.
• “Questions for Cubs” worksheets that complement each episode.

Entrepreneurs can change the world

I recently had a friend tell me that in a recession war or entrepreneurship will turn things around. Here’s hoping that we choose entrepreneurship over destruction and dispair. Here’s a great short video that another friend forwarded to me this morning, it’s a great message, not to mention the motivation that you’ll suddenly have after watching it. Enjoy!

In the words of one of my old hockey coaches, “Don’t wait for the good bounces. Make the good bounces happen.”

Leading Strategic Change

Here are a few resources that I found very useful when leading projects that involve a great deal of change management, of the people variety, which is about 80% of all the projects that I’ve ever worked on.

Leading-Strategic-Change is an excellent e-book that I was given during my Six Sigm Black Belt Training from one of my favourite mentors Norm Rudd, who in my opinion is the Six Sigma equivalent to a Rockstar. If you don’t get what I’m talking about check out this intel commercial.

The book takes the reader through the three “brain barriers” that teams must overcome to accomplish a task successfully, as well as the solutions to help teams break through the brain barriers. With out giving too muchaway, here are the three brain barriers that the book outlines:

• Failure to See
• Failure to Move
• Failure to Finish

Also, if you’re really interested in this kind of thing, check out the Change Management Blog. It’s an interesting read.

CTQ’s for Heath & Fitness

According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), there is a rising prevalence of childhood obesity in most developed countries. In an article published on the 31st of March, 2009 titled Tackling the Epidemic of Childhood Obesity, not minding ones health and fitness during the course of ones life will have many short- and long-term health complications that can occur as a result. Neglecting the health and fitness aspect in life may not affect the duration in years however, it will most likely affect the quality of life during those years. However there have been several studies that show consistent exercise and a proper diet contribute to a higher quality of life.

If one was to look at health & fitness as a high priority project that, if executed well, will improve the quality and performance of the body, the body being the customer in this case, obtaining the Critical to Satisfaction (CTS), or sometimes referred to Critical to Customer (CTC) in Six Sigma circles, and then distilling the Critical to Quality (CTQ) factors would be a key step in helping to define the factors to focus on what will improve one’s health and fitness.

For arguments sake we’re going to neglect “Genetics” as a factor and focus on the variables that one can easily control.

You’re free to rate these as you’d like, or add your own, but here’s my list from top to bottom:

• Rest = 8 hrs of sleep/night
• Water = 10 x 250mL/day
• Food = 6 meals/day, consisting of 45/35/20 Ratio of Complex Carbs/Protien/Essential Fats
• Exercise = 45min of increased & sustained exertion on the body
• Sun/Fresh Air = 2-4 hrs/day
• Relaxation = 2-4 hrs/day

That’s my list. I don’t always have the opportunity to meet all of these requirements everyday, sometimes voluntary, however if there was a control panel that had six dials that represented each of the factors above I’d be dialing in to those rates every day. I guess the next step, if this were a DMAIC project, would be to perform an MSA and calculate the variability in my own measurement system, but I’ll save that for another post.