[TechRepublic] Make your first day on a project count

June 01, 2009

TechRepublic IT Consultant Trouble viewing this mail? Read it online | Manage my newsletters Welcome: newsletter Update my profile | Unsubscribe from this mail Blogs | Photos | Downloads | Forums Seven tips for making your first day on a project count IT consultants' first day onsite with a new client is often a waste. With a little planning, you can make sure that first day is productive. Get expert tips on how to prepare for a successful first day. SponsoredHow much do your peers earn? Find out on activeTechPros if you're an IT professional. * * * * * * * * Introducing activeBizPros: a salary resource for business professionals We're in the midst of building our beta community site. Come join us and help drive the salary charts. Keep IT consulting project scope small for success Negativity can kill a project, but the opposite is also true: You can stuff a project with so many features that it's crushed by its own weight. Three reasons IT consultants require minimum service fees If you're still on the fence about whether to charge clients minimum service fees, read Erik Eckel's three reasons why you should implement this pricing practice. Also, find out the one exception he makes to his rule. Unhappy client? Turn things around with this game plan Susan Harkins recommends surveying consulting clients to see if they're happy with your services. If the survey reveals a client is dissatisfied, here are steps for getting the relationship back on track. Perennial favorites Employee vs. contractor Should consultants blog? Six reasons why you might work for free What to do when you get in over your head Bookmark the IT Consultant blog Additional TechRepublic resources Managing innovative projects: Don't mistake the map for the journey Innovative projects call for innovative methods, but that doesn't have to mean abandoning the benefits gained by applying structured project management techniques. Learn why agile approaches are appropriate for creative, inventive projects. Government IT projects: Billions at risk New Congressional testimony by the General Accountability Office (GAO) reports that "352 [US federal government] projects totaling about $23.4 billion -- were poorly planned." Find out what steps federal agencies are recommended to take to improve oversight on high-risk projects. Making IT visible: 10 questions with Bob Kress of Accenture Bucking the notion that IT should operate quietly in the background, Bob Kress has worked to raise IT's profile within his organization. In fact, they've been so successful in cutting costs, improving efficiency, and increasing customer satisfaction, IT is considered a model for how all business functions should be run. SponsoredEnterprise Social Software Webcast Discover the true business value of enterprise social software plus hear about best practices from industry experts during this live interactive webcast. (IBM) Video: TR Out Loud - May 29, 2009 In typical TechRepublic Out Loud on Video (TROLOV) form, Sonja Thompson highlights the top discussions and members on the forums. And, don't forget to mark your calendar -- the big Community Event is less than one month away! TechRepublic Newsletters Get the latest community updates, product reviews, and need-to-know lists in the following TechRepublic newsletters. Automatically sign up today! Community Central Product Spotlight 10 Things White Papers from our partners How much do your peers earn? Live Virtual Conference: Lowering datacenter costs through server refresh (IBM) Downturn has you down in the dumps? Here are 10 strategies to help lift you out of it. (Oracle) Enterprise Social Software Webcast (IBM) Best Practices in Instant Messaging Management (Quest Software) TechRepublic Today Five reasons why the Palm Pre will be a homerun Palm has done a platform reboot with its new webOS, and the company is swinging for the fences with its first webOS device, the Palm Pre. So will Palm strike out or hit it out of the park? Here are five reasons why Jason Hiner expects it to be a homerun. Subscribe to the Tech Sanity Check RSS feed. Get more from TechRepublic Six tips for using Twitter as a recruitment tool Video: Three reasons why the voice of IT gets ignored 10 cool tools in Windows 7 Video: Protect your personal privacy at work AT&T makes eight promises to fix its 3G network; here's the translation On Wednesday, AT&T released a broad statement in which it detailed its network upgrade plans for the next 24-36 months and promised "to deliver considerably faster mobile broadband speeds." See the details, and what it means for the average AT&T user. Get more from SharePoint! Register for this free virtual event. On Wednesday, June 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT, get more from the leading collaboration platform - without leaving your keyboard! At this free virtual event, interact with SharePoint experts like Joel Oleson & Mike Watson, attend live and on-demand webcasts, chat with technology experts and download white papers and product information. And you can win prizes throughout the day, including SharePoint Books, gift cards and more. Don't wait. Register today for this exciting virtual event. Sign up for more free newsletters from TechRepublic. To manage your account settings or to remove yourself from all TechRepublic communications, please visit our Subscription Center. The e-mail address for your subscription is 4bloggermail@gmail.com Unsubscribe from this e-mail | FAQ | Advertise | Privacy Policy   Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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