Sharing The Point…

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Doug Miller

I don’t often advocate my personal broad public support for a new software tool or platform, but I’m going to do just that today.  Microsoft (please hold the groans) has been inundating us for years with new products, new versions, etc. that promise to enhance our productivity, communications, and general effectiveness in the workplace.  I think they tried to take credit for drinking coffee at work too – but let’s categorize that one as rumor for now.

Back in 2001 Microsoft launched a new product called SharePoint, which is a document management and storage system that integrates with MS Office.   Yes, it’s been around since about the turn of the century.  You have probably heard about it more recently as we’re in the middle of phasing out our current document management system, Livelink, and migrating to SharePoint.  As good as SharePoint is as a replacement for Livelink, for reasons I’ll leave for another day, that’s not what caught my attention.  SharePoint sites as they are referred to, present much like a browser-based Windows File Explorer tool, with folders, subfolders, and the files contained within them.  But there is another version of a SharePoint site available to us, called a Communications Site, that has me excited.  This type of site can not only function as a file management tool, but it allows content to be organized and presented to users much like an intranet site.  The opportunities to add functions to these sites and integrate with other tools right out of the box runs deep.

Some of the attributes that make SharePoint an attractive communications tool at DFCI include:

Accessible – sites can be accessed from any web browser, or the SharePoint desktop and mobile apps, utilizing your VPN connection or logging in with your DFCI credentials.  Site owners can invite individuals, groups, or anyone on the network to have access to their site.

Safe/secure – our SharePoint sites sit behind the firewall, so they enjoy the same network security we rely on for all of our critical applications and communications. (Thanks InfoSec!)

Scalable with real time updates – changes can be published in real time giving site owners the ability to add or change pages and content on the fly without the need to formally request a technical resource for assistance.  This allows sites to scale up or down quickly, and keep their content current.

Local files – storing documents, slide decks, videos, and other types of files within a site allows users to review that content without having to download the file or open in another window.  Users can interact with most content right on the SharePoint site.  Site owners can still link out to content and pages in other intranet/internet locations as well.

Ease of use – sites can look like your typical intranet page, and navigation is intuitive.  When properly planned and laid out, most users should not require any training to get the most out of a Communications site.  And you can “follow” or “favorite” the sites that interest you so they’re easy to find.

Search functionality – with a robust search function as a standard feature, running a search on a SharePoint site will bring back accurate results with no need for the site owner to optimize.  (However, optimization tools are available for those who want to dabble.)

To compliment the attributes above, there are also dozens of tools that integrate with SharePoint.  Here are just a few of the more popular:

 

MS Forms – site owners can set up intake forms to conduct surveys, manage requests, or simply create lists of data.

Workflows – SharePoint includes both customizable and built in workflows.  For example, you can create a customized process that manages the update of your department’s policy documentation stored on SharePoint, notifying participants along with the way when it’s their turn to review a document.  Other built in workflows can manage collecting things like digital signatures, feedback, or approvals from a group related to the content on a site.

Calendars – site owners can add a stand-alone calendar to organize and communicate events, milestones, etc related to the site.  SharePoint can also integrate with existing calendars from Outlook and other SharePoint sites, making it easier to share important dates across groups.

Lists – there are many types of lists that site owners can use to display and/or collect information, such as contact lists, tasks, events, and comments to name a few.  Data fields are customizable, and users can be given rights to add content or just view.

Need inspiration?  Here are a few screenshots showcasing some examples of SharePoint sites:

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sp 1

 

sp 2

sp 4

spsite1

Feeling inspired?  To create a new SharePoint Communications Site, you will need to enter a catalog request into ServiceNow.  There is plenty of instructional content online to get you started configuring your site, including on LinkedIn Learning, YouTube, and Microsoft’s SharePoint support pages.  Here’s a fun video where the site creator is attempting to build a site in under 10 minutes.

The information and examples provided here are just scratching the surface of what’s possible with SharePoint.  I am excited to see what site owners create over the next several months across the Institute!  (And maybe borrow from their creativity.)

FYI – to launch the SharePoint app click on your start menu and start typing sharepoint.  Or you can follow this link to open the IS Advisor newsletter site in a web browser:  https://partnershealthcare.sharepoint.com/sites/dfcitheadvisor

Not looking to build a site but just want to see what’s out there?  Once you open SharePoint, you can click on the little house icon in the upper left, and then use the search function to explore across all internal sites* – happy hunting!

*Results of any search will be restricted to sites and content that you have access to.  You can contact site and content owners to request access if needed.

Posted in Communication, Documentation, Fun, Innovation, Learning, Training | Comments Off on Sharing The Point…

Buying My First Rental Property

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Islam Zinxhirija

For the past couple of years since the purchase of my first home on August 2019, it seems that all my family and I have been doing is working on the house. Examples of home improvement projects are below: 

  • Remove old shelves that were throughout the living room 
  • Remove old wobbly countertop that was between the living room and kitchen 
  • Sand popcorn ceiling that was throughout the house 
  • Paint the inside of the entire house  
  • Remodel the kitchen with brand new tiles, cabinets, countertops, and appliances.  
  • Refinish hardwood flooring throughout the house 
  • Remove old hardwood floors in the first-floor bathroom and install new tiles 
  • Remodel the second-floor bathroom, starting with removing old tiles, cast iron bathtub that weighed a ton, bathroom sink, toilet 
  • Insulate the bathroom, install new bathroom tiles, walk-in shower, new bathroom sink and toilet 
  • Insulate the attic, remove the old sheetrock, and install new wood paneling throughout 
  • Create patio area in the backyard for barbecues and family get-togethers 
  • Not to mention the 50+ tons of dirt that we have removed from the backyard 
  • Install brand new plumping including a new water/boiler combo unit 
  • Install new electrical system including a new electrical panel 

Some upcoming projects we have planned are to install a new deck and make the basement a living space. The house has finally come together and the only logical choice to make now is to buy a second home and relive the fun all over again!  

So that is exactly what we did. We began our house hunting and after a couple of weeks of looking for properties, we decided to put an offer on a condo in Winthrop. Two days after we put in the offer, I got a call that our offer was accepted 15k below asking price. It was time to start the mortgage process. I reached out to three lenders to compare quotes. The first lender was the one that we used for our first property, the second was when we refinanced our home, and the third was a referral from a friend. We went with the referral because the lender gave us a better interest rate, was local, and the fees that they charged to originate the loan were minimal compared to the other two lenders. I guess we got what we paid for because although we got a better interest rate compared to the other two lenders, the process and the experience was awful compared to the previous two lenders, who were exceptional.  

The transaction started fine. The loan officer went over the preliminary numbers on the initial disclosure document with us and we signed it. Then he sent the updated closing disclosure with incorrect information, and the agreed-upon fees had changed. When I pointed it out, he said the changes would take effect on the next closing disclosure and not to worry. After a week, I reached out to the loan officer for an update. He said they were finishing the documents and getting a property appraisal done. He finally sent me the updated closing disclosure with the correct information. I asked the loan officer about next steps. He responded there would be radio silence and we wouldn’t hear back for a while because they would be working in the background to ensure that all documents and appraisal were done to close on the property. After a week, I reached out and he said all was good; they were still working on gathering all the documents. A second week passed. I texted and called but heard nothing. My email received a vacation out-of-office. The next day, I got an email from the processor assuring me that everything was moving along. She said they were still gathering all the required documents and would have the final numbers soon. A week before our closing, I got an email telling me that we had insufficient funds. She said we were short by 9k even though I was looking at my bank account and saw that I had 20k over the amount needed for the down payment. I thought to myself: This can’t be. How is it possible that I am short by 9k when I have more than enough to cover the down payment? I asked if she had the updated bank statements and transaction history and she responded yes. When I asked which month’s bank statement she had, she answered the one from May, even though it was the end of June. We had made the initial deposit for 15k in June so of course it wouldn’t appear on the prior month’s statement. Thus, their calculation was coming up short because they weren’t seeing the initial deposit.  

It blows my mind that these professionals could miss something so simple, which could cause you to default on the loan and potentially cause you to lose your initial deposit. Eventually we were able to get the commitment letter, went to the closing table, signed the closing documents, and finally got the keys to our second property. What I learned from this experience is that some of these lenders do not prioritize customer satisfaction and experience. When I think about it, perhaps when we as IT members work on projects and support tasks, we should take the time to proactively keep people informed of progress. We should also double-check our work to avoid mistakes and save our customers from frustration. By taking care of these tasks on our end, we can truly make a difference in our customers’ experience. 

 

Posted in Accomplishments, Lessons Learned | 1 Comment

From Clover to Computers: A Root Cause Analysis

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Sandie Kimball

PXL_20210627_211917948I love spending hours in my yard doing mindless tasks. One of those tasks is pulling clover out of my lawn, starting with the far-reaching tendrils and following them back to the root. This task is so satisfying that I sometimes imagine doing it to help myself fall asleep. While I’m doing this task, I also listen to programs on public radio. So it’s no surprise that 1) manicures are wasted on me, and 2) I enjoy the task of root cause analysis. 

I have been reading and listening to news stories on shortages of various things since the pandemic started. I’ve found that computer chips and glass are the new toilet paper.

One of the tendrils? Limited availability of desktop computers and laptops. How did we get here?

Root causes: 

  • The COVID-19 pandemic increased the desire for at-home entertainment  
  • The shift to working from home caused laptop sales to reach decade highs.  
  • The boom in the value of cryptocurrencies has reignited mining profitability, piling on demand for various high-end processing components. 
  • February’s power outages from cold weather brought Samsung’s Semiconductor manufacturing operations in Austin Texas to a halt until mid-March.  
  • Taiwan is also experiencing a severe drought which threatens the major semiconductor manufacturing operations in the country.  
  • The US-China trade war has also seen Chinese companies, such as Huawei, stockpile chipsets and other components throughout 2020 and into 2021.

According to an article on “Android Authority”, the situation in the PC market is in tough shape, with little sign of improvement until late 2021 or even 2022. “Reputable retailers are listing PC products well above the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), due to a combination of higher component costs, shortages, and the end to tariff exceptions in the US.”

Another tendril: limited availability of computer monitors. Why? Computer monitor screens are glass . . . 

According to one article, glass manufacturers worldwide slowed their production volumes as the Coronavirus pandemic hit.  

Root causes: 

  • Restrictions in East Asia to tackle pollution caused by energy-intensive glass manufacturing  
  • Two of the UK’s biggest lines will be shut down for cold maintenance programs.  
  • Furnaces (I find this one the most fascinating)
    Regular daily production volumes can easily achieve thousands of tons, thanks to furnaces. These furnaces are designed to operate 24/7 without interruption or supervision. Maintenance and repairs are a must for glass melting furnaces, as over time the productivity and quality on the glass line deteriorate.For the cold repair technique, the furnace must be cooled and completely emptied. Cold repair allows detailed repairs and renovations to be made, but this method forces an interruption on production. 

    Cold repair requires a lot of planning, due to the running times being between 12 to 20 weeks and are scheduled years in advance. The cost and complexity of the plans are so fundamental that once planned, it’s almost impossible to re-arrange.

Of course, determining the root causes of the technology product supply and demand situation will not make these products available any faster; we can’t just dig out the roots. However, it does help to be able to explain these root causes to people who ask how we got here. Either it makes them feel better, or they tune me out halfway through the explanation. 

Posted in Planning, Risk Management | 3 Comments

Cost Management Lessons

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Meagan Turner

Ever since my niece graduated high school (Class of 2020!! Woo woo!) we’ve begun chatting more frequently in lessons that we jokingly have labeled “How to Adult”. Sometimes the sessions are quick text exchanges about topics like ‘What is excise tax?’ or ‘what is an APR?’, and sometimes we need to Facetime to dig into things a little more complex or intricate like ‘What is credit?’ or ‘What is the difference between grants and loans’? Her generation is very adept at Googling things, so I think she prefers the banter and explanations, plus I enjoy seeing glimpses of her life and evolution into a young adult. I would imagine her leap into independence will at first be in spurts, and then all at once. It’s quite fun to witness and influence as an aunt, but I bet it must be quite terrifying as a parent.

In a recent episode of ‘How to Adult’, she was trying to determine what kind of car to get and wanted me to help her estimate costs. Don’t worry, I’m not about to break down a math word problem where we factor in distance from work and hourly rate, but it certainly does resemble one of those complicated formulas in real life. We went over how to think about the costs of owning a vehicle, determining what charges would be one time vs. recurring ones. At the end of the chat, she had a good idea of how much she needed to save to purchase, register, and insure her car in year one, and how much she needed to save monthly to pay for her car in subsequent years.

Afterwards when reflecting, it was hard to ignore the direct tie into the Project University Cost & Procurement Management class. I had been working on a newer version of this class in recent weeks. I would be the first to teach the class after a long hiatus. I was refreshing the materials to match my approach to the topic and needed an example for Cost Management. The concept of the car, and the process to estimate the potential costs, can easily be applied to projects and work we manage here.

I ended up using her example in my upcoming class and it went over really well. As I hoped, it helped facilitate the cost management process in a simple and concise way. Perhaps some additional sneaky project management training with my niece will become a recurrence and I’ll have unlimited fodder for my upcoming classes. I’ve long since said that project management skills are beneficial life skills to have. Maybe she was listening.

If you’re interested in taking our Cost and Procurement class through Project University, we will be offering it in September of 2021.

Posted in Cost management | 2 Comments

The Joy of Turning Corners

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Ron Munroe

It seems like we’re turning a couple of corners. Early May had been raining and a little cool. But this past week the weather has turned summer-like. I saw a weather forecaster say that mid-May is often when the Spring takes on a different character; it gets warmer and drier. That sure seems to be the case now. It feels good. I’ve been drawn outdoors and am going on long walks more often. It makes me look forward to the summer more.

I anticipate the summer for another reason. The excellent vaccination program is making a measurable difference. With the pandemic shifting into another phase, life may be closer to normal this summer. I’m reminded of a blog post from April 2020 by a member of our group, Dimitri. It was called “The Day that We Get Out” and he anticipated the activities that he really missed doing and would immediately do again once the pandemic restrictions were lifted.

Well, yesterday (5/17/2021), Massachusetts announced that the restrictions will be fully lifted on 5/29/2021 and I can similarly look forward to things that I’ve missed and can resume SOON.

My favorite activity that I stopped doing during the pandemic is eating at restaurants. I used to go once or twice a week and really liked going to higher-end ones on special occasions. In the past 15 months I ate at a restaurant just once. I look forward to getting back to my favorites and dining at a nice one for the next birthday celebration.

I’m not a big shopper anymore so I was a little surprised that I started to miss going to local stores. I simply have not gone to anything other than a grocery store during this period. I just bought things online or deferred the purchase, sometimes denying myself the enjoyment of spontaneous buys. I’m looking forward to going to the Apple store to see their latest stuff in person, and then buying some running shoes to replace the ones that are falling apart.

I used to go on trips every year or two. During the pandemic, I’ve missed planning for, anticipating, and going on the next trip. Even though air travel has been considered safer in recent months, I didn’t want to chance it. I finally scheduled a trip in the Fall. Feels good.

I don’t go to beaches a lot, but when I do, I like it to be relaxing. Last summer it was not. Beach parking lots were operating at a much-reduced capacity and it was an ordeal to find a parking spot. And the beaches were still sufficiently crowded that it was hard to maintain the right distancing. Eventually I stopped going. I look forward to this summer being back to normal.

I guess those would be my favorites.

The Spring is starting to feel a lot like Summer, and the pandemic restrictions are soon to lift. What a nice couple of corners to turn!

Thanks for the idea, Dimitri. It was a pleasure copying you!

Posted in Fun, Motivation | 1 Comment

Best practices for designing business dashboards

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Spyros Potiris

For the past few months, a small team within Information Services (IS) that I am a member of has been working on developing a business dashboard for the department. The dashboard will provide its users, in this case IS leadership and key stakeholders, with a simple, high-level view of valuable data and trends that display the status of the department, shed light on its performance compared to strategic goals, and reveal potential areas for improvement and growth. In fact, the term ‘dashboard’ originates from the automobile industry and is a metaphor for a car dashboard which allows drivers to monitor the status of a vehicle and its major functions at a glance, through a combination of visual gauges and displays.

To develop the IS dashboard, our team needs to first determine which metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to include and create a data model to collect this information on a regular basis. Even though we are still early in the development process, one element that appears to be particularly important is the visual design of the dashboard. According to experts, while the right dashboard can enhance visibility into the department, promote transparency, and raise awareness, a poorly designed one could make the data less comprehensible than it was originally, failing to convey meaningful insights. Since design is so crucial to the effectiveness of dashboards, I wanted to share some best practices that have come up in my research.

The five-second rule

A dashboard should provide relevant information on the most frequently asked business questions in about five seconds. If the viewer must peruse the information for minutes, this could indicate a problem with the dashboard’s visual layout. Of course, more detailed investigation for deep insights and comparisons could take longer, but the most important metrics should immediately pop from the screen.

The inverted pyramid

It is important to organize dashboard content in a logical way so that it tells a story. One useful organizing principle is the inverted pyramid, which originated from the world of journalism. In news reports, content is divided into three sections in order of diminishing significance. The most important and substantial information is at the top, followed by the significant details that add some context, and at the bottom there is more background that allows the reader to dive deeper. Think of the headline, subheading, and body of a news article.

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The story a business dashboard tells should follow the same internal logic. The most significant and high-level insights should be at the top, the trends, which give context to these insights, underneath them, and the granular details that can be further explored at the bottom.

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Source: Ilan Hertz, Sisense

Less is more

Each dashboard should contain no more than five to nine visualizations. Cognitive psychology suggests that the human brain can only comprehend approximately seven, plus or minus two, images at one time. More than that translates into clutter and visual noise that distracts from the dashboard’s intended purpose. Clutter can be avoided by using filters and hierarchies. For example, instead of displaying one indicator for number of sales in North America and one for South America, a filter could allow the user to switch the same indicator between one and the other. Another option would be to simply break the dashboard into two or more separate dashboards.

Using appropriate data visualizations

Data visualizations on a dashboard should serve a specific purpose, conveying information in a more effective way than the basic table or grid format. Graphs and charts are intended to be more than a mere cool factor. Depending on the nature of the relayed information, different visualizations may be appropriate.

To convey a relationship, a connection between two or more variables, scatter charts, bubble charts, or network diagrams are the most appropriate.

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Source: Taras Bakusevych, UX Planet

Column and line charts can be used to compare two or more variables side by side. Helpful tips: When a horizontal or vertical bar chart is used, columns should be sorted by biggest value. Line graphs should not contain more than five lines, and bar charts not more than seven bars.

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Source: Taras Bakusevych, UX Planet

For composition, breaking data into separate components, pie and donut charts are best. However, they can be quite difficult to read when there are too many components or very similar values. It is hard for humans to differentiate values when it comes to angles and areas.

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Source: Taras Bakusevych, UX Planet

Distribution charts, like scatter plots and histograms, are very helpful in illustrating outliers, groupings, and the range of values within data.

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Source: Taras Bakusevych, UX Planet

I find these design principles and visualization best practices to be applicable across settings, and I hope that some of them will prove valuable to your department, if you are considering developing your own business dashboard.

 

Posted in Communication, Lessons Learned, Productivity, Team | Comments Off on Best practices for designing business dashboards

Digital Spring-Cleaning: How to clean up browsers

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Tate Forgey

digital-apring-cleaning-3

After an unusual mid-April snowstorm Spring is undeniably here and it is time for our annual article on performing a digital spring cleaning. Look at all the posts in this series since putting those together offers a comprehensive checklist. However, we realize it is a lot to take in all at once. So, let’s drill down on one simple area, browser clean-up.

Now more than ever we use browsers in all aspects of our digital lives. Although they may seem like simple portals to the internet, they are programs that benefit from their own de-cluttering. Some of the things that make them efficient can also bog them down without occasional maintenance. Here are a couple of things you can do to keep your browsing safe and efficient.

Manage bookmarks

Bookmarks are a handy way to access our favorite sites quickly, but they can quickly get messy and out of date. Look at all your folders and bookmarks and make sure they are still useful and operational.

How to: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

Review stored passwords

It can be convenient to have password and form data stored in your browser, but it is better to have it in a dedicated password manager. Check to make sure that there is no information you don’t want there.

How to: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

Delete Cache and history

Cache allows your browser to render pages you have already visited quickly, but when it piles it up it can slow down your computer or interfere with retrieving the most recent version of the page.

How to: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

Remove unused extensions

Every extension is a program, which could not only slow down your browser but collect information about your browsing behavior. Make sure you know what all the extensions installed on your browsers are and remove the ones that you don’t use.

How to: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

One important power tip as you are deleting bookmarks, passwords and extensions is to make sure there are no unused accounts associated with them. Now is a perfect time to delete those as well and pare down your digital footprint this Spring.

 

Posted in Productivity | 2 Comments

How an agile mindset and scrum framework can help us navigate through our new normal

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Jessica Cheng Schrepel

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the world was thrown into this new normal of stay at home, do everything here, all the time.

Early on, I cycled through the first few stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining. Global pandemic? This can’t be happening. Once spring sprung, I was depressed, sure, but then, the pragmatic me found acceptance. If I’m going to be home, here’s the silver lining: better work/life balance, fewer options, more time for home projects. I’M GOING TO “MARIE KONDO” MY LIFE! Category by category, I’m going to discard items that no longer spark joy. I’m going to create an HGTV worthy home office!

Hrmmm, where do I start? Looking around this 10×20’ multi-purpose den/storage/home office room, acceptance pretty quickly became being overwhelmed and being overwhelmed led to analysis paralysis. It was soon to be Fall, I was about to start this new job and this makeshift home office that I had grand plans to clean out and remodel still looked like an episode of Hoarders waiting to happen.

before (4)

Taking an agile mindset
As a project manager, I’ve led cross-functional teams in complex transformations. To tackle multi-faceted programs and projects, I’ve taken agile, iterative approaches coupled with a scrum framework to help teams navigate and complete work. Simply put, I’ve helped teams define a big picture goal, break down work into small, manageable pieces, empower resources with what they need and GO! GO! GO!

For any size project, planning goes a long way in ensuring successful outcomes. Not to say once you create a plan, you’re locked in. Because let’s face it, no matter how perfect you think your plan is, stuff happens and plans need to flex. So, can applying what I preach professionally help me here at home to create a highly functional home office? Let’s see…

Clearly define a SMART goal
A SMART goal is specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-based. Articulating and consistently checking back on SMART goal(s) ensures you and your team (in this case, my husband, me and the cat?) will stay on track. As unforeseen variables and obstacles are encountered, items are adjusted within the larger framework of the SMART goal.

JESS’ SMART GOAL: Transform this room into a dedicated, technology-enabled, modern home office by September 30, 2020.

Break down the work into small, manageable chunks
In project management, we call this first activity creating a work breakdown structure. For nerds like me, it’s a fun brainstorming exercise where you and your working team, with your SMART goal in mind, note what needs to be done on individual post-it notes. (Snacks are optional and highly recommended) Think of the notes as a free form to-do list, with enough detail to understand actions needed and times to complete.

backlog

You’ve created a backlog!
The backlog is a running list of things to be done. Ideas can be posted any time and range from the very tactical near term (buy paint supplies) to the longer-term bucket list (hang new blinds).

This approach helps everyone visualize what needs to be done/planned for both in the near term and the future. And, since all tasks are front and center, no one needs to remember lists of information!

Great. A pile of post-it notes. Now what?
Once tasks are noted, move the post-its around and categorize them into manage-able buckets such as:
• Now These are priority items to be completed before anything else can be done.
• Later These are critical tasks to be completed after “Priority” items are complete
• Someday maybe These are non-critical tasks and/or future items to be planned for

For this makeover, we timeboxed the project to 4 weeks and organized tasks as follows:
• Week 1 – Plan
• Week 2 – Prep
• Week 3 – Execute
• Week 4- Test/Inspect

kanban

Commit to what you and your team can realistically do
Thinking about and committing to what can be done in 1 week is less overwhelming than committing to an entire to do list in 1 month. Pulling from the prioritized backlog to create a Kanban board helps you and your team visualize and focus on near term tasks at hand.

Here, we’ve focused our first week cycle (a sprint) on planning and timeboxed ourselves to 1 week. The team decides what can be completed, by whom and adjusts as needed. As tasks are completed, post-it notes are moved from To Do > Doing > Done.

Recalibrate plan on a regular basis and celebrate accomplishments
With regular sprint cycles, progress is achieved (and recalibrated if needed) incrementally. At the end of each cycle, the team confirms tasks are completed and celebrates (we crumple the post-its with great fanfare)

done (2)

For this project, the team pulls from the prioritized backlog weekly to set up expectations for subsequent cycles. When all cycles are completed, we’ve accomplished our SMART goal and we’re ready for HGTV!

done hgtv (2)

Posted in Motivation, Planning, Productivity, Time Management, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Why Sports Matter During a Pandemic

Posted on March 24, 2021 by David Pesta

In the best of times, sports play a big role in our culture. As entertainment or an obsessive hobby, sports can be a great diversion from the more mundane aspects of our lives. Great athletes command a lot of attention as role models and celebrities. They are like royalty. You might not care about basketball, but I bet you know who Lebron James is. And it’s no coincidence that thousands of 4th graders in New England are named Brady.

During hard times such as we are living through now, sports can transcend mere entertainment and become a mirror of the struggles we all face. It’s not an original thought to say that sports heroes can be inspirational. That is a huge part of their appeal. Athletes show us how preparation and teamwork and commitment can lead to achievement. More significant to the times, sports can teach us how to overcome loss, to play through pain, and to get back up when knocked down.

These thoughts are at the forefront of my mind now after reading some sad news this weekend. Boxing legend “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler had passed away at age 66. He was one of the most dominant athletes of the 80s in any sport. Hagler was the undisputed middleweight boxing champion from 1980 -1987, an almost unprecedented title reign. The news report did not mention the cause of his death. But 66 is still pretty young for such an incredible athlete to die.

Marvin Hagler grew up in Brockton, Mass. He learned to box as teenager in a local gym above a hat store. Like the other boxing legend from Brockton, Rocky Marciano, Hagler was idolized as a blue-collar champion. There was a time when he was as big a Boston sports figure as Tom Brady or David Ortiz.

I met Marvin Hagler once in 1984 pretty much by accident. He was promoting something, I cannot remember what, at a coffee shop in the Seaport district. At the time I was interning for a professional photographer in the neighborhood and was fetching coffee for clients.

It’s a bit awkward to meet someone famous, to feel star-struck in their presence. But the Marvelous One lived up to his name; he was a cool cat, friendly and easy going. What I remember most about the encounter was shaking Hagler’s hand. It felt like a thick piece of iron wrapped in 2 or 3 layers of velvet. I could sense a dense, unbreakable lethality under his gentle grip. I get chills thinking about it even now.

I’ve previously written in this forum about boxing and my childhood worship of Muhammad Ali. Watching Ali’s matches on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” with my grandmother was a foundational part of my upbringing. Ali was always an otherworldly figure to me, part man and part god. Marvin Hagler was different but no less inspiring. To me he was a real person whom I had looked in the eye and almost spilled coffee on. I was a teenage nobody and he chatted with me like a friend.

In the ring, Hagler differed from Ali as well. He was all business, a powerful juggernaut who always seemed to be moving forward. Unlike the theatrical pomp of Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle”, Hagler’s iconic 1985 match with Thomas “Hitman” Hearns was a blistering brawl known simply as “The War”. I dare anyone to watch Round One of that fight and not be in awe of both men.

Early on in that fight, Hagler took a punch from Hearns that opened a cut above his right eye. Though the ref did not stop the fight, Hagler knew he would now have to make quick work of the equally ferocious Hearns. That cut would only get worse and lead to his defeat if he didn’t end the match quickly. Bloodied and determined, he kept coming, landing bombs while taking some direct shots from Hearns that seemed to have no effect on Hagler. In the second round, he continued the onslaught while Hearns was on rubbery legs. After knocking Hearns to the mat in the third round, the ref stopped the fight. Marvin Hagler won via TKO, technical knockout. Hearns’ trainers had to carry him back to their corner. Many in the boxing community call it the most physical fight of all time.

Hagler v Hearns 1985

Hagler in the dark trunks, Hearns in the light trunks

Re-watching “The War” a few times over the years, I marvel at the Marvelous Marvin Hagler. He was the perfect combination of power, grace, speed, and grit. It’s difficult in some moments to connect the warrior fighting on the screen to the cool dude I met that day – then I remember that handshake.

As much as I loved Muhammad Ali, when I really think about it, it’s Marvin Hagler whom I try to be like in my life and in my work. In the most difficult moments, like so many moments during this pandemic, I try to be that determined blue-collar fighter. And I believe we have seen all of Hagler’s best qualities in so many people at Dana-Farber during the past year. All around we have seen people power through tough battles, wipe the metaphoric blood from their eyes, and keep moving forward. And like Hagler, when the moment calls for it, we can forego all that power to offer a gentle hand.

That’s what sports can offer us during the pandemic: visceral, real-life examples of how to take the hits, keep on going, and achieve great things in the face of a powerful adversary.

Posted in Accomplishments, Lessons Learned, Motivation, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Finding Joy This Spring

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Theresa Falzarano

I am thrilled for the beginning of the spring season, which is right around the corner on March 20th! This past October, my family and I moved to North Andover. The former owners had planted zinnias along the front yard pathway, which lasted until the first snowstorm on October 30th. It was just wonderful to walk outside every morning and pick fresh flowers. We had such a wide variety of colors, it felt like walking into a floral shop! I am looking forward to visiting the Lake Street Garden Center Greenhouse with the kids to select a few zinnia plants for this year’s flower garden. We also saved several seeds from last year, which we intend on attempting to seed in a couple of weeks. After such a cold and long winter, I am really looking forward to the warmer days of spring when we can retire our winter coats and soak up some sunshine.

The following are some pictures of our zinnia flowers from last year’s garden:

zinnias

If you do not prefer zinnias, there is a vast array of other options to choose from.

hydrangeaHydrangeas come in many beautiful colors and are relatively low maintenance. In the past, we have made the mistake of planting the hydrangeas in a shady spot, resulting in beautiful lush green leaves but no blooms. Make sure to choose your hydrangeas’ home carefully in a nice, sunny spot.

rose of SharonOur rose of Sharon tree is right outside of the kids’ bedroom, which is extra special. This winter my son Lucas climbed the small tree after a major snowstorm, when we got two feet of snow. He enjoyed bouncing from the branches that he would not normally be able to reach. The tree survived the climb pretty well, so I conclude that rose of Sharon is rather robust.

marigoldsMarigolds are such a classic annual flower and relatively easy to grow. Not to mention they bloom all summer and the golden colors are a nice addition to any garden. One of my fondest memories as a kid is planting marigolds in the garden.

sun flowerSunflowers have always been a favorite of my kids due to their beautiful bright blooms. We are hoping to plan a few of these in the front yard this year in addition to the zinnias.

forsythiaThe forsythia is a hearty, fast-growing shrub. It blooms early in spring and brightens up the landscape being of the first blooms that pop up after the winter.

crocusAnother flower that signifies the beginning of spring are crocus bulbs.  They provide a wide variety of beautiful blooms.  I recently learned that bulbs in general can be planted in the fall and early winter when the ground temperature is in the 40 to 50-degree range prior to the first frost.

Spring represents the hope of a new beginning and we all need that given how difficult these times have been. Gardening has always brought joy to my life and I am looking forward to turning the page on this pandemic and having fun in the garden this year. I hope that you will find some joy this spring as well.

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