A survey of standard wording in Product Line Manager (PLM) job postings reveals the following skills and attributes:

Project planning

Organizing

Team motivation and delegation

Budgeting and data analysis skills

Understanding and experience with related business

Goal oriented Customer service

Documentation skills

Team player

Written, verbal, and communication skills

Organizational skills and attention to detail

Time management skill

Ability to work tight deadlines

Fast learner

Ability to work independently or in a group.

All of the above are important, but do they really describe what is ideal for a project manager or do they actually describe what is ideal for every single employee. I suggest the following attributes to be as important as, or rather, more important than the above attributes:

Care deeply about the company and that it’s products are of high quality and technically sound.

Defines the product accurately and ensures that it performs according to its intended use.

Makes sure that during the planning stages and during the lifetime of the product the right people are involved in making decisions.

All decisions gauge the impact the decision will have on the customer.

Understands all aspects of how the product works, how it is manufactured, and how the client uses it.

Understands the company and ensures that all new products fit within the companies business model.

Understands “the law of compensation” and balances company goals with speed and quality constraints.

Takes initiative to solve difficult problems: whether happening with existing projects or if they would require a new project. Does this before executives realize there ever was a problem.

Shares victory with the team, accepts accountability for failures alone.

All vision setting keeps the business in mind.

The business is to manufacture and sell high quality product for a profit.

Steps to Quality Project Management

Make sure that the company does not see project managers as paper pushers and meeting setters. Instead, project managers are seen as a means to enable the best, most productive, and enjoyable work. This is done by enabling full team cooperation in all facets of a project / product by accurately communicating the vision and goals of the product and explaining the value of its existence. Team members consist of all departments and are allowed to input their viewpoints on aspects of the product that effect their departments. Goals are established and team members are given “ownership” of the goal. The time of product to market decreases because all affected parties are developing materials related to the product during its development.

Product design. Questions to be answered: What is the purpose of the widget? Who will use the widget? Why will they want the widget? How will we sell the widget? How is success measured? Do we release by a certain date, or when minimum specs are met? Do we keep to a maximum cost, or do we exceed costs if necessary to meet specs. Does the widget fit with the company goals, and existing products.

Goals are defined in the beginning, during, and at the end of the product life cycle. Goals are defined by actual use by the potential customer Market surveys. Existing and upcoming regulations. Experience of experienced staff. Communication with known experts. Desired final outcome including product life.

Teams. A team is an assimilation of ideas working together for one common goal and that goal is to produce a product that will benefit the buyer and provide both the buyer and the seller with a profit. A team consists of Product Line, Sales, Marcom, Manufacturing, R&D, Service, Tech Support, and Accounting. Including everyone in the team and assigning each member of the team set goals brings product to market faster, trains the sales and service faster, ensures that there is a marketing message established upon release, and guarantees that products are developed to suit the needs of the customer. Success is measured by Success. If the product is a useful quality instrument that performs adequately and allows the client to save time and make a profit then it is a good product. If the product is a good product that can be sold at a profit and is in high demand it is successful. If a product is successful then the company is successful. Hence, success is measured by success.

What makes a good PLM? A good PLM must be observing and able to draw inferences about all possible effects of decisions made. A good PLM must assimilate knowledge and be able to accurately organize, and measure that knowledge objectively into something that is useful. A good PLM translates ideas into tangible objects that increase the value of existing products or turns an idea into something completely new. The good PLM realizes that it is impossible to conceptualize a product without knowing its demand so that learning about the product and its uses never stops.

Since innovation involves risk, the good PLM must be willing to take risks, and must be willing to accept responsibility for the inevitable failures that result from risks taken. The good PLM must have accurate knowledge of all products and processes of the product, and must have an uncanny knowledge of the uses of the product, both past, present, and future. The good PLM must be a team player and readily accept the ideas of others because no one person can know everything. The good PLM recognizes the strength of the mastermind and allows the team to submit ideas and follow these ideas through to their physical form. The good PLM shares all success with the team publicly.

Are you looking for a special way to surprise your friends, loved ones or business associates? Then you should making use of these special presentation boxes. Gifts are a special way to appreciate people and also show them how much you love them. Using these specially customized boxes will not only enhance the value of your gift items, but also make the recipient value them the more. These presentation boxes, tell a lot about your personality. They show how loving and caring you are, to those that are special to you. They also expose your creativity to your friends. You can come up with any special design or color combination that you want to have. You can decide to add some artistic and vibrant looks to your presentation boxes. All of these, makes them special.

Modern technology and man’s desire to live a better life has made it possible for us to make some advancement in technology. As a result of these achievements, it is now very possible to produce special packaging for any product that we can think of. Printing companies have made some improvements lately. They now use special printing techniques, both for colors and shaping of the boxes. The presentation boxes can be made very unique and special. You can customize it to any shape or size that you want, to complement your gifts. You can start to decorate these boxes, both from the inside to the outside. For the inside of these boxes can be embellished with a special lining. The lining you can use can be of either card, linen satin or ornamental bordering material. You can also add some special feature like a decorated mold, just to fit in your item in them.

Manufacturers have made some tremendous improvements, when it comes to creating presentation boxes. These experts are more of fancies and special designs that can create a lasting impression in the minds of the recipients. Before you make up your mind, concerning the styling of your presentation boxes, you should be very conscious about the theme that you choose for your packaging design. The appearance of these boxes, should go in accordance with the event they are meant for. Take for instance, if you want to present gifts to your colleagues in a business meeting, you should make sure that your presentation boxes are specially customized to look professional and elegant. If they are also to be given away on a musical concert or a movie theatre, you can provide a style that is hip and somehow funky.

Professional printing companies are very informed when it comes to making suggestions, concerning the design of these boxes. They know the type of design that will match your gift items, as well as how to customize it to suit your events. If you are having your birthday party coming up, this is a special way to make your event unique and fantastic. You can customize it to any desired shape, size or add special lettering to make them catchy peculiar to that event. The presentation boxes are very cost-effective but yet have great value and use. Get experts that knows what it is to make every gift that you present to someone count, and you will be glad you did.

Many people have lost their jobs and the problem with the credit crunch has made it harder for people to get more credit. If you have this problem financially, you may have to ask for some help with your debt. By using negotiation, you may be able to help yourself to get out of this debt problem.

There are lots of ways to negotiate a lower rate for your credit card debt. If your debt has be already been moved to one of the third party collection companies because of lack of payments, it will be easier to negotiate with them. The reason it is easier for you is they have less money to lose, because they probably bought your debt for pennies on the dollar. You will have to call them to explain your problem and once they realize your are willing to pay them something , they will be a bit nicer to you. You may be able to reduce a balance of $3,000 to $1,500 with a lump sum payment. I know $1,500 can be a lot money, but negotiating debt down takes lump sum payments.

The most important thing for you to remember, is to be talking to the person whom is authorized to do this. Make sure of this before starting your negotiation. The first person who answers the phone will not be authorized to make the deal with you. You will have to ask for the manager or the account supervisor. Keep insisting on this no matter what they tell you. If you should strike a deal, ask for the offer in writing and tell them once you receive the offer, you will send them the payment by register mail.

If the above route is too much for you, I have something else. These credit card companies and collection companies will negotiate the fees they charge. Even debt consolidation services will make phone calls to ask for the late fees to be waived. Look at this this way, even if they say no, so what? These companies will waive fees if you just ask them to. Interest rates are lowered if you just ask, sometimes it is just a point or two. That reduced in interest allows you to pay more money to the principle balance instead. You can even ask for you minimum payments to be smaller. Just remember that once you renegotiate something, you have to keep up with whatever deal you made or chances are, it will revert back to a much higher rate and payment.

So lets recap what we have just read. Third party collection companies my be easier to negotiate with, because they bought your debt for pennies on the dollar. When you are trying to strike a deal make sure you are speaking with someone who is authorized to do so. Even if you can not negotiate your debt down, the fees would probably be easier to renegotiate than the balance owed. Once you make a deal, do not break it or everything may revert back to higher rates and fees.