The Clever Apprentice

With bird flu dominating the news lately, it has left many
people wondering why it is such a concern. An outbreak of a
virus in Asia may seem like it would have little impact on our
daily lives; yet many people have become obsessed with the
disease. Is it possible there may be more than meets the eye
with bird flu?

Bird Flu, also known as avian influenza, is not a new virus; it
has actually been around since the early 1900’s. So why the big
scare? A particular strand of the virus, H5N1, has been
contracted by several humans, over 100 people, and led to the
death of over half of those infected. Since most of the types of
this virus only affect birds and some other animals, it was of
concern when people started contracting the disease in the first
place. Likewise, when so many people died as a result, concern
was replaced with apprehension. Now, however, an even larger
crisis may be at hand.

With the increase in the spread of the virus, many are worried
that a pandemic will start as a result - basically a global
plague sweeping across the world. Information regarding a
pandemic and other contamination issues of bird flu is available
in ebook 2 of “A Guide to Bird Flu and How to Avoid Catching
It.” For a pandemic to occur, three things must take place: a
new virus must emerge, it causes serious illness in humans, and
is easily spread among humans. The first two on this list have
already taken place. This strand of the virus is new to humans
and it causes very serious illness among those infected.
However, because the virus has primarily been passed from birds
to humans, and not by human to human contact, the third
condition has not yet been fulfilled.

The concern is that, because the virus is infecting humans, it
will mutate to the point that human transmission takes place on
a wide scale. The more people it infects, the more opportunity
it has to mutate. If this should happen, containing the disease
will be almost impossible. Also, because there is little
available in the way of treatment, many people will die as a
result.

Many Americans are not concerned because the outbreaks have only
occurred in Asia at this point. However, even in Asia, the virus
is spreading rapidly. Also, with international travel so
commonplace, once human transmission is possible, the virus will
know no bounds, especially not geographically. Much like AIDS,
it will devastate the world, consuming people of all ages,
ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Computer Health Hazards….. Home Office Tips 2 by BB Lee(C)2003

Home office stress related injuries are escalating. Along with
carpal tunnel syndrome, eye strains, neck strains, back related
problems. Let’s face it, if you are behind the keys more than a
few hours a week you will suffer one or more of the above
problems.

Neck Strains. Have you noticed that your neck is stiff after a
long day at the computer? Well, the trouble might be your
monitor height. Your monitor should be eye level so you will not
have to constantly lower, raise, and crook your neck to view the
screen.

Exercise Tip: Try rotating your your shoulders back several
times and then forward for several more times to reduce stress.
Then slowly turn your head side to side several times.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Also called repetitive motion injury is
on the increase. Why? Because of the new technology, computers
are faster than ever. This leads to more keystrokes which equals
more injuries. That numbness in your wrist or hands might be a
warning that you are suffering from this injury. Try purchasing
one of the gel pads you can rest your hands on while at the
keyboard. This will help tremendously. Purchase ergonomically
made wrist rest and mouse pads available at most office supply
stores to help ease tension and chance of injury.

Correct posture will help too. Keep your feet flat on the floor,
your knee’s parallel to the floor, your back straight, your
upper arms dropping straight down, with elbows to the side and
at the same height as your keyboard.

Exercise Tip: Try exercising at the computer. Rotate your wrist
in circles for several minutes. Give them a brisk massage
afterwards.

Back Problems. Make sure your desk chair is adjusted properly.
It should fit the contours of your back and you should be able
to move about easily. Many back problems are caused by badly
structured chairs.

Exercise Tip: Stand and stretch gently palms overhead to the
sky. Hold for a few seconds and then relax. This will loosen up
tense back muscles.

Blurred Vision: Make sure your light sources are not reflected
off your monitor’s screen. Glare and refection off the monitor
can cause eye problems leading to blurred vision.

Exercise Tip: Roll your eyes up and then look down. Blink and
then close your eyes. Do this several times to relieve strain.
Remember to look away from your monitor frequently and to take
more breaks to rest your eyes

———————————————————– BB
Lee is Editor Publisher Of SmallBizBits FREE Home Business
Newsletter. Visit at: http://www.angelfire.com/zine/smallbiz
————————————————————

Texas Hold ‘em is a poker game that has taken the world by storm. So what is it about this particular poker game that created such a sensation? There are several points that play into the popularity of the game, including the “star status” achieved by some of the professional players. Add to that the fact that the game is fairly easy to learn for anyone who has a rudimentary knowledge of poker - instantly allowing groups of people to gather to play in games and tournaments that mimic those World Poker Tours as seen on television.

In the largest cities and smallest communities around the country, people are meeting up to play Texas Hold ‘em. Though some don’t limit their poker playing to only this one game, many groups are holding Texas Hold ‘em tournaments as their main draw. Words like “river,” “flop” and “pocket pair” are bandied about during these poker games, just as they are during the major poker games being televised.

And while the folks who play in those local tournaments aren’t likely to ever be the stars of their Las Vegas counterparts, there’s no doubt that some of the winners (and losers) are taking their cues from the World Poker Tour stars.

Phil Helmuth is arguably one of the best-known poker players on television today, but it’s not only because he has won so many poker tournaments. It’s also because Phil is such a character. He’s been known to throw a fit (on television) when things aren’t going his way. He once made the comment that he’d just been beaten by someone who couldn’t even spell poker, and that those winning at his table simply weren’t playing right. Despite his attitude (which even he admits is often childish), he’s very successful and has written books on playing poker.

Mike Madison is another of the poker stars, also a winner but also a very vocal player. “Mike the Mouth,” as he’s known on the professional circuit, often spouts off to other players at the table. Both Madison and Helmuth are often chastised - both by officials and by fans - for their behavior.

But it isn’t the game that makes these men noisy and obnoxious. There are some true gentlemen sitting at those same tables. Doyle Brunson is often described as a “poker legend.” Brunson is older than many of the professional players, has won some impressive tournaments, and never ceases to be professional and polite.

Whether it’s on television or gathered around a table in a home in rural America, there’s no doubt that Texas Hold ‘em poker has become the game to play. Even if it’s only in your own home town, you may find yourself being labeled the next “poker gentleman” like Brunson, or the next “poker crybaby.”

Bob Benson is the founder of Party Poker Bonus online. You can check out our website at http://www.bonus-party-poker.info

I like Camping, no doubt about it; and I like it all year. Most people only go camping when the weather is warm and sunny, but not me. I like the atmosphere between people out there, where you are far from home and all the daily stuff is out of your mind for a few days. I simply love it.

Back in time when I was a rookie in this lifestyle, a buddy of mine, Steven and his wife, invited me and my wife on a camping trip to the coast. I said sure, why not try it out. After a day, which I thought was great because of all these nice people around, the night was still to come. After sleeping on a hard surface, which by the way was fairly cold as well, I woke up with a painful and very sore back. I was groggy because I did not get enough rest during the worst night thinkable.

After that I did not think that this camping business was anything special, on the contrary I thought it was only for people who ‘liked’ to torture themselves, and it was definitely not my idea of fun and relaxation. I was sure that camping was only going to be a part of my life this one time only.

I it was not for my good buddy and friend Steven, I probably would not be going camping today. Steven that was a veteran when it came to camping, told me that if the sore back thing was my only dislike about the hole deal, then he knew exactly what I needed - a Camp Bed. Since I was already in on this deal for three more nights anyway, I agreed on giving it a go. I admit my mind was already determined that camping was not for me, so this camp bed had better pull up some magic trick or something like that to convince me otherwise.

We got our hands on a camp bed and I slept in a full night, without waking up one single time during the night. They had to wake me up the next morning. I had a wonderful sleep and my back felt better - they made me admit it, much against my proud will.

And here I am many years later, still going camping. I can truly say that a camp bed changed my life that day, and made a huge impact on how I chose to live a more outdoor life in the future.

So if you are bit in doubt whether you should get a camp bed or not - don’t be.

Thank you for your time.

Find much more information about Camp Beds on this website. Check it out!

The straddle strategy is an option strategy that’s based on buying both a call and put of a stock. Note that there are various forms of straddles, but we will only be covering the basic straddle strategy. To initiate a Straddle, we would buy a Call and Put of a stock with the same expiration date and strike price. For example, we would initiate a Straddle for company ABC by buying a June $20 Call as well as a June $20 Put.

Now why would we want to buy both a Call and a Put? Calls are for when you expect the stock to go up, and Puts are for when you expect the stock to go down, right?

In an ideal world, we would like to be able to clearly predict the direction of a stock. However, in the real world, it’s quite difficult. On the other hand, it’s relatively easier to predict whether a stock is going to move (without knowing whether the move is up or down). One method of predicting volatility is by using the Technical Indicator called Bollinger Bands.

For example, you know that ABC’s annual report is coming out this week, but do not know whether they will exceed expectations or not. You could assume that the stock price will be quite volatile, but since you don’t know the news in the annual report, you wouldn’t have a clue which direction the stock will move. In cases like this, a Straddle strategy would be good to adopt.

If the price of the stock shoots up, your Call will be way In-The-Money, and your Put will be worthless. If the price plummets, your Put will be way In-The-Money, and your Call will be worthless. This is safer than buying either just a Call or just a Put. If you just bought a one-sided option, and the price goes the wrong way, you’re looking at possibly losing your entire premium investment. In the case of Straddles, you will be safe either way, though you are spending more initially since you have to pay the premiums of both the Call and the Put.

Let’s look at a numerical example:

For stock XYZ, let’s imagine the share price is now sitting at $63. There is news that a legal suit against XYZ will conclude tomorrow. No matter the result of the suit, you know that there will be volatility. If they win, the price will jump. If they lose, the price will plummet.

So we decide to initiate a Straddle strategy on the XYZ stock. We decide to buy a $65 Call and a $65 Put on XYZ, $65 being the closest strike price to the current stock price of $63. The premium for the Call (which is $2 Out-Of-The-Money) is $0.75, and the premium for the Put (which is $2 In-The-Money) is $3.00. So our total initial investment is the sum of both premiums, which is $3.75.

Fast forward 2 days. XYZ won the legal battle! Investors are more confident of the stock and the price jumps to $72. The $65 Call is now $7 In-The-Money and its premium is now $8.00. The $65 Put is now Way-Out-Of-The-Money and its premium is now $0.25. If we close out both positions and sell both options, we would cash in $8.00 + $0.25 = $8.25. That’s a profit of $4.50 on our initial $3.75 investment!

Of course, we could have just bought a basic Call option and earned a greater profit. But we didn’t know which direction the stock price would go. If XYZ lost the legal battle, the price could have dropped $10, making our Call worthless and causing us to lose our entire investment. A Straddle strategy is more conservative and will profit whether the stock goes up or down.

If Straddles are so good, why doesn’t everybody use them for every investment?

It fails when the stock price doesn’t move. If the price of the stock hovers around the initial price, both the Call and the Put will not be that much In-The-Money. Furthermore, the closer it is to the expiration date, the cheaper premiums are. Option premiums have a Time Value associated with them. So an option expiring this month will have a cheaper premium than an option with the same strike price expiring next year.

So in the case where the stock price doesn’t move, the premiums of both the Call and Put will slowly decay, and we could end up losing a large percentage of our investment. The bottom line is: for a Straddle strategy to be profitable, there has to be volatility, and a marked movement in the stock price.

A more advanced investor can tweak Straddles to create many variations. They can buy different amounts of Calls and Puts with different Strike Prices or Expiration Dates, modifying the Straddles to suit their individual strategies and risk tolerance.

Steven is the webmaster of http://www.option-trading-guide.com If you would like to learn more about Option Trading or Technical Analysis, do visit for various strategies and resources to help your stock market investments.

Once you have decided upon the best format for your ebook,
your next step will be the design process. No matter which
format you choose, one of the most important factors in
determining your ebook’s overall success is your presentation.
Your ebook should not only look professional in design, but
should also be well organized and easily navigated. In
addition, your ebook should include images that will enhance
its appearance and compliment your subject matter.

Although you can design your ebook using an application of
your choice, for the purpose of this article, we will focus on
designing your ebook with Microsoft Word.

When you purchase and install Adobe Acrobat, a shortcut
button will be added to your Microsoft Word toolbar. This
button will enable you to instantly convert your word
document into a PDF document.

When you begin designing your ebook, think of each page you
create as a page of a book, because that’s exactly what it is.
Your ebook is a book in electronic format. Although the
structure of your ebook may vary, here is a basic guideline to
assist you:

Opening Page

The first page of your ebook will represent your book cover.
It should contain an image or logo that will compliment your
ebook. This page should also include your ebook’s title,
followed by an opening statement.

Foreword

The next portion of your ebook may contain a Foreword with
information in regard to your copyrights, disclaimers or other
important information.

Instructions

Your Foreword may be followed by instructional information
in regard to using your ebook, such as navigation. Your
instructions might include an overview of how to navigate
your ebook and even some screenshots.

Table of Contents

A Table of Contents will assist your readers in easily locating
each section of your ebook.

When writing your text in Microsoft Word, you are provided
with a number of options to assist you in formatting your
pages in a specific layout. This powerful program will not only
enable you to insert page numbers, headers, footers,
borders and images, but it will also create your Table of
Contents for you.

Creating Your Table of Contents will be one of your last steps
in designing your ebook. In order for Microsoft Word to create
your Table of Contents, you must first apply specific heading
styles to the chapter headings that you would like to be
displayed within your Table of Contents.

To add a style to your chapter headings, highlight your text
and click on the style drop-down box on the left side of your
toolbar and select Heading1. You can edit your Heading1 style
to display your heading in the font and size of your choice.

If you would like to display any subtitles beneath your titles,
simply follow the same procedure above. However, instead of
selecting Heading1, select Heading2 and so on.

To build your Table of Contents, click on the page where you
would like to insert your Table of Contents. Click on “Insert”
then on “Index and Tables” and select the Table of Contents
tab. Select your preferred format and Word will instantly
create your Table of Contents.

Word builds your Table of Contents by searching for headings
with specified styles. It then sorts the headings according to
their heading level, references their page numbers, and then
displays the Table of Contents within your document.

Once you create your Table of Contents, your document can
be easily navigated by clicking on any page number within
your Table of Contents. This will enable your readers to
instantly jump to the corresponding chapter headings within
your document.

Introduction

Your introduction should follow your Table of Contents and
might contain an overview of your ebook’s subject matter or
whatever you’d like. Your introduction will be a prelude to
your chapters.

Chapters

The next part of your ebook will contain your chapters. Your
chapter titles should be displayed in a larger, bold font. Each
new chapter should start at the top of a new page.

There are a number of ways you can spice up your ebook’s
appearance and give it a professional look and feel. Here are
a few ideas to get you started:

Inserting Page Numbers

You can insert page numbers simply by clicking on “Insert”
then “Page Numbers.” You will be presented with several
formatting options for positioning, alignment and styles. If
you would like to add additional text with your page numbers,
you can use the “Header and Footer” option.

Headers and Footers

Headers and Footers can be used to insert specific
information at the top and/or on the bottom of each of your
pages. To insert these fields into your pages, click on “View”
then on “Header and Footer.” A header and footer area will
appear at the top and bottom of each page. You can type
in your text and/or use the toolbar to insert your information
into your pages. You only have to insert the information into
the “Header and Footer” area of your first page and it will be
displayed on every page.

Borders

Borders can be used to enhance your ebook’s appearance.
To add a border to each of your pages, click on “Format”
then on “Borders and Shading.” Click on the “Page Border”
tab and select your border style and color.

Images

Just as borders can be used to enhance your ebook’s
appearance, images can also be used. Try to select images
that will enhance your reader’s experience and compliment
your ebook’s focus.

To insert an image within your page, click on “Insert” then on
“Picture” and select an option.

Take your time and make sure you use Word’s powerful
features. It will assist you in creating a great looking ebook.
If you’re not sure how to do something, simply click on “Help”
and it will guide you through the process.

About the Author

Shelley Lowery is the author of Ebook Starter. A complete
ebook design kit that takes you step by step through
designing, creating and marketing your own ebook. Give
your ebook a professional look in just a few simple steps
with over 100 ebook interface and cover templates.
http://www.web-source.net/ebookstarter.htm

If you listen carefully, you’ll hear people talking about ways they can make more money. Their strategies will be different depending on the kind of work they do.

I was in a convenience store when I heard the clerk tell another employee how he was putting in lots of overtime. It was long hours of work, but he was eagerly doing it to get a little extra cash on payday.

Another day I was waiting in the lobby of a big corporation. I heard several executives discuss how much they were earning in their new positions. Obviously these were salaried jobs that were paying a lot of money for the right education, skills, and experience.

Then last weekend I spent some time at the lake. There were several people gathered around an expensive boat. They were talking about money, but none ever mentioned a job. Their talk was all about investments, how much their property was appreciating, and how well their far-flung businesses were doing.

It was clear these men and women didn’t work a job for a living. They were obviously earning a fabulous income simply making their money work. They could afford to practically live at the lake while their investments, businesses, and properties were earning an income for them.

In essence, these wealthy individuals were profiting from the work of others. If you’ve ever seen an economics report on TV or read one in the paper, you know that is the basic principle of our Western business system, a tradition that has created trillions of dollars in wealth worldwide.

What I’ve experienced and observed are what I call THE THREE LEVELS OF WORK:

* You can work a job and get paid by the hour. The longer you work, the more you get paid.

* You can work a job — usually salaried — that pays you a lot of money for what you know or can do. The more you study, the more years you put in on the job, the more you earn.

* Finally, you can profit from the work of others. Many business owners and wealthy individuals fall into this category. They actually get paid MUCH MORE money to WORK VERY LITTLE.

You don’t need millions to earn income in this third category. Many home-based businesses now use the power of the Internet to let you earn big RESIDUAL INCOME from your kitchen table.

Passive, residual income is when you earn a commission on the sales other people in your organization make. These days the powerful reach of the Internet and simple online automation can make this dream a realty for just about anyone.

David Yoss shows everyday people how to use the Internet to create passive, residual income — as much as thousands of dollars per week. See the simple and effective program at www.mazu.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=1102409 Reach David at yoss@earnware.net

When one thinks of basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, the image of the big “Shaq” pops into the mind. A dominant player for years, the 7 foot 1, 330-pound mountain is a nightmare to play against for opposing teams. He has been voted into the top 50 players of all time. He will certainly go to the Hall-of-Fame.

He has made an outlandish amount of money in the sport he loves. Millions upon millions of dollars to play a game, Shaq has everything a man can want in terms of property and possessions.

O’Neal is interesting for other reasons, though. Despite all of his wealth, he has a desire to do good in life. Perhaps it is due to his mother and stepfather, a military man named Phil Harrison, that have guided him. Shaq always refers to Harrison as his father without a blink. In reality that is so since Harrison did all the heavy-lifting in terms of raising a family.
Shaquille married his longtime girlfriend with whom he has children. That may not sound like a big deal but it sends a message. This is particularly true for the black community since the out-of-wedlock birthrate is an astounding 70%. Marriage sends a positive message instead of the view of another athlete just running around impregnating anything that moves.
O’Neal also went back and got his college degree. A cynic would say, “Why bother?” but it is an accomplishment for him and a promise to his mother. It also says college is important since virtually nobody will become an NBA player despite the marketing of it everywhere. You have a better chance of getting hit by lightning.

Most interesting is his interest in police work. Shaq is already a reserve officer for Miami Beach paid $1 a year. He holds a similar title for Bedford County, Virginia. He is also a U.S Deputy Marshal where his focus is preventing predators of children.

When legendary basketball player George Mikan passed-away recently, O’Neal stepped-up and paid the funeral expenses since Mikan received just a $1,400-a-month pension from the NBA. Money-wise, Mikan came at the wrong time and O’Neal stepped into a windfall, right or wrong. But Shaq’s decency is what this is all about.

In an era of absurdly paid athletes, greed, thuggish behavior, etc., Shaquille O’Neal sends the right message in most cases. He is even liked by the media and often plays around with them. Compare that to the often brooding athlete who can’t handle talking to the media to answer questions about hitting or bouncing a ball. Boy, what tough questions to answer!
No athlete should ever be viewed as a hero because it simply is not true. They are just men and women who do one particular thing better than most people and that’s it. However, with so much media attention focused on these people, it is great to see someone doing the right thing on several fronts. Shaquille O’Neal is a guy most fans can appreciate and look at with respect.

Robert Carberry is a freelance writer from New York

Recently, a number of articles have been published on static magnetic therapy. Static magnetic therapy is the placement of a magnet field on or near the body to enhance healing, relieve pain and improve body function. The idea of magnetism is not new. Early Chinese medical literature claimed healing properties for lodestrone, a naturally magnetic mineral. For centuries, static magnetic therapy has been used by eastern practitioners to relieve pain and swelling, and to induce healing. Since the 1950’s, numerous Japanese studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of magnetic fields for treating various conditions. Many magnetic devices are registered with the Japanese Welfare Ministry as medical devices, after undergoing clinical testing at accredited medical institutions to verify their safety and effectiveness.

For many years, the Magnetic Health Science Foundation has been meeting annually in Japan to report on the growing body of evidence of the scientific technology of magnetic research. To date, there are now over 300 published articles on magnetic research.

But, do magnets really work? The answer may lie in understanding the laws of physics, and in reviewing recent scientific evidence.

We are energetic beings surrounded by naturally generated electromagnetic energy, fields of energy which are created by the spinning and moving of electrons and charged particles within the cell.

Some of the early awareness of the importance of electromagnetic energy fields was discovered when the Russian cosmonauts first spent long periods of time on board the Mir space station; they became sick. Their illnesses appeared to be caused by the lack of contact with the magnetic field surrounding the earth. Once the Russian space station was equipped with a magnetism generator, the symptoms disappeared.

All cells within the body are ordered by magnetism; the atoms and molecules are tiny magnets with a positive and negative pole. All communication within the body occurs through electric currents and the electromagnetic frequencies they generate.

According to the laws of physics, the first law of electromagnetism states that if an electron or other charged particle is moving it generates a magnetic field. The corollary to this rule is that if an electron or charged particle encounters a magnetic field it must move.

So how does this apply to magnetic therapy, healing, and pain? When a person is injured, the body immediately reacts to restore the body to its natural balanced state. In brief, the injured tissue produces a chemical reaction whereby acids are released and chemicals are brought to the injured site to begin a healing process. This chemical reaction leads to swelling which causes pain.

The theory is that when a magnetic field is placed at or near the injured site the electromagnetic field induces a current or charge in the tissues in the body. This charge causes the toxins (acids and other chemicals) to move, the toxins are removed and excreted, and a natural healing state ensues. As this change occurs, the blood flow to the injured site is improved, the swelling is reduced, and pain is alleviated.

Some scientists believe that magnetic therapy causes the body to dispose of waste materials (toxins) more quickly and speeds up the healing process. Numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of static magnetic therapy in Asia and Europe. Recently, scientists in the US have begun reporting their results of the effectiveness of magnetic fields.

Magnetic therapy has been found to be effective in alleviating burning, numbness and tingling, and exercise induced foot pain in patients with diabetic neuropathy (Weintraub 1998, 1999, 2003); in alleviating neuropathic pain in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (Weintraub & Cole 2000); in alleviating pain in people suffering from osteoarthritis in the knees and hips (Harlow 2004, Hinman 2002, Pipitone 2001, Wosko 2004); and in other chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (Segal 2001), fibromyalgia (Alfono 2001, Thomas 2001) and chronic back pain (Collacott 2000).

Although the scientific research in the United States is still in the early stages compared to the Asian and European studies, static magnetic therapy has been shown to have no detrimental side effects and has great promise for those suffering from chronic painful conditions.

For more information on magnetic studies and where to find magnetic devices, go to our website: www.mayaintegratedmedicine.org or email us at:info@mayaintegratedmedicine.org

Jeanette M. Conner PhD, MS, MN, ARNP

Dr. Conner is the President and Director of the Maya Center for Integrated Medicine & Research in Shelburne Vermont; a health and wellness center focused on providing comprehensive traditional and complementary services while encouraging individual healing through self care. Dr. Conner is an Associate Professor of Clinical Research at Dartmouth Medical School, Department of Community & Family Medicine. She has conducted clinical research in health care for over 10 years, and now focuses her efforts on teaching others to promote their health and heal illness through the use of mind-body-spirit medicine.

Accurate time estimation is a skill essential for good project
management. It is important to get time estimates right for two
main reasons:

1. Time estimates drive the setting of deadlines for delivery
and planning of projects, and hence will impact on other peoples
assessment of your reliability and competence as a project
manager.

2. Time estimates often determine the pricing of contracts and
hence the profitability of the contract /project in commercial
terms.

Often people underestimate the amount of time needed to
implement projects. This is true particularly when the project
manager is not familiar with the task to be carried out.
Unexpected events or unscheduled high priority work may not be
taken into account. Project managers also often simply fail to
allow for the full complexity or potential errors and stuff ups,
involved with a project. The 2004-2006 Wembley Stadium project
in London is often used as an example, although there are
countless others of less profile.

Time estimates are important as inputs into other techniques
used to organise and structure all projects. Using good time
estimation techniques may reduce large projects to a series of
smaller projects.

Step 1 - Understand the Project Outcome First you need
to fully understand what it is you need to achieve. (Refer to my
article; Project Management - Begin with the end in mind).
Review the project /task in detail so that there are no
‘unknowns’. Some difficult-to-understand, tricky problems that
take the greatest amount of time to solve. The best way to
review the job is to just list all component tasks in full
detail.

Step 2 - Estimate time When you have a detailed list of
all the tasks that you must achieve to complete the project then
you can begin to estimate how long each will take. Make sure
that you also allow time for project management administration,
detailed project, liaison with outside bodies’ resources and
authorities, meetings, quality assurance developing supporting
documentation or procedures necessary, and training.

Also make sure that you have allowed time for:

* Other high urgency tasks to be carried out which will have
priority over this one

* Accidents and emergencies

* Internal/external meetings

* Holidays and sickness in key staff/stakeholders

* Contact with other customers, suppliers and contractors.

* Breakdowns in equipment

* Missed deliveries by suppliers

* Interruptions by customers, suppliers, contractors, family,
pets, co- workers etc

* Others priorities and schedules e.g. local government planning
processes

* Quality control rejections etc.

* Unanticipated events (e.g. renovating the bathroom finding
white-ants/termites in the walls)

These factors may significantly lengthen the time and cost
needed to complete a project.

If the accuracy of time estimates is critical, you will find it
effective to develop a systematic approach to including these
factors. If possible, base this on past experience. In the
absence of your own past experience, ask someone who has already
done the task or project to advise what can go wrong; what you
need to plan for; and how long each task took previously.

You can lose a great deal of credibility, and money, by
underestimating the length of time needed to implement a
project. If you underestimate time, not only do you miss
deadlines, you can also put other people under unnecessary
stress.

Step 3 - Plan for it Going Wrong

Finally, allow time for all the expected and unexpected
disruptions and delays to work that will inevitably happen.
Sickness, strikes, materials not available, poor quality work,
bureaucratic bungling etc.