LIFE IS A PROJECT

  Replanting 10,000 acres of oil palm trees may sound ambitious, but for a plantation company with 25 years of experience, it’s not entirely new terrain. The company has seasoned managers and skilled staff to handle the operational aspects of such a project. What truly concerns the Board of Directors (BOD), however, are the financial implications and the business risks—both during the replanting phase and in the years that follow. In this case, replanting was not just an operational task, but a full-fledged business project. The first step was to prepare a comprehensive project brief to seek the formal approval of the CEO and the BOD. A well-prepared project brief answers three critical questions: the why, the how, and the what of the project. Why replant now? The trees in question were over 15 years old—well past their peak production years. Ideally, replanting should have been done in phases (e.g., 3,000 to 5,000 acres at a time) to minimize disruptions to cash flow and sales rev...

 25.5.2021 Flooded Sungai Kelantan at Tambatan D'Raja in Kota Bharu The biggest flood ever recorded in the last 50 years happened in December 2014. The flood displaced more than 202,000 people of Kelantan from their homes, and the damage caused was estimated to be about RM2.9 billion. That was BIG! Before this event, there were two major events that are most remembered by Kelantanese people. The 1927 is known as Bah Merah, and the 1967 is known as Bah Kuning. The names, I gathered, were derived from the colours of flood water. Personally, I experienced Bah Kuning when I was 15 years old. On my way home from SDAR Tanjung Malim, Perak, in December 1967, the Mail Train stopped at Palekbang. I took a boat to Kota Bharu and took a private taxi from KB to Cabang Empat Binjai. That was the furthest they could go. My father and my uncle accompanied me and we walked under two ot three feet of water to my father's friend's house at Banggu. We took turns carrying my bag. Then at 10pm,...

  Chot Street led the FJM Street Photowalk Raja Indera Putra leads the Scott Kelby Photowalk in Chow Kit/ Kg Baru Areas Putrajaya Photowalk led by Adib Noh 24.05.2021 PUTRAJAYA PHOTOWALK: A Journey of Photography, Friendship, and Project Management On 7th August 2012, I created a Facebook group called Putrajaya Photowalk. Why? It was my way of bringing together friends who shared a passion for photography. I wanted a simple and effective online platform to encourage sharing of ideas, knowledge, and experience—and more importantly, to make it easier to plan and organise our photowalks through better communication, interaction, and collaboration. Starting the Putrajaya Photowalk group was itself a project. Every photowalk we organise is a project. Managing the group and keeping the online activities alive, on the other hand, is an ongoing operation. It takes time, effort, and dedication—but I do it because I love photography, and I love the community that grows around it. The benefit...

  23.05.2021 About a year ago, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was engaged by the National Art Gallery (NAG) to develop and deliver its Young Art Entrepreneur Program—an initiative that began four years ago. The program aims to transform young artists, aged between 25 and 35, into thriving art entrepreneurs. Each year, 30 to 50 emerging artists are selected to participate. My role was to design the entire course framework, including the curriculum structure, teaching methods, engagement strategies, and both individual and group project assignments. Developing what I now call the “Transformation Package” became a full project in itself. Drawing from my business coaching experience under INSKEN and CEDAR, I conducted extensive research and consulted peers with experience in coaching SME entrepreneurs. I followed the standard project life cycle as outlined in the PMBOK: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. To ensure the course materials ...

Most families have their own favourite places to go for their holidays. When you are young, you have constraints of time and money. As a senior citizen, my advice to younger men and women, go out and have as many family holidays as you can afford the time and the money. Why? Wehn you get old, it is more difficult to go and walk places. And the children had grown up. They are too busy to join you and have their own family responsibilites. The best window of time is when you in your 30s to 50s. That is what I did. Family holiday is a project. You are the project manager and financier but you need to consult and work together with the stakeholders-your spouse and your children. What matters most is their happiness and safety when you are away from home. We don't need to go overseas for every family holidays. For normal folks like me, I took the opportunities of long weekends when my kids can join me. In Malaysia, we have long weekends when weekend combine with public holidays. As work...