What's New in January

Our team attended the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) NG9-1-1 Standards & Best Practices Conference held in Florida from January 16th - 19th. NENA is the only non-profit organization solely focused on improving 9-1-1. The organization ensures that 9-1-1 is prepared to meet the needs of anyone requesting emergency assistance by developing standards for 9-1-1 technology and operations; providing education, training, and certifications for 9-1-1 professionals; informing policymakers about issues facing 9-1-1; and educating the public about 9-1-1, its importance, and its proper use.

The Capstone team is working with several partners across Canada with their implementation of the new NG9-1-1 system that has been mandated by the Canadian government. This conference gave our team a fantastic opportunity to learn about the standards that are spurring the development and implementation of NG9-1-1 technology and operations best practices. We also participated in creating the guidelines, resources, and documents that enable NG (Next Generation) services, systems, and PSAPs to reach their full potential.

Capstone NG9-1-1 experts Rob Browning and Katie Macham representing our team at the NENA Conference.

Webinar Alert!

Registration is now open the upcoming Project Management webinar hosted by our friends at Digital Nova Scotia. Cynthia, Capstone’s President & CEO, will be discussing the key elements to successful project management including:

The importance of setting clear project objectives.
Creating and implementing a comprehensive project plan.
Effectively communicating project deliverables and activities to the team.

Delivering projects is essential to the success of many companies. There are many steps companies can take to deliver projects successfully and on time. If you want to improve your project delivery, this is a must attend event.

Event Date - Tuesday, January 31st at 10:00am AST

Event Link - https://members-digitalnovascotia.wildapricot.org/event-5064578

Show Stopper: PMO Broker

The new year can bring new projects for your organization. Are you building your PMO and are completely overwhelmed by the variety of products on the market? Are you feeling frustrated with the aggressive sales pitches and products that overcharge but underperform? We get it! That is why we created PMO Broker.

PMO Broker is here to help you select the right tool that will support how your team works and what your IT infrastructure can integrate while keeping your organization's culture, project requirements and budget top of mind.

Our team of experts will help you select the right tool using our proven PMO Broker process. There are many project management platforms available, each with their unique strengths and weaknesses; let us help you find the best solution for your team.

Take Me To PMO Broker

Capstone Knowledge Centre:

Start the New Year Off Right

The prospect of getting back into the daily work routine after the holidays can be daunting, but the new year is the perfect time to reassess your work habits. It's easy to fall into old patterns that do not use time effectively or increase your workload. This can lead to mental strain and eventual burnout. Having a strategy, you can refer to when you are in a slump is vital to staying focused. Implement these tips daily to stay effective and lessen mental strain in 2023.

Task Management

The most overwhelming part of getting back into the groove is often the sheer number of tasks you need to get done. It's easy to see them as one giant mountain to climb and wonder how you could possibly accomplish everything you need to. With proper organization, your perspective changes and the mountain gets much smaller. Here are three steps that can help you effectively manage your tasks:

Start the day by getting organized. Write down everything you want to do in the next few weeks ahead. You want to have a tangible list to reference, and you can add to it and cross off as you see fit throughout the month. This can help free up mental space and help with feeling overwhelmed.
Prioritize your tasks. Keep an organized to-do list. Tasks not completed the day before can be a priority for the next day. Prioritizing your tasks allows you to focus on the things that need to be completed first, as things fall lower and lower on that list, so can your stress level around feeling like you need to have it all done at once.
Delegate. Take your task list and see which ones you can hand off and delegate to others to see that they get done. You may find that someone else enjoys doing that task more than you. We often think we must do it all, but using your resources allows you to complete more tasks with less burnout.

Time Management

Does it ever seem like your to-do list is longer at the end of the day than at the beginning? Or that you're always in a rush but just cannot catch up? If you have a good idea of what needs to be done but can never seem to find the time to do it all, you might not be using your time effectively. Here's how to better manage your time to make the most of your day:

Limit your time on social media. Social media can indirectly rob you of important time and give you very little value in exchange for the time invested in apps. Save the scroll for times you need a mental break and give yourself a time limit. A few times a day for 10 minutes while waiting for your coffee to brew can act as a mental break. Aimlessly scrolling multiple times a day at your desk can encourage procrastination for the tasks that need to be tackled. A safe rule to apply is to not use apps while seated at your desk.
Be open to asking questions. We don't know it all. Do not claim to. When you are stuck, be OK with asking for help or finding the answers instead of trying to figure things out on your own. This can be as easy as asking a co-worker about their experience, finding a quick video tutorial on YouTube, or finding the best-sourced answers on Google. If it is a larger topic to understand, a short online video course can easily give you all the valuable information formatted in an easy-to-understand and digestible method. This can save you an incredible amount of time and the annoyance of trying to figure it out on your own.
Take breaks. A fresh perspective and rejuvenated spirit can conquer more than one suffering from burnout. Stop and take 10 minutes to go for a brief walk a few times a day to get your blood pumping and refresh your creative juices. Challenge yourself to leave all devices in the office and focus on looking at the world around you in a thankful manner. When you come back to the office, you should have a fresh perspective and feel invigorated to dive into your next task with fewer distractions.
Set time limits for how long you will work on a task. Keep a daily time log and block out time for specific tasks you want to get done during that hour. If you give yourself two hours, it will take two hours; if you give yourself 20 minutes, you may find you can perform that same task in a shorter time. This allows you to stay focused and complete the task.

Be Realistic

Realize you will most likely never be able to complete all your tasks by the time you need to, and that's OK! You are only one person and can stop working to enjoy the evening, even if you miss deadlines. Just remember to keep your team apprised of any deadline changes. Prioritizing and delegating can be your best friend in accomplishing your very full back-to-work schedule.

Implement these tips daily until they become second nature. As you establish an effective work strategy, you can accomplish more with your time and avoid mental overwhelm, setting you up for a successful year ahead.

Thanks to our friends at Forbes for the insightful article.