Just got mine today after 10 years
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Regarding the last post this YES Vote is for the Poor PM Model Career Path versus the Checklist Model. The scalability and speed if investments in people, processes, and systems are made should really not require use of "Active PMs".
Regarding the previous post to the last post I disagree with this concept of "Active PM" this is total BS. The danger is not in the checklists themselves but in how people use them. Sound management practices are not interchangeable with management by checklists. When people use checklists for everything, they develop a fatigue for them. As a result, they just ignore them, which defeats the very purpose of checklists. Checklists are primarily for reference. The Checklist is not a replacement for good training, well-developed skills, lack of experience, and LACK OF ADEQUATE IT System and Tools.
HPE sells IT Solutions yet if they would just make for internal use that would create an opportunity to address industry wide problems without have to use Checklist, Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, POWERFULPOINT, ACCESS, OUTLOOK). Those products are no Scalable and do cannot be used for Horizonatl Business processes that go across multiple functions and silos.
The HPE implementation of checklists for New Products Projects are created by people that do not have the background and experience to write them. Typically the Checklist appear to simplex in thought and execution but include far more complexity. The "Checklist" is equivalent approach to having an "Inspection" in the process. s
Too many of you overthink this. You need to be a really poor PM. So poor that management thinks you MUST know what you are doing, but they are just not smart enough to get it.
This method worked very well for me for over 40 years. Raised three kids, put them through college, paid for two houses and a vacation property, and retired with a 7-figure pension/401k. Never got laid off and always was ranked quite well.
So quit trying to be “smart” like everyone else. Anyone can play smart. Instead, try taking the stupid path. It is far less traveled with a lot less competition. You’ll be surprised how fast your career will blossom.
If you are a checklist PM, you are doomed. If you are an "active" PM (meaning you actively clear roadblocks to ensure each domain can get their job done on time and under budget), you have a chance to stay. Loading up your resume with PM class and certificates is not the same as being a "active" PM. Way too many checklist PMs. It's about time HP started cleaning that up.
Congrats for being cut. I have made 30% more $$ than when I was with HPE.
"Gosh, then there may be no one left.."
Hahaha, that's so right!
People still remaining at HPE but the vast majority have been offshored over to India and Taiwan in the US Based "Project Management" type jobs that are all that are left who go to meetings only to present spreadsheets and Powerpoint slides.
Many of the personnel that have morphed into "Project Management" jobs did so to survive and stay employed here in the US. The "Project Management / Product Lifecycle Management" bureacracies that were created as new Fiefdoms consumed resources, reduced the ability to be fast and nimble, added layers of management, adverse impact on decision making, watered down the level of competence needed to compete and dominate the market. This results in hostilities (i.e. politics) between functions.
Gosh, then there may be no one left..
If you make a living by going to meetings and presenting spreadsheets, your days are probably numbered at HPE. Good luck to those who were let go. It might be for the best since the current management team doesn’t seem to have any direction.
I had intended to work 2 more years however, the ER Transition package was offered, I applied, and was accepted. I separate in October. I feel fortunate.
The way I see it, HPE is undergoing a similar restructuring as Digital Equipment Corp.
But HPE is not simply shedding BUs and reducing employees. They are eliminating a majority of the seasoned :-) employees and replacing them with ‘early career hires’ ;>)
No bad blood here. I wish the company & employees well. I survived ~33 years. I was blessed with great immediate managers. There are opportunities which exist. Good Luck.
Sorry to hear that. I got let go in mid July. I didn’t see it coming. I thought since I was a young and had pretty good experience, they would keep me because I was cheaper. I also thought they would let go the contractors before me. There were a lot of assumptions I had that I thought would protect me from WFR.
Honestly, I’m actually happy they let me go, but not this soon. I was hoping to stay longer. However, now I’m about to start with HP Inc. and I’m thankful that because, one, I’ll be working for a company that’s doing much better and two, I’ll be doing a lot of work now. I was doing anything to do work (to the point of doing other team’s work) at HPE since the beginning of COVID to when they said that I was going to get let go.
Now that I’ve received my severance and I’ll be getting a 12% pay increase and a bump up in skill level at HP Inc. (basically a promotion), I’d say that I was the winner in the WFR. Sure HPE allowed me to have a great start to my early career and I made excellent friends. But now I’m never going to look back. HPE is a sinking ship. Very unfortunate for those left in the company. I expect their recovery from COVID to be much slower than other competitors.
So be happy that you’re leaving. There are a lot of great opportunities ahead of you, even in this COVID situation. The economy is starting to look a little better and there’s going to be more hiring.
Good luck.
HPE could cut half of its engineers. People just pretend to be busy. The incompetence of first level managers , directors and architects is beyond words!
Happy Labor Day.
Do not mourn getting cut by HPE. It is similar to burning a leach off your rectum. Hurts for awhile but you are much better off in the long run.
Trust me, there is a life outside of HPE. Good days are ahead.
From what I heard in the all hands meeting, this will continue month by month. My question is: why they are not honest with the employees?
I know a bunch of PMs got cut today.
Sorry to hear it. What group/town?