Brian Mullen , M.Sc. , About your workshop leader
Brian Mullen , president of I.S.P. information systems planning corp.
has extensive experience in Project Management and improving performance.
He has been project leader or project manager for dozens of major software
and consulting projects.
He coaches project managers and establishes standards within organizations.
Brian is an expert in Microsoft Project and Project Server. He discuss effective
strategies for achieving goals with managers.
He facilitates in-house strategic-planning and has provided Project Management training
to many companies including several dozen software development firms.
Project Management with Microsoft Project-eight days at UBC
World class Companies I have worked for
Prior to forming ISP, Brian worked for three world class companies: General
Electric, MacMillan Bloedel and Boeing Computer Services, Canada.
General Electric Information Services division
Brian joined GE as a Timeshare Support Analyst and supported sales
and account representatives with training and support. Later
as an Account Representative he was responsible for supporting and growing key
customer accounts. Here he started developing on-line systems for clients
including chip quality control systems and natural gas distribution network
analysis programs. His last position at GE was Western Regional Database Specialist.
GE Information Services had a world-wide network accessible through dial-up terminals.
MacMillan Bloedel
Mr Mullen joined MacMillan Bloedel as a systems analyst. He developed the Central Purchasing
system and Canadian Transport Accounting system on one of the first Digital PDP11 RSTS timesharing
systems installed in Vancouver. He was later promoted to a
systems supervisor in the Building Materials group where he worked as a user
coordinator for a large Rail and Cargo Sales Information System. This project
illustrated the necessity of applying a methodology to systems development.
Boeing Computer Services, Canada Ltd
Mr Mullen joined the Consulting Practice
of Boeing Computer Services, Canada Ltd (a subsidiary of the Boeing Corporation)
as a consultant. His first assignment evaluated software package opportunities
for the IBM system 32. He was promoted to manager of the Consulting Division for
the BC region in
Vancouver, BC. At Boeing he learned the discipline of project management and the
principles of brainstorming while developing a large systems proposal
with a team of experts drawn from across the Boeing corporation.
IT courses at UBC and University of Calgary
Brian has presented the following courses at UBC and the University of
Calgary.
- Project Management
- Business Process Reengineering
- Database Design
- Information Engineering
- Microsoft Project
- Systems Analysis
Brian has also presented courses in
- Web Design
- XML - eXtensible Markup Language
Presentations
Mr. Mullen has spoken over two dozen times to professional organizations including
CIPS, DPMA, the EDP Auditor's Assoc. and various user groups including
Data Administration Special Interest Group (DA SIG) and microcomputer users groups. His topics have included: Rescuing Projects in Trouble, Effective Project Management, Guidelines for Selecting and buying Micro computer software, Tools to improve Analyst Productivity, Matrix Structured Documentation, Prototyping with Data Dictionary 4GL's, Strategies for meeting the Data Resource challenge, Implementing a corporate information base, Using dBase II and Hiding Data Structures in Program Modules. When he spoke to the North American HP computer users group in San Jose California, his talk was written up in Computer World.
Mr. Mullen also helped organize numerous conferences in Vancouver
including a presentation by James Martin to a joint DPMA / CIPS meeting in
Vancouver that was attended by 365 people. As well he participated in the
organization of PMI. In 2008, he managed a team of ten people
in preparing and presenting the PMI Career Fair at SFU Harbour Centre.
Microsoft Project consulting and programming
He has twenty years experience with Microsoft Project and eight years with
Project Server. He has developed and taught a Microsoft course for the since
1992. He was a member of the beta testing team for Project 98. He finds
ways to reduce the frustration of novices learning Microsoft Project.
He has worked extensively with Visual Basic for Project. This provides an inside-out view of Project functionality and data structures. He captures methodologies in Microsoft Project and publishes the results in Microsoft Word. His
Project Management manual contains over 650 pages with a 60 page index. This book can be produced in an HTML format with systematic drill down and roll back capabilities.
Brian was a founding member of the Vancouver PC Users group in 1982 and served as the program chairman for the first 18 months. His micro planning software experience includes: Microsoft Project, Project Vision, Timeline,
Insta-plan, Super-project, Visi-schedule and Milestone.
Process and Performance Improvement
Brian Mullen has extensive experience in process improvement. He presents a course
on Business Process Re-engineering. Process Mapping. He also has extensive experience in project
methodologies and systems documentation standards. He invented Turbo
Brainstorming and using Microsoft Project to map processes.
Professional Employment Summary
| I.S.P. information systems planning corp. |
President, (1979- now)
ISP provides professional consulting and training services
to clients including in-house courses to a wide range of clients. - Project
Management training and coaching.
- Microsoft Project implementation
including training
- standards.
|
| University of British Columbia, | Continuing Education Instructor (1981
to now).
Other courses included:-
Business Reengineering (3 days)
-
Database Design (3 days)
-
Microsoft Project (2 days)
-
Systems Analysis (3 days)
- System Design(3 days)
|
| University of Northern BC |
Project Management with Microsoft Project (2008-now) |
| University of Victoria (2003 to now) |
ADMN 411 Project Management (Fall 2003) |
| Langara College (2000 to 2003) |
- Microsoft Project (2 days)
- Project Management (6 evenings)
- Web Design (6 evenings)
- XML - extensible markup language
|
| University of Calgary, | Continuing Education Instructor (1983 to 2001).
Courses included Project Management, Business Reengineering, Database
Design, Microsoft Project and Systems Analysis.
Over 1,500 hours
of classroom teaching.
|
| Port of Vancouver Project |
Project Manager, Piers Billing System, (1978 to 1980). A two-year project to
automate for a department of 45 people using a HP 3000 with Image database.
|
| Boeing Computer Services, Canada Limited, (1975-78) |
- Consultant
- Manager - Consulting Division (B.C.)
|
| MacMillan Bloedel Limited (1972-75)
| - Systems Analyst, Corporate Projects
- Systems Supervisor, Building Materials Group
| Canadian General Electric (1970-72)
| - Timesharing Support Specialist
- Account Representative
- Western Regional Database Specialist
|
|
Brian Mullen Business Skills and Related Projects
| Business Skill | Related Projects Description Methods | Tools |
| Project Planning | - Assisted teams in planning over 50 projects.
- Strategic Planning sessions with entrepreneurial software companies.
-
Presentation on Project Planning to 65 technical support managers at BC
Tel.
- Consulted re ICBC Project Planning centre
- Gained formal Project
Management background at Boeing Computer as consultant then Consulting Manager
in the Vancouver office.
- Planning course includes a thousand page course
book with 2,100 steps.
| - Turbo brainstorming
- Objective setting
- Risk Analysis
- Scope
definition
- Cost Benefit Analysis
- Business cases
- Team planning sessions
- Microsoft Project
- Resource
workload analysis
- Timeline
- SuperProject
- Project Vision
|
| Systems development | - Managed over 25 MIS projects. Largest was $20 million
Project Manager at CUE Datawest to convert banking software with 50 credit
unions with 150 branches.
- Over ten information systems including feasibility,
requirements analysis, design, programming, testing, conversion and cut-over .
Applications included: Financial Accounting, Cargo Handling, Purchasing, Mill
Scheduling, Payroll, GIS Mapping, Telemarketing,
- Major clients included:
Future shop, BC Tel,
ICBC, Port of Vancouver, Empire Stevedoring, Datawest, MacMillan Bloedel, Island
Paper Mills, Bentall Group and Finning Tractor.
- Documented a 450 step methodology
| - JAD - Joint Application Design Sessions
- UML unified modeling
language
- Prototyping
- SADT structured
analysis and design technique
- Interaction diagrams
|
| Facilitation and team building | - Strategic Planning Sessions
- Joint Application Design (JAD)
sessions
- Information Engineering scenarios
- Business Reengineering sessions·
Clients include BC Tel, Computing Devices Canada, Husky Oil, Innovatech, ICBC,
Safeway, North Shore Health, Telus and many others.
|
- Turbo brainstorming.
- Objective setting.
- Joint problem solving.
- Skill assessment during recruitment.
- Knowledge transfer planning.
|
| Building high-performance teams | - Developed Turbo brainstorming to speed up
team activities, open communication channels and develop shared vision.
-
Applied to large teams of up to 100 people. (Digital Equipment BC office 75
people in a half day session). Presentation at CIPS business show had 75 and 90
people respectively.
- North Shore Health, team building, trained 65 people in
Turbo brainstorming.
- Five presentations to 65 BC Tel second level engineering
managers on implementing effective planning into an organization.
- Coached
Project Leaders in BC Tel Computer Network Control group, setup Project planning
methods.
- Learned brainstorming methods on a Boeing Computer Services proposal
team for the BC Hospital financial system.
| - 150 step Turbo Brainstorming process
to build high performance teams.
- Drafted a 350 page manual.
|
| Information Engineering and Database Design | - Numerous Oracle projects
including end to end development of the Performance evaluation project at BC
Tel.
- Create generalized, reusable data structures to increase database
flexibility and reduce the number of tables in the database.
- Teach Information
Engineering course as part of the UBC Software Engineering certificate.
- Object
Oriented Analysis and modeling
- Auerbach Database Consulting Editor·
presentation on Generalization in Design to CIPS conference attended by 186
people.
- pioneered E-R modeling in Vancouver
- used Entity Life-Cycle diagrams
which
- Generalized Name and Address File
- Centralized code table facility
-
Western Regional DB Specialist at Canadian General Electric.
| - Entity Relationship
Modeling
- Super Type/Sub Type Analysis
- Entity Life Cycles
- Generalize Roles to
Kernels
- Universal Data Models
| Data Warehouse | - Dept of Indian Affairs, extracts from 100 plus databases.
- BC
Tel Human Resources
- BC Rail Oracle with SQL and Impromptu
| | Database Management Systems | - Oracle (end-to-end development of a complete
Performance Evaluation system for BC Tel)
- Revelation, six systems PC based·
Pick Database (Rail Cargo Forwarding system)
- HP 3000 image database at Port of
Vancouver piers billing system.
- Extensive Database evaluation
| - Oracle,
- Revelation
- HP Image 3000
- Pick
- Adabas
- dBASE
| | Business Process Re-engineering | - Clients included Mohawk Oil, Computing
Devices Canada, Canada Corrections Pacific Region, Alberta Natural Gas, Trans
Canada Pipelines (Capital Budgeting) and North Shore Health.
- Developed and
present three day course on business reengineering at University of Calgary and
in-house to clients.
- Process Mapping with Microsoft Project allows capture of
cycle times, resource use and development of cost/benefit models from comparison
of old and new business processes. Cataloged a 1000 step methodology based on
study of best practices.
| - Turbo Brainstorming to build high performance
teams.
- Process Mapping with Microsoft Project.
- Zero Based Budgeting to establish priorities
| | Financial Systems | - Datawest banking system
- Calema Financial Accounting
system, commercial software package
- Finning Tractor, Used Equipment Lease
system
- Canadian Stevedoring integrated financial system
- Canadian Transport
financial system
|
|
|
Consulting Assignments
His assignments at a major telephone company included establishing planning practices, presentations to senior management and rescuing projects in trouble. He has established clear criteria for successful implementation of planning within organizations.
At ICBC, Brian worked as a consultant in the Project Control Office for a year reporting to the VP of Information systems. ICBC had centralized capturing of time sheets, standardized reporting to management and clients. He also provided training on a package called
InstaPlan.
Recent consulting assignments include: managing transition between senior managers at a major retail company, developing project templates for a pipeline company, coaching project leaders and project teams in preparation of departmental plans and trouble shooting projects.
He was interim project manager for the replacement of the banking system for a consortium of sixty credit unions with
1,500 on-line terminals. In another assignment, he managed the transition after the VP resigned and the hiring of a new CIO. The organization was implementing six major packages included the Peoplesoft payroll system.
Masters Degree in theoretical physics
Mr. Mullen graduated from the University of BC with a Masters degree in theoretical physics.
His masters thesis was the calculation of the lifetime of the hydrogen-minus
ions in the beam of the Triumph accelerator at UBC which was still in the design
phase at the time.
What value do I contribute to an organization.
- I contribute to the long-term viability of an organization by shortening
project cycles, reducing project costs, improving the quality of the results
delivered and reducing the wear and tear on project teams. I increase the chance
of success on a project by detailed project planning, heavy involvement of
users, building high performance teams, clear definition of requirements,
refinement through prototyping, generalized data structures, rigorous testing
and adequate user training. I ensure a technology transfer and leave behind
project teams with new methods and tools to tackle future projects more
successfully. Successful projects help an organization introduce new systems to
meet the challenges of the future.
- Experienced in every phase of systems development: team building, project
planning, feasibility studies, cost benefit analysis, proposal writing, contract
negotiation, requirements definition, software selection, systems design,
problem solving, programming, testing, conversion, user training. Understand how
to keep the users involved and committed. Knowledge of current methods and
technology keeps me from being snowed. Not afraid to roll-up my sleeves and dive
into documentation and code to find problems and overcome poor quality. I know
the right questions to ask, discover problems early and develop solutions with
the project team and follow through to see they are implemented.
- A master of strategy and design, I develop simple elegant solutions to meet
complex requirements with an extensive toolkit to manage complexity associated
with information systems. I stimulate the same creativity in project teams. I
believe in continuous improvement and love seeing satisfied customers when
solutions exceed their expectations.
- Act as a catalyst to build high-performance teams. Most important
team-building tool is turbo brainstorming, which opens communication channels,
explores problems, increases energy levels, stimulates creativity and
collaboration between project team members. Turbo brainstorming captures and
organizes masses of information gathered in a team brainstorming session. Turbo
Brainstorming reduces unnecessary conflict and time wasted in meetings.
- Continuous research and practical application of a wide variety of business
improvement tools especially in the areas of project planning, business
reengineering, information engineering, database design, systems analysis and
design to manage complexity and share knowledge. Extensively benchmark 'best
practices' of other organizations including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and
Intel, Toyota, Boeing and General Electric. An early adopter of key
technologies: Online systems ('70), Data dictionaries ('72), A-Z workbooks
('76), PCs ('81), PC planning software ('82), Oracle ('84), Business
Reengineering and TQM ('91), Object oriented analysis and design ('92).
Introduced innovative methods in team building, cost-benefit analysis,
business-process modeling, systems documentation, and brainstorming.
- Expert in the use of Microsoft Project for project planning and tracking.
Created a 950 page course-manual using Microsoft Project to sequence course
topics and a Visual Basic for applications routine to format the contents in
Microsoft Word including automatic indexing. Presented a Microsoft Project
course since 1992. Use Microsoft Project for process mapping and creation of WEB
pages with automatic indexing and Hypertext links. Expert at Visual Basic for
Microsoft Project. Beta tester for Project 98.
Updated: March 2, 2010
email Brian Mullen with your questions
Personal pursuits
In his spare time, Brian enjoys aerobics, swimming, snorkeling in Maui, hiking, skiing (down-hill and back country) and mountain-biking. He has a son,
a daughter and lives in North Vancouver.