The Art of War Part I: Workforce Management (planning and Implementation Stages)

El arte de la guerra Parte I: Manejo del personal (etapas de planificación e implementación)
Besides the technical knowledge, the success of a project depends on how good the workforce is, or more properly, on how smart the manager of the workforce is. Usually, to manage a group of engineers is not too difficult, because both the manager and the personnel may have similar backgrounds. A small problem may arise when such workforce has different interests and backgrounds. When I returned to my home country, it was noticeable how different was the working atmosphere. Then, browsing on the Internet I found a book that for long I wanted to read. The title is "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Let me share some words of this book with you, and let´s turn them into my concern.
Planning stage1.   The art of war (construction or project management) is governed by five factors:·   Being aware of our roles The Moral Law: Causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler.·   Be aware of the elements, in order to set up a realistic chronogram Heaven: Signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.·   Industrial security Earth: Comprises distances, danger and security, open ground and narrow passes, the chances of life and death.·   Leadership   The Commander: Stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.·   Rank, supplies Method and discipline: The graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure2.   Seeking to determine the military conditions (evaluation of your team)·   Selecting the leaders Which general is inbued with the Moral Law? With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?

• Identifying strengths and weaknesses On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced? On which side are officers and men more highly trained? In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

3. Flexibility According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans.4. All warfare is based on deception (as my professor used to say, a good manager should have as many faces as the diamond does): when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.5. Prepare beforehand The general who wins a battle makes many calculations. The general who loses a battle makes few calculations beforehand. 
Construction or implementation stage (Waging war)1. BudgetProvisions enough, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor. 2. Drawing a realistic chronogram (daily, periodical, and total chronogram) When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. 3. Effective supply chain (provisions+material+tools) The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice (Once war is declared, he will not waste precious time in waiting for reinforcements, nor will he return his army back for fresh supplies, but crosses the enemy's frontier without delay (2)).4. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished (I would interpret is as related to the previous one, and on ensuring your budget is well acquainted).  5. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away (This usually applies when establishing camp fields. For us, it way be a warning on budget matters). 6. The workforce has to feel that the project is beneficial to them ( Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.7. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. This may apply to the cases when we join other team; Make them feel as if we were them: According to SunTzu, this is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.
On my next posts: The Art of War II: Strategy, tactics, energy...
References."The art of war" by Sun Tzu(1) http://www.chinapage.com/sunzi-e.html(2) http://www.online-literature.com/suntzu/artofwar/.