Company

Established in 2000, Optimal Consulting, LLC is a well-established, boutique consultancy specializing in IT project management process optimization.

Optimal Consulting is an IT project management consultancy, specializing in the management of Information Technology projects. We provide practical, timely and applicable solutions and education that will allow managers, supervisors and all employees to do their jobs better and more effectively.

We offer the development of a consistent project management methodology to be followed throughout the entire organization; implementation of the PM method and associated templates, tools, and processes; assisting with the establishment of a project management office to support the implemented method and processes; establishing a portfolio management process with the associated reporting; and developing and improving project management competency throughout the organization. We can also provide oversight and management of the overall organizational culture change within the organization.

Overview

To strengthen organizational effectiveness and to educate business professionals, nonprofits, volunteers, and board members on ways to leverage resources using project management best practices.
  1. Preparing for the Project Management
    Professional (PMP) Certification Exam
  2. Negotiation for Project Managers
  3. Using the New Project Management Tools: 
    Social Media, Twitter, Blogs
  4. Creative Problem Solving
  5. Trust in the Workplace
  6. Mentoring Training
  7. Diversity and Inclusion

Carla Fair-Wright Awarded 2015 Woman of Excellence (WOE)
Carla Fair-Wright has been awarded the prestigious Federation of Houston Professional Women award representing the Society of Women Engineers – Houston Section

Women’s Energy Network Houston Elects Carla Fair-Wright to Executive Board
Carla Fair-Wright elected to serve on Women’s Energy Network as Director of Membership

Carla Fair-Wright Moderates Panel at Project Management Institute Conference June 4 in Houston Fair-Wright will moderate a panel discussion: “The Role of Organizational and Behavioral Change Management in Project Success” 2013 Project Management Institute Conference (PMI) Houston ® Conference, Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 4:15 PM Central Time.


Carla Fair-Wright to Present at Project Management Institute (PMI) Houston July
Meeting
Carla Fair-Wright will be presenting at Project Management
Institute (PMI) Houston Downtown Chapter Meeting on Thursday, July 26, 2012 from
5:00 – 6:30 pm at the Houston Public Library Main Branch 


Carla Fair-Wright and Elaine Jackson will be speaking at PMI Conference in Houston on June 8, 2011
Elaine Jackson, PMP and Carla Fair-Wright, PMP, MCP, ASQ CSQE will be speaking at the Project Management Institute (PMI®) Conference in Houston covering topics related to preparing for the PMP Exam, Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 2:30 PM Central Time.

Optimal Consulting’s Carla Fair-Wright Presenting at American Society Of Indian Engineers and Architects (ASIE) Houston Chapter Meeting

Houston Authors Shine New Light to Energy Metrics Six Sigma Black BeltMichael
Dorrington
and Carla Fair-Wright team up as contributors to the latest edition of the Encyclopedia of Energy Engineering & Technology.

5 AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT BLOGS


  1. Agile Blog
    When
    Jean Tabaka and Ryan Martens
    (founder of
    Rally Software
    ) talk Agile, people listen. This blog has a growing following
    for posts like this one:
    “8 Ways to Re-Tool a PMO in an Agile Environment.”

  2. Agile Thoughts
    This blog from Agile consultant
    Tobias Mayer
    has a solid following for thoughtful posts about things like
    this:
    the place of Scrum in the world.
  3. Drunken
    PM
    Here,
    Dave Prior
    offers Scrum and Agile project management thoughts and a lot of
    humor. A good sample?
    “Done, Done and the Bag of Oranges.”
    (P.S. He will be the first to tell you,
    he did not come up with the concept–but he might just word it the best.)

  4. Agile Project Management
    This blog from
    Patrick Merg
    proves Agile is “more than a method, it’s a mindset” with posts
    like this one on
    “MoSCoW.”
  5. Tommy
    Norman
    Posts like
    “How Scrum Are You?”
    might make Agile purists cringe, but Norman seems to
    maintain balance.

20 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
BLOGS


  1. Project B
    log
    Though software projects have been Bas de Baar’s
    specialty, his thoughts on project management in general are increasingly sought
    after on the internet.
  2.  Where To Find Over 350 Free Project Management Podcasts:
    PMPodCast
  3. Herding Cats The expertise of Glen Alleman shines on this blog, with posts such as this one on increasing the probability of project success, called “Back to Basics.
  4. Project Management Hut Readers will find job listings here, as well as innovative tips like how to use a weather metaphor next time you assess the state of your project.
  5. PM Crunch This blog from multiple contributors offers various insights on the topic of project management, including this post from John Reilly on Software as a Service–otherwise known as” SaaS.”
  6. Raven’s Brain Here, Raven Young gives readers great highlights of the blogosphere on project management. In this way, her blog is a gateway to many other points of view.
  7. A Girl’s Guide to Project Management This blogger, Elizabeth Harrin, offers a distinctly feminine viewpoint, but she has the all around expertise to pull it off for any gender. An example? “What Are You Worth?”
  8. PM Majik This blog comes from multiple contributors, contains a job board, and contains a stellar post posing the question “Are You A Prima Donna PM?” It’s a worthwhile read–if nothing else, you have to see the image topping the post.
  9. Gary Gagliardi’s Blog He seems to be on the blogroll of every project management blogger around. Maybe it’s him or maybe it’s the Science of Strategy Institute behind him, but Gary offers up insights like “What Isn’t Changing in the Twenty-First Century?”
  10. Project Management Bistro The project management community site PM Boulevard sponsors this blog, with great tips like this article from guest blogger Raven Young (see #6) called “4 Keys to Successful Project Management.”
  11. PM Think! This blog from multiple contributors has been around for years, and still manages to find interesting things to say. Example? “Project Managers Specialize in the Project Management Lifestyle.”
  12. Crossderry Coming from experienced project manager Paul Ritchie, the beauty of this blog is typically found in it’s simplicity. No long rants or lectures here, just quick tidbits of advice, food for thought or simply quotes, like this one from Abraham Lincoln.
  13. Zen, Project Management and Life This one from Bob Tarne has been going strong for four years, with thought-provoking posts like this one: “Can You Share Best Practices?”
  14. Eight to Late This insightful blog goes deep and even includes graphics to help project managers who learn visually. An interesting sample, from creator Kailash Awati: “A Communication-Centric Approach to Tackling Project Complexity.”
  15. Beaufortes Blog Blog creators and co-founders of Beaufortes Jason Bates and Philip Greenwood prefer innovation in project management, and it shows in their blog. An example? The N-Gage Process.
  16. Better Projects Here, you ‘ll find Craig Brown’s musings on project management. Sometimes his thoughts are brief, but almost always helpful, such as “The Better Projects Scrum Reading List.”
  17. How to Manage a Camel This blog from Arras People includes a lot of project management outsourcing advice, such as “How to Maximize Short Term Project Management Contracts.”
  18. Cutting’s Edge Here, blogger Thomas Cutting instills his wisdom for project management with posts like “Killing False Confidence.”
  19. The Tao of Project Management This blog’s title isn’t just a cute play on words. Blogger John Carroll is serious in his observations of Taoism and the art of proper project management. Take a look at this convicting post: “Owning or Being Owned.”
  20. PM Karma Though it’s a smaller blog, from a blogger named Sreejith, it is impressive in the areas of practicality and thoroughness. Check out Sreejith’s review of project management software 5PM.