The different types of project review each have their own characteristics and benefits. For any review however it is important to decide what the overall purpose is, and who should gain what from the output. This step is missed out in many cases and the design of the review is not given sufficient attention. Standard methodologies for carrying out project reviews can be helpful, but must be supplemented by intelligent thought! In the author's experience a review should consider both the project management standards and the subject matter of the project. Mistakes in either or both of these can lead to disaster, and it can take considerable skill and knowledge to uncover the truth.
If you are responsible for a project's success then you need the truth, and you are responsible for setting the principles and scope that will govern how effective the review will be in uncovering that truth. In particular you need to pick the reviewer so that you understand what bias is likely to be reflected in the results. Bias can arise from background, review methodology or political interests; and may not be intentional.
Bias due to interests The review may been commissioned, designed or just operated by people who wish to prove certain results and disprove others. It may be that some wish to prove a particular methodology works, and therefore the review concentrates on the extent to which that methodology has been completely and fully employed. This may be completely different from assessing whether the project itself is likely to succeed or fail. The Prince2 manual for instance has a comprehensive healthcheck. This will check for the complete use of Prince2 but the questions are mostly of the 'is there...item X' type, and there are very few questions asking about the quality of any of the items whose existence is being checked. Jobs and career progress may be at stake and informal alliances may be formed to ensure that the "correct results" are obtained by the review.
Bias due to role The UK government OGC gateway review is an externally focused health check which concentrates on the extent to which the project is still required and could deliver the benefits sought by stakeholders. It is also quite reasonably designed to protect a purchaser ( because the UK government almost always has this role ), rather than the creator or supplier of the project. This affects the questions and can lead to a situation in which the project is affirmed as meeting all the criteria for the purchaser but is doomed as a result of events being suffered by the supplier ( e.g. commercial losses, staff turnover etc. )
Bias due to reviewer's background There can be subtle issues arising from the background of those carrying out the project review. Some reviewers will be much more technologists than project managers, whilst others will be the reverse. Although it makes competent practitioners much harder to find there is a good case for insisting on both sets of skills.
Bias due to distance Reviews are sometimes undertaken by those who inhabit a management world of reports. If they then communicate with project managers and others who are somewhat distant from the actual tasks then the overall effect may be that the blind are leading the blind. Remember that real people, somewhere, should be actually doing the work to deliver the tasks required by the project. A competent reviewer needs to find them, understand them and discover what they think. This necessitates not only people and managerial skills but also some understanding of the skills employed by the project staff.
Checklists These are useful for ensuring appropriate coverage but it is equally important that the reviewer can think freely and explore the implications of the information that the project team give. This information is normally messy and ill organised. Coherent results pointing in a single direction are unlikely and the reviewer needs to be able to cope with
So what should the balance be ? Project Management skills in medium or large projects are certainly critical as the need to be organised is a critical success factor. 'Ready aim fire' expresses the simple truth that without those competent to first aim the project team members in the correct direction there is little chance of the target being hit. It is important that clear business justification and rules for project control are created and maintained during the life of the project. Appropriate risk management and planning are also vital to enable the overall project to achieve its intended results.
That the reviewer also possesses a reasonable level of subject related understanding is also critical so that those who are undertaking the work can be questioned rigorously about the quality and assumptions underlying the work they are undertaking. This isn't about the facility to do the work, but the ability to discuss designs, build dependencies, test conditions and the like in the detail that will establish whether the sequence of work intended is viable.
Reviews can be very important, but deciding who should carry them out, and how they should be undertaken is not simple. The most important determinant of success is your choice of reviewer.
A binaural beat is produced when two different auditory impulses of different frequencies crossover, run parallel or interact. Theoretically, binaural beat can be used to influence specific neural rhythms and can possibly be utilized to manage consciousness, or to entrain (draw along) the brain to a specific response.
Binaural beat was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, a German scientist in 1839. The human reaction to binaural beat is an adaptation, a proof of evolution; the structure of the human brain has developed so that it can process two tonal elements so they sound like one.
Classical example is the effect of a stereophonic headset where both channels feed different frequencies to the left and right ear. The resulting harmony is comparative to a binaural beat. The measurement of the cranium dictates what binaural beat a man can detect.
Carrier waves below 1000 Hz are most effective because at this frequency the signal wave length is proportionately longer than the entire diameter of a grown man's skull.
Sound frequencies below 1000Hz are diffracted by the skull, which can also be observed in radio wave projection. The distance that the sound needs to cover as it traverses across the skull produces different incoming signals; each ear gets only a fraction of the soundwave.
Despite this disparity, the brain "hears" the input as another frequency, one that is an integration of both. Binaural beats can also be described as fluctuating rhythms composed of the resulting difference between auditory inputs of two different frequencies. Tones of higher frequencies are less detectable. At 8000 Hz it is the external ear that is activated.
Unofficial findings point to the ability of a binaural beat to facilitate the redirecting of brain waves and effect an altered state of consciousness. Depending on the end frequency of the beat, listening to binaural beat can either be relaxing or stimulating.
Binaural beats between 1 and 4 Hz , as well as from 4 to 8 Hz can induce relaxation and can condition the listener into a meditative state. This type of binaural beat can be relied on to encourage restful asleep. Beats with a higher range of between 8 and 12 Hz can increase brain waves of the Alpha category.
Those in the range of 12 to 16 Hz, on the other hand, are associated with increased alertness and enhanced memory.
Simply hearing binaural beats per se may not necessarily propel human beings into altered states of consciousness; there are several factors that influence stimulation like the openness and capacity of the listener to let go, calm down and concentrate.
All these contribute to the effectiveness of inducing changes of a person's state of mind.
BINAURAL BEAT RECORDINGS
These are generated sounds, specially designed to alter ones brainwaves generating a change in the state of mind, such as joy, creativity, or relaxation. They're organically safe, non-addictive, and can be played as often as one needs to.
Scientists have been aware of certain frequencies that are associated with certain states of mind. Take for example the alpha frequency of 8 to 12Hz. This wave is accredited for the "superlearning", positive-thinking modes which can usually be obtained through meditation. This can be verified through an electroencephalograph (EEG) reading.
The ears can typically pick up only those frequencies between 20 and 20,000Hz; those as low as 8Hz simply don't register. If there was a way somehow to get the mind to hear those lower frequencies, such states of mental bliss could literally be commanded on demand.
That is exactly what Dove did. He found out that the inside brain can produce beats of a specific frequency that had direct influence on the brainwaves and ones state of mental state.
With the joint advancement of scientific research, complimented by EEG reading, these states of mind and their corresponding feelings or emotions have been identified as the object of binaural beat recordings.
Delta 1 - 3 Hz Deep sleep, dreaming, high level immune functions
Theta 4 - 7 Hz more relaxation, meditation and focus
Alpha 8 - 12 Hz Light relaxation and positive thinking
Beta 13 - 25 Hz Normal alertness and anxiety
Further studies have beefed up the concept that exposure to the featured frequencies is better at coaxing the desired state. A session that lasts more than 30 minutes at 5 Hz more than aptly substitutes around 2 to 3 hours rest from sleep.
Insomnia can be remedied with a ten minute exposure to frequencies from 4 Hz and 6 Hz, and lowering it to below 3.5 Hz for twenty to thirty minutes, then dropping to 2.5 Hz and fading out. Accelerated learning, on the other hand, can take place when exposed to binaural beats from 7 Hz to 9 Hz.
MORE ON BINAURAL BEATS AND BRAINWAVE ENTRAINMENT
These states of mind were reflected in EEG traces when the brain was exposed to frequencies below 30 Hz:
State Frequency Range State of Mind
Delta 0.5 Hz - 4 Hz Deep sleep Theta 4 Hz - 8 Hz Drowsiness (also first stage of sleep) Alpha 8 Hz - 14 Hz Relaxed but alert Beta 14 Hz - 30 Hz Highly alert and focused
The dominant frequency in the EEG pattern determines what shall be called the current state of the brain. If the amplitude of the alpha range frequencies is highest, then the brain is said to be in the alpha stage. Note, that other frequencies still exist and it is impossible to give any "exact frequency your brain is operating on."
However, later references to the brain states use the simplification of assuming that such a single frequency exists.
Entraining the brain to a desired state
The right external stimulus can entrain or draw the brain frequency along from one stage to another. A person in the beta (highly alert) stage can drift off to full relaxation when exposed to a binaural beat stimulus of 10Hz. This is also called the frequency following response.
The nearer the brain's state to the applied stimulus, the more efficient entrainment works. Executing a sweep from one frequency to another would be easier if the starting frequency is as close to the current brain state as possible. The sweep speed should be that your brain can switch easily.
This can be determined with the aid of an EEG. Playing it by ear or by simple common sense would tell that during the day it can be assumed that the brain is in the beta stage (about 20Hz); the sweep can start safely from there. If the state is already somewhat relaxed, starting frequency can be set at 15Hz or a few Hz lower.
Treatment of certain mental diseases
Depression, low self-esteem, attention deficit disorder, drug/alcohol addiction and autism, have been reported to have been remedied by brainwave entrainment. The same goes for headaches and migraines.
Miscellaneous
Even sex drive has also been reported to have been addressed by brainwave entrainment.
Both Vernon Riley & Tom Williamsen are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Vernon Riley has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Internet Marketing and Home Internet Business. Vernon Riley reviews IT projects as a project manager and technical consultant. He has 20 years experience of major IT projects, and the difficulties of delivering complex projects. Visit. Vernon Riley's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.