Description:	Description: This advanced certification is for project management professionals with extensive experience. The qualifications and testing are rigorous, making this a widely respected certification. The PMP experience and exam requirements focus on five process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, & Closing. Requirements: * A bachelor's degree and 4,500 hours of PM experience in the five process groups, OR, a secondary school diploma and 7,500 hours of PM experience in the five process groups. * 35 contact hours of classroom instruction that relate to project management objectives. Several types of courses fulfill this requirement. * Supporting Documentation is required for the above qualifications. * Pass the PMP exam, which consists of 200 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 4 hours. * This information was copied from about.com
Background:	My experience managing Real Estate for two years gave me a foundation for project management. I had to coordinate contractors, tenants, and keep in constant communication with management. Even though I was able to “get things done”, I wanted to learn how managing projects “should” be done. As I looked for ways to become educated in project management I found out about PMI (Project Management Institute). I began studying their industry standards and eventually felt that I was ready to pursue my PMP certification.
Obstacles:	Even though the 10 hour application seemed daunting, the PMP exam proved to be the greatest hurdle in obtaining my certification. This test was probably the most difficult test I have ever taken.
Lesson:	Undeniably, education does not prove the ability of any person. I was no different the day after passing the PMP exam than the day before. However, I hope this certification shows that I am able to learn, able to apply myself, and able to finish what I set out to do.

Description:	I lived in La Plata, Argentina (one hour south of Buenos Aires) for six months with two locals. I was not working, but I tried to tag along with everyone I could to see what life is like in another culture. View the pictures by logging in at www.SnapFish.com Username: thefish@spedagil.com Password: thefish
Background:	Since college I had dreamed of living overseas in another culture. I decided that while I was still single and had a little savings I would pursue this dream. According to wise men around me, our dreams can pass us by if we wait too long.
Obstacles:	I had to leave my security and alter my “plan” in life to fulfill this dream.
Lesson:	I do not even know where to start. Ask me in person. I will say that life is life. Languages and landscapes change, but people are the same.

Description:	This is a marketing study on the For Sale By Owner industry (FSBO). My analysis resulted in a strategy of partnering the FSBO system with local Real Estate agents to make a win-win relationship and increase business for both.
Background:	Dr. Gade, at the University of North Texas, assigned this project to force us to use our creativity in performing a complete marketing analysis on one of many possible industries. The analysis was to include observations of the industry, a strategy for capturing more of the market share, and controls to evaluate the success of our proposed strategies.
Obstacles:	Financials! I have always found it easy to brainstorm and come up with ideas. In theory, and in a perfect world, all ideas are brilliant :-). But, how do you figure out the costs associated with the idea and how do you estimate a return before you have even started. How is success determined? The questions go on and on…
Lesson:	This was a good lesson for me. I realized that even if an idea could work it might be impossible to implement or evaluate once implemented. Also, when estimating financials it is better to focus on what is needed to breakeven. From there do estimates on potential. However, in the end all financials are estimates and it comes down to risk. The greatest risk is not the numbers which the analysis produces, but rather the numbers chosen to base the analysis on.

Description:	This Pro Forma was created on an actual Real Estate deal that was executed by Elk River Investments. I have changed a few details of the deal to protect confidential information.
Background:	Dr. Baen, from the University of North Texas, had every student in his class select a property to analyze and create a Real Estate Package. Not only did he want us to have experience in creating the investment package, but he wanted us to see first hand what investors need to make profitable investments.
Obstacles:	The information discovered from the research seemed to say that the investment was not a good investment. I could have easily made the investment look good by changing assumptions, such as probable rent price. But, I had to decide if I wanted to present good news or facts.
Lesson:	Investors must learn from bad investments and try not make the same mistakes in the future.

Description:	This spreadsheet was designed to tell an investor the max purchase price of any property depending on the rental income, the desired ROI, and the loan potential.
Background:	Dr. Baen, from the University of North Texas, introduced this equation to me. I wanted to automate the process to make calculations faster and more reliable.
Obstacles:	In order to automate this equation I had to learn what the equation was calculating, as opposed to just plugging in numbers and getting a result.
Lesson:	Even accurate information can be worthless if you do not know how it was derived.

Description:	The purpose of this application was to create a central location for all vital operations data. By centralizing where data was stored we could analyze our business needs more accurately, react to problems more quickly, and be more proactive in preventing problems from occurring. The Filing System was written in HTML, ASP, and VB Script. I originally created this to blend in with the Intranet of Anadarko. So that I would not reveal any sensitive information, I changed the format and all data that needed to be kept confidential. So, please forgive the appearance of the formatting.
Background:	The Networking Operations Group at Anadarko maintained thousands of servers. Information about these servers was always changing. So, over time we had multiple copies of the same spreadsheets and nobody ever knew what version was correct. This application forced members of the team to post a location for the most current information.
Obstacles:	I had to talk with each member of the group that was responsible for updating information. While looking for these people I found out that a lot of information did not have an owner. Anyone could update sensitive data at their personal discretion, which created many data reliability problems. I found many spreadsheets that were updated but never merged. So, one spreadsheet might have the correct names of servers but wrong IP addresses. Another spreadsheet might have the correct IP addresses and physical locations but the contain wrong names. It was an organization nightmare!
Lesson:	While I was creating this application the upper management was purchasing software to handle this very problem. I ended up implementing the File System and a few months later it was replaced by a industrial strength corporate filing system. This was a fast way to learn that projects need to be approved before spending company time in development. I had permission to make this application, but my manager did not know about the upper management’s solution. Communication is vital!

Description:	The backup calculator displays all available backups within the last week and then notifies the operator which folder the needed backup is saved inside.
Background:	My team was responsible for restoring any corrupted files located on our central servers. Backups were done at various times throughout the day and stored in folders without distinctive names. For instance, a backup done at 2:00 pm might be in a folder named ‘Backup1’ and a backup done at 8:00 pm might be in a folder named ‘Weekly 1’. Obviously, we never had any idea where to find the last backup. So we would open up each folder randomly and look at the time and date of each. To save time I created a web page that would display the times of all backups and the folders in which they were stored.
Obstacles:	To determine the backup routine I had to meet with the backup administrators to find out the backup schedule. Backups were done by professional software so nobody really knew how the system produced its backups, they just knew the backups were always done successfully and ended up in one of the folders.
Lesson:	Automated procedures can make processes go more smoothly, but the logic behind the systems is forgotten shortly after automation is implemented.

Description:	This chart is a summary of Bible events organized by event, historical figure, and a few other ways to help see the “BIG PICTURE” of God’s plan. I created this outline so I could easily teach someone Biblical history and give whomever I teach a resource to teach someone else in the future.
Background:	I attended a year long intensive Bible study taught by Tommy Nelson at Denton Bible Church. The program was focused on teaching the history behind the Bible and central themes throughout the entirety of Scripture.
Obstacles:	While attending this year long course I lived with 20 other guys in a dorm. Living with 20 other people teaches you how to get along with others fast.
Lesson:	The context of facts can change their meaning.

Description:	www.LeapofReason.com is an ongoing project. There is no timeframe for completion. It is just a hobby. The point of the online application is to work through people's logic and show where their/my logic becomes inconsistent.
Background:	I enjoy talking to people of all faiths and belief systems. I believe our faith, regardless of what it is in, should be consistent. I created this application to try and map out my logic for believing Christ is the only way to Salvation.
Obstacles:	What question do you start with? If you get that wrong it affects all the rest. Is it “what were we created from?”. Or is it, “were we created?”. Etc…
Lesson:	Sometimes it is hard to even explain the things you have known, have studied, and have believed. As much as I hate to say it, experience is important. My life has changed since I started understanding who Christ is. How do you explain that?

Description:	This web page was created to display projects I have worked on in the past and lessons I have learned from them.
Background:	I keep hearing people talking about ASP.NET. I do not love programming, but I wanted to start updating some of my technological knowledge and skills. This page gave me a chance to try out some basics in the .Net world.
Obstacles:	Learning curve. I can program with ASP but .NET is different. Like everything, a little trial and error does wonders.
Lesson:	Anything can be done better and the results of a project usually run dry before the project is actually completed.