Monday 23 October 2017

Ronald Kister: Tips for Lifeguarding Beginners

IT Consultant Ronald Kister has been an asset to the IT community for over 15 years, not only as the current client-focused IT Specialist and Owner of RKJ Consulting, but also as a former Technology Teacher and IT professional for the Harborfields Central School District. Kister’s IT expertise and experience is extensive, and has benefitted numerous organizations, professionals and students throughout the course of his career.

However, Ronald Kister is not just a longtime IT professional; he is also an experienced and accomplished lifeguard, someone that has dedicated himself to the position of Lifeguard Captain for nearly 20 years. As such, Kister understands how important it is to stay alert, to be ever-vigilant and to keep an ever-watchful eye on everything and everyone within his purview.
Basic tips for lifeguarding beginners include:

Establishing a Zone. It’s important to know the perimeter and the parameters of the zone you are to survey before beginning your shift.

Knowing How and Where to Scan. There are two basic types of scanning: Side-to-Side and Top-to-Bottom. Side-to-Side includes surveillance of your zone from the rightmost point to the leftmost point and back, while Top-to-Bottom includes close scrutiny of everything from the skyline on down.
Learning the Signals. When working as part of a lifeguarding team, it’s crucial to be able to communicate over long distances. Establishing and using various signals to indicate safety, danger and so on helps establish a cooperate and more effective lifeguarding environment.

Ronald Kister was a Lifeguard Captain from 1994 to 2013. 

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Ronald Kister: What’s Entailed in Successful Project Management

Ronald Kister knows the complexities, and the challenges, often involved in project management, having provided oversight and leadership of numerous team-oriented projects throughout his professional career. The former Levittown Public Schools Director of Technology and Library Media Services, Kister is well-versed in not only defining project goals and setting team expectations, but also in preparing those involved with the information and tools needed to see a complex project through to successful completion.



As Ronald Kister knows, every project, regardless of the size or scope, entails a certain number of phases. Each step, when followed and executed correctly, provides the platform needed for moving forward and onto the next.

Conception
Each project begins with its conception, as well as the analysis needed to determine its benefits/cost to the organization and the time it will take to reach completion.


Outline and Planning
Next comes the outline and definition phase, where the plan is constructed, a budget is calculated, a schedule outlined and resources determined.


Initiation and Execution
At this point in the project, tasks and resources are assigned accordingly. Responsibilities are defined and team members begin execution of the project.


Quality Control and Performance Evaluation
Those responsible for management of the project must work to ensure it is in concert with the schedule and budget. In other words, project managers must compare and contrast the progress of the project with the initial plan, and to make adjustments whenever necessary.

Close and Evaluation

The final phase of any project is its completion, followed shortly thereafter with an evaluation to determine its ultimate success, efficiency, etc.