New project management articles published on the web during the week of December 2 – 8. We read all of this stuff so you don’t have to! Recommended:
Leadership, Mistakes, and Failure
- Loren Thompson adds his assessment of the HealthCare.gov problems, and finds that most of the fault lies with the government agency that managed the project.
- Martin Webster makes the case that mistakes are good for business.
- Glen Alleman counters, saying that learning from mistakes is overrated.
- Dick Billows analyzes the “project failure is unacceptable” meme as a failure of executive leadership.
- Sharon Florentine looks at the data to determine why so many IT projects are failing. “Consolidation and cost-cutting have really taken their toll.”
The Future Starts Tomorrow
- Anne Eisenberg reports on progress in developing algorithms to read your facial expression from your web camera. “You seem bored. Shall I speed up the game?”
- Zack Whittaker reports that PC shipments are declining even faster than expected. Are you getting ready for the post-PC computing environment?
PM Best Practices
- Susan Madsen argues that the “iron triangle” metaphor for project constraints is outdated.
- Mike Clayton suggests that, as project managers, we work in six different modes.
- Peter Tarhanidis explains how to integrate change management with project management.
- Lynda Bourne tells us how to deal with a toxic professional relationship.
- Elizabeth Harrin shares an excerpt from her chapter in the “Gower Handbook of People in Project Management,” on managing social communications in projects.
- Gary Nelson demonstrates how to capture our attention, by recounting an eye-opening flight on Aeroflot.
- Andy Makar shows how to identify potential problems in MS Project using custom filters.
- Duncan Haughey tells us of a phenomenon he calls “the sudden go-live realization.”
- Allen Ruddock walks us through the key planning points for a go-live.
Podcasts and Videos
- Cornelius Fichtner interviews Sarita Maybin on her presentation at SoTeC, “How to get more done with less stress.” Just 24 minutes, safe for work.
- Cesar Abeid interviews Michael Sliwinski, creator and chief user of productivity tool Nozbe. Just 39 minutes, safe for work, and perfect for you GTD geeks!
- Barry Hodge shared a cool little video on the science of procrastination. Less than three minutes, but if you really need it, you’ll put it off.
- Dave Prior interviews author and information architect Dan Brown on how designers and project teams can deal with conflicts and communicate together better.
Agile Methods
- David DeWitt clarifies, “Agile itself is not a methodology; it’s a mindset.”
Career Management
- Toni Bowers ticks off five things that hiring managers do that tick off job candidates.
- Peter Saddington puts on his career coach hat and advises, “Know yourself.”
Enjoy!