New project management articles published on the web during the week of January 13 – 19. We read all of this stuff so you don’t have to! Recommended:
The Future Starts Tomorrow
- Joe McKendrick summarizes key predictions from IDC for the “third platform” – mobile computing, cloud services, big data and analytics, and social networking.
- Louis Columbus says that 2014 will be the year that Big Data goes mainstream.
Leading Culture Change
- Peter Saddington identifies the challenges and rewards of changing the organization’s culture.
- Bertrand Duperrin considers the limits of driving cultural change via social collaboration and a “pull” process.
- Johanna Rothman expands on her previous post, arguing against “hiring for cultural fit.”
Leading Virtual Teams
- Eric Stacy examines the implications of virtual teams, and best practices.
- Cheri Baker looks at the benefits of moving to remote work and a “nomadic workforce.”
- Alina Varabie explains the bus factor: the number of people who need to be “run over by a bus” before your project is in trouble.
PM Best Practices
- Glen Alleman applies some physics to the relationship between cost, scope, and schedule, and shows that it’s a “springy triangle.”
- Brad Egeland explores what it means to be a proactive project manager.
- Tony Adams reminds us that good project plans are designed to be flexible.
- Michael Greer wants us to embrace our inner plate-spinning juggler.
- John Gaziano explains the advantages of using RACI charts
- Andrea Brockmeier tells us why even small projects need a charter.
- Bruce McGraw looks at recent “troubled” public sector projects for key factors they had in common.
- Adriana Girdler details eight tips to wring more productivity out of your day.
- Ken Ideus shares some tips on breathing and being centered, for your next presentation.
- Martin Webster lists his top ten blog posts for 2013.
Podcasts and Videos
- Cesar Abeid interviews Johanna Rothman on her new book, “Manage Your Job Search.” Just 43 minutes, safe for work.
- Cornelius Fichtner interviews Todd C. Williams on why projects fail, and how they can be rescued. Just 29 minutes, safe for work.
Agile Methods
- Leslie Ekas and Scott Will look at Agile from the perspective of eliminating waste.
- Mike Griffiths: “Agile methods give more freedom and autonomy for teams to do the right thing, but it is the team members that act intelligently to improve things.”
Books
- Elizabeth Harrin reviews “Make it Fly!” by Brigitte Cobb, which she describes as an excellent resource for “accidental project managers.
- Jamie Rubin recommends three largely unnoticed books on project management, from the managers of the Manhattan Project and two major NASA projects.
- Soma Bhattacharya interviews Laura Dallas Burford on her new book,”Project Management for Flat Organizations”
Enjoy!