New project management articles published on the web during the week of January 20 – 26. We read all of this stuff so you don’t have to! Recommended:
PM Best Practices
- Pawel Brodzinski defines “the leadership gap,” and how to close it.
- Tony Consentino reports on research that shows analytics will be a top business technology priority in 2014.
- Mary Shacklett details how Cloud solutions are being used to reduce operational risk in five specific supply chain management cases.
- Elizabeth Harrin follows up last week’s book review with an interview of Brigitte Cobb, author of get-things-done book, “Make it Fly.”
- Michelle Symonds says we shouldn’t ignore scope and schedule, just to stay within budget.
- Glen Alleman says that the key to delivering value is showing up on time, on budget, with the needed capabilities.
Communication
- Dave Wakeman tells how to improve your communications by being more focused and conscious.
- Cheri Baker shows how to be open to feedback, based on lessons learned from writing her first novel.
- Steven Levy finds an interesting lesson on communication on Richard Sherman’s adrenalin-filled post-game interview, last Sunday. Go, Seahawks!
- Brad Egeland concludes his series on delivering bad news to your client.
- Tony Adams quotes Nietzsche on why people don’t want to hear the truth, and then explains why you tell them, anyway, in terms that matter to them.
Project Management Metaphors
- Bruce Benson finds lessons for project managers (and their managers) in a slightly confused “war on dementia” public awareness campaign.
- Nicole Scrudato explains why project management is like a trip to Las Vegas. And to those of you planning to come here: thank you for supporting our economy!
- Tim Walker explores diagnosing and treating a bad project manager.
Podcasts and Videos
- Cesar Abeid interviews blogger Jared Easley on overcoming self-doubt, and how he “got” Seth Godin for a blog interview. Just 41 minutes, safe for work.
- Cornelius Fichtner interviews Dr. Emad Rahim, who explains how to identify stakeholders. Just 25 minutes, safe for work.
- Peter Saddington shared a video depicting a conference call in real life. Just four minutes, safe for work, but too accurate to be anything but depressing.
- Barry Hodge shared a video by Marie Forleo on how to improve your communication skills by inserting an “intentional, awkward pause.” Just six minutes, safe for work.
Agile Methods
- John Goodpasture expands on a recent comment by Mike Griffiths, detailing traits of good (and bad) product owners.
- Adrian Fittolani reflects on making the practice of Scrum evolve, and recommends a few good books.
- Peter Saddington shares a badly distorted view of Agile, derived from listening to consultants and reading Gartner Group reports. “The Sluggish Manifesto?”
- Christian Vos explains why you need a definition of “done” at the sprint and release level in Scrum.
- Wayne Grant explains how to get to a definition of “done,” at the user story level.
Pot Pouri
- Shane Snow finds wearable tech devices all share the same problem as early MP3 players – they all suck for different reasons, because they’re not about what users want.
- Scott Berkun reviews Tom Standage’s book, “Writing on the Wall: The First 2,000 Years of Social Media.”
Enjoy!
Dave, thanks again for the mention!