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!