Slow news week!
New project management articles published on the web during the week of June 2 – 8. We read all of this stuff so you don’t have to! Recommended:
PM Best Practices
- Jesse Jacoby points out that change management is an organizational capability, and he shows us how to develop it.
- Elizabeth Harrin reviews “The Project Management Book,” by Richard Newton, and calls it her new favorite.
- Kerry Wills notes that “TBD” is not a date on the calendar.
- Steven Levy continues his series on “not to do’s” with an explanation of something now called the “GM Nod.”
- Kailash Awati extracts some thoughts on antifragility from Nassim Taleb’s recent book, and applies them to IT strategy.
- John Goodpasture also invokes Nassim Taleb, as well as Matthew Squair, with their common interest in a false narrative leading to a bad design.
- Bruce Benson recounts an anecdote about the value of small, simple tools.
Agile Methods
- Glen Alleman deflates the puffery around Lean Startup, #NoEstimates, and Minimum Viable Features.
- Mike Cohn looks into the Agile trade-off few like to address: cost vs. schedule.
- Bob Tarne posts part 2 of 12 in his Principle of Agile series. This time, he contemplates Death March projects, why they happen, and how to avoid them.
- Venkatesh Rao debunks the John Henry myth, pointing out the stupidity of killing yourself simply to prove you can prevail.
- Mike Griffiths invokes Disney and Ikea, in explaining that Agile isn’t in the process, it is in creating a working ecosystem for your environment.
- Bart Gerardi notes that grooming the backlog is a communication opportunity.
- Ken Whitaker says the best way to succeed in a transition to Agile methods is to keep it simple.
- Arijit Sarbagna explores the role of the architect in Agile teams and projects.
Professional Development
- Martin Webster continues his exploration of leadership models. This week: Transformational leadership, in a complex environment.
- Doug Dickerson addresses the phenomenon of “selfies,” and links it to a leadership lesson.
- Cheri Baker considers the unpleasant: how to respond when you are verbally attacked.
- Johanna Rothman recounts how a deteriorating relationship with a toxic boss led her to find another job.
- Gina Abudi wants us to reflect on our brand: what others think of us, or more importantly, what they say about us to others.
Podcasts and Videos
- Cesar Abeid interviews Cornelius Fichtner, who provides a wonderfully precise definition of a number of Agile terms being bandied about. Just 47 minutes, safe for work.
- Luis Seabra Coelho interviews Peter Taylor, the Lazy Project Manager. Just 53 minutes, safe for work.
Enjoy!