New PM Articles for the Week of December 15 – 21

Posted on by

Balloon SunriseNew project management articles published on the web during the week of December 15 – 21. We give you a high-level view so you can read what interests you. Recommended:

PM Best Practices

  • Elizabeth Harrin describes Project Management as a Service. Not outsourcing, but a change in approach.
  • Johanna Rothman debunks the notion that competition among teams produces better products.
  • Glen Alleman debunks a debunking of myths and half-truths about estimating.
  • John Goodpasture explores the idea of cascading risks: where one damned thing leads to another.
  • Ron Rosenhead reflects on what he’s learned over the past year.
  • Harry Hall shares the lessons learned from this year’s Christmas tree disaster. Yes, even the Nativity Celebration needs a risk management plan …
  • Gary Booker illustrates a model of accountability, as a governance and operating practice.
  • Ryan Ogilvie considers whether communication is more effective when more structured or more personalized.
  • Ulf Eriksson gives us his recommendations for writing more effective test cases.

Agile Methods

  • Mike Cohn recommends that product owners should expect the development team to make a few adjustments to the sequence that they work the backlog.
  • Joanne Wortman argues that the key to success in an Agile initiative is taking the time to get the architecture right.
  • Michiko Diby is noticing that Agile values and methods are creeping into her off-duty life.
  • Kam Zaman reports on his success in implementing the elusive “dual-track Scrum.”

Looking Ahead

  • Carleton Chinner outlines three critical trends that will directly impact the practice of project management.
  • Michel Dion reflects on the evolution of project management, as the wall between operations and projects melts away.
  • Jennifer Zaino projects the future of cognitive computing, for 2015 and beyond, in health care, retail, and other industries.
  • Kent Schneider traces four critical trends related to data breaches and security that will affect our projects in 2015.
  • Seth Godin contributes his “annual plan construction set” of meaning-free buzzwords and phrases, to help you prepare for the coming year [face palm].

Podcasts and Videos

  • Cornelius Fichtner interviews The Risk Doctor, David Hillson, on the risks you didn’t even know you were taking. Just 21 minutes, safe for work.
  • Craig Smith and Tony Ponton interview Rachel Tempest Wood on why project management is still useful. Just 25 minutes, safe for work.
  • Here’s a YouTube video explaining the origins and principles of Kanban, as developed and practiced at Toyota. Just 3 minutes, safe for work.

Pot Pouri

  • Tony Adams notes the viral nature of cranky behavior at work: we are “emotional conductors” who bring our emotions to work every day.
  • Lynda Bourne describes a recent scientific study of idiotic risk, e.g. that class of risks where the payoff is negligible and the downside is extreme. Key finding: elect women.
  • Kerry Wills gives us the key bullet points from the 2014 Standish Report. If I thought it was a statistically sound survey, I’d look for other work.
  • Alex LuPon identifies the underlying project management methodology followed by The Hobbit Trilogy. Take THAT, Joseph Campbell!

Enjoy!