New project management articles published on the web during the week of August 17 – 23. We give you a high-level view so you can read what interests you. Recommended:
Must read!
- Ezra Klein analyzes last Sunday’s New York Times’ expose of the demands of white-collar life at Amazon, and finds the evidence less than compelling.
- Suzanne Lucas counters the New York Times Amazon profile with her observation that many people are looking for exactly that sort of demanding, big-league career.
- Sarah Greene Carmichael reviews the research: those long hours are counterproductive for both the employee and the company.
Established Methods
- Glen Alleman on anecdotes and statistics: “An anecdote is a statistic with a sample size of one.”
- Elizabeth Harrin describes “Advances in Project Management,” as edited by Darren Dalcher. Sort of a PM Reader’s Digest …
- Kailash Awati summarizes Russell Ackoff’s type classification of managerial attitudes toward planning. And it’s not necessarily about dysfunction.
- Coert Vissar reviews Richard Nisbett’s, “Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking.”
- Seth Godin notes that the first step in addressing a complex problem is agreeing on the definition of the problem and how it impacts us.
- Robert T. reflects on the science supporting the value of intuitive decision-making.
- Bruce Harpham collates eight habits of highly effective communicators.
- Art Petty helps us overcome our fear of sharing feedback.
- Harry Hall reviews the core principles and terminology of scope management.
- Alex Lu-Pon profiles Adam Wright, who manages the construction of personal submarines, one boat at a time.
Agile Methods
- Mike Griffiths looks into a problem with Agile methods: resistance to innovation and change, among some of the thought leaders!
- Johanna Rothman follows up on her recent post, explaining how to use continuous planning.
- Len Lagestee lists seven characteristics that sum up what an increasingly Agile organization should “feel like.”
- Derek Huether has identified an amusing divergence: the Big Design Up Front of Agile2015 seems less valuable than informal gatherings, e.g. Emergent Design.
Work Isn’t a Place You Go But Something You Do
- Thomas Carney gets the skinny on working remotely, from eleven project management thought leaders.
- Patrick Gray shares some tips for the traveling IT worker, also known as the migrant computer worker, road hog, and so on …
- A.W. also known as Gulliver the business traveler, trots out the unhealthy consequences of a life spent on the road. Now you tell me …
- Tom Barnett looks at what should drive our decision to move on to the next opportunity.
Podcasts and Videos
- Cesar Abeid interviews Errette Dunn on his journeys to become the Lean influence at Wrike. Just 53 minutes, safe for work.
- Cornelius Fichtner continues his recent interview of Susanne Madsen, with a deeper dive into coaching techniques. Just 25 minutes, safe for work.
- Elise Stevens interviews Dan Galorath on the fine art of estimating. Just 15 minutes, safe for work.
Enjoy!
Thanks, Dave! It’s exactly like a PM Reader’s Digest. An expensive one…
“I took a speed reading course, and it really worked; I read War and Peace in 20 minutes. It’s about Russia.” — Woody Allen
Of course, I say that as a guy who’s been posting the PM equivalent of the TV Guide for over five years, so maybe I should just sit quietly and smile a lot.