New PM Articles for the Week of July 11 – 17

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New project management articles published on the web during the week of July 11 – 17. And this week’s video: John Kotter explains how an organization that starts out entrepreneurial and agile becomes a bureaucracy, and why it’s hard to reverse the process. Just six minutes, safe for work.

Must read!

  • Ben Tarnoff recounts the story of how the first internet connection was demonstrated forty years ago this summer, at a beer garden in Portola Valley, a suburb of Palo Alto.
  • Bruce Harpham reflects on the phenomenon of ego depletion – the gradual loss of self-control after multiple challenges – and other sources of energy depletion.
  • Paul Reubens reports on how global engineering firm Atkins made the decision to migrate to Office 365, and what they learned along the way.

Established Methods

  • Paul Culmsee and Kailash Awati have published a new book, “The Heretic’s Guide to Management.” They say it’s about ambiguity, teddy bears, and fetishes – OK!
  • Harry Hall shows how to create and use a stakeholder register. Just 4 minutes, safe for work.
  • Laura Barnard shares her thoughts on the business case for the PMO as value creator.
  • Elizabeth Harrin interviews Traci Duez, who explains how she got into project management and then into speaking about project management.
  • Seth Godin reminds us that decisions about the future should not be about the past.
  • John Goodpasture ruminates on Matthew Squair’s representation of the risk spectrum, from known to unknown to unknowable.
  • Adam Shostack challenges information security professionals to hold themselves to the same standards as those who build bridges.
  • Paramita Ghosh details the skills required to be a data scientist. You start with business skills …

Agile Methods

  • Johanna Rothman defines swarming, mobbing, and pairing, in great detail.
  • The Clever PM identifies three primary skills of great product managers.
  • Michael Kogan shares some procedural lessons learned from conducting retrospectives.
  • Angela Wick contrasts feature thinking and value thinking.
  • Ryan Ripley chairs a round table of sorts on the GROWS method, with Andy Hunt, Jared Richardson, and Don Gray. Just 55 minutes, safe for work.

Applied Leadership

  • Art Petty recommends that we think and act “in the moment.” The past matters and so does the future, but what we do right now matters far more.
  • Walt Grassl shares a parable about establishing a culture of trust, which he turns into a sort of checklist.
  • Cornelius Fichtner interviews Niraj Kumar on developing project leadership skills. Just 34 minutes, safe for work.
  • Elise Stevens interviews Gillian Klette on how to incorporate feedback into your leadership plan, including positive comments. Just 18 minutes, safe for work.
  • Liane Davey describes the constructive mindset, as a prerequisite for giving feedback.

Working and the Workplace

  • Lisette Sutherland shares some of the best productivity she tips she collected over many years and interviews. Just 14 minutes, safe for work.
  • Hambrick and Ullén summarize recent research into whether genes or deliberate practice drive excellence and expertise. The twins research is very interesting.
  • Keith Rollag answers questions posed in the webinar, “What to do when you’re new: how to be comfortable, confident, and successful in new situations.”

Enjoy!