New project management articles published on the web during the week of April 1 – 7. And this week’s video: Harry Hall is back with an approach for categorizing and analyzing project risks in order to create a project risk profile—an excellent tool for explaining exposure to the project sponsor and other decision makers. Just four and a half minutes, safe for work.
Brexit update: Prime Minister May acknowledged in a video that the alternative to leaving the EU with a deal is not leaving, so compromise will be required. According to S&P Global Ratings, the 2016 Brexit referendum has cost the British economy about 3% of its potential value; currency market conditions seem to be operating under the impression that crashing out of the EU won’t happen; the British pound remains 12% and 11% weaker against the US dollar and the euro, respectively but a hard Brexit will almost certainly result in a sell-off. Manufacturers are stockpiling raw materials at historically unprecedented rates and a survey reveals that Brexit uncertainty is impacting mental health.
Business Acumen and Strategy
Martin Reeves, Kevin Whitaker, and Christian Ketels tell us that companies need to prepare for the next economic downturn. There will be both challenges and opportunities! 6 minutes to read.- Greg Satell looks at regional advantages. New York City doesn’t really need to offer a sweetheart deal to attract business. 5 minutes to read.
- Alison DeNisco Rayome reports how China tried and failed to dominate the AI field. 10 minutes to read. Side note: China is leading the world in wind power
- Ben Brody collates the criticisms of Mark Zuckerberg’s proposed framework for regulating the handling of personal data by corporations. His, for example. 3 minutes to read.
Managing Projects
- Elizabeth Harrin explains all ten knowledge areas of project management, as described in PMBOK v6, and throws in three videos, a slide deck, and access to her resource library. 9 minutes to read; the videos add another 18 minutes or so.
- The nice folks at Clarizen tutor us on the statement of work. 3 minutes to read.
- Glen Alleman shares a link to seven PMO “practical advice guides” prepared by Pat Barker. Bookmark the page, since two more are planned.
- Erik van Hurck shows us how to customize the ribbon menu on Microsoft Project. 5 minutes to read.
- Mike Clayton defines risk tolerance, as an input to project approval and risk management. Video, 5 minutes, safe for work.
- Jennifer Bridges shows how negativity bias impacts the actions we take when managing our projects. 5 minutes to read, plus a 5-minute video, safe for work.
Managing Software Development
Stefan Wolpers curates his weekly list of Agile content, from Monte Carlo simulations for Agile estimation to Scrum at Scale to scaling for product people. 7 outbound links, 3 minutes to read.- Johanna Rothman begins a new series on product roles with an examination of product managers, product owners, and business analysts. 5 minutes to read.
- Ron Jeffries opines on YAGNI (you aren’t gonna need it), technical debt, and skimping. 11 minutes to read.
- Piyush Rahate contemplates the Sprint Goal: not an essential or mandatory Scrum artifact, but nonetheless incredibly useful. 3 minutes to read.
- Sarah Brockett admits that not all software design work is groundbreaking, visually stunning, or even challenging. But that can be overcome. 3 minutes to read.
Applied Leadership
- Sharlyn Luby tells us how to get and keep buy-in from senior management. 3 minutes to read.
- Todd Williams says that “eliminating blame is the first step in being accountable.” We need to leave room for people to make mistakes. 5 minutes to read.
- Suzanne Lucas alerts us to a pregnancy discrimination case that might one of the best examples of how not to manage that we’ll see this year. 3 minutes to read.
- Nancy Settle-Murphy gives detailed instructions on transitioning a remote worker to a different remote manager. 7 minutes to read.
Research and Insights
Edd Gent gets us up to date on Microsoft’s research and development of a DNA data storage device. Seriously. 4 minutes to read.- Gillian Armstrong explores the impact and ethics of conversational artificial intelligence. 13 minutes to read. Don’t anthropomorphize computers—it only encourages them.
- Kristen Houser reports on the development of “metallic wood”—essentially, nickel with a cellular structure. Producing it at scale might lead to super-light devices, from cell phones to cars. 2 minutes to read.
Working and the Workplace
- Leigh Espy suggests seven criteria you should use to assess whether your career is meeting your expectations. 5 minutes to read.
- Claudia Vergueiro Masseio puts Imposter Syndrome, the Glass Ceiling, and the Glass Cliff into the context of her own career. 4 minutes to read.
- Andrew Arnold lists five essential practices needed to maintain cybersecurity when working remotely. 4 minutes to read.
Enjoy!
