New project management articles published on the web during the week of April 3 – 9. And this week’s video: Art Petty tell us to find the opportunities lurking in situations characterized by ambiguity and uncertainty. Less than 4 minutes, safe for work.
Must read (or Hear)!
- Michael Wood offers some career counseling for those considering a move to project management consulting.
- Greg Satell says that looking for a good problem will lead us to find a great idea.
- Bertrand Duperrin observes that there are no more technology companies—only companies using technology. Just ask Tesla Motors, now calling itself Tesla, Inc.
Established Methods
- Elizabeth Harrin explains how to hold people accountable, in her weekly Project Management Café Facebook Live session. Join the group! Just 18 minutes, safe for work.
- Harry Hall walks us through creating a project human resource management plan.
- Moira Alexander tutors us on RFIs and RFQs from the perspective of both the potential customer and the vendor.
- Anna Murray explains the nature of complex projects, using the assembly of an Ikea desk as a metaphor. If you’re thinking “schedule risk,” I think you get the idea.
- Glen Alleman tutors us on interpreting a probability distribution, using the measured similarity in two very different climates to illustrate.
Agile Methods
- Stefan Wolpers curates his weekly list of Agile content, including posts on how many teams a Scrum Master should handle and whether they should work themselves out of a job.
- Jimeque Turner counts the soft skills that allowed her to transition from teacher to project manager, to Scrum Master.
- Johanna Rothman contrasts an iterative approach with a cadence-driven approach.
- The Clever PM debunks five common myths about “iteration.”
- Pulkit Agrawal explains why a start-up firm chose to re-design their product, choosing growth and sustainability over short-term customer retention.
- Coray Seifert reflects on lessons learned from using Hansoft for Agile project management on his most recent game development project. And more widely applicable than that.
Applied Leadership
- John Goodpasture summarizes “The Right Kind of Crazy: A true story of teamwork, leadership, and high-stakes innovation,” by Adam Steltzner and William Patrick.
- Michael Lopp extends Kim Scott’s model for Radical Candor into one of Radical (communication) Efficiency.
- Margarita Mayo notes that, although humble people make the most effective leaders, we keep following charismatic narcissists.
Technology, Techniques, and Human Behavior
- Nancy Settle-Murphy and Elise Keith list the criteria to decide whether a face-to-face meeting is necessary or a virtual meeting will work as well.
- Matt Weinberger looks out a decade to the end of the smartphone, and maybe new models for being human.
- Seth Godin: “Technology destroys the perfect and then it enables the impossible.”
- Peter Vishton argues that to break our own bad habits we should use the same training techniques that work on dogs.
Working and the Workplace
- Ryan Ogilvie shares an anecdote that illustrates the need for excellent metrics when pursuing excellence.
- Lisette Sutherland interviews Frank Cottle, CEO of Alliance Virtual Offices, on the virtual office movement and “third place” working. Just 45 minutes, safe for work.
- Michael Hyatt uses Elon Musk as a counter-intuitive example to illustrate why the 100 hour work week is counter-productive.
- Tom McFarlin shares a lesson from “Essentialism,” by Greg McKeown, on separating the vital few from the trivial many.
Enjoy!