New project management articles published on the web during the week of August 11 – 17. We give you a high-level view so you can read what interests you. Recommended:
PM Best Practices
- Pawel Brodzinski expands on Jerry Weinberg’s definition, as “a process of creating an environment where people become empowered.”
- Mike Griffiths considers the limitations of graphical depictions of data, when the information we should be consuming doesn’t graph so well.
- Ammar Mango plots alternative routes through conflict.
- Bryan Barrow explains his alternative to Post-It Notes for facilitating a project planning exercise.
- Michael Girdler extols the virtues of a good scope statement.
- Roberto Toledo lists his guidelines for fostering innovation.
- Bruce Harpham begins a series on regulatory project management.
- Dovilė Misevičiūtė notes that most attempts to institute time tracking fail within the first few months, usually for the same reasons.
- Rachel Burger spoils “Guardians of the Galaxy,” pointing out the project management lessons. You could have at least waited until the DVD came out …
Agile Methods
- Kevin Aguanno compares use cases and user stories, and how each can be the right tool for the job.
- Bart Gerardi explores Bill Wake’s acronym, INVEST, on how to improve the quality of user stories.
- Mike Cohn reflects on the balance of specialists and generalists in that most Agile team, the sandwich shop.
- John Goodpasture explores the need for a release sign-off when applying Agile methods. Because it’s not just about software developers.
- Chuck Morton continues his series of comments on Peter Morris’ article in the October PM Journal. This episode: Agile is not a project management discipline.
Following the Trends
- Albert Barron explains [whatever] as a service, using pizza. Yes, even your grandmother will understand this one. Admirable, Albert!
- Marco Visibelli shares recent lessons learned that tell us how companies make (and lose) money on Big Data projects.
- Rich Maltzman interviews Kim Marotta on how MillerCoors is applying a sustainability strategy to improve performance.
- Matthew Kosinski interviews Workday’s Liz Dietz on their upcoming Higher Education product.
Podcasts and Videos
- Cesar Abeid interviews Rich Maltzman of EarthPM on applying sustainability practices to project management and the PMBOK. Just 49 minutes, safe for work.
- Cornelius Fichtner interviews Thomas Juli about integrating personal happiness and focus with project success. Just 32 minutes, safe for work.
- Glen Alleman links us to seven podcasts from Mary Ann Lapham and Suzanne Miller of the Software Engineering Institute on the principles of Agile development.
New Books
- Elizabeth Harrin reviews “Project Management Workflow: A Business Process Approach,” by Dan Epstein and Rich Maltzman.
- Henny Portman reviews Alan Ferguson’s new book, “Integrating Prince2.”
Enjoy!