New project management articles published on the web during the week of December 11 – 17. And this week’s video: Jingle Bells, for all of you who never learned to play an actual musical instrument. 2 minutes, safe for work, but you’ll have to replay it for everyone within earshot.
Must read!
- Kio Stark explains how to exit a conversation without being a jerk. 4 minutes to read.
- Michael Lopp describes his inner monologue as an introvert preparing and delivering the next sentence. Insightful enough to be discomforting. 3 minutes to read.
- Julie Beck interviews N.J. Enfield on how the tiny pauses and filler words enable us to keep the conversation flowing. So “Umm” has a purpose? Good to know. 8 minutes to read.
Established Methods
Elizabeth Harrin lists the project management trends that she believes will dominate the profession in 2018 and beyond. 5 minutes to read.
- Darragh Broderick points to five collaboration trends we’ll see in project management in 2018. 4 minutes to read.
- Leigh Espy tutors us on creating an agenda for a project status meeting.
- Ryan Ogilvie notes that problem management is like watering plants—you can’t overcome neglect quickly. 3 minutes to read.
- Kerry Wills observes a possible trend, toward “lightweight” PMO’s. Just a minute or so to read.
- Renee Adair recounts an anecdote that illustrates the consequences of a “failure to communicate” when lots of channels are involved. 5 minutes to read.
- Brendan Toner concludes his short series on how to deliver projects on time. 6 minutes to read.
Agile Methods
- Stefan Wolpers curates his Agile content list, from Vasco Duarte’s 20 top Agile blogs to hiring wisdom from a young Steve Jobs to how Sales adds value to a product roadmap. 7 outbound links, 2 minutes to scan.
- Tom Cagley interviews Michael Harris on the business value of software—how to recognize it and how to create it. Podcast, 43 minutes.
- John Goodpasture recaps Steve McConnell’s video presentation on managing technical debt in financial terms, which make more sense to the business. 2 minutes for the recap, just over an hour for the video.
- Glen Alleman addresses a weak spot in Agile development processes at many organizations: separation of concerns. 7 minutes to read.
- Abhijeet Verma tutors us on Spikes, as a tool for addressing uncertainties in stories or epics.
Applied Leadership
- Johanna Rothman continues her series on building respect in organizations, rather than families. Here are parts four and five. 3 to 4 minutes each.
- Suzanne Lucas uses Queen Elizabeth as an example of how a true leader responds to criticism. 3 minutes to read.
- Seth Godin suggests we invest in making our gut smarter. 1 minute to read.
Technology, Techniques, and Human Behavior
Stuart Firestein interviews professional poker layer Annie Duke on the Resulting Fallacy—judging the decision on the result—and how it negatively impacts our ability to refine our decision-making process. 8 minutes to read.
- Keith Foote recaps the history of Big Data, beginning in the 17th century(!). 7 minutes to read.
- Will Fanguy tutors us on prototyping. 4 minutes to read.
- Bertrand Duperrin looks at the implementation concerns that organizations reasonably should have about HR Chatbots. 3 minutes to read.
Working and the Workplace
- Travis Bradberry provides some ideas on how to structure your working day between “work” and “breaks” to maximize your actual productivity. 4 minutes to read.
- Scott Berkun identifies the top five reasons why remote workers don’t succeed. 4 minutes to read.
- Kat Boogaard lists seven questions to ask in an informational interview when thinking about a career change. 4 minutes to read.
Enjoy!
Title

Article Name
New PM Articles for the Week of December 11 – 17
Description
New project management articles published on the web during the week of December 11 – 17
Author
Dave Gordon
The Practicing IT Project Manager LLC
