Every month, a selection of the top PPM articles from around the Web.
WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION THIS MONTH
Managers too need to work as teams. Too few organizations realize they need managers to collaborate to address organizational problems. But when managers collaborate, they gain insight that allows them to remove impediments that cross teams, and reduce their decision time. (3 min read)
You can define a budget AND work in Agile. By estimate the effort for the requirements known at the time and using that as basis, you can define a budget that will allow you to make informed decisions and provide something to measure against. (8 min read)
To improve adaptability, learn to stop faster. Stopping projects is hard, even when you know they are going nowhere. But in a world of unpredictable change, the ability to stop and turn faster is an increasingly valuable advantage. (7 min read)
Embrace a little chaos when innovating under pressure. Recent research shows that teams tasked with rapid innovation perform remarkably better if they forego traditional upfront processes and embrace a mindset of minimal and adaptive coordination.
(5 min read)
To break down complicated problems while maintaining alignment between planned activities and the top goal, try the Stepwise Refinement framework. (5 min read)
You're a project manager and your company decides to adopt Scrum — What should you do? There is no Project Management role in Scrum, but that does not mean that Project Management responsibilities disappear, as explains Willem-Jan Ageling. (10 min read)
Change management too has its myths. And they can kill a transformational effort even before it really starts. Greg Satell takes a close look at the five most dangerous. (7 min read)
The picture we have of what most people believe is not always accurate. Our desire to fit in with others means we don't always say what we think. Understanding how the Spiral of Silence works can help us detect situations where "mainstream" opinions may not be that widely shared. (6 min read)
A CLASSIC QUOTE TO REMEMBER
“In the space of two days, I had evolved two plans, wholly distinct, both of which were equally feasible. The point I am trying to bring out is that one does not plan and then try to make circumstances fit those plans. One tries to make plans fit the circumstances. ”
— George Patton