Hal asks a fascinating question in Variation is an Enemy Enabler of Project Success: How can we take advantage of serendipity rather than forcing an outcome in our projects? (paraphrased) One technique is to observe and listen to the project. When PMs observe their projects, they look at and listen to: How people work together. […]
If you’re wondering how to network with people in person, take a look at Susan RoAne’s The Secrets of Savvy Networking, Chapter 4. I haven’t read the whole book, just the chapter she posted online. I like the part about magnificent minglers.For those of us who never made it to charm school, bring your self-esteem
Whether you’re a hiring manager or a candidate, read Staying Networked. (Sorry, link no longer exists.) If you’re a hiring manager, you’ll want to network to find people, otherwise you’ll be overwhelmed with not-necessarily-appropriate resumes. If you’re a candidate with more than a few years of experience, networking is your best way to find a
I was reading David Anderson’s Working Smarter Not Harder and thought about managers. David’s right, a few small improvements can dramatically increase a team’s productivity and therefore lower the cost of development. But I contend that most of the productivity costs in software is the way we mismanage software projects. If managers worked smarter, they
We all do it, but it’s pricey: Context switching demands valuable time and energy. Ranking priorities can help you manage that melting clock. Bob, the VP, told Sam, the PM, “I have three high-priority projects. I trust you. I want you to run those projects.” Sam’s flattered, but queasy: He knows that if he tries to
I’m always amazed at the number of people who take a job because it’s steady employment, or don’t choose to leave a job when they’re no longer learning. Eric Sink’s Career Calculus is an excellent essay on the value and necessity of continuing to learn throughout your career. He lumps all learning together. I think
The Pragmatic Manager, Volume 1 #4 Contents: This month’s Feature Article: Use Overtime as a Last Resort Announcements On the Bookshelf Want to hear more from Johanna? Want to read more of Johanna’s writing? =-=-=-=-=- Feature Article: Use Overtime as a Last Resort Overtime is the last degree of flexibility in a project. Unfortunately, too
The only good thing about this current spate of worms and viruses is that the spammers seem to sending less spam. Naively, a few months ago, I bemoaned the state of automated spam filters. Now I wish my mail program (Eudora) and spam filter (SpamSieve) could detect these ridiculous pif files and delete all mail
Dilbert is always good for a laugh. Make sure you have common sense when you interview. Don’t trash your previous managers or coworkers. Relate your experience to something useful for the hiring manager. Send me things you wish you’d never heard in an interview (whether it was from you or the other person) and I’ll
Earlier this week, I was at the Rational User Conference. I was part of a dynamic panel, “The People Factor: Experts Weigh In On The Soft Side of Software.” One question was about how technical managers or project managers have to be. Murray Cantor, one of the other panelists, summed it up this way: