MPD

management, MPD

Who Do You Promote Into Management?

I vividly remember my first promotion into management. I was looking for a promotion to be a senior engineer. I asked for a promotion. I got a promotion into management. Was I ready? Oh no! I remember asking for another promotion. I was told, “You’re too valuable where you are.” I decided to make my […]

management, MPD

Cheerleading? No. Courage? Yes

I have another management myth up over at Stickyminds. This one is Management Myth #11: The Team Needs a Cheerleader! I once worked for a manager who ignored all the problems we had, who said, “Let’s go, gang, we can do it!” I thought I would die. I’m an optimistic person. But I don’t believe

MPD, program management

Agile Program Management: How Will You Deliver?

One of my program management clients is organizing a program and is having trouble thinking about a delivery model that fits their program. They are transitioning to agile and are accustomed to traditional releases. When I suggested they have someone representing deployment on their core team, that was an initial shock to their system, and

agile, MPD

Agile is Not for Everyone

Someone asked me again about self-assessments for their agile transition. That got me thinking about this problem of transitioning to agile. I don’t believe agile is for everyone in every circumstance. Some people claim agile has “crossed the chasm.” Certainly, many people are aware of agile. Many people understand that a cross-functional team works in

MPD, project management

Test Dashboard Article Up

I have an article about test dashboards up on TechTarget. It’s called How to measure test progress: Every picture tells a story. The article has pictures. If you want more pictures, see Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management. Enjoy!

management, MPD

Nurturing Leadership

I had an email conversation with a colleague about when you let people fail versus when you rescue them—how you nurture leadership. The context is with people who are new to management, or new to a particular piece of work in a project. If you’re agile, I say you pair these people and be done

management, MPD

Debunking Management Myths

Anton Bangratz made my day today with his post, Management Myths Debunked by Johanna Rothman. He really liked Working Long? Rethink Why. I liked his reaction. Actually, I loved his reaction. Happy dance. The myths to date are here: The Myth of 100% Utilization Only the ‘Expert’ Can Perform This Work We Must Treat Everyone

MPD, project management

What’s the Culture on Your Project?

Now that the election is over, we have an opportunity to reflect on some of the project management and hiring practices. I’m going to blog here and over at Hiring Technical People because the bits are just too juicy to leave untouched. If you read nothing else, read Inside Orca: How the Romney Campaign Suppressed

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