Are You a Plugged-in Manager? Find out from the Interview with Terri Griffith!
November 24th, 2011 | 
Author: This month, a very interesting book that I anticipated was released: "The Plugged-in Manger: Get in Tune with Your People, Technology and Organization to Thrive" by professor Terri Griffith, a seasoned management and technology expert. Terri describes a game-changing approach to management that is based on the concept of being plugged into each one of the organizational dimensions – people, technology and organizational processes – simultaneously. Oftentimes, managers underemphasize one…
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Tags: Find, From, Griffith, Interview, Manager, Pluggedin, Terri | 
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Agile Collaboration in a Virtual World: Takeaways from PMI Global Congress North America
On October 22-25, PMI gathered its members and friends for the annual Global Congress in Dallas to discuss the core features and emerging challenges of the project management profession. One of the key areas of focus for the Congress was the new project management trends, i.e., those trends that may impact the industry in the coming years. Together with Elizabeth Harrin and Cornelius Fichtner, seasoned project managers, popular…
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Tags: Agile, America, Collaboration, Congress, From, Global, North, Takeaways, Virtual, World |
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Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics
According to Mark Twain "There are lies, damned lies and statistics."
In fact, I was once given a book written by Darrell Huff titled How to Lie With Statistics. It looks like Mr. Huff took Mr. Twain seriously.
A couple of days ago I wrote about honest project communication and the importance of telling the truth (honest and transparent communication). This post generated a lot of discussion on…
Project Leaders and Making Decisions
Over the years I have participated in a number of discussions (debates really) about whether or not project managers are decision makers. The opinions seem to be pretty polarized. The camp that says "NO" argues that the executives in the organization make the strategic decisions and project managers execute those decisions. In most organizations this is probably true.
Those that argue "YES" (and I find myself in this camp), argue…
A Change in Direction Isn’t Always a Bad Thing
The weather wasn’t very good this weekend. We were going to ride up through southern Idaho but the rain (and even snow) in some places looked pretty sketchy, so we decided to visit someplace else. Paul suggested Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake.
It turned out to be a fun day on the bikes after all, even if we didn’t get to take our "planned" ride. I think…
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Tags: Always, Change, Direction, Isn't, Thing |
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3 Steps to Building Your Own Innovation Machine (Part 3)
Choosing the right move
Here comes another question – how can we better learn from the experience we get? Eric Ries, already mentioned above, uses an efficient way to tackle problems. I am talking about root-cause analysis or “five whys.”
Imagine that the problem you’ve faced has the same structure as a Russian doll. The “root cause” of it is hidden inside, and you have to remove several layers to…
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Tags: Building, Innovation, Machine, Part, Steps |
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“I Cannot Tell a Lie…”
I don’t think they tell this story in school anymore. I think it’s been debunked as a fabrication. That being said, I grew up learning that George Washington was honest. So honest in fact that as a boy he received a new ax and promptly cut down his father’s cherry tree.
When asked about what happened to the tree, the young George said, "I cannot tell a lie. I cut…
What Exactly are “Resources”?
Project management has too many acronyms.
PM, PPM, PMBOK, SCRUM, PMP, ACWP, BAC, BCWP, BOM, CPF, CFF, PDM, PMO, WBS, SWOT, TQM… you get the picture. We even have a unique way of using terms like "resource" or "resources" that doesn’t make sense to many people outside of the profession. Is it any wonder people don’t get what project managers do?
Whenever I talk to someone who isn’t a "PM"…
Motorcycle Tires and Project Teams
Before I started my ride on Saturday, I washed and polished my bike and prepared for a few hours in the saddle. Taking time to clean the motorcycle gives me an opportunity to inspect it and make sure that there are no glaring issues in need of attention. One of the things I like to keep a pretty close eye on are my tires. Tire condition is a pretty important…
3 Steps to Building Your Own Innovation Machine (Part 2)
Let the feedback direct you
John Wanamaker, considered by some to be the father of modern advertising, once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don’t know which half.” By using carefully designed experiments, you can do a better job than Wanamaker. For example, all professional advertisers today know about conversion tracking and A/B testing. These are basic tools of the trade for…
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Tags: Building, Innovation, Machine, Part, Steps |
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