What's Your Role - Umbrella or Funnel?

Hi, my name is Brian and I deliver no value! There, I said it. I'm glad I got that off my chest. Read that first sentence again and replace it with your own name. Now, go back and read it again. Take it in, contemplate it, and ponder it deeply. Read it carefully and think very hard about what you do each and every day as a project manager. Note that I did not say that I wasn't valuable or that I provide no value. I purposely stated that I deliver no value. Most project managers I know do not... Read More»

The Project Manager and Agile

As more organizations transition from traditional waterfall to agile methodologies, confusion often abounds around the role of project manager. What happens to the project manager and the project management role during an agile transformation? Like most questions in life, the correct answer is—it depends, and is very contextual. Initially, there may be very little, if any, change in the project manager role. Project managers will largely find themselves doing a lot of the same work they always have. However, this is a very low maturity level indicator. If the expectations of traditional project management aren’t updated and managed to align... Read More»

Does Your Agile Organization Have Cancer?

Every (yes—EVERY!) organization that I’ve ever worked for or with has had cancer. Indeed, several of the projects I’m aware of have also had cancer. This has largely been true regardless of the methodology used. The specific stage of cancer has varied, as has each prognosis; however, all organizations I’ve encountered have been diseased with one type of particularly aggressive form of cancer. The specific type of organizational cancer I’m talking about is having an excessive amount of work in progress (WIP) at any given point in time. For organizations in general and agile organizations, in particular, the result can... Read More»

The Night Before the Deadline

In all aspects of life, I believe it’s important that we not take ourselves too seriously. With the holidays squarely and firmly upon us, I’ve decided to take a little creative liberty with a popular holiday story. I hope you enjoy the project management version of this holiday classic. ‘Twas the night before the deadline, when all through the plant Not a milestone was met, not one on my Gantt; The status reports were all sent to the sponsor with care, In hopes hopes he would see pending trouble to beware; The team were all nestled all snug in their... Read More»

Book Review: Essential Scrum by Kenny Rubin

I usually do not do book reviews. Perhaps it’s because they make me feel like I’m back in school writing a book report; or, maybe it’s because I feel that the amount of useful information found in today’s business books would be better served if its salient points were presented in a pamphlet rather than in book length. However, on occasion I do find a book that is so useful that I feel I must evangelize its existence to the rest of the world. This is the case with Kenny Rubin’s book Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most... Read More»

Invisible Agile Leadership

"A leader is best When people barely know he exists Of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say, "We did this ourselves." - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching Like many parents, my wife and I provide a weekly allowance to our sons for completing their family responsibilities (I think "responsibilities" sounds better than "chores"). Occasionally, their money collects to the point where it begins to burn sizeable holes in their banks. Yesterday my youngest son brought his money with him on a family shopping trip. He chose to buy a... Read More»

The Power of Failing

I am a case study in failure. Sometimes it seems as if I’ve made every conceivable mistake one man could make, and I’m a better person because of it. I now have a higher degree of good judgment than I did when I started my career. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, sometimes experience comes from bad judgment. We’ve all failed; had bad judgment, and generally messed things up. Let yourself wallow in it—briefly. It’s important you experience the emotions that resonate within you when you experience a failure. But it’s even more important that we use these emotions as... Read More»

Certification Alphabet Soup

Just a few decades ago, a college degree pretty much guaranteed you’d have a job. That’s no longer the case; a statement I’m sure many reading this would agree with. Now, it’s a standard to entrance into the professional world and only puts you on the same playing field with others. Much like money, the more in circulation, the more it takes to purchase something. Likewise, you might say a Master’s degree is worth what a Bachelor’s degree used to be worth; although, that no longer guarantees you’ll gain career admission. How about certifications? Several years ago I received my... Read More»

Irate About Change

Yes, I’m absolutely irate about change. This is not an essay on my displeasure and despair with continuous change. Well, perhaps it is somewhat, just probably not in the way you think it is. I’m currently facilitating an organizational initiative of massive proportion—an organizational transition from a waterfall to agile software development methodology framework. Not only is this a tactical change in the way we work, it is a tectonic shift in operational philosophy. Seemingly everything about the way individuals have worked is being challenged. This is a good thing. When we become entirely accepting in the way we do... Read More»

Scrum Master-Project Manager without the Bureaucratic Fat

Being completely absorbed in an organizational transition from waterfall to scrum, I spend a significant amount of time reviewing material related to the comparison of the traditional Project Manager role to that of the Scrum Master. Naturally, making such a transition has a lot of project managers in the organization concerned about their role in the scrum world. I recently read an article comparing the two roles that left me at a Titanic-resting-level depth below impressed, to say the least. I would've paid it little attention, except that it was found on a very credible institute's site; alas, several will... Read More»