Project Management Notebook - by Project Doctor: Recent Episodes
Project Doctor
A review of the myPARM project management software, by using the Project Canvas as a frame of reference.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/project-doctor-notebook--5372003/support.
what is data driven project managent; the triple ladder from data to information to knowledge; covering types of data to collect for each tile of the Project Canvas (check out the Canvas series); from data to reports and analytics; benefits and pitfalls; what you measure measure gets highlighted, what you measure creates a meaning
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/project-doctor-notebook--5372003/support.
discussing the Thomas and Kilmann magic quadrant conflict handling model. adding considerations about reasons for conflict, factors for selecting how to handle a conflict, and the influence of cultural background on selecting a preferred style of conflict handling.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/project-doctor-notebook--5372003/support.
many organisations have difficulty implementing 'best practices'. looking at this issue from the perspective of social practices theory, we find three elements that define every practice: materials; competences; and meanings. we look at how practices change over time, and how new ones are introduced while old ones get discontinued. this helps to understand why your organisation or your ptoject team will or will not be able to adopt any best practice.
looking at risk management from a few perspectives: history, analytical, and the common approach to risk management. giving insights into the benefits and the limitations of risk management. covering both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches, and reconciling them.
scope creep is related to a baseline. you can still have scope creep in an agile project.
understaning scope creep as part of the mechanisme of operationalization (which is a fundamental process happening in any project).
how to deal with scope creep when it happens.
how to prevent scope creep by using rigorous quality control.
QFD as the recommended tool against scope creep (quality function deployment).
how to use the "conversations for action" model (Fernando Flores) in understanding how best to avoid communication problems in project management.
about the four steps in the communication process for getting things done: requesting; committing (or refusing); submitting (or sabotaging); and accepting (or refusing).
and about the importance of the 'conditions of satisfaction' that drive each step in the process.
the importance of critical thinking to analyze all the arguments and opinions that are directed towards you as project manager, by all stakeholders, in order to influence the project.
explaining the three key elements of any argumentation, as described by Stephen Toulmin.
an ancient greek myth has lessons for us about ethics - that knowing your limitations will help you prevent having negative impact on stakeholders, third parties, team, end users. how an old story has implications for project managers today.
some notes on how to measure team collaboration, not indirectly (indicators) but directly (measurement) - and a caveat as measuring this would at the same time be an intervention in the team
a systems view on multiple factors causing project failure, and how to use the Project Canvas to get a better understanding of sources for failure
an ancient greek myth has lessons for us about ethics - that knowing more about the context can change the meaning of our actions. how an old story has implications for project managers today.
how models always leave out stuff that we assume to remain the same (ceteris paribus). the value of control is central to project management but has a flipside. on the importance of being alert to changing circumstances.
on effort estimations and the effects of anchoring bias. how to avoid this bias by using the planning poker approach.
looking at three drivers for the professionalization of project management: pressure from society; cooperation and alignment between education and associations; development of theory by academia.
what is the status of the profession on each of the criteria for what is a 'real' profession: education, testing, accreditation, supervision, code of ethics, and complaints handling.
which professional organisations are there? what are the major certification schemes? how many people have certification?
what are the characteristics of a profession? what institutions and organizations are necessary to succesfully create a profession in a society?
projects are an increasingly important vehicle for achieving stuff; are statistics on project success / failure an indication of a problem in our profession?
can project managers be effective without technical expertise of the field that their project is in? on domain knowledge and epistemics, and the knowledge processes in projects.
behind all (cost) estimations there are assumptions and hidden beliefs, which should be uncovered - we should have a view on the extent of un-knowledge behind all estimations
how we are not fully 'rational agents' in decision making, and how framing is inevitably always taking place.
where does the power come from that project managers have in defining temporary organizations and plannings; looking at a definition of power as language-action power
how to avoid the 'availabiltiy bias' in risk assessment, and using the Project Card Game for an innovative approach to project risk based on the Canvas
why the "unfreeze - move - refreeze" model doesn't work, and how the "articulate - reconfigure - cross-appropriate" approach does a better job based on sense-making
the 'cone of uncertainty' shows that at the start of any project you inevitably don't have all the information you need, and then the "what you see is all there is" bias impacts important decisions that happen in the early project stages