New project management articles published on the web during the week of September 26 – October 2. And this week’s video: a critical analysis of Elon Musk’s SpaceX proposed Mars colonization project. And you thought your project was high-risk, with an overly ambitious schedule! Just seven minutes, safe for work.

Must read!

Maria Konnikova looks into more recent research and finds that “10,000 hours of practice” is necessary, but probably not sufficient for mastery.

Maria Popova reviews “The Power Paradox: How we gain and lose influence,” by Dacher Keltner. Added to the top of my reading list.

Art Petty lists ten bullets of do’s and don’ts for the successful executive sponsor.

Established Methods

John Goodpasture addresses the nature of time in risk management: most risks are not static or stationary.

Johnny Beirne interviews Mike Clayton on the basics of risk management. Just 17 minutes, safe for work.

Jenny Brown outlines recommended project performance metrics for use by the project manager or PMO in determining how to report RAG status.

Moira Alexander provides considerations and internal and external criteria for selecting the right project management methodology.

Elizabeth Harrin shares a slimmed-down version of a white paper on selection and implementation of project and portfolio management software.

Agile Methods

Stefan Wolpers curates his weekly list of content on Agile methods, from Fake Agile to Cargo Cults and Agile Idiots, to 50 product management blogs you should be reading.

Johanna Rothman starts a series on what Agile project managers do (and do not).

Ryan Ripley interviews Justin Browder and Bryan Schoeff on how project managers can fit into an Agile team. Just 16 minutes, safe for work.

Bart Gerardi continues his series on managers of Agile teams, with a close look at their responsibilities to the people and the company.

Mike Cohn argues against using the Sprint review as a sign-off meeting.

Kevin Aguanno reports on the growing use of Agile methods outside of the IT world.

Applied Leadership

Dave Prior interviews Jann Thomas and Adam Asch on working with distributed teams. Just 27 minutes, safe for work.

Tanya Tarr presents a case study of a freelance project manager who solved the real problem by not simply doing what the client demanded.

Suzanne Lucas, the Evil HR Lady, explains how to determine when it’s time to terminate an employee, and how to do it respectfully.

Nate Vickery explains why a working Mom is the perfect project manager.

Technology and Techniques

Ryan Ogilvie points out that service delivery frequently crosses organizational boundaries, and so do opportunities to improve change management.

Ariel Amster notes that Big Data algorithms can only get you so far – at some point, you need human insight into human behavior.

Elise Stevens interviews Thomas Mai about storytelling in promoting organizational change. Just 21minutes, safe for work.

Robin Goldsmith details the notion of a value proposition as used in sales, and how to apply it to collecting business requirements.

Working and the Workplace

Seth Godin: “The average knowledge worker reads fewer than one business book a year. On the other hand, the above-average knowledge worker probably reads ten.”

John Friscia argues that making your boss happy is not your job; there are times you need to push back, and not just blindly follow orders.

Derek Huether believes you need three things in order to increase productivity: a system, a ritual that exercises it, and enough repetitions to make it a habit.

Enjoy!

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