IAPM Essentials #86 - News from the project management world

What was eventful last week? What has happened in project management? Here you can find articles worth reading and links to videos or podcasts that we warmly recommend.

To put it briefly: Essentials from the world of project management.

Enjoy reading!
Logo of IAPM Essentials number 86.

IAPM Essentials December 28, 2021

This week, these three articles were particularly inspiring:

Hey Product Managers, Stop Obsessing Over The Team's Velocity!
Velocity helps answer the question of how many Product Backlog Items have been incorporated into an increment. This knowledge helps to estimate how much the Developers can achieve in the upcoming Sprint. It is important to keep in mind that Velocity is not an indicator of increment value. For this reason, it does not make sense to compare Scrum Teams based on Velocity, as the size of the Product Backlog Items can vary greatly. It is only possible to make a statement about how well the Developers can assess their own performance and how reliable these statements are. In this context, it is important to remember that predictions do not have to come true, because although planning ahead is important, decisions must always be made in light of the current situation. Finally, it should be noted that newly formed teams are usually unable to assess their work rate because they do not yet have any experience. Expecting this team to deliver maximum Velocity from the start would therefore lead to incorrect expectations.
Click here to read the original article.

Forecasting for Scrum Teams with Roadmaps
A roadmap helps a Scrum Team to visualise the planning of the future Sprints. In addition, it supports stakeholder communication by providing an understandable representation of the planned features. However, it must be kept in mind that a roadmap is not binding and only gives an approximate direction. There are various ways to present a roadmap, which can be chosen depending on the team, needs and scope. The possibilities range from a simple table with the details of what should be done now, next and in the future, to specialised software solutions with extensive templates and customisation options. Regardless of which option is chosen, a roadmap provides more transparency and, as mentioned at the beginning, can improve communication with stakeholders.
Click here to read the original article.

Wrong goals lead in the wrong direction - German language
Every company works towards achieving certain goals. Many of these goals can only be achieved by completing sub-goals. What is often not a problem can sometimes turn into one. The management then no longer has the overall goal in mind, but only the short-term goals that promise a small monetary success. In the worst case, this can lead to management burning its bridges. It only tries to achieve short-term goals and thus prevents the possibility of achieving long-term goals, neglects customer relations or spurns employees. This leads to looking for someone to blame for the failure to achieve long-term goals everywhere but the guilty party. To counter the problem, the overall goal and the way to achieve it must always be kept in mind.
Click here to read the original article.

Further articles worth reading and podcasts worth listening, you should not miss:

Are you practicing Anaconda or Hummingbird-style Scrum?
Click here to read the original article.

Blogparade 2022 Digitale Weiterbildung: Übergangslösung oder Zukunft?
(en.: Blogparade 2022 Digital Continuing Education: Transitional Solution or Future?)
Click here to read the original article.

Die 5 Must-Have Skills für Devops
(en.: The 5 Must-Have Skills for Devops)
Click here to read the original article.

Führung und individuelle Resilienz
(en.: Leadership and individual resilience)
Click here to read the original article.

How to Sabotage a Scrum Master
Click here to read the original article.

Let’s Stop Lying! Almost Nobody Does Scrum!
Click here to read the original article.

Speed Reading: Besser & schneller lesen durch Tempowechsel
(en.: Speed Reading: Reading better & faster by changing speeds)
Click here to read the original article.

Was sind SMART-Ziele
(en.: What are SMART goals)
Click here to read the original article.

When Agile, Self-Management, and Holacracy Fail
Click here to read the original article.

Why I Keep Coming Back to Cynefin
Click here to read the original article.

„Projekt Lightspeed“: was wir von BioNTech lernen können.
(en.: "Project Lightspeed": what we can learn from BioNTech.)
Click here to read the original article.
Author: IAPM internal 

Keywords: IAPM Essentials, Links, News

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