IAPM Essentials #88 - 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 88.

IAPM Essentials January 11, 2022

This week, these three articles were particularly inspiring:

How to rescue botched IT projects - 5 tips - German language
The further away a project's deadline is, the more relaxed many managers are about mistakes. They don't think the problem is urgent enough and close their eyes to the fact that in fact it already is urgent. There is no consistent change of direction. This article outlines five steps leaders should follow in this situation: admit, find and measure, build a team, adjust structures and finally fix the problem and learn from it. It is probably self-explanatory that a problem can only be fixed if it is also acknowledged. The concrete challenge is to find the impact of the problem and make it measurable through KPIs. A task force is then formed to fix the problem, ideally consisting of members from different departments. Now, before the problem can finally be fixed, the internal structure must be adapted so that it works quickly and reliably. All people involved in this step must be persistent and assertive. Once the first four steps are implemented, an improvement should be seen in a short time. However, the job is not done until the root cause of the problem has been eliminated. In other words: How can the occurrence of the problem be prevented or what structures need to be adapted so that the problem is addressed at an early stage?

From the anti-agile method toolbox: How to effectively stifle a lively discussion in a team - German language
How well a team works together and what it achieves depends on many different factors. The age of the team members, whether the team members spend their free time together, their gender or education are some that might immediately come to mind. Yet it is precisely these that do not allow a statement to be made about the productivity of the team. What is decisive is the type of communication in the team. More precisely, the communication during meetings and how the share of speech is distributed. Does most of it come from one or a few people? Or is the share equally distributed? If the former is the case, unfair means - killer arguments - are often used. A discussion is nipped in the bud by talking about a lack of alternatives or by badmouthing another proposal when in fact it is different. The mood of the person who speaks out in this way, the "alpha dog", rises, the mood of the others falls and with it the productivity of the team. Silence, by the way, can also be a sign of disdain.
Click here to read the original article.

Grow up and stop blaming Scrum for your failure!
"Scrum is a pain!" This or something similar is what people say who only try to introduce Scrum half-heartedly. They haven't invested enough, don't feel like and basically don't want to change their way of working, according to the motto: "We've always done it that way." Scrum is not a one-size-fits-all solution, of course, and whether it fits a company varies from case to case. But if you have determined that Scrum might fit your company, you should do it right and not throw in the towel at the first resistance. This means implementing Scrum in its entirety, even if it means turning the entire existing structures upside down. Mistakes can be made if you learn from them. If Scrum has been implemented correctly, ideally two narratives remain: Scrum has contributed to the improvement of the structures and is actively used, or Scrum is good, but something more suitable than Scrum was found during the implementation.
Click here to read the original article.

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

(Un)bewusste Lean (In)kompetenz
(en.: (Un)conscious Lean (In)competence)
Click here to read the original article.

Die Kunst, die Agilität des Lebens zu beschreiben – ohne dass das Wort ‚agil‘ fällt……
(en.: The art of describing the agility of life – without the word 'agile' being used......)
Click here to read the original article.

Die Zunahme von abstraktem Management und dessen Konsequenzen
(en.: The increase of abstract management and its consequences)
Click here to read the original article.

Hidden Frameworks Ensure Companies Will Never Do Real Scrum
Click here to read the original article.

How Agile Projects Destroy Agility (And People)
Click here to read the original article.

Stand-up-Meeting oder die Magie der 5-Minuten-Terrine
(en.: Stand-up meeting or the magic of the 5-minute terrine)
Click here to read the original article.

Unsere Welt steht Kopf – und wir mit Ihr
(en.: Our world is upside down – and we with it)
Click here to read the original article.

What Is a Scrum Board? What is the Difference Between a Scrum & Kanban Board ...
Click here to read the original article.
Author: IAPM internal 

Keywords: IAPM Essentials, Links, News

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