How Serving Is Your Leadership?Some managers don’t realize that they are not their titles. The value they should bring is the "plus": the management, plus their relationship with their peers, the people they manage, and the systems and environment they enable or create. If you're a manager, are you providing servant leadership?
Design Each Team’s Project to Optimize at the Program LevelIf you are part of a program, it’s not enough to design your project for your team. You have to consider the needs of the program, too. Each team needs to ask itself, “How do we deliver what the rest of the program needs, as the program needs it?” Aim to meet deliverables—not control your people.
Can You Build a Team through Team Games?Venkatesh Krishnamurthy asks: Can you build effective teams through games? Remember, team building is not a one-time thing—it is an ongoing exercise. It needs constant nourishment from the stakeholders and team members.
Playing Devil’s Advocate: Use Premortems for Your Project’s SuccessMost teams could benefit from having a devil’s advocate—someone who would help the team identify weaknesses in their thinking and seek changes that would prevent or minimize adverse outcomes. A project team can become its own devil’s advocate by using premortems before the project proceeds.
Let Your Teams Design Their Own Approaches to AgileIf you are thinking of agile as part of a program, each team has to have its own approach to agile because each team has its own risks and problems. If you treat people as adults, explain the desired results, and provide training and other resources they need, they are likely to succeed.
Management Fads and How to Avoid ThemWhen a new management fad comes along, it may sound great and gain rapid acceptance. Some organizations do succeed using a popular new concept—but sustaining it takes time, training, effort, money, and high-level support, and several of these are often lacking. Learn how to spot a fad in the making.
Managing Risk in an Agile ProjectScrum does not have any specific risk management practices as compared to the PMBOK. However, everything you do in Scrum—as well as any other agile method—will help you identify risk at an early stage. Venkatesh Krishnamurthy explains how to manage risks in agile projects.
Project Management Is Not a Dirty WordSome people dislike the idea of agile project managers, but for teams transitioning to agile, there is a place for management. That place is creating an environment in which the team learns how to self manage. Read on to discover how a PM should offer support and servant leadership to an agile team.
