Rethinking Typical Project Management Approaches"Don't work on projects, work on products!" is a cry often heard in the agile community. But if you have a team pulled together to support an ongoing product, it doesn't make sense to use typical project management techniques. Maybe projects aren't the problem—their organizational structures are.
How to Avoid Embarrassing Yourself on a Culturally Diverse TeamThere are few things healthier in the workplace than a culturally diverse team of professionals—provided that everyone knows how to play by the rules and respect the differences that make each team member unique. Make sure your actions aren't misconstrued for something they are not.
Trend toward Cloud Computing Spells Trouble for Data CentersThe trend toward cloud computing and software as a service has been a boon for small businesses. But the money saved comes at a cost, and usually that’s people’s jobs. Consolidating data centers is becoming more common, and more companies are funneling those resources into cloud computing.
Take Extreme Measures to Bring In Fresh PerspectivesFresh perspectives bring in newer ideas, provide room for growth, help solve exiting issues, and often break long built monotony and boredom in almost all disciplines. Rajini Padmanaban details the extreme measures being taken by two companies—Moz and SEER Interactive—to bring in new perspectives.
Inertia Is Bad: How to Generate Momentum in Your Agile ProgramIn a large agile project or program, you know how hard it can be to keep things moving. To prevent inertia from slowing an agile program, there's one simple objective you can assign everyone at the start of an iteration to help the team build momentum. Read on for great advice from Johanna Rothman.
Should the CIO Know How to Code?The issue isn’t whether CIOs should actually do the coding but whether they should know enough to understand IT complexities and to represent IT to customers. With more senior IT leaders coming from other departments, it isn’t a trivial question. This story looks at both sides of the matter.
How to Be an Effective Team Player at WorkIf you really want to be an effective team player, you have to be willing to consider ideas from others without debating, arguing, or nitpicking every point. This means you need the discipline to listen first and speak second. Read on for more useful ideas on how to contribute to your team at work.
The Importance of Balance in Your Agile ValuesSteve Berczuk explores the importance of balance and the relationship between agile values and top performing teams. The connection between agile values and balancing the various aspects of our lives should not be too surprising, but balancing all aspects of agile principles is difficult.
