Category: Project Management

šŸš€ Context Switching: The Silent Productivity Killer šŸš€

You’re deep into an important task when your phone rings. You switch to handle the call. Suddenly, an urgent email pops up, demanding immediate attention. Before you know it, youā€™ve jumped between three tasks, and nothing’s finished. Sound familiar? That’s the hidden cost of context switchingā€”jumping between tasks, which can reduce productivity by up to …

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šŸš¦ Project Teams and the Prisonerā€™s Dilemma: A Lesson in Collaboration

There is a game inspired by the Prisoner Dilemma that I like to facilitate. What is the Prisonerā€™s Dilemma? The Prisonerā€™s Dilemma is a classic thought experiment in game theory. Two thieves must decide independently whether to cooperate or betray each other, with the outcomes reflecting their choices: Both cooperate: They achieve the best mutual …

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šŸš¦ Symptoms vs Problems in Project Management šŸš¦

Ā  In project management, itā€™s easy to confuse symptoms with problems. However, identifying the root cause is the key to unlocking successful solutions. Hereā€™s a common example:šŸ“‰ Symptom: ā€œOur team keeps missing deadlines.ā€šŸ” Problem: Poor backlog refinement, unclear priorities, or a lack of capacity planning. Or another:šŸ“ˆ Symptom: ā€œOur stakeholders are unhappy with deliverables.ā€šŸ” Problem: …

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Kickstart Your Project with an Inception Deck!

Ā  Before kicking off a new project, one of the tools I like to use is the Inception Deck. Originally introduced by Jonathan Rasmusson in his book The Agile Samurai, I fully recommend this book, the Inception Deck is designed to ensure everyoneā€”from team members to stakeholdersā€”is on the same page from the very start. …

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Situational Leadership Part 2: Engaging and Motivating Your Team

Continuing from my previous post on the Situational Leadership Theory by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, we covered the Telling (S1) styleā€”ideal for providing strong direction when your team needs clear guidance.Next up is the Selling (S2) style: šŸ”¹ Selling (S2): Leaders still provide direction but focus on engaging and motivating the team. Communication is …

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Situational Leadership Part 1: Adapting to Your Team’s Needs

Leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The Situational Leadership Theory, developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, highlights the importance of flexibility. The best leaders adapt their style based on their teamā€™s maturity and the specifics of the task. This ensures that leadership is aligned with the teamā€™s needs, fostering better collaboration and outcomes. Hersey and …

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Measuring to Improve in Project Management

“You canā€™t improve what you donā€™t measure.” ā€“ Lord Kelvin āœ… Why Measurement MattersMeasuring key metrics like cycle time, lead time, and bug counts helps you spot bottlenecks and areas for improvement. Without solid data, you might rely on guesses, but accurate measurements lead to informed decisions and real results. šŸš€ What Should You Measure?According …

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Prepararing a marathon project.

Ā  I love running marathons, and while Iā€™ve completed several, I always wish I could run more. I treat my marathon training like managing a projectā€”using a flexible, data-driven approach. With a 16-week training plan, I see each week as a new step, much like a Scrum sprint, where I check my progress and make …

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The Channel Tunnel Project

The Channel Tunnel is an undersea rail tunnel that links Folkestone in the UK to Pas de Calais, near Calais, in France. It carries high-speed Eurostar trains, and in recent years, it has transported over 22 million passengers annually, with freight surpassing 20 million tonnes. In 1988, the Channel project began with a budget of …

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Project Management and “The Emperorā€™s New Clothes”

Hans Christian Andersenā€™s story The Emperorā€™s New Clothes (1837) teaches a lesson that is still relevant today, especially in project management. In the story, an emperor who loves his clothes hires two scammers pretending to be tailors. They promise to make him a special, invisible outfit to anyone “stupid.” Of course, no one wants to …

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