On this episode, I speak with Jerry Manas about his new leadership book, Managing the Gray Areas.  Jerry’s book explores the most challenging dilemmas that leaders struggle with, and offers a set of guidelines, principles, and tools that can help navigate these murky waters. Managing the Gray Areas touches on topics such as principles, values, ethics, decision-making, incentives, staffing, critical thinking, and communication. It pulls ideas from a wide variety of knowledge areas, such as philosophy, science, art, medicine, business, and history. Ultimately, it is a book about leading with humanity. To contact Jerry, please visit his website at http://www.manasbooks.com/.

Helpful resources from Jerry:

• InfoTool - http://www.infotool-online.com/
• Evidence-Based Management website: http://www.evidence-basedmanagement.com/
• 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Fons Trompenaars
• Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence-Based Management by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton
• Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace by Ricardo Semler
• Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose Between Right And Right by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

Here is Part 2 of my discussion with Cheryl Mann, President and founder of Goals Insight, Inc., on techniques you can use to build effective teams! Cheryl was a super resource for me and I really encourage you to contact her if you would like some help on making your team as effective as possible!  To sign up for Goals Insight’s newsletters, click here!

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I’m back!  This episode is the first part of a two part discussion with Cheryl Mann, President and founder of Goals Insight, Inc., on techniques you can use to build effective teams! Whether you are managing a scrum project, business process re-engineering project or even a construction project, effective teamwork is the critical success factor to reaching your project’s objectives.  

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

On today’s episode, I speak with Rich Maltzman, the co-author (with Ranjit Biswas) of a new project management book, Fiddler on the Project. A great new project management book with a twist … correlating project management with the story Fiddler on the Roof! We also discuss Knowledge Management and collaborative writing! Make sure to check out the links to the books and sites that Rich mentions in our discussion!

Also, don’t forget that the giveaway for a free copy of MindManager Pro 7 is still underway! If you’re interested, shoot me off an e-mail to giveaway@controllingchaos.com by August 31, 2007.

Links mentioned in the interview:

• Wiki for Fiddler On The Project
• Wikinomics by Don Tapscott & Anthony D. Williams
• The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
• Knowledge Management Special Interest Group (PMI)
• We Are Smarter Than Me - a new business book being written entirely by wiki
• Project Times - An on-line Project Management community

Wow! It has been a while since I released a show! Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans out there!

Today’s discussion is with Michael Deutch, Director of Solutions Marketing with MindJet, and we speak about the newly released MindManager Pro 7 and the new Project Management Jetpack, a set of 40 MindManager map templates to help get your project up and running quickly using MindManager!

For the listeners of this podcast, MindJet has provided two map templates from their Jetpack: a project management template and a meeting template. Click on the images below to download the map templates!

If you’d like more information on the Jetpack and how you can try out MindManager for free for 21 days, click on the Jetpack icon!

Oh? You’d like your own copy of MindManager Pro 7? Well, in addition to the two free templates below, we have a new giveaway! If you would like to win a free license for MindManager Pro 7 (in Windows or Mac version), a $349 value, please e-mail me at giveaway@controllingchaos.com before August 31, 2007 and I’ll put your name in the drawing for MindManager Pro 7!

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Meeting Template

Project Dashboard

Once again, Mike Griffiths provides excellent insight on how project managers fit in on agile projects, with his article, The True Role of a PM on Agile Projects. This article couldn’t have come at a better time for me, personally.  Our company is going through agile growing pains and as we move more towards an agile environment, where teams are more self-directed, the project manager’s role is changing.  Or is it? Whether you are a “command and control” project manager or more of a “glue and grease” project manager, Mike’s article does a great job explaining how project managers fit into the agile world.  You can find this article, and many others of equal value, on Mike’s website at www.leadinganswers.com. Enjoy!

Hi everyone! Wow! It has been a while since I released a new show! Thanks so much for hanging in there with me. Today’s episode is an introduction to the new PMI-SVCast, the new podcast I’m producing for the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Project Management Institute!  The website is in the final stages of being “branded” but I have a new interview posted with Gopal Kapur and thought this would be a great opportunity to provide you, dear listener, with some new content and introduce you to the new podcast at the same time!  If you’d like to check out the new podcast, you can find us at http://www.pmi-svcast.com/ or thru iTunes! 

And I have two winners of the long awaited book giveaway, Agile Estimating and Planning, by Mike Cohn!  Ron Holohan of pm411.org, a new project management podcast, and Janice Webb!  Congratulations to you both!  

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Technorati tags: agile estimating,software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

Here’s a quick message about the podcast and what I’ve been up to! There are still a few days left to get in on the drawing for one of two books from Mike Cohn on Agile Estimating and Planning. If you’d like to receive Mike’s book, please e-mail me at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com by April 30, 2007. Good luck!

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

Technorati tags: agile estimating,software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

See, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth!

I’m still hanging in there with keeping my podcast alive!  Life has just been so incredibly crazy, with starting classes, studying for the GMAT and getting the new podcast for my local PMI chapter up and running!  I have a couple of great interviews “in the can” that I will be releasing in the next couple of weeks and I hope you continue to stay tuned! 

Hi everyone!  There is a great new project management site I wanted to tell you about!  The Project Management Learning Center (www.projectmanagementlearningcenter.com) is a Global online collaboration site for project managers with members from all over the globe.  Shawn Futterer, PMP, is the creator of the PMLC and his goal for the site is to provide a highly interactive space for Project Managers to network, learn, share ideas and lessons learned, to promote the industry, locate jobs and much more…

I’ve signed on as a premium member and look forward to seeing more Controlling Chaos listeners participating soon!  You’ll even be able to find my podcast on the PMLC site!

Okay … so a few days turn out to be ten …

The long awaited interview with Mike Cohn from Mountain Goat Software and author of Agile Estimating and Planning has arrived! Thank you to you all for hanging in there with me and coming back for a listen. In today’s episode, Mike and I chat a bit about his book, Agile Estimating and Planning, and get into more specifics around estimating the agile way. If you’re interested in checking out Planning Poker for yourself, you can find Mike’s fun on-line application at www.planningpoker.com.

Corsin Huonder from Switzerland is the latest winner in the Controlling Chaos giveaway for a copy of Elizabeth Harrin’s new book, Project Management in the Real World. Congratulations Corsin! The new giveaway is for a copy of Mike Cohn’s book, Agile Estimating and Planning. Mike provided me with two copies - both personally signed! If you’d like to receive Mike’s book, please e-mail me at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com by April 30, 2007. Good luck!

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Technorati tags: agile estimating,software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

Hi everyone - I’m in Palo Alto this weekend taking a two-day Quantitative Review prep class to get me ready for the GMAT!  I’m absolutely brain dead but wanted to leave you a quick note that the podcast will be coming out in a few days.  I had a really fun and informative interview with Mike Cohn, of Mountaingoat Software and author of Agile Estimating and Planning, all about agile estimating, which I will be sharing on the next podcast!  I am positive you’ll learn as much listening as I did talking with Mike!  Thanks for your patience!

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Thanks to everyone who has written in or called wishing me the best of luck with getting my MBA!  This has been quite a journey already and I haven’t even been admitted to the program yet!  If you’re interested in keeping up on how things are going, I’ve started a personal blog where I’ll cover all the happenings - the good, the bad or the ugly!  I’ve got the link under my Blogroll (in the sidebar of this website) or you can find me at mbachaos.wordpress.com.

Is your own personal “brand” not what you want it to be? Listen in on today’s episode with dot beineix and learn a little something about what I went through to reengineer my brand! It was a fun discussion because I was the one being interviewed and its always fun talking with dot!

Derry Simmel is back with his PMO Minute (or two …) and I announce that we have two additional winners of MindJet’s MindManager software! MindJet was very generous in providing additional licenses and they also provided licenses for MindManager Pro 6! This is the deluxe version of MindManager and retails for $349! Paul Neuhardt from Oregon and Chuck Tomasi from Wisconsin joined Kathy Brenner from California and Frank Familiari from Texas in being lucky winners. Congratulations to you all!

The latest giveaway is for a copy of Elizabeth Harrin’s new book, Project Management in the Real World. If you’d like to receive Elizabeth’s book, please e-mail me at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com by February 28, 2007. Good luck!

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

Technorati tags: personal development,software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

On today’s episode, I chat with Eric Uyttewaal, PMP, the author of Dynamic Scheduling with Microsoft Office Project 2003, regarding the best way to build a dynamic project schedule.  What is a dynamic project schedule and what are the best practices to building one, you say? Take a listen and find out!  To find out more about Eric, his book or any one of his project scheduling seminars, please visit his website at http://www.projectprocorp.com/.

We have two lucky winners of MindJet’s MindManager software!  Kathy Brenner from the Silicon Valley (aka San Francisco south bay area - not too far from my digs!) and Frank Familiari from Fort Worth, Texas.  Congratulations to you both! 

The latest giveaway is for a copy of Elizabeth Harrin’s new book, Project Management in the Real World.  If you’d like to receive Elizabeth’s book, please e-mail me at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com by February 28, 2007. Good luck!

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Technorati tags: software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

Recently, I had a very fun and informative discussion with Elizabeth Harrin, author of the book Project Management In The Real World, and very cool blog, A Girl’s Guide to Managing Projects, which I will be sharing with you all on today’s episode. We chat about project budgets, her book, her blog and how project management invades our daily lives! 

I’m finishing up my application to study this Fall for my MBA at UC Davis’s Graduate School of Business.  As a part of the application, I have to take the GMAT and have been studying like a maniac to get ready for the test. And I’ll be needing to take some additional courses between now and September to fill in the business-knowledge gaps from my IT undergraduate degree course work.  Unfortunately, that means I have to modify my podcasting release schedule to every other week.  Cornelius Fichtner, of the PM Podcast, and I will work on coordinating our release schedules (he releases bi-weekly as well) so there will be a project management podcast available every week for you all!

You still have a few more days to get your name in for the latest give away - MindJet’s MindManager mind mapping software. I have two copies of MindManager (PC or Mac) that I will be giving to some lucky listeners! E-mail me at mmgiveaway@controllingchaos.com or double your chances of winning and leave me a voice mail message at 800-758-4024. Make sure to contact me by January 31, 2007.

Since the latest giveaway is almost done, I am starting a new one! If you’d like a copy of Elizabeth Harrin’s new book, Project Management in the Real World, e-mail me at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com by February 28, 2007.  Good luck!

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This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Technorati tags: software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

Bas de Baar has several great videos out on YouTube based on his book Surprise! Now You’re a Software Project Manager.  They are a lot of fun so make sure to take a peek while you’re waiting for the remainder of my conversation with Bas!  Here’s the latest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Vbc7ASr80

This time … technical difficulties on the magnitude of losing the second half of Bas’ interview!  Yikes!  Bas will be back on the show again, once we re-record our interview. It may be a bit before we can coordinate schedules. Next weekend I’ll have a new show for you all and a fun discussion with Elizabeth Harrin, author of the book Project Management In The Real World, and very cool blog, A Girl’s Guide to Managing Projects. We chat about her book and about project budgets.  Stay tuned!

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Are you a new project manager or just play one on TV? This episode is for you! Recently, I had a fun conversation with Bas de Baar, a Project Manager from The Netherlands and author of the book “Surprise! You’re a Software Project Manager!“. Bas wrote the book for people with little or no project management experience but are expected to manage a software development project. It is chocked full of practical advice on where to start, what to focus on and how to get through your first project! Don’t let the title of the book fool you, though. This book isn’t just about managing a software development project. It addresses the core concepts and skills to manage any type of project.

For more information on Bas, go to his website www.softwareprojects.org! Enjoy!

The latest give away is for MindJet’s MindManager mind mapping software. I have two copies of MindManager (PC or Mac) that I will be giving to some lucky listeners! If you’d like to check out MindManager in the meantime, visit MindJet’s website and download either their 5-day or 21-day demo version. Want to hedge your bet a bit and have a better chance of winning a copy? Give me a buzz at 800.758.4024 and I’ll enter your name in the drawing twice! Or you can e-mail me at mmgiveaway@controllingchaos.com. Make sure to contact me by January 31, 2007.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Technorati tags: software development, project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

Happy 2007! For the first episode of the new year, I speak with Dr. Graham Oakes, founder and principal of Graham Oakes Ltd., a UK-based consultancy set up in 2003 to help organizations untangle complex technology, relationships, processes and governance. He has worked with organizations such as Sony, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Cisco, MessageLabs and the Open University to define and set up projects, and then to steer those projects to success. We had a very interesting conversation on keeping in touch with reality with effective project assurance and Graham shared a few tools that he uses that I, in turn, share with you under Helpful Resources! I have some listener feedback and Derry Simmel’s PMO Minute covers the topic of staffing.

The latest give away is for MindJet’s MindManager mind mapping software. I have two copies of MindManager (PC or Mac) that I will be giving to some lucky listeners! If you’d like to check out MindManager in the meantime, visit MindJet’s website and download either their 5-day or 21-day demo version. Want to hedge your bet a bit and have a better chance of winning a copy? Give me a buzz at 800.758.4024 and I’ll enter your name in the drawing twice! Or you can e-mail me at mmgiveaway@controllingchaos.com. Make sure to contact me by January 31, 2007.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful Resources from Graham Oakes:

• Independent Assurance Diagrams (Powerpoint)
• Project Review Template (Excel)
• Link to Graham’s workshop on February 2, 2007 in London: IT Project Assurance: Helping Sponsors, Project Managers and Senior Executives Meet Their Objectives

Technorati tags: project assurance, project+governance project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

Hi everyone - goodbye to 2006, hello 2007! This last year has been a very interesting one! But, I am really looking forward to seeing what ‘07 brings! I hope you all had a great holiday season and rang in the New Year with the ones you love. I know I did!

I have a great show coming up with Dr. Graham Oakes, who is a consultant based in the UK that specializes in helping organizations untangle complex technology, relationships, processes and governance. He has worked with organizations such as Sony, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Cisco, MessageLabs and the Open University to define and set up projects, and then to steer those projects to success. We had a very interesting conversation on effective project reviews and Graham shared a few tools that he uses that I will, in turn, share with you! But when, you say???

I wasn’t planning on taking a two week hiatus over the holidays from the show; however, it turned out that way due to my family obligations. Instead of slapping together a quick show and putting it out, I felt it was only fair and necessary that I put together a great show that was befitting of my guest as well as my listeners! And, that show … will be available this weekend.

I thank all of you for your continued support and hope you get as much knowledge and entertainment from the podcast as I do producing it! Hope 2007 is fabulously exciting and enriching for you all!

Dina

Technorati tags: project+governance project+management agile leadership scrum pmbok pmp pmo pmi project+manager

We step away from the world of Software Project Management today and speak with Preston Smith from New Product Dynamics about how to build flexibility into new product development projects. I know it’s hard to imagine, but there are more than just software development projects going on out in the world! Preston is a founder of the APLN and has been working on a book (to be published in October 2007) on taking Agile concepts and applying them to new product development projects. You can find more information on Flexible Product Development at Preston’s site http://flexibledevelopment.com!

We also have a winner for Jerry Manas’ book, Napoleon on Project Management! Well, actually, two winners! I received so many entries for Jerry’s book that he was kind enough to provide me with two books! Congratulations to Wasima Kahn from California and Uffe Koch from Denmark!

The latest give away is for MindJet’s MindManager mind mapping software. I have two copies of MindManager (PC or Mac) that I will be giving to some lucky listeners! If you’d like to check out MindManager in the meantime, visit MindJet’s website and download either their 5-day or 21-day demo version. Want to hedge your bet a bit and have a better chance of winning a copy? Give me a buzz at 800.758.4024 and I’ll enter your name in the drawing twice! Or you can e-mail me at mmgiveaway@controllingchaos.com. Make sure to contact me by January 31, 2007.

Programming note: There won’t be a new podcast for the weekend of 12.24.06 - taking some time off for the holidays!

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

My Odeo Channel (odeo/043f93f55fc02bda)

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful Resources:

• Link to George Nattey’s SEI Taxonomy Mind Map (PDF version)
• Link to all of Tony Buzan’s books!

Technorati tags: Project Management, Agile, Product Management, project-management, Technology

Funny coincidence today … Mike Griffiths has a new article out on gantthead.com today on The Five Myths of Leadership.  And Controlling Chaos is listed under the Agile Podcasts on gantthead.com as of today!!! Make sure to check out Mike’s article - it’s very good!

First Cool Project Management Tool Episode! I sit down to talk with Tim Bombosch, PMP, about using MindJet’s MindManager software to help you succeed in developing and managing your projects more effectively - through all phases of your projects. And a new segment from Derry Simmel, PMO Minute, is introduced! Jammed packed episode full of great tools and tips!

So intrigued and excited about MindJet’s MindManager??? Well, I launched a new giveaway! I have two copies of MindManager (PC or Mac) that I will be giving to some lucky listeners! Want to hedge your bet a bit and have a better chance of winning? Give me a buzz at 800.758.4024 and I’ll enter your name in the drawing twice! Or you can e-mail me at mmgiveaway@controllingchaos.com. Make sure to contact me by January 31, 2007.

You also only have a few more days to get your name in for the book giveaway! Jerry Manas, the author of Napoleon on Project Management and guest on Episode 020, has provided me with a book for one lucky listener … including a personalized autograph! If you would like to be included in the drawing for this great book, please e-mail me before December 15, 2006 at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful resources:

• Wikipedia entry for Mind Mapping
• Download a free trial version of MindJet’s MindManager 6
• Download MindManager Viewer 6
• Link to download MindJet’s new Project Planning guide and sample maps
• Derry Simmel’s sample MindManager map “Building a PMO“

You get a whole lot of Dina in this episode! I share some listener feedback, introduce a new segment called ‘If you were in my shoes …’ where one Controlling Chaos listener shares a situation or issue for review and feedback from the other listeners, announce that listening to podcasts can now earn you PDU’s towards your PMP continuing education requirement and then … I finish my discussion with Doug DeCarlo, author of eXtreme Project Management: Using Leadership, Principles, and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility, on Critical Success Factor #3 from his book: The Flexible Project Model. Doug and I finish up the Speculate cycle and round off our discussion reviewing the Innovate, Evaluate and Disseminate cycles. Please check the links below for more information on The Flexible Project Model.

Also, don’t forget about the book give away! Jerry Manas, the author of Napoleon on Project Management and guest on Episode 020, has provided me with a book for one lucky listener … including a personalized autograph! If you would like to be included in the drawing for this great book, please e-mail me before December 15, 2006 at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful resources:

• Articles by Doug DeCarlo on the Flexible Project Model:

• The Time Box

• Innovate: The Doing — Learning as You Go

• Re-evaluate: The Reviewing — Deciding the Future

• Disseminate: The Harvesting–Reaping the Benefits

• Focused Performance - blog by Frank Patrick

• Earned Value Management and Critical Chain Management with Sciforma PS8

In this podcast, I share the first of a two-part discussion with Doug DeCarlo, author of eXtreme Project Management: Using Leadership, Principles, and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility, on Critical Success Factor #3 from his book: The Flexible Project Model. Doug gives us an overview of the five cycles of The Flexible Project Model and we start to delve into the first two cycles - Visionate and Speculate. Please check the links below for more information on The Flexible Project Model.

Also, as a reminder, I have a new book give away! Jerry Manas, the author of Napoleon on Project Management and guest on Episode 020, has provided me with a book for one lucky listener … including a personalized autograph! Because I have been a bit late on the podcasts lately, I’ve extended the timeframe for the drawing. If you would like to be included in the drawing for this great book and perfect addition to your Project Management library, please e-mail me before December 15, 2006 at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful resources:

• Articles by Doug DeCarlo on the Flexible Project Model:

• Introduction to the Flexible Project Model
• Visionate: The What? (Part 1) — Capturing the Sponsor’s Vision
• Visionate: The What? (Part 2) — Establishing the Collective Vision
• Speculate: The How — The Planning and Post Meetings

Hi everyone! I was hoping my schedule was going to loosen up a bit and allow me to put out my shows on a more frequent basis … alas, tis not so. I was in the beautiful cities of Chicago and Washington DC the last two weeks for work and wasn’t at home to do my podcasts.  I have a feeling my schedule will be crazy like this until at least the holidays are over and 2007 is upon us. So, please hang in there with me! I’ll be a little spotty with my releases but I’ve got some great interviews lined up and Lee will be back and joining me again on a few episodes as well. It’ll be worth the wait!  Thanks!

I am very pleased to have Diana Larsen from FutureWorks Consulting and Esther Derby of Esther Derby & Associates join me on today’s show to discuss Secrets of Agile Teamwork. Diana and Esther are consultants, workshop leaders and co-authors of Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Listen in and learn the secrets!

This week I am also starting a new book give away! Jerry Manas, the author of Napoleon on Project Management and guest on Episode 020, has provided me with a book for one lucky listener … including a personalized autograph! If you would like to be included in the drawing for this great book and perfect addition to your Project Management library, please e-mail me before November 30, 2006 at bookgiveaway@controllingchaos.com.

Click here to listen to this podcast using your own media player!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful resources:

• Link to more information on “Secrets of Agile Teamwork” workshop in Portland, OR, USA on December 5 - 7, 2006.
• Link to more information on “Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great” workshop in Vancouver, BC, Canada on November 20 & 21, 2006.
• Esther Derby’s blog “Insights You Can Use“
• Diana Larsen’s blog “Partnership & Possibilities“

I’m late again … crazy end of the year project closings at work … traveling … getting in the way of my podcasting! Today’s episode is with Mike Griffiths to discuss applying earned value management to Agile projects. This is a hard topic to discuss without visual aids so please visit Mike’s blog, Leading Answers, to read more about EVM and Agile.

Also, a very big congratulations to Mark Thompson of Buford, Georgia, USA, for winning Doug DeCarlo’s book, eXtreme Project Management: Using Leadership, Principles and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility! Keep an ear out for the next podcast … I’ll be starting a new book give away!

This podcast is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com! Online Meetings Made Easy!

Try it Free for 45 days - use Promo Code “Podcast”

Helpful Resources:

• Agile and Earned Value Reporting: a white paper by Mike Griffiths and Anthony Cabri chock full of graphs to illustrate burn up/burn down charts and how to use them to calculate modified EVM for your Agile project.

Mike Griffiths, a regular contributor to the Controlling Chaos podcast, has a great article on his Leading Answers blog, about Agile and “Traditional” PMI Methods. I really like Mike’s views on how Agile and other more traditional methods can work together and how one is not necessarily better than the other - they are different tools for different types of projects. Which is something we’ve been saying a lot on this podcast!

Here’s a quote from Mike’s article: “As it turns out, I do not see a problem with having the two, often contradictory, approaches available. The advice they embody are like toolkits to be drawn on as project and organizational characteristics demand. If faced with a custom software development project I would use an agile approach. If asked tasked with scheduling 500 staff through a training course, a traditional approach might be appropriate. I may use a combination of approaches on a single project, for instance agile software development, followed by a traditional deployment and training plan. I think they key is fully understanding the use and applicability of each approach and then making the intelligent selection.”

If you’d like to read Mike’s full article and get a preview of his presentation, “Utilising Agile Methods alongside the PMBOK Guide” which he’ll be giving at the Agile Business Conference and Leadership Summit , November 7 - 9 in London, England, please check out his blog at www.leadinganswers.com.

Also keep an eye out for Mike on an upcoming Controlling Chaos episode!