Interesting PM Reads

3 Steps For Harnessing Failure The Right Way

A new book published this month, Fail Better: Design Smart Mistakes and Succeed Sooner by Anjali Sastry and Kara Penn aims to help you create better project deliverables with more lasting and further-reaching impact. By learning from what worked well, and what did not, on a project you can improve your own practice, the habits of your team, and the capabilities of your organisation.

Agile improves but does not replace project management as we know it

A LinkedIn discussion on The Project Manager Network by Jim Milliken argues that the acceptance of Agile is endangered by the hype from some of its enthusiasts. Agile cannot, all by itself, do what project management does. It isn’t meant to. It is an excellent execution form when a project calls for creative invention amid great complexity and uncertainty – and the situation is suitable for frequent small-scale deliverables. It fits very usefully into the implementation phase of certain kinds of innovation projects, especially in the information technology field. It significantly improves, but does not replace, the essential core practices of project management.

Influence without Authority

Another insightful post “Influence Without Authority” by Lynda Bourne on the PMI’s Voices on Project Management blog.  Following PMI’s purchase of projectmanagement.com (previously gantthead.com), the PMI blog has been moved over to that site.

When the Solution to Bad Management is a Bad Solution

An interesting read from Glen Alleman’s Herding Cats blog about how the “solution” to bad project management may not actually fix the problem because it will not have treated the root cause of the problem, just addressed the symptoms.

Why Project Management Is Like Surviving The Hunger Games

For those hooked on the Suzanne Collins Hunger Games trilogy (and who isn’t) Elizabeth Harrin compares writes on her Girl’s Guide to Project Management blog about why project management is like surviving the Hunger Games; the need for a sponsor, a flexible plan, a creative team, a mentor and the need to be resourceful – sounds familiar.