The role of project sponsor is critical. With their support, projects have an opportunity for success. Without it, failure is almost certain, even for the most talented and capable teams. Despite this, there’s astonishingly little guidance in how to be a great project sponsor. And real life examples of awesome project sponsorship are few and far between.
On Writing Badly
Examples of bad writing abound. And in many instances, they are written that way on purpose. Why we think we are writing well, why we are actually writing badly and what we might consider doing differently.
Successfully Navigating Process
Getting process right is hard. While we might know what not to do, identify what to do is challenging and difficult. In a world where we accept that the right answer to process is “it depends,” we need to get clear and specific about how we can figure out what it depends on. Identify the questions to ask and the approach to take is challenging. Following it is even harder. Doing both is essential.
The Myth of Best Practices
I’m a process geek. You might safely assume, then, that I would be a fan of “best practices.” You would be very wrong. Best practices generally aren’t. Unlike the promised intent, there is usually more than one best way to proceed in a given situation. We ignore that at our peril.
On Working Out Loud
Working out loud is not something we normally think of doing. In fact, we’re taught to do the opposite. Knowledge work is often quiet, solitary and independent. But working out loud—and objectively and meaningfully sharing status—can have some important and valuable benefits.
On Urgency: Ineffective, Optimal or Overwhelming
Urgency often gets thought of very simplistically in the context of procrastination and deadlines. It plays a critical role in how we function as individuals and teams. It also gets out of balance really quickly.