I realized I need a different language for writing about projects. I realized I need embarrassing drawings to express my thoughts on projects. I know projects are about humans. Heck, it has been my tagline for many years. But how can I talk about people stuff when the tools I have to communicate with are technocratic, cold and impersonal? You see why I need Shrinkonia?

So. I turned 40, started drawing and became emperor of my own imaginary state. Go figure.

Shrinkonia: a place where project teams find connection and flow, so they can create amazing things together. It’s located all over the world. And mobile. So it moves around. And people come and go. They move to Shrinkonia fluently and leave as they have done their thing. Also home of The Project Shrink. And MacGuyver. Although. They do not really live together.

I am going to declare Shrinkonian royalty. People that may use an imaginary title for one year.

In this case, the best bloggers of 2011.

Judged by me and MacGuyver. Exactly.

I like blogs more than books. Well. Certain types of blogs. Blogs that are like television series. Blogs that show how the authors cope with gaps in their thinking. I like blogs that write about work in the context of identity and belonging. Penelope Trunk explains:

“But I want to keep writing about careers because I think the topic is actually mostly about belonging. We each want to contribute to something, and we each want to feel safe. Work is so much more than just earning money. Work is about figuring out where we belong in a wider context than our circle of friends and family. Writing about the workplace and careers is writing about belonging in the most fundamental sense of the word.”

So. Here we go. The best Shrinkonian blogs of 2011. All may use the title Duchess or Duke of Shrinkonia for a year. There! Congratulations.

Fluent Self by Havi Brooks.

There is no other blog that influenced me as much as the Fluent Self blog by Havi Brooks. I link to her writings very often in my postings. I like it so much that after reading it intensively the last couple of years, I started to adopt some of her layout techniques, use of words and topics. Yes! Exactly.

She’s a biggified teacher of stuff, organizes week-long “workshops” during which people can work on their thing. It’s actually kind of difficult to explain when you aren’t a regular reader of her blog. One explanation: “So there’s this woman? I kind of sort of know her from online. No, not like that. She has a duck! Anyway, she runs a playground. Yes. It’s like preschool, but for grownups.”

See.

Penelope Trunk by herself.

Penelope Trunk writes about work and careers. She mixes her advice with extremely personal stories about her family and relationships. Penelope has Asperger syndrome. This makes it difficult for her to sense which social behavior is appropriate under certain conditions. So, she studies the rules in the workplace and society about which social behavior is when appropriate and she behaves according to these rules.

She used to live in New York. Currently she lives on a farm in Wisconsin. Her insights in combination with her brutal honesty makes this one of the Best Shrinkonian Blogs of 2011!

Collective Self by Lori Kane.

Lori is the resident self-organizing group researcher from Collective Self. She writes about her experiences being a member of several self-organizing groups, from consulting groups to flash mobs. She describes the inner working and feelings as a member of the groups. What I personally find fascinating about her writings is that they are personal, they are about things she experienced herself. They are mostly stories. And we all know, I love stories!

Her posts remind me that the feelings inside your body, your emotions are also telling you a lot about your place in a group. She is also an awesome friend I am currently writing an ebook series with.

The Altucher Confidential by James Altucher.

James is a trader, investor, writer, and entrepreneur living in New York City. A little over a year ago he started to write about his life in the most honest way he can. He talks about how he earned and lost millions as a trader. He writes about his fears and wishes using fascinating true stories. This man really knows how to write. And he writes often. It’s both fascinating and authentic, that’s for sure.

Scott Berkun by himself.

Scott Berkun used to be a Project Manager at Microsoft. And then he wrote a lot of famous best selling books (three!). And a fantastic blog. And essays. And stuff. As Elizabeth wrote perfectly in her nomination: “He writes well about project management and other business topics like public speaking and innovation, which is perfect for Shrinkonia. And his colophons are always really funny.”

The Gorilla Is Named Hogarth by Joel Bancroft-Connors.

A Project Manager that has conversations with his imaginary gorilla? And the gorilla’s name is Hogarth?

Meet Joel Bancroft-Connors: “Oh, right! Meet  Hogarth. He’s sitting down the table, wedged between the QA director and the product manager, quietly reading his newspaper and ignoring everyone else. It’s a bit of tight fit, but what do you expect from an 800 pound gorilla?”

Joel took a gorilla instead of the elephant that is normally used in the phrase “the elephant in the room”. And he writes about it on his blog.

I mean. Come on.

A GORILLA!

NAMED HOGARTH!!

Yeah.

That’s Shrinkonian royalty for you!

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Best Shrinkonian Blogs Of 2011. is a post from: Project Shrink.

The last time anyone looked, it was located between the United Agilist and PMBoktoe. But that map is already a few months old.

If I would have to write a Wikipedia page about it, the first sentences would read:

Shrinkonia: a place where project teams find connection and flow, so they can create amazing things together. It’s located all over the world. And mobile. So it moves around. And people come and go. They move to Shrinkonia fluently and leave as they have done their thing. Also home of The Project Shrink. And MacGuyver. Although they do not live together.

Do you remember when we talked about containers: “The function of containers is to hold the energy, life, identity, or “presence” of the group.” To use a “tent” analogy: a tent is what we need to hold our culture. Or, if you like, we fill the tent with our culture like a hot air balloon.

The mobile state of Shrinkonia is a container. A tent. Fantastic. Metaphors to describe a metaphor.

Anyway. As ruler of my own imaginary state, I have the power to make up any title I can think of. I can declare you Coolest Shrinkonian Researcher. Or. Shrinkonian Duke Of Blogging.

And I have decided to do just that.

To declare some Shrinkonian royalty.

But positions are only valid for a year. So it’s more like The Oscars than old French royalty. Or English. Or Dutch.

Yes. yes. I am talking about the 2011 Shrinkies!

The only time we ever used this award was back in 2008. Remember? Kimberly Wiefling went home with the Shrinkie For Best PM Blog.

The winners of the awards will be announced mid December. The current inhabitants of Shrinkonia are allowed to vote. Mac and Me.

But first we need nominees!

Please leave your suggestions in the comments.

The possible categories:

• Best Blogger.
• Best Podcaster.
• Best Author.
• Most Coolest Researcher.
• Most Innovative Company/Organization.

Or any other category you can think of. The winners will get amazing titles. And their name in the Shrinkonian Hall Of Fame.

Some would say, it’s the “honor” they get. I would say, it is much more.

And for those of you who are wondering, what the deal is with MacGuyver and me… A short piece from the legendary Welcome To Shrinkonia post:

Mac explained: “Shrinkonia is my kingdom. I have full authority over it. It is so small that this sign hardly fits in it. I am the only inhabitant at this moment. But the cool thing is that every one who sees the sign, my Swiss army knife and thinks “wow. cool!” will join in. Shrinkonia is a very dynamic state. In size.”

Please nominate your favorite Shrinkonians!

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - The 2011 Shrinkies. Awards For Awesome People. Request For Nominees. is a post from: Project Shrink.

“It feels I am repeating myself. I think I brought my ideas as far as I can, on my own.” I said.
“Well. That is because you’re not supposed to do this on your own.” Someone replied.

I know this to be true.

Fish Pond.

At the beginning of this blog I was struggling to grasp the concepts around complexity. And leadership. And especially the combination. I felt the connections, but not quite clearly. And I was surely unable to express my own thoughts about the topic.

Then I wrote a series of blog posts together with my fantastic friend Ali Anani.

We called the series “The Fish Pond Metaphor: Complexity In Management“. The numerous email exchanges and the resulting ebook shaped my understanding of social networks, how groups are formed and dissolved and the role of leadership and management.

I consider the free ebook one of our best writings.

Social Media.

In 2009 I started creating a video podcast. Somehow along my journey I got an interest in virtual team work. I thought going through the steps of making a podcast would allow me to experiment with online communication. It did. But I couldn’t quite connect my experiences.

Early 2009 I felt the similarity between blogging, co-writing, podcasting and virtual team work. But I was lacking the words.

Somehow I got an invitation to speak on the topic of Social Media and Project Management at a major conference. I sensed the connections, but was lacking the depth and insight to put it in a coherent story. I had no clue about what to say.

I asked on this blog: “How can people use Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, LinkedIn, Flickr, Youtube, etc.) in their projects?” The larger community was able to tell me what I was looking for. And this resulted in “Everything A Project Manager Should Know About Social Media.”

What Is There Left To Say?

“It feels I am repeating myself. I think I brought my ideas as far as I can, on my own.” I said.

So. Here I am.

What is there left to tell?

I know this is a pattern. There is a point where I get stuck. Where I cannot see the next step. I start to create more maps. Maps always help. Well. Apparently not always.

This is the point where I normally switch from individual writer to collective writer. This is not something that is planned. It just is. These opportunities pop up at the right moment. I wasn’t aware of this. Until I got this reply.

“Well. That is because you’re not supposed to do this on your own.” Lori replied.

Well then.

I’m about to start co-writing an eBook series on “different work.” Yes. Together with my awesome friend Lori, the resident self-organizing group researcher from Collective Self.

I am looking for an introduction to a group that you think I should interview. “Different work” means a group that:

• deeply loves their work,
• together are working differently from the way they once believed they should work as individuals, and
• are significantly redefining what successful work looks and feels like for themselves and/or their organizations.

Please leave a comment or email bas -AT projectshrink.com if you can swing me an introduction to a group like this.

Thanks!

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - The Collective And The Individual. What Happens When I Get Stuck. is a post from: Project Shrink.

The best blogs are like Desperate Housewives, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. You can enjoy an individual episode, but true bliss only happens by watching every single episode from every single season from these fabulous television series.

My two favorite blogs are Fluent Self by Havi Brooks and Penelope Trunk by, well, herself. Every blog post is great on its own. But you miss more than half if you only read a single post. You miss the steps that Havi and Penelope had to go through to get to their insights.

… I wrote earlier this year.

How the authors cope with gaps and how they resolve these gaps in their thinking, that is what I find fascinating.

That’s why this blog is more like journal than a book. It is by no means a finished product. Oh I wished

If you want to enjoy the diversity in communication, if you want to enjoy the fact that not everybody likes to receive the information the same way, you don’t need a list of tricks. You need a passion to explore. Well. You don’t “need” anything. But you know what I mean.

In the tradition of the Agile manifesto, we would write something like:

“Exploration over lists”.

So. Yes. Wow. The Project Shrink has a deeper level. Wow. Who would have known?

Actually. It is more like a “higher” level. “Meta” even.

Trying out different mechanisms to talk about stuff is perhaps the most important element I really hope you take away from all these ramblings.

Like this for example. A doodle about how a project culture is “created”. Without actually being “created”. It is more like “revealed”. And the tools to do it are language (the labels we choose, the stories we tell, the associations we have) and visualization.

This combines my webinar on project culture, the discussions about essential conversations and templated conversations, the balance between homogeneity and diversity in teams, and the concepts of boundaries, containers and rhythms.

You can be the judge if it adds something to the mix. If it provides you with additional understanding.

For me personally, doodling changed my approach to almost every thing that feels complex and appears difficult. For more information, visit The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Culture. Language. Visualization. And Why You Should Like Blogs. is a post from: Project Shrink.

Someone once said to Ron: “the words project management are such a turn off. You need to sex it up a bit and call it something else!”

You see. In that way.

So. I started recently the Project Management Makeover Project. A different image for the profession. And a different word. Bootstrapping! I already wrote some suggestions on Gantthead.com.

I remembered that in the introduction of my first book (2002) I already struggled with this topic:

Let me provide you with some text from the introduction:

“Sometimes I wish the job of software project manager has more danger. Walking around, shooting from the hip to your opponent. Employees in fear, ‘cause there’s a new project manager in town. Something like that.

Sometimes I wish the job of software project manager is cool. In the 1995 movie “Hackers” actor Jonny Lee Miller is painting his laptop with camouflage colors. Cool. Mine is black, sadly.

But there is danger. It is cool. That’s why being a software project manager is the choice of Sofi. Sofi is the new heroine we desperately need in our profession. It’s like Lara Croft is kicking some programmer butt.”

Oh my. Really?

Other suggestions…

Black Belts. Snoop Dogg. And Titles For Bootstrappers.

“The first thing on the agenda for The Project Management Makeover Project, my attempt to make Project Management sexy, are the titles. The words or acronyms you may put behind your name when you managed to pass the test criteria.

I always admired the people that have a title from Lean Six Sigma. The belts. A Black Belt. A Green Belt. You can hear Mr. Miyagi from the The Karate Kid in the background: “Paint the fence. Wax the floor.” You will step aside when a Black Belt enters the office. There is a sense of admiration going through the room. With one well placed kick the Black Belt will kick the crap out of your waste.”

Agile Has A Better Legend Than Project Management.

“There were a few hero’s that couldn’t stand it anymore. They had a hard time fighting The Mechanistic Man. Fighting those who thought of humans as resources. Fighting those who wrote large documents. They were tired of that. They couldn’t stand it anymore.

On a legendary November day they met in a ski resort in Utah. The resort was called The Lodge. Of course it was. What else would you call it.

They secretly crafted their manifesto. Against something. Or in favor of something. Whatever. Seventeen hero’s sitting around a fireplace drinking wine, and crafting there Message To The World.

The Agile Manifesto was born.

Now THAT is a story. Now THIS is how you create a legend.”

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Bootstrapping. That Thing Your Grandparents Called “Project Management”. is a post from: Project Shrink.

Image by Frau Shrink.

She takes excellent pictures. That’s what I think. But. You know. I am biased. I mean. Come on! Check out her portfolio site!

Anyway. Starting today her images will appear regularly on this site enhancing my already gorgeous ** cough. ** blog posts.

I thought, I’ll warn you in advance.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Introducing The Ever Creative Frau Shrink. is a post from: Project Shrink.

Steve responded. Because he loved that video. It turned out he lives in Amsterdam. So somewhere in June we were drinking coffee in Amsterdam. Yes. Not a bad place and a bad time to drink coffee.

We had many more cups of coffee during this summer. This resulted in us working together on storytelling in projects.

You see.

I have the ambition to provide project teams with tools that give them connection and a state of flow. And I want to draw like a 5-year old on white boards in boardrooms. And I want to sing with a team of software engineers Janet Jackson’s “Control” every time they feel their state of flow violated. “Controooooooool”.

Steve has the same thing. But entirely different. Although. We haven’t talked about his opinion towards karaoke.

As everyone here knows, I have an extensive background in map making. Yes. Drawing maps. In my latest incarnation of my life’s story I come from a long-line of Map Makers. Yes people. Reframing. Can’t live without it. And denial of course.

Steve is a man of many talents. Leadership. Software. Many. Really. And how about coaching and improv theater? And blogging!

Aha! You say. Now here is a man who knows his way around storytelling. Correct. I say.

And the rest is, as they say, history.

Oh well. Will become history.

I step out of this awesome narrative for a moment, and walk you through the things you can learn from this great story.

First. Steve and I had the opportunity to meet and self-organize. We both made time available and we found an inspiring environment. There was an “empty space” for us. You can view an “empty space” as structureless space or piece of time where something can emerge. An opportunity for anything creative to happen.

The “what” of what could happen in the empty space is determined by both our individual stories. I know my personal journey, so it was easy for me to recognize a fellow traveler on a journey that is somehow similar. My own story provided me with a sense of location of the empty space. Where am I at this moment in my space and time? What am I doing here? Stuff like that.

By sharing our individual stories we discovered similarities and, perhaps more important, diversity. Which provided us with the answer to: “What the heck are we both doing here?”

Do you see the importance of your story?

Perhaps the following movie trailer will get your creative juices flowing.

Finding Joe – Trailer V.7 from pat solomon on Vimeo.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Storytelling With Steve. And I Am A Map Maker. is a post from: Project Shrink.

So. Recently I wrote stuff. But not here. Not on this blog. Somewhere else.

So. Not here.

Wrap This In An Enigma! About Giving Advice In Blog Posts.

I try to avoid giving advice in blog posts. Before you know it people start taking you serious. And we already have enough of that. People taking themselves very seriously.

I am not good in attempting this. I give way too much advice in what I write online. So. I dress it up in … well … my own voice. This reduces the number of people that read the text. Limiting the people that read the advice. Yes. Really.

I try to have consideration for the poor PMs that go online for relaxation. Suppose you run a project. It’s doing ok. Not great. Ok. In the bathroom you read your favorite blogs on your fancy mobile device. You read something about planning. That’s timely. You have some planning to do. Let’s see what advice is given.

An Alternative For: “Being On The Same Page”.

“I hate the phrase “being on the same page”. Nothing wrong with the sentence itself. It’s me. My associations with it. I actually hear: “you need to agree with my point of view”.

Same thing with “thinking out of the box”. The people who use it, wouldn’t even recognize a box when it was dressed up as a parrot and danced in front of them. Or, as elegantly described by Penelope Trunk:

“The reason telling someone to “think out of the box” is so stupid is because it really means “I hate all your ideas” or “I can’t think out of the box myself, so I need you to.” In any case, it’s lame to say.”

This is a problem as two of the main topics about project management for me are “being on the same page” and “thinking out of the box”. Irony. I know.

So I need other phrases that describe what I mean, without having the creepy associations. Clean, uncontaminated words that aren’t polluted yet…”

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Giving Advice In Blog Posts. And Being On The Same Page. is a post from: Project Shrink.

Still.

Here is the thing.

Dave Prior and I want to go to the SXSW Festival in Austin next year. Dave says they can use some good presentations about Project Management. And somehow we thought it is a good idea that we talk about it. I write under the moniker The Project Shrink. Dave uses DrunkenPM. Yes. I know. It’s obvious to us that this is a good idea.

Anyway.

We need votes for our workshop to be considered by the organization. More specifically. We need your vote before the end of the week. Follow this link to see what’s it all about.

I don’t like asking for your vote. Really.

Yesterday on the Gantthead blog I rambled on about “cowboy hats” and other Texas stereotypes to subtle and naturally bring up the request. Just to be sure, it was titled: “Please Vote For Me. I Want To Wear A Hat At SXSW.” It also answers the question to why there is a hat on one of the characters in the drawing of this post. Yes people. That’s a hat.

Anyway.

Thanks.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - How To Ask For A Favor. is a post from: Project Shrink.

You can change the project organizational structure. Sometimes layering is needed for protection, making sure that deficiencies or not spread all over the place. Sometimes layering is just adding handicaps, like limiting the flow of information and trust.

You can move towards a Burn-Down Chart instead of Gantt when that makes more sense. And move back again when required.

You can adapt to changes in the environment by moving from plan A to plan B. And that includes your strategy and structures.

I needed an inspiring comment from Andrew to help me remind that this view is so part of my thinking that I forget to express it Yes, yes. Fish discover water last. I know.

I am talking about small rag tag crews that make an intervention in unknown territory. If one thing doesn’t work, you switch to another approach. Fluently.

Although you can twist your body in amazing positions with some practice, there are limits. Your joints make sure your body sticks together. Remains in one piece.

Ah. Yes. Analogy!

These are the core conversations. Discussions that you must have in your project, to keep the ragtag crew, the stakeholders and all involved together. Making sure that it doesn’t break down while you move from plan A to plan B.

You can be all over the place if you want, but you need to be in the same area about certain topics: what does done look like, how do we know how far we are, the goal, the expectations, stuff like that.

These conversations are the joints that keep your project together and linked to its environment.

Some of these conversations happen naturally. Some need some little push. Or gentle tap on the shoulder.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Why Working In Resilient Projects Is Like Yoga. is a post from: Project Shrink.