Stop 1: Business Analysts Survey And Free Framework Poster

The guys over at Aotea Studios are working on a requirements management tool and need some feedback from business analysts in the field. Please all BAs out there, hop on over and take the very short survey on required features. To thank people for sharing their opinions, there is  a free poster (BA Framework) for downloading.

Stop 2: Soccer And Leadership

So yes, I am all fired up about the current World Cup (yeah, soccer!). Bill Lang is also a big soccer fan. Him being Australian I am guessing he’s cheering for the Socceroos. Bill mailed me a while ago about an interesting podcast interview he did. Oh, it’s about leadership.

This podcast …

“with leadership consultant and executive coach Bill Lang, author of Scores on the Board: The 5-Part System for Building Skills, Teams & Businesses. Based on research Lang conducted while a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard Business School, Scores on the Board uses the engaging story of a struggling Under-11s soccer team to illustrate how managers can better apply themselves and their employees to improve performance and stimulate productivity in the workplace.”

Stop 3: Great Blogs I Recently Discovered

Some interesting Project Management blogs I recently started to follow:

Ah Ha Moments (or almost) by Luis Seabra Coelho
The Passionate Project Manager by Elisabeth Bucci

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. - Shrink Tours: Business Analysts, Soccer And Leadership is a post from: Project Shrink.

Stop 1: Yes, Leadership Changes in a Web 2.0 World

I have been working on the topic of leadership and social media for quite a while now, and this is one of the better articles I have read in a long time: Yes, Leadership Changes in a Web 2.0 World:

“If all we say to leaders is that they need to keep focusing on building 
relationships and enabling personal engagement in a Web 2.0 world, we
would be giving them advice that would be technically correct but of
limited practical value.”

Stop 2: Online Content Curation: The Key To Building Visibility, Authority And Value

Being active online doesn’t mean you have to write and create. Perhaps a more effective strategy for you is content curation, as is explained on MasterNewMedia.org.

“Think yourself as a librarian that collects and organizes information in a way that is accessible, easy to find and more digestible for anyone. A librarian is not the content owner, but her work is crucial to make people find all the good stuff that is out there.”

Stop 3: The Dark Side Of Online Interaction

Technology stress, chaos and lack of overview, continuous flow of information leading to the it-never-ends feeling. Sounds familiar? It’s not all good-times in cyberspace.

“The dark side of online interaction” is a great post by Joitske Hulsebosch.

Bonus Stop: Top Down-Bottom Up-Innovation All In One Box

Just a last one, for those who are really interested, and some shameless self promotion… I started blogging at Gantthead.com, the large online IT Project Management community. One of my first posts is about my first day of the PMI EMEA Congress in Milan. John Kao, author of Innovation Nation and allround innovation guru, did the keynote presentation about, you guessed it, innovation.

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. - Shrink Tours: Leadership In A Web 2.0 World And The Dark Side is a post from: Project Shrink.

Stop 1: Pajama experiment results: 9/10 speakers surveyed sleep naked

How does the way you dress influence the people you meet? You know I am a fascinated by social markers and how it affects the creation of groups. So, that’s why I love this post about a woman that went to a convention wearing her pajamas …

Pajama experiment results: 9/10 speakers surveyed sleep naked

“It was not all love and sunshine. Some people avoided me like the plague. They would cross the room if they saw me, wouldn’t make eye contact. For one semi-uncomfortable session I sat in between 2 of these people. Not only would they not speak to me, they subtly turned their bodies away from me. I was officially shunned.”

Stop 2: The Machine is (Changing) Us: YouTube and the Politics of Authenticity

I have been making video blog posts for over a year now. It is really a special experience of self-awareness. In this video presentation Michael Welsch provides an anthropological introduction to YouTube. It is really an eye opener. If you are interested in how new communication channels are affecting us, you’ll enjoy this video.

I learned that with creating video blog posts you are creating real connections with other people, but without the commitment.

Stop 3: Dan Pontefract

Earlier this year I encountered this great blog by Dan Pontefract. The tagline of the blog is: “helping to lead the learning and enterprise 2.0 revolution.”

Posts I recommend:

Org Purgatory Defined: Being a GenX Leader with a 2.0 Millennial Mind
Is Your Company Culture Linked to Social Learning Success?
What’s Needed First? Culture Change or Enterprise 2.0 Adoption

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. - Shrink Tours: Pajamas And Politics of Authenticity is a post from: Project Shrink.

So, I wondered, why not do this for the web? At least, the web in respect to project leadership, awesome communication and using “way new media” as means of virtual collaboration and developing skills. Oof. That should describe a little bit my corner of the internet.

So, hop on. And if you see something you like, feel free to hop off and explore further.

Stop 1: Collaboration King

I discovered this site recently, thanks to Brandon Klein, one of the sites editors. They have cool, long and insightful articles about collaboration:

“Collaboration King is of a collection of Editors, Knowledge Workers, Meeting Managers, Trainers, Designers and Facilitators. We share the best processes, experience and methodologies, along with the latest in social technology, to inspire a better way to work.”

How about these 4 suggestions made by Brandon:

Making a Panel Discussion Great
Collaborating (and making money through Channel Partners)
Software for Project Shrinking!
And here are 72 ways that get higher performing teams to work better together.

Stop 2: Fluent Self

This is my most influential blog for 2009. Havi Brooks funky and funny way of talking about personal development, creating communities and stuff in general has had a huge impact on my thinking this year.

She has created her own kind of vocabulary and rituals that connects her to her audience. It’s not for everyone, but if you want to do some personal development and are interested in online community building, you should give it a spin.

A good starting point is this explanation of the concepts used. It takes time to get used to the style. But for me it was worth it.

Stop 3: What Is Up In PM Podcast

Last stop is a new experiment I am doing with Josh Nankivel from pmStudent. We have a weekly chat about two or three postings related to Project Management. I hope you enjoy it. We do! It’s a lot of fun. If you have suggestions for an article you would like to be discussed, let us know.

In my personal experience this is a great way to learn new skills: I want/need to develop my English conversational skills. So this a fun and scary way of doing this.

End of the line.

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. - Hop On Hop Off – Shrink Tours is a post from: Project Shrink.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I get all excited when people are infusing our Project Management profession with Leadership, you know, the icky stuff that is about “humans” (waaahaaaaa).

When I found out about the Center for Project Leadership at Columbia University I got out of my chair and jumped of joy! Yay!

“In line with the belief that “nothing is as practical as a good theory,” the overall purpose of the Center for Project Leadership (CPL) is to develop useful theories of project leadership and management that are based on robust assumptions, suitable for dynamic situations, and conducive to the development of effective project management practices.”

And they are going to organize a great forum!

The First Forum on Construction Project Leadership.

The Forum will take place at Columbia University, New York City on August 25, 2009.

The purpose of the forum is to examine some of the current and anticipated challenges facing construction projects, and to discuss the critical role that project leadership will play in addressing the increasingly difficult project environment in the coming years. The forum will bring together a panel of top experts from industry and academia, who will examine the importance of both project leadership and project management as critical skills for project success.

The list of speakers includes:

• Janice Tuchman, Editor-in-Chief, Engineering News-Record;
• Dr. Alexander Laufer, Director, Center for Project Leadership at Columbia University;
• Dr. Jeffrey S. Russell, Professor and Chair, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
• Norman R Doll , President Emeritus, Pieper Electric, Inc, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
• Gregory Howell, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Lean Construction Institute;
• Scott Cameron, Global Project Management Process Owner, Procter & Gamble Registration.

Attendance should be a must for professionals working in organizations involved in the delivery of construction projects, including owners; developers; architects; design engineers; contractors; suppliers; local, state and federal government, as well as consultants, researchers, and educators.

Registration fee for the forum is $190.

Check out the program. Sounds like an awesome venue.

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. - Forum On Construction Project Leadership In New York is a post from: Project Shrink.

When I found out about the Center for Project Leadership at Columbia University I got out of my chair and jumped of joy! Yay!

“In line with the belief that “nothing is as practical as a good theory,” the overall purpose of the Center for Project Leadership (CPL) is to develop useful theories of project leadership and management that are based on robust assumptions, suitable for dynamic situations, and conducive to the development of effective project management practices.”

And they are going to organize a great forum!

The First Forum on Construction Project Leadership.

The Forum will take place at Columbia University, New York City on August 25, 2009.

The purpose of the forum is to examine some of the current and anticipated challenges facing construction projects, and to discuss the critical role that project leadership will play in addressing the increasingly difficult project environment in the coming years. The forum will bring together a panel of top experts from industry and academia, who will examine the importance of both project leadership and project management as critical skills for project success.

The list of speakers includes:

• Janice Tuchman, Editor-in-Chief, Engineering News-Record;
• Dr. Alexander Laufer, Director, Center for Project Leadership at Columbia University;
• Dr. Jeffrey S. Russell, Professor and Chair, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
• Norman R Doll , President Emeritus, Pieper Electric, Inc, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
• Gregory Howell, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Lean Construction Institute;
• Scott Cameron, Global Project Management Process Owner, Procter & Gamble Registration.

Attendance should be a must for professionals working in organizations involved in the delivery of construction projects, including owners; developers; architects; design engineers; contractors; suppliers; local, state and federal government, as well as consultants, researchers, and educators.

Registration fee for the forum is $190.

Check out the program. Sounds like an awesome venue.

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. - Forum: Project Success Requires Leadership AND Management is a post from: Project Shrink.

In April 2009 I found the following postings highly remarkable and interesting…

Dull Networks – How microblogging might turn the wisdom pyramid upside down @ CrumpleItUp
I need more time @ Seth Godin
Project 2.0 Teams: Creating Project Communities @ Project Management 2.0
Reputation is a Fragile Thing @ PMTips
Another Paradox of Virtual Work @ Leading Virtually
Information Sharing in Teams: Impediments To Overcome @ Bob Sutton
The Simple Guide to Earned Value @ Leading Answers
Have a disagreement? Resolve it virtually @ Endless Knots

You may also want to check out the best of January, February and March 2009.

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. - Top Project Management Postings: April 2009 is a post from: Project Shrink.

During all this I was tracking 129 blogs (I cleaned up the list). In March 2009 I found the following postings highly remarkable and interesting…

One Model for a New World Economy @ OpenTheFuture

If you want to read a posting reflecting my current line of thinking (about projects and organizations) I recommend this great piece:

“Decentralized diversity (what we sometimes call the “polyculture” model) means setting the rules so that no one institution or approach to solving a problem/meeting a need ever becomes overwhelmingly dominant. This comes at a cost to efficiency, but efficiency only works when there are no bumps in the road. Redundancy works out better in times of chaos and uncertainty — backups and alternatives and slack in the system able to counter momentary failures.”

Image by kyz.

Stumbling Through Mediocrity @ James Shore

“I wasn’t really being asked “Does Agile scale?” … What I was really being asked was, “Does Agile work in large, dysfunctional organizations? Can I keep doing all of the ineffective things I’m required to do and still say I’m Agile?”

Project Management and Crucial Conversations @ Raven’s Brain
10 tips to overcome Imposter Syndrome @ PM4Girls
Your Software Project Has No Goal @ Noop.nl

You may also want to check out the best of January and February 2009.

And BTW… Thank you so much for reading my blog. Really. Thank 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. - Top Project Management Postings: March 2009 is a post from: Project Shrink.

Photography by Jon Rawlinson.

NetAge Report #4: Organizing at the edge of chaos @ EndlessKnots
Nodes and links, technically speaking @ EndlessKnots
Reactionary business. Why predict the future? @ GaryVaynerchuk.com
Working As A Team @ Better Projects
Habits of Resilient Organizations @ Resilience Science
Project Failure Modes @ Herding Cats

You may also want to check out the best of January.

You can get my daily recommendations of great postings by subscribing to this RSS feed:

Read this for more information.

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. - Top Project Management Postings: February 2009 is a post from: Project Shrink.

The Marengo Group, consulting arm of author Jerry Manas, in partnership with The Communication Partnership, Ltd, The Creating WE Institute, and Gantthead.com, is conducting a definitive study to reveal which variables consistently lead to high performing and co-creative virtual teams, and which factors are barriers. This groundbreaking research will no doubt lead to revealing insights that can help virtual teams overcome common challenges.

• An invitation to review the survey results via a live webinar
• A copy of the final research paper when it is published
• An opportunity to win one of three $20 gift certificates to Amazon.com.

Many have reported gaining insights just from taking the survey. Isn’t that worth 20 minutes of your time?

To participate, visit the following website, select, “Current User Login” in the purple box to the right, and use the supplied logon info below::

http://www.infotool-online.net/Brochure/en/login.asp
ID: VT survey
Password: team

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. - Help Needed On Study on Virtual Teams is a post from: Project Shrink.