Ackoff was and continues to be a towering figure in efforts to lead and manage organizations informed by systems thinking. His work was especially prominent in the late 1980’s when it helped to shape project management, emerging at just that moment as an organized discipline and community of practice. Many of his key constructs – […]
Category: Purpose
“Inversion Method Explained for Decision Making and Problem Solving”
Here is a helpful 9-minute presentation on the The Inversion Method (although the last minute is not so helpful.) As explained here, it less a method and more of a mental model or a general approach for problem-solving and decision-making. In a nutshell, it can be summarized as “avoiding stupidity” or “reverse engineering success”. Instead […]
“How to Create a Product Backlog”
Current, useful explanation of product backlog creation in about 7′. Helpful outline of the context of backlog creation, namely product vision, product roadmap, product release plan. Basically talking head format, but the speaker is good, the talk is clear, and production values are high.
“How to apply Kanban in Jira: A Quick Guide”
This 12.5′ video looks at the Kanban construct at three levels: The platform is an extremely popular one, namely Atlassian’s Jira.
“What does a project manager do ? Project Manager Vs Project Sponsor Vs Team Members”
Useful 7′ overview of role stucture of project teams, especially “traditional” teams, i.e. those developing products via a plan-driven approach. Lots of well-organized information here (though the emphasis seems to be on getting certifed rather than gaining real-world know-how)
“UML Use Case Diagrams”
A use case is an activity within a system enabling a user to accomplish a goal. Pertinent to that goal, a use case diagram is a simple visual representation of user(s), system, use cases, and relationships among them. Dating back to the early 1990’s, use case and use case diagramming are among the earliest constructs […]
“Introduction to Modern Project Discovery”
The opportunity solutions tree (OST) is a construct that helps internal teams discover and create what is of real value, both to their customers and to their company, continously. It is clear, logical, and empirical, quite similar, in many ways, to the lean start up approach to launching a new company, for example, in its […]
“WBS Creation – 10 Golden Rules – Work Breakdown Structure”
Hands-on, useful guidance on creating WBS … in less than 6′!
“Innovation Games to Uncover Insights on Customers”
Short (3.5′) explanation of the innovation games construct, emphasizing applications and benefits. Includes a nice introduction to one game: “Prune the Product Tree”.
“Conflict Management Styles”
Useful 11′ introduction to (what today tend to be seen as) the five main styles of conflict management: Dominate, Withdraw, Accomodate, Compromise, Collaborate. Besides a description of each style, it offers an explanation of the psychology underlying each and a chance to reflect on one’s own style.