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Common oversights in choosing methodology

Changing the way a business operates is a daunting task. It involves assessing and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the current organization, identifying solutions to the weaknesses without compromising the strengths and, ultimately, changing the way people work. Above all, people tend to be resistant to change — and this is the most common issue that arises when adopting a new methodology.

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Why Agile isn’t enough (and why it doesn’t work)

Agile methods are powerful tools when used properly -- but as with all tools, they can be misused. The critics of agile methods are many and vocal, calling Agile a poorly thought-out “shortcut” that fails to get the job done. And with 90% of projects failing to meet objectives, the criticism is valid. So is Agile just hype or is there something to it? And if there is, why are project success ratios so abysmal? Here's the scoop on why Agile doesn't work and what to do about it.

Why heroes are bad

Most project leaders have been there before: The hero saves the day, yet again. Everyone is grateful because, obviously, if not for the hero the project would have crashed and burned. It seems so lucky that the team can benefit from this all-star who pulls the project out of the fire time and again. So, what exactly would we do without him (or her)?

Asides

• As Jamin Arvig, President of WaterFilters.net learned the hard way, putting off training has a cost of its own: Lost employees. As Jarmin wrote in his A Worker Quit -- Because I Didn't Train Him To Succeed, if you don't arm your employees to succeed they'll eventually go elsewhere to look for career advancement. "[It] was just the tip of the iceberg. My other customer service and sales people were struggling and frustrated. They didn't say it in exactly these words, but they basically felt like I hadn't equipped them to succeed." Training is simply one of the best investments a company can make -- and carefully planned, effective training yields more dividends than just about any other. #
• As I've pointed out more than once, training your employees is one of the best things you can do to benefit your business and your team. Even so, fears about what happens if you train your staff and they leave to find a better job are prevalent -- but consider the alternative: What happens if you don't train them, and they stay? As Derek Christian found out, training is key to success: He successfully dropped attrition from 300% to zero in 2009, and used a strategic training and career counseling program to more than double his business' size. The number-one reason people leave their jobs is that they don't feel challenged, he says: "People, especially of this generation, want to learn new things." (CNN Money Online). #
• Excellent advice found on 43 folders: Before you sweat the logistics of focus: first, care. Care intensely. We spend a great deal of time working on "engaging the team" or engaging ourselves when what we really need to do is find the willpower to focus on the foremost problem at hand. As Merlin points out, "Obsessing over the slipperiness of focus, bemoaning the volume of those devil 'distractions,' and constantly reassessing which shiny new 'system' might make your life suddenly seem more sensible--these are all terrifically useful warning flares that you may be suffering from a deeper, more fundamental problem." #
• Hiring the right people means more than identifying good technical skills. A person's resume can be outstanding, but it won't matter one whit if personalities clash or new hires just don't mesh with your culture. As Dan McCarthy writes in How to Hire for Cultural Fit, "It’s not what you know, but how you fit in the culture that results in accelerated performance." He points out that first and foremost, you need to assess your own internal culture, decide whether your goals include changing that culture, and proceed accordingly. Everyone that joins the team changes the team dynamic: Are you hiring to sustain your culture, or looking to alter the team dynamic? #
• Sometimes we forget that some of the best tools are the simplest ones. If you had to pick just one tool for project management what would it be? I think in my case a whiteboard comes out pretty near the top, if not the top. My point is, focus on the work at hand, not the tool that gets it done. Too often we can become distracted by the dazzling, whiz-bang features of the latest software, methodology, book or trend. Focus on what works, and get the job done. #
• Is ALM at odds with Agile? Application Lifecycle Management is often perceived as a traditional waterfall technique, but not always. Collabnet clearly believes there's a convergence between ALM and at least Scrum, a process that is well-known as an "agile-oriented" technique for improving project efficiency and visibility. According to Bill Portelli, CEO of Collabnet, we could be seeing "by and large, a move away from waterfall because it is sequential and it doesn't have the customer intimacy" of more Agile-oriented processes. He's quick to point out that there's no single right answer to every situation though. Read more about Collabnet's product acquisition and hear an interview with Mr. Portelli. #
• Organizations that are "training challenged" must learn to do things differently. This includes delegating authority along with responsibility, being inspirational to employees, building trust and improving communication -- all of which are direct benefits of a comprehensive process that incorporates training. Take a look at part two of Should Training be an Integral Part of a Project Budget to Increase Project Profitability? #
• Hyrax International LLC is running a short survey on training industry focus. Please take a few moments and participate -- it's only six questions long and will be tremendously useful. #