Herding Cats

Performance Based Management

There was a question posed to me on Twitter from another post. The question was what should I read to learn about some of the things you talk about here? Let's go back to the top and start down the... Read more →

Estimates and all that...

Esther Derby has a post on estimating. The thread seems to go that estimating is helpful but estimates are not. Let's start with estimating in a domain where we are spending other peoples money. Better yet an environment where we... Read more →

Quote of the Day

EVM is best used on any contract where cost and schedule management are important. On the EVM LinkedIn forum there is a conversation around applying EV in a specfic domain - in that case at NAVAIR - by Phil Bayer.... Read more →

Staying in Control of the Project

In the commercial and military flying business there is a term controlled flight into terrain. This means that the pilots flew the aircraft into the side of a mountain or the ground with intent. That is they were in control... Read more →

The Need for Strategy

The pursuit of operational effectiveness is seductive because it is concrete and actionable. Caught up in the race for operational effectiveness, many managers simply do not understand the need to have a strategy. – Dr. Michael E. Porter – Professor... Read more →

Positive Deviance

There is lots of talk around about changing the world, replacing traditional management with "new and improved" management, creating a new paradigm for managing organizations. Much if not most comes from theorist or one-trick pony advisors. Here's a concept that... Read more →

Agile Requires Discipline, In Fact All Successful Projects Require Discipline

Scott Ambler's current post titled Agile Practices Require Discipline restates the core principles of all successful projects. The framework described by Scott can be found in many other project domains, from heavy construction, to spaceflight, to weapons systems, to process... Read more →

32 Means 32

David Kester, Director Operations EVM Implementation Division of the DCMA presented an update on the EVMS compliance processes at the NDIA PMSC in January of this year. In that presentation there were 6 minimal allowable acceptance criteria for an Earned... Read more →

Quote of the Day

"Why are all the people who know how to run the country cutting hair or driving a cab?" - George Burns We're back to the core issue - do you have an opinion informed by past performance, applicable in my... Read more →

Is This Really True?

The notion that there is a need for a new management paradigm is a recurring theme, well documented in Beyond the Hype. Here's a map of the conjectured causes and symptoms driving the need for transformation. Most are restating the... Read more →

What Business Systems Are Needed for Program Success?

Most of the discussion around Earned Value Management starts and ends with the Earned Value Management System (EVMS) based on ANSI-748-B and the NDIA (National Defense Industry Association) Earned Value Management Intent Guide (EVMIG). In recent meetings of the Program... Read more →

Quote of the Day

He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet. – Joseph Joubert When ideas are presented, ask first where have you had success with this idea? Then ask why do you think your success in that domain is... Read more →

Most Exciting New Results Are Wrong

There are many new and exciting results in the world of science - physics is my area of knowledge. But many turn out to be wrong. There are examples from the world of physica science. And social scientist want to... Read more →

What is a project really

When is discussion around almost anything in the absence of a Domain and Context it gets confusing real fast. What are you actually talking about is my first response. Agile is one of those topics where this is common. Oh... Read more →

Risk Management Measures

Risk Management is a topic that is either ignored, done hap hazardly, and many times done correctly in domains that depend on managing risk. Of course ALL domains that work projects depend on properly managing risk. Doing Agile development... Read more →