Project Success Story: Leading Projects in a Chaotic Startup Environment

By Linky van der Merwe

This is the story of a project manager, Heinrich Kruger who worked on a complex set of projects in a business startup environment in the short-term insurance industry, within a large corporate.

The projects consisted of a mix of IT and operational initiatives in a business environment typical to that of start-ups i.e. lots of ambiguity and very little structure. Within the business there was no context of any formal project methodology and the stakeholders had to be nurtured with regards to good project governance in order to become more self-sustained over time.

Dedicated Team

It worked well to have a dedicated core project team consisting of a Project Manager, a Change Manager and a Business Change Manager. They had shared values and the same vision and understanding of the business need. The business could not be expected to adopt good, but unfamiliar project practices overnight. They needed constant support through-out, as well as after the project went live.

It was required for this team to take ownership and responsibility. In a start-up environment, the business is often immature as far as projects are concerned. People often don’t know what is expected of them and don’t know anything about following a project based, structured approach to get things done. You will rather find a lot of “survival” behaviour and “just getting things done”.

The project leaders had to educate the business gradually whilst at the same time being part of that start-up process and culture – this take time. It would be different working with with a group of people who were used to starting new businesses and in the process, have established specific ways to work, especially in that kind of environment. Instead the team found that they had to take ownership of processes, tasks and structures that would normally no be expected from a project team.

Immature Project Environment

Trying to establish new ways of work in a business environment that was largely immature in terms of project implementations. The project team had to do more support (spoon feeding so to speak) and some-times taking on responsibilities that would normally be expected from the business.

External dependencies

There were dependencies on other external projects which impacted the planned timelines of some of the projects. The business had to compete with other corporate business units and their respective projects with its demand on shared services suppliers and as such did not always get the audience needed to reach project and strategic goals according to desired timelines. A separate Project Board with the corporate executive was setup in order to create the necessary visibility of the business’ needs. Furthermore, external project environments also had no reference point for understanding the unique culture and the speed with which new initiatives had to be implemented in this environment.

Failure to reach project goals would ultimately mean a failed business case with the potential to impact roughly 200 employees. It would put the business in a position to seriously revisit and reconsider its strategic goals and approach.

Separate Project Board

Where insurmountable challenges were encountered, the businesses pivoted around its strengths and pushed forward with workarounds, even when it meant loss of efficiency for a time. This meant bypassing systems that weren’t ready and setup of an executive Project Board who would help to prioritise the business’s requirements in the greater corporate environment.

It also meant building an alliance with other business units who had a special interest in seeing the business’ initiatives succeed. Lastly, to gain greater awareness in the corporate environment and motivate prioritization of its own needs, the business promoted its initiatives in such a way that the implementation thereof would hold value for other business units, not necessarily being direct stakeholders, also. It achieved this by positioning itself as an incubation hub to the rest of the organization – this proved quite successful.

Lessons Learned

If an environment is different from what you as a PM is used to, learn to take ownership and responsibility and don’t be disappointed when you have to do more than your job description.

Innovate and try to find workarounds. It won’t help to wait for dependencies and challenges to go away. This means actively monitoring and managing all risks on the project.

Although the business is in startup mode, it will gradually mature into a project based organization provided the PM and his core team gently but assertively pushes the business into a more planned, structured approach to new project implementations.

Key Takeaway

Success Stories Shared

In future projects, the PM will follow a more determined approach to the planning phase. He will ensure to introduce more structure upfront and move out of “survival mode” sooner, and work according to more realistic, planned (with all required stakeholders) outcomes and timelines.

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About the Project Manager:

Heinrich Kruger has been working in project based environments throughout his career with experience primarily in the Fintech industry but also Internet business like MWEB. Apart from project management, he has also worked as programmer, business analyst and business architect.

He can be contacted at heinrich.kruger@gmail.com.

October 17, 2018 Linky

Technology Trends in Education

Although this Infographic, developed by School of Education, American University, has facts that are US based, it is quite applicable to any developed and in some cases developing, countries.

When technology meets education there are 5 emerging trends. They are:

#1 Learning Management Systems (LMS) which is often used by training institutions and even Corporates, for distance learning.

#2 Gamification where algorithms are deployed to build educational games.

#3 Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) where tech-driven information is overlaid onto an existing environment.

#4 Coding and robotics which have been introduced at schools at a rapid pace

#5 The development of the smart classroom where technology is used to create a personalised learning experience for students

October 11, 2018 Linky

The Art Of Possibility – a Different Paradigm

By Linky van der Merwe

Recently I finished reading a fascinating book called: “The art of possibility: Transforming professional and personal life” The book is full of positive stories to attempt to change your perspective in life.

It’s about drawing a different frame around a set of circumstances that seem to block us in our daily lives, and seeing new pathways come into view. It’s about finding the right framework so that extraordinary accomplishment becomes an everyday experience. Ultimately, it describes a new practice for bringing possibility to life in an intellectual, but entertaining way.

My favourite parts of the book were the interesting stories about music and orchestras from the conductor who is also the writer, which beautifully illustrate his points. For the purpose of this article I want to share a poem and a story, but I would recommend reading the book as well.

A poem

The words of Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,

Our deepest feat is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous –

actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people

won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Frameworks for creating possibility are illustrated throughout the book by means of stories. I particularly liked this story about Truth and Reconciliation because it took place in my country, South Africa.

Under the leadership of the Nelson Mandela government, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed as a framework for the possibility of the integration of all aspects of society, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as its chairman. The TRC offered amnesty to individuals who were prepared to tell the whole truth publicly and could prove that their violent deeds had been politically motivated.

The vision of the TRC: “a need for understanding, but not for vengeance, a need for reparation but not for retaliation, a need for Ubuntu (brotherhood) but not for victimization.” The Truth Commission served as a framework for possibility because the more truth was revealed, the more connection and deeper understanding emerged. It became a framework for the possibility of social transformation.

Mandela believed that the TRC helped to move away from the past to concentrate on the present and the future. It left the society free to take the next step.

New Paradigm

After reading the book, I found myself looking at work problems differently, especially with project challenges and teams having difficulty to always cooperate smoothly. The frameworks in the book provide various lenses through which to look for alternative solutions to problems. Of course this can be applied to personal problems as well. I would encourage you to read it and find out for yourself.

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October 2, 2018July 2, 2024 Linky

Big Data and how Psychologists help make companies more profitable

By Quinn Cooley

It is estimated that by 2020, we will be creating 1.7 megabytes of information for every single person on the planet–every second of every day. It’s hard to wrap your mind around numbers this big, but the data influx continues to grow. Fortunately, we now have the tools to actually use a lot of this big data. Companies of all sizes are now collecting and analyzing these large datasets to find insights that help to improve everything from decision-making to streamlining organizational processes.

Although we typically think of big data as a purely logical aspect of business operations, proper analysis isn’t just about the algorithms and asking the right questions. It also requires knowledge of psychology and emotions. Why? Because the customer behavior big data collects is a direct reflection of what humans do. A data scientist may not be able to make sense of these patterns and pull out relevant insights—but a psychologist will.

Past behavior typically gives psychologists a good idea of what future behavior will look like. Customers with certain behaviors are more likely to exhibit seemingly unrelated behavior. For instance, you wouldn’t think that a credit score might affect someone’s likelihood of getting into a car accident, but these are just the kinds of links that psychologists can pull out of large datasets during analysis. Psychologists have made some other surprising discoveries based on big data as well. For example, Google’s Project Oxygen discovered that technical ability was actually the least important skill for effective managers—counterintuitive at a tech company.

It’s early days for psychologists on the analytics team. Many small and medium-sized businesses simply don’t have the budget to hire someone else to look over their data—data scientists are in demand and command high salaries. However, large Fortune 500 companies are beginning to see the value in having someone with a background in human behavior. Big data has enormous potential for return on investment, however. The healthcare industry could save up to $300 billion a year, and retailers could increase operating margins by up to 60%. With that kind of potential, it’s no wonder that large companies are starting to put more resources into their big data departments and hiring psychologists.

Check out this infographic from the University of Southern California’s online Master of Science in Applied Psychology to learn more about big data’s role in business and how psychologists are helping to make data even more profitable for companies.

University of Southern California

September 27, 2018June 26, 2024 Linky

Women in Leadership – 7 Skills to Develop

By Linky van der Merwe

“My best successes came on the heels of failures.” -Barbara Corcoran

I like this quote from Barbara Corcoran, Founder of The Corcoran Group, New York’s largest real estate company. Barbara is an expert in the art of leading a team to success and in how to build a successful business. It’s a big statement admitting to failure as well as success.

In the Project Management industry many women have the opportunity to take the lead on projects and in most instances they excel in this role. They care about their team members and derive satisfaction from leading a team to successful delivery.

But how do women become successful as leaders? If you look around, you will find women who are successful leaders in every industry, from government to business, entertainment, and sports. Fortunately, there are leadership skills commonly found among women in leadership positions, and they can be developed.

According to Susan C. Foster, an Executive Coach and author of ‘It’s Not Rocket Science: Leading, Inspiring, and Motivating Your Team to be Their Best’ there are 7 leadership skills that stand out.

#1 Effective Communications

The ability to communicate effectively is arguably the most important skill for a successful leader and it’s not limited to speaking, but also include listening, writing and being able to read and use nonverbal language.

Many women are naturally good communicators, making polishing this skill easier as long as it’s done deliberately.

#2 Strategic Vision

Successful women leaders are able to influence other leaders and effect organizational change.

Women need to trust their own voices and learn to ‘Lean in’ more by sitting at boardroom tables with decision makers and executives, as per Sheryl Sandberg’s book by the same name. They can excel at uniting teams behind a common vision.

#3 Creativity and Innovation

Today’s business environment is all about uncertainty and competition. Successful women leaders bring creativity and innovation to the challenges by bringing diversity, different working styles, and viewpoints to their teams.

#4 Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our own emotions, and those of the people around us. Some key elements are self-awareness, motivation, empathy and social skills.

Although many emotional intelligent skills are part of how women are made up especially when also being mothers, these skills need to be consciously developed and practiced.

#5 Critical Thinking and Problem solving

Critical thinking to solve problems means asking vital questions around a problem, gathering and assessing relevant information, and coming to a well-reasoned conclusion. Successful women leaders think open-mindedly about their assumptions and possible consequences.

Women who are always running around wearing many different hats, have to make time for thinking and for being reflective so that better solutions to problems can be found.

#6 Confidence

Leadership is about having the confidence to make decisions based on a reasonable amount of data and then doing what you think is right.

While women may not necessarily be brought up to be overly confident, this is critical if you want to succeed in leadership positions – you need to have faith in your own ability to make good decisions.

#7 Trustworthiness

Successful women leaders are trustworthy, first and foremost. When you establish a climate of trust, your team commits to goals, communications improve, and ideas flow more freely.

Building good relationships cannot be overestimated, as the trust fostered in such relationships is what allows teams to excel and work better together.

Source: 7 Leadership Skills of Successful women

Some content was reposted and provided by Maryville Online Degree Programs.

More Leadership Resources

Maryville University Organisational Leadership site for Women – containing research and tools for women managers, executives and entrepreneurs, to develop your skills.

Resources for women in the business world– The information from Zen Business.com goes in-depth on females who have changed the entrepreneur world, how to go about starting a business, writing business plans, Business finances and many other resources.

Business and Development Guide for Women Entrepreneurs that includes a comprehensive list of business resources for women, including business plans, financing options, small business marketing resources and more.

September 18, 2018July 4, 2019 Linky

Is your Marketing Skills Modern enough for Future Generation Consumers?

By Quinn Cooley

Digital marketing has evolved rapidly and social media, mobile devices, and the way customers shop, have turned traditional marketing on its head and brought in new best practices.

This wouldn’t be a problem if marketers were prepared for these changes, but many are not. Over 75% of marketers do not believe their departments are modern or nimble. If you and your company aren’t up to date on what the newest generation of buyers (Generation Z – born 1996 – 2010) wants from their online experience, it may be time to modernize and update your marketing skills.

Many of the members of Generation Z aren’t yet able to make their own purchases, but they account for 22% of the US population. They have a big influence (up to $333 billion) in household spending. Younger consumers are digital natives, and it’s crucial to meet them on their own preferred platforms and devices.

Marketing in 2018 has to combine multi-channel approaches with big data, SEO, and exciting new mediums for content. Content marketing has become a long-term must for everything from branding to loyalty. The catch? Young readers need a hook, and they like a variety of written and visual mediums. Beautiful designs, videos, interactive content—marketers have the challenge of creating fresh content that has a consistent voice and message at all times.

The modern marketer needs a wide range of skills, particularly in a smaller company. Strong writing and social media skills, the ability to shift between long and short-form content, design, analytics and more. As if the creative aspects of marketing weren’t enough, marketers also need to have strong operational skills. Being able to keep on budget, keep the goals of the department aligned with the company goals, and measuring relevant metrics and ROI are all key for ensuring that digital marketing has a long-term eye toward profits. It’s all about the numbers, especially as companies move toward lean initiatives.

September 10, 2018September 11, 2018 Linky

How to Make a Project Proposal Your Best Sales Tool

When you are part of a service based business, your project proposal is your sales piece that will sell your services to the prospective client.

A project proposal needs to address the four key questions a prospective client has:

Do they understand what I need?
Do I trust them to deliver?
Can I afford them?
Can I work with them?

To accomplish this, your project proposal should have the following 10 key elements:

1. Client’s Requirements and Goals

The summary of the client’s requirements and goals is a critical part of your project proposal. Take the time to really understand what your prospect is looking for to ensure a better outcome. Furthermore, by showing how well you’ve paid attention to your prospect’s needs, you’ll set yourself apart from your competitors.

2. Tasks Involved and Your Fee for Each

List down the main tasks you’re going to do, along with the fee you will charge for each. Provide enough detail that anybody will be able to say when you have delivered or completed the task.

3. Breakdown of Each Task with Costs

It’s not enough to simply say what big tasks you will do. Break them down so your prospect appreciates how much work and skill it takes to complete each one.

If you offer different options, indicate the likely results they can expect from each option.

4. Priority and Delivery Schedule

Indicate which of the goals have the highest priority. Make it clear how long it will take you to complete each task and how milestones should be approved by the client.

5. Work Process

Describe how you usually work with clients. Will you have a meeting after the client approves your proposal? Describe how you will to track all client communication. Be specific now so you and your client won’t be in for surprises later on.

6. Mode of Payment

In this part, specify how you want to get paid. Do you require a deposit or full payment before starting on a project? Describe means of payment for example, electronic bank transfer.

7. Samples or Proof That You Can Do the Job

Make it easy for prospects to decide that you’re suitable for this project. Attach samples of work, or links to samples that show how you’ve completed similar projects in the past. Also give references of where you’ve worked successfully before.

8. Clear Indication of the Next Steps

Tell your prospect clearly what he should do if he either wants to proceed with the project, or if he has further questions before he can make a decision. Say something like, “If you need clarification on my proposal, please email your questions to me.”

9. Invoice for First Payment

Obviously, you should include an invoice only if you require a deposit before you start a new project.

10. Contact Information

Make sure your project proposals include your name and contact details–including your email address even if you are emailing your proposal. Don’t assume your prospect will simply hit the “reply” button, or take the time to find your contact information if he doesn’t see it right away.

In conclusion, for a successful project proposal, it should perform the following:

show that you understand what the client is looking for
prove that you are the best person for the tasks at hand
convince the prospect that either they can afford you or they cannot afford not to hire you

Always ensure that your project will deliver as per client requirements and outline that clearly in your project proposal.

By Linky van der Merwe
PS: Pictures were taken during our holidays in Botswana and the Bushveld, South Africa.

I’ve created a free Project Proposal Guide to remind you of the 10 key elements to include!
Click below for a free Project Proposal Guide.

August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 Linky

What’s the Future of Project Management?

By Linky van der Merwe

“We live in a world where change is not just constant but its continuous.”

This is according to an article in Toolbox, called: “The Future of Project Management” by Bryan Campbell.

The impact on how we do projects is tremendous. The planning and budgeting cycle of 12 months is becoming old as deployments become continuous.

Mr Campbell states that the traditional definition that a project is done when all of its scope is completed within schedule and budget needs to be re-assessed. In this new paradigm, projects end when they stop delivering more value than the next viable alternative. Budget and schedule are superseded by the value that projects deliver. This means that trying to fix a schedule and budget on a project is less important than understanding the value that the project is delivering.

Continuous delivery

What we’re heading towards is that Projects will eventually transition into continuous value delivery mechanisms and the roles of the project manager will change from monitoring schedule and budget to one focused on the continuous delivery of value.

In his talk at PMXPO2018: “Planning for the future of Project Management”, Dr Harold Kerzner makes several observations on the differences between PM 1.0 and PM 2.0 that I find fascinating. Here are a few:

Project requirements have evolved from well-defined to evolving and flexible.
Number of constraints moved from triple (time, cost, scope) to competing constraints.
Scope changes from minimum with low customer tolerance to possibly continuous with a high tolerance
Amount of documentation is changing from extensive to minimal
Project health checks, once optional, are now mandatory and so is customer involvement
Project management area of emphasis has changed from planning, measuring and controlling to benefits realisation and value management

Lastly, according to Dr Kerzner, the metric categories have changed as well.

FROM

Time

Cost

Scope

Quality

Resource usage

Stakeholder satisfaction

Project performance

Number of deliverables

Business profitability

Portfolio health

Portfolio benefits realization

Portfolio value achieved

Portfolio selection and mix

Resource availability

Capacity utilization

Strategic alignment

Business performance

Trusted Global Network

Another interesting perspective comes from Ray Granger, CEO of Mavenlink. He talks about a transformation where organisations change their processes and structures to align with a global, networked landscape.

“Work is being delivered in open and collaborative environments, with large groups of people from both inside and outside the organization”, according to Mr Granger.

This means that on any given project, you may be working with internal talent, external service providers, specialists, and even clients from around the world. I’ve experienced this phenomenon on recent software implementation projects which requires you to engage and mobilize larger and larger numbers of participants, and facilitate much more complex coordination of expertise and activities. Part of the complexity lies in the challenges around collaboration with virtual team members across different time zones and having to keep all stakeholders aligned.

These are just a few directions that give us an indication of where Project Management is heading. We need to ask ourselves: “Am I keeping up with the pace of change, adapting my skills and leadership abilities to stay ahead of the curve, to be future fit?”

Please subscribe to Virtual Project Consulting not to miss any future tips and articles!

August 22, 2018 Linky

How to Manage Different Generations at Work

By Linky van der Merwe

We all will soon find ourselves in the situation where there are 4-5 different generations in the workplace. Are you ready for that future at work?

Managing the mixture of ages, faces, values and views is an increasingly difficult task. According to the book: “Generations at Work: Managing the clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters in your Workplace”, the authors R Femke, C Raines and B Filipczak describe it as:

“diversity management at its most challenging.”

It helps to understand the impact of having different generations in the workforce. Know who they are and what motivates them and prepare for that future workplace. From Baby Boomers, to Millennials, to Generation X and Y.

Watch this video and let me know what you think in the comments.

August 15, 2018February 14, 2022 Linky

Productivity Experts’ Views on Peak Performance

By Linky van der Merwe

Recently I attended the Peak Work Performance Summit hosted by Dr Ron Friedman. Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning social psychologist who specializes in human motivation and he’s author of the book: “The Best Place to Work”.

In the previous article: “What I Have Learned About Peak Work Performance” I shared some great takeaways from the speakers who were interviewed. In this article I’m going to share more views from well-known productivity experts.

Building an external brain

I was really impressed with how much I’ve learnt from David Allen, author of “Getting things done”. Here are two highlights.

He explained how we are bad at remembering, but good at recognizing. We need to clear internal mental space to make room for good ideas. Our head is for having ideas; not for holding them. That’s what he means by building an external brain – objectify it; get your head empty.

He’s also of the opinion that you shouldn’t take notes on a laptop. It’s better to write things down and to see lists visually rather than digitally.

Combat procrastination

People procrastinate because they feel out of control or uncertain about what to do or where to start. If tasks are described on a physical level of what to do next by using verbs, it’s much easier to have a kick-start. if not, you procrastinate and you have the nagging feeling of ‘when will I do this?’ So remember, put them all on your list with next actionable steps and review it regularly.

Essentials only

A few valuable lessons can be learned from Greg McKeown on determining what is essential and eliminating everything else. He authored the book: ‘Essentialism – Disciplined pursuit of less.

He explained that if you want to become distinctive; find out what makes you really good. Choose to be an Essentialist at work. Saying NO is a very important skill; but do it in a very polite way. Focus on what is essential, concentrate on getting that done well, as that will add most value.

Don’t use busyness as a badge of honour. When you are asked: ‘How are you? – choose to respond differently.

Instead of stating how busy you are and doing a million things, rather share a story from your life – like what you did yesterday with your children. Busyness may let other people feel you are more important, but could also make you look like you’re not in control.

Practices for the Essentialist

Create space to explore what is essential.
Every day write down the 6 things you want to do for the day; prioritise the list, cross off 5; focus on nr 1. Only work on what’s important now. When done, take the next thing.
Reallocate resources to the one thing that should get done; make it as effortless as possible

He’s starting a movement on how to become an Essentialist – so watch that space.

How to coach your teams

I want to conclude with the work of Michael Stanier, author of “The Coaching Habit”.

Learn how to coach your teams better by doing the following:

Listen a bit longer
Be slower to rush to action and advice
Probing more to find out what’s below the surface
Ask a question like: “what’s the real challenge here for you?” It puts the emphasis on the person, rather than the problem.

Look for leadership where you empower people to solve their own problems, and to be self-sufficient.

Have a few good questions. For example, in response to what a person is saying, encourage them by asking: “yes and what else?”
Understand the dynamics of behaviour change – habits are the building blocks.
Overcome the urge to give advice. Rather use the question: ‘what else?’ instead of telling the person what you think.

If you like the Peak Performance ideas and you want to know more, I have good news for you.

You can get Lifetime access to the ‘Peak Work Performance Summit’. You will have unlimited access to interviews with people who are sharing valuable information based on years of research for books and based on their real life experience.

Click here for the Peak Work Performance Summit Lifetime Pass.

August 9, 2018April 11, 2022 Linky

What I Have Learned About Peak Work Performance

By Linky van der Merwe

We all want to become healthier, happier and more productive, but we seldom address these desires consciously on a day to day basis. Recently I was so fortunate to attend the Peak Work Performance Summit hosted by Dr Ron Friedman. Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning social psychologist who specializes in human motivation and he’s author of the book: “The Best Place to Work”.

Since I’ve learnt so much from each interview that Ron so masterfully conducted, I have decided to share a few takeaways with you. By simply applying some of these principles, I believe it has the potential to transform your life!

Find a 2nd article on Peak Work Performance here.

Pre-mortem instead of post-mortems

I loved this idea from Dan Pienk, an idea I have come across before, but I’m now more motivated to apply it at work as well as for personal growth.

He recommends doing a pre-mortem every six months asking:

What do I want to learn?
What do I want to achieve?
What are the pitfalls?

Like you can imagine, this can lead to much better goals that will be easier to achieve, since you are already addressing anticipated challenges even before they appear.

As for starting a new project, it’s a good idea to start with a pre-mortem so that the project can be setup for success, because it helps to think through what success will mean and it will identify possible risks or obstacles that may be blockers to successful delivery. Then a project manager and team can purposefully go ahead with the intention of solving possible problems even before they occur and continue to follow the markers identified for success.

Find out more in Dan Pink’s book: Drive by clicking on the image.

Reduce your focus to achieve better results

What Jay Papasan shared about the one thing that high performers do differently, is that it helps to reduce your focus to achieve better results. What does he mean by that?

It means that you focus on your one thing – the 20% that give 80% output. By doing one thing only, it could throw other things off and it may seem like the balance can go off, but in reality you are focusing on the one thing that will yield the biggest results. This can be applied at work, but also to your health, finances and family life.

Another interesting point he made, was to put being a husband or wife first, before being a parent, because you want to role model being good in marriage. Where else will our children learn to stay committed in marriage?

Find out more in Jay’s book: The one thing by clicking on the image.

For good fruit to grow, you need to be pruning

Todd Henry, who writes about creativity, productivity, and how to find passion for your work, shared an important principle. For good fruit to grow, you need to be pruning, like for a vineyard.

According to Todd, it’s important to learn to say NO to things. Build good practices around the domains you need to excel in. For example, establish blocks of time for study, reading or for writing, whatever it may be that you are doing.

Innovation happens in the gaps, in the quiet times. Create space in your life to bring the best of who you are to what you do. Personally, I loved this statement and as a working mom of 3 children, I constantly have to remind myself to carve out space in my life in order to be my best self.

Read Todd Henry’s books to find out more.

“The accidental creative – How to be brilliant at a moment’s notice”
“Herding Tigers – Be the leader that creative people need”
“Louder than words – Harness the power of your authentic voice”

Pillars of Success

Craig Ballantyne, coach to high-performing entrepreneurs and executives to get more done, have massive impact, grow their influence, and have a personal life, shared ideas to help you ‘own the day and control your life’. He shared five pillars of success:

Do better planning and preparation than ever before
Have a measureable outcome; have action points at the end
Positive social support – engage with people around you for support
Meaningful incentive that will motivate you
Self-imposed deadline and the power this has to help you stick to what you’re doing

Read his book: “The Perfect Day Formula” for more ideas on how to have the perfect day.

If you like the Peak Performance ideas that I shared in this article, I have good news for you.

Click here for the Peak Work Performance Summit Lifetime Pass.

August 1, 2018August 2, 2023 Linky

5 Tech Tools for Agile Project Management

By Brian Thomas

Agile is taking the project management world by storm, and for good reason. Traditional methods of project management that rely on rigid timelines tend to break down when things change. On the other hand you have the Agile project management system that’s actually designed to handle change. With Agile, teams can easily adjust to any issues, setbacks, or new priorities that might arise throughout the process. Change happens all the time, even within Agile itself, so it’s best to make sure your team is prepared for it.

Using the Agile framework and being prepared for when things go awry is great, but you’re going to need to leverage technology to keep everyone on your team in the loop. Check out the top tech tools to keep your agile project on the right track!

Trello

Trello is a good option for getting your whole Agile team on the same page. One of the great things about Agile is that it encourages face-to-face team engagement, which often leads to the use of physical whiteboards. Since Trello functions similar to a classic whiteboard, it makes keeping your physical documentation up with your project management tool simple and effective. Once in Trello, you’re able to set up boards for you and your team. Within each board you can create lists, and then nest individual tasks underneath those lists. The flexibility Trello provides for users makes it perfect for Agile.

Asana

If you’re looking for a project management solution that’s simple and to-the-point, then check out Asana. Asana is an easy-to-use task management system to track progress on all of your team’s projects. Similar to Trello, you can set up task sections for your backlog, current sprint, complete, and any other grouping you might need.

Proggio

Instead of centering your Agile team around the tasks that need to be done, Proggio puts the focus on the actual team members themselves. Proggio makes it easy to visualize workflows to see what tasks need to be done, when they need to be done, and most importantly, who’s responsible for doing them.

Proggio’s ability to visualize how the team is functioning as a whole helps the team members understand why the work they’re doing is important and help the team build momentum to operate efficiently.

Proofhub

ProofHub is a comprehensive project management and collaboration tool designed to streamline workflows and improve team productivity. It offers a wide range of features, including task management, document sharing, team collaboration, time tracking, and more. It has been trusted by thousands of businesses and teams worldwide.

Binfire

Binfire is another Agile project management software tool that allows teams to seamlessly collaborate on projects and tasks in a simple and concise manner. Much like Trello and Poggio, within Binfire you and your team can use visualization tools such as a digital whiteboard to map out your systems and processes. However, with Binfire you can also utilize additional types of charts, markup PDFs, and chat on your team message board among other features.

Drag

Last but not least is Drag. Drag is a free chrome extension that lets you turn your gmail inbox into projects and their accompanying lists of tasks. If your team works within a single email account, such as the company’s “info@company.com” email, it’s perfect for organizing your gmail inbox into its own Agile system. Or if you’re just a big Agile fan and you want to turn your own personal inbox into an Agile workspace, you can do that as well!

There are many more great tools out there to help Agile teams maximize the efficiency of their workflows.

Find a great resource of curated and reviewed project management tools that is best to use for different industries such as creative, design, marketing, developers and other areas! Click here.

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About the Author:

Brian Thomas is from Enlightened Digital, a digital magazine dedicated to the top tech and business news, updates and analyses from around the web – your guide to everything at the cutting edge of technology.