A Nudge for Transformation

Advertisement [Contact Us](mailto:contactus@projectmanagement.com) [About Us]( [Update Profile]( May 23, 2018 Are your trying to force transformation? Don't! As our month-long theme continues, we also examine digitization and software transformation. Plus, tips for first-time PMs, an agile secret and a new kind of program manager. The Knowledge Shelf shares strategic lessons and optimizes your portfolio, while our blogs stress changing perspectives and help you create a benefits dependency map. Plus, help readers asking for advice on information retention and PMO influence in our discussion forums! "Who sows virtue reaps honor." - Leonardo da Vinci []PM HEADLINES [Transformation Can't Be Forced, but You Can Give It a Nudge]( We like to think that organizational change is a process that can be managed. In a perfect world, that’s exactly the way it would work. But the reality is that we don’t live in that world. [Digitization: A Required Transition]( With everything that is beginning to happen—and what is projected to happen—due to digitization, is it time to reinvent ourselves as the program or project management professionals of the future? [Project Software Transformation]( It’s hardly surprising that project performance remains inconsistent in many organizations, who must undertake a software transformation for their project (and project-related) applications. How should an organization implement this transformation? [The Challenge of Change]( Why change? Aside from it being the natural course of business, industry and technology, there is also an inherent need in each of us to look for ways to improve and evolve. But impactful change is never easy. [Taking the Plunge as a First-Time PM]( You took the courses, you put in the time and now it’s happened—you’re a first-time project manager! What the heck do you do now? Let’s get you mentally prepared to manage your first project… "We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." - Cynthia Ozick [Agile's Secret Sauce]( Agile adoption and transformation are often approached in a very mechanical way, and the deep change aspect—where people are concerned—is not properly considered. These transformations are missing agile’s “secret sauce,” leaving people in a confused and uncertain state. [TPM: A New Kind of Program Manager]( A new role is emerging at organizations where technology is at the core of products: the technical program manager. What does the future hold for this marriage of software architect and program manager? [PMXPO 2018: Now On Demand!]( If you missed any of the 11th edition of our annual virtual conference, it's now on demand! Thanks for making this edition the biggest and best one yet—headlined by our keynote presentation from Joel H. Cohen, Emmy-winning writer and producer of The Simpsons! []KNOWLEDGE SHELF [Strategic Lessons Learned From a Battle-Hardened Project Manager]( Project managers strive to learn from past experiences and guide others to do the same. However, these lessons learned normally exclude topics related to the plight of the project manager, who must regularly navigate the “domain of the unpredictable.” This article proposes a new device, “strategic lessons learned,” to address this void. [Practical Portfolio Optimization]( How can you optimize project portfolio selection? The key question is how to select a “right” mix of projects aligned with company resources and strategic goals, and maximize portfolio value. The most popular techniques are described and an example illustrates the advantages of optimization modeling as the most effective and accurate technique for portfolio selection. The mission of [Knowledge Shelf]( is to help project professionals advance our practice by sharing their experiences and viewpoints. It is comprised of practitioners from a wide range of fields, covering both popular and niche topics. From lessons learned and case studies to opinion pieces and articles, this platform gives a voice to peers new to our online community, and allows for longer form contributions. For more information on how to submit your own article, please see our [Editorial Guidelines](. []THE PM POLL Is there a question you've been itching to ask? [Create a poll]( today to get some PM help from your peers! [Q: How difficult was your PMP® Exam?]( - 5 (extremely difficult) - 4 (very difficult) - 3 (about what I expected) - 2 (it was easier than I expected) - 1 (it was so easy) TOOL SPOTLIGHT Statdash is a communication tool for working with team members on activities, tasks or projects and visually sharing statuses with clients or stakeholders. It eliminates the frustration of continually tracking down team members to get their status. [Learn More]( [Search for your solution on our Tool Finder]( []BLOG IT Voices on Project Management by Wanda Curlee Neuroscience was once considered something akin to science fiction. But it has crawled out of that genre and into practical reality. By identifying ways people can reason, it’s even making major contributions to the PM profession. Read more about [The Importance of Changing Perspectives](. The Money Files by Elizabeth Harrin A benefits dependency map gives you a diagram that links what your project is delivering to the benefits that the business receives as a result. Find out [How to Create a Benefits Dependency Map](. Plus, Elizabeth shares [3 Things I Wish I Had Known About Project Budgeting](. People, Planet, Profits & Projects by Rich Maltzman What do [Screaming Monkeys]( have to do with project management? A recent article about Colombia and its BIO program got our blogger thinking. Plus, you may not be involved in the smelting of metals, but you might change your mind with [They Smelt Opportunity](. Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice by Kiron Bondale When adopting new delivery frameworks, it's tempting to embrace the bright, shiny new tools while branding those of the previous delivery approach as obsolete. But guess what? [Gantt charts still have a place in the agile-verse!]( Game Theory in Management by Michael Hatfield As a child, Michael hated having to eat broccoli. The only way he would ingest it was to put butter, salt or cheese sauce on it (and even then, he had to be coerced). Flash forward to adulthood, and it's a different story. What can we learn from this? Read ["Oh Yeah? Make Me Transform!"]( to find out. PM Network by Dan Goldfischer While a good part of the growth in projects in the healthcare sector has to do with IT and electronic health records, there is another area of healthcare that is doing very well. It is facilities-based and centered around convenience. The May issue of [PM Network]( takes a close look at this niche. The Critical Path by Craig Dalrymple Initial speakers [have been announced]( for the PMI Talent & Technology Symposium 2018! This new symposium is the fusion of two prior events and will focus on the impact of rapidly changing technologies on the project management discipline and careers. []Q & A Did you know that help is just a click away? Our discussion forums give you access to the ProjectManagement.com community: more than 500,000 experienced minds and growing! Ask your question today or stop by to help out other members in need of advice, including these recent and ongoing discussions on... [Information Retention]( "Anyone have some study tips to retain information faster and more effectively? Sometimes it seems I have to read things over and over or read notes taken and still don't recollect if trying to remember. What is your strategy in retaining information and testing your knowledge of remembrance?" [Supportive PMO Influence]( "As a supportive PMO, we facilitate the tools and provide guidance on best practices; but sometimes, some of the project managers just won't follow them due to other priorities or to attend to urgencies, or even only because of stubbornness...what would be your suggestion to positively influence or overcome this kind of situation?" [Scheduling Tactic]( "Do you schedule every task or set milestone deadlines instead?" [Cost Talk]( "How do you negotiate costs when you have no leverage? I have an item that only four companies in the world manufacture. Management is pushing me to get costs down, but the company I'm working with already has the lowest price and they won't budge..." [MBE?]( "Have you applied Management By Exception (MBE) in your organization?" "Without heroes, we are all plain people, and don't know how far we can go." - Bernard Malamud []PREMIUM PICKS Did you know that we have an extensive library of PDU-earning webinars? Here's just one of the latest valuable offerings you can check out... [Welcome to Reality – Surviving the Deadly Divide Between Pre-Sale and Post-Sale]( The PM community has great models for how projects should work, and a wealth of good advice on how to make basically sound programs and portfolio management more effective. Unfortunately, the business of selling PM effort is often in conflict with the profession of delivering PM services. We see this in the form of impossible deadlines, unrealistic promises and estimates based on client budget rather than true cost of execution. As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. How can we make your experience better? Is there something you haven't been able to find? Something you want to see that we don't have yet? [Let us know](mailto:cameron@projectmanagement.com). We'll handle it. If you do not wish to receive ProjectManagement.com's PM Insider Newsletter, you can [unsubscribe here]( or send an email to unsubscribe-pminsider@reply.projectmanagement.com and let us know. We will exclude you from future mailings. You can also change your e-mail address and other settings in [My Account](. ProjectManagement.com is located at 14 Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073.