Diabolical Disruption

Advertisement [Meet your PDU requirements at #IPMDay2018]( Join the online conference every PM is talking about! Earn up to 26 PDUs and gain actionable insights to improve your projects, all from the comfort of your desk. This event goes live Nov 1. Registration and access is open for 90 days on-demand. Only $49 for ProjectManagement.com members. [Register today >]( discount automatically applied at checkout. [Contact Us](mailto:contactus@projectmanagement.com) [About Us]( [Update Profile]( October 31, 2018 As our ghoulish look at disruptive influences nears its horrifying conclusion, we ward off bad apples, scream at the gig economy, plead that you localize disruption management, and de-hype disruption. Plus: the terrifying transition to agile and scrum, and how to do better, cheaper, sooner. The Knowledge Shelf gets inspired by an ancient war strategy, while our Topic Teasers ask: Will there be jobs tomorrow?! Our blood-curdling blogs share 3 essential skills for the future, caution on overdoing innovation and impart lessons from playing pool. And how can we manage proactively? Help a reader in our discussion forums! Happy Halloween! Advertisement [The Modern PMO: Powerful. Configurable. Social.]( The ability to analyze change and respond quickly is essential in any competitive market. Organizations need to be able to make decisions based on a comprehensive, accurate and up to date view of what’s happening across all their initiatives. Download [The Modern PMO: Powerful. Configurable. Social.]( "The monster demands a mate!" - tagline to The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) []PM HEADLINES [Dealing with Disruptive Apples]( For many of us, “bad apples” can have an evil influence on projects. They include the malevolent kind—those who for one reason or another will intentionally attempt to have a negative impact on the project. [PM Disruption: The Gig Economy]( A change in work patterns toward more temporary roles is disrupting project management. The gig economy is moving from niche player to mainstream as millennials enter the workforce with different career aspirations—and organizations tap new labor markets and reduce headcounts [De-Hype Your Disruption]( As a project manager, it's helpful to view hype through two distinct lenses: those of the optimist and those of the cynic. Learn how to guide your project team and customers through the hype of disruptive technology to achieve the outcomes you are hoping for. [Why PMs Must Localize Disruption Management]( Disruptive technologies are having a significant impact in all industries, but those impacts are very different—and generic approaches to understand them won’t work. [The Transition to Agile and Scrum Within a Company]( Saying the words “agile” and “scrum” does not make a company more agile and scrum. We need to build a safe and approachable community where open discussions can happen. Read about one practitioner's experience. "What makes her garden grow...wouldn't you like to know!" - tagline to What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969) SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS Putting Project Controls to Work for Your Business No matter the type, there is one thing all projects have in common: they are susceptible to cost overruns and schedule slippage. However, organizations can avoid the negative impacts of unsuccessful projects by implementing and enhancing their project controls. [Download this eGuide]( to discover the importance of project controls and how you can put the right solution to work for your business. [How to Do Better, Cheaper, Sooner]( Are you looking beyond individual departments and focusing on the value created in the full series of activities they perform to create and deliver their product? Here’s the story of one PM who was willing to step beyond her role to move the focus of “better, cheaper, sooner” to the whole chain of work her firm delivered to its customer. [Exposure Draft Open: Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Third Edition]( PMI’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Third Edition will be open for public review and comment starting 5 October and ending 3 November 2018. Anyone with an interest in good and accepted practices for work breakdown structures in projects and programs is welcome to participate by visiting the [exposure draft page](. []KNOWLEDGE SHELF [Managing Projects Sun Tzu's Way]( Why would you want to use an ancient Chinese war strategy to manage a project? It can provide a different perspective on project planning and making tough decisions, and it enhances your cross-cultural understanding. And by using this ancient analogy, you can gain insight in a more amusing way! 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](. []TOPIC TEASERS Welcome to Topic Teasers, which tests your managerial prowess! In Vol. 113, we ask: [Will There Be Jobs Tomorrow?]( Question: I am the proud parent of twins who are headed for college. They haven’t picked a major, but I’m hesitant to suggest project management. It seems that with the current business environment, we are losing production facilities and even technical services to other places in the world at a rapid pace. Will there be a need for project managers by the time my kids graduate, and will there still be a place for me? A. While the ebb and flow of business always means there will be overages and shortages for employment in any year, decade and era, project managers should feel very secure in their employment options. And as a career, this is often listed as one of the top 10 highest paying and most satisfying job opportunities you can choose. Steer your kids into the field. B. With the advent of DevOps, agile and AI, project managers only have a good five to seven years left with the security of a corporate PM position. If you are currently in a field with tangible products, you should be seriously updating your resume and retraining for one of these three new career path. C. Because of the upcoming millennial wave of people becoming old enough to have accrued the necessary experience to sit for a certification exam in project management, there is going to be a glut of PMs on the market by 2020. If you are happy where you are, plan to stay. If you are unhappy, find a new job in the next 18 months before all the openings are devoured by the young people waiting to become project managers. D. Project management is just a stepping stone to the project management office, a vice presidency or a chance to be lured away to a competitor in a different role. Have your twins decide the industry they want to be a part of, and have them train in a college-specific field like law, medicine, finance, technology, business or architecture/engineering. That is the only way to be sure that jobs they enjoy will exist when they graduate. Check the answer [here](, and [send in your own question for consideration]( []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: Do you or have you mentored someone in project management?]( - Yes - No, but I want to - No, and I don't want to. TRAINING SPOTLIGHT Ball State's bachelor's in logistics and supply chain management can be pursued on site or online, except for an internship and a capstone project. Designed with the help of business executives, the program has a 100 percent job placement rate. [Learn More]( [Search for your solution on our Training Finder]( []BLOG IT Voices on Project Management by Dave Wakeman As we head into the fourth quarter, our minds are likely focusing on finishing the year strong, hitting our goals and maybe thinking about what 2019 will bring. Dave shares [3 Skills PMs Will Need in the Future](. Women in PM Leadership by Vanessa Guimarães Empowerment is a personal transformation and, although it's full of “self” processes, it achieves better results if orchestrated with those around you. Vanessa shares more in [Metamorphosis: The Initiation Process of Empowerment](. The Money Files by Elizabeth Harrin Let’s look at [Who Does What in Risk Management]( on a project. These are the people you need to inform about the risk management processes and get them lined up to act when something is brought to your attention. People, Planet, Profits & Projects by Rich Maltzman Rich's entry on [The Glory of Repair]( is about innovation and entrepreneurship. In a way. It’s about how just maybe, we put so much emphasis on innovation that we have left some important values behind—like the value of keeping things running and doing a good job of maintenance. Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice by Kiron Bondale Our blogger recently rekindled his enjoyment of the game of pool after having played it sporadically over the past 20 years. Are there any [Lessons We Can Learn from Playing Pool]( that might be applicable to project work? Yes! Female Element by Lenka Pincot Having problem-solving techniques in your pocket is very handy—especially when you need an approach that engages the whole team. And wouldn’t it be perfect if finding innovative solutions was actually fun? Read about [A Powerful & Creative Problem-Solving Technique](. Game Theory in Management by Michael Hatfield As we wrap up the hazards involved in disruptive influences (ProjectManagement.com’s October theme), Michael wanted to return to the categories he likes to use to bin such hazards. [Disruptive Do-Gooders]( has more. PM View from Rail Transit Programs & Projects by Henry Hattenrath [Do You Know the Entire Contract?](Henry shares Part 8 of a series intended to prompt project teams to be aware of the entire contract document, including information for bidders (IFB), general conditions/terms and conditions (GCs) and the technical requirements. []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... [Proactive PMs]( "How can we be proactive as we manage projects? What are the characteristics of proactive project managers?" [WBS Alternatives]( "In my last job it was extremely difficult to get software developers to work on creating a WBS...I'm looking to find alternative ways of creating a WBS." [Transitioning from Sales]( "I'm transitioning from a 20+ year sales career to project management. I'm looking for information and suggestions on how others have done this in the past." [Top Challenges]( "What do you think will be the top challenge project managers will likely face in the next 5 years?" [Cloud Data Warehouse]( "Any hard-won lessons to share on cloud data warehouse implementation projects?" "We dare you to say his name five times!" - tagline to Candyman (1992) []PM ON DEMAND 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... [Advanced Data Analytics: How It Will Transform Project Delivery Forever]( Advanced data analytics has the potential to transform the delivery of project management beyond all recognition. If we don’t adapt, other professionals will fill the void. 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. 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