Working Out Loud

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"Action indeed is the sole medium of expression for ethics." - Jane Addams []PM HEADLINES [Working Out Loud]( We don’t work out loud today...and that's a problem. Working out loud enhances communication, provides an implicit understanding of progress and status and keeps the entire team operating at a higher level of awareness and collaboration. [Becoming a Great Leader]( What differentiates a great leader from those who are basically administrative caretakers of an organization? The true test of a person’s leadership ability shines through during an organization's tough times. [The Trust Window]( How can a team know if dysfunction affects it? And if it does affect it, how can a team reduce or minimize this dysfunction? One way to assess the level of trust within a team is to use the Trust Window—a simple, visual way for teams to gauge their level of trust along two dimensions: sense of safety and confidence in others. [Design Your Status Report for an Audience of Leaders]( When you think of the leaders who look at your status reports as users, the look and feel of the report you use may be inadequate. Give leaders the information they need in a compelling manner by using design thinking to make improvements in how information is presented. [Effectively Leading Diverse Teams]( Having a diverse team should be an asset. Leadership has to channel energy from different forms to facilitate a coming together of different ideas, cultures, thought processes and aspirations in a well-orchestrated, seamless collaboration. "I've never felt like a passenger." - Roger Waters SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS Fast and Easy PMI® PDUs for $149 The PDUnow site offers [PDU subscriptions for $149.99](. A PDU subscription will allow you to earn 60 or more PDUs for 1 year (365 days days) from the day of purchase. A PDU subscription package includes everything you need to earn the PDUs required to renew your PMI credential including: Access to 50, easy to complete PMI Registered PDU courses with over 400 PDUs available, final exam grading, and certificates of completion. Are you Ready to Build New Project and Program Management Skills? SPL - Strategic Project Leadership® offers your Best Value PDUs with [Dr. Shenhar’s Winning Online Program](. Based on latest research, SPL is extending traditional methods with three new critical elements for success: Clear Strategic Vision, Inspiring Leadership, and Adapting to Complexity. Programs are starting on September 18. [Register TODAY!]( [External Teams: The Path to Success]( All organizations, no matter how large, have limited resources. All successful companies and teams, no matter how skilled or diversified, perform certain tasks very well and others not as well. By collaborating with external teams, companies can focus on what they do best—and let their partners complement them in areas where they do not have core competencies. []KNOWLEDGE SHELF [Do You Understand the Power of Failure? Creativity and Innovation Is the Backbone of Continued Improvement]( The project management approach supports creativity and innovation for progress on projects—where team members are required to fearlessly experiment to find better solutions for continuous improvement. Gain an understanding of what failure is and how it underpins creativity and innovation to advance high performance. 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. 100, we explore [PMs Supervising Code](: Question: Help! I’m a project manager on assignment from a consulting company working with an agile lead and team who are also from my home firm. We are here to rewrite and get working a code project that was written by the client a year ago but never released. It is poorly documented and the coders have since left the customer company. The agile lead says our new code is done, but our team still needs about three months before we can do our final release. If I’m honest, I’m lost. If the programmers have written it, why can’t we just complete this contract now? A. You need to get yourself a basic understanding of how code is written and tested, and how code coverage is used to specify how much of the code is executed when the program is run. Only then can you find the progress metrics you need to keep the sponsors updated. B. You are correct that once the code has been written, the next step is to release it to the customer. Contact a principle in your consulting firm to convey that the agile lead is allowing billable hours to accumulate for the client even though the project should be wrapped up now. C. You need to talk to your co-lead on this team. He may think he is doing the consulting firm a favor by padding the time spent on this project, but let him or her know that you will be morally bound to tell the customer that you are actually finished with this work. D. You cannot manage software projects unless you, yourself, are a programmer. Find out the three or four languages used most frequently in these consulting gigs and spend the evenings and weekends for the next three months perfecting your skills. Only then can you function effectively as a project manager on IT projects. 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: Have you managed a program or project that involved Artificial Intelligence (AI)?]( - Yes - No - Unsure TOOL SPOTLIGHT Targetprocess is a visual software tool to manage Agile projects and scale Agile across the entire organization. From Kanban and Scrum to SAFe and NEXUS, Targetprocess flexibly adapts to your management approach. Modern & slick UI. [Learn More]( [Search for your solution on our Tool Finder]( []BLOG IT I Wish I Had Me When I Was You... by Laura Barnard Creating tools, templates and process is not the purpose of the PMO. Templates, tools, process, best practices and standards are a means to an end, not the end itself. So [Why Do PMOs Exist?]( Plus, Laura shares [4 Questions to Ask When Starting a PMO](. The Money Files by Elizabeth Harrin In the latest installment of Elizabeth's [Ask the Expert column](, she caught up with Chris Cook—author of the new book The Entrepreneurial Project Manager. It talks about how you can improve your skills to take a cutting-edge approach to project management. Game Theory in Management by Michael Hatfield Italian sociologist and economist Vilfredo Pareto is probably best known for the common interpretation of the Pareto Principle, that 80% of the effects are attributable to 20% of the causes. That brings Michael to ["Holy Pareto Principle Project Management Litmus Test, Batman!"]( PM Network by Dan Goldfischer It's the beginning of the month, and that means it’s time for a new issue of PM Network! This month brings articles on maturing chatbot platforms, India’s conversion from cash to digital payment and trends in education construction projects. Dan shares more in his [latest entry](! The Critical Path by Craig Dalrymple PMI’s Project Management Journal is now accepting teaching cases for publication consideration. PMJ is responding to the needs of instructors by launching a new section that provides full-length cases and instructor’s manuals for classroom or consulting use. Craig's [latest entry]( has more. []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... [Top Risks]( "What would you say are the top risks that you've encountered throughout your PM career? I'd like answers to be both overarching/hammock themes, as well as any detailed examples you might have to offer. Also, what are some of your top risk strategies for your risk response?" [Conflict of Interest]( "As a project management professional, how do you deal with conflict of interest when it is disclosed voluntarily?" [On-the-Side PM]( "Is there a way to continue my current day/full-time job while getting a part-time job on the side to not only produce value for that company, but to also gain new knowledge and skill sets within the PM field? What jobs would you veteran PMs recommend, and what's the best way of going about getting that education if not real-life experience with other advanced PMs?" [Cognitive Biases]( "How could cognitive biases impact lessons learned activities?" [Emotional Intelligence]( "Can we discuss how important emotional intelligence is on project management and how a project manager can improve his/her EQ level?" [Career Path for Project Associate]( "Since I am a beginner in this world of PM, I am very eager to know how I can shape my career in the long run and in the best way possible...how can I ensure myself a continuous growth in PM and create a strong professional profile in this field?" "It's a weird sensation to be mad and learning at the same time." - Jeff Foxworthy []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! [How to Manage Conflict With Product Owners]( The product owner is the key stakeholder within an agile project. For organizations, developing product owners can be the most difficult part of the move to a more agile mindset. This webinar will discuss the role and responsibilities of a product owner, identity ways a PM/SM can coach a product owner, and how to manage conflict when dealing with product owners. As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. 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