Featured Management Theory Posts
Why Have I Never
The work of C-suite executives seems to be the perfect area to focus process improvement projects, but have you ever heard of anyone actually doing such a project?
The Case for Inefficient Communication
Support for organizational changes is primarily based on emotion, and it takes more than a few bullet points of information about the benefits and risks of a change to elicit an emotional response.
Recent Management Theory Posts
Who Is Looking Out for Your Organization’s Interests
There are several good reasons to always have an internal project manager oversee the work of external consulting groups, not the least of which is that it ensures someone is always looking out for your organization’s best interests.
Who Should Project Managers Report To?
In many organizations, project management is part of the IT department, but this is not the best organizational structure for ensuring projects meet the needs of end users.
Old Software and New Tricks
Are you sure that the software system you are about to replace cannot meet your organization’s needs?
All Management Theory Posts
The Case for Inefficient Communication
Support for organizational changes is primarily based on emotion, and it takes more than a few bullet points of information about the benefits and risks of a change to elicit an emotional response.
The Value of a Good Dedicated Project Manager
Good project managers are hard to find and expensive to hire, but not using one could cost your organization a lot more.
Rules Should Not Apply
Project teams working on critical initiatives often need to break a few organizational rules to be effective.
The Need for Enterprise Systems Engineering
Lack of adequate systems engineering often results in enterprise IT systems failing to operate as integrated wholes.
The Philosophical Underpinnings of Agile
While most people think of Agile as a software development methodology, it is really a philosophy about what is and is not valuable.
The Never Ending Treadmill of Chasing Best Practices
Organizations that continually chase best practices developed by others rarely become industry leaders.
The Demands Agile Makes on Management
Successfully implementing Agile often requires an organization’s management staff to significantly change how they work.
In Defense of the Humble Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets have a bad rap, but they are remarkably powerful and versatile tools that almost anyone can effective use with minimal training.
It is So Shiny! I Need to Have It!
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your organization is ignore the lastest industry trend.
Human Organizations as Complex Systems
There are good reasons to believe human organizations operate as complex systems and this has significant implications for how they should be managed.