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The Subtle Art of Diplomatic Communication with Project Sponsors It’s an art to balance project sponsors’ need for timely and accurate information with being diplomatic in how and when that information is delivered. Diplomacy is about tact—communicating in tough situations without antagonizing anyone more than necessary. Here are eight keys to diplomatic, effective communication. |
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Balance Technical and Social Skills for Project Success Software testing is a socio-technical undertaking, which means that effective test strategies must incorporate a balance of technical capabilities relating to processes and tools and social capabilities used for communication and problem-solving. This balance enables true project success. |
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Don’t Let Too Little Planning Tank Your Agile Adoption Many organizations turning to agile believe it means you don't have to do any planning. This couldn't be further from the truth. A healthy agile team does just as much (if not more) planning than a team using a waterfall methodology. Preparing and setting goals sets up the team for a more successful agile adoption. |
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If You’re Working Too Much, Is It a Challenging Project or Bad Management? Projects sometimes encounter challenges that require team members to put in extra work. But if this is happening repeatedly, it's worth figuring out where the pressure is coming from. You may need to ask, “Is this project simply challenging, or is it being badly managed?” |
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7 Good Project Management Practices for Replacing a Legacy System When you need to replace a legacy system quickly, it’s tempting to set aside good project management practices and push forward recklessly. But doing so results in delays, cost overrun, and organizational chaos. Take time to understand the problem, plan and estimate the solution, and set up your project for success. |
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Manage Project Problems without Getting Trapped by Catastrophic Thinking It would be short-sighted for any project manager not to consider the potential risks in the project and not to evaluate and continue re-evaluating what can go wrong. But there's a difference between planning for risk and falling victim to catastrophic thinking—focusing on unlikely or irrational worst-case scenarios. |
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When You Should Get Your Project Sponsor Involved If there are decisions to be made on a project, the project manager may think he's helping by going directly to the customer to get her opinion. But project sponsors represent the organization, and they should be consulted before any significant decisions are made. Do you know when you should get the sponsor involved? |
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Who’s the Boss? Let Agile Teams Manage Themselves This idea of a team in charge of itself is difficult for many people to accept. Traditional practices condition us to wait for someone to tell us what to do, and managers are accustomed to controlling everyone’s work and knowing everyone’s status. But agile teams can manage themselves—in fact, it's essential to agile. |
