Lack of face-to-face time makes cohesion difficult to achieve on distributed teams. Collaboration software can help, with forums for information exchange that enhance productivity and accountability. Along the way, it should also make “getting things done” more rewarding and spontaneous. Here are four keys to keeping your virtual team connected.
Agile team dynamics are crucial, but most people don't have the time they want or need to read about and practice these topics. Luckily, this list of the Top 10 Team Practices will remind you of some of the basic points.
Collaboration software provider Daptiv predicts that the role of project management offices will expand into business strategy, social software will be used even more to engage project teams and stakeholders, and PPM systems will play a greater role as a business intelligence source.
LiquidPlanner has revised its online project management software, with a focus on app-style planning features and cross-project scheduling and prioritization. This, along with a “social project management” approach, allows for a truly collaborative vibe on project teams.
Collaboration is a common theme throughout many of the leading trends for project management in 2012, as determined by a global panel of senior executives and subject matter experts.
Here’s our May 2010 roundup of the latest technology solutions and services for project management practitioners and teams, including collaborative access to the cloud and a variety of Agile offerings for portfolio management, application lifecycle management and dispersed teams.
Last month we looked at how agile methods provide multiple opportunities for embracing proactive risk management. This month’s article extends risk management beyond the project manager role and introduces the benefits of making it more of a collaborative team exercise.
The social engagement of the project is what underlies every aspect of the project process more so than normal. In social PM, collaboration, transparency and mutual participation is central--with the assumption that if this socially engaging environment and the necessary collaboration tools are in place with a clearly defined project goal, then success should follow. But in order for social PM to work, some principles and guidelines need to be incorporated.
There are now several options for Web meetings that can be used in conjunction with the classic conference call to make efficient working sessions for virtual teams possible. Here we look at some time-saving tactics.
While managing three virtual software implementations, this writer learned several tactical tips to remember when working with virtual teams.
Web 2.0 and collaborative software enables the dogged government CIO to tame stakeholders and build a foundation for easier project management process improvement across agencies.
A new agile procurement process--one that can operate in conjunction with and alongside an agile software development methodology--should significantly improve both the procurement of software vendor’s services and and successful delivery of software projects. This article will explore the underlying principles as well as map the reconciliation points required to harmonize agile development and procurement methods.
With the advent of globalization, distributed work teams and reduced travel, collaboration is almost always framed in terms of the Internet and a vast array of tools. But does Web-based collaboration yield the same innovation and creative breakthroughs that come from the old-fashioned way? This writer wonders...
New name and branding reflect on-demand project portfolio management provider’s goal to expand presence in enterprise collaboration space.
As a manger or coach, if you don’t change a pacesetter’s behavior you run a high risk of being held hostage by one person’s abilities--and pay a cost in team productivity. This article is about a pacesetter as a team member on an agile software development team. In this installment, we discuss useful approaches to dealing with these sometimes problematic people.
Some love 'em. Some loathe 'em. But these frameworks and schools of PM thought are here to stay. What benefits and challenges do they present? Read on for both sides of the alternative equation...
Is there any advantage to using Cloud-based project management tools to manage projects? Is it cheaper and more effective? Are the tools more feature-rich? And what about the disadvantages? Here is what some research has revealed…
As a manger or coach, if you don’t change a pacesetter’s behavior you run a high risk of being held hostage by one person’s abilities--and pay a cost in team productivity. This article is about a pacesetter as a team member on an agile software development team. We will explain what a pacesetter is, why it’s a problem and the effect that a pacesetter has on agile software development.
Adult children. Jumbo shrimp. Seriously funny. I’m sure you recognize these expressions as oxymorons — self-contradictory phrases, often with an ironic meaning. Should we add “agile requirements” to the list? Does agile development fit in with traditional requirements practices? And if so, how?
The combination of the two companies creates a major player in the $1.3 billion project and portfolio management software market, with more than 500 customers and 150,000 users worldwide.
Supporting project delivery across project, program, PMO and portfolio management processes, BrightWork is a SharePoint-based collaboration tool that can be adapted to each organization’s capability and maturity level without overwhelming users with unnecessary functionality.
Portfolio managers don’t always need a full-feature package with all the bells and whistles. Reviewing the variety of solutions available led this writer to generate a basic list of PPM requirements as well as a few nice-to-have features--leading him to a recommendation.
Mindjet is also introducing a cloud-based collaboration service and a new version of its collaborative work management solution.
Sometimes a pure agile approach is not appropriate for a particular project — the important thing is getting the work done, not strict adherence to a process. Still, a non-agile project can benefit from the inherent values of agile, including strong team collaboration, prioritized, incremental development, and regular progress assessment and adaptation.
Recent alliances, acquisitions and implementations in the world of project and portfolio management.
Don't believe everything you hear. The truth behind many agile software development myths will help you identify alternative methods to successfully deliver software.
This free card-based collaboration tool reduces the burden of project management administration with visual-based status updates, personalized task assignments and team activity streaming similar to social media updates. It is ideal for agile teams, but it doesn’t support task sequencing or end-date forecasting.
An agile methodology can help bring about intrinsic changes in an organization--especially when an organization figures out the right “flavor” of agile that works best for them. Here are few things that an agile project can foster.
Recent alliances, acquisitions and implementations in the world of project and portfolio management.
Rally Software has extended its Agile ALM platform to meet the needs of global organizations with customization options, full traceability with build and source code, and corporate dashboards to create a single source of record for progress and quality.
Is your work more industrial-worker based or knowledge-worker based? The way people work together on projects has changed. Have your project management methods kept up?
Three-day event in Boston will explore how serious play, collaboration and experiential learning apply to the field of agile software development and project management.
Teams are more than the sum of the parts. Cross-functional collaboration supports creativity, innovation and speed. Who wouldn’t want that? But managing cross-functional collaborative teams differs from managing a functional team or a tradition project. How can you tell whether a team is working?
Software is built on a variety of assumptions, and we need to understand what those assumptions are--and work around them in defining how we use the software. With so many options in the marketplace, how do you decide what’s good and what’s not? How do you navigate the promises of software vendors to know what you should be looking for, and how do you decide what will actually work for you?
Free to teams up to 30 people, a new collaboration and task management tool allows each team member to prioritize and create tasks needed to complete delivery. Here’s a look at how it can be used on a distributed Agile project, from product backlog to release to detailed iteration planning.
Collaborative technologies have been looming on the horizon for some time, and now with fresh impetus from Web 2.0 and other developments, they are playing a greater role in the planning and execution of various business initiatives. That's because application development requires many entities to coordinate their activities and collaboration--whether virtual or otherwise--and has become a ubiquitous way of software development.
Organizations and teams must come to understand why they need agile before choosing a methodology or tool to implement it. A mandate alone will not work. It is the overarching goals, values and principles of Agile that must ultimately guide teams in the adoption and adaptation of its practices.
A survey finds 70 percent of information workers don’t believe status meetings help them accomplish work tasks, and 40 percent view status meetings as a waste of time.
Mindjet’s task-based collaboration tool keeps teams in sync by making information more people-centric, organized and transparent. With social aspects similar to Facebook and Twitter, Cohuman helps colleagues coordinate projects and tasks with each other. Here are five reasons to consider the tool for your collaboration efforts.
To achieve a Zen culture of Scrum will take time, resources and a radical paradigm shift. Is it worth it? Yes, because this practice places humans--not processes or techniques--at the center of an organization. Let's learn more about a valuable history.
When it comes to leading or working as part of a project team, collaboration (or the lack of it) will often determine the success (or failure) of the endeavor, regardless of planning. A new book gathers 42 rules for collaborating more effectively, covering people, processes and technology.
In the middle of a three-year SAP implementation, the IS department at a polypropylene wrapping manufacturer is connecting through a new project management tool that fosters tighter collaboration and swifter communication in a modern, social-media manner.
Solution provides a robust desktop environment for defining and validating business requirements, and then generating the associated requirements specifications.
How can you adapt Scrum-like tools and techniques within a Waterfall project management environment? What can you do to reduce resistance and reap the benefits Scrum has to offer? In short, how can you get down and Scrummy within a Waterfall world? Here are some ideas you might find useful.
Planning with dispersed teams can be tricky, but it can be done effectively by leveraging technology and adapting techniques to fit the situation.
Product development requires a unified, collaborative team effort. A social project management framework, combined with the right social tools, helps to connect team activities to the product development process and stakeholders. The benefits include increased visibility, more accurate estimates, responsive, real-time analysis and streamlined workflows.
An anniversary event in Utah celebrates the Agile Manifesto, gathering five of the original authors and others to address future industry challenges.
Acquisition of makers of popular Kanban-based project collaboration tool will strengthen Rally’s position in emerging market.
A wide variety of technology solutions and services are available to help organizations implement, customize and improve their project portfolio management processes. Here is our April roundup of recent announcements from Daptiv, HP, Oracle, Planview and PowerSteering.
