Opaque Transparency: The Silent Project Killer A 2014 report from the Standish Group showed that a staggering 31.1% of software projects get cancelled before completion. Further, over 50% of projects will cost nearly 200% of their original estimates, and only 16% of software projects are completed on time and on budget. The report cited user collaboration, executive level support and clearly stated requirements as key contributors to success, but what's the common denominator? Having led many public and private classes, and consulted with many corporations, I hear the same pain points over and over. Sharing these pains (which everyone of course believes are unique to them!) will hopefully lead to more project managers pushing for support, executives introspecting a little deeper and more realistically, and team members asking for more project transparency! I've summed up the major project pains from folks mentioned above in to one collective term: transparency. Transparency means clarity, and there are many opportunities from day one of a project to introduce clarity, yet so often these opportunities are missed one after the other. This makes the lack of transparency a silent project killer, slowly choking any chance of success and lending itself to the sad statistics shown above. Thankfully, there is hope! A clear and realistic project charter gets things off to a good start, but it needs to be followed up with other key processes. This presentation talks about those key processes, and more importantly, the fact that brilliant processes are useless without the right people employing them.
Growth is a Thinking Game As we learn from the times and think forward, there are a lot of actions we can take to ready ourselves, our businesses, and our customers for growth. The great reset isn't a new normal. It's a shift in our mindset that pushes us to pause and reflect on the past, respond to the present, and rethink the future. What can we control? Our attitude. Our actions. What can we do together to get back to growth? Energize our teams. Set a clear direction. Get closer to our customers. In this fresh perspective keynote, Tiffani shares what it takes to stay relevant and build a bias for existing customers to enable continued growth together - and make smarter business decisions now and in the future. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU.
Driving Business Agility as a Leader at Scale Today's fast-paced business world demands leaders that can adapt to market demands and capitalize on opportunities. In a start-up mode or innovation lab, this seems possible. In a large, multi-national organization... not so much.Leaders get accused of being part of the frozen or pressurized middle where they have potentially unrealistic expectations from above. They can be viewed as overly bureaucratic or 'command and control' from the agile teams they work with. The reason is a mismatch between the tools and thinking of traditional management and the problem space of business agility. Come and see how to thrive as a leader in this new paradigm and the tools that can allow you to adapt for present and future business demands. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU.
Driving Business Agility as a Leader at Scale Today's fast-paced business world demands leaders that can adapt to market demands and capitalize on opportunities. In a start-up mode or innovation lab, this seems possible. In a large, multi-national organization... not so much.Leaders get accused of being part of the frozen or pressurized middle where they have potentially unrealistic expectations from above. They can be viewed as overly bureaucratic or 'command and control' from the agile teams they work with. The reason is a mismatch between the tools and thinking of traditional management and the problem space of business agility. Come and see how to thrive as a leader in this new paradigm and the tools that can allow you to adapt for present and future business demands. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU.
The Mission-Critical Project Manager - Why Our PMs Need (more) Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills Many project managers have achieved mastery of the "tools of the project management trade": they are great planners, effective managers of their project teams, heroic firefighters - in short, they are competent in delivering projects. However, the number of people who can identify a problem, articulate a strategy to address it, *and* translate that strategy into reality is very limited in most organizations. Today, the ability to deal with ambiguity and complexity, acknowledge and solve new problems, and deal with a high degree of uncertainty is in high demand. For such challenges there is little to be found in the conventional 'PM Toolbox.' Adding creative and critical thinking skills is a rewarding opportunity and can make the difference between being just another PM or a truly strategic asset. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU.
The Practical Application of Advanced Analysis Tools to Improve Project Success The Practical Application of Advanced Analysis Tools to Improve Project Success Advanced analysis techniques are often presented in such a way that they are not only confusing but don't seem applicable or worth the time. Unfortunately, because of a lack of understanding of when and how to apply various quality and statistical tools, these tools are underutilized or completely disregarded. The result is missed opportunities for real improvement. This presentation will introduce basic yet powerful tools which can help a project team better understand the drivers to customer satisfaction and other important metrics of the business. If a project manager wants to take the next step in terms of knowledge and skill set enhancement, they need to learn about and apply advanced analysis techniques to tackle the toughest problems. It's that simple. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU.
Driving Innovation from Within - A Guide for Employees and Organizational Leaders 'Innovation' brings to mind the maverick entrepreneur who quits their job, at unimaginable odds, to build a business on their own. But this entrepreneurial story is a myth. As a successful entrepreneur, author, consultant and CEO, Kaihan Krippendorff argues that intrapreneurs - employees who incubate new businesses within corporations - have had a far greater impact on the world. Nearly all of the most transformative innovations over the past three decades, from e-mail and the Internet to DNA sequencing and MRI scans, were introduced by employees who did not quit their jobs but instead took the challenge of innovating from within. Drawing on five years of in-depth research of hundreds of successful innovators and Intrapreneurial Intensity, as well as insights from thought leaders, C-suite leaders, business unit leaders, and front-line employees, Kaihan will share exclusive insights from his book, Driving Innovation From Within: A Guide for Internal Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2019). In this inspiring keynote, you will learn about: The IN-OVATE Framework The seven barriers of internal innovation and how to overcome them The six characteristics of Internal Innovators The seven steps to build an agile innovation team How to disrupt your competition without disrupting your business What it takes to lead an innovative organization and drive transformation How to shift your organizational mindset and culture How to build a wave of internal support for growth, innovation and creativity by reinforcing the idea that innovation is possible, attainable, and ultimately actionable
An Introduction to Professional Scrum Although Scrum has been around for more than 25 years, it is still a new concept to many. Moreover, there are myths that arise. In this session, Eric Naiburg, Chief Operating Officer for Scrum.org, provides an overview of the Scrum framework. He'll discuss how Scrum enables agility, and how an empirical process can empower teams that use it. You'll learn about the empirical process in Scrum where decisions are made based on observation and experimentation rather than on detailed upfront planning. We will apply this learning using facts and real-world examples. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU. What You Will Learn: Common myths and misconceptions about Scrum The 2020 Scrum Guide, Scrum Events, and Scrum Artefacts The Project Manager and Scrum Accountabilities in Scrum How Scrum can be used with other practices like Kanban, DevOps, Continuous Delivery, and more
Learning Agility as the New Differentiator for Managing Projects at Today's Pace of Change Levers of Project Agility: Effective Sponsorship You may be using agile processes in your projects, even have extended the use of agile management practices into other areas of business. However, lack of purposeful and appropriate sponsorship can stifle most projects. An under-engaged or over-enthusiastic sponsor can demotivate the team, slowdown decision making and disrupt even best agile processes. In this talk, we will examine the crucial role of the sponsor, their desired attributes and their relation with the project manager, product owner and scrum master to identify the risk factors and provide tips and tools for avoiding pitfalls and having effective sponsors. You may be agile, but a poor sponsor can still hamper project success. We'll examine this crucial role, ideal attributes, and provide tips to maximize sponsor effectiveness. This and other IIL Learning in Minutes presentations qualify for PDUs. Some titles, such as Agile-related topics may qualify for other continuing education credits such as SEUs, or CEUs. Each professional development activity yields one PDU for one hour spent engaged in the activity. Some limitations apply and can be found in the Ways to Earn PDUs section that discusses PDU activities and associated policies. Fractions of PDUs may also be reported. The smallest increment of a PDU that can be reported is 0.25. This means that if you spent 15 minutes participating in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.25 PDU. If you spend 30 minutes in a qualifying PDU activity, you may report 0.50 PDU.
Navigating Toward Successful Products Directional awareness in product development is one of the most challenging aspects of building things-whether applications, services, or true products. Gaining a true north in your journey and having a light to show you the way are often the difference between success and failure. But what is your compass? Where is your lighthouse? It's your customer, and your challenge is determining how to effectively engage the customer. Agile product management provides a distinct mindset with techniques and patterns useful in navigating these often-convoluted courses. And Anu Smalley is an expert captain who helps organizations and teams achieve greatness with their products. Anu explores vision-setting and chartering as critical initial focus points-in other words, beginning with the end in mind. She shares a set of do's and don'ts when it comes to evolving a product. Sharing real-world stories from her client experiences, Anu brings a fresh perspective to the notions of establishing an MVP and running experiments to chart your course. Anu explores effective listening as a lost art for helping your customers find their true north so they can understand and deliver what they truly need. Anu explores vision-setting and chartering as critical initial focus points-in other words, beginning with the end in mind. She shares a set of do's and don'ts when it comes to evolving a product. Sharing real-world stories from her client experiences, Anu brings a fresh perspective to the notions of establishing an MVP and running experiments to chart your course. Anu explores effective listening as a lost art for helping your customers find their true north so they can understand and deliver what they truly need.