Just for Fun Archives | Wrike Blog
Please enter your email
Server error. We're really sorry. Wait a few minutes and try again.

Just for Fun

Please enter your email
Server error. We're really sorry. Wait a few minutes and try again.
Tackle This Year’s Spooky Halloween Activities Like a Project Manager
Project Management 3 min read

Tackle This Year’s Spooky Halloween Activities Like a Project Manager

Tackling spooky events this Halloween? Here’s how project management software can make your Halloween party the talk of the town.

Ask the Industry Expert: How to Project Manage the Six “Severance” Personalities on Your Team
Wrike Tips 7 min read

Ask the Industry Expert: How to Project Manage the Six “Severance” Personalities on Your Team

If you’ve watched the latest Apple TV® hit Severance, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. If not, you’ve at least heard the hype – it’s that dystopian/sci-fi series where some people elect to have a brain implant to essentially “sever” the link between their work and personal life consciousness so that their work selves don’t remember their personal selves, and vice versa. Given the myriad types of personalities that project managers need to work with, I found that the six main characters in this series fit really well with some typical archetypes that PMs find themselves working with. So, let’s get into these personalities, and how they map to some familiar stakeholders you may need to communicate with (a note for superfans: this covers only these characters’ innies, not outies): 1.    The “Mark” a. Meta tags for this personality type: Mark is pretty much your ideal boss – trusting, caring, and only a smidge of a tendency to be a rule-breaker, as long as nobody gets hurt. b.    Preferred communication style: Model their model-like professional behavior and you will be fine. c.     Hot buttons: They think a lot about their concerns about you — whether you’re unhappy or have an issue of any kind. They are all about taking care of others and dealing with constant disruptions by trying to keep things at an even keel. d.    Sweet spot for communication: Mark loves for you to simply meet simple expectations. Anything else may throw them off and cause confusion. e.    A project template they would love: This personality would love our Change Request template to help them see how to manage the constant disruption and volatility that a workplace can experience. This will speak to their sensibility, and maybe even garner you a special look with kind eyes. 2. The “Harmony” a.    Meta tags for this personality type: Harmony is a micromanager and uber-company ambassador. This type can be a boss, a boss’s boss, or another higher-up stakeholder. b.    Preferred communication style: Check in and communicate as much as possible – but be short and sweet about it. c.     Hot buttons: Forgetting to cc them or inviting them to meetings really pushes "Harmony's" buttons. Not including them in key conversations will make them feel out of control and out of the loop, which are big fears for them. d.    Sweet spot for communication: The more this personality sees their name everywhere in your documentation and meeting invites, the better. e.    A project template they would love: This personality would love the OKR Template to give them detailed visibility into how all projects tie back to the higher-level strategies that they are responsible for. This will keep their wolfish behavior at bay, and maybe even get you an optional handshake. 3. The “Helly” a.    Meta tags for this personality type: Helly is a rebel with an unknown cause, with uncertainty issues. They could be any team member at any level. b.    Preferred communication style: Offer Helly guideposts to help them manage their ups and downs, but otherwise, don’t bother them too much. c.     Hot buttons: Hovering, putting too many demands on them, and not giving them enough structure or guidance are all touchy areas for Helly. d.    Sweet spot for communication: Having a good listener and someone that can guide them through their experiences is crucial for Helly. e.    A project template they would love: The Roadmap Template would help this personality see where their tasks are leading, how they are interconnected, and the progress of what their work leads to. This will help a person of this type feel more secure, and maybe even get you invited to a team dance party. 4. The “Dylan” a.    Meta tags for this personality type: Dylan is a bit of an egomaniac, snark-master, and also comic relief. They usually fall into the peer-type of resource category, but this can vary. b.    Preferred communication style: Trade some good barbs; make Dylan feel good about the work they are doing. c.     Hot buttons: Taking work too seriously, or not including them in conversations or tasks can annoy Dylan. d.    Sweet spot for communication: Having some lighthearted conversation and looping them in to help solve problems helps Dylan feel comfortable at work. e.    A project template they would love: This personality type would love the Retrospective Template to show them shout-outs for themselves and other team members, and help them feel good about the work they are doing. This will help a person of this type feel more motivated, and maybe even inspire them to get a glass sculpture made with an image of your team. 5. The “Milchick” a.    Meta tags for this personality type: Milchick is a watchdog – they can be a mid-level manager, team manager, functional manager, or another supervisory role with a team of direct reports. b.    Preferred communication style: Be available and responsive at all times, or Milchick will come looking for you. c.     Hot buttons: Not being in your seat (or at-the-ready on Slack) during your working hours, or really any appearance of rule-breaking is a red flag for Milchick. d.    Sweet spot for communication: The more they see you in person or online doing what you are supposed to be doing, the more Milchick will like what you do. e.    A project template they would love: This personality type is all about the Kanban board – to see quickly and easily what everyone is working on and their real-time progress. This will make this type so happy, that maybe you’ll even throw you a waffle party. 6. The “Irving” a.     Meta tags for this personality type: Irving is a by-the-book, process-hound, regular drinker from the Kool-Aid fountain. They could be a teammate or someone who has been at your company long-term. b.    Preferred communication style: Irving likes to be looped in and directed using language from the company handbook. c.     Hot buttons: Stepping out of protocol is a no-no for Irving unless you are taking a trip to their favorite department. d.    Sweet spot for communication: Using the company lingo as much as possible to get your points across will put you right on Iriving's radar. e.    A project template they would love: The Security Governance and Compliance Checklist is perfect for this personality type to clearly see the protocols that ensure compliance with governance guidelines. This will make this type feel so policy-giddy, they may even forget to say their cringe-inducing, trademark greeting to you. And there you have it. Whether you’re refining data, or are in any other industry or sector where you are managing teams, chances are that there are correlations between who you manage and the templates that will serve them well. As Wrike is both the compiled and the manifested blend of “work,” “life,” and “right” (the polar opposite of Severance's plot), I wish you all a happy Wrike-ing. Chris Hare is an award-winning author and certified program and project management professional with 16 years of experience working for such companies as Adobe, Patagonia, and Guitar Center. Her tenure includes managing hundreds of successful projects for a myriad of client- and agency-side organizations, PMO permutations, and methodologies. At her current role at Wrike, she lends her industry thought leadership and subject matter expertise through product innovations, events, mentor groups, and blog columns. Have a question you’d like Chris to answer? Send us an email! Featured image: Apple TV Plus

Wrike's Favorite Christmas Songs (A YouTube Playlist)
Productivity 5 min read

Wrike's Favorite Christmas Songs (A YouTube Playlist)

We thought it would be great fun to assemble a Christmas video playlist of a few of our favorite songs for the Holiday Season. So here are our top 14 Christmas tracks.

Santa's Secrets to Christmas Productivity
Productivity 3 min read

Santa's Secrets to Christmas Productivity

It's been a question for centuries: How does Santa Claus get all the gifts ready and fly around the world to deliver every present on Christmas Eve? While you're sitting around roasting chestnuts on an open fire, Santa and his friendly helpers are busy counting down the days left until Christmas. We have the inside scoop on how he gets it all done in time — straight from ol' Saint Nick himself! A few decades ago, Santa was struggling with accountability and lost information. He had no way to assign work to his elves, and The List was missing some important notes. He almost ALWAYS had to check it twice. Ever since Santa switched to Wrike to manage Christmas, his crew has been able to dole out assignments, manage work leading up to their biggest milestone (Christmas Eve), and accurately track the lists of naughty and nice children. Here are his top 3 Wrike secrets to getting everything done before Christmas: 1. Build a Timeline to Help With Pre-Christmas Planning At the beginning of each year, Santa and his helpers map out their plans for the next 12 months on a Gantt chart. They schedule when The List needs to be finalized, as well as when gifts need to be completed leading up to their big delivery date on Christmas Eve. Santa turns to this feature when he needs a high-level view of the toy-making tasks to make sure nothing is falling through the cracks. Since Christmas Eve is set as a milestone, Santa can move around the order in which work is being done without accidentally pushing production past the Big Day. 2. Create a Folder and Identify Who's Been Naughty or Nice Santa creates The List right in Wrike. He creates a Wrike folder titled "The List" and each individual on The List is has their own task. The Christmas wishes of individuals are included in their task description. Santa also leaves comments on each task to record good behavior he's noticed throughout the year. When people on The List volunteer, help someone need, or maybe make peace with the in-laws, he'll write down their good deeds for future reference. His uses his Custom Statuses "Naughty" and "Nice" to mark The List accordingly — so be good for goodness sake! 3. Assign Workers to Build the Gifts Once The List is finished and Christmas is nigh, Santa begins assigning his helpers to their tasks. He creates a folder called "The Gifts" and makes tasks for presents requested on The List by people marked as "Nice". Each task is tagged with the name of the individual requesting it, and assigned to the elf that will build it for them. So there you have it! Santa's secrets are out and that time of the year is upon us. We hope these tips made you chuckle and delight, and help make your holidays a little more merry and bright. We only gave away a few of Santa's tricks in this post. What other Wrike features do you think he uses to manage Christmas? Share your creative ideas in the comments!

Ho-Ho-How Santa's Workshop Manages Christmas
Project Management 5 min read

Ho-Ho-How Santa's Workshop Manages Christmas

Santa Claus: one of the most well-known, eagerly anticipated, and incredibly successful entrepreneurs in history. Each year he oversees the production and distribution of toys to every single child on his Nice List — and with over 1.9 billion children on Earth, that's a lot of toys! He hasn't missed a year yet, but that's not to say it's all sunshine and snow angels. I met Mr. Claus for a cup of hot cocoa and he shared a few tips about how he runs the most successful toy workshop out of the North Pole. Not surprisingly, the big man has taken some project management training courses.  From the jolly good fellow himself, here's how Santa's workshop manages to pull off Christmas: Plan and evaluate every day leading up to the Big Give. We always start our new year of toy production by outlining the requirements and scope for pulling off a successful Christmas. That means outlining all 365 days leading up to the finale, not just the 12 days that everyone sings about. It's a long process, but it sets the workshop up for another successful year. Our planning meetings are supplemented by many glasses of milk and platters of cookies to get all the elves excited. We review "The List" from years past to see how many gifts we gave, and predict how many children will make the Nice list this year.  We do some market research to guess what toys will be high in demand this year. Yes, even Santa goes online! We set up benchmarks to hit throughout the year. How many dolls will we make by February, March, April, etc.? We also calculate the projected workload compared to how many elves we have employed this year, and then see if we need to hire additional help to meet our goals. Santa's Crumb of Wisdom: Take time to plan out every step of your project, and make sure you have the resources necessary to fulfill your goals. Consider every voice, big or small. I get letters from children all over the world 365 days a year. Billy wants a puppy; Jane wants a Princess Elsa doll. Since they take the time to send me their wishes, I read what they have to say and take their letters into consideration. If we're already making Princess Elsa dolls, I will certainly give one to Jane — why not please her when it's easily within my power? Billy is difficult though, since we typically let parents give out the new pets. Sometimes I have to upset a few children by deciding to say no, but I always make sure to listen first before rejecting their ideas.  Santa's Crumb of Wisdom: Hear and actually consider what everyone — especially every customer — has to say, and THEN make your decision. Prepare for changes to The List. The real challenge at my workshop is managing fluctuations of "The List." Wishy-washy children have a tendency to change what they want ("I don't like Princess Elsa anymore, I want Olaf!"), or jump back and forth between Naughty and Nice, and the number of toys we need to produce changes accordingly. Every year we further refine our Nice-to-Naughty List algorithm, but it is still impossible to control these outside influencers! Our solution has been to insert some padding into our toy production timeline so that we don't miss our benchmarks even when the children are unpredictable. Santa's Crumb of Wisdom: Analyze your project risks and plan how you will deal with them ahead of time. Clearly communicate processes — from who's in charge to how to wrap a gift. My Head Elf manages the whole project, from start until Christmas Day. She's responsible for closely tracking our project progress. Accordingly, she dictates what's on the production lines each day. If we need more bricks or dolls, the elves in those departments hear it from her, no one else.  Personally, I check in with her weekly to get a progress update, and I let her know if there are any changes to The List via our project management tool so she can properly adjust the toy production plan. Santa's Crumb of Wisdom: Set up communication guidelines in advance so everyone knows whom to go to with questions or problems. Schedule snow days. I think it's important to reward my elves with well-deserved breaks. It builds loyalty to the workshop so that they'll come back again next year. Cookie breaks: We frequently take cookie breaks together for a mid-day sugar rush of productive energy and some bonding time — which is important when you spend so much time together. Celebrating achievements: When we hit our half-way benchmark last year, the elves celebrated with a huge snowball fight that lasted over 4 hours! I did not win — those elves are nimble! Holiday breaks: After we've finished our delivery, December 26th until January 1st is always a company-wide holiday as a thanks for 360 days of hard work. Every elf is encouraged to relax, spend time with their families, and go reindeer-back riding. Santa's Crumb of Wisdom: If you want to keep your team happy, make sure they know you appreciate them! Actions speak louder than words; group outings make for fun bonding time. Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Don't want to rely on Santa to bring everyone gifts this year? Read this next: 34 Holiday Buys for Productivity Junkies (Gift Guide)

10 Reasons Projects Fail: Lessons from the Death Star
Project Management 10 min read

10 Reasons Projects Fail: Lessons from the Death Star

Here I am. Sitting in a dingy cantina on some dusty backwater planet, the remnants of the Empire scattered to the far corners of the galaxy while some rebel scum occupies the capital on Coruscant. Where did it all go wrong? If you ask me, it comes down to the Death Star projects. I had friends on those Death Stars — I only barely got off the first one alive myself — and I've put a lot of thought into this. I've scrutinized every detail to pinpoint the fatal errors. These are the 10 key mistakes that led to the failure of the Death Stars, and ultimately, the collapse of the Empire. Death Star I 1. Insufficient project requirements The Death Star was meant to be the ultimate weapon, and in that sense it succeeded: a super laser capable of destroying a planet with a single blast, plus 15,000 laser, ion, and turbolaser batteries. It fulfilled every requirement. But the plans only considered offensive measures, and failed to imagine the need for real defense. And as we all know, the defenses weren't tight enough to prevent individual starfighters from infiltrating and causing catastrophic damage. Don't make the same mistake: It's not enough to just plan for risks and challenges that could affect your project as you're working on it. You need to carefully consider how your completed project is going to function in the real world when writing your requirements. What situations or events could create problems, or cause your finished product to break down/fail? 2. Failure to recognize risk General Tagge: “Until this station is operational, we are vulnerable. The Rebel Alliance is too well equipped. They’re more dangerous than you realize.”Admiral Motti: "Dangerous to your starfleet commander, not to this battle station."Video clip  Invulnerable projects do not exist, as Motti and every other Imperial officer on board learned the hard way when the first Death Star disintegrated. If your project has a susceptible thermal exhaust port, you need to know about it — even if it is only two meters wide. If I hadn't been reassigned to a transport ship as punishment for getting ambushed by Solo and Skywalker, I'd be a sprinkle of space dust right now. Don't make the same mistake: No project is too big to fail, and no project is too small to skirt risk. Conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify potential threats and opportunities. 3. No risk management strategy "Any attack made by the rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe."— Admiral MottiVideo clip Against all odds, the Rebels got their hands on the Death Star plans and found a weakness. But the Empire didn't do anything to mitigate the threat: no contingency plans, evacuations, or deploying a patrol of TIE fighter squadrons for defense. Instead, Tarkin shrugged it off — so certain in the Death Star's invincibility that he didn't even bother to get off once it was under attack. RIP, Grand Moff Tarkin. Don't make the same mistake: Identifying risk and keeping a wary eye isn't enough. Have a project contingency plan in place, so your team is clear on what to do if an identified risk becomes reality. Be proactive in dealing with potential problems, respond quickly if they occur, and do what you can to keep them from happening in the first place. 4. Managers lack necessary skills to aid collaboration & project success Have you ever worked under an unreasonable manager? Imagine reporting to Vader or Tarkin. Not exactly approachable. And they certainly didn't encourage us to work together or offer new ideas. I heard one guy suggest new stormtrooper helmets (so we could actually see to shoot), and he got Force-choked and tossed into the reactor core. Yeesh. Don't make the same mistake: Make yourself available to help out with questions and hangups. Offer advice and tools to support collaboration. And encourage your team to share suggestions or new ideas, instead of just following your orders to a T. Be glad you don't report to these guys.  5. Choosing a pet idea without considering all the options "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."— Senator Leia Organa, AKA Prisoner of Detention Cell 2187 As Tarkin himself said, the Death Star's purpose was to keep local systems in line through fear. But wouldn't Super Star Destroyers stationed in key systems do the trick just fine? Or a few garrisons of stormtroopers? No, the Death Star was a vanity project to show off the Empire's technological might and mercilessness. But instead of intimidating local planets into submission, it inspired more star systems to join the rebellion. Talk about backfiring. Don't make the same mistake: Consider all the possible solutions to your problem, and only then decide on the best approach. Don't jump on the first idea you have, or just follow the easiest path. Death Star II 6. Failure to reflect & learn from past mistakes This one's truly a head-scratcher. After the first Death Star was destroyed, the Emperor insisted on pushing full steam ahead on the second Death Star's construction. Although he made sure the thermal exhaust port weakness was fixed, he repeated many of the same mistakes: believing that a bigger Death Star with more firepower would ensure victory. Don't make the same mistake: Hold a retrospective after each project. What worked well? What could be improved? Then take that knowledge and apply it to future projects. That way your process is always getting better instead of growing stale with repetitive, fruitless, or counterproductive projects. 7. A stakeholder insists on unrealistic commitments The Emperor was dead set on getting the second Death Star fully operational ASAP, insisting on an unreasonable timeline that Jerjerrod's team just wasn't equipped to meet. The only possible result was sloppy work or missed deadlines. And sure enough, without the protection of Endor's energy shield, the Death Star's vulnerabilities made it easy pickings for the Rebel fleet. Don't make the same mistake: Managing an unreasonable stakeholder is very possible (provided you don't work for a Dark Lord who gets his kicks electrocuting or choking subordinates). When faced with an unrealistic demand, present several feasible alternatives and let the stakeholder choose which approach is preferable. Or, let them know what resources you'll need to make their request doable. 8. Insufficient resources Jerjerrod: "But the Emperor asks the impossible! I need more men.”Vader: "Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives. He is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress." Bottom line: Commander Jerjerrod didn't have the men he needed to get the Death Star operational on time. He asked repeatedly for additional resources, but Vader and Palpatine shrugged him off. We all know what happened as a result.... Bartender! Another drink in honor of my fallen comrades. Don't make the same mistake: Completed projects don't materialize out of sheer willpower, and you can't expect your team to fulfill requirements if they don't have the necessary resources. Ask them what they need, and then do your best to provide it — or create a plan that doesn't require those resources. 9. Leadership undermines team morale and success "Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them."— Vader Vader thought that people whose very survival hinged on their job performance would meet every expectation. Far from it! By killing every admiral and captain who slipped up, all he accomplished was constant turnover of leadership — and stalled progress as a result. Don't make the same mistake: Did you know people are actually more productive when they're in a good mood? (Safe to say the Empire missed that memo.) Cultivate confidence and a happy work environment and watch your progress soar. 10. Side projects distract from your main goal When Vader wasn't killing key officers or terrorizing underlings, he was busy searching for the Skywalker kid. He was so distracted, it's no wonder project work was disorganized, behind schedule, and prone to mistakes! Don't make the same mistake: Stay focused on the work at hand. Multitasking is a sure-fire productivity killer — don't let distractions kill your entire project, too. BONUS: Starkiller Base With the Galactic Empire in ruins, a new military junta sprang up in its place: The First Order. Building on the empire’s research into dark energy translations and hyperspace tunneling, the First Order built an unofficial third Death Star known as Starkiller Base. For a while, it seemed that all the major lessons were learned from the first Death Star’s failures: Better use of resources: Without access to all of the empire’s resources, the Starkiller Base project was scaled back in all the right ways to do more with less. Instead of a highly mobile floating space station, it’s built from a hollowed out, moon-sized planet. This cuts down on the costs and complexity of shipping materials and building in space. Destructive power, however, remains uncompromised. The base is able to take down multiple planets at once, giving the First Order more bang for their buck (pun intended). Better QA: The First Order learned some lessons from the security vulnerabilities and bugs of the Death Star I and II. Starkiller Base was protected by multiple systems including a planetary shield, Stormtrooper garrisons, and squadrons of TIE fighters. But there was one major con that ultimately led to its failure... Failure to use a cloud-based system to manage the project. Unfortunately for Kylo Ren, Snoke, Hux, and the rest of the First Order, the shield control was localized on the base. In the event of a malfunction or sabotage, the planet would be left completely unprotected until technicians could be brought on site to fix the problem. This vulnerability was exploited by the Resistance, causing the entire project to implode… literally. Don’t make the same mistake: Cloud-based project management solutions offer the simplicity and reliability essential to success. It’s critical that your team has the ability to access and edit projects wherever they are. If you’re not using a cloud-based system, you’re vulnerable to far less than an attack by the Resistance. A natural disaster, theft, or even spilled coffee could destroy your data and leave your work in smoldering ruins. Ay... Just thinking about these mistakes makes my head hurt. I need another Ebla beer. Your turn! You've heard the rumors. Share your thoughts on the Death Star fiasco, or other projects you've seen implode.   

6 Reasons Home Alone's Kevin McAllister is a Project Management Genius
Project Management 5 min read

6 Reasons Home Alone's Kevin McAllister is a Project Management Genius

It’s the time of the year: everyone’s humming carols, organizing cookie swaps, and re-watching their favorite classic Christmas movies. During a screening of Home Alone here at Wrike HQ, we couldn’t help but notice the young protagonist's stellar project management skills, and started taking notes.

How to Throw a Killer Office Holiday Party Your Team Will Love
Collaboration 5 min read

How to Throw a Killer Office Holiday Party Your Team Will Love

Holding an office holiday party? You don’t need a huge budget or lavish event to make your team feel special! All you need are a few creative ideas. Here are our tips for throwing a holiday bash your team will rave about all year long.

Announcing the Winners of Our Awkward Collaboration Caption Contest
Collaboration 3 min read

Announcing the Winners of Our Awkward Collaboration Caption Contest

You commented, and we noticed! Over the past couple of weeks, we've posted photos of awkward collaboration moments on social media and asked you to fill in the captions. We went through all the submissions and selected the funniest, most outlandish, and cleverest captions for each photo. Congrats to all the winners!

Can't We All Just Get Along? How to Collaborate with Relatives on Thanksgiving
Collaboration 3 min read

Can't We All Just Get Along? How to Collaborate with Relatives on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is that time when families come together to give thanks for all the good things that happened throughout the year. There's turkey, conversations, overflowing food, and, boy, can there be drama. For many of us, it seems like the minute you need to collaborate with your relatives on a project as major as Thanksgiving dinner, friction appears. So how do you deal with this? How do we all just GET ALONG?     We previously posted about how to project manage Thanksgiving dinner, so check that out first for some solid tips on making sure the dinner is successful and pleases all stakeholders.  What we want to underscore however, is that there are concrete ways to ensure smooth collaboration, even among the prickliest of in-laws. Our tried-and-tested tips:   1. Over Communicate Details and Expectations. Communicate the important dates and times: which days and what times people are arriving, what time you're serving the food on the day itself, etc. Include your expectations for the type of menu you want to serve. But remember, make sure you communicate that this is a suggestion only. Because if you want to avoid friction you need to pay attention to tip #2.  2. Don't Micromanage!  Collaboration is about each person bringing in their ideas and contributing to a whole. This means: allow your collaborators to chime in with their ideas for food, decor, music, whatever else you need. Don't dictate what they bring. Allow it to come from them. Even if it doesn't fit with your idyllic vision (e.g. someone just volunteered to bring chicken curry for a themed Italian dinner), don't shut them down. If they're dead set on bringing it, you'll only create ill will by blocking them. Simply remind them about the suggested theme, but in the end, let them bring what they want. Hold on. Are you frothing at the mouth already because your vision for a perfectly themed dinner won't be fully realized?  Then you need #3. 3. Accept the Chaos Gracefully.  Thanksgiving dinners will always generate a small percentage of havoc. It's part and parcel of the family experience, of people living far apart coming together. People might bring weird desserts. In-laws may make comments about your shabby decor. Or about one another's inferior cooking techniques. Or about Aunt Emma's affair. Smile! Be gracious! And if needed, there's a bottle of Chardonnay in the back of the cabinet that you can use to soothe your nerves.    4.  Look at the Silver Lining. In the end, it all boils down to how you choose to perceive the final product. You have a home full of loving (though maybe sometimes exasperating) people gathered about you, and a feast that would feed several starving nations twice over. Even if it doesn't go according to the plans in your head, you've come up with a product (the dinner, the experience) that still somehow pleases its intended audience (your family, loved ones, in-laws, out-laws). And THAT, my dear friends and blog readers, is what it's all about.  Cheers, and happy Thanksgiving!  IMAGE CREDITS: Kenny Louie on Flickr. Some rights reserved. 

Don't Become a Project Manager from Hell!
Project Management 3 min read

Don't Become a Project Manager from Hell!

Being a PM aint easy, but there's no reason to do what these Project Managers from Hell did to their teams.

Enjoy the Turkey: A Project Manager’s Guide to Surviving Thanksgiving Day
Project Management 5 min read

Enjoy the Turkey: A Project Manager’s Guide to Surviving Thanksgiving Day

Many people see project management as a complicated tangle of work breakdown structures, spreadsheets, critical path timelines, risk assessments… There’s a reason they give out certifications for this stuff! But as David Allen astutely points out everyone is a project manager — especially on Thanksgiving Day.  What size turkey do you need? What if dinner’s ready, but the guests are late? Or they show up two hours early? Is there such a thing as gluten-free gravy? With so many variables to juggle and plans to coordinate, let’s turn to the experts: how would a certified project manager pull off the perfect Turkey Day? Step 1: Define your scope. How big of a celebration do you want? How many guests? Do you want to break out the good china or would you rather have a casual, "grab a plate and have at it" meal? Is dinner served at precisely 4 pm, or would you rather have an all-day, "drop in and grab a piece of pie" affair?  Project Manager’s Tip: Don’t do more than you need to. If your guests aren’t going to notice or care about hand-lettered, gold-foiled name cards, don’t waste the time, money, and effort creating them.  Step 2: Make a plan. Sort out your menu, whom you’re going to invite, who’s bringing what, figure out the seating chart, create your shopping list.  Project Manager’s Tip: Be realistic. Don’t plan a 6-course gourmet feast if you’ve never peeled a potato before.  Step 3: Map out your timeline.  If you value your sanity, you can’t just fly by the seat of your pants — you need an organized itinerary. Schedule what you’re going to make ahead of time and when. Figure out what time everything needs to go in the oven and in what order for it all to come out at just the right time.  Project Manager’s Tip: Do the risky stuff first, if possible. If you’ve never made homemade cranberry sauce, don’t try it for the first time an hour before the turkey’s done. It’ll be less stressful for you and you’ll probably get better results if you buffer in some extra time around any uncertainties. Step 4: Assess the risks. What’s the likelihood your fad-diet-obsessed cousin will be eating Paleo this year? What if someone drops the gravy boat? What do you need a backup plan for, and what can you shrug off?  Project Manager’s Tip: Remember that not everything is worth worrying about. If a risk or issue won’t have a major impact on your day, don’t bother bending over backwards to address it.   Step 5: Work with your stakeholders. Ah, family. They’re a lovable bunch, but they can be a handful. Your sister-in-law claims she makes the world’s best pumpkin pie, but that's been your mom’s territory for ages. Share your planned menu and let people pick what they'd like to bring. If conflicts arise, be flexible when you can! After all, who's going to complain about two pumpkin pies?  Project Manager’s Tip: Communicate early and often to keep surprises to a minimum. Step 6: Collaborate with your team. Most of all, a great Thanksgiving takes teamwork. You’ll need to delegate certain tasks to other people, or count on others to help you if you want to pull off a successful holiday. Besides, people usually want to help out!  Project Manager’s Tip: Just because you’re the "manager," doesn’t mean everything has to be done your way. If your sister wants to buck convention and bring a turducken, why not? You never know — it could be the start of a fun new tradition!  Step 7: Don’t forget the retrospective. At the end of the day, when your family is drowsy from an overload of tryptophan and carbs, your sink is piled high with gravy-crusted dishes, and the candles are burning low, take a few minutes to reflect on the day and everything that went well.  Project Manager’s Tip: Focus on the highlights! Everyone worked hard to make the day successful, so remember to say thank you. It's what the whole day is about! It'll help you fully appreciate a job well done. Ultimately, the important thing to remember is that Thanksgiving is not a day to manage. It’s a day to savor. It doesn’t need to be perfect — and that’s good, because things will go wrong. The green beans may be soggy, and your aunt may still forget to bring the cranberry sauce even though you've reminded her three times. But if you spend the day surrounded by loved ones, laughing and making memories that bring a smile in the year to come, your Thanksgiving project will be a resounding success. So take off your project management uniform and just enjoy it! Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Wrikers!

10 Reasons the Death Star Project Failed (Infographic)
Project Management 3 min read

10 Reasons the Death Star Project Failed (Infographic)

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… The Death Star projects failed spectacularly. Learn from the Empire’s mistakes and keep your projects from falling to the Dark Side! Check out our new Star Wars-inspired infographic and avoid further destruction by sharing it with all your padawans. You can share this infographic with all your padawans by embedding it on your blog with this code: Wrike Project Management Software> Feel like a Jedi master? Your education doesn't have to stop there. Check out lessons learned from other big project failures or read all the details about the Death Star failures to avoid making the same mistakes!

5 Project Management Warnings from The Shining
Project Management 5 min read

5 Project Management Warnings from The Shining

The Shining can present us with five very distinct warnings about how we should properly manage our teams and our projects — unless you want people to start angrily chasing one another while brandishing kitchen knives.

Your Workplace is Scarier Than a Horror Movie
Collaboration 5 min read

Your Workplace is Scarier Than a Horror Movie

Happy Halloween! If you really want horror stories, forget Stephen King. You need look no further than your own workplace!

What Quentin Tarantino Can Teach You About Creativity
Marketing 5 min read

What Quentin Tarantino Can Teach You About Creativity

We decided to aggregate some of the most interesting tidbits about Tarantino, from plot creation to film execution, to inspire your creative side.

7 Sasquatch-Sized Creativity Myths That Need Busting
Productivity 7 min read

7 Sasquatch-Sized Creativity Myths That Need Busting

Praying to the muses, serendipity, eureka moments — the creative process is clouded in superstition and mystery. Despite the ability to peek into the brain and watch different areas light up on an MRI, neuroscientists are still fairly stumped about exactly what happens during bursts of creative inspiration. With all the obscurity surrounding creative thought, it's no wonder so many myths and misconceptions linger around the topic. But outdated or inaccurate habits can hinder your creative efforts, so we're separating fact from fiction on 7 pervasive myths to set the record straight and help you spark your team's creativity. Myth 1: Group brainstorming sessions are the ideal starting point for creative team projects. You've just landed a big new creative project. First step? Get the team together for a group brainstorm! But wait just a second — research actually shows that people come up with more and higher-quality ideas when they work on their own first. Collaborative brainstorming is a great way for people to combine and build off each other's ideas, but not so great for generating new ones. Don't get straight to work after your brainstorm, either; let people ruminate on the group's observations and ideas for a bit to see what new insights pop up. Myth 2: Creativity is time-consuming. Victor Hugo spent 17 years writing Les Miserables. Chaucer invested ten years of his life in The Canterbury Tales, and they still weren’t finished by the time he died. Stories like these make us believe we simply don't have time to devote to quality creative projects. But luckily, that's just not the case. According to Lee Crutchley, author of The Art of Getting Started, even little things like doodling while you're on the phone, taking one daily photo during your lunch break or commute (even just on your phone), or contributing a single page or paragraph to your book, can improve your creative capacity. As Crutchley says, "The trick is not to worry about whether or not it's good, but just enjoy the process.” So give yourself permission to start small, and remember that incremental progress on your project or skill-building adds up quickly! Myth 3: Creativity is fueled by "out-of-the-box" scenarios, environments, and mindsets. The unexpected or random can actually stifle creativity, depending on your personality type and the kind of environment you thrive in. If your best work is done in an ordered, predictable setting, throwing a curve ball into your process or routine can derail your creativity. Only if you feed off of novelty and surprise can mixing things up keep your brain fresh and help you make new breakthroughs. So next time someone tells you to jumpstart creative ideas by trying something new, feel free to tell them to buzz off if that doesn't fit your style. Myth 4: Creativity is stifled by limits. How many times have you heard, “Let your creativity run free,” or “Just go with your stream of consciousness”? Many people believe that freedom yields a higher number or better-quality creative solutions or innovative ideas. But studies show that too many possibilities overwhelm the creative brain, and that restricting your options can improve focus and channel your creativity. As Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile points out, the Apollo 13 missions are a perfect example of this. Ground control was working with all kinds of crazy constraints: scant materials, limited power, a strict deadline, etc. — and yet that narrow scope allowed them to focus intensely on the problem at hand and come up with creative (and effective) solutions. Myth 5: Deadlines fuel creativity. Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson Ask a group of creatives when they're most productive, and many of them will say it’s when the next deadline starts looming large and they're under the gun. But studies show that people are actually the least creative when they’re racing the clock — in fact, there seems to be a lingering recovery period: creativity not only takes a hit for that day, but the next two days afterwards as well. The fact is, creative ideas require an "incubation period." You need time to mull things over, come at the problem from different angles, and let all your ideas steep in your unconscious mind. So as tempting as it may be to procrastinate, start ruminating on your next project early on for better results, and use the last-minute drive to focus on execution. Myth 6: Good creative solutions only happen when a group is on the same page, building off each other’s ideas. The best creative teams are actually those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas. To disagree with each other productively and offer constructive criticism. BUT (and this is a big "but") without attacking each other. Altering points of view and disagreements have to be made in the spirit of collaboration, not competition. When everyone in the group feels confident and supported, disagreements become welcome opportunities to challenge each other and rise to new heights. Myth 7: You need a fresh brain in order to come up with creative new ideas. Studies show that you’re actually more creative when your brain isn't running at 100%. A tired mind isn’t as good at filtering out distractions or remembering connections between ideas — both of which can be beneficial to the creative process, where you’re trying to make unusual connections, stay open to new ideas, and take in a broad range of information and observations. So next time you sit down to do some creative work, skip the caffeine — your brain's ability to passively take in a lot of unfiltered stimuli is actually good for your creativity. Feeling Stuck? Check out our list of 14 inspiring websites, videos, podcasts, and other online resources that will rekindle your creative spark. You can also download our free eBook on how to build a world-class in-house creative team. It includes tips for finding the right people, sustaining your creative success, and building the right processes to help your team get from beginning to end. Get the eBook now: The Definitive Guide to Building a World-Class Internal Creative Agency

What Kind of Procrastinator Are You? (Decision Tree)
Productivity 3 min read

What Kind of Procrastinator Are You? (Decision Tree)

We’re all guilty of procrastination. It's not a crime, it's just something we do. And while there are dozens (if not hundreds) of productivity tips out there to help you find your motivation, you can’t completely get rid of that sneaking temptation to put off work — not forever, anyway. If you can’t fight it, learn to work around it using this flow chart infographic by ParcelHero. Are you a daredevil? A perfectionist? How about… an ostrich? Follow this chart to find out which type of procrastinator you are, and get advice on how to work with your tendencies to stay productive and meet your deadlines.   So, let us know: What kind of procrastinator are you?

10 Gadgets to Keep You Healthy & Productive at Work
Productivity 5 min read

10 Gadgets to Keep You Healthy & Productive at Work

90,000 hours. 10.3 years. 18.5% of your waking hours over your entire lifetime. This is how much time you spend at work. You've probably read the stats on how all those hours are taking their toll on your health: sitting is the new smoking, work stress is killing you, the unhealthy habit of forgoing vacation days. 28% of us have gained more than 10 lbs. at work, and 13% have put on more than 20. Our waistlines are expanding and our attention spans are shrinking. With so much of your life spent at the office, it's more important than ever to make your work environment as healthy as possible. Yet most of us simply don't feel we have the time or resources to make our physical well-being a priority at work. These 10 gadgets are designed to help you feel better while you work, so you can improve your health without compromising your productivity. 1. StorkStand If a full-size standing desk is either too bulky or too expensive for you, try out the StorkStand. It clips onto the back of your regular office chair so it's easy to be productive and stretch your legs, then quickly go back to your normal desk setup when you're ready to sit. 2. Lumoback When you spend your days sitting, good posture is essential. Unfortunately, many of us need some help in that department. (I know I do!) The Lumo belt gauges your posture, how long you’ve been sitting, how many steps you’ve taken, and even how well you slept. The accompanying app shows an animated recreation of your posture throughout the day, and you can program the device to buzz and remind you to sit or stand up straight, or go for a walk. 3. Cubii Desk Elliptical If you want more prolonged activity that'll still let you get work done, an under-desk elliptical (or bike pedals, or mini-stepper) is a great solution. It's low-impact so you can still focus on your work or make phone calls without being out-of-breath, but it'll keep your blood flowing — and the increased circulation will actually help you be more creative. 4. Dumbbell Alarm If you’ve got your own office where the noise won’t disrupt others, this dumbbell alarm is perfect for alerting you when it’s time to get in a few minutes of exercise. You can put it in normal alarm mode, where a single curl will silence it, or exercise mode, where you’ll have to complete a set number of reps. At just over a pound you won’t exactly achieve an Arnold-level pump, but it’s a great reminder to take periodic breaks and get in some physical activity. 5. Darma Smart Cushion This gadget may look like a simple seat cushion, but its built-in sensors monitor your posture, sitting habits and stress levels — it even coaches you to improve your posture and alerts you when it’s time to stand up and stretch your legs. 6. Carpet Skates Remember that episode of The Office where they stage a company-wide Olympics? Get your heart rate up or take a fun team building break by hosting an office speed skating race.( Just make sure you clear the course first so no one gets hurt!) 7. Desktop Air Purifier This bad boy captures up to 95% of airborne particles, so you don’t have to worry as much about that co-worker who insists on coming in to the office with a cold. Fewer days feeling under the weather means you get more done — and you can save that PTO for a real vacation. 8. USB-Powered Flower Pot Like sleep, looking at plants and foliage helps refresh your brain’s ability to focus. Unfortunately, fluorescent lights don’t necessarily provide an ideal growing environment, and if you’re busy, you may not have the time to tend to a houseplant. But with this USB flower pot that reminds you when to water, you can get the benefits of greenery even if you aren't blessed with a green thumb. 9. Noise-Canceling Headphones If you work in an open-office setting or travel frequently, you need a way to shut out distractions and focus. Noise-canceling headphones are an ideal solution (I personally could not function without a pair). 10. Water Bottle Even mild dehydration (just 1-2%!) makes us less alert, causes a decline in cognitive function, and hinders our ability to manage stress and anxiety. One study even found that workers who were dehydrated by only 1% experienced a 12% drop in productivity. This water bottle by Hydros has a built-in filter, and a portion of proceeds helps fund sustainable water projects to bring clean water to those who need it most. Want more personal productivity tips? Check out our collection of resources, strategies, and techniques to fight procrastination, find your motivation, and be more productive.

Take This Quiz: Are You A Micromanager? (Infographic)
Leadership 3 min read

Take This Quiz: Are You A Micromanager? (Infographic)

You read all the literature on micromanagement. You avoid forcing your ideas on your colleagues and friends whenever possible. But you still worry about whether or not you are coming across in a helpful, positive light. ...Or maybe this quiz suddenly appeared in your inbox from an anonymous sender? According to a survey from the book My Way or the Highway, 71% of non-managers said micromanagement has interfered with their job performance. Whether you came to this quiz on your own or received it from a concerned friend, it's time to find out once and for all if you're being too overbearing. So, are you a micromanager? After you take the quiz, read our guest post on the top 3 reasons why micromanagement is a MACRO hindrance. (Prefer the interactive version? You can also take this micromanagement quiz on Qzzr!) What were your results? Are you a micromanager, a bit of a pushover, or someone we'd all like to work with? Don't worry — if your management style isn't where you want it to be, you can always improve. If you enjoyed our infographic, share it on your website with this embed code: Brought to you by Wrike Here are some resources you can check out to get you back on the right track: • 3 Reasons Micromanagement is a Macro Hindrance • How Neuroscience Can Make You a Better Project Manager • 4 Problems with Virtual Meetings that You Can Fix • 10 Phrases That Can Ruin Your Project Kickoff Meeting

Taking a Stand: The Evolution of the Desk Employee (Infographic)
Productivity 3 min read

Taking a Stand: The Evolution of the Desk Employee (Infographic)

We decided to revisit history and unravel the evolution of sitting as well as the revolution of standing in the office. Check out the infographic below for the stories behind sitting, standing, and even kneeling in the office.

5 Lessons in Software Project Management from HBO's Silicon Valley
Project Management 5 min read

5 Lessons in Software Project Management from HBO's Silicon Valley

  Are you a fan of Silicon Valley? Turns out, HBO's latest hit is good for more than an entertaining half hour. It's also full of good advice for launching a startup in general and software development projects in particular. (If you’ve never seen the show, here’s a brief synopsis: programmer Richard works at tech giant Hooli by day, and on his side project — a music streaming app called Pied Piper — by night. When it’s discovered that the foundation of Richard's app is a supremely powerful compression algorithm, Pied Piper is suddenly worth millions. He turns down Hooli's offer of $10 million to buy the company, and instead accepts a seed investment of $200,000 to develop and run the company himself. He hires his housemates, Dinesh and Gilfoyle, along with former Hooli staffer, Jared, as his team.) Here are a few lessons we picked up between laughs: 1. Innovation isn't everything.  A cutting-edge program or app is great, but it doesn't guarantee success. As Richard learned the hard way, velocity is key. Hooli was faster to present its reverse-engineered version of Richard's software at TechCrunch Disrupt, making Pied Piper irrelevant before it even launched. It didn't matter that Richard was the original innovator; Hooli executed more efficiently and jumped on market demand. Takeaway: Speed is vital, so get your project out as soon as you have a minimum viable product. Then add the bells and whistles — and only spend your time and energy on features that you're certain customers want. Resist the gold-plating! 2. Deadlines aren't the enemy.  When Richard first discovers he has to unveil his startup at TechCrunch Disrupt to challenge Hooli, slashing his timeline from 5 months to 8 weeks, he has a panic attack. But instead of collapsing in defeat and raising the white flag, the Pied Piper team rises to the occasion and uses the ambitious deadline to buckle down, make their process as lean as possible, and collaborate efficiently. Takeaway: Don’t dread deadlines — let them motivate you. Keep your work organized, refine your process, and stick to essential tasks.  3. Find creative ways to motivate your team.  Tired of team members dragging their feet, accidental project manager Jared tries to pit coders Dinesh and Gilfoyle against each other so they'll work faster. Even though they both recognize Jared's sly tactic, it works. With their newfound competitive spirits, tasks start moving faster and things get done. Takeaway: Have fun with work — channel your team's competitive nature, gamify the process, and inject some laughter into your daily routine. Far from distracting your team, it'll boost productivity.  Image found on Giphy.com; Source: HBO.com 4. Always have a Plan C. You back up your work. You're conservative in setting budgets. But what about employee turnover? Or server failure? Richard's diligent about backing up his code, and yet when contractor "The Carver" is brought in to do Pied Piper's cloud architecture, he ends up trashing everything — including the repository. The Pied Piper team is back to square one, with deadlines looming, and no Plan C to save them. Takeaway: We've said it once, we'll say it again: there is no such thing as "risk-free." You need a risk management strategy. It's not enough to create a thorough project plan and hope for the best. To cover all your bases, read our Ultimate Guide to Project Risk.  5. A talented team is NOT enough. Even if you assemble a dream team that includes top talent, it means nothing if they can't work together. You can't assume your team is collaborating effectively, or even that they're on the same page about responsibilities and timelines. To Richard's dismay, Dinesh and Gilfoyle discover they both completed the same set of tasks, duplicating work and wasting their limited time. Takeaway: Find an online project collaboration tool to help your team delegate tasks and work together. Clear transparency and communication are not optional when it comes to project success, so make sure whatever tool you choose will properly enhance your teamwork.  After battling through these lessons, Richard and the Pied Piper team walk away from TechCrunch Disrupt outshining Hooli with a jaw-dropping compression rate and a buzz-worthy product. If you've seen the show, what software development advice would you give the Pied Piper team? Any other pop culture-inspired management tips to share?  Image Credits: Silicon Valley on HBO.com

How to Take Your Productivity from 10 to ELEVEN
Productivity 3 min read

How to Take Your Productivity from 10 to ELEVEN

You don't have to visit the Upside Down or gain super powers to jumpstart your productivity. Here are our top five tips to help slay that Demogorgon of laziness and check off your tasks as "complete" in no time.

How to Enjoy Summer in the Office (Infographic)
Leadership 3 min read

How to Enjoy Summer in the Office (Infographic)

Summer no longer carries the same meaning once you pass childhood. Before, summer meant school's out, movie dates, picnics, and warm nights. Now, summer only means that it's going to be hotter in the office. It's not easy to stay productive when the sun is tempting you to skip work and go outside — but it is easy to bring summer into the office so employees don't feel like they're missing out completely. Here are some ideas on how you can bring summer to work, even as Fall starts rolling in: Like this infographic? Print it out, or share it with your colleagues using this embed code: Infographic brought to you by Wrike How do you celebrate summer in your office? We're always looking for new ways to play here at Wrike. Share your summery ideas with us in the comments.