How can collaboration and emergent structures do the routine job for you?
In my previous post I wrote on gaps in efficiency of traditional project management tools. The major problem with these tools is that they are not flexible and that they do not leverage collaboration. These tools created lots of additional routine operations the project manager should perform. Many of these operations are connected with project planning and updating project plans. Why plans become obsolete and useless The way a project plan is structured can play a major role in how the project is delivered. In real life any employee has his own view on the ongoing projects. This means different perspectives and different access. For example, if we speak about a product development project, the designer has his perspective of all the design tasks, including the design of the Product A. Each developer is the team sees the development perspective of the just one product. The product manager has the picture of all the products. The project manager has his view of the entire project plan that includes products as well as project phases. Traditional project management software with one-to-many work breakdown structure, like Microsoft Project, can hardly accommodate more than one person conveniently, not to speak of many projects and departments. This inconvenience makes the old project management software less usable and thus people become hesitant to check plans and update them regularly. In turn it leads to problems with adoption and obsolete project plans. There needs to be a better way to organize tasks, information and projects. Project management 2.0 software helps you structure your project plan the most effective way Project management 2.0 tools have fewer restrictions. They let structures emerge, without strong central control. In collaborative planning tools, like Wrike, hierarchies are many-to-many, in contrast to the one-to-many hierarchy in Microsoft Project. Collaborative planning tools allow team members to create lists of project-related tasks. Later these tasks can be edited and updated by the team members. Some of the tasks can be shared among the team members, so that the whole team has the big picture of the project. The to-dos of all the team members are automatically merged into project plans. These plans become the part of the strategic plan. Thus separated emails, tasks and plans are collected by the software into a bigger picture that becomes a master plan or a multi-face work-breakdown structure of the whole organization. Collaboration planning tools, like Wrike allow having different views of the same schedule and applying different work-breakdown structures to it. That makes it really easy to reorganize tasks and evolve the schedule. Project plans become more flexible, which means that a project manager and his team can react to changes going on inside and outside the organization much faster. This agility helps to bring iterative and incremental practices into project management without giving away the control. Project management 2.0 tools allow you to start with a structure with one item and evolve it into a model that perfectly suits the project. This helps project managers to apply elements of bottom-up planning and take advantage of collective intelligence. Empowered by emergent structures and collective intelligence, project managers can combine field knowledge coming bottom-up with the guidance coming top-down. There is also a significant benefit for top managers: emergent structures allow them to get complete visibility that bridges the gap between strategic corporate plans and daily to-do lists of employees. Complete visibility helps to react to changes going on in business environment faster, thus the whole organization becomes stronger and more competitive.
The 4th Phase of Project Management: Interview with Peter Taylor (Video)
I recently interviewed Peter Taylor, also known as “The Lazy Project Manager" as part of the Wrike Thought Leadership Series. If you don’t know Peter, he’s the author of 9 books, including a new one, Real Project Management. He’s also a prolific speaker who’s delivered over 200 presentations in more than 25 countries. With over 25 years of project management experience, he offers a wealth of knowledge for both veteran and new project managers. In the following interview you'll learn about: The Fourth Phase of Project Management and the dangers for companies that don’t clearly link project management success to company strategy Why orphan and stray projects can be costly to organizations What has recently changed about project management and the implications for today's project managers Whether project managers are better (or worse) than they used to be and what bad habits Peter sees in the industry Whether PMs should be industry-focused or generalists (and how that impacts their training) The new definition of project success — and how it's changed over time How interest in Agile Project Management has impacted the field The different roles of the PMO and how they help companies and organizations stay on track How to effectively manage virtual teams, including several tips for managing cross-cultural teams Click 'play' to get all the details, straight from Peter Taylor himself: What were your biggest takeaways?What did you learn from the interview? What additional questions do you want to ask Peter?Where do you see the future of project management heading? Read Next: 20 Lessons from David Allen on Succeeding at Work, Life, & GTD (Video) 5 Must-Have Skills for the Project Manager Resume in 2015 23 Project Management Books for All Experience Levels
Web 2.0 for Product Management: Learning the Hard Way
, Wrike. I was happy to see that the topic generated great interest from the public; however, the dynamic of constant interaction with my audience turned out to be quite different from what you experience during regular product management software presentations. I learned a couple of good lessons from this PCamp session. I tried to mix a fairly rigid slide deck with a lot of freeform discussions, which made the slide deck more of a distraction, rather than guiding product management tools. While analyzing the session later, I came up with a few tips that I’ll make sure to use the next time I present during an unconference-style event. I thought it would be a good idea to share my tips here. • Create a very light deck that’s not a streamline story, but rather provides supporting facts and visuals for some areas of conversation. In this type of deck, most slides should be interchangeable and pulled on demand. • Make a slide with the session’s agenda and show it to the audience first. • Ask the public what questions you should concentrate on. This will help you find out which parts of your presentation interest them the most and which are not worth wasting their time on. After analyzing my presentation, I can say that unconference-style events are fun and can sometimes even produce a greater effect on the audience, since your listeners are taking an active part in your presentation. Yet you need the right preparation to make it a success. I hope you will find my tips useful. Have you ever spoken at unconference-style get-togethers? Please share your own experience in the comments.
Employee Retention: The True Cost of Losing Your Best Talent
How do you spot a great manager? It’s someone who fosters a culture of productivity and excellence. Someone who’s fun to work with, and connects with their teammates on a personal level. Someone who knows how to inspire and lead their team to success. In short, someone who makes people want to show up — and stay. Low turnover on your team may make you feel like a successful manager. After all, if you only lose a handful of people on your team each year, you must be doing something right. But what if that high employee retention rate is actually a negative—an indication that you’re failing to challenge employees and creating a culture of complacency? What if the few people you’re losing are actually your best and brightest? Employee turnover already costs US companies $160 billion a year. Replacing an employee can set your company back as much as 2x their annual salary. And with high performers delivering approximately 400% more in productivity than the average employee, losing even a few of your star workers can have an astronomical impact on your bottom line. Not only do high-performers cost more to replace, new research by SAP and Oxford Economics shows that less than half of them are satisfied with their jobs, and 1 in 5 say they're likely to leave in the next six months. Source: HBR It’s time to redefine successful employee engagement and retention. There are many questions to consider when it comes to employee retention, especially when using professional services to hire: are salaries direct costs for professional services firms? Do professional services have to provide proof of workers' compensation? Let’s examine the true cost of losing an employee, beyond the obvious hiring expenses, and uncover the real reasons high-performers and high potentials leave their jobs. Got $13 Billion? The Real Cost of Employee Turnover According to the US Labor Department, the number of Americans who quit their jobs is now the highest it’s been in nearly a decade: 3.1 million people voluntarily left their jobs in January 2017. That employee turnover is expensive. From advertising and recruiting to training and lost productivity, costs add up quickly for organizations that fail to actively invest in their workforce. Hiring costs: Between advertising open positions, screening applications, and interviewing candidates, the recruiting process alone represents a significant expense for companies. It costs $4,000 and takes 52 days on average for US businesses to fill an open position, to the tune of $13 billion a month. Onboarding costs: On average, businesses spend the equivalent of six to nine months of an employee’s salary to locate and train their replacement, not including valuable time spent by management and supervisors during on-the-job training. Lost productivity: These "soft costs" are trickier to quantify, but still have a significant impact on a business' bottom line. New hires simply aren't as productive as the person they’re replacing, and may take a year or two to get to that level. Not to mention potential errors made by new employees who are unfamiliar with your company's processes, tools, and policies. Poor engagement: When a teammate leaves, the rest of your employees are bound to wonder why, and may even consider leaving as well. This ripple effect can lead to a significant uptick in disengaged employees, which costs US companies up to $550 billion a year in lost productivity. To put these figures in more relatable terms: for a salaried worker earning $60,000 a year, your company will likely spend $45,000 to replace them. Warning Signs Someone is Ready to Quit Just as a poker player's “tell” hints at the content of their hand, a team member's behavior can tip you off that they're looking to leave. A new study by researchers at Utah, Florida, and Arizona State Universities defines a set of 13 “pre-quitting behaviors” that managers can use to identify those at risk for turnover—and possibly intervene in time to convince them to stay. These behavioral cues include: Decreased productivity A reticence to commit to long-term timelines Dampened enthusiasm for the organization’s mission Less willingness to act as a team player Stereotypical signs of an employee's impending departure, like wearing a suit to a casual office or a sudden rise in the number of doctor's appointments, did not show as strong a statistical correlation with employees who quit soon after. Researchers have also found that job hunting jumps by 6% around an employee’s work anniversary, increases 12% around birthdays, and spikes to 16% around non-work-related gatherings like school reunions, when people are more inclined to reevaluate the state of their life goals. With these figures, it’s tempting to accept employee turnover as a fact of life. But many of the reasons employees quit are surprisingly simple, even for high performers, and managers who fail to ask why their workers want to go may be needlessly losing people who are costly to replace. The New Employee Retention Model While competitive pay and benefits packages remain an important part of the equation, it’s no longer enough to retain your top talent. Recent years have brought about a significant shift in the employee/employer relationship dynamic: today’s young professionals expect to work for many companies over the course of their career, and require a sense of purpose and personal growth at each stage. This shift belies a need for a new employee retention model that begins with hiring, and extends to creating an enriching work environment. Effective employee retention strategies start with hiring the right person. One of the most common reasons people leave their jobs within the first 12 months is a poor fit, so don’t oversell the position to candidates. Be honest about what the job really entails and how success will be measured. Lori Goler, Global Head of People at Facebook, shares her favorite interview question with The Wall Street Journal: "'On your very best day at work when you go home and you think, I have the best job on the planet, what did you do that day?' I want to be sure that whatever job or role the person is coming into is something that has a lot of whatever that is in it. That is how you get someone to play to their strengths from the very beginning." Job fit isn’t the only thing to consider when hiring; culture fit is more important than ever. Millennials now represent over half of today’s workforce, and the who of their daily work matters to them just as much as the what. They want to work alongside people they like and enjoy collaborating with. And if they’re not finding that at your company, they’ll look for it somewhere else. So how do you create that culture of camaraderie? In an article published on LinkedIn Pulse, Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, urges managers to apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when cultivating a vibrant workplace culture that meets high-performing employees' expectations. Once people are “safe” (paid well) they want their work to be meaningful, apply to their personal skills and interests, to feel appreciated, and to work for a company they're proud of. Recognition and rewards remain an important and practical way to create a positive culture, so raises, promotions, and public recognition for your star employees are critical to keeping them engaged. As Jean Martin and Conrad Schmidt explain in an article for Harvard Business Review, “Even employees who haven’t been dubbed high potentials work harder in a place where good things happen to those who deserve them.” While public recognition remains a key element of a thriving company culture, high performers also require more frequent feedback and recognition from their own managers. 50% of high performing employees expect at least a monthly sit down with managers, but only 53% say they are getting the feedback they want from their superiors. Busy managers must make the time for frequent one-on-ones with their top team members, or risk them feeling that they're under-appreciated or stagnating in their careers. Another crucial aspect of a company culture that retains high performers is that of ongoing education—which is not only a benefit for your workers, but good for your organization. High-performers and high potentials represent future company leadership, and that process should start early in their careers. But it’s no longer enough to send people to conferences, workshops, or 3-day certification programs. Today’s top employees demand continuous learning opportunities, delivered through innovative platforms that fit their individual schedules. Ongoing education must be woven into the everyday priorities and schedules of your best performers. Even managers with limited funds for training can frame new projects and assignments as learning opportunities to keep high performers engaged. Implementing all of the above employee retention ideas doesn't guarantee that you'll retain your top talent, however. At the end of the day, people simply won’t stay with a company where they feel stuck. Even after controlling for factors like pay, job title, and industry, a study conducted by Glassdoor found that workers who stay longer in the same job without a title change are significantly more likely to move to another company for the next step in their careers. Keeping your best employees means giving them clear paths to advancement, and acknowledging them as future leaders early on. One large company profiled by Glassdoor solves this problem by giving high achievers access to exclusive online discussion boards, led by the CEO, that are centered around the company’s most pressing challenges. High achievers share their solutions and volunteer for new assignments, which not only ups transparency and involvement, but gives the executive team a direct line to the company’s rising stars. Solutions to Employee Turnover Companies are now experiencing a shift towards what Deloitte terms the “new organization,” characterized by highly empowered teams and workers. To retain top employees and stay competitive, companies must go beyond traditional engagement strategies like competitive pay and benefits packages. Smart managers will recognize the need to create an engaging workplace based on a strong learning culture, and define a new model of leadership and career development for their teams. As Josh Bersin writes, "High-performing companies serve their employees just as well as they serve their customers."
The Rise of the "Network of Teams" (Work Management Roundup)
Welcome back to the weekly Work Management Roundup, where we collect and curate the best reads from around the web regarding work, leadership, and —this week especially — teamwork. It turns out that hierarchies are out and functional teams are in, and those who are finding success engaging their workers do so by focusing on improving team dynamics. Read on! New Research Shows Why Focusing On Teams, Not Just Leaders, Is Key To Business Performance (Forbes): According to the Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2016 study, traditional hierarchies have taken a backseat to today's “network of teams.” These are teams that work to solve a specific goal regardless of job title, and where leaders are hands-on experts who come from the ranks. Most issues companies face are due to this new model, and now 92% of companies surveyed are redesigning the way they work because of it. The article identifies 4 keys to success using this "network of teams" model. Marketers Poised to Run the Customer Experience Show, Survey Says (Tech News World): In a recent study involving nearly 500 CMOs and marketing execs conducted by email automation company Marketo, the consensus is that marketing will have significant influence over business strategy and the entire customer experience by 2020. The Rise of the Agile Marketer: A Report on the State of Agile Marketing in 2016 (Marketer Gizmo): In a study involving 803 US-based marketers, some fascinating results surfaced: a whopping 63.4% are using at least some aspects of Agile methods. Though there's a surprisingly limited use of Scrum, and there are challenges in finding good Agile training. Bridging the Communication Gap Between Marketing and Creative Teams (Infographic) (Wrike): If you're part of either a marketing or creative team, you understand the frustrations of collaborating with one another. The language and even the focus is sometimes different for each side. This infographic lays out a few simple tweaks to your communication style that may make all the difference. Great Leaders Embrace Office Politics (Harvard Business Review): It's not just about delivering results; being a great leader means networking with influential people in the company, making sure your contributions are noticed and you are perceived as being executive material. Some advice on playing the game without using Machiavellian influence-building tactics. 20 High Achievers Share the Daily Routines That Make Them Successful (Inc): If successful people could distill their daily routines into a formula, would you actually use it? Here's your chance. This roundup gathers the daily tasks of 20 CEOs, founders, and thought leaders, ranging from the mundane ("eat lunch with your employees") to the inspirational ("treat every day like it's the first day on the job") to the unconventional ("run to trouble"). Celebrate small wins, celebrate big milestones. Whenever your team crosses a major hurdle, bring out the champagne and congratulate everyone for the hard work! #Wrike #wriketeam A video posted by Wrike (@wriketeam) on Apr 8, 2016 at 1:28am PDT More Work Management Reads Creativity/Productivity: Why You Need a “Deloading” Phase in Life (Four Hour Workweek) Productivity Zen: Tips and Techniques to Help Get Things Done (Business Zone) The Harsh Truth About Speed-Reading (The Kernel) - Basically, it doesn't work There’s More Than Enough Time, When You Use The Time You Have (Medium) Business: Landing Page Optimization: Find Heaven By Saving Your Visitors From Hell (KlientBoost) What Your Stakeholders Need To Know About Your Project (PM Tips) You Will Soon Be Able To Rent Out Office Space Inside A Staples Store (Consumerist) Behavior: Smokers Less Likely to Get Hired and Earn Less: Study (NBC News) What Every Startup Needs To Know About The Psychology Of Choice (Fast Company) Driving to Work Linked to a Fatter Middle Age (Fox News) Tools: Franz - one free, cross-platform messaging tool that consolidates your different accounts in Slack, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, and more Google Calendar Update Helps Users Complete Personal Goals (Social Times): the new Goals feature helps users find free time to complete goals The End of Apps is Here. Long Live Chat Bots (The Telegraph) Browse Marketing Speak on Flipboard If you use Flipboard on your mobile device, then you might enjoy our links to all things digital marketing via our Marketing Speak magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.
21 Thought Leaders Tweeting About #Startups
Creating and developing a successful startup is not all glitz, glamor, and magazine interviews. It's a lot of hard work and long nights producing something out of nothing. Thankfully, there are a lot of people who want budding entrepreneurs to succeed — and they're all writing tips and articles full of great advice. The problem now is: how do you find the best of the best to make sure your startup is heading in the right direction? With all of the information floating around out there, there is one go-to source for aggregated advice on creating a successful startup plan: Twitter. It's impossible to find and list all the great accounts you can follow — and we're not even going to try — but we'll give you a good starting place. Here are 21 startup movers and shakers we think you need in your feed to get great advice on following your dream idea, hiring the best team, and creating a successful startup business. (If we're missing your favorite startup thought leader, add your Tweetspirations in the comments!) Our Suggested Follows for #StartupAdvice on Twitter Individuals to Follow 1. Paul Graham — Co-founder of Y Combinator. Tweets startup news, often related to YC companies, and also shares articles and advice for startups and small businesses. Posts at a human pace, AKA as often as he sees fit; some days only twice, some days more than six times. 2. Jason Calacanis — Serial entrepreneur and investor. Founder of Weblogs Inc. and Open Angel Forum, among others. Follow him for entrepreneurship advice and business news. Fun fact: he has a dedicated (and well-earned) following of Jason fans. Seriously. His tweet frequency: He will certainly not leave your feed empty. What I learned running The LAUNCH Incubator for 12 weeks http://t.co/LQVQFIe9qR — jason (@Jason) March 12, 2015 3. Dave McClure — Founding partner at 500 Startups accelerator. He retweets a lot of successful startup news and articles about better business practices. Tweets frequently throughout the day. 4. Fred Wilson — Venture Capitalist. Mostly sharing links to good articles and interesting startup business information. Unlike most of the names on this list, he keeps his messages to a humble 1-2 tweets per day. 5. Charles Dixon — Investor, entrepreneur. The only news-centric tweeter included on this list, because Dixon tweets about startup news you should probably keep your eye on: drones, bitcoin, the growth of the tech industry, and a sprinkle of business humor to break up your too-serious Twitter feed. Shares articles throughout the day, all day, every day. 6. Sam Altman — If you're interested in startup investment, Sam Altman is your man. As president of Y Combinator, about 90% of his tweets deal with smart investing, bad investing, and companies that are doing well after recent investment. Tweet frequency: a few times per day, with days of productivity (i.e. no tweeting) in between. how to be successful: focus, choose a good market, believe in yourself, and learn to identify unproven talent — Sam Altman (@sama) March 11, 2015 7. Eric Knopf — Co-founder of his own company, he tweets advice for the human side of people behind successful companies: how to stay organized, motivation for the days when you aren't feeling it, and, of course, some tips for making your business boom. Tweet frequency: some days he's completely silent, other days he tweets over 10 times. 8. Martin Zwilling — A veteran in the startup field, he has great advice on what it takes to start a company and succeed. Only tweets a few times a day for a very manageable (not overwhelming) feed-filler. 9. Roy Povarchik — Startup mentor and growth hacker. Tweets good advice for all businesses, but especially useful information for companies just starting out. Tweet frequency: upwards of 5 times per day. 10. Omar Mohout — Entrepreneur turned startup mentor. Tweets advice for the best mindset, basic principles for successful startups, and shares educational resources like eBooks and webinars. Tweet frequency: daily (almost hourly), and occasionally in French. Why #Startups fail #96: The product doesn’t uniquely solve a big enough (no viable business) & frequent (no viable market) problem #GoTechEU — Omar Mohout (@omohout) March 11, 2015 11. Gordon Daugherty — Angel investor and startup mentor. Shares frequently about startup money matters and advice for growing your customer base. Tweets once a day, if at all. 12. Alex Turnbull — Startup founder and CEO at Groove. Shares incredibly helpful, insightful posts from his company's blog (mostly related to their business success), as well as quotes and products he enjoys. Full of great advice for any new entrepreneur. He's also known to pose questions he actually wants answered — a rare treat. Tweet frequency: a handful of times per week. Businesses to Follow 13. 500 Startups — Startup accelerator program spreading startup news and trends to help you build a relevant, talked-about business. Tweet frequency: multiple times per day, almost every day. 14. Y Combinator — Popular startup incubator in the Bay Area. Their Twitter account shares startup success stories and advice articles. Tweet frequency: a few times per day, but has been known to sleep on slow news days. The 1st episode of Startup School Radio with @harris is on SiriusXM's Business Radio right now! First guest is reddit's @alexisohanian. — Y Combinator (@ycombinator) March 11, 2015 15. OPEN Forum — The Q&A site run by American Express, their Twitter account shares popular articles and Q&As from their site with tips on popular tools used to run startups, social media, customer relationships, and more. Only tweets 1-2 times per day. Nothing too overwhelming. 16. Idealab — Startup accelerator tweeting startup stories and business advice. They dish out tips on everything from sales to customer success. Tweet frequency: multiple times throughout the day. 17. The Lean Startup — Foundation of the Lean Startup movement. Tweets cool talks and articles about things every startup needs to care about, especially if they're trying to run lean. Tweet frequency: at least 5 times per day, 7 days per week. On how to say no without burning bridges, from @HarvardBiz. http://t.co/Ug4ccJ1iZm — The Lean Startup (@leanstartup) March 2, 2015 18. Upstart Business — An online business journal that shares startup news, mostly from their own site. Tweet frequency: sharing articles at all hours of the day, every day. 19. Bplans — Business blog featuring tips and tricks for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Tweet frequency: anywhere from one to "blow-up-your-feed" times per day. 20. Bootstrappers.io — Online community of business bootstrappers sharing articles on everything from getting your first customer to the best startup office locations. Tweet frequency: 2-3 times a day. 21. Entrepreneur Quotes — Motivational quotes for entrepreneurs. It's a good place to get a reality check or a kick in the right direction when you feel like the entire world is against you. Tweet frequency: 1-2 times per day. Add them to your feed! Want to add all these accounts to your Twitter feed? Subscribe to our "Startup Thought Leaders" Twitter list! Who are your favorite startup thought leaders on Twitter? Share your inspirations with us in the comments, and we'll check them out and add them to our Twitter list!
11 "Internet of Things" Startups to Watch (Infographic)
It's poised to become the largest device market in the world. One research group estimates that by 2019, it will be more than double the size of the smartphone, PC, tablet, connected car, and wearable markets combined. Samsung even pledged a funding pool of more than $100 million for startups that want to help build the South Korean manufacturer's vision of an entirely open ecosystem for these Net-enabled devices, so that they all speak the same language. We're talking about the Internet of Things (IoT) — a term referring to consumer devices, appliances, and services that connect to networks to send and receive data. When you use your mobile device to access a remote wifi security camera you've installed in your home, you're using IoT. Brands like Nest thermostats and Dropcam wifi cameras (both now acquired by Google), or Jawbone and the entire wearable devices industry are IoT. And there are several hundred more companies in the space. We took a look at eight of the hottest, most interesting, most buzzed-about IoT startups, plus 3 established brands to compile this infographic of companies we think will make it big in 2015. Like our infographic? Share it easily using our embed code: Infographic brought to you byWrike Do you agree with our predictions? Or are there other IoT startups you feel are more poised for success this year? Hit the comments and speak your mind.
Do 'Work Martyrs' Actually Get More Done? The Hunger for a Healthy Work-Life Balance
The average US workweek is 41 hours, however, more than 30% of American workers work 45 or more hours a week, compared with Germany (18%) and France (4%). The fact is, many Americans wear this as a badge of honor, which has led to a new term for the common office workaholic: "work martyrs”.
Why Do Americans Continue to Work Such Long Hours? (Work Management Roundup)
Welcome back to the weekly Work Management Roundup, where we link to the best reads in business, productivity, marketing, and management! This week, we look at what it means to live and work in a future where we have technological marvels, but way less free time. And we look at tools and technologies that can help you research blog posts to write, how best to learn new skills, and how to disrupt existing platforms. Read on! Why Do Americans Work So Much? (The Atlantic): A hundred years ago, when economist John Maynard Keynes predicted the rise in productivity of a future America, he envisioned a time when people would be working less due to technological advances. The tech is here, but the work ethic hasn't changed since the 1970s. Americans are still working 40+ hours a week. Three theories as to why Americans continue to work so much. How to Use Twitter to Predict Popular Blog Posts You Should Write (AndrewChen.co): Advisor and investor Andrew Chen suggests a simple way to test whether you should write a blog post on a topic: tweet the headline and see if it gets any retweets. It's quick and shows if there's any interest in a longer piece of content. Technology Doesn’t Disrupt Industries, People Do (Medium): In every 'new tech disrupts old tech' story, the real change lies in the people using the new technology to solve an old pain point. How To Invest In Yourself (Medium): This is no feel-good puff piece, it's an actionable 4-step plan on mapping out 100 projects you want to do including skills you want to learn, and setting up next steps. Read it and change your life. 48 Experts Share Their #1 Tip for New Project Managers (Wrike): We asked the Project Management 2.0 group on LinkedIn to divulge their #1 tip for new project managers. Not surprisingly, these process fanatics shared a plethora of great tips to help newcomers succeed in this ever-changing area of work. A photo posted by Wrike (@wriketeam) on Feb 9, 2016 at 1:00pm PST More Work Management Reads Think About This: Pursuit of a Mutual Goal Can Turn Friends into Foes (Stanford Business) Reading Fiction Improves Brain Connectivity and Function (Psychology Today) 5 Things You Don't Understand About Productivity (Inc) Go Try This: The Demand for eBooks is Rapidly Growing – Here’s How You Can Take Advantage (ProBlogger) The Power of the Outdoor Office (Cal Newport) 15 Productivity Tools Successful People Use to Work Less (Employee Scheduling Pro) Browse Marketing Speak on Flipboard If you use Flipboard on your mobile device, then you might enjoy our links to all things digital marketing via our Marketing Speak magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.
Remote Work: Why Reddit and Yahoo! Banned It
When an internal memo from Yahoo! leaked to the public back in February 2013, there was a collective groan not just from people working in the company, but also from supporters of remote work in general. The memo banned remote work for all Yahoo! staff and cited that more effective collaboration would happen face-to-face — that it all begins with being physically present in the office. A Yahoo! spokesperson clarified that banning work from home was not a blanket repudiation of remote work, rather, it was a move that was right for the company's individual situation. They were not the last ones to try to put an end to the practice of remote work. Best Buy followed suit in March 2013 by getting rid of their flexible work program and making employees hold to a more traditional 40-hour work week. Even more recently, Reddit announced the closing of two branch offices in Utah and New York, giving employees two months to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area; then-CEO Yishan Wong cited that while remote work was good for some workers, in the macro scheme of things, the company just wasn't able to collaborate and coordinate efficiently. Why Ban Remote Work? So what has been prompting this about-face regarding work-at-home policies? Why are top technology companies pulling the plug on one of the hottest perks for today's workers? Some clues can be found in the Yahoo! memo. It claimed: "Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home." The implication being that remote work slows down overall productivity and lowers quality of output. The memo also positioned the policy as a way to unify the forces physically, stating that the best ideas usually come from face-to-face interaction around hallways and office water coolers. The truth is that there are many challenges with remote work, we can't pretend otherwise. We blogged about the 8 biggest challenges for leading virtual teams and found that according to our survey, the top two challenges were (1) poor communication, and (2) a lack of access to expertise needed to support the work. Jennifer Owens of Working Mother Media says that the move stems from fear: “Fear that if I can’t see you, I don’t know what you’re working on. It’s a distrust of your own workforce.” What it boils down to is that these companies decided against remote work because they believe virtual collaboration is inefficient. Instead of overhauling their work-from-home policies and investing in better collaboration technology, they'd rather herd their people back into a single physical location to enhance teamwork. But... People Love Remote Work! Even though companies like Yahoo!, HP, Best Buy, and Reddit have returned to more traditional work schedules from centralized locations, a thousand more startups and technology companies continue to fly the flag for remote work. Allowing remote work means teams can take advantage of the resources brought by distributed team members who do not want to pack up and move to company headquarters. And people value the perk! According to our remote collaboration survey of over 1,000 respondents, 25% of workers value remote work so much that they’re willing to accept a reduction in salary in order to enjoy it. Other sacrifices they're ready to make include: free meals, reduction in vacation, and paid cellphone plans. How to Make Remote Work Work So what do we say to the companies who have given up on remote work? How can a company successfully implement their work-from-home policy and avoid possible negative repercussions? You have to weigh up the working from home benefits and drawbacks. Terri Griffith, Professor of Management at Santa Clara University and author of The Plugged-In Manager, says: “It takes a thoughtful combination of people, technology, and process to gain the value of virtual work.” We've put together a free eBook on the reasons you should embrace remote work, and the entire second chapter deals with how to successfully implement the policy at your company. We included relevant case studies from companies that have thrived on distributed teamwork, including Johnson & Johnson and Zappos. Want to find out more about how Wrike can help your organization make working remotely work for them? Read more about our flexible work management platform here. Photo Credit: Asher Isbrucker on Flickr. Some rights reserved. Photo edited.
Andrew Filev on Hiring and Startup Leadership: The New York Times Interview
You hear it from every startup founder: the secret to success is in hiring the right people. People who can be creative with day-to-day challenges. People who work well with others. People who aren’t afraid to roll their sleeves up and get things done, no matter what that may entail. Just this Saturday, The New York Times' Adam Bryant ran an in-depth interview with our CEO, Andrew Filev regarding his background, his motivations, how he manages his teams, and especially how he hires. A few notable excerpts: On hiring and recruiters: "Hiring is one of the biggest parts of a CEO’s job — and it’s true for every executive. I tell my team: 'Your job is to build the best team. The recruiter is there to help and support you, but it’s your responsibility, and you own it.’" On how he evaluates job candidates: "I’ve learned to test people in action. So you give them some sort of task to see how they think about things." On his management style: “We check our egos at the door. It’s about, 'This is the best decision for the company, and here’s why.' I need to always have that explanation in my head, and I require that from everybody in the company, no matter how young or experienced they are." Read the complete interview over at The New York Times.
How Technology Affects Project Management
It was not that long ago that a printed-out Project Charter would be the start of project approval. The key stakeholders would physically sign the document, which would be passed in the internal mail between parties, finally returning to the project manager to update the version control for the document to version 1.0. She would then file it away for safe-keeping and proof that the initiation phase was over and that the real work could begin. Does that sound like your workplace now? Most project sponsors would now expect the entire approvals process to be done by email. That is not to say that you can skip getting formal project approval. Instead, the way you go about securing sponsor sign off is different, due to the technology available to you – and them – in the workplace. No longer do project managers have a filing cabinet of original functional specs and documents signed off in ink. They are more likely to hot desk with limited storage space for project files. Documentation is stored electronically on a central shared server, with scanned copies of any documentation that has been signed. Copies of approval emails are stored with the rest of the project documents on the server. This is now the accepted ways of working, even in industries like financial services which typically take a while to catch up. The Google Generation This approach to handling documentation has evolved due to the availability of technology of work, and an evolution of the way in which we use it. This has given risen to the ‘Google generation’. You probably fall into this category. It is not to do with age. It is a distinction based on the adoption of new technology. If you want information, you can go to Google (or your favourite search engine), type your question and get a relevant response in a fraction of a second. The Google search engine has changed the way project stakeholders expect to get information. In other words, if you need to find something out, you expect to be able to do so quickly and conveniently. It is no longer necessary to trawl through encyclopædias or take a trip to the library to do research. If you don’t know the answer, you can Google the question on your computer or mobile phone. This phenomena has contributed the rise of cheating in pub quizzes, but it has also made project management more difficult. In the past – and it wasn’t that long ago – the monthly steering group report would be an adequate representation of the project status. It was acknowledged that it was not a real-time project position, but it was accurate enough for the purposes of judging progress against milestones and budget. This data would be sufficient for steering group, and if anyone else wanted a formal project status report, the latest steering group report could be handed over as a snapshot in time. Most of the time, people were happy with this level of detail, even though implicitly they knew it could no longer be true. Only in an emergency would any one ask to see anything more up to date. Project info at your fingertips Today, project stakeholders have different expectations about project information, because they can get other information at the click of button. You want to know the weather in Bangalore? Google it. You want real-time stock prices on the FTSE? Google it. You want up to date project status reports. Here’s last month’s steering group report, precisely 19 days out of date. This lack of real-time data is no longer acceptable to project stakeholders who can get everything else in a fraction of a second. Sixteen per cent of the workforce is what research group IDG calls ‘hyperconnected’. These people have “fully embraced the brave new world… They liberally use technology devices and applications for both personal and business use.” IDG also estimates that the amount of workers falling into this category could soon be up to 40%. The fact that people are connected at work and at home has a knock-on impact on the way in which we provide project data. Now project stakeholders expect real-time, up to date status reports. Or at least, they expect you to give them that information whenever they ask for it, by return of email. Project managers now have to deal with those raised expectations and always be on top of project status in case anyone asks. And I think we should be. Project managers who don’t know what is going on — and are not able to communicate it — aren’t serving the needs of the project team or the wider stakeholder community. Of course, accurate and timely information works both ways, and we need it from sponsors too. So how have you adapted your project management practices to the evolving needs of your hyperconnected stakeholders? About the Author Elizabeth Harrin has ten years of experience managing projects. She’s a member of PMI’s New Media Council, and she writes about projects on her award-winning blog A Girl’s Guide to Project Management. She’s also the author of Project Management in the Real World, a case-study based book that tells you what you really need to know to succeed in project management.
3 Game-Changing Trends of the Modern Office
Going Paperless An office free of paper is a happy one indeed for several reasons. From an organizational standpoint, electronic copies are much easier to document and store. Keeping files organized in folders or by project in project management software allows you to always know where to find what you’re looking for. Isn’t it handy to have access to a document in the context of a particular assignment? No more sifting through stacks of papers or file folders, and, what’s no less important – no post-it notes covering your computer monitor or the walls of your office. Last, but not least, a paperless office is not only about your comfort and productivity. It’s also green! I once had a very stylish coworker who was in the habit of printing out emails. Our boss was very eco-conscious, so she sent out an office-wide email that stated “Printing emails went out of style with the fanny pack!” The email included a really funny picture of people wearing fanny packs. The entire office got a laugh out of the image, but more importantly, my coworker stopped unnecessarily printing out emails. Using Social Media Building a business takes time, but with the recent penetration of the web into our work and the popularity of social media, the process can go easier and quicker. Social media are a useful channel for informing your customers of what’s happening with the company and sector. Interaction is key for social media to be a success. Customers want to know there’s someone behind the face of the company. By engaging customers online, providing company transparency and asking for questions and feedback, a company’s reputation will start to build online. Social media also helps companies collect information about what their customers want and build their businesses. The t-shirt company Threadless is a great example of how a Facebook profile can be maximized. Customers can buy t-shirts straight from the Facebook page. They can also comment on items and share those comments on their own Facebook walls. This approach has led Threadless to gain over 100,000 fans. Taking Advantage of Mobile Apps Another driving force that impacts modern office is the popularity of smartphones and tablets. People are constantly on the go, so they’ve become reliant on getting information from their mobile devices. When you have leveraged a mobile app that lets you keep up with work, things can continue moving along even when your employee is, say, stuck in traffic jam, or in a working from home office. Apps can be a huge help when other technologies fail you. My husband and I were on vacation this summer when he got a panicked call from one of his employees. The power went out at his job due to a thunderstorm and his staff was about to be visited by an important vendor. My husband was able to share all of the information his staff needed without leaving the Jacuzzi! No longer are we glued to pen-and-paper ways of communication. Technology is making an office portable, with the traditional four walls and a desk being replaced by smartphones and electronic communication. The entire landscape of the “office” is changing before our eyes, and a remote work policy for your company could be the way forward. Bring your office into the modern age. Create a paperless work environment to declutter your work space and help the environment. Take full advantage of social media instead of using it only to chat with old high school friends. Use mobile apps to connect with your customers and coworkers anywhere at any time. These small adjustments can help adapt your business to meet the current trends and keep you from being left behind.This article was provided by Erin Palmer on behalf of Villanova University’s online programs. As you take your office to the web consider taking your education online as well. Villanova offers a wide range of programs and prep courses online.