My group at Adobe recently held a Program Manager Summit, an action-packed and informative two days during which we heard from speakers on topics from influencing without authority to change management to scrum. We also discussed The Happiness Advantage, prompted by a recent session with its author, Shawn Achor. Continue reading “Useful strategies for project and program managers”
Project management best practices in a fast-paced, global environment
Does any project management not take place in a fast-paced, global environment? Undoubtedly, but some of us have yet to encounter that. So the session on this subject at the recent San Francisco Bay Area PMI Open Space provided a welcome opportunity to share experiences with others in the same situation and to get some useful tips. Continue reading “Project management best practices in a fast-paced, global environment”
Decision making simplified
We’re all faced with many decisions every day, and we tend to think we’re rational and in control, at least when it comes to simple decisions. Yet even seemingly simple decisions can turn out to be complex when you take all factors into account. So how do we know we’re making decisions in the best way possible? How do we evaluate our decisions? And can we learn to make better decisions? This topic has come up at more than one event I’ve attended recently: At the January dinner meeting of the San Francisco Bay Area Project Management Institute, Dr. Errol Wirasinghe, author of The Art of Making Decisions, delved into these questions in an engaging and compelling talk. And decision making was a prevalent theme in the recent “Program Manager Summit” held by my group at Adobe. Continue reading “Decision making simplified”
Open space is not just a physical location
When most people hear the term “open space,” they think of a green area in or near a city, a place set aside for our enjoyment of nature and to give us a breather from the city’s density. But in the world of project management it’s come to have an entirely new meaning: an open space, in this sense, is a self-organized meeting or event without an initial agenda, and with just on rule, the Law of Mobility and Responsibility (a.k.a. the Law of Two Feet): “If you are not learning or contributing where you are, find a place where you can learn or contribute.” An open space also follows these four principles: Continue reading “Open space is not just a physical location”
Electric cars are coming!
This post was originally published on The Energy Collective. Since then, the first Nissan Leaf has been delivered to its proud owner. Electric cars are here!
Are you ready? I can’t say that I am, but I recently had the opportunity to learn more at the workshop Electric Vehicles: Innovations, Incentives, and Infrastructure, where panelists from various companies and government organizations presented the latest information. Continue reading “Electric cars are coming!”
Happiness training
When was the last time your workplace sponsored a seminar on happiness? Never, you say? Yet on a recent weekday morning, nearly 100 co-workers and I crowded into a small auditorium for just that. (The actual name of the course was “The Science of Positive Leadership.”) Though the course was optional, three hours long, and had been advertised only to managers, the room was packed. We were there to see what Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, could tell us about how to be happier and how that would affect our productivity and that of our teams. Continue reading “Happiness training”
Condoizing solar, part 4: options for condos
As part of my research on getting a solar PV system for my San Francisco condo complex, I thought I’d look around and see what other condos have done. (I’m especially interested in condos that share roof space, which presents extra challenges.) With the whole Internet at my disposal, I expected to encounter the usual information overload. Instead, I found that very few condos have managed to go solar. Continue reading “Condoizing solar, part 4: options for condos”
Mixed results in 2010 elections
For some, knowing that California’s Proposition 23 was largely funded by two Texas oil companies (along with the Koch brothers) might have been enough of a reason to vote against it. Similarly, Proposition 26 got major funding from big oil and tobacco companies. But what does the recent defeat of Prop 23, and the passing of Prop 26, actually mean? And why was one defeated and the other similar one approved, by the same voters?
Government’s role in promoting sustainability
A major theme at this year’s San Francisco Green Festival was what we as individuals can do to promote sustainability. But what’s government’s role? I attended a panel on this subject with representatives from the federal, state, and city levels. Continue reading “Government’s role in promoting sustainability”
Spreading the green message at the San Francisco Green Festival
It would be interesting to see which other U.S. cities could draw as big a crowd as the one at the 9th annual San Francisco Green Festival last weekend. The expansive Concourse Exhibition center was packed with the usual suspects and more: the generous smattering of hippies in dreadlocks and flowing organic cotton fashions was only part of the varied crowd, which seemed to encompass all the demographics you’d normally find around town. Continue reading “Spreading the green message at the San Francisco Green Festival”
Project Green A to Z 