PPP 095 | Agile Project Management and the PMI-ACP® Certification

Adapt. Deliver. Fast.

If you are in the business of delivering projects, especially in the area of software development, you have certainly heard about agile project management. A good sign that the influence of agile continues to grow is when the Project Management Institute created the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner credential (PMI-ACP®) in 2012.

If you are actively involved with agile in any of its many forms, it's worth learning more about the PMI-ACP certification. And if you're not currently utilizing agile practices, it's worth investing time to understand what it is and isn't.

Welcoming Back Cornelius Fichtner, PMP

In this episode, I welcome back my friend and podcast colleague Cornelius Fichtner, whom you probably know as the voice of The Project Management Podcast. In this episode I talk with Cornelius about agile, the PMI-ACP certification, and a new way to study for the PMI-ACP that might just fit your style of learning.

Try the Agile PrepCast™

If you want to study to pass the PMI-ACP exam, check out The Agile PrepCast. Cornelius and his team have been working for over a year to make this a critical resource in your preparation. Similar to his PM PrepCast offering, the learning is delivered via a podcast stream so you can watch or listen to it in a manner that is convenient to your work and lifestyle.

For years I have been affiliate of Cornelius' products and it is with great confidence that I recommend the Agile PrepCast to you.

Add Your Voice to Our Podcast!

Are you a regular listener to The People and Projects Podcast? I'd love to have your voice added to the beginning or end of the cast. Just send me an e-mail saying "I'd love to help!" I would love to have the opportunity to talk with you directly so contact me today and we'll set up a time to record your piece.

Join our Facebook Page

I invite you to stop by our podcast Facebook page! "Like" it and the join the discussion.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 36:19

Download episode 95

 

A Little Agile Humor

My favorite agilists tend to be people who don't take themselves too seriously. Enjoy!

FASTER DOES IT by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

"PMI" and "PMI-ACP" are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.

PPP 094 | How to Motivate Your Project Team, with Heidi Grant Halvorson and Tory Higgins

Total Duration 42:54

Download episode 94

What Does It Take To Motivate Your Team?

One of the common concerns I hear from those who lead projects and teams has to do with motivation. What does it take? An inspirational speech (see the video below!)? Money? Time? All the above, depending on the person?

Motivating Project Teams

In this episode I talk with Heidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins.. They are the authors of a book just released this week entitled Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence. The underlying research behind the book finds we each tend to have a primary motivational focus or mindset: either promotion or prevention. You'll learn more about what these mean in this episode.

I invite you to visit Heidi's website at at http://www.heidigranthalvorson.com/. You can take an assessment to learn your motivational style by visiting http://www.yourfocusdiagnostic.com.

Need Some Motivation

Hey, you promotion-minded listener! Need a little pick-me-up that will speak right to your promotion-minded heart? Check it out!

BIG BAND from April 1992, from The Music Bakery

MILITARY PROCESSION from April 1992, from The Music Bakery

GRATITUDE from the album PEACE & QUIET, from The Brain Store.

PPP 093 | Givers, Takers, and Matchers, A Discussion About Success with Dr. Adam Grant

Free PDUs while learning how to influence

Can I Ask You a Favor?

So let's say someone asks you for help. For a favor, let's say. What's your first reaction? Is it, "Sure! No problem! I'd love to help!"

Perhaps most of us would like to think that's how we respond. Could your response vary, based on the situation?

Let's modify the scenario. Let's say this person who is asking for help seems, in your mind, to have very little potential to help you in any meaningful way--now or in the future. Regardless of how you made that assessment, in economic terms, this favor would appear to have very little perceived return on investment.

So, would you still help? Or would you scramble for an excuse to step away?

Welcoming back Dr. Adam Grant

My guest in this episode is Dr. Adam Grant. We talk about his new book released just this week entitled Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. In this episode you'll hear Adam talk about givers, takers, and matchers, three reciprocity styles that form the basis of the book.

I invite you to visit the book's website at at http://www.giveandtake.com. You can take his self-assessment on that site to learn your preferred style. Also, Adam mentions work done by Alison Fragale at University of North Carolina. Here's a link to an article summarizing her work regarding powerless communication: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/2010/07/the-power-of-powerless-speech

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 44:25

Download episode 93

 

Adam Grant on Success

Here's a 5 minute clip of Adam summarizing the reciprocity styles.

How can you avoid being a doormat?

Magic of Fog by Rushus is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) License.

The Giving and the Taking by Dolly Parton from the album Kenny & Dolly

Additional music from Music Alley.

PPP 092 | In the Trenches, with Kiron Bondale, PMP

Introducing Kiron Bondale, PMP

We continue our In the Trenches series of episodes, with this interview with Kiron Bondale, PMP. Kiron runs the Project Management Office at Agricorp. Make sure to check out Kiron's insightful blog at http://kbondale.wordpress.com.

Kiron has graciously offered to share a risk register template with listeners of The People and Projects Podcast. Click the icon below to download the Microsoft Excel file:

20 PDUs for a Great Price!

Whether you need contact hours for PMP®certification or PDUs, we can help! Our e-learning is engaging, informative, and even fun. Go to http://courses.i-leadonline.com/courses/advanced-project-management to get 20 PDU's for a great price. 

 

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 15:54

Download episode 92

 

FIREWORKS by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License.

PPP 091 | You Can Be a Better Writer, with Tips from Bryan A. Garner

Total Duration 23:44

Download episode 91

 

So, how do you feel when each of the following occurs?

  • You come across a typo in a project document.
  • You receive an e-mail that is pages and pages long.
  • Someone hits Reply All and there are hundreds of people on copy.
  • You're stuck in a meeting listening to a presenter who has mastered every business cliche in the book!

Yuck. We're living in a business climate where writing skills matter so much but get so little attention.

Tips for Better Business Writing

Ever sit there in front of your monitor, your keyboard anxiously waiting for you to start typing your communication and you just feel stuck? Wouldn't it be great if there was a concise guide to improve your business writing?

Thankfully, there is! My guest in this episode is Professor Bryan A. Garner. He is the author of over 20 books, including Garner's Modern American Usage, Black's Law Dictionary (editor-in-chief), and the grammar and usage chapter in the venerable The Chicago Manual of Style. Brian recently published The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, published by Harvard Business Review Press.

If you want to raise the bar and think outside the box to leverage best practices in business writing, well, um, just listen to this interview with Bryan! You can learn more about Bryan and his organization at http://www.lawprose.org.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Business Jargon Gone Wild

It's so easy for me to succumb to bizspeak. In the spirit of mocking business jargon, here's a 2-minute video from some friends in the U.K.:

Sentimental-Fields 3 All Kinds Of Gibberish Sounds by The Superfools is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareALike License.

Talk to Me by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License.

 

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