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gantthead blogs
by - Dave Prior
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Drunken Boxing for Project Managers
“The main feature of the drunkard boxing is to hide combative hits in drunkard-like, unsteady movements and actions so as to confuse the opponent. The secret of this style of boxing is maintaining a clear mind while giving a drunken appearance.”
Yeah... just like that… but with network diagrams and burndown charts… and a wee bit less vodka.
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Questioning the "Cost of Sound"
categories:
productivity
I was listening to an interview on the radio today with one of the authors of a book called Healing at the Speed of Sound. The interview was intriguing enough that I’ve already started reading it, but what stuck with me the most from the interview was a question that was asked about the “cost of sound”. The idea being that any kind of noise around you, ambient noise from an air conditioner, the hum of electricity, water running though a pipe in the wall, children in another room or co-workers in a nearby cube, all have a cost associated with them. Since we can’t actually shut our ears, the way we can our eyes, we are always in listening mode. Even if you wear earplugs or noise cancelling headphones, you are merely swapping one noise for another. Noise is something we can’t entirely block out; our brain will always be processing the sounds around us. The reason that the “cost of sound” question stuck with me so much is because I started thinking about different work environments, how different types of people need different soundscapes to maintain productivity and yet, beyond making sure no one is disruptively loud, we pay little to no attention to sound when we put people together in a workspace.
So, what I’m wondering is, does anyone measure the impact of sound on productivity in an office setting. And, if anyone does, is there a way to translate the negative or positive actual cost (currency) impact of one sound scape over another on a given project? Can changes in sound scape be translated into cost or risk? And, is sound like other environmental conditions?
If the Hawthorne Works studies indicate that simply changing a variable in a work situation will result in increased productivity simply because of change, does this apply to sound? If I start playing Never Mind the Bollocks in the office, will folks be motivated to work more efficiently or quicker? Once their productivity has stabilized, if I replace the Sex Pistols with Kenny G, are they still going to see an improvement?
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#46(ish) Using Social Media. Two Years Later
categories:
Bas De Baar,
facebook,
Flipboard,
personal branding,
project management,
project manaqement,
Project Potion,
projectshrink,
ProjectWizards,
social media,
social media,
SXSW
Points to Bas
categories:
Bas De Baar,
Flipboard,
iPad,
iPad,
iPad 2,
iPad2,
projectshrink,
social media,
social media
Editing the new episode of Project Potion. Points to @projectshrink (Bas de Baar) for coming up with a reason to actually use Flipbook - to catch up on recent tweets into a specific hash tag.
The new episode includes a look back at how our use (as project leaders) of social media tools has evolved over the past 12-14 months. It should be up in a day or so.
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25 Incredibly Useful iPad Applications
categories:
iPad,
iPad,
iPad 2,
iPad2
Agile and Project Management Talks at SXSW 2012
categories:
Agile,
Bas De Baar,
branding,
Kathy Compton,
Panda Transport,
Panel Picker,
personal branding,
project management,
project manaqement,
Project Potion,
projectshrink,
ProjectWizards,
Scrum,
SXSW,
SXSW2012,
Thierry Holoweck
Last year I attended SXSW for the first time. While I had intended to spend my days basking in the onslaught of music and film that it is known for, what I actually spent my time doing was focusing mostly on the talks that centered on Agile and Project Management. Each of the presentations on PM and Agile were very well attended. In some cases there was a line waiting to get in, so there is a definite hunger for information at the event. Unfortunately, with the exception of one talk (given by Brett Harned and Pamela Villacorta) the content presented in most of the PM and Agile talks was disappointing.
SXSW 2012 is right around the corner and they’ve opened the area where people can vote on proposed topics. If you’ve got a few minutes, follow the links below to become an SXSW 2012 Panel Picker, search for Agile and PM presentations vote Thumbs Up for the ones you think look interesting. This Spring, there will be another crowd of PMs in Austin who are interested in learning about project management and how to do it better. Help make sure the talks they get to choose from are going to help them raise their game. Who knows… you may end up working with some of them someday.
SXSW 2012 Interactive Panel Picker http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/index/10
SXSW 2012 Music Panel Picker http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/index/12
SXSW 2012 Film Panel Picker http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/index/11
And while you’re voting, you may want to consider…
Project Leadership Through Personal Branding
(ProjectShrink Bas de Baar and Dave Prior)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10995
Developing Music and Software Across a Distance
(Dave Prior with Panda Transport’s Kathy Compton and Thierry Holweck)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/12133
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