Projects don’t really exist; they’re a mental model, not an actual thing. We invented projects so that we can talk about a nebulous stream of work as if they were single blocks of time and effort. There are no projects; there are only products. The...
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July 7, 2016 Bruce Benson
Planning
It’s easy for stand-ups, which are supposed to be brief team-sharing ceremonies, to turn into extended meetings. Limit the conversation to simple statements about things the entire team should know — what you did yesterday, what you’re doing today, and any blockers or help needed....
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June 24, 2016 Bruce Benson
Team Management
You wouldn’t believe how sophisticated hacking has become in the past few years. It has, in fact, gotten so mind-blowingly complex and erudite that this word, sophisticated, is now the only one human beings can really use to describe any single act of computer-security violation....
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June 16, 2016 Bruce Benson
Reporting
[S]elf-reporting data can be very misleading. For instance, in an Australian hospital, 73 percent of staff doctors claimed that they soaped up before interacting with patients. But a study based on observed behavior showed that only 9 percent of them did. Stephen Dubner, Freaky Thinkers...
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June 9, 2016 Bruce Benson
Planning
[Anouk] Wipprecht finds that her keys to success are curiosity, being willing to work across disciplines, and having a clear mission. “Whatever triggers your attention, go for it,” she says. “A lot of engineers ask me,” ‘How do I do design?’ I say, just go...
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June 2, 2016 Bruce Benson
Process Improvement
"I truly believe that engineers will do their best when they are constrained" -- Johny Srouji
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May 26, 2016 Bruce Benson
Planning
We’ll be successful, ironically, when it becomes boring.
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May 19, 2016 Bruce Benson
Reporting
"There is no evidence that consumers can self diagnose and self-treat." Really?
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May 12, 2016 Bruce Benson
Change Management
No Comment
Data we’ve collected show that in the U.S only 30 percent of people are engaged at work. Gallup
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May 5, 2016 Bruce Benson
Staffing
Whether the demand is for capping the rise in Earth’s temperatures, creating therapies to halt memory loss in the elderly or expanding farm output to meet the world’s growing population, the answer is the same: Set targets. The urge to target is varied and insistent...
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April 27, 2016 Bruce Benson
Planning
The best managers I’ve worked with have always been those who honestly immersed themselves in the business.
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April 21, 2016 Bruce Benson
Planning
No Comment
“What RevUp really is,” says Joe Rospars, an Obama campaign veteran who founded Blue State Digital (a partner and investor in RevUp), “is a software version of Steve himself. He’s put his personality and experience into code.” Steve Spinner Just Fixed The Worst Thing About...
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April 7, 2016 Bruce Benson
Innovation
Who doesn’t want recognition for their hard work and contributions? Early in my career I wanted to believe if you worked hard, and added value, you would be rewarded. I wanted to believe in the utopian ideal that hard work, discipline, and contributions were the...
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March 31, 2016 Bruce Benson
Honesty
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, a consensus emerged that cockpit doors should be reinforced and fitted with elaborate locks. This was an eminently sensible idea. Then last year, a pilot named Andreas Lubitz boarded Germanwings Flight 9525. When his captain left the cockpit, Lubitz locked...
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March 18, 2016 Bruce Benson
Change Management
I think it’s too good of a story not to be told at this stage,” [Johny] Srouji says. “Hopefully, we won’t reveal too much.” When the original iPhone came out in 2007, Steve Jobs was well aware of its flaws. It had no front camera,...
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March 10, 2016 Bruce Benson
Planning
