Comments on: Project Management Code: Why Do You Do What You Do? http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html Projects Are About People. Awesome. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:16:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bas de Baar http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-9404 Bas de Baar Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:23:44 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-9404 "Hope it makes sense." It makes perfectly sense. I honored your comments with a entire posting :) Thanks again for pointing this out. I definitely will come back on this topic... but yes, it is something huge to wrap your mind around. “Hope it makes sense.” It makes perfectly sense. I honored your comments with a entire posting :) Thanks again for pointing this out. I definitely will come back on this topic… but yes, it is something huge to wrap your mind around.

]]> By: Wil http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-9392 Wil Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:09:40 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-9392 Phew…not sure bit I’ll have a go at an answer. So in my opinion, what he’s done is try to understand the behaviour of project management from an evolutionary point of view. It is quite counterintuitive (as others have remarked) because he puts forward the idea that the things we do (project management things) are driven by evolutionary pressures (from the environment etc) and we do these things not to make us more productive or to deliver the work on time, but to survive the corporate environment we find ourselves in. First time I’ve voiced this out loud. Hope it makes sense.<br>From the Whitty material in general I feel there’s more to come that we haven’t seen yet. At the event I went to he alluded to a couple of papers or studies he said he was in the process of publishing, but he wouldn’t be drawn too much on the specifics. He did mention that one of the studies showed that project managers (or people who manage projects) get addicted to certain aspects of the “game play” (his words), and this is in part why us project managers do some of the things we do. We don’t do them because they increase our productivity; we do them because we enjoy doing them. <br><br>I also can’t quite get to his level on the evolutionary approach. An example of this is when he talks about humans it’s as if he were talking about dogs or ants, or any other animal. ? Best way I can sum this up. It’s probably because I don’t really fully understand what evolution means or the processes involved.<br><br>When I read his papers, it’s like watching star wars 4 and 5. I have a sense that he’s got episodes 6 and 1, 2, and 3, up his sleeve somewhere, or at least know what they should be about.<br><br>Wil Phew…not sure bit I’ll have a go at an answer. So in my opinion, what he’s done is try to understand the behaviour of project management from an evolutionary point of view. It is quite counterintuitive (as others have remarked) because he puts forward the idea that the things we do (project management things) are driven by evolutionary pressures (from the environment etc) and we do these things not to make us more productive or to deliver the work on time, but to survive the corporate environment we find ourselves in. First time I’ve voiced this out loud. Hope it makes sense.
From the Whitty material in general I feel there’s more to come that we haven’t seen yet. At the event I went to he alluded to a couple of papers or studies he said he was in the process of publishing, but he wouldn’t be drawn too much on the specifics. He did mention that one of the studies showed that project managers (or people who manage projects) get addicted to certain aspects of the “game play” (his words), and this is in part why us project managers do some of the things we do. We don’t do them because they increase our productivity; we do them because we enjoy doing them.

I also can’t quite get to his level on the evolutionary approach. An example of this is when he talks about humans it’s as if he were talking about dogs or ants, or any other animal. ? Best way I can sum this up. It’s probably because I don’t really fully understand what evolution means or the processes involved.

When I read his papers, it’s like watching star wars 4 and 5. I have a sense that he’s got episodes 6 and 1, 2, and 3, up his sleeve somewhere, or at least know what they should be about.

Wil

]]> By: Explaining Complex Systems: Like Watching Star Wars 4 — Project Shrink http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-9394 Explaining Complex Systems: Like Watching Star Wars 4 — Project Shrink Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:37:50 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-9394 [...] why I want to draw your attention to a discussion that takes place in the comments of my [...] [...] why I want to draw your attention to a discussion that takes place in the comments of my [...]

]]> By: Bas de Baar http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-9381 Bas de Baar Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:26:48 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-9381 WOW Wil, this is really good stuff. Thanks. You have been thinking about the Whitty material for almost a year now. What is the most important lesson you took from him? WOW Wil, this is really good stuff. Thanks. You have been thinking about the Whitty material for almost a year now. What is the most important lesson you took from him?

]]> By: Wil http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-9360 Wil Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:40:22 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-9360 Bas, I've got another Whitty item for you.<br><br><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9010523214247487421" rel="nofollow">http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9010523...</a> <br><br>I attended the 3rd talk in this series in Canberra. I got a lot from the talk, but the question time responses were even better. Shame they aren't included on this video.<br><br>Wil Bas, I've got another Whitty item for you.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9010523...

I attended the 3rd talk in this series in Canberra. I got a lot from the talk, but the question time responses were even better. Shame they aren't included on this video.

Wil

]]> By: Relationship Between Creative Thinking And Play — Project Shrink http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-8637 Relationship Between Creative Thinking And Play — Project Shrink Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:33:00 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-8637 [...] of our peers, and therefor are embarrassed to show our ideas (perhaps, that is why every PM does exactly the same thing over and over [...] [...] of our peers, and therefor are embarrassed to show our ideas (perhaps, that is why every PM does exactly the same thing over and over [...]

]]> By: Bas http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-8584 Bas Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:07:23 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-8584 Hi Will, I am glad you pointed me to the PDF... it's on my to-do list for this week. :) I think he hits on the most difficult of all problems: the Project Manager self (as a person). If you have more insights or references, please don't hesitate to share. Cheers Bas Hi Will, I am glad you pointed me to the PDF… it’s on my to-do list for this week. :) I think he hits on the most difficult of all problems: the Project Manager self (as a person).

If you have more insights or references, please don’t hesitate to share.

Cheers
Bas

]]> By: Wil http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-8581 Wil Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:32:07 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-8581 This stuff of Whitty's has been going 'round and 'round in my mind for months since your first post. I've been following the comments of others on his published papers too, including the material on managing complexity. But I also find he's produced some unpublished material and I think the concepts in this so called discussion paper offer great insight in how we currently fail to measure project management skills. The paper I'm talking about is called "A War On Terms: moving the discussion of managing complexity in projects forward". It's an easily missed pdf on whitty's website: http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~jonw/A%20War%20On%20Terms%20By%20Jon%20Whitty.pdf This stuff of Whitty’s has been going ’round and ’round in my mind for months since your first post. I’ve been following the comments of others on his published papers too, including the material on managing complexity. But I also find he’s produced some unpublished material and I think the concepts in this so called discussion paper offer great insight in how we currently fail to measure project management skills. The paper I’m talking about is called “A War On Terms: moving the discussion of managing complexity in projects forward”. It’s an easily missed pdf on whitty’s website:
http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~jonw/A%20War%20On%20Terms%20By%20Jon%20Whitty.pdf

]]> By: Experienced Project Managers Stop Learning http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-5118 Experienced Project Managers Stop Learning Tue, 06 May 2008 09:35:51 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-5118 [...] Getting project managers to think and talk about why they do what they do [...] [...] Getting project managers to think and talk about why they do what they do [...]

]]> By: Bas de Baar http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html/comment-page-1#comment-4977 Bas de Baar Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:14:04 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/project-management-code-214.html#comment-4977 Hi Wil, great catch. Enough food for thought again :) Here is the link directly to the video presentation: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4844531765437347321 Hi Wil, great catch. Enough food for thought again :) Here is the link directly to the video presentation:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4844531765437347321

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