My Medium Content
Thanks for stopping by! The content here is going to be in a little flux for a while because I’m moving items and shifting some of my media creation over to Medium as a way to leverage the power of the publishing platform. I’ll still post a unique blog here and on LinkedIn from time to time, but my main focus will be on that site.
Get in touch!
pmann@educationalthinking.com
(717) 400-6266 (voicemail)
Harrisburg, PA
PROJECT ESTIMATES AND UNDERSTANDING SUCCESS
Organizations that want meaningful long term project success need to reinforce the basics of estimates. We need to finish the conceptual equation by connecting the methods of calculating our expected costs to the way we use those figures to baseline projects and define success or failure. Finally, we need to eliminate the inconsistent views of estimates that create varied perceptions of “success” and “failure” so that everyone involved has the same understanding of what it means to be “on target.”
Fair Enough?
Many organizations, especially in government or government contracting, create “fair” interview panels from a deliberately (read: legally defensible) diverse group of disinterested interviewers. These interviews follow a rigidly structured protocol – though they often use behavioral interview questions, a subject of a future post – which disallows all but the most superficial pleasantries.
Planning to Action in 5 Easy Steps
Why then, do leaders vault over analysis and duck planning, and jump right into implementation when things really have to go right? The only thing I can think of is that there is a belief that analysis and planning have to be overly complex to work, but that's just not true.
Hiring: Does Short Term Thinking Cause Long Term Problems?
“Consider how similar hiring decisions are to romantic decisions. We interview a person based on an online profile or short resume, the candidate gets a short look at the company through a web page and an interview, and at that point both decide whether to start a relationship with them that requires us to make an investment.”
Work-Life Balance: Are Benefits On-Point?
“…benefits are one of many tools used to capture and retain scarce talent. In this context, it appears obvious that leaders would work hard to validate both the value and utility of benefits from a variety of perspectives represented in the workforce, but this isn’t the case.”
Is A-76 Dead, or Just Sleeping?
I am driven to wonder whether the rule itself is finished, or if it simply needs better and more regular implementation. My sense is that, of the two sides, only the "kill it" side has a clear focus, but that doesn't mean it is the only relevant view even if there isn't an obvious and reasonable focus on keeping it.