PODCAST · business
Projects and Systems Podcast
by Projects and Systems Podcast
Concise, practical tips about project management and process improvement from the real world. Each episode is 10-minutes or less.
Episodes
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Episode 55 - Rim-to-Rim
Is there such a thing as being over-prepared? And if so, can it be dangerous? In today's episode I explain why the answer is, "Yes!" to both questions.
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Episode 54 - Killing The Ivy
Ever think you're doing the right thing, only to find out it was precisely wrong? Today I talk about how we do that in our organizations.
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Episode 53 - This Is What It Takes
One reason why you may not be getting the results you expect in your projects, is that your standard of what it takes to hit excellence is far too low. What you think it takes to get an A+ on your paper, might really be what it takes to get a C+, or a B-.
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Episode 52 - The Velocity Trap
When you estimate what you can pull off in the next iteration, are you basing that on a running average? Or the reality of the moment?
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Episode 51 - Two Types of Work, but Only One Pipeline
Are you inadvertantly creating your own bottlenecks? In this episode, I discuss one common way this can happen, and what to do about it.
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Episode 50 - Meanwhile, back in the minivan...
There's a time for dreaming, and then there's a time to get our feet firmly back on the ground. As PM's, we need to guide our teams to meet project objectives with our existing resources.
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Episode 49 - Ambiguity is for Rookies
I know it's comfortable to speak in generalities and, "We might want to's..." and, "...Maybe we should consider's...". There's a time for that in the beginning. But then, we need to put that verbiage behind us and hold ourselves to a higher standard of speaking clearly and directly.
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Episode 48 - The Parable of the Wasted Walk
How a little bit of situational awareness, up front, can help us avoid taking our project teams on unnecessary side trips that cause delays and lower morale.
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Episode 047 - "Should we?" vs. "Can we?" in Agile
A quick tip on something that often confuses people using Agile/Scrum to manage their projects.
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Episode 046 - The parable of the second door
As project managers we are paid to hit the objective--even if that means getting there in a way that wasn't part of our original plan.
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Episode 045 - Give it time
When we're trying to adopt a new methodology at work, and we hit some friction, we sometimes jump to the conclusion (pun intended) that we chose the wrong approach. That can happen, but more often we just have not given it time to really sink in.
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Episode 044 - Fast is slow. Slow is fast.
When we try and take shortcuts, it ends up taking longer. When we're deliberate, and we take the time it takes, that's as fast as that task can be done.
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Episode 043 - Three questions our team members are asking themselves
Episode 043 - Three questions our team members are asking themselves by Projects and Systems Podcast
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Episode 042 - If you're in the project business, you're in the change management business
How often have you been frustrated by last-minute changes in your project scope? In today's episode I shed some light on why that happens, and how we need to anticipate vs. complain about changes.
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Episode 041 - It's just drywall!
Sometimes we act like some policies or ways of doing things are just givens--something we just need to work around. However, often they are not as permanent as we think, and the real solution is to just tear it down.
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Episode 040 - Can your team Scan the Plan?
Can you and your project measure up to the equivalent of what my general contractor is doing on my home remodel?
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Episode 039 - Doing the right thing, but in the wrong place
Ever get frustrated as to why all of your process improvement efforts just don't seem to move the needle? You know you're doing the right things, but can't figure out why you don't see the results? This quick listen may be the answer you're looking for.
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Episode 038 - Keep your eye on the hinge
A quick lesson we can learn about managing our systems from boxing
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Episode 037 - Question all assumptions
One key mindset and skill we need to develop as PM’s is to be willing to question all assumptions and achieve the objective in creative ways.
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Episode 036 - Deliverables, not donuts
How did that project that has been, "Doing just great!" for the past several weeks just go into panic mode so quickly--and with no notice?! Chances are, it's been getting worse for a while, but you haven't been getting the straight story from your team. In today's episode, I talk about four…
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Episode 035 - Spinning your wheels?
Frustrated by seeing your project teams work really hard, but never get anything done? In this episode we talk about the most common reason for why this happens and how to fix it.
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Episode 034 - One step ahead
Have you ever been frustrated because you have to chase down your project manager for basic project information? Embarrassed when you can't put your finger on the latest project update in a few clicks? This is for you.
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Episode 033 - Moving a Mountain
If I told you there was a literal fortune sitting nearby, what would you do? What if you had to move a mountain to get it? That's a real situation here in the present-day Salt Lake Valley.
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Episode 032 - Will I ever use algebra when I get older? Yes! As a project manager!
I found myself explaining a four-part framework to my 13-year old in order to help him with his algebra word problem homework one night, and then a few days later sitting in a meeting to learn about a new project I'll be overseeing, and using almost the exact same framework. This is the quick…
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Episode 031 - Managing your time by slowing down
Today I take you on location with me as my boys and I prepare to go fly fishing up a local canyon. We talk about how we have the "game" of what time management is backwards sometimes, and how we might need to slow down in order to be more productive.
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Episode 030 - Don't manage your time from your inbox
In today's episode I describes a common frustration I see with how people try to manage their time, and offer a suggestion on how to incorporate a few tricks from the old paper planner days using modern tools.
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Episode 029 - Procrastinating on building that project schedule?
Today we talk about a very useful tool that helps you reframe your work when you need to prepare a project schedule. Listen to this, and stop the procrastination! It's not that bad. Really! And join me over on my new website: www.RandyCox.tv for a new, free, online mini course!
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Episode 028 - Don't try to improve the wrong part of the system
When you start studying how to improve the flow of a system, you start seeing opportunities for improvement everywhere--including the McDonalds drive through! Be sure to visit RandyCox.tv for a free worksheet you can download after the episode.
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Episode 027 - Four types of clean
So what happens when you combine an adolescent pit bull on a hot, summer day, working on the sprinklers, and a clueless pit bull owner (me)? You guessed it! A four-part model you can apply in your professional life!
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Episode 026 - Network diagrams
This episode was originally shot on video and uploaded to YouTube. However, that version is actually a product demo of a great little tool I've used for years called Casual.pm (no endorsement deal involved). However, that episode didn't lend itself to an audio-only format, so I recorded this one…
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Episode 025 - Are you at the right altitude?
Today we talk about a very common mistake PM's make (new and experienced, alike), and how to avoid it by applying a simple lesson from Corporate Communications
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Episode 024 - Do you want fries with that?
A short discussion on how to determine what is in and out of scope. This podcast episode is the audio track of a video available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ihnks-Sf2s&t=33s
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Episode 023 - How to MECE your scope
Today we continue the short series on Scope that we started in Episode 022 with another technique: how to apply the MECE (pronounced mee-see)approached from McKinsey Consulting to scope definition.
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Episode 022 - Scope decomposition
Today we begin a short series on the all-important topic of project scope. Specifically, we talk about how to take something huge, overwhelming, and stress-inducing and break it down into something manageable.
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Episode 021 - Stop planning and Go!
This episode was shot as a video, on-site, from Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah. The topic is the point where you've planned, and planned (and maybe want to plan some more), but you just need to jump!
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Episode 020 - Solar keyboards and change management
Think there's no connection between these two things? Think again. I thought I knew the problem with a situation, but was wrong. Twice.
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Episode 019 - Office plants and project transparency
Today we talk about how important it is to make the work visible and transparent not only to leadership, but the whole team.
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Episode 018 - Tow trucks, second languages, and requirements analysis
Today I am very happy to have a special guest on the show. Find out how tow trucks, learning a second language, and requirements analysis can help you in your project.
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Episode 017 - Decaying leaves in your project
Do you have a pile of decaying leaves in your project? Probably. We explore how to find and remove it in today's episode.
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Episode 016 - Lessons from windshield wipers
We know one size does not fit all when it comes to getting the rain off our windshields. But, have we learned this same lesson in terms of how we approach projects?
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Episode 015 - Blenders and leadership
An important, but embarrassing lesson I learned about leadership from my blender.
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Episode 014 - Optimizing like a cheetah
What we can learn from cheetahs about how we set up and optimize our projects and systems.
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Episode 013 - The drift of surfing...and projects
We don't realize we're drifting, but we are. Today, we talk about how we compensate for that while out surfing and how it applies to business.
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Episode 012 - What antelopes can teach us about risk management
We continue our podcast mini-series, on location, from San Diego. This time, we look at a behavior from antelopes that represents some of the first principles of risk management.
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Episode 011 - Be the giraffe for your project
Today I talk about a lesson I learned from our San Diego Zoo Safari Park tour guide about giraffes and what parallel that has to being a project manager.
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Episode 010 - Trust the heart rate monitor, not how you feel
Today I draw an analogy between monitoring the effectiveness of a cardio workout and how we monitor the health and performance of our projects.
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Episode 009 - Not all hours are created equal
Today we discuss how making an investment in getting some key activities done up front enhances the quality of
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Episode 008 - There is only one plus column
I describe an important lesson I learned from Alistair Cockburn, one of the "founding fathers" of the Agile Manifesto and movement, that still sticks with me today.
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Episode 007 - No one fills the leader's battery
In today's episode I talk about how leaders serve as batteries for their teams, the effect that can have on the leader, and how she/he needs to find ways to replenish and recharge.
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Episode 006 - Square pegs into round holes
Today we talk about a hard lesson I learned about time slotting, how it applies to business, and we end by showing how this applies to Dr. Goldratt's insight around management time and attention.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Concise, practical tips about project management and process improvement from the real world. Each episode is 10-minutes or less.
HOSTED BY
Projects and Systems Podcast
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Projects and Systems Podcast have?
Projects and Systems Podcast currently has 55 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Projects and Systems Podcast about?
Concise, practical tips about project management and process improvement from the real world. Each episode is 10-minutes or less.
How often does Projects and Systems Podcast release new episodes?
Projects and Systems Podcast has 55 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Projects and Systems Podcast?
You can listen to Projects and Systems Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Projects and Systems Podcast?
Projects and Systems Podcast is created and hosted by Projects and Systems Podcast.
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