Aug 7

Aug 7 Agile Software Development and Project Collaboration Tools

Agile, Best Practices, Collaboration, PMO, Project Management, , Software

Viewed from the perspective of project-related collaboration management, the Thoughtworks podcast Distributed Agile Software Development reinforces what many project managers already know about managing a project where key staff have to work from multiple locations:

Jul 27

Jul 27 When Do "Best Practices" Make Sense?

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Creativity, Innovation, Management

Matt Elliot’s Always looking for ‘best practices’ stifles innovation makes the case that slavishly adopting another organization’s “best practices” actually stifles innovation.

Jan 15
Jan 15 Ten Realities of Managing and Using Technology to Generate Business Value

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Business Models, Cost Analysis, Lists, Management Tools, Market Research, Standards, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Technology

Years of managing, studying, developing, consulting on, and using information technology have taught me about the realities of using technology for business advantage. Here are ten of these realities:

Nov 13
Nov 13 Don't Make "Ready, Fire, Aim!" Your Organization's Facebook Strategy

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Collaboration, Facebook, , , Strategic Planning, Strategy

If you are thinking of setting up a Facebook or MySpace page to promote your business, brand, association, or agency, you should first read Jeremiah Owyang’s Why You Need to have a Strategy before you make a Facebook Fan Page NOW!

Oct 17
Oct 17 Technology-Enabled Collaboration and Information Siloes

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Change, Collaboration, Content Management, Expertise Management, Innovation, Knowledge Management

James Robertson’s recent post Collaboration tools are anti knowledge sharing? got me thinking about the introduction of technology-enabled collaboration into large organizations. (Thanks to Jack Vinson for bringing this article to my attention via Twitter).

Aug 23
Aug 23 Should You Make or Buy Your Social Network?

Dennis D. McDonald

Associations, Best Practices, Cost Analysis, , , Strategic Planning, Strategy, Technology

I’m a member of an exclusive and high quality group on Facebook called “Association of Associations.” It’s composed of professional association executives and managers, members, vendors, and consultants (like me).

Aug 21

Aug 21 School Communications & Emergency Response: What are the Implications for Social Media?

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Disaster Response, Emergency, Homeland Security, Policy, , , communications, eGovernment, Security, Communications

I’ve been reading documents from a page of links relevant to emergency planning for schools that is maintained by the Texas A&M University’s Integrative Center for Homeland Security. According to the Center’s blog, the list was started in response to the Virginia Tech shooting. I’m looking for information on the implications of using social media and social networking systems as part of the “mix” of communication tools that are relevant in an emergency.

May 10
May 10 PowerPoint: The Tool People Love to Hate

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, PowerPoint

The Learning Circuits Blog’s “big question” this month is, PowerPoint - What is Appropriate, When and Why?

Apr 24
Apr 24 Web Site (Mis) Management: Are Things Getting Better?

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Change, Enterprise 2.0, Governance, , Technology, Web 2.0

Lisa Welchman in Why I’m Disgusted with Web Teams on The Gilbane Group Blog has a great rant about corporate web site mismanagement (or lack of management, basically the same thing). Here's a quote:

Aug 23
Aug 23 Microsoft "Knowledge Network" Features Begin to Emerge

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, Expertise Management, Knowledge Management, Management Tools, Project Management, RSS,

One blog I read is the Microsoft Knowledge Network Team Blog (registration required). It describes development and features of the "Knowledge Network" product that will accompany Microsoft's upcoming Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 which is also in Beta status.

Jun 21
Jun 21 Business Networking 1.0 and ... Name Tags?

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Linkedin,

Every now and then it helps to be reminded of the basics: * Make the phone call. * Get the face to face meeting. * Thank the prospect. * Have your elevator speech ready. * Offer to help. * Keep in touch (Garrison Keillor's suggestion). * If you can't say anythng nice about somebody, don't say anything at all (My mom's suggestion).

Jun 1
Jun 1 Does "Beta Software" Have Meaning in a Web 2.0 World?

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Management Tools, Project Management, Web 2.0

In the old days of planned release schedules and successively more capable release functionality, the term “beta” was applied typically to limited-release software where both distribution and user environments were tightly controlled and monitored. Nowadays businesses are being built upon “beta” software that goes into universal web wide availability along with statements of incompleteness and limited support. Users are invited to use and write about the software. Users get early peaks at and access to useful features. Producers get real world feedback which helps further the development of future releases.

May 29
May 29 Best Practices, Repeatable Business Processes, Specialization, and the Restaurant Business

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Management Tools

Within one week of coming home after a successful first year at Virginia Tech, Number One Daughter started her Summer job hostessing at a large and popular riverfront restaurant in Old Town Alexandria. While driving her to work one day, I asked her how things were going at the job. The conversation that followed reminded me several things relevant to intelligent management practices.

Feb 13
Feb 13 "Best Practices" and Reality

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Management Tools

On of my favorite blogs, Fashion Incubator, has an interesting post about "best practices" (she calls it "standard work") applied to manufacturing in the clothing and fashion industries.