Episode 001 of the Projects and Systems Podcast.  Today we talk about the importance of building in time to perform "spikes" in uncertain environments.

Episode 001 - The need for spikes

Today we talk about needing to find the "enough point" on the curve where we balance precision with adoption.

Book mentioned: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Episode 002 - The Friction of Precision

Today's episode talks about the importance of getting away from the day-to-day (the valley) to gain a different perspective (in the mountains), and then to take that new perspective back with us into the valley.

Episode 003 - The Importance of Elevation

In today's episode we talk about what we can learn about project planning from cooking a simple meal.

Episode 005 - The long pole in the tent

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.

Episode 007 - No one fills the leader's battery

What we can learn from cheetahs about how we set up and optimize our projects and systems.

Episode 014 - Optimizing like a cheetah

Do you have a pile of decaying leaves in your project?  Probably.  We explore how to find and remove it in today's episode.

Episode 017 - Decaying leaves in your project

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.

Episode 018 - Tow trucks, second languages, and requirements analysis

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

Episode 024 - Do you want fries with that?

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 to go over the major ideas.

Episode 026 - Network diagrams

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.

Episode 028 - Don't try to improve the wrong part of the system

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!

Episode 029 - Procrastinating on building that project schedule?

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 story of how these two dots connect.

Episode 032 - Will I ever use algebra when I get older?  Yes!  As a project manager!

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.

Episode 033 - Moving a Mountain

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 reasons why this often happens, and one, key way to avoid it.

Episode 036 - Deliverables, not donuts

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.

Episode 037 - Question all assumptions

A quick lesson we can learn about managing our systems from boxing

Episode 038 - Keep your eye on the hinge

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.

Episode 039 - Doing the right thing, but in the wrong place

Can you and your project measure up to the equivalent of what my general contractor is doing on my home remodel?

Episode 040 - Can your team Scan the Plan?

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.

Episode 041 - It's just drywall!

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.

Episode 044 - Fast is slow.  Slow is fast.

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.

Episode 046 - The parable of the second door

A quick tip on something that often confuses people using Agile/Scrum to manage their projects.

Episode 047 - "Should we?" vs. "Can we?" in Agile

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.

Episode 48 - The Parable of the Wasted Walk

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.

Episode 49 - Ambiguity is for Rookies

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.

Episode 50 - Meanwhile, back in the minivan...

Are you inadvertantly creating your own bottlenecks?  In this episode, I discuss one common way this can happen, and what to do about it.

Episode 51 - Two Types of Work, but Only One Pipeline

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?

Episode 52 - The Velocity Trap

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-.

Episode 53 - This Is What It Takes

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.

Episode 54 - Killing The Ivy

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.

Episode 55 - Rim-to-Rim

Concise, practical tips about project management and process improvement from the real world.  Each episode is 10-minutes or less.

Projects and Systems Podcast

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