Ed. 018 Use Decision Logs to Update Everyone Quickly
Tired of updating stakeholders via email and hoping they read it, consider updating a Decision Log instead
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Decision Logs Ensure Visibility
Status report emails are cool I guess, but imagine just linking people a document with all the decisions and changes you’ve made to a project or program.
Why does this matter? Your time is important. Your stakeholders know when they need an update. Instead of going through emails, they can go through a living document or dashboard of recently made decisions.
Use Empathy Maps to map stakeholder incentives and goals
Product and UX folks have been doing this for a long time. In order to build a product, they have to understand the user.
Why does this matter? Your role as a program manager is no different. The workplace has become more customer-centric so it’s important to understand why a project or program matters. It also helps upsell and gain support from others.
Use Systems Thinking to optimize your organization
It might seem straightforward, right? A system is, well, a system. That’s all there is to it! Not quite. It’s not that old monolithic SaaS system that’s barely working. Systems thinking is one of the key management competencies for the 21st century and refers to the interconnected people, processes, and tooling, and how you relate to them.
Why does this matter? As a program manager, your job is to drive progress. In order to do that, you’ll have to understand the existing systems at work in order to influence behavior and push direction.
Top 7 Enterprise Software Development Technologies to Adopt in 2021
Technology is evolving and so are the businesses that enable these technologies (applies in reverse also). The article outlines the major shifts in business focus.
Why does this matter? TPMs and PGMs will be needed to drive innovation in the companies that focus on these technologies. TPMs, in particular, will need to be fluent in these focuses and further solidifies the notion that program managers are not just project managers, but domain experts as well.
Increase Company-wide productivity using Slack-bots
Slack has been a game-changer for internal communication. Their bold claim of eliminating email landed very well with their customers. Email is instead used for long-form or more formal notifications.
Why does this matter? You’re only one person. Bots can automate your rote and boring tasks. Projects that require keeping users up to date can be troublesome. Do you send them an email? A dashboard? Or perhaps, send a Slack message. I’ve leveraged Slackbots before at work to notify users to great effect. Consider using bots to get work done faster.
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