Dave Gray

Does your organization use the DVF framework to define the constraints for an idea to be successful and valuable? Desirable (people want it), Feasible (we can actually do it) and Viable (we don’t go broke). If you are interested in earning the ICAgile Product Management certification, we are running a Buy One, Get One Free special through Aug. 31st. Our next dates that the course runs are Sept. 16-18. Email [email protected] if you're interested. #productmanagement #icagile #softed

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Enterprise Transformation: ‘Good to Great’ Concepts First Who Then What: Compensation One corollary of hiring the best people is apparent fairly surprising: compensation is not a driver of performance. Though Collins and his research team expected they might find that incentives drive behavior and performance, they actually found “it is not about what you pay it is about who you pay to begin with.”[10] Despite over one hundred separate analyses regarding all manner of compensation elements including, though not exclusively, stock options, bonus, salary, long-term, and short-term performance, Collins’ team found no systematic link between compensation and a GTG transition.[11] There was simply no evidence to support such a conclusion. The more apt conclusion: well-structured pay scales of various kinds are necessary, but are not adriver of a GTG transformation and is not the primary means of getting the best people.[12] An organization has to pay people fairly and well in order to avoid losing people. However, merely paying people well will not win the game in and off itself. Again, this indicates a sort of ethos, natural or imbued, which compels the best leaders, managers, and employees to build excellence for excellence sake. ”People are not the most important thing. The right people are.”[13]  [10] Great, 49.  [11] Great, 49.  [12] Great, 50.  [13] Great, 50. Photo: Syncopy, Amazon

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This is a great article. Well worth looking at some of the project heuristics or decision short-cuts captured. I particularly liked Ed Catmull’s analogy though that just taking in the headline is like grabbing the handle without grasping the underlying worn suitcase. You need to feel the emotional scars of the underlying experience! Familiar to all those in projects…

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Value is a core concept in product management. Creating value for your company and creating value for your customers. Too many teams are divorced from these concepts and will put all of their energy into building the thing, and none of it into understanding if what they built is valuable. I shared this video on The Agile Network as a foundation piece to help teams with orienting to value for their companies and customers. https://lnkd.in/eNWFhMvY If you're not a member yet, use my codes (in the comments below) to sign up. You will get a 20% annual discount (or 1 month free), and I will get rewarded by the platform for attracting you. My focus is on product, and people using agile processes need to use good product thinking, or all they will do is build bad products faster. Being good at product when your teams use agile methodology just means "being good at product." I am focused on helping people in the community to do just that. I hope you join us and engage in these discussions!

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❗ For two days only (December 14th & 15th), Dr. Thomas D. Zweifel🎗️ I are offering a special opportunity to access our insights on transforming project performance. 🦍 Gorilla in the Cockpit: Breaking the Hidden Patterns of Project Failure and the System for Success will be available for just $3.99 (e-book edition) 💡 If you're serious about breaking hidden patterns that limit performance and creating 10x to 1000x results, this is the weekend to act. 🏆 Secure your copy of Gorilla in the Cockpit - Breaking the Hidden Patterns of Project Failure and the System for Success at Amazon: ❗ For two days only (December 14th & 15th), Dr. Thomas D. Zweifel🎗️ I are offering a special opportunity to access our insights on transforming project performance. 🦍 Gorilla in the Cockpit: Breaking the Hidden Patterns of Project Failure and the System for Success will be available for just $3.99 (e-book edition) 💡 If you're serious about breaking hidden patterns that limit performance and creating 10x to 1000x results, this is the weekend to act. 🏆 Secure your copy of Gorilla in the Cockpit - Breaking the Hidden Patterns of Project Failure and the System for Success at: https://lnkd.in/g6a9Jdr6

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An open-mindedness to change is a trait that you should position for this essay if your leadership experience has been in technology integration (non-profit, start-ups, or consulting) and change management (designing processes for a new framework, manufacturing, supply chain management, or managing the disruption of AI). Berkeley Haas Leadership Principle: Confidence without Attitude, Student Always Theme: Adaptability Consulting engagements – helping a neighborhood shop, a small business of a friend, or a small business with minority ownership are some of the common essays I have read. While creating a narrative around such engagements, be careful and know that applicants with employment gap – forced (layoff) or otherwise, use the ‘helping a friend’s business’ the most. Such narratives trigger the guards of the admissions team against the authenticity of the narrative. One way to break away from the most common form of non-profit engagement story is by narrating the story as an opportunity to learn about a new function and bring another person’s role/legacy into the narrative. Don’t take all the credit. Highlight the entrepreneurial skills and the achievements of the business owner. Read: Berkeley Haas MBA Embody Defining Principles Video Essay - Scaling Small Business https://lnkd.in/gmvisMcg Read: F1GMAT's Berkeley Haaas MBA Essay Guide https://lnkd.in/gkKiPuNJ All Berkeley Haas MBA Essays: Tips https://lnkd.in/gpPh3tAs For help with your Berkeley Haas MBA Application Essays, Sign Up for F1GMAT's Essay Editing Service https://lnkd.in/gqY3aPNq #engineers #haas #berkeleyhaas #essaywriting #essayreview #essaytips #mbaconsultant #investmentbanking #managementconsulting #consulting #productmanagement #productmanager #IB #PE #VC #technology #businessschools #finance #marketing #engineers #accounting #privateequity #big4 #marketing #energy #healthcare #technology #videoessay

THE LAST 10% OF A CHANGE PROJECT IS THE RISKIEST Projects that seem to run smoothly,  suddenly are full of issues that seem to come from nowhere. This pattern is consistent with what Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg  writes about in his seminal ‘How big things get done’. A book that should be recommended to anybody involved in project work, large or not. In  my experience this is a rule of thumb worth having in mind. There may be many interpretations of why and how this happens but one certainly is that a groupthink bubble is finally burst. The last leg of a project is worth watching with extra care in order to prevent a ‘bad final’. For me it's less about milestones per se and more about answering the question 'what do I want to see left in place by X end date'.

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😮 Why is CAPA so challenging? ❗ Darrin Carlson, RAC-Devices, PMP shares a couple of common challenges and tips in this brief clip. 👉 Share your tips and insights in comments below. =========================== 👍 Love this post? ♻ Repost with your comments. #capa #letstalkrisk #medicaldevice #livideo

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The feedback on my latest eBook suggests I have the "How To" dialed in. If you are new to the topic of Strategy Maps and OKRs, this ebook is for you. The techniques taught in this text are ones I use when helping leaders work through strategy development and OKR development. https://a.co/d/1xGzHKy

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A few thoughts on the distinction between strategy and best practice... Think of best practice as a look up table: when encountering condition A, we apply scenario B. Unless...there is additional context, which reframes condition A as part of a larger pattern. Strategy is the context, the larger pattern. In some extreme cases, the larger context may fully contradict best practice: for condition A, given a larger context, we apply scenario C which may well be the opposite of B. Many consulting companies and leaders promote strategy as a best practice - an oxymoron. Strategy requires its own mindset, a way of thinking openly and flexibly. Context sensing requires minds that aren't always working hard in the name of pure efficiency. It requires those willing to take detours from the most efficient path to a solution (recall fast and stupid) . Context is ever fluid and so sensing it requires relaxed minds. It's why having fun is also very much legitimate and even required in strategy development (stay away from the serious, boring types that tell you otherwise). And no, nobody can certify you as a strategist. Keep an open mind, keep a dose of modesty if you've been endowed with a position of power over others, lead by example in promoting a fun and relaxed working culture, be willing to be proven wrong, and you just might get there without realizing it, saving a few thousand $$/€€ on useless certifications in the process.

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Innovation efforts in organizations can be hampered by siloed thinking around a problem. A symptom of this is often found in this line of thinking: "Why are we trying to solve this problem? That is X department's issue, and they should be fixing it." The reality is that most processes cross perceived organizational boundaries, but leadership must look across and work between these organizational boundaries to realize success. In his book Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars, Patrick Lencioni makes the point that leaders in an organization need to create a thematic goal with a "Why?" strong enough for departments to collaborate. Otherwise, it is too easy to give into the ease and comfort of the status quo or to become defensive around process improvement efforts. The end result of not doing this well likely will be difficulty around solving your company's biggest problems. #Innovation #Leadership #PatrickLencioni

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With timing a psychic would envy, Steve Martin and I are focusing on Product Roadmaps in today's Product Ops podcast on The Agile Network. At 12:15 ET, we will be live, making product roadmaps actionable. In product operations, for which decisions and activities do we rely on product roadmaps? Roadmaps are not just Powerpoints you build to share with execs or sales reps. Product Roadmaps are central to good product operations. There are great discussions happening right now about product roadmaps, what they are and how to create them. See recent posts from Justin Woods & Grant W. Hunter and an upcoming Product Conversations on Nov 22nd with Phil Hornby for their insights. The Agile Network is the premier agile streaming platform with great insights from industry experts. https://lnkd.in/gRwATnPU Use TYNERBLAIN12P202 to get 20% off your membership today, and join Steve and I. You'll be blown away by your access to over 75 experts and our growing library of insights, assets, and conversations.  If you're already a member, here's the link to our exclusive event today, looking forward to seeing you! https://lnkd.in/gRPUZXtP #Productmanagement #ProductOps

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To my fellow CEOs, you're not a project manager... Yet "chief project manager" is one of many failure modes I routinely see as a CEO educator. And one I have personally slipped into a time or two. It’s so tempting. Project managers have their pulse on everything. They know exactly what needs to be done. They constantly receive status updates, update their Gantt charts (do those still exist?), and blast out the next list of tasks to the team. The constant dopamine hit with every box checked is incredibly satisfying. But fires always pop up. The stress is real. Soon you find that, though your title is CEO, you’ve turned into part firefighter, part headless chicken! How did you get here? Because CEOs are ultimately responsible for the whole company’s performance, we often feel that knowing (and controlling) EVERYTHING is the path to success. But it’s not. It’s impossible anyway, especially past the startup phase. Great CEOs, particularly at the enterprise level, know how to communicate their strategic intent to employees—not assign out all the specific tasks. They know how to provide leadership and vision that helps people make the right decisions on their own. And they know what questions to ask to understand where the company is on its goals (versus paging through all the data to figure it out themselves).

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One size does not fit all when it comes to product leadership. Understand the four product leader archetypes and how to select the right leader for your organization: https://lnkd.in/en_uJust

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This scene is a classic example of innovation teams doing the wrong things at the wrong time and leaders asking the wrong questions at the wrong time: https://hubs.la/Q02HdF0r0

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I'm often surprised by how applicable Lean Portfolio Management can be in the smaller enterprise. Work overload is a common problem across all businesses. Lean Portfolio Management addresses that problem head on. Join me for our next class on Sept 19th: https://lnkd.in/gmYzyUBb

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Over the past two days, I’ve seen many posts about PMI’s new badge designs—whether commenting on them or even voting on your preferences! I appreciate that these posts are well-intentioned and often enthusiastic, which really shows how passionate you are about PMI. However, many of these posts are mixing the old and new designs, which can cause some confusion. So, although the full suite of new badges won’t be rolled out until early October, I’d like to offer some clarification. The redesign is a direct result of our strategy, PMI:Next. One of the key decisions we’ve made is to elevate the standard of our professional certifications to clearly distinguish them from e-learning courses, “micro-credentials,” and basic certificates of completion. Just as a Harvard MBA or a PhD from Imperial College is not comparable to a Coursera certificate, a professional certification—such as a law license, PMP, or PfMP—should not be equated with a course certificate. In fact, we’ve decided to raise the bar even further for PMI’s professional certifications by ensuring they meet a number of key requirements, such as being backed by a professional standard, requiring a proctored exam separate from the preparation materials, among others. To reflect this shift toward establishing a true Gold Standard for professional certifications, we’ve also chosen to clearly differentiate PMI badges corresponding to professional certifications from other badges, such as course completion certificates, awards, and others. Previously, all badges looked fairly similar. Additionally, the new badges align with the updated aesthetics of our refreshed brand guidelines, which will soon be rolled out across all PMI assets. Below, you’ll find a few examples of this strategy in action, pulled from my own work files (the full rollout is still pending, so I apologize for the low resolution; these were the best I could find tonight). I hope this helps clarify things! UPDATE: I now have the High Res files - and the simplified versions too. I'll post them in the comments below! Project Management Institute Zoë Nissman Menaka Gopinath David Yang #strategy #marketing #brandassets

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A great article on "How to make a big decision". Easy wins to do better when faced with a condundrum: create alternatives and conduct a "premortem". It's modern decision science boiled down into an easy-to-read NYT article. Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) #decisionmaking https://lnkd.in/gyTVfeEm

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