For software development professionals, working with “agile” development methodologies (agile methods) such as Scrum or Kanban is an easy-to-understand and obvious choice. For business professionals who may not be experts in development practices, this may be less obvious, so we thought we’d take a few minutes to explain. Twenty years ago, software developers invented agile methods, which have since become the dominant method used by technology firms. A number of methodologie

There I sat, as usual, with a ton of things to do on my desk. Three major projects are just staring me in the face. I needed to prepare for a committee meeting. I still had to write three articles, with the deadlines quickly approaching. So, why on earth was I watching Elon Musk's Saturday Night Live monologue on YouTube? The answer is tied to the reason why many of us procrastinate (maybe even why you're reading this article right now). When faced with a difficult task — or

Great leaders are charismatic. They hold strong opinions. They take strong stands. Through force of personality alone, they tend to own the rooms they inhabit. Like Jeff Bezos. Or Mark Cuban. Or Elon Musk, who once said, "I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens." In short, great leaders are extremely confident -- and that confidence produces results. But not always. According to a 2012 study published in the Academy of Manag

A top global strategist based in London advises TechRepublic to be better prepared for the next transformative journey, as it may emerge while the current transformation is still ongoing. Organizations need to acknowledge that, whether it's a minor obstacle or a significant wave of change, once one challenge is overcome, another one will follow closely behind. In other words, if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's the fast-paced nature of sudden change. Busines

As an adviser to new businesses, I’m a strong believer that no one succeeds alone in business. Yet I find that many entrepreneurs struggle and fail in the transition from personally developing an innovative idea to building the relationships necessary to transform it into a successful business. These relationships include investors, an operational team, and customers. I encountered this challenge, reaffirmed and magnified, in an inspiring book titled "No One Succeeds Alone: L

According to Buffett, your leadership could be in trouble with this missing element. Back in 2005, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates held a Q&A at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A student in the audience asked Buffett how he would know that his management team is making ethical decisions that would parallel his own. Buffett offered up advice in the form of a "test" that many managers today would probably fail. You may want to read Leadership vs. management: What’s the differ

With Agile, Lean, and all the other new kids on the project management block, some managers act as if there’s nothing left to learn from traditional project management. Treating traditional project management as if it were a useless relic from a bygone age — the pager of the modern era. But that’s just not the case, really. Most modern methodologies and frameworks build upon tried-and-tested concepts that existed decades before the advent of software development or the intern

“Next year’s annual customer event will be held in Austin. Please start planning immediately. Be prepared to connect in a few months to present the details of your plan.” The marching orders from your boss are clear. An event in Austin. Next year. As the Head of Events at your organization, you waste no time … diving headfirst into the plans. Fast forward to “a few months later,” and you present your plan to the C-suite. Someone raises their hand when the first slide appears,

Updating legacy systems or creating new software applications, whether for internal or customer use, often demands substantial resources. While larger organizations possess in-house IT departments capable of handling software needs, many smaller businesses lack such capabilities. Simply hiring IT professionals with the necessary skills can exceed the budgets of smaller- to mid-sized companies. The primary reason most businesses opt to outsource their software development is r