Author Archives

Bachelor in Computer Information Systems;
Master of Science in Administration;
PMP, PMI-ACP; PAL I, PSM I, PSPO I, CKC, ITILV3, ICGB, AgilePM, AgilePgM

• “I Don’t Want Problems, I Want Solutions” – Things Managers Say that Destroy a Culture of Teamwork

  By Joshua Render on August 20, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  You want your team to work as a unified team, but for some reason, your efforts at building a team-driven culture seem to be failing.  You put up all the posters, talk about the value of teamwork in meetings, created… Read More ›

• Who is the Project Manager in Scrum?

  By Joshua Render on August 16, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  That often depends on who you ask. Some will say it is the Scrum Master. Some will insist it is the Product Owner. Some people will insist there isn’t one – technically, by name only, there isn’t one. But I… Read More ›

• Self-Hosting Jira for Small Teams Part 3: Accessing Jira from Other Computers

  By Joshua Render on August 15, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Now that you have Jira on your computer(Self-Hosting Jira for Small Teams Part 2: Setting Jira up on First Run), you might just find that you want others on your network to access it. If you recall from the earlier… Read More ›

• Face-2-Face Communication May Not Be Needed

  By Joshua Render on August 9, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  “The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.” – Agile Manifesto; Beck, K. et al (2001). Face-to-face communication is typically described as communication without using some sort of technology to… Read More ›

• Self-Hosting Jira for Small Teams Part 2: Setting Jira up on First Run

  By Joshua Render on August 8, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  If you haven’t already, complete Self-Hosting Jira for Small Teams Part 1: Installing Jira At the end of Part 1, you either had the installer launch Jira for you, or you can navigate a web browser to http://localhost:8080/secure/SetupMode!default.jspa This is a reference… Read More ›

• Are Agile Teams Leaderless?

  By Joshua Render on August 6, 2018 • ( 2 )

  

  There is a claim among people that Agile teams are leaderless. The claim can sound reasonable on the surface, with all the talk about self-organizing teams and a lack of defined roles… But it is wrong for several reasons: Self-organizing… Read More ›

• 4 Tips for Passing the PMI-ACP Exam

  By Joshua Render on August 1, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  I never really cared for certifications. You pay a bunch of money to take a test and then you get a piece of paper or a PDF file. I already have pieces of paper, much more expensive pieces of paper…. Read More ›

• Self-Hosting Jira for Small Teams Part 1: Installing Jira

  By Joshua Render on August 1, 2018 • ( 2 )

  

  Hosting your own instance of Jira, using your own equipment, is fairly easy and can be a lot cheaper.  You don’t need a special server, or even need to mess with specific server software. You can put it on your… Read More ›

• Open Offices Suck

  By Joshua Render on July 30, 2018 • ( 6 )

  

  Background noises, a dozen conversations, and coworkers gnashing on their lunch. The ring of someone’s phone every couple of minutes, an impromptu meeting being carried out that has nothing to do with me, and someone is talking louder and louder… Read More ›

• Hypocritical Situation of Low-Tech Solutions in Agile

  By Joshua Render on July 29, 2018 • ( 2 )

  

  My guest blog post on making the best choices for your processes and tools. Originally published on tapscape.com In Agile, there is often an insistence on using low-tech and high-touch tools to collaborate and report on task statuses. While these… Read More ›

• Hacking Excel: Creating a Search box Automation Tool

  By Joshua Render on July 29, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  My guest blog post on using Selenium Basic in Excel to automate web navigation, user text entry, and button clicking. Originally posted on The Hack Post. This is a more intermediate level tutorial on Excel Visual Basic, but a beginner tutorial… Read More ›

• What is your project management familiar?

  By Joshua Render on July 29, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Originally posted on Easy in theory, difficult in practice:
  Familiar – Noun, a supernatural spirit or demon, often in the form of an animal, supposed to serve and aid a witch or other individual. Project managers frequently wish that they had…

• Excel Visual Basic #4: Create A Web Favorites List

  By Joshua Render on July 25, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  This tutorial is a little more complicated than the prior three tutorials. It takes what you have learned in those, combines them and adds some additional features. If you haven’t done the prior tutorials and know nothing about VBA, you… Read More ›

• Excel Visual Basic #3: Loops, Combo Boxes, and Saving

  By Joshua Render on July 25, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  This is the third part of the Excel Visual Basic tutorial series. It is recommended that if you are new to VBA, you begin with Excel Visual Basic #1: Getting Started. You can view all available tutorials on the Excel VBA Tutorials page…. Read More ›

• Osmotic Communication: Flawed Communication Practices

  By Joshua Render on July 23, 2018 • ( 8 )

  

  A communication plan, you should have one in place anyway. Whether your team is all in one building, room, or distributed; a plan to deal with how everyone communicates is critical to the success of your activities. We need rules… Read More ›

• MoSCoW Prioritization: Overview and Tips

  By Joshua Render on July 19, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  MoSCoW prioritization (or the MoSCoW method) is a tool used in all sorts of professions and industries to provide a structure for prioritizing work tasks. It is most commonly associated with the Agile approach Dynamic Systems Development Methodology, which is where… Read More ›