Scrum Gathering Pune

This post comes in a bit late I guess, mostly due to malfunctioning internet of my phone at the seminar and travelling next few days.

The Pune Scrum Gathering was bigger than I had expected, lots of people from all over the world and a location that was at grand as the event! 

The keynote speaker was someone I knew and had read his blog for years. To see Jurgen Appelo in person was nice and it was one of the best presentations in the 2 day event.

Most of my 2 days was spent with my colleagues, sometimes in the seminar, mostly just helping them out in the exhibition stall that was put up- just chatting up people who stopped by and answering different kind of questions.

By the way, I did manage to get an autograph from Jurgen Appelo, last one was from Elizabeth Harrin. I am still old fashioned that way!

The sessions have something for everyone- from real life case studies to new methodology to theories about latest way of using them in industries. So, whichever level you are in; you get to learn. Breakfast and lunch was good, so was the opportunity to network with hundreds of others and learn from them.

I enjoyed most of the sessions I could attend, some more than the others like that of Nancy Sharma.  She brought n the behavioral traits required in an agile team and unlike others she handled questions during the presentation, went back to it with aplomb and brought in amazing insights form the real world on how to encourage the team culture in an organization, how to handle loners and naysayers along with the so called heroes.

While this was my first visit to Pune, I loved the city and will return definitely. I enjoyed meeting up a friend over an Italian dinner after 10 years, meeting his wife for the first time and talking late into the night listening to stories on how they had met. The next day evening was spent with colleagues and client over an extended dinner.

Here are more pictures from the semnar in case you are interested.

Scrum Gathering Pune (India)

The next 3 days will be pretty fun. I am heading out today for the Scrum Gathering Pune and will post updates, pics and lots of chit chats in the blog.

I am looking forward to listening to some great minds including Jurgen Appelo

So, stay tuned for the latest updates via the blog and twitter (@Soma_b)

Are you bored at work?

Let’s Help Melly from Jurgen Appelo

I am speaking and you are invited!

July 22.

2pm-3pm (IST) for time zone converter click here

Agile for Managers.

Webinar.

Free!

All information  and registration available here  

Accidental Project Manager

It’s July and I am back!

Yesterday one of my friends came over to talk about project management. He has been working as a developer for a while now and suddenly is the project manager overlooking a co located team of 36.

Obviously, he is nervous. Doesn't know where to begin. And wants to know what project management is and if he can actually pull off being one.

So, here are 5 tips for you if you are in similar situation like him.

• Analyse the situation- If you have been pushed to the role and you are not ready for it, give it a try. There’s no harm in trying it out. If you are very confident, that is isn’t the career path you want to take- be clear about it. Like my friend wants to be an architect, but is ok to give this opportunity a try. To look for inspiration hear what other project managers are saying.
• Prepare- The sudden push can get you into a panic attack, however, getting in touch with someone who has been doing this for a while is the best solution you can have. Plus have a mentor to guide you through the process. 
• Read up- Certifications might be important if your organization wants you to have one, however before you even go into it, research the what’s available in the market and the finalize it. Don’t rush into certifications. Instead look into blogs and websites which provide you with a plethora of options to learn up easily from.
• Learn about expectations- Find out why you have been chosen to take up the role, find what your team expects from you along with the primary stakeholders. Your knowledge of the expectations and role might give you a clue to better direction. 
• Take a risk- Don’t be afraid to give it a shot. Turns out, it will also make you happier  

Get some free goodies from here, if you already haven’t .

To know more about project management read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community.

Summer Break

The last few months have been busy- with a new job, new responsibility and lots of planning and hours involved.

In the end it has been very fulfilling, fun and peppered with challenges. So, when my friend commented that I have become more like a robot working insane hours, I did take offense to it.

Sometimes in the process of trying to be what you want to be and the work in your hand, we probably over work and forget the bigger picture.

Has this been our story too? How do you handle the work pressure? I think this is one topic that barely gets covered- the reality of it all.

So, in trying to get in touch with my human side again, I am taking the next 15 days off and will be back in July.

Till then enjoy your work and life!

Enjoy your week!

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Enjoy your weekend

Pic courtesy: Pinterest

5 steps to be amazing at your job

Some people just are better than others and you know it!

Here are 5 ways to be amazing at whatever you do and show it too:Try to be content- Your first job might be to pay the bills, down the line find ways to look into what really makes you happy at work.

•  Try to be content- Your first job might be to pay the bills, down the line find ways to look into what really makes you happy at work. Move into domains that you think are a better fit and then work on it. Content will come from your happiness at work . Turns out 41% of people think “the people” are most important factor as part of their happiness in job. 
• Take genuine interest- You empower yourself by taking genuine interest in your work. Don’t restrict yourself only to your current role; look around how you can help the team, organization and take up the initiative. In the process you will learn, start thinking out of the box and be recognized for your interest.  And the morning routine sometimes helps too. 
• Be good at what you do- To feel amazing, take the right steps when coming to work everyday. Come prepared, do your homework, get the facts right and be unbiased.  Try out some of these productivity secrets. 
• Be social- Keeping your head down and getting the work done isn't always wise. By being social and building a good rapport with your team members and stakeholders, you make yourself visible and easy to work with. Here are 10 tips to be happy at work.  
• Good communication- being clear about communicating the right things at the right time helps. A good communicator isn't just about being vocal, it is also abut developing your communication skills to the extent that you can customize it for different individuals. Every person has their preferred mode of communication and what convinces them (some stakeholders like data, some prefer bringing up similar case studies, some like formal presentations and report), use your knowledge about  a person to customize it for your communication plan.

Be inspired everyday and be happy. A happy project manager, makes  a happy team!

(Pic courtesy: Google images)

To learn about project management read my book Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). To connect with experienced Project Manager's from all over the world, get mentored or shadow for a day see the SIPM Community.

Office politics: whats your position?

Office politics is a relative term.

The one receiving the benefits always believes that politics never happened; he/she got the justice. The one on the other end has a different story to tell.

So, which side of office politics are you in? Or should you be part of it at all?

• Is politics evil? - As a professional, you have 4 types of needs and more then often you will need alliances to build up your case, move to the next project, get sponsored and mostly get things done. Politics generally has a negative connotation unless you have used it to your benefit. Most professionals who are successful at what they do, are stakeholders or simply leaders have worked their way up, made themselves visible- is not only by the sheer power of their work, it’s also by getting a lot of help and support. And that takes time to build.  So, what is politics really?
• Whom should you trust?- Are you allowed to have a real friend in office? How much information and personal life should you share? You know social networks use your information, so does  HR. Plus most of the information you share with your work friends might be shared with their office friends or simply used when the friendship goes sour. So, the best idea would be to be careful and not share anything that can be used against you to get leverage. 
• You are at the receiving end of the smear campaign- All it takes is a small event to trigger off smear campaigns. So make sure, who you comment about and what you say. Plus as long as you are in office premises, don’t let your guard down even if it’s office parties. 
• Power struggle- Politics is simply being part of power struggle and office politics is inevitable. No matter how much we try to stop it, it never will be. 
• Positioning yourself- The ultimate goal whether you want to be part of office politics or not is to position yourself visibly. You want to keep an ethical and honest impression at your work place. Keep an eye on everyone and keep yourself safe from being portrayed negatively for others benefit. To reap the benefits, look into the organizational structure and people who are influential and have a positive impression and associate with them. Beware of being around people who are known to have negative impacts; it takes very little to turn tables against you.