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DE How Rewards Become a Trap: Rewards are a popular way to boost motivation in a team or company. The underlying assumption is that a reward increases commitment. However, as studies show, this approach, if applied incorrectly, can have the opposite effect...
Project Management
When all else fails
Haven't you ever sent up a quick prayer to heaven when things got really tight in a project, even if you're not a devout churchgoer or rosary worshipper? Do you have a talisman, a lucky hat, or a success tie that you can turn to in important situations...?.
Want and ability
Background information on requirements analysis: Who really knows what they want before they have it? Who knows what they're capable of before they do it? Two old adages that also apply to modern development projects. How do we find out what the customer wants, and whether we can fulfill those wishes...?.
Chinese whispers
Are you familiar with the game "Telephone"? Perhaps you played it as a child at birthday parties. For those who aren't, I'll explain it in a moment. The outcome of the game usually leads to great amusement. In projects, however, the phenomena that arise...
Failed projects are a matter of luck.
Those who strive for success also take a risk: failure. However, the evaluation of success and failure is a matter of perspective. If you're interested, you can read my personal, perhaps somewhat unconventional, views on this topic here. Do you want proof that your...
How to better cope with project frustration
Even though it often doesn't feel that way, many obstacles are hidden opportunities. Peter Siwon explains how you can better cope with project frustration and helps you discover hidden resources in projects. You – yes, you – I mean! You, too, are among the adventurers in...
Living with the gap
Systemic Principles in Project Management: Peter Siwon explains the systemic rules and principles for managing projects, also considering the human aspect of project success. As a young project manager, I often wondered: Why do my supposedly experienced colleagues...
Realism instead of clairvoyance
Executing Complex Software Projects More Effectively with Agile Methods Come on, folks, we're going agile today, and starting tomorrow, our software projects will be purring like kittens! There are many indications that complex software projects can be executed more effectively using agile methods. This is primarily due to...
Hi, how did your project go?
If you think you've now caught me making a typo in the headline, I might fall victim to the halo effect. This effect leads you to perceive me as incompetent in general, based solely on my spelling. The halo effect is a widespread and...
Project success through emotional culture
How are you doing right now? This isn't just a casual, polite phrase, the kind that's increasingly used to start phone calls. It always makes me feel a bit uneasy because I'm never quite sure if the caller is genuinely interested in how I'm feeling.
The essence of good project management
In my training sessions and coaching, I'm frequently asked: What are the key elements of good project management? My distillation of over 25 years of project work in various roles and countless discussions with seminar participants and colleagues boils down to five letters. Anyone who wants to can...
Illusions and their impact on project work
""Nix G'wies woaß ma ned" (footnote: Bavarian for "You can't say for sure") – this is a common saying in Bavaria when it comes to making difficult decisions. Similar expressions probably exist in every language. The variety of formulations that...