PM Links for 4/28/2013

_ * When and Why Does Total Quality Management Work, and Why Isn’t It Still Prevalent? – Another story of a good technique, miss-used, implemented poorly and as a result looked down on and phased out. Give it another 5 years and I suspect TQM will be re-invented under a different name.  * Basics Reminder: The First Essential of Project Management: Benefits * Opportunity v Threats (again) – Discussion itself is worth being reminded of, but there is one item worth calling out – a tool vs technique distinction is drawn. This distinction I feel is key to a lot of project management. Because of the state of PM education, tools end up dictating process instead of the other way around. We need to always be on the lookout for these situations! * The PMBOK Approach to EVM – “It was clear to me, as a result of these encounters, that EVM is not well understood and that the cost / benefit aspects of utilizing it are not properly grasped by a large number of PMs.” I’m a big fan of EVM, but if I only had the information I had to learn for the PMP exam I’d probably have a very different opinion. * Self Help for the Week: How to accept a compliment – Accepting a compliment can be challenging for many people – the scripts given near the end should take the anxiety away.  * Video for the Week: Statistics Before Calculus [via John Goodpasture] –

_Fine Print: While article recommendations are welcome, I avoid articles that overtly try to sell a book or service. _