5 Minutes Podcast with Ricardo Vargas

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the nightmare of trying to get things done and while managing a lot of works in progress that consume money and effort and do not deliver any value to the organization or project.

This week Ricardo talks about some unimaginable examples of how the current crisis accelerated the business and digital transformation dramatically.

In this episode, Ricardo reflects on how the current disruption may affect employment, as we recognize it today.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about three skills he believes are critical to be successful in these current times.

In this week's episode, Ricardo discusses how you can benefit from planning a potential return to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic. With conditions improving in several countries, and people going back to work, it becomes imperative that we address 3 different fronts in our approach: Leadership, Operational/Tactical, and Business/Liquidity/Sales. Ricardo presents some examples of actions you can implement to have a safer, less turbulent, and more effective return to your projects and initiatives.

In this week’s episode, Ricardo introduces the concept of ROAM Risk (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated / Minimized). The process of traversing (ROAMing) risks is a quick way to categorize and act on the relevant risks. This process is widely adopted in agile models such as SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), mainly during the planning of increments or PI Planning.

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about being optimistic in a pessimistic work environment. He addresses that one of the leading causes of pessimism is our inability to understand that what we are not able to control much, and this uncertainty is often counterintuitive. This inability to control everything usually generates an ever more distorted and pessimistic view of reality.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the concept of organizational and personal resilience. In this sense, the rapid recovery capacity becomes a critical factor for companies, governments, and professionals. The issue becomes even more critical when faced with the uncertainty of an unprecedented crisis that we are having with the coronavirus. The infographic referred to this episode is available for download here.

In this episode, Ricardo explains the assessment he developed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak in your project. He shares a 20 statements assessment that helps the evaluation of the potential exposure of your project to the implications of the COVID-19. He also shares actions we should put in place to protect the team and the reduce the damage in the project work. The video and the assessments are under the Creative Commons licence and can be shared and used freely. You can watch the video and download the assessment at http://rvarg.as/covid19

In the second episode of the series, Ricardo discusses the 5-step approach he takes when he needs to decide and act to eliminate a project that is bound to fail.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses four aspects that make the work of deciding and acting to cancel the project a real nightmare. It shows how fear, ego, and inertia play an extremely negative role in decision-making.

When leading transformation projects and massive changes within an organization structure, you need to be mindful about the changes that will happen on the social structure that is entwined with it and that is based on people's personal and cognitive values, not on formal roles.

In the third and final episode of the cognitive bias series, Ricardo discusses two types of opposed behaviours: the Dunning Kruger effect and the Impostor Syndrome. Both are related to the actual competence x competence that we think we have. At Dunning Kruger, we find ourselves more competent than we are. In impostor syndrome, we have a hard time admitting the real competence we have. Both generate a loss of connection with reality that hinders and alters our decision making and perception of reality.

In the second episode of a 3-episode series, Ricardo provides the example of the birthday paradox, a simple probability exercise that demonstrated that the perceived probability of matching birthdays in a group tends to be much lower than what it is in reality.

In the first episode of a 3-episode series, Ricardo discusses the main concepts of cognitive bias and why we often suffer from poor decisions that are made according to irrational criteria, disregarding knowledge and analytical thinking to make decisions.

In this episode, Ricardo explains the ADKAR method, developed by Jeff Hiatt. The model suggests a 5-step process, centered on the human change that, in consequence, becomes able to change organizations and society. ADKAR and the acronym of the stages of Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses a surprising tradition of one of the most respected educational institutions in the world, the Caltech (Californian Institute of Technology). At Caltech, students usually take their exams home, in a clear demonstration of the level of confidence and responsibility given to students by themselves, their professors, and the institution. Ricardo also makes some reflections about what we can learn from this example to apply to how we conduct and report our work, and to what extent each of us is committed to truth and honesty in assessing deadlines, budgets, risks, and even results of our projects. A point to be reflected by all.

In this episode, Ricardo presents a simple visual tool to explore and understand future scenarios. The Futures Wheel is a form of a mind map that associates causes and consequences of events or decisions, allowing you to evaluate future scenarios from the present and evaluate the best options to take.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the responsibility of the work project in coordinating the multidisciplinary work of the project. He also discusses the issue related to the role "Project Manager" and in the effectiveness of the title in transforming ideas into results.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about one of the biggest obstacles to any transformation initiative: the fear of change. Fear is one of the fundamental principles of survival itself. However, when fear blocks the ability to progress, it becomes one of the worst enemies of projects and natural evolution.

In the first episode of the year, Ricardo approaches the main trends he sees for 2019. This time he talks about his impressions about exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence, energy, transportation, genetics and their implications on our lives, our work as a manager of projects and in our society.

In this episode, Ricardo addresses the current challenge of planning and executing projects in chaotic environments. He uses some of the concepts presented by Nassim Taleb in the book Antifragile to give you five tips to use in your projects today: developing options, proactivity and paranoia, flexibility, having your skin in the game, and getting energy out of failures.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the work done by the Brightline Initiative and its partners to address one of the greatest assets for organizational transformation: the people. Ricardo addresses the 4 essential points of the manifesto that raise questions around universal concepts of leadership, collaboration, culture, and interest. To download the manifesto, visit https://www.brightline.org/people-manifesto/

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of more detailed planning versus more generic and agile planning. It also presents the 3 criteria that it usually uses to define how well it generalizes and how detailed it is.

In this episode, Ricardo explains what VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) is and what its implications for the current environment. He reinforces the concept he posted in a recent article on LinkedIn that most organizations are not structured for this environment, and that's one reason why new organizations born with this perception of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity end up taking advantage in the innovation, business and project environment.

About a year ago, Ricardo was approached by a young project manager whose appearance did not reveal his age. Physically he seemed much younger than his real age (28 years). A few days later he received an email from this young man talking about the challenges he had for appearing so young. A year later Ricardo decided to record this episode to respond to the email and also to reflect the importance of self-esteem and self-respect in a world that is now dominated by bullying.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses his recently published article on human behavior in the face of change and how safety nets need to be replaced by ropes to allow advancement. He discusses the paradox we live in today where change is the natural condition of organizational survival and, at the same time, one of the things we most fear as individuals. The original article is available at www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-must-g…ns-viana-vargas/

In this episode, Ricardo talks about a concept of psychology that seeks to address professional (and life) challenges by reinforcing the positive aspects of the challenges rather than the negatives: Positive Psychology. Video mentioned: Positive Psychology / Author mentioned: Tal Ben-Shahar

In this episode, Ricardo talks about two additional dimensions in risk assessment, going beyond traditional probability and impact. He gives examples of how the assessment of the urgency and the tendency of a risk can increase the quality of the risk mapping.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the drama that many project managers feel when the end of the project approaches: the fear of the future and the consequences of unemployment. Unlike in previous episodes where he spoke to the project managers, Ricardo now gives a direct message to executives and sponsors about talent management and how to turn project management into an organizational career.

In this episode, Ricardo shares his impressions on TED2018, an event held in April this year Vancouver, Canada. He talks about what struck him in each talk presented during the four-day event.

In this episode, Ricardo explains a very important concept on product design called Design for X (DfX). Fundamentally, design can be driven by several different objectives and by giving priority to one element (X) we can simplify, improve control and refine the product development process. Largely used in engineering and product development, the term "X" can mean different aspects of the product like Cost, Safety, Disposal, Usability, Manufacturing, among several others.

In this episode, Ricardo returns to talk about the concept of ethics among the project environment and recommends the work of the Project Management Institute (available at www.pmi.org/about/ethics) and the Institute for Global Ethics (www.globalethics.org).

In this episode, Ricardo explains how to read the PMBOK® Guide 6th edition in a more productive way, so you can better understand the project management knowledge areas and their processes. Many people believe that the Guide should be read as a traditional book, from the first to the last chapter, but by listening to this episode you will discover that this is not the best way.

In this episode, Ricardo goes back one more time to the diversity topic. After all the news around sexual harassment and all sorts of people’s discrimination because of race, sex, sexual orientation and religion, Ricardo comes back to explain one more time how diversity contributes to creativity, to unlock new ideas and help the project to succeed. On the top of this discussion, he reinforces that the acceptance of diversity does not mean that you will change your beliefs, but instead, you will see others opinions as a valuable set of insights to develop a better product or service and ultimately, serve better the society.

In this episode, Ricardo discusses how you can decompose a program into the respective projects and their components. He uses the example of a Course or Degree being divided into disciplines and classes. In the end, Ricardo addresses a fundamental question: Is a class a routine or a work package? Listen to the episode to know the answer.

Ricardo starts 2018 sharing some tips on how to prepare yourself for the year that is coming. He approaches the need to stay tuned with the technology advancements, as also the attitude and behavior related to the decision making, the amplification of your knowledge base, and finally, the management of our fears when facing the unknown.

In this episode, Ricardo continues to talk about the 6th edition of the PMBOK® Guide and more specifically addresses the changes in the knowledge areas. Some areas lost processes, others gained new ones. In addition, two areas have been renamed.

In this episode, 1 of 2, Ricardo talks about the sixth edition of the PMBOK® Guide, which is the most popular reference on project management. Ricardo comments on what's changed since the last version published 4 years ago. He also presents his video that shows the development of the new processes flow, that you can download on his website (ricardo-vargas.com). You can also download a canvas and use it to repeat the process shown in the video and make the processes flow at home, at work or in your classroom for a better understanding of the Guide.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the relevance of understanding what underlines the implementation of a strategy. Creating a transformation strategy for an organization is an incredibly hard task, but the challenge is not finished after the strategy is on paper. You need to get things done, you need to deliver that strategy design, and that's where most organizations fail. Read the recent article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/think-how-connect-your-strategy-design-ability-pay-viana-vargas/

In this episode, Ricardo presents the highlights of the TED Global 2017 conference in Arusha, Tanzania. He comments on some of the presentations whose content included everything from discussions about art and religion to aspects of artificial intelligence in reducing the cost of diagnosing cancer in poor communities. In the end, he approaches the importance of comprehensive and varied knowledge that, together with the diversity of ideas, cultures, and training, creates a rich and open environment for change and evolution.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the challenges faced in projects when there are resources whose costs are in foreign currencies. You will understand the role of hedging, to protect the project against exchange rate fluctuations.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the concept of the OODA loop. The phrase refers to the decision cycle of Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act, developed by military strategist and the United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. Boyd applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level. The OODA loop is also used in many types of business where the decision needs to be taken quickly and in advance, as in the case of projects.

In this episode, Ricardo starts speaking if the assumptions and constraints should be documented in the Scope Statement or the Project Charter. Then, he reflects about the real relevance of knowing in what “piece of paper” this information will be inserted and reinforce that relevant information is what drives the project to success. Ricardo used in this podcast the word Restriction as a synonym of Constraints (a PMBOK® term).

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the Go Horse Process, a “new” paradigm in project management methodologies. :)

In this episode, Ricardo talks about neophobia, or the fear of the new, a natural feeling that afflicts project managers, even those with great experience. He gives tips on how to deal with the problem: face the new with curiosity, as something to explore; know that this feeling is not exclusive, everyone feels it to a greater or lesser degree; know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and deal with them.

In this episode, Ricardo gives 5 tips on how we can get a troublesome project back on track: Seek support from the sponsor; Evaluate the scope; Deliver a minimum viable product (MVP); Rebuild the credibility and motivation of the team; Re-negotiate deadlines and costs with the sponsor and the client.

In this episode, Ricardo returns to the subject of the last episode and explains what it is to actually have relevant experience as a project manager, as opposed to simply having years of service.

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the skills of great project managers: having a track record, a history of challenges, failures, and successes throughout his/her career and having a great ability to communicate. He ends up answering the controversial question that always arises: is it a mandatory condition for the project success that the manager holds the technical knowledge, the expertise, about the product to be developed?

In this episode, Ricardo comments on the Pulse of Profession® 2017, an annual report published by the Project Management Institute (PMI). About 4,000 professionals worldwide were interviewed and one of the key indicators reported is that financial waste on unsuccessful projects has dropped by around 20%; Until last yet, it was about USD 122 million lost for every billion invested. This year, the value dropped to 97 million. Check out other highlights listening to the podcast. Download the report: http://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/pulse-of-the-profession-2017