Project Management

Leaders Lead, Writers Write

For the past eight months I have been part of a leadership program that emphasizes identifying and following your dreams. Since I was in elementary school I have wanted to be a writer. I was good at it. I loved seeing my ideas take form on a page. Writing papers, stories, articles all came easilyRead… Read more »

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs Systems Design & Development Branch Launches Kanban for Software Maintenance

Wow, what a “newsy” sounding title… What I want to do is show how we will use Kanban to track all of our software maintenance activities. I’ll start with a couple of useful links about Kanban as a technique: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/11085_3776851_1/Managing-Change-Requests-Using-Lean-Methods-and-a-Kanban-Board.htm http://www.software.craftysims.com/?p=184 So I have been on board OPP for about a month. My observation isRead… Read more »

Five Things Obama Should Say in Friday’s MIT Climate Change Speech

A great post from my boss, Jessy Tolkan, executive director of the Energy Action Coalition. This commentary originally appeared on The Huffington Post Green. Almost a year into President Obama’s administration, the young people who turned out and voted for him in record numbers, hopeful that he’ll deliver bold action on climate at home andRead… Read more »

The Business of Defense Business Transformation

No one in the Department of Defense owns “transformation.” The term is used freely by just about anyone who wishes to make a significant change in the Department. Changes attempted under the banner of “transformation” are as varied as the people who use the word. We assume that most “transformations” are attempts to make theRead… Read more »

Video on Harrisonburg Summits – Open Space Meetings Hosted by Mayor

I’m excited about this 3-minute video that captures the energy at a Harrisonburg Summit. You’ll see footage from my Mayor’s Sustainability Summit, which is archived online. I was honored to have Harrison Owen, the founder of Open Space Technology, come visit me to give guidance on how to design the first summit. Over 150 peopleRead… Read more »

Meet the Beefalo: A Hybrid Approach to Outsourced Municipal IT Services

By Sophicity. The 17th century saw the widespread introduction of domesticated cows to North American shores by English settlers. However, over the next century it became clear that while the cows were docile and produced good milk and meat, they were not particularly well suited to the harsh winters of the New World and consumedRead… Read more »