#TEDTalks lessons in Project Management from Building Marshmallow and Spaghetti Towers Photo by kjarrett - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/29304822@N00 Give teams spaghetti, marshmallows & tape Tell them to build the tallest structure You’ll discover valuable lessons in team behavior and project management Photo by kjarrett - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/29304822@N00 Created with Haiku Deck ow at l l e f d n ner a g i s of s d e e d r d a n , u ujec dh Tom W has conducte ps of varying ou sk, Autode llenges with gr these c backgrounds d ages an And he's discovered some interesting things: Photo by kjarrett - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/29304822@N00 Wujec's stats show that kindergarteners typically build structures taller than those of CEOs or business students WHY? Photo by kjarrett - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/29304822@N00 lesson 1: Politics Waste Time The kids did well because they simply dove in Meanwhile the adults oriented themselves with the task & engaged in a power play to decide on a leader Clearly defining each other's roles should happen before a project starts! Photo by mdpreston - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/60547003@N00 lesson 2: Iteration Wins Unlike the business students who are trained to find one perfect plan, the kindergarteners built successive prototypes, always keeping the marshmallow on top and refining their design along the way An iterative process allows the team to innovate at a faster velocity Click to read how iteration helps project planning! Photo by kjarrett - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/29304822@N00 Wujec's stats also indicate that the best performers outside of architects are groups composed of CEOs and executive admins WHY? Photo by IDEO Postcards - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/42326508@N03 lesson 3: Diversity Rocks The CEOs + exec admins had diverse skills of management & facilitation One gives orders well, the other follows instructions well A good mix of skills and personalities makes a stronger, more effective team Photo by IDEO Postcards - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/42326508@N03 Wujec experimented with an incentive — $10,000 worth of software to the winners Not one of the 10 teams had a standing structure Photo by aresauburn™ - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/9993075@N06 Four months later, he gave the incentive to the same teams who now knew the lessons of iteration The same teams produced some of the tallest structures ever recorded Photo by Zemmome - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/43541280@N08 lesson 4: Experience + Incentive = Gold Incentives alone won't guarantee success unless there are skilled, experienced members on the team who know the work involved Photo by aresauburn™ - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/9993075@N06 The Project Management Takeaways: a Define roles before a project starts! b Iterate to innovate faster c Mix skills and personalities on your team d Incentives and experience combined boost performance For more strategies on building a high-performance team, grab our ebook on team productivity habits This ebook teaches you five concrete strategies to build productive habits in your team, one habit at a time Get the ebook! d o t k Clic ! d a o l own Award-­‐winning  collaboration  &  project  management  software   www.wrike.com Brought  to  you  by www.wrike.com [...]...lesson 4: Experience + Incentive = Gold Incentives alone won't guarantee success unless there are skilled, experienced members on the team who know the work involved Photo by aresauburn™ - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/9993075@N06 The 4 Project Management Takeaways: a Define roles before a project starts! b Iterate to innovate faster c Mix skills and personalities... personalities on your team d Incentives and experience combined boost performance For more strategies on building a high-performance team, grab our ebook on team productivity habits This ebook teaches you five concrete strategies to build productive habits in your team, one habit at a time Get the ebook! d o t k Clic ! d a o l own Award-­‐winning  collaboration  & project management  software   www.wrike.com ...Give teams spaghetti, marshmallows & tape Tell them to build the tallest structure You’ll discover valuable lessons in team behavior and project management Photo by kjarrett... https://www.flickr.com/photos/9993075@N06 The Project Management Takeaways: a Define roles before a project starts! b Iterate to innovate faster c Mix skills and personalities on your team d Incentives and experience combined... https://www.flickr.com/photos /42 326508@N03 lesson 3: Diversity Rocks The CEOs + exec admins had diverse skills of management & facilitation One gives orders well, the other follows instructions well A good mix of skills and