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ASTUTELY OBTUSE
Snark, insight, and strong language
Welcome to Astutely Obtuse, a site dedicated to discussing the obvious in a snarky way. The business world and project management aren't the optimistic utopia often expressed by colleges and instructors with certification bodies. Astutely Obtuse is our way of discussing what happens when things go to absolute shit.
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Highlights From a Discussion with a Game Developer
Due to popular demand, excerpts from the conversation with a game dev
Josh
Jun 1113 min read
SHORTS: Why I’m Fed Up With PMI: A Rant Against AI
It's crazy-pants to think that an organization would keep someone on the payroll whose entire job is to just talk to the project team members, while AI does all the project management work
Jer
Apr 306 min read
A Reader Responds: “How I Improved a Companies Processes, Sped Up Project Timelines, and Saved Them a Fortune, and Was Fired for It.”
If you had an opportunity to get sign off on the user experience before any work starts, why wouldn't you?
Jer
Apr 2310 min read
Your Accreditation Body Sucks: How Professional Certifications Crush Your Soul
To suggest that you have a book with all the answers, but you must pore over it to truly understand it isn't a cert program, it's a religion
Josh
Apr 168 min read
It's Good to Be Queen
an autonomous PMO is driven by delivering the project. A project team without that autonomy is driven by making someone else happy
Jer
Apr 98 min read
They're Babies with a Second Grade Reading Level
If you met a baby who could read at a second-grade level, you would be pretty impressed, right?
Jer
Apr 211 min read
Your Project Team Sucks: When Grotesque Inefficiency Isn’t a Strong Enough Descriptor
why are AAA games so damn expensive to make? Is it the voice actors; the marketing; corporate expenses?
Josh
Mar 2611 min read
Final Fantasy III: Half Assing Things Isn’t Just for Work Anymore
These were just some f@#!ing orphans with sticks.
Josh
Mar 196 min read
When PMing Turns into Babysitting
The client wanted me to communicate with everyone what had happened. What went down was a slow-motion train wreck in 4k.
Jer
Nov 27, 202413 min read
Why Your Project Team Sucks: Your Organization Loves to Hurt those who Help
Finding the right template takes time. Why would you put in the effort if you’re just going to get hit with directors in full riot gear?
Jer
Nov 20, 20248 min read
We Answer More of Your Questions
Well, we’re back. With the gap in posting, we got hit with a lot of questions from our dedicated readers. While our answers were dodgy,...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Jun 17, 20245 min read
The Not So Quiet Genius of Herb Wasserman
Herb recognized that clients are “snot-sucking bastards with the IQ of lumpy fucking gravy.”
Josh
Jun 10, 20247 min read
Final Fantasy II: Genocide and Razing the Countryside is No Way to Run an Empire
“Everyone’s dead.” Get used to reading that because you will read it a lot in this game. It’s fucking dark.
Josh
Jun 3, 20247 min read
Staying Young Takes Skills
Will learning a skill keep you young and prevent brain rot? Maybe, we're not a fucking neuroscientist.
Jer
May 28, 20245 min read
Why Your Project Team Sucks: Your Stand-Ups are Alive, with the Sound of Jargon
Prioritization by categorization probably isn’t going anywhere.
Jer
May 20, 20246 min read
Final Fantasy: It Starts
You’re a warrior of light… ok? Who fucking cares?
Josh
May 13, 20247 min read
Tales From the Pit or Malicious Compliance at Its Best
What You Don’t Know Apparently Hurts Me? Hi Jer, I’ve been a PM/VA with my company for a bit over seven years. We’re a relatively small...
Astutely Obtuse Readers
Apr 30, 20248 min read
The Final Fantasy Challenge: A Vertical Look at the Increasingly Misnamed Final Fantasy Series
Several years ago, I was sitting in a Starbucks with a long-time friend who was working for one of the many wineries in Paso Robles,...
Josh
Apr 22, 20243 min read
Mental Health Mondays | Dressing Up Abuse in a Ball Gown Doesn’t Change That It’s Abuse.
I want to talk about the use of positive feedback as a way to control and manipulate your team.
Christina
Oct 2, 20238 min read
COTS? More Like N-OTS! Am I Right?
They turn to a popular service and hope for the best. They're paying through the piss-hole for it, but at least they're seeing improvement.
Jer
Sep 26, 20238 min read
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