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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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Case Studies | All You Need is a View of the Great Lakes
Imagine working for a project team that got things out on time, with high quality, and without the pressure of hitting deadlines.
Josh
Sep 20, 202314 min read
Mental Health Mondays: Why We Need to Talk About What Your Employees Are Feeling
Mental Health Mondays is a guest article, written by our former epistolary content creator, Christina. We are super glad she’s back and...
Christina
Sep 4, 20235 min read
Testing, the Need For Quality, and the Neverending Pursuit to Completely Ignore It
The root of the issue is this "magic" idea that shifting left will solve everyone's problems
Josh
Aug 28, 202313 min read
Case Studies | The Toxicity of the Shitty
Is that fucking toddler being enabled by the CEO? Are the people being promoted incapable of saying no?
Josh
Aug 21, 202312 min read
Gaps, Bridges, Just-The-Tip, and New Kinks: Why Only Going Half-Way Will Fuck You
My first question was why an organization would just try to recreate the shitty manual process
Josh
Aug 14, 20237 min read
Managerial Moments with Mike | The Illusion of Success: The Fallacy of a Unified Façade
Before I trek the winding path of Tsarist Russia, and Catherine’s visit to Crimea let's delve into the façades we use to protect ourselves.
Mike
May 18, 20237 min read
Letters From the Readers | Hostile Take Overs, and Passion Plays
Hey Muh-Dudes, Here’s a story for you guys. I recently (within the past year) took a senior PM position {at a consumer POS company}. The...
Astutely Obtuse Readers
May 11, 20234 min read
Beyond Agile: Part... Uh... | The Pausening
So here we are again... bullshit lawsuits. Since we've started this blog our monthly readership has exploded. It has been a very...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
May 1, 20231 min read
Templates: The Strange Use Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The use case description template was created to provide a written version of a typical workflow.
Josh
Apr 27, 20234 min read
Beyond Agile: Part 3 | Introducing the Theatre Model
A few years ago, I was introduced to a novel methodology called the Studio Model. It’s a true work of genius and is a fantastic place...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Apr 24, 20237 min read
Templates | Planning 3 From Outer Space
Planning, as it seemed, was the antithesis of a properly implemented Agile system.
Josh
Apr 20, 20239 min read
Beyond Agile: Part 2 | The PMO: Definition of a Diva
Now that we’ve discussed some of the key and support players in a PMO, it’s time to start to define what players you need when you are...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Apr 17, 202310 min read
Kvetching Corner | Where's My Goddamn Velvet Smoking Jacket?
We ask Jer: Do you regret getting your MPM?
Jer
Apr 13, 20234 min read
Beyond Agile: Part 1 | Slow Your Roles
The very first thing we need to discuss here is one regarding what roles are important to fill when forming a new project team. We are...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Apr 10, 202313 min read
Quick Takes | Responding to Your Questions
Alright fine! We’re taking your suggestions/questions and responding to them. Freakin’ happy? I’m a product owner who has had my role...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Apr 6, 20238 min read
Kvetching Corner | We Are Not Family, Because I Actually Like You People
This is an abuse of good whiskey.
Let’s get into it.
Jer
Apr 5, 20236 min read
Beyond Agile: Part 0 | Before We Start
I would like to register a complaint with the Department of Standardization of Business Best Practices, Pomposity, and Cursed Fro-Yo...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Apr 3, 20233 min read
Templates | The Handoffs Have Eyes
When you are training individuals, classroom, or one on one, there are things that you are going to need to cover and need to document.
Josh
Mar 30, 20238 min read
The Joys of Getting Lost | The Epistles of Christina
Dérive is a French word meaning “drift.” I am here to discuss drifting through your projects.
Christina
Mar 27, 20239 min read
Templates | The Importance of Being Testers
Testing is a vital part of the project process; a proper test case template can make all the difference.
Josh
Mar 23, 20237 min read
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