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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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Quick Takes | The Four-Step Elicitation Strategy
As a business analyst, there are two types of clients that, while extreme examples, can be the reason a project fails.
Josh
Mar 20, 20233 min read
Your Project Teams Sucks: Part 7 | Your Processes are Bad, and You Should Feel Bad
If a process is so loosely defined that I can make a valid argument that something isn’t my job, even if it is, you have a problem.
Jer
Mar 16, 20239 min read
Your Project Teams Sucks: Part 6 | You Follow the Philosophy of an Aging Rock-Star
How does an octogenarian piece of shit fit in with your project team sucking?
Jer
Mar 13, 20236 min read
Getting in Touch with Your Creative Side | Managerial Moments with Mike
it behooves us as project leaders and managers to ensure that everyone we interact with is knowledgeable and on the same page
Mike
Mar 9, 20237 min read
Tales From the Fringe: He Didn't Just Say What I Think He Did, Did He Edition
We asked various project professionals to share their horror stories. We asked, “what is a time a client said something that left you...
Astutely Obtuse Readers
Mar 6, 20238 min read
Sincere Apologies to Abraham Maslow | The Epistles of Christina
Modern theories don’t work unless you meet the needs of the employee, to begin with.
Christina
Feb 20, 20234 min read
Your Project Team Sucks: Part 5 | The Perfect Hire: Listen All Y’all It’s Self-Sabotage
They don’t actually care about your experience, they just use it as shorthand for “doesn’t need instruction.”
Jer
Feb 19, 20238 min read
Being a Servant, Versus a Steward | Managerial Moments with Mike
Transformative leadership is considered to be one of the best forms of leadership for healthy and productive teams.
Mike
Feb 15, 20235 min read
Why Your Project Team Sucks: Part 4 The Whirlwind Romance with Tech-Debt
I told our PM that if we don’t do it the right way now, we’ll never get around to it. It’s just how we work, tech-debt is never revisited.
Jer
Feb 8, 20237 min read
Public Praise, Client Feedback, Visibility, Consent | The Epistles of Christina
Praise should never feel like a parent doting on their child for making poopies in the toilet for the first time.
Christina
Feb 5, 20234 min read
Quick Takes: Responding to Criticism
Even though we only have a handful of posts up at this point, we’ve gotten a couple of messages that have a similar theme. We thought...
Astutely Obtuse Staff Writer
Feb 3, 20233 min read
Why Your Product Team Sucks: Part 3, Everything is an Emergency-Top Priority
“If everything is an emergency top priority, then nothing is an emergency top priority.”
Sound familiar?
Jer
Feb 2, 20236 min read
Cordially Combative: Dealing with a Client Who Thinks They are the Main Character
It goes way beyond being passive-aggressive. It’s just aggressive; aggressive wrapped up in a delightful Disney Princess voice.
Josh
Jan 28, 20234 min read
Why Your Project Team Sucks: Part 2 Your Product Owner is Secretly Detective Colombo
He wasn’t paying attention during the planning phase because he was thinking about quitting.
Jer
Jan 25, 20236 min read
Strategic Misrepresentation or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Lie
I say pizza shouldn't be on fire, but, you say, it's better than it showing up raw, frozen, or not at all!
Josh
Jan 24, 20235 min read
Why Your Project Team Sucks: Part 1 The Trust Gap
There’s a line in the email that stands out that leaves me distressed: “I can’t seem to get the developers to do what I want them to do."
Jer
Jan 16, 20238 min read
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