Summary: Play Now: This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for The PMI-ACP Exam: This interview with Jesse Fewell was recorded at the PMI Global Congress 2013 North America in New Orleans. In this follow-up interview with Jesse Fewel (http://jessefewell.com) we talk about two recent publications that he worked on. One is "big" and he was a co-author and the other is "small" and he is both author and publisher. We begin with the "big" one, which is the Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition. This PMI reference work brings together the project management approaches from the PMBOK Guide with adaptive approaches such as agile that are more commonly used in software development. We look at how it was developed and what it means for those managing software development projects. Then we move on to the "small" book that Jesse wrote and self-published called "Can You Hear Me Now?". This mini-book fits into the palm of your hand and is a fast read. It walks you through tips and benefits for working with people outside your office. The book is the synthesis of researching today’s trends, together with personal stories from his colleagues and his own experiences of working abroad. Below are the first few pages of the transcript. The complete transcript is available to Premium subscribers only. Podcast Introduction Cornelius Fichtner: I am still here with Jesse Fewell and we haven't moved folks. We haven't moved. We're sitting in the same spot here. But Jesse and I decided that the 3 topics that we have and want to talk to you about, we wanted to break them up into 2 interviews. So first, we talked about big Agile and now we're moving on to the software extension to the PMBOK® Guide and also to 'Can You Hear Me Now?'. You'll hear more about that in the second part of this interview here. Podcast Interview Cornelius Fichtner: So Jesse, welcome back! Jesse Fewell: Thank you for continuing to sit here and chat. We're having a good time so we might as well keep it going. Cornelius Fichtner: Thank you! Alright! So the software extension to the PMBOK® Guide, what was your role on this? Jesse Fewell: I was part of the core team that was headed by Dr. Dick Fairly from the IEEE Computer Society and then the Vice Chair from the PMI, my colleague, Dennis Stevens. Cornelius Fichtner: Alright! Jesse Fewell: They ran the team. It was a joint effort between the PMI and the IEEE Computer Society and I was part of that core team. Cornelius Fichtner: When did it come out? Jesse Fewell: About a month ago, in September of 2014. It's been out for a month. You can buy it on Amazon and the PMI Market Place, member, PMI members in good standing can download a free copy from the website. Cornelius Fichtner: I'll get my free copy then. Question: When I hear PMBOK® Guide and software extension, I'm thinking: "Okay. Is this another academic text that when I read it, I feel, okay, this is now so dry, I have to read it 3 or 4 times to understand it." Jesse Fewell: I'm going to say, a… Cornelius Fichtner: A little bit? Jesse Fewell: Maybe, yeah. It is absolutely, it is a standard. Cornelius Fichtner: It is a standard. It is not intended as an entertaining book. Jesse Fewell: No! It's not the Harry Potter of project management if you will. It's pretty academic especially when you think about the brain power that was brought to bear on the problem at hand. So yeah, it's a process book for process people. Cornelius Fichtner: Okay. What does it teach me? Jesse Fewell: Well the problem that I somewhat alluded to is that the PMBOK® Guide is often misinterpreted depending on the context of project managers working. PMI has already launched specific extensions that are industry specific. PMI has already launched industry-specific extensions to the PMBOK® Guide. For example, the government extension is a set of practices and recommendations about how to implement a scope management in a government environment. Construction is another one of the extension
