Link Roundup 10/2/2013

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What’s up for you Applied Geeks, Careerists, and Creatives?

  • The Ouya may not seem to be doing hot, but Lifehacker has some suggestions.  Also it’s expanding in Europe.  Not sure we can write it off yet, though with the Steam box it may quickly end up another curiosity.  I’m still guessing a possible purchase.  I wouldn’t develop specifically for the Ouya, but it might not be something to ignore at the very least . . .
  • Big boost for Hulu (which I’m still bullish on) – it’s added to Chromecast.  Well Chromecast needed more anyway, so everyone wins.  Look at some point Hulu will succeed almost despite itself, which may mean its good for carrying your content and possible careers.
  • Developing mobile apps?  This article argues the age of paid apps is largely past.  I’d say there’s some credit to this, but then again that’s now.  If you told me five years ago I’d be paying for some of the things I pay for now, I wouldn’t have believed you.  So take this with some caution.
  • Well bad news at Reuters – about five percent of the staff will be cut.  Might want to keep that in mind in your job search.

– Steven “Soon To Be Available On Chromecast” Savage

Reporting – The First R is . . . Reporting

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Last week I mentioned why Reporting, in a way is a core part of the P(x)M jobs – Program, Project, and even Product Managers. Basically knowing is core to what we do, reporting is key to knowing, so like it or not it’s a part of your job. Fortunately I like reporting, which is both an advantage an possibly a cry for help.

So what happens when you come onto a new project and need reporting to run? Well that’s my next focus here, and I’m going to explain my seven stages of reporting, each of which conveniently begins with “R”. It’s like the five stages of grief with spreadsheets and my usual display of anal-retentiveness.

When you come onto a project, one of the first things you need to do is get reporting running so you and everyone else are informed about what’s going on. Admittedly when you know what’s going on it could result in panic, but we’ll actually cover that in stage five.

So what’s your first step in getting reporting running.

Step One is . . . Reporting.

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