Managing a project is a difficult undertaking, one that often impacts the entire organization. It’s often difficult to know how to proceed when facts and details are omitted. But in the hyper-competitive business world we live in, organizational management must make difficult decisions on what information can and should be shared – and when. Is full disclosure an operational imperative or the path of the foolish. You decide as we debate: Project team members and key stakeholders require and deserve full disclosure at all times throughout the project lifecycle. Following the podcast join the debate online at facebok.com/pmdebate

This week we are exploring the topic of confirmation bias. Twitter was recently called out for using algorithms in its feed to enhance user experience that gives users what they “want to see”. This approach means that people will see in their feed more items similar to ones they have liked, commented on, or shared. A rapidly growing number of people get their news online and social media sites which have a tendency to deliver news from one specific viewpoint. This means that we simply confirm what we already believe to be true. Does the same type of confirmation bias exist in business and on projects? Listen to this episode of the PM Debate Podcast as we debate “Social media is making confirmation bias in organizations much worse resulting in greater risk to project success.”

Lessons learned are a critical component of project management literature and standards. PMI's PMBOK Guide places a significant emphasis on lessons learned in the profession by mentioning the concept in nearly every chapter and in over 62 pages. However, does the reality practice in the field align to theory? Can lessons learned be documented properly and used effectively, or is attempting to merely trying that a waste of time? This episode of the PM Debate podcast explores this topic. Listen to the debate and share your thoughts online.

Corporate politics has gained a bad name in the workplace, associated with backstabbing, manipulating, and spying on colleagues. Is corporate politics a dirty business that the project manager should avoid, or is it a critical necessity to ensure project success? Should project manager rise above corporate politics or leverage it in a positive way. Listen to the debate an take part in the discussion online.

As companies search for ways to optimize their business performance, increasingly they have turned to freelancers. Decreasing the ongoing costs of payroll is an attractive way to cut company overhead. Can freelancers allow a company to maximize the use of talent without running the risk of project failure? Can project managers adapt and offer flexibility while minimizing the risk of career instability? Is the business world experiencing a trend affecting employment or is this a management fad that will disappear with changing economic conditions? The topic of this episode of the PM Debate podcast is focused on freelance project managers. Listen to the debate and take part in the online discussion at facebook.com/pmdebate.

Incompetent employees cost organizations millions of dollars every year, both in lost productivity and rework to repair problems. Hiring an incompetent project manager is estimated to cost organizations an average of $240K in wasted on boarding costs. What do organizations have at their disposal to evaluate whether a professional is competent or not? Can certification be used as a criteria to determine if someone is competent? This is the topic of this episode of the PM Debate podcast. Listen and take part in the debate online.

Competence and loyalty are both important in situations where team members must trust each other. Competence is the ability to do something efficiently and effectively. Loyalty is a strong feeling of allegiance and support. Which is more important and why? That's the focus of this episode of the PM Debate Podcast. Listen to the debate and take part in the debate online.

Is there any redeemable quality of the micro-manager? Can it be argued that there are circumstances that call for micro-management and that it is not always bad? In the business world micromanagers have a bad reputation but is it really deserved? Don't employees leave work in droves because of poor management which is often displayed as micromanagement? This episode of the PM Debate Podcast explores micromanagement to determine if it is at all necessary on some projects. Listen to the debate and take part in the online discussion.

Recognizing a project is in trouble may be easy but deciding what to do about it is a whole lot more complicated. Similarly it might be easy to put a stop to a project that has no business justification, dealing with a poorly performing project is a different story. Is it better to stop the project and restart it again, or is it better to push forward to keep the momentum? This is the topic of this episode of the PM Debate podcast. Listen to the discussion and let us know what you think.

When it comes to setting up a PMO who should executives and organizations rely on? Are internal staff members by virtue of their strong knowledge of the organization and its culture better positioned to get the job done? Perhaps external consultants can bring skills that are desperately needed and an outsider's view that compensates for the business as usual mindset of internal staff. Listen to the debate and let us know what you think.