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When Spreadsheets Hit The Fan

When Spreadsheets Hit The Fan

By Birdview

When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan is a podcast for leaders in fast-growing professional services organizations or teams looking for the latest conversations around Service Delivery best practices. In each episode, we’ll talk about specific challenges faced by service delivery teams and how they were resolved. If the title, “accidental project manager” has ever applied to you, you’ve found the right community.
Welcome to When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan.
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Getting Out of the Output Trap: A 4-Step Action Plan to Outcome-Based Thinking

When Spreadsheets Hit The FanMay 18, 2023

00:00
35:35
Getting Out of the Output Trap: A 4-Step Action Plan to Outcome-Based Thinking

Getting Out of the Output Trap: A 4-Step Action Plan to Outcome-Based Thinking

In today's episode, John speaks with Hector Giner, the CEO at Z1, an award-winning digital project studio. Hector leads a team of almost 100 digital crafters who have helped over 150 startup founders and experienced companies worldwide to launch their businesses into the market. 

With a background in engineering, product management, and visual design, Hector will discuss the dangers of focusing on outputs instead of outcomes. He'll share examples of how organizations often jump to solutions before understanding the right problems to solve and the negative impact this can have on time, resources, and brand reputation.

John and Hector will talk about:

  • The common mistake of focusing on outputs rather than outcomes in all levels and areas of a company, including marketing, product, and internal workflows;

  • The challenges of critical thinking and innovative problem-solving in larger organizations with standardized processes and positions;

  • A four-step action plan to avoid the output trap and focus on outcomes, which can be applied to any area, such as workflows in the company or marketing strategy;

  • What can go wrong if someone’s trying to be outcome-based on personal and organizationla levels and how to avoid it;

  • Hector's personal experience creating a strategic initiative based on the similarities he sees in different practices.

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or follow updates on our website.  

Original episode page: https://birdviewpsa.com/podcasts/4-step-action-plan-to-outcome-based-thinking/ 

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

May 18, 202335:35
Dangers of Adopting Software without a Proper Implementation Strategy

Dangers of Adopting Software without a Proper Implementation Strategy

In today’s episode, John speaks with Ashleigh Clark, Chief Optimization Officer at Process Alchemist, an online training company focused on teaching you to create a flexible, adaptable program management strategy for your organization that's going to help you optimize processes without creating unnecessary overhead. Ashleigh has spent almost 2 decades in program and project management roles across various industries, focusing heavily on data and analytics. 

Today, Ashleigh will talk about the dangers of implementing software without a proper implementation strategy and what organizations should do to make sure they receive maximum value from the new tool. 

John and Ashleigh will talk about:

  • Why organizations keep making the same mistakes during the implementation process and what they should do instead;

  • Key steps of a proper implementation process built around the new tool;

  • Why invest in training the users on the right way to use the tool;

  • Why organizations need to identify KPIs before implementing new software and check back on them constantly.

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or follow updates on our website.  

Original episode page: https://birdviewpsa.com/podcasts/dangers-of-adopting-software-without-a-proper-implementation-strategy/ 

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Apr 12, 202322:13
Success Story: How Hatch LTK Implemented Birdview PSA (formerly Easy Projects)

Success Story: How Hatch LTK Implemented Birdview PSA (formerly Easy Projects)

In today’s episode, our guest Erika Brown, the Director of Projects Assurance and Controls at Hatch LTK, a professional services firm delivering technical and strategic services to the infrastructure sector, with a focus on Passenger Rail. Erika will talk about her experience implementing and working with the Birdview PSA solution (formerly Easy Projects) and will also share her advice on how it’s best to introduce new technologies to the team to minimize risks. 


Erika will tell how Birdview PSA helped their organization to:

  • Improve resource utilization and provide early insight into hiring projections to facilitate hiring decisions;

  • Improve project management delivery processes and procedures;

  • Integrate all business systems and information into one enterprise system, providing a single source of truth for resources, finances, and projects.

With Birdview PSA, Hatch LTK achieved great results and saved approximately 1,700 hrs and $300K per year. To learn more about these and other achievements, check out our Hacth LTK case study here: https://birdviewpsa.com/client-case-studies/hatch-ltk/ 


To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or follow updates on our website.  

Original episode page: https://birdviewpsa.com/podcasts/success-story-how-hatch-ltk-implemented-birdview-psa/ 


Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Mar 27, 202306:37
Innovation 101: How to Foster Right Changes in Your Organization

Innovation 101: How to Foster Right Changes in Your Organization

In today’s episode, John speaks with Izabela Nanushi, Director of Innovation at Interac, one of Canada’s leading and most trusted financial brands. Izabela will talk about the dangers of reclaiming that your company is innovative when you have not really put in place the disciplines and measurements to ensure you are.

John and Izabela will discuss:

  • Why so many organizations are touting that they want to be innovative and making promises but don't really follow through on the behavior
  • How organizations should make this commitment to innovation and how they should follow through
  • Types of innovations on long-term and short-term horizons
  • What are the right questions to ask when thinking about introducing innovation to your organization
  • What are the top challenges for companies when it comes to innovation
  • What are the reasons why innovative behavior is so powerful
  • What is strategic foresight methodology and MVE (minimum viable ecosystem) and how they help organizations drive innovation

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or follow updates on our website.

Original episode page: https://birdviewpsa.com/podcasts/innovation-101-how-to-foster-right-changes-in-your-organization/

Feb 21, 202342:42
The Danger of Trying to Do Everything In-House: Why Businesses Need Experts

The Danger of Trying to Do Everything In-House: Why Businesses Need Experts

In today’s episode, John talks to Stefanie Curtis, the CEO of Pace Creative, an award-winning women-led marketing agency that builds marketing growth strategies based on data and research for predictable growth for major global companies.

John and Stefanie will discuss: The dangers of always trying to do everything in-house without the use of a qualified expert to guide you; What mistakes executives make when searching for experts to solve their business problems; Why executives make these mistakes again and again; How to understand when you should stop trying to do everything in-house and should hire experts; What steps you should take to know what experts your business needs.

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or follow updates on our website.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/why-businesses-need-experts/

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Dec 15, 202230:14
Ensuring Your Project’s Success: Best Techniques Shared by a PMO Professional

Ensuring Your Project’s Success: Best Techniques Shared by a PMO Professional

In today’s episode, John talks to Kathy Carrillo, an Independent PMO Professional, who has been working in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry for over 17 years, with roles focused on project management for the last 13 years.

John and Kathy will discuss the following: Best techniques for ensuring that a business initiative is poised for success right from the launch; Understanding the who, what, when, where, why, and how before you get to the solution; Asking the right questions and gathering all the information; Figuring out what a good KPI could be, to measure your project success.  

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or follow updates on our website.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/ensuring-your-projects-success/

Nov 28, 202227:59
Designing a Better Hiring Process: Mistakes to Avoid and Steps to Take

Designing a Better Hiring Process: Mistakes to Avoid and Steps to Take

In today’s episode, John talks to Ryan Schram, the President & Board Director at IZEA, about the importance of the hiring process in the modern era of remote and hybrid work and the biggest hiring mistakes every organization should avoid.  

John and Ryan will discuss: How to avoid major hiring mistakes when selecting job candidates to interview; The importance of understanding which soft skills are relevant to your business when hiring a new employee; The negative impact on the organization in terms of revenue and resources when not hiring for soft skills; What a good hiring process should look like in the era of remote and hybrid work.  

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now and/or follow updates on our website. 

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player. Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/designing-a-better-hiring-process-mistakes-to-avoid-and-steps-to-take/

Oct 05, 202234:39
Project Manager 101: Why You Should Let Your PMs Lead with Their Superpowers

Project Manager 101: Why You Should Let Your PMs Lead with Their Superpowers

In today’s episode, John speaks with Rebecca Seago-Coyle, the Director of Project Management at ConcertAI, about the danger of working with an accidental project manager and the business value of the project management office.

John and Rebecca will talk about: The responsibilities and importance of a project manager in every business; The biggest mistakes every organization makes in terms of project management; What methodologies can be applied to fix these mistakes.

To ensure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now!

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/project-manager-101-why-you-should-let-your-pms-lead-with-their-superpowers/

Sep 07, 202224:54
Digital Transformation: How to Make It Work

Digital Transformation: How to Make It Work

In today’s episode, John speaks with Shawn Freeman, the Vice President at Fully Managed, former TWT Group, about digital transformation and mistakes organizations make when digitizing their business.

John and Shawn will talk about: How to make digital transformation work for your business; Common digital transformation mistakes and misconceptions; Why disruption is ok for your business; How technology simplifies any business development.

To make sure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now!

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/digital-transformation-how-to-make-it-work/

Aug 24, 202217:58
Moving Past Band-Aid Solutions: The Importance of Scaling Processes

Moving Past Band-Aid Solutions: The Importance of Scaling Processes

In today’s episode, John speaks with Kai Fahrion, Co-CEO at Zeno.

Today’s topics are: Proactive process improvements over band-aid solutions; The pitfalls of a reactive micromanagement-based process; Why KPI’s matter when measuring process improvements.

To make sure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now!

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/moving-past-band-aid-solutions-the-importance-of-scaling-processes/

Aug 09, 202223:54
How do we Ask The Right Questions to Change the Status Quo?

How do we Ask The Right Questions to Change the Status Quo?

In today’s episode, John speaks with COO at Galatea Technologies, Cara Haberstock, about getting out of your company’s comfort zones, recognizing when the status quo you’re currently stuck in is in need of a change and how to ask the right questions to make the necessary changes to your work routine.

John and Cara talk about: Identifying the status quo and getting away from it; Asking the right questions, to the right people on how the status quo should change; How we can change our own mindset and viewpoint to recognize what should change.   

To make sure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now!

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/how-do-we-ask-the-right-questions-to-change-the-status-quo/

Jul 27, 202218:45
Why are 75% of PMOs Disbanded within Three Years?
Jul 13, 202229:24
Why Companies must Continue to Update their Value Proposition and What Can Happen When they Don’t

Why Companies must Continue to Update their Value Proposition and What Can Happen When they Don’t

In today’s episode, John speaks with Edmund Hugo Lunde. Edmund is the Co-Founder and COO of Arion Blue – a privately held engineering company based in Huston, Texas.

In this episode: Why do many companies fail to keep their value propositions current and relevant; Examples of Companies that fail to do this; How Steve Jobs is an example of a leader who was a master of keeping the value proposition current even in the midst of adversity.

To make sure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now!

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/why-companies-must-continue-to-update/

Jun 29, 202232:15
Business as an Ecosystem: Thinking Beyond Buyers and Sellers

Business as an Ecosystem: Thinking Beyond Buyers and Sellers

As business becomes more of an ecosystem, we must look past traditional roles of “buyers and sellers.” What strategies can we use to build better business relationships?

In this episode, John speaks with Zach McGrath of LCG Advisors about the power of partnership based strategies that can be used by a variety of Professional Service Organizations.

Join us as we discuss: The one big mistake professional service organizations make; What’s the negative impact of bringing on a stingy customer; The importance of setting expectations with new customers; The Due Diligence teams make the deals stronger not longer; Value Based Partnerships.

To make sure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe now!

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.

Original episode page: https://www.easyprojects.net/birdview-psa/podcasts/business-as-an-ecosystem/

Jun 08, 202223:12
Digging Out the Data: A Case for Measurement as a Core Company Value

Digging Out the Data: A Case for Measurement as a Core Company Value

In a business culture that demands speed and urgency, is a case to be made for using data to make the right decisions? In this episode, we speak with Sean Collier, Chief Operating Officer at Etna Interactive. Join us as we discuss: - The Importance of Data Based Decision Making - The Shortcomings of Product Based Organizations: Is there really a market for what you’re selling? - Finding the balance between speed vs data driven decisions - The Case for Measurement as a Core Company Value To make sure you never miss an episode of When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or the website. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan in your favorite podcast player.
May 25, 202228:23
Introducing... When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan

Introducing... When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan

Welcome to When Spreadsheets Hit the Fan, a Birdview podcast. This is a show for leaders in fast-growing professional services organizations looking for the latest conversations around Service Delivery best practices.

At Birdview PSA, we aim to increase our customer’s profitability by automating and optimizing the entire service delivery cycle. We’ve created this show to provide helpful, actionable and approachable solutions to specific challenges faced by service delivery teams through conversations with heads of operations, project and delivery managers. We’re going to be talking about: Typical pitfalls and bottlenecks faced by fast-growing service organizations; Practical tips for resolving schedule or budget problems; Best practices for better outcomes and customer satisfaction.  

If the title, “accidental project manager” has ever applied to you, you’ve found the right community.

Subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss any upcoming episodes. We’ll see you soon!

Mar 23, 202201:15