16 episodes

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.

When Spreadsheets Hit The Fan Birdview

    • Technology
    • 5.0 • 10 Ratings

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.

    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.

    • 35 min
    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.

    • 22 min
    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.

    • 6 min
    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/

    • 42 min
    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.

    • 30 min
    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/

    • 27 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
10 Ratings

10 Ratings

Paul from Austin ,

Great guy!

John definitely knows what he’s talking about and has a lot of knowledge. He was also a great guy when I worked with him in the early 90’s. It’s so nice to see that you’re doing well and hosting your own podcast. Keep up the good work! Paul

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