Lessons Learned Only Matter If You Use Them
“When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well.” —Thich Nhat Hanh. Spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist. ——————— Lessons Learned Start Early We at Aponwao, have always been a big fan of lessons learned. We collect them from day […]
Where is the Home Team? Who Gets to Belong?
“We understand the human need and desire to belong. By promoting diversity and supporting the removal of societal barriers, we aim to contribute to more inclusive and accessible spaces for all.”—Aponwao Ideas ——————— The Search for a Home Team I grew up in a country where the national pastime was béisbol, despite being a […]
The Plan That Keeps Paying Back
“The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” — Kakuzo Okakura, ——————— When Alejandra and I developed the baseline for our annual backpacking trip back in 2019, we did so with a deliberate project management mindset. We were conscious that this wasn’t a one-off event; it was a repeatable process. […]
Beyond Firefighting: How We Use Data to Catch Project Glitches Early
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” — Sherlock Holmes (created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) As program managers, we’ve all been there: staring at a project that’s veering off track, trying to figure […]
The Strategy is in the Room: Planning Projects on Human Connection
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” — Isaac Newton An algorithm looks at a project and sees a set of data points to be optimized; we look at a project and see the complex human dynamics required to make it work. While AI can process information, it cannot capture the implicit lessons […]
Operating at the Limits: Deconstructing the “Reckless” Illusion
“There is no adrenaline rush. If I get an adrenaline rush, it means that something has gone horribly wrong.” —Alex Honnold Most people look at a sheer rock face and see an impossible hazard; Alex Honnold looks at it and sees a problem to be solved A View of the Possible Since I was […]
Behind the Scenes: A Tale of Two Cities
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” —C. Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Seattle & Amsterdam in Sync! For Aponwao, this feels uncannily familiar, not in revolutionary France, but in the conditions under which work succeeds or […]