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Duck Alignment Academy

Program management for open source projects

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2022-01-06

Program Management for Open Source Projects is here (in beta!)

After almost a year of work, I’m excited to share some very exciting news: the first beta release of Program Management for Open Source Projects is available from The Pragmatic Bookshelf! You can get DRM-free eBooks in PDF, mobi, and epub formats. Everyone does program management; some just do it poorly. Program management is the art of communicating and coordinating...

Categories News
2022-05-09

A picture is worth a thousand words

Sometimes following your own advice makes you realize that the advice is good. This is one such story.

Categories Posts
2022-04-25

New resource: decision template

I added a new entry on the Duck Alignment Academy Resources page: a decision template. Use this template when you need to make a decision in the community. It provides a simple way to define the problem, the proposed solution, and the process for making the decision. Too often, decisions in open source communities become complicated because participants make incompatible...

Categories Resources
2022-04-14

Using variables in Smartsheet task names

Using variables in Smartsheet makes copying new schedules easier and less error-prone.

Categories Posts
2022-04-11

PgM for OSS Beta 5 released

The fifth beta release of Program Management for Open Source Projects is now available from the The Pragmatic Bookshelf.

Categories News
2022-04-07

PgM for OSS 50% off through April 13

Save 50% on Program Management for Open Source Projects when you use promo code COMMUNICATION2022 through April 13, 2022.

Categories News
2022-03-12

PgM for OSS Beta 4 released

The forth beta release of Program Management for Open Source Projects features a new chapter on making good decisions.

Categories News
2022-03-11

It’s Never Too Late to Fix Your Versioning

Release numbers should clearly communicate the scope of changes. If they don’t, you can fix that any time.

Categories Posts
2022-02-26

PgM for OSS Beta 3 released

The third beta release of Program Management for Open Source Projects features a new chapter on release lifecycles.

Categories News
2022-02-02

Use individual accountability to avoid the bystander effect

When you have a team of equals, taking turns being accountable for the tasks reduces confusion and improves sustainability.

Categories Posts
2022-01-28

Using conferences for connections

I no longer primarily attend conferences for the talks. Now I attend to make and reinforce connections with community members.

Categories Posts

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About This Site

Learn how to get your ducks in a row, your cats herded, or any other animal metaphor you can think of.

Get the book

Cover of the book Program Management for Open Source Projects

Available in beta from The Pragmatic Bookshelf.

Latest posts

  • A picture is worth a thousand words
  • New resource: decision template
  • Using variables in Smartsheet task names
  • PgM for OSS Beta 5 released
  • PgM for OSS 50% off through April 13

Except where noted, all content © Ben Cotton and provided under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

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