5 Minutes Podcast with Ricardo Vargas

Empathy and Support During Incredibly Challenging Times: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Faced with this week's events with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ricardo had decided not to record any new episode this week. However, today he decid...

Are Product Management and Project Management the Same Thing?

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the similarities and differences between managing projects/programs/portfolios and managing products. He ...

How to Write a Great Problem Statement

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the Problem Statement. He explains that we often receive a problem with a solution from our customers. Th...

3 Simple Ways to Improve your Experience with Projects

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the many ways to gain experience in project management that go beyond formal education, courses and certif...

Why Early Warnings are Critical and How to Implement Them

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the relevance of early warning systems. He comments that one of our biggest aims in risk management is to ...

How to Present Your Project Experience in Your CV or Interview?

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about how you show your experience in projects and in product development for a job interview or when you are pr...

The Counterintuitive Nature of Exponential Growth

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the exponential growth of problems in the project. He explains with several examples what exponential grow...

Cadence: The Heartbeat of your Project

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about cadence in the project. He explains that cadence dictates the rhythm of project deliveries and gives some...

4 Books and 3 Online Courses to Start your Year with the Right Foot

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of 2022, Ricardo decided to share four books and three online courses/platforms you should look at right now to start your year w...

Looking back on 2021, Paving the Road for 2022

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the last #5minpodcast of 2021. This week Ricardo shares five key lessons he learned about 2021 that are paving his way to 2022 and ca...

James Webb Telescope Launch: A Live Masterclass of Complexity and Risk Attitude

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode is super special, with Ricardo talking about the launch of the James Webb Telescope, scheduled for December 24th. He explains tha...

No Rules Rules: The Counter-Intuitive Culture of Netflix

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the book "The Rule is No Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention", whose subject is the culture of N...

To Be or Not to Be Agile: That is the Question

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo explains the difference between agility and agile methods. He says that if the project uses an agile method, it may n...

Artificial Intelligence in Projects - Part 2/2 - Challenges

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this second episode of the series, Ricardo talks about three challenges to applying Artificial Intelligence in project management and product devel...

Artificial Intelligence in Projects - Part 1/2 - Definitions and Uses

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week and next, Ricardo talks about the uses, benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence applied to the project scenario. He explains ...

How to Reframe your Fears

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the fears we have during the development of a product, where situations are not totally in our control. Wh...

Three Tips to Improve Resilience and Deliver Better Results in Turbulent Times

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about resilience and adaptability. He says that when big disasters happen, we first think about resilience, and ...

3 Tips on How Time Affects Our Perceptions of Value in a Volatile Environment

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about our perception of time when we try to assess values, risks, and scenarios in the more distant future. Time...

What is Systems Thinking?

24 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo explains the concept of Systems Thinking. He compares systems thinking with traditional analysis, where the system is...

Why We Must Pay Attention to the Great Resignation In Our Projects

17 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about "The Great Resignation", a term created by Anthony Klotz, a professor at the University of Texas, A&M ...

The Magic of Affinity Diagrams

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ricardo talks about affinity diagrams in this week's episode and how this technique can help you and your team organize ideas. He explains that when ...

How Fragile and Volatile are Businesses: The Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram Outage

03 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we return to the theme from a few weeks ago, how technology projects are riskier than most people imagined. Surprised by the paralysis of F...

Why Self-knowledge Improves Your Projects Results: 3 Golden Tips

26 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about self-knowledge and how it can improve the results of your projects. He explains that when you are more aw...

IT Projects May Be Riskier than You Think

19 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the risks that can be associated with technology projects. He explains that the approach to managing tech...

The Legal Team is the Best Friend in Protecting Your Project and Your Organisation (Stewardship)

12 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the legal aspects of project management. He explains that the project manager often may perceive that thei...

Any Assessment is Irrelevant without a Reference

05 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the importance of having clear criteria as a reference when we evaluate a project. He explains that peopl...

Conflict of Interest and the Impact in your Project: 5 Ethical Principles to Be a Great Steward

29 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo explains what conflicts of interest are. He also shows some examples where decision-making based on personal interest ...

How to Support Future Generations for a World Based in Projects

22 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the last 20 or 30 years, project management has taken on a vast proportion, and a good part of the population works, even if they don't know it, in...

Some Considerations About Project Delivery Approach: Predictive (Waterfall), Hybrid or Adaptive (Agile)

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the form of development approach you will choose, according to the type of project. He comments that one ...

Why Do We Often Ignore the Obvious?

08 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo reflects on why we often overlook the obvious. PMI principles that have often been forgotten or the Voluntary Blindne...

Why "Stakeholders" is a Principle and also a Performance Domain in the PMBOK 7th edition

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo shows the differences behind the concepts of Stakeholders for the Principles, Performance Domains, and Knowledge Areas...

Peter Principle of Incompetency

25 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about how good people can become incompetent when promoted to positions that require different skills than those...

PMBOK®️ Guide 7th Edition - Performance Domains - Part 3/3

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this third episode of the PMBOK®️ 7th Edition series, Ricardo talks about the Performance Domains, which are the areas PMI believes you should f...

PMBOK®️ Guide 7th Edition - Principles and Standards - Part 2/3

11 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this second episode of the series about the new PMBOK®️ Guide, Ricardo talks about the first part of the guide, which is the ANSI standard. Ric...

PMBOK®️ Guide 7th Edition - Overall Structure - Part 1/3

04 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week comes with a special episode. With the release of the PMBOK®️ Guide 7th Edition by PMI, Ricardo decided to talk for the first time about ...

Your Example is Your Best Leadership Skill

27 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about the relevance of being a role model and an example to foster leadership and improve results. Without bein...

Sometimes it is Too Early to Be Late and Too Late to Be Early: Understanding ASAP and ALAP

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo discusses the misconception related to the "As Soon as Possible" and "As Late as Possible" approaches. Many profession...

3 Tips for Aligning Divergences in a Project in Crisis

13 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo shares three tips that can help align disagreements and accelerate action when a project is in crisis. Listen to the ...

The Paranoia of Control Can Kill Your Project

06 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo discusses the proper level of control we need to have on a project, preventing the rise of chaos or the construction o...

3 Features of Agile that I Love

30 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about three aspects, features or characteristics of agile that we all should learn and apply. Listen to the pod...

What is Your Exit Strategy?

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo makes an analogy on how you can use the same approach to close a project in your own professional life when it is time...

How to Manage the Pain of the End: Understanding Project Closure

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about something nobody talks too much about. The pain of the end. When the project releases its main products o...

The "Burnout" Portfolio

09 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo makes an analogy between the book "The Burnout Society" by the Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han and our current work....

Why Did I Choose Working with Projects?

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo makes a personal reflection on why he chose to work with project management. He explains how the desire to create new ...

Understanding the Differences between Product Owner, Scrum Master and Project Manager

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo explains the fundamental differences between 3 roles in the project environment: the product owner and Scrum Master, w...

3 Tips to Find Our Way Out of the Labyrinth of Imperfect Information

18 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo reflects on how our experiences, the media, and the different voices of society affect our perception of risks. We of...

How to Get to the Root of a Problem Using the 5 Whys Technique

11 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo explains the 5 Whys technique to help you identify the root cause of an event, a specific risk, or even support your d...

Accountability: We Have to Live With the Decisions We Make

04 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about accountability and the discomfort we face most of the time when making decisions. Having the chance to ma...

Reflections on the Impact of the Suez Canal Blockage: Reassessing Enterprise Risks

28 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ricardo tries to see the incident from different perspectives. From the standpoint of Evergreen Marine (ship operator) to the other shipping companies...

The Ebb and Flow of Ideation and Its Role on Brainstorming

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo shares a concept he saw in a Design Thinking course he did recently: The Ebb and Flow of Ideation. Dev Patnaik introd...

Leveraging your Product Development Results with the Kano Model

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo introduces the Kano Model, one of the easiest and more effective ways to prioritize product and service's features bas...

You Should Learn How to Manage by Exception

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo discusses one of the critical principles of the PRINCE2 method: the management by exception. Managing by exception is...

5 Tips to Minimize the Challenges of Virtual Meetings

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo gives tips for optimizing virtual meetings. As everyone knows, this type of arrangement has become a "nightmare" for m...

Who Should Make the First Move in a Negotiation: The Anchoring Bias

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week's topic goes back to negotiation and who should make the first offer. Many researchers claim that the Anchoring bias provides an edge to tho...

Why Shouldn't You Outsource What You Do not Know How to Do?

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo reflects on companies' benefits and challenges with the visible increase in interest in outsourcing activities, especially concerni...

More Abstract Work Suffers More from the Dunning-Kruger Effect

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week Ricardo returns to discuss the Dunning-Kruger effect and how it is usually more visible in projects and initiatives with more abstract deliv...

Understanding the Major Global Risks with the WEF Global Risk Report 2021

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The WEF just published the Global Risk Report 2021. In its 16th edition, the report addresses the significant global risks like war, natural disasters...

Outputs and Outcomes: When Movement Does Not Necessarily Mean Progress

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays, all those leading projects and initiatives only talk about outcomes. In this week episode, Ricardo reflects on the concept that outcomes are...

The New PMP Exam and Its Relationship with the PMBOK Guide

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With the new PMP® Exam just released by PMI, Ricardo has received several messages asking about the new exam and the relationship with the PMBOK® Gu...

Attitude towards Failure - Reputation and Gratitude - What Matters Ep 4

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the fourth and last episode, Ricardo talks about the importance of reputation and the use of social media. He also discusses our attitude towards f...

Celebrating 500 Podcast Episodes - 2020 Review and 2021 Perspectives

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode celebrates the 13th anniversary of the 5 Minutes Podcast and the arrival of a significant milestone: 500 episodes. In this specia...

Create your Roadmap to the Future - What Matters Series Episode 3

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the third episode of the series, Ricardo shares his method to identify which projects and initiatives he must undertake to achieve his goals. It sh...

Options are Your Best Career Insurance - What Matters Series Episode 2

29 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Ricardo publishes the audio of the second episode of the What Matters Series (https://youtube.com/rvvargas) In this episode, he discusses th...

Career Success Starts with Passion - What Matters Series Episode 1

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Ricardo publishes a special podcast with the audio of the first episode of the What Matters Series (https://youtube.com/rvvargas) In this ep...

3 Tips to Get PMP Certified Before the End of the Year

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo will address a question he has been receiving in the past weeks: Should I sit my PMP Exam now, or should I wait until 2021? In this...

How to Manage Coupled Dependencies in Projects

18 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo talks about a type of relationship that is becoming increasingly popular: coupled dependencies. This kind of relationship increases...

Bowtie Method to Evaluate Risks

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo talks about the evaluation of risks using the Bowtie method. The method has its roots in the oil and gas industry, but it is used t...

Review Your Metrics Because They Lose Value Over Time

27 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo talks about metrics and discusses why we should review metrics often to make sure they are still valuable. One of the main threats ...

Spotify Model for Engineering Culture - Part 3/3

20 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo presents the last episode about the engineering culture created by Spotify to manage and deliver projects. The Spotify model aims t...

Spotify Model for Engineering Culture - Part 2/3

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo presents part 2 of 3 about the engineering culture created by Spotify to manage and deliver projects. The Spotify model aims to sha...

Spotify Model for Engineering Culture - Part 1/3

06 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ricardo kicks off a series of 3 episodes about the engineering culture created by Spotify to manage and deliver projects. The Spotify model...

The Project is Complex Enough: Simplify Management

30 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo addresses the problem of creating complex management systems to manage complex projects. This kind of mistake is very common....

Using the 7R’s to Plan and Deliver Change

23 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo shows how to use the 7R process to plan and drive change. The 7R’s process was primarily focused on IT initiatives, mainly ...

Why is it so Hard to Make Smart People Work Together?

16 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo reflects on five aspects that could explain why some intellectually gifted professionals have such a hard time working in tea...

Why We Should Care about Psychological Safety

09 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the connection between our desire for adaptability, creativity, experimentation and innovation with common human fe...

Let’s be Mindful: What really is a Distinct Mindset?

02 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo comments on a recent LinkedIn post comparing “Project Management Thinking” with “Scrum Master Thinking”. The post cle...

Understanding Scope Statement, Statement of Work and Requirements

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo explains the fundamental difference between the scope you define for the project, the procurement documents you may use to so...

It is Possible to Innovate and Create Value Without Destroying What is Currently in Place

19 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo reflects on our innovation and creative process. Recently he reviewed some concepts related to the “Blue Ocean Strategy” ...

Agility and Agile are Not Necessarily the Same Thing

12 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the organizational and individual behaviour that shapes the concept of agility: rapid decision making, flat structu...

There is no Template for Life

05 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo demonstrates his concerns about the blind use of templates everywhere. Despite being a reliable source of inspiration and ide...

Stop Worrying About Things You Cannot Control

28 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo reflects on our desire for control and how the lack of control can create all sorts of psychological threats which could culm...

Post Mortem Analysis

21 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo introduces the Post Mortem Analysis, one of the less used and most relevant collective learning activities that project and p...

Movement is Not Necessarily Progress

14 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo tries to define what making progress really is. Many times even brilliant people get trapped thinking that movement = action ...

Regaining Control: Leading Projects and Delivering Results in Turbulent Times

07 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the free ebook he just released. The book was written alongside Vince Molinaro, one of the top names in leadershi...

Work in Progress (WIP): Your Worst Enemy When Trying to Get Things Done

31 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo talks about the nightmare of trying to get things done and while managing a lot of works in progress that consume money and e...

Unimaginable Examples on How the Current Crisis Accelerated Business and Digital Transformation

24 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Ricardo talks about some unimaginable examples of how the current crisis accelerated the business and digital transformation dramatically.

Is It the End of Employment as We Know It?

17 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo reflects on how the current disruption may affect employment, as we recognize it today.

3 Critical Skills to Be Successful in Current Times

10 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo talks about three skills he believes are critical to be successful in these current times.

Planning the Return to the Office during COVID-19 Times

03 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo discusses how you can benefit from planning a potential return to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic. With condit...

Managing Risks with ROAM

26 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, Ricardo introduces the concept of ROAM Risk (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated / Minimized). The process of traversing (R...

How to Become Optimist if you are Surrounded by Pessimism

19 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ricardo talks about being optimistic in a pessimistic work environment. He addresses that one of the leading causes of pessimi...

Organizational and Personal Resilience: The Ability to Cope with Change

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo discusses the concept of organizational and personal resilience. In this sense, the rapid recovery capacity becomes a critica...

Covid-19: Assessment and Action Plan

08 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo explains the assessment he developed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak in your project. He shares a 20 statemen...

Kill that Project: Why it is so hard to decide and act when things go wrong- Part 2 of 2

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the second episode of the series, Ricardo discusses the 5-step approach he takes when he needs to decide and act to eliminate a project that is bou...

Kill that Project: Why it is so hard to decide and act when things go wrong - Part 1 of 2

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo discusses four aspects that make the work of deciding and acting to cancel the project a real nightmare. It shows how fear, e...

The impacts of Organization and Social Structures on Stakeholder Management

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When leading transformation projects and massive changes within an organization structure, you need to be mindful about the changes that will happen o...

Cognitive Bias: The Dunning Kruger Effect and Impostor Syndrome - Part 3 of 3

15 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the third and final episode of the cognitive bias series, Ricardo discusses two types of opposed behaviours: the Dunning Kruger effect and the Impo...

Cognitive Bias: The Birthday Paradox - Part 2 of 3

08 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the second episode of a 3-episode series, Ricardo provides the example of the birthday paradox, a simple probability exercise that demonstrated tha...

Cognitive Bias: Understanding the Impact of Irrationality in our Decisions - Part 1 of 3

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of a 3-episode series, Ricardo discusses the main concepts of cognitive bias and why we often suffer from poor decisions that are...

Using the ADKAR Method in Change Management

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ricardo explains the ADKAR method, developed by Jeff Hiatt. The model suggests a 5-step process, centered on the human change that, i...