Beyond Project Management
It's time
to think and do projects in an entirely new way.
It's time to think and do projects in an entirely new way.
Because we tend to forget ...
Project customers are never departments or other abstract entities. We can neither speak with departments, nor reason with organizations. We can only do that with people. Thus it is crucial that we meet the persons who know the true purpose of the project and receive the result. Without a human customer, there is no project!
Projects bring people together, who usually work not together like this. These people have different points of view, and speak various (expert) languages. In such a diverse and fledging group, a misunderstanding doesn't have to develop. It is the natural state of things. What we have to develop is a shared understanding!
Fast and intuitive thinking is our default mode of thinking. Nobel prize in economics winner Daniel Kahneman has proven that it works flawlessly in a completely familiar environment - but only there. Any projects that are not an absolute routine for all actors require the opposite mindset. Therefore, novel projects require slow thinking!
Identify and meet the human customers of the project!
Create a picture of the project which everybody shares!
Apply the principles and techniques of slow thinking!
We are uncovering better ways of collaborating in interdisciplinary projects. We appreciate the value of:
- Questions
- Observations
- Change of perspective
- Self-reflection
- before
- before
- before
- before
- answers
- evaluations
- point of view
- criticism
People tend to “think fast”*. This can lead to undesirable effects. The items on the left side facilitate “slow thinking”. They improve the quality of the right side and should therefore be applied consciously and intensively.
Apply the items on the left side one time more than your intuition tells you to!
Apply the items on the left side one time more than your intuition tells you to!
Over the Fence helps people who want to create.
Founded in 2013 by Karen Schmidt & Frank Habermann, “Over the Fence” is an open innovation community. Conceived and created with love and passion in Berlin and in the world.
We re-think projects and decision-making! For this, we connect deep expertise in leadership and management with stories, wisdom, and modes of thought from other disciplines like sports, psychology, design, theatre and the arts. By this, we aim to provide the most valuable knowledge for anyone, who faces complex challenges and wants to create something meaningful.
We re-think projects and decision-making! For this, we connect deep expertise in leadership and management with stories, wisdom, and modes of thought from other disciplines like sports, psychology, design, theatre and the arts. By this, we aim to provide the most valuable knowledge for anyone, who faces complex challenges and wants to create something meaningful.
The effectiveness of our tools and techniques is severely limited if you think only of yourself and your own career.
Step into a new project world
- brighter, more human, more successful
It's time ...
READ ABOUT IT!
Too much bureaucracy and too inflexible structures: that is what often comes along with traditional project management. A complex world with huge uncertainties demands the opposite. Agility, of course! And even more. Learning from other disciplines is essential. In our books, we combine wisdom from a variety of disciplines: psychology, design, film, sport, etc. That is what we call "Over the Fence learning". It's time ...
EXPERIENCE IT!
Take part in eye-opening events, and witness the power of "slow thinking“. Acquire fresh tools, that help you to identify blind spots and avoid cognitive biases which result from fast and intuitive thinking. Expand your repertoire and adopt game-changing concepts for your challenges! Our workshops and trainings are full of fun and insights! You will learn to re-think projects – demystified and buzzword-free. It's time ...
PRACTICE IT!
We challenge traditional patterns of management and leadership and invite you to join us. Apply our free tools, utilize the power of "slow thinking", and truly understand your customers. Lead colleagues and all other stakeholders to better decisions! Unlock energy, grow commitment and develop ownership. Become a practitioner of healthy and productive collaboration and create results beyond expectations. Interested in exchange of experiences?
Meet us.
Upcoming public events
PMFair Masterclass: Rethink Decision-Making!
Liberate yourself and everyone involved from wasting time and energy
Do you sometimes feel that important decisions take too much time and energy or may end up in a dead end? In Karen’s masterclass you will discover a new perspective on decision-making, powerful questions, and a new language to organize participation much more efficiently. And of course, you will get new tools for your gymnastic kit!
Entscheidend ist vor der Entscheidung, 13. Nov.
In Chemnitz geht es um „Partizipation in Entscheidungsprozessen“. Einleitend erklären wir in einem interaktiven Impulsvortrag, welche häufigen Annahmen eine effektive „Mitwirkung bei Entscheidungen“ behindern. Im Anschluss stellen wir die Methode „Decision Hats“ (Entscheidungshüte) vor, die hilft, vieles besser zu machen. Wir versprechen einen abwechslungsreichen und inspirierenden Feierabend-Workshop … mit Wow-Momenten und einer Prise Humor.
Decision Canvas (Webinar), 6. Dez.
Teilnehmende dieses ganztägigen Online-Seminars lernen die Decision-Canvas-Methode, die hilft, Entscheidungsbedarfe (Ziele) präzise zu formulieren, v.a.
– Wer benötigt die Entscheidung?
– Was genau soll entschieden werden?
– Was genau wird dadurch bezweckt?Die Fragen sind nicht neu, aber der Weg zu den Antworten ist es! Teilnehmende lernen Moderations- und Visualisierungsverfahren, die das Besprechen von Zielen und Entscheidungen erheblich verbessern.
Mehr dazu in unserem Flyer zum Seminar.
ON THE BLOG ...
Over the Fence29. April 2019
Fast thinking is our standard mode of perception. Nobel prize laureate Daniel Kahneman has proven that it functions faultless in a totally familiar environment – but […]
29. April 2019
The “Project Canvas” goes back to the “Business Model Canvas” of Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur. From a methodological perspective, every “canvas” is based on two concepts that go back even further: “visual templates” and “management frameworks.” ...
8. November 2022
Can you trust your intuition when it comes to making important decisions? Depends on! In this article we show what counts and how we can find out BEFORE making an important decision whether we can rely on our intuition.
27. June 2021
"Decision Hats" is a new concept for the design of decision-making processes. It helps to think through the roles in a decision-making process without bias and to clarify them for everyone involved: precisely and transparent. Thanks to the "playing cards", the method can be used without any preparatory effort - in numerous application scenarios.
7. February 2021
The "Stacey Matrix" is popular. It is widely used today as a method for determining complexity. The problem is: the matrix has nothing to do with Stacey. And it also is not well founded at all. This leads to a number of questions: How much simplicity is allowed in explaining management methods? How much omission and reinterpretation is possible? Or in short: when does an attempt to popularize a good cause become pure populism?
4. February 2021
In our book "Hey, not so fast", published by GABAL-Verlag (currently only available in German), we present how decision-making processes can be designed in complex and uncertain times. We offer 7 tools for better decision-making that should be used in a "slow thinking" mode. The book contains guidelines and concrete practical examples.
20. January 2020
Find the best project procedure no-repeat;center top;;auto LEGO® PROJECT DESIGN is a moderated process for thinking through new projects. It helps individuals (e.g. project managers) or […]
8. March 2019
The 3 schools of project thinking no-repeat;left top;;auto What are good practices for structuring a project? What are helpful steps and stages? What is a recommended […]