Toptal Projects Blog

The Toptal Projects Blog is a focal point for learning about the current best practices, tricks of the trade, and state of knowledge in Project Management and Agile leadership. These publications are brought to you by the professional project managers and agile professionals in the Toptal network.

authors are vetted experts in their fields and write on topics in which they have demonstrated experience. All of our content is peer reviewed and validated by Toptal experts in the same field.

World-class articles, delivered weekly.

authors are vetted experts in their fields and write on topics in which they have demonstrated experience. All of our content is peer reviewed and validated by Toptal experts in the same field.

Navigating Technology Adoption: A Framework to Assess Digital Maturity

What is your company’s digital maturity level? A project manager explains the key phases of technology adoption and offers a new online tool to guide companies on their digital journey.

10 minute readContinue Reading

Alexander Weekes

Alexander is a project manager and digital transformation expert. He has helped numerous organizations, including University of Miami and global manufacturer The Clorox Company, integrate and develop new products and technology solutions. Alexander holds an Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification from the Project Management Institute and is currently completing an MBA at University College London.

Applying Kanban Practices to Better Manage Context Switching in Software Development

Multitasking can severely impede work output. Use these Kanban practices in your project teams to reduce cognitive load, improve code quality, and meet deadlines with renewed energy and focus.

8 minute readContinue Reading

Vikas Agarwal

Vikas is a project management expert with rich experience across a range of industries such as education, banking, IT, and e-commerce. A former software developer, he transitioned into a project role working with global companies including Infosys and Publicis Sapient. Vikas holds an MBA in information systems and is an Accredited Kanban Trainer.

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Powerful Conversations: How Project Managers Can Transform Teams Through Strategic Questions

Posing good questions is a vital project management skill that impacts team trust, self-efficacy, and productivity. Follow this guide to learn best practices and questions for specific audiences.

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Mădălina Marincaș

Mădălina is a project manager and management consultant with a unique mix of technical and business psychology expertise. She has degrees in both psychology and computer science and spent five years rolling out complex applications at Flutter Entertainment. She also managed end-to-end projects at Global App Testing, a software QA company serving companies like Google and Microsoft.

How to Use ChatGPT for Project Management

Effective use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help project managers boost workplace productivity. Follow this tactical guide to learn best practices, explore project use cases, and understand the technology’s limitations.

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Anna D. Lukasiak

Anna is a project manager with experience in ground-up planning, design, implementation, and deployment of business and technology projects. She has worked at prominent multinational companies such as Goldman Sachs, Syngenta, and Volvo. With expertise in systems analysis and application development, she is also skilled in Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and C/C++.

Transforming Chaos Into Business As Usual: Resource Allocation in Four Simple Steps

Successful project management depends on having the right people working on the right tasks at the right time. Follow this real-world example and optimize resource allocation for your teams.

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Lir Cowman

Lir is a project management expert and certified coach who helps companies navigate organizational change and transform business processes. She has consulted for a number of global companies, including Google, GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK), and Cisco. Lir also holds an MBA in technology management.

Supercharge Your Project Management With Jira and Monday.com Integration

Connecting Monday.com with Jira can enhance efficiency, consistency, and communication. Explore the benefits and drawbacks of both native and custom approaches with this integration guide.

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Rick Apichairuk

Rick is a project management expert with more than two decades of experience in IT. He has worked in various capacities, including as a senior software developer, consultant, CTO, and Scrum master, for international companies such as eBay, Live Nation, Cisco, and Intel.

Excavating the Work Breakdown Structure: Your Waterfall Project’s Rosetta Stone

Despite Agile’s popularity, Waterfall remains prevalent across industries. Rediscover one of its foundational tools, the WBS, and align your team with a common language to improve project delivery.

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Jim Stewart

Jim is a project expert and certified Agile coach with more than 25 years of experience consulting on and managing projects for companies including JPMorgan Chase and Fidelity Investments. He is a PMP and CAPM instructor and co-author of Great Meetings Build Great Teams: A Guide for Project Leaders and Agilists.

Toptal Project Management Expert

Marco De Stefano

Marco started out as a software developer but moved on to more suitable roles—scrum master and Agile project manager—which he’s been successfully occupying for over the past decade. His technical background and business-oriented mindset facilitate effective communication with development teams and with different business stakeholders. Recently in his latest projects, he also works as an Agile coach to foster scrum adoption.