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.

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.

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.

9-minute readContinue Reading

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.

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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.

7-minute readContinue Reading

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.

Using AI in Project Management: Key Applications and Benefits

When it comes to improving project outcomes, AI holds vast potential, but it can be difficult to know which tools to use and how to apply them effectively. This guide details what you need to know.

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Dimiter Shalvardjiev

Dimiter is a project manager and senior business consultant. He has helped teams at global organizations such as Philips and Hewlett Packard Enterprise solve complex problems using state-of-the-art technology.

Traversing Hybrid Project Management: The Bridge Between Agile and Waterfall

A hybrid approach that bridges Agile’s adaptability and Waterfall’s predictability can be challenging to implement but beneficial for some projects. Toptal project experts share their notes from the field.

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Monica Zaleski

Monica is Lead Editor, Product and Projects, at Toptal and a former editor at the Project Management Institute. She worked in academic and business publishing for more than 15 years on book projects for the University of California Press, as well as on marketing communications projects for Microsoft, SAP, and Synnex. Monica also holds a doctorate in English.

Mastering SaaS Implementation: 4 Tips for Success

In today’s competitive business landscape, SaaS products are indispensable. Find out how to spearhead the introduction of these tools and navigate the intricacies of implementation.

11-minute readContinue Reading

Alvaro Villena

Alvaro is a seasoned technical project manager and consultant. He has rolled out numerous SaaS implementation projects and delivered complex cloud and AI-driven projects at numerous companies worldwide.

Today’s Project Management Blueprint: A Comparison of Lean, Agile, Scrum, and Kanban

Agile frameworks have shaped project management discourse for decades. This explainer traces the antecedents of Lean, Scrum, and Kanban and compares their approaches to managing software development projects.

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Darren Hagman

Darren is a project manager and Scrum master with dedicated experience in both Waterfall and Agile approaches to managing software delivery. He spent 10 years as a developer and lead architect before becoming a project manager and has led successful projects across diverse industries, including transportation, e-commerce, and aerospace.

Kanban History: From 1950s Factory Floor to Today’s Remote Teams

From auto manufacturing in the 1950s to the modern digital workplace, Kanban’s evolution holds valuable lessons for today’s distributed project teams.

6-minute readContinue Reading

Olamide Olanipekun

Olamide is a project manager who specializes in leveraging technology to solve enterprise challenges. He is a former senior Agile project manager and senior IT business analyst for KPMG, and has also worked for Pluralsight and Alteryx.

How to Use Coaching in Organizational Change Management

Whether it’s introducing a new organizational structure, tool, or process, project managers are often agents of change. Help team members adapt and thrive with these four strategies.

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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 and GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK), and holds an MBA in technology management.

Critical Chain Project Management: Agile’s Missing Link

When an Agile project has too little time and too few resources, an extra planning boost from the critical chain method can keep a project on the path to success.

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Costas Voliotis

Costas is a project and product management expert who specializes in sophisticated technology projects for highly competitive markets around the world. Costas holds a doctorate degree from the National Technical University of Athens and has held multiple C-suite positions during his 25-year career.

CapEx 101: Resolving the Agile vs. Waterfall Conflict With Hybrid Methodology

What do Agile, Waterfall, and the former energy corporation Enron have in common? A strange shared history that may shed light on one of the most well-known conflicts in software development.

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Adam Zachary Wasserman

Adam is a project manager and IT professional with 30 years of experience in all aspects of enterprise and startup software, from development to operations. He has worked for companies like Lincoln Financial Group, OpenText, and Bell Canada, and is the author of The Chaos Factory, a book on methods for improving and scaling enterprise app development.

Implementing a Project Management Office: 4 Steps to Success

A PMO can deliver huge value, but setting one up can be a challenge—especially if it is an organization’s first time. Ensure a smooth launch with this expert PMO strategy guide.

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Ayman Dayekh

Ayman is a project management expert who has consulted for numerous project management offices during his two decades of experience. He is PMP and PMO certified and has been invited to join the prestigious PMO Global Awards Judging Committee on several occasions. He also holds certifications in strategy, leadership, and process improvement and change management from PMI, HEC, and Harvard, respectively.

3 Essential Project Manager Skills and How to Hone Them

Managing projects is largely about managing people. These three soft skills can help project managers build a strong team, gain trust, and create a positive culture.

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Kata Török-Pál

Kata is a project management expert who has consulted for Fortune 500 companies, including Disney and Mercedes-Benz, and Global 500 telecommunications company Telefónica. She has been a servant-leader for international and cross-functional teams, and is an advocate for mentorship and continuous improvement.

Program Manager vs. Product Manager: A Conflict Resolution Strategy

Program managers and product managers often clash. Improving communication at three specific touch points can alleviate tension, develop more positive relationships, and ensure smooth project delivery.

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Kamil Imański

Kamil is a program manager, project manager, and Scrum master. He has extensive experience overseeing the delivery of large-scale projects at both national and international companies, including BAE Systems, an FTSE 100 company and the largest defense contractor in Europe. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, PMP, and PMI-ACP.

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.