As a counterpoint, any management or collaboration methodology can be useful without experience in the field it is applied to. Sure, it helps to know what's going on, and perhaps have done it all yourself at one point, so you don't get bamboozled, can anticipate issues before they appear, and help find solutions. Demonstrating relevant experience helps people to trust you, because people are people, and without the obvious battle scars, why should they listen to you?

But all of these tools are just ways to manage the chassis around the process of getting things done. If Foo depends on Bar, and Bar isn't working, then fixing Foo is pointless. It doesn't matter if Bar is a rocket engine or a CAT-5 cable or a wedge-shaped doorstop.

So at these networking events, you'll find people trying to make a living draping themselves in the latest JAFAs. You have to decide if the JAFAs for sale have any substance, and if the delivery mechanism is up to the task. If they're just selling the alphabet soup, of course, then you're only getting soup.

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