Unable to gain the participation of a key person for a project retrospective? A retrospective, sometime called a post-mortem or lessons learned session, is an event designed to discover and preserve the aspects of a project that were managed well; and discover and change the aspects that weren't. I consider this event a fundamental feedback … [Read more...]
The Art of the Discovery Interview
"What?" raced through Janet's head as she read the email. "Now that's a surprise." The message was from Jack Johnson, vice president of development. It said she would receive a meeting request from Rajan Alak, an outside consultant, to interview her about the problems with the new system. The message went on to say the company had made a … [Read more...]
Trade-off: Go For Quality
What typically happens when product development decides to create a superior product? The most likely result is 1. slower delivery or 2. costlier development or 3. both slower delivery and costlier development. Why? You don't get something for nothing. Producing a higher quality product takes more development time, which delays delivery to … [Read more...]
Tell Me What You Want Me To Do
Are you overwhelmed by a mountain of email? I suggest you take a page out of the playbook of my colleague Eric Sperley who knows how to ask for what he wants. Eric sent the following message to the people who reported to him: Guys, Look, I am getting well over 250 emails a day. I can get 10-20 a day from each of you where I am just … [Read more...]
A Wild Horse Called Chaos
Is chaos like a wild horse? The root for the word "manage" is an Italian word that means "to train a horse." Inhumane horse trainers (managers) see a rebellious animal who must adjust to a new environment. They transform the horse through a process they call "breaking." They break the will of the horse so it submits to the will of the human. … [Read more...]
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