A while back I wrote about “The investigation “sick note” card”, in which I said I often found teams opted for investigation work as a way of avoiding doing the actual development work. Investigation isn’t a bad thing, but I felt that it’s purpose was often missed. Here I want to go into a bit … Continue reading
One of the most useful pieces of advice I’ve had on analysis is from Tom Gilb, when he talks about separating solutions (which he calls “design ideas”) from the outcomes we want to achieve. He’s primarily addressing the early stage of a project, before the build has begun. But it’s also relevant to the build … Continue reading
Generally speaking I encourage people to make their user stories smaller, not bigger. But I will long remember an excessively heated argument many years ago with my former colleague Mat Wall in which he was adamant that I was going too far by insisting on stories which where too small. In that case he was … Continue reading
I’ve been involved in the development of a number of product development processes—which is to say, the creation of the pipeline from idea to reality. The outcomes are always useful, and always sightly different. But there are commonalities, such as the breakdown of the process into various phases. These are usually combinations of Concept, Exploration, … Continue reading
The public like confident politicians who exude certainty and give clear answers. We get a feeling that they’ve got everything under control, and they’re the people to vote for. Equally, it’s frustrating when we hear them flim-flamming in the face of an apparently straightforward question. Why do they do that? Is it because they’re just … Continue reading
Some projects are hard, and the requirements are mysterious. They’re the kinds of things that look fine when you start, but sooner or later you get into some really nasty details. Should the third level of XML be in this format or that? Do they want us to use this URL scheme or that one? … Continue reading
If you’re developing a digital product in a smart way you’ll want to be tracking the metrics from the features or changes you introduce. But how do you know what a “good” result looks like? For example, you may want to test your assumption that people will sign up for your service. You may even … Continue reading
Just that. Many people think of the development pipeline starts at the point where the developers pick up the next requirement. And it’s true that if you work in a large organisation that treats software production like a factory—or which is just siloed—then that’s all you may ever see. You may even spend a happy … Continue reading
Sometimes it’s okay to delay creating a strategy, for a strategy to have gaps, or for it to not go too far into the future. This may seem surprising, but sometimes there are much more pressing needs…such as the need to survive. Over the last few months I’ve come across one or two organisations whose … Continue reading
Although the “building software is like building a house” analogy is tired and limited, I’ve just experienced first hand some valid parallels. Many years ago I worked in an office where someone posted an article in the kitchen area about the importance of planning technology projects. It used the “building software is like building a … Continue reading
