I’m a big fan of having goals that are measurable. That’s usually in what I call a value statement, and it doesn’t just have to be done with numbers, either, … Continue reading There’s value in a measure without measuring
Category: Project management
Stakeholder commitments on a sliding scale
One of the challenges with speaking to senior stakeholders—and really I mean the stakeholders who sign the cheque that pays for our work—is being able to promise them something that … Continue reading Stakeholder commitments on a sliding scale
Seemingly impossible goals can change reality
It’s a constant bugbear of software teams that deadlines are often just wishes. “You need to deliver it by this date” can be largely the same as a manager donning … Continue reading Seemingly impossible goals can change reality
Minimising “must have”s
I was speaking to friend the other day who had worked on a procurement project for a piece of machinery for his organisation. His role was to lead the requirements … Continue reading Minimising “must have”s
Moving from subjective to objective discussions
I often work with product teams who have conversations—sometimes very difficult ones with stakeholders—that are full of unstated assumptions, subjectivity, and a lot of unsubstantiated “I think…” comments. For a … Continue reading Moving from subjective to objective discussions
Granularity of project governance frameworks
I’ve worked with a few organisations that wanted to create a framework for reporting on and governing projects or programmes. The intention is generally good: we have lots of projects … Continue reading Granularity of project governance frameworks
Product owners and technical decisions
Sometimes a development team has to make a technical decision. Actually, a development team has to make techical decisions all the time, and 99% of the time those decisions are … Continue reading Product owners and technical decisions
Always build for real people’s real problems
I’ve been having fun this week watching some conference talks about my current favourite language, Elm, at Elm Europe 2017. And I enjoyed seeing an important idea discussed—important not just … Continue reading Always build for real people’s real problems
Lightening the delivery balloon
I’d love to say all the projects I’ve ever worked on have run perfectly smoothly, but that would be a lie. There are plenty of times I’ve been involved with … Continue reading Lightening the delivery balloon
Avoiding the unexpected
Earlier this year I was involved in a talk led by Gayatri Kamath in which she discussed a serious incident at the Apollo Theatre in London in 2013. A large … Continue reading Avoiding the unexpected
