Some time ago I was involved in a practical example of shifting a team’s approach from a fatalistic “what’s going to happen is going to happen” to something more practical. … Continue reading Are things outside your control? Think again
Category: Risk and uncertainty
Measure without numbers
I was in a meeting a while back discussing the introduction of new key performance indicators (KPIs) for a team. The group was understandably cautious about what we might be … Continue reading Measure without numbers
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
Good relationships help manage uncertainty
I was very interested to listen to a recent episode of The Bottom Line on Radio 4, on Dealing with Uncertainty. These kinds of discussions are necessarily high level, but … Continue reading Good relationships help manage uncertainty
Prioritising hypothesis tests
A little while ago I was working with a team that had a lot of user research to do. Naturally, we only had limited time, so we needed to decide … Continue reading Prioritising hypothesis tests
Eliminating uncertainty can be excessive
We sometimes think we want to eliminate uncertainty. Clarity is helpful in our projects and in our businesses. When I listen to discussions about Brexit (today’s status: approaching the leave … Continue reading Eliminating uncertainty can be excessive
Avoid hostage situations when refactoring
Last week I talked about refactoring and the need—throughout that process—to still be able to deploy frequently. What I did not explain was why it was important to still be … Continue reading Avoid hostage situations when refactoring
