What do you do when you’re asked to project manage a team of one? Personally I say “okay” then do nothing. I believe the smaller the team the lighter the process necessary to run the team. When project management merges into time management you don’t need the project manager any more. Professionals manage their own time. I manage teams.
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Category Archives: Musing
Observing, eavesdropping and overhearing – essential tools for a software development leader
I believe in Management on the Ground and what better way to be on the ground than to be sitting with the team in an open plan office. By simply observing, eavesdropping and overhearing I know what is going on and I also get early warning when I have to intervene.
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I’m Impatient with the Pseudo-action Deceptions
I like to finish things. Get “Done”. Some might say I’m impatient to finish things. But not everybody is like that. Many people suffer from the various Pseudo-action Deceptions, i.e. thinking rather than doing.
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Brakes let you go faster
Perhaps counter intuitively brakes let you drive fast. Without the brakes we would drive really, really slowly. I believe the same is true of automated tests. Something that looks like it should make you go slower actually lets you deliver code faster. As long as you’re doing the right tests.
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Help! Looking for Topics for “What to do when . . . ?”
I need help. Every month for the last 18 months I’ve been posting something to answer the question What do I do When … ?. People seem to like the format but I’m running out of ideas. I’d appreciate some help finding topics for a new batch of posts in this series. Please drop me a line or add a comment if you’ve got a question you’d like answered or just a suggestion for a topic.
Accuracy vs Precision in Estimation
Which is better: An estimate of “roughly 2 weeks” or an estimate of “4.75 days”? Personally I favour accuracy over precision. “4.75” is attractive because it very precise and a smaller number, but “roughly 2 weeks” might be more accurate. And estimating must be accurate to be any use for planning.
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Are you dead? A comfortable Agile Project Manager isn’t doing their job
If no one is pissed off with you then you are dead but just haven’t figured it out yet!
Tom Peters (2004)
Bucking Bronco: Software Projects that Kick
Leading software development often reminds me of what it must be like to ride a bucking bronco … with the added problem you have to go somewhere at the same time.
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Declarative vs Imperative Gherkin Scenarios for Cucumber
Everybody I’ve met that is new to Gherkin starts with an Imperative style of scenarios. The Imperative approach is simple and intuitive and reflects what manual testers do. But I hate the Imperative style with a passion. I favour a Declarative style of scenarios not least because a declarative style means I can test business rules. The UI is prone to change but the business rules tend to be more stable.
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Developers don’t have time for code reviews and unit tests
The ticket moves to “Dev Done” but there are no unit tests and the code hasn’t been reviewed. When challenged the developer says “That’s because I don’t have time for that stuff”. If I hear that I want to know why they feel they don’t have time, then I give them the time.
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