Brian Williamson has commented that although “problem-solving is important and good when you are stuck. I’m convinced we are in need of some more purpose finding.” I agree and finding purpose manifests in several places in my approach.
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Tag Archives: management
I go where the risk is
“As you know, I go where the risk is. And today I’m sitting here.” I was addressing Rich and Mike – the two guys leading one of my work streams – as I joined their team for the day.
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Headphones cut off vital information
Headphones. I hate them. If I wore headphones at work I would be cut off from a lot of vital information about what is really going. It would hamper Management on the Ground. So I never wear them.
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Four Reasons to Book Regular One-to-One Meetings
Rich and Rachel were a bit surprised when they noticed I had a regular weekly one-to-one meeting booked with Michael. I had worked with them closely for over a year, relied on them heavily, but a relative new comer with less responsibility got a dedicated slot from me. How come?
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Two Heads are Better Than One
My problem was how to transport my hot black Americano to work in a bumpy taxi without the coffee slopping out of the cup, making a mess in the taxi and burning me. Generally I believe in sharing. When I’ve got an insoluble problem I’ve found it even more important to share. Somebody (else) has the answer. And in this case a quick brainstorm with a colleague gave me a simple solution.
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Corporate control = Project brakes
In general I believe brakes let you go faster. But what if the brakes are locked on? Suddenly you’re not going anywhere. And that is what happens when a project comes under excessive corporate control. The project screeches to a halt.
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What do you do when the business imposes an arbitrary deadline?
My business stakeholders wanted the product launch to align with a major event in the political calendar – happens to have been the state opening of British parliament. The product was all about politics so launching simultaneously with a major political event made perfect sense to the business folk. The trouble was that this was just an arbitrary date as far as the development team was concerned. What do you do when the business imposes an arbitrary deadline?
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What to do when a developer produces too many bugs
Brian and Simon were both young and relatively inexperienced developers. One was fast, the other slow, both had quality issues. Too many bugs. What to do?
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Lean-Agile is micromanagement but not in an excessive way
Is Lean-Agile micromanagement? Mike Cohn says “yes” but Mike’s use of the term excludes the “excessive” aspect of the conventional definition. An attention to detail is a good thing, making for better management, and Lean-Agile has the tools to make the detail transparent. Excessive attention to detail leads to the Fallacy of Control and horror – I don’t see this in Lean-Agile teams.
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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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