Project Management

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Antipattern: Adrenaline Junkie

Antipattern: Adrenaline Junkie

Understanding Project Pressure and Tension

I constantly wonder why situations arise where pressure and tension are generated in projects. One reason is that most projects are simply complex—you have to coordinate several, sometimes dozens of people, anticipate and plan in advance what will happen, and determine what resources will be needed. As a species, we’re not very good at detailed long-term planning (see: David Rock – Your Brain at Work).

Have a Clear Vision, Stick to the Intention and Adjust the Implementation

No matter if you are a tech lead, Scrum Master, Product Owner, or a member of the team, if you want to make your idea a reality, here is a very simple (and of course very difficult to implement) advice:

...and What If You Are Just a Small Planet at the Edge of the Milky Way

I recently had a conversation with my colleague about the importance of having a domain expert available in a project to clarify domain-specific questions.

If You Were to Do One Thing, It Should Be...

Avoid Starting Unnecessary Projects

I have had an interesting conversation with my friend who is also a manager in one of the Polish companies. At a certain moment, he said:

Architectural Mantra

Those who attended JDD 2013 could see it live. For those who weren’t there or missed it, below you will find a presentation on the Architectural Mantra along with an extensive article. Set aside some time for this.

Estimation Is Not a Commitment

Estimation Is Not a Commitment

You’ve probably heard that estimation is not a commitment. Sometimes in teams using estimation techniques, some form of accountability for the accuracy of estimation emerges. This is unfavorable for several reasons:
a) firstly, estimation is an approximation (with some probability), not a definitive result;
b) secondly, when accountability kicks in, project games emerge;
c) there are at least several factors causing estimation to differ from the actual time spent on a given task:

The Six Deadly Sins of Technical Leaders

Introduction

I probably would not have written this post if Michał hadn’t encouraged me. Over the past few months, I’ve slowly come to terms with a realization that I was hesitant to accept, yet it is quite understandable.

So How’s It with Architecture - Up-Front Design or Evolutionary Architecture?

So How’s It with Architecture - Up-Front Design or Evolutionary Architecture?

Where does architecture currently stand? We can say that there are two classic approaches:

The Property of Complex Systems

The Property of Complex Systems

This morning, while driving to work, I encountered a much longer traffic jam than usual. “Well, with such cold weather, everyone is probably driving more cautiously,” I thought, as I slowly crawled along the Łazienkowska Route. After several minutes, I noticed from a distance that there was an accident on the opposite lane, with police and paramedics doing their work. On my side, nothing particular was happening. But still… Drivers were simply slowing down to see what was happening on the other side. No one was stopping, they were just looking. And as a result, the stretch that usually took me 5 minutes this time took 20 minutes. After passing this point, the traffic sped up significantly and flowed normally.

Why Agile Fails

Introduction

Implementing a methodology from the Agile family is not at all easy. The problem usually lies in management, who upon superficially understanding what it’s all about, perceive the new method as a promise that from now on, everything will magically work better. It doesn’t matter if we have subpar team members and adhere to the principle that “any specialist can be replaced by a finite number of students.” It doesn’t matter if there’s complete disregard for knowledge management and skill development in the team because there’s never time for that. It doesn’t matter if people working on projects are shuffled between projects—after all, it’s about interdisciplinarity, and everyone should know everything.

Make Room for Progress...

From the collection Poetry for Project Enthusiasts

Make Room for Progress

There is never a good time for the first child,
There is never a good time for the second child,
There is never a good time to build a house,
There is never a good time for renovations,
There is never a good time for a wedding,
There is never a good time to introduce refactoring,
And there is never a good time to start writing unit tests.
In each of these cases, you simply need to make a decision,
Start doing it, and time and resources will appear,
Because they will have to…

Time for Assertiveness Training!

The Importance of Assertiveness

In my previous post, I discussed assertiveness in the context of time management. Upon reviewing various situations I’ve encountered, I can confidently assert that a lack of assertiveness (including appropriate communication) is the root cause of many other project issues.

Meeting Deadlines at All Costs is a Mistake!

The Necessity of Deadlines

Deadlines are necessary. Whether you work in Scrum (Agile) or a waterfall-like methodology, one thing is certain: without deadlines, there is no motivation. According to Parkinson’s Law (no relation to the disease), deadlines are essential.

Young Manager/Team Leader! Get a Grip!

History tends to repeat itself, and this is a common tale among young managers and team leaders. A recurring, tragic mistake is the commitment to unrealistic deadlines.

You Shouldn't Run with a Broken Leg!

You Shouldn’t Run with a Broken Leg!

Clear? Obvious? It seems so, yet we continuously run with broken legs…

Conversation with the Client

First Conversation with the Client

Today marks the beginning of a new project. As always in such cases, there is a hint of excitement in the team, as well as attempts to guess what the project will be about. We have some information, but nothing is certain yet.