Harnessing Down Time
We all have far more that we would like to get done than we have available time to do these things. This is true in the workplace and outside as well. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take advantage of all the down time we seem to have during our day to accomplish more? Read more
Judgement
In the early stages of relationships, when there has not yet been enough investments of time for deep roots to take hold, breakdowns can occur for many reasons. Certainly prejudices can stop the relationship from ever getting off the ground, and even rumor and innuendo can waylay progress. While it is likely that most of our relationships won’t endure the test of time, most are ended before deep roots have formed, so there is a limited sense of loss. Read more
Planning Cycles, Thinking Rhythms
I was running a training session with about a dozen executives a couple of months back. These were all people from relatively small companies, so even though by title and role they may face strategic issues most of the day, they still have at least one foot firmly planted in day-to-day issues, and many of them remain more comfortable in a technical environment than a boardroom. Read more
The Truth About Best Practices
It is likely that “best practices” is the most overused term in software development today. Anyone discussing what needs to be done to improve the situation on projects will use the term. It is the basis for almost any consultant’s pitch. We train in best practices, we study and promote best practices, and we still face challenges. What is it about these best practices that makes them so compelling, and why don’t they seem to work as well as consultants would suggest? Read more
Candor
I’ve always been convinced that failure to communicate is at the root of almost all challenges we face in software development. Process and procedures are a means of ensuring that we do the right things at the right time, analysis models help us communicate different aspects of our product in more precise forms than the English language can convey. Read more
