 |
Project Management - Are You Done Yet
What happens when a Project Manager asks one of his team members "Are you done yet"? If you're a seasoned project manager, then the following scenario will sound very familiar. If you're new at this game, take my word for it: This will happen to you! ------------------------------------------------------ Starring in this article: R.U. Dunyet (a.k.a. Red) ------------------------------------------------------ (Monday)
Red: Are you going to be done for this Friday?
Developer: Oh yeah. I'm actually ahead of schedule. (Wednesday)
Red: Are we still on track for Friday?
Developer: Yep, no problem. (Friday morning)
Red: Are you done?
Developer: No, but I should be done today. If might have to stay late, but I don't see why I couldn't finish this evening. (Friday evening)
Red: Are you done?
Developer: No, but like I said this morning, I will work late tonight to complete it. (Monday)
Red: Are you done?
Developer: Um, no. But I'm very close. (Wednesday)
Red: Are you done yet?
Developer: I ran into some integration problems because so and so didn't explain his interface properly. But no worries, he's going to help me this afternoon integrate it. I'll let you know when we're done. (Friday)
Red: Are you done yet?
Developer: I'm working as fast as I can! Didn't I say I'd let you know when I'm done! What Do They Mean by "Almost Done"? The most popular answer to the "How's your feature going?" question is "I'm almost done". But what do developers mean by "almost"? And what about "done"? I've had developers tell me that they were done when they had in fact not even committed their code to the source repository. When I asked them what they meant by done, they replied their code worked on their machine. Sure, they had not committed their code, integrated their feature, installed it on the daily build or developed unit tests yet, but that's something you do after you're done, right? Wrong! Lesson Learned Don't ask vague questions like "Are you done yet" and then walk away. Drill the developer for more details. Ask for specific deliverables like software requirements specifications (SRS), a feature demo, results from unit tests, or even better, have one of your testers write a test case build on the SRS and have him execute it against the daily build. If the test case does not pass, the feature is not done! Don't be a pest. There are developers that have proven time and time again they will develop features on time and according to specs, and there's no need to annoy them. But let everyone know that you want an accurate report on everyone's status, and do what's necessary to get it. Luc Richard is professional speaker and author with over 10 years of experience managing the development of software applications. He can be reached via The Project Mangler (http://www.projectmangler.com).
|
More resources:
|
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Corporate Facelift With Sound Bytes
If Baby Boomers can get botox and tummy tucks, then why don't companies receive facelifts to improve their image as well? The telephone is the lifeblood of any business. Use it respectfully.
The How-Tos of Firing Incompetent Employees
CATEGORIES OF OFFENSES: Most organizations have two categories of offenses in their policies. One category is for flagrant actions which are cause for immediate termination.
Boost Your Leadership Skills Simply By Answering The Question, What Does Our Organization Really...
The difference between leaders is ears. Good leaders not only ask good questions, but they actually listen to the answers.
Presenteeism: The Hidden Costs of Business
(prez.un.
A Checklist for Organized Executives
I could begin this article by providing a checklist of organizing techniques for you to incorporate into your daily work routine. The goal would be to become and remain organized, improve your time management and reduce your stress while increasing your productivity.
Business Innovation - Improvisation
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
Management Development - Micromanagement Works!
Getting into the detail of everything each of your people does, will really damage your relationships with them. Sure, there are times where their hand needs to be held, and then there are times when you have to be sensitive enough to their needs to back off and let them learn for themselves.
Gossip And Rumors And Hearsay, Oh Why?
In the Wizard of Oz, it was "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Many organizations today are singing a slightly different tune: "Gossip and rumors and hearsay, oh why?"It is estimated that gossip and rumors within a company can cut productivity by as much as 50%. Of course this translates to lower profits and can negatively impact the company in the long-term.
The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Communication Breakdown
An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNThe "Seven Cs" are the danger signs that indicate your business partnership, or any partnership for that matter, is in trouble.
Steps to Build ISO 9001 Compliant Program
Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However, all of that effort can represent a significant shift for a business - from quantity to quality.
Encouraging Behavior That Gets Results
You're the boss, and you have every reason to feel good about your organization.You've built a great team.
How to Keep a Good Employee: Look, Listen, Learn
Recently a client told me a wonderful story about how a change of attitude helped her to keep a valued employee.Angry and grumbling about one of the provisions in the company policy, the employee asked for a private meeting with my client, the owner of a small sales company, and began to tell her in direct terms what was wrong.
Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness
Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences.
Work Life a Balancing Act
Australians are loosing their laidback, carefree reputation, as we continue to work longer hours, exercise less and neglect our leisure and family time.Recent research indicates that 67 per cent of Australian professionals spend at least 20 hours a week thinking about their job when they should be relaxing, and less than half take their entitled annual leave.
Inspirational Power ( Part 1 )
The Fundamentals of Strategic Marketing,
Some Key Traits for Greater EffectivenessProbably, the greatest challenge to marketing management in the next five Years will be to change quick and fast enough, in order to keep pace with new technologies, new markets and new corporate values
According to the definition of the AMA, "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. "Customer focus has nowadays become a cliché among marketers keen to win competitive advantage.
Five Strategies for Profitable Services Growth
In today's era of Professional and IT Services competition and consolidation, some small to medium-sized companies are proudly delivering 20%-50% annual growth.Unfortunately, the vast majority of firms have experienced two consecutive years of fee erosion, commoditization, client defection, and company identity crises.
How To Turn Business Losses Into Cash Flow
When the typical new business operator starts a business, they concentrate on making the business succeed. That is necessary but not the only thing that a business operator should concentrate on.
New Job, New Culture: Do You Fit In?
It seemed like a good decision at the time. A 10-percent raise, an easier commute and a chance to move up the corporate ladder.
5 Surefire Ways to Bring Your Business Objectives Full Circle with Technology
All small to mid-sized company owners want to know where their dollar is being spent when it comes to computer technology in their organization. The challenge is for them to get the information they need to make the right purchasing decisions.
6 Shared Factors of Successful Executives
These factors where determined by interviews with and books from very successful people. Factors which eminently successful people considered essential were collected and classified.
|
Info-Zone.eu » Management
