Herding Cats

Slicing Work Into Small Pieces

One of the suggestions in #NoEstimates is the slicing of work - either Stories or any word needed to indicate an agile projects chunking of the work - into small pieces. This of course doesn't actually address the issue of... Read more →

Why Johnny Can't Estimate or the Dystopia of Poor Estimating Practices

There is a popular myth that the estimating problem in software development starts with comparing software development to bridge design and development. This lays the groundwork that software development is not the same as any other engineering discipline and estimating... Read more →

Quote of the Day

All the project world a non-linear, non-stationary stochastic process, driven by the exchange of cost, schedule, and technical capabilities - act accordingly This means: No single point estimate can be credible in the absence of knowing the variance on that... Read more →

Quote of the Day

Once we've identified the problem, we've gone 80% of the way toward fixing it - Capture Manager, in our morning proposal stand up. Read more →

Assumption Based Planning

Every assumption is a project risk Each risk requires a handling plan Unhandled assumptions, means unhandled risks, means a reduction in the Probability of Project Success The list of assumption that can create issues for the project are nearly unlimited.... Read more →

Quote of the Day

Capabilities are immutable and connected to the business or mission strategy. Requirements - technical and operational - that deliver these capabilities can emerge as further understanding emerges. Capabilities are assessed with Measures of Effectiveness, the technical and operational requirements are... Read more →

Quote of the Day

Only when you combine sound intellect with emotional discipline do you get rational behavior. - Warren Buffett Read more →

Quote of the Day

Nice hypothesis you have there, be a shame if someone were to test it - Carl Sagan Read more →

Why Software is Like Construction and Why it is Not

The Five principles of risk management, includes the core concept that cost, schedule, and technical performance are inseparable. There are some in the software business that conjecture software is some how immune from that principle. These risk principles live in... Read more →

Quote of the Day

You think because you understood one you must understand two because one and one makes two. But you forgot you must also understand and - Sufi wisdom saying Related articles Models ... Read more →

Three Steps to Delivering Complex, Mission Critical Programs

Much has been written and spoken about how to develop and deploy projects using people and their ideas. The FAA's National Airspace System, Systems Engineering Manaul has something to say about this as well Three steps are needed for success,... Read more →

New the Project Management Bookshelf

A colleague sent some books and others arrived that are must reads for any project management looking for guidance in the modern world of complex, integrated, emergent systems in any domain. Forecasting and Simulating Software Development Projects: Effective Modeling of... Read more →

Earned Value Management World Coming Soon

If This is How You See Management ...

If this is how you see your management, your interaction with them, or how your firm works, then here's some advice You've likely connected your career to a firm that's going to leave you high and dry pretty soon. Making... Read more →

Some more answers to the estimating questions

Woody asks some important questions that have straight foreword answers in the software for money domain. These answers come for the business side of a software development organization. It's the business of software that needs estimates. Given a choice no... Read more →

Back To The Future

The discussion (of sorts) on Twitter around "no estimates" - what ever that actually means, since there is no definitive description other than exploring - brings me back to my core program management, project management, writing software for money, designing... Read more →

Moving EVM from Reporting and Compliance to Managing for Success

There was a question posed on LinkedIn How do you get Project Manager understand the importance of Earned Value Management? It's been shown over and again when we make EV a compliance process and hold managers accountable for compliance it... Read more →

PMFlashBlog

Project success is elusive in all business and technical domains, including software development, construction, new drug development, any project involving multiple participants, irregular funding, and emerging requirements and risks that haven't yet been identified and handled. To increase the probability... Read more →