project planning
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Making Decisions at the Right Level of the Organization Decision-making in a climate of ambiguous responsibility is a no-win situation. If you're in a position of some authority, how can you define exactly what that authority allows in order to better secure sponsor support for your decisions? It involves considering some scenarios and asking the right clarifying questions. |
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5 Common Mistakes Project Managers Should Avoid When you're responsible for leading a new software project, of course it’s impossible to steer clear of every single mistake. But there are plenty of common mistakes project managers fall into that can be easily avoided simply by being mindful of them. Here are five common mistakes PMs make that you should be wary of. |
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“It Was More Complex Than We Thought”: Why Business Analysis Is Essential Many new project fields look simple from a distance because we only see the outputs and interfaces. But corner cases, bad data, users with special needs, regulations—getting inside a new knowledge domain and teasing out the special cases and unhappy paths is a skill. This is why business analysts are so important. |
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Refine Your Product Backlog Continuously to Improve Flow One way to address poorly defined product backlog items is to spend time refining the items as you go. Refining the backlog continuously helps the team deliver consistently and can lead to shorter planning meetings at the start of the sprint. It can even help improve reliability, velocity, and the quality of work. |
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The 6 P’s of Getting Started on a New Project Ideally, when an employee is transferred to an existing project, there would be at least one team member designated to train the new person. However, this isn’t always the case, and you may be left to fend for yourself. If you suddenly find yourself on a new project, take control and get started with the six P’s. |
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The Premortem: Planning for Failure While a postmortem, or retrospective, is done after a project is completed, a premortem is done before the project starts as a way to imagine that the project failed and to explore what went wrong. You list every possible thing that can go wrong, then devise solutions to the most probable risks—before you need them. |
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How to Prioritize Tasks and Do Only the Work That Matters When you’re working on multiple projects at a time and everyone is breathing down your neck for results, it’s difficult to separate wants from needs. You have to be smart about task prioritization. Here are four ways to break through the noise and make sure you’re focusing on the work that really matters. |
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Wisdom from Consulting: Getting and Vetting Advice When you hire a consultant, they may appear to have a wealth of experience and knowledge—and may actually have it. But accepting their advice without question is dangerous. Here are some good practices to keep in mind when you're receiving advice, including asking questions, exploring alternatives, and analyzing risks. |
