Payson Hall

Payson Hall is a consulting project manager for Catalysis Group, Inc. in Sacramento, California. Payson consults on project management issues and teaches project management. Email Payson at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter at @paysonhall.

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All Stories by Payson Hall

The Best Way to Communicate Project Quality Concerns

When you encounter quality concerns in a project, it's important to let management know. But building an overly detailed list of faults and shortcomings undermines the impact of the important points and muddles communication. To effectively convey the crucial issues, you have to prioritize.

Go-Live Lessons: The Path from Software Development to Production

On systems integration projects where a vendor is building or configuring a system for a client, you sometimes cross the canyon from development to production and maintenance in several smaller bounds rather than one big leap. A warranty period after go-live can help stakeholders confidently monitor quality.

Software Project Management: The Responsibility of Communicating Quality Trade-Offs

Some requirements are negotiable, even if it sounds like they aren’t. But expectations have to be managed carefully to avoid problems. Payson Hall explains that when executives agree to sacrifice quality in order to hit a deadline, it's up to the team to ensure they understand the tradeoff and possible risks.

Pick a Chicken: How to Prioritize and Get More Done

A project manager was having trouble with his list of projects, all of which were behind schedule. They were all vitally important, so he was in a state of thrash with too many options to choose from. Luckily, Payson Hall was able to help him—thanks to his childhood experiences chasing chickens on a farm.

A Strange Story of Version Control and Software Customization

As he was doing an inventory of a company’s commercial software and version control, Payson Hall got an odd response from a vendor: Their software has no versions. Each client has a unique, customized edition of the software. How can the vendor possibly support that many products? How would that work?

Who’s Responsible for What? Use a RACI Matrix to Keep It Straight

As projects get larger and more complex, roles and responsibilities can become confusing. To clarify, teams can create a RACI matrix: a chart that shows who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for any work product. Each role has a different level of authority, so everyone knows their duty.

The Consequences of Project Delay

An often overlooked and underappreciated aspect of project schedules is the consequences of delay on others. Due dates and commitments sometimes matter more than they appear. Knowing the larger context of your project can help you prioritize how you undertake it, consider options, and improve problem-solving.

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