Guest Post I’m pleased to share this post written by the folks at Agil8. Project management systems are not methods that are just for big businesses and large-scale organisations alone. They are also suitable for smaller businesses that can benefit a great deal from these methods too. The fundamental principles of project management can be […]
This is the second part of this two-part blog entry discussing how to select commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software. It’s often better to buy than build – if you go about it the right way. Part 1 of this article is available here. 6. Use spreadsheet comparisons wisely Too many companies prepare elegant spreadsheets showing long lists […]
This blog usually covers topics dealing with building enterprise software systems. I’m going to diverge a bit this time and discuss how to select commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software. Companies spend millions on COTS software and much of it is wasted. (I’ll post part 2 of this blog entry in a few days.) Buying an enterprise-scale software […]
I’m sure you’ve heard the fable of the chicken and the pig as it applies to Scrum. In case you haven’t, it goes something like this: Chicken: Hey, Pig, let’s open a restaurant. Pig: Okay. What would we call it? Chicken: How about ‘Ham ‘n Eggs’? Pig: No thanks. I’d be committed but you’d only […]
There are endless arguments around whether IT is a support function or a strategic office. Neither side can win the arguments because they’re both wrong. IT occupies a middle ground that’s unique in the enterprise and can’t be classified like other departments. What is Information Technology? What does an IT department do? Would you believe […]
Are you accountable? Someone has to be. Work must get done. Software must be delivered. All the supporting artifacts that go into building great software must be created and maintained. We all know that, right? But are you accountable? Is your work clearly defined? Do you know precisely what you have to do? Do you […]
There are many more ways to fail than ways to succeed. (Anything that can go wrong, probably will, right?) Yet most software project failures are attributable to a small set of common mistakes. Avoid these and your chances of success increase dramatically. Here’s a short list of common, but often overlooked, project mistakes. Review this […]
I’ve read quite a few blog posts lately regarding software estimates. Should we estimate epics, stories and tasks or not? Are estimates useful to software development teams or are they a waste of time? Do estimates add value to the development process or are they inaccurate and misleading? As is often the case, the answers […]
Large enterprises like to centralize governance across all departments. Most large IT departments follow the leader and adopt centralized control mechanisms internally. They often establish governance entities such as program management offices, whose mission is to enforce conformance. There are good reasons for it. By approaching major projects in a uniform fashion, everything from status […]
Software bugs, all of us despise them. You might prefer to call them by their politically correct name — defects. I still despise them. Yet many companies seem to ignore them. Are they hoping no one will notice? Do they expect bugs to scamper away on their own? Maybe they believe customers will be able […]
We have a disconnect in the agile community. Agile approaches to software development are not about technology departments like Information Technology, Engineering or Research and Development. Agile development approaches are about customers, knowledge workers, and successful outcomes. This fundamental concept seems to be difficult for many companies to grasp. Or, maybe many managers and developers […]
Crappy software. It’s everywhere. There is far more poorly-designed software than well-designed software. So much more, in fact, that we are literally drowning in crapware. It gives all of us in the software business a bad reputation. I hate it. You’ll find lots of information on how to build better software (just click here). However, […]
I like to move fast. I like having the “first mover advantage”. I don’t believe that my team needs to be smarter than yours or better at what we do (though those attributes certainly help). If we can simply move faster, we’ll have the advantage and we’ll be more likely to succeed. Regrettably, I work […]