his trend from the original graph, as in figure 4. "Here's my projected end. I've taken the serial lifecycle graph we had originally and extrapolated out. What do you think?"
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| Figure 4: Tristan's projected trend of project complete |
Dan looked and said, "Well, I'' like to think you were being pessimistic, but this is what happens. We finish a little and then finish a lot at the end, and then the testers are overwhelmed, as is the doc group and the rollout group. I have to admit, I much prefer the graph we had where the timeboxes helped us even out the progress." (See figure 3.)
Tristan grinned and added, "Yeah, and if we use timeboxes the whole way through, we can make progress all the time. I bet we could have shortened the project."
Dan frowned, "Well, I'm not sure of that. But I do like seeing the real progress of how many features are done on the project." I'll take this data to the rest of my PMO and see if we can't try a few more agile projects from the beginning."
Data Helps Explain What's Happening in Your Project
If you are considering a transition to agile, or if you're wondering why things are taking so long, consider cumulative flow diagrams. They help you and the entire team see what's going on and what's getting finished in the project-or not. And, if you're considering a transition to agile, the data is a great selling point.
Acknowledgements
I thank Esther Derby, George Dinwiddie, and Don Gray for their comments.
Pages
About the author
Johanna Rothman, known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” helps organizational leaders see problems and risks in their product development. She helps them recognize potential “gotchas,” seize opportunities, and remove impediments. Johanna was the Agile 2009 conference chair. She is the technical editor for Agile Connection and the author of these books:
- Manage Your Job Search
- Hiring Geeks That Fit
- Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects
- The 2008 Jolt Productivity award-winning Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management
- Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management
- Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets and Science of Hiring Technical People
Johanna is working on a book about agile program management. She writes columns for Stickyminds.com and projectmanagementcom and blogs on her website, jrothman.com, as well on createadaptablelife.com.
