Planning

Articles

When Should You Start Project Overtime?

Many managers believe that overtime, even extended overtime is a good thing, and will help a project make progress. However, most technical people who try to work more than two weeks of overtime make huge numbers of mistakes. Often, they don't realize the mistakes and have already wasted a lot of time and money.
Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
July 10, 2003
Give 'em the Business

Miscommunication is at the heart of most software defects. Being knowledgeable about a company as a whole, and not just about the specs of a particular project, is just one more way to safeguard against failures. Read on as Elisabeth Hendrickson explains the importance of technical people staying informed about business strategies.
Elisabeth Hendrickson's picture Elisabeth Hendrickson
May 22, 2003
work completed by elapsed time The Fine Art of Scheduling

Why is scheduling an art? If it were a science, every project would be delivered on time. Overruns have become so common that people have lost faith in schedules and view them as very malleable. In this article, Nick Jenkins explains how to prevent this in your project.
Nick Jenkins
April 21, 2003
Ten Ways to Guarantee Project Failure

Naomi Karten specializes in helping companies succeed in their projects. In this column, however, she gives tongue-in-cheek advice on how to make a project fail. Read on to see if these steps to failure are part of your organization's modus operandi.
Naomi Karten's picture Naomi Karten
April 3, 2003
How to Preview User Satisfaction before Your Release

Why wait to discover how your users will react to your system when there are ways to measure such things during development? This column describes a simple tool to develop visibility into customer satisfaction. Learn how you can begin to manage expectations so that neither you nor the customer has an unpleasant surprise on release day.
Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
February 7, 2002
The Problem Isn't Always THE Problem

When things go awry, sometimes the first problem you see is not The Problem but just a product of its symptoms. But if problems can hide behind other problems, how can you learn to spot the true culprit at the source of your dilemma? Elisabeth Hendrickson shares some lessons she's learned about "The Problem."
Elisabeth Hendrickson's picture Elisabeth Hendrickson
September 5, 2001
Exploratory Planning

StickyMinds columnist James Bach has used this space to describe and discuss Exploratory Testing, a style of testing that emphasizes product exploration and fluid test design and execution. In this week's column, test consultant Lee Copeland adds his own twist to the exploratory premise.
Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
August 27, 2001
Conducting a Temperature Reading

Negative mindsets and instances are so easy to fall into, and it can be difficult to see the positive in things. By using the "temperature reading" technique, a completely attitude and outlook turnaround time can be achieved in very little time. Learn this easy method for improving your mindset.
Naomi Karten's picture Naomi Karten
May 14, 2001
Getting to the Bottom of Project Troubles

It's amazing how many projects, already in a hole, keep sinking deeper. When team members and staff don't have the insight or objectivity to turn things around, an independent consultant can help—or not. In this column, a leading industry consultant gives you "the straight dope" on what to watch out for.
Eileen Strider
April 10, 2001

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