Category Archives: planning

Kanban with kids

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Big_GH

I recently had a day at home with my kids and we decided (well I decided) that we’d try a new game.  I explained the rules: “Today we are going to get lots of jobs done, but before we do … Continue reading →

Posted in agile, estimates, kanban, planning, Project Management, software development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who Said the Software’s Late?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Big_GH

We are always hearing about software projects being late.  My current experience tells me that my own software team will deliver their software later than planned. So why is that?  Let’s firstly get the assumption that the team is somehow … Continue reading →

Posted in agile, costs, estimates, information, planning, process, Project Management, software development | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Building Roads

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Big_GH

We are often told when managing software projects that things should be more predictable, more repeatable and that our projects are less in control than others.  As we saw previously, I’m not convinced. I’ve been watching with interest over the … Continue reading →

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Speed vs Predictability

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Big_GH

Understanding which trait is most important to a project can be a big factor in whether that project is seen as successful. It can also help determine the best way to “manage” a project (in a “project management” sort of … Continue reading →

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Progress – Part 3 (What still needs improving?)

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Big_GH

In the previous parts, we looked at how things used to be in the development team, and then looked at how things are now.  This time, lets look at the areas that still need improving. As a small company trying … Continue reading →

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Progress – Part 2 (How things are now)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Big_GH

Last time we looked at how things used to be within my development team.  This time, let’s look at how things are now and some of the improvements that have been made. We now have 3 broad teams of developers, … Continue reading →

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Progress – Part 1 (How things used to be)

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Big_GH

I started as Software Development Manager about 5 years ago and I’d like to share some of the changes that have occurred since then.  Some of those changes I’ve worked hard to create, some were pushed by others within the … Continue reading →

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Learning from Mistakes

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Big_GH

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone learnt from their mistakes?  Well, I like to think I’m a glass half full sort of person, so I believe that people do learn from their mistakes.  However, what happens when they don’t realise … Continue reading →

Posted in costs, planning, Project Management, reading, software development | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The True Cost of Developing Software

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Big_GH

How much does it cost to develop software? I remember in my early days of software development I worked for an outsourced software development company and we followed a Waterfall approach to software development.  We had neat phases that we … Continue reading →

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Planning Genius or Stupidity?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Big_GH

Here’s a little story of a project I was recently involved in. I always enjoy the chance to watch and learn from other people’s work, so with an external Project Manager I was looking forward to this one. Things started … Continue reading →

Posted in estimates, information, listening, planning, process, Project Management | Tagged , , | 2 Comments