|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What happens when a Project Manager asks one of his team members "Are you done yet"?
If you're a seasoned project manager, then the following scenario will sound very familiar. If you're new at this game, take my word for it: This will happen to you!
------------------------------------------------------
Starring in this article: R.U. Dunyet (a.k.a. Red)
------------------------------------------------------
(Monday)
Red: Are you going to be done for this Friday?
Developer: Oh yeah. I'm actually ahead of schedule.
(Wednesday)
Red: Are we still on track for Friday?
Developer: Yep, no problem.
(Friday morning)
Red: Are you done?
Developer: No, but I should be done today. If might have to stay late, but I don't see why I couldn't finish this evening.
(Friday evening)
Red: Are you done?
Developer: No, but like I said this morning, I will work late tonight to complete it.
(Monday)
Red: Are you done?
Developer: Um, no. But I'm very close.
(Wednesday)
Red: Are you done yet?
Developer: I ran into some integration problems because so and so didn't explain his interface properly. But no worries, he's going to help me this afternoon integrate it. I'll let you know when we're done.
(Friday)
Red: Are you done yet?
Developer: I'm working as fast as I can! Didn't I say I'd let you know when I'm done!
What Do They Mean by "Almost Done"?
The most popular answer to the "How's your feature going?" question is "I'm almost done". But what do developers mean by "almost"? And what about "done"?
I've had developers tell me that they were done when they had in fact not even committed their code to the source repository. When I asked them what they meant by done, they replied their code worked on their machine. Sure, they had not committed their code, integrated their feature, installed it on the daily build or developed unit tests yet, but that's something you do after you're done, right? Wrong!
Lesson Learned
Don't ask vague questions like "Are you done yet" and then walk away. Drill the developer for more details. Ask for specific deliverables like software requirements specifications (SRS), a feature demo, results from unit tests, or even better, have one of your testers write a test case build on the SRS and have him execute it against the daily build. If the test case does not pass, the feature is not done!
Don't be a pest. There are developers that have proven time and time again they will develop features on time and according to specs, and there's no need to annoy them. But let everyone know that you want an accurate report on everyone's status, and do what's necessary to get it.
Luc Richard is professional speaker and author with over 10 years of experience managing the development of software applications. He can be reached via The Project Mangler (http://www.projectmangler.com).
Individual and corporate security stand in the center of the... Read More
Six Reasons to K.I.S.S. "Very often, people confuse simple with... Read More
In today's competitive environment, companies realize that a good boss... Read More
I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company... Read More
How can you get more attention for your conference and... Read More
Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More
On consulting assignments, here are some of the questions I... Read More
Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However,... Read More
"It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder... Read More
Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why... Read More
Tommy Sherman daily monitors a helpdesk-provisioning queue for a large... Read More
We all know people who are like human dynamos. They... Read More
In numerous programs I've conducted on performance appraisals, with Human... Read More
This article relates to the Safety and Working Environment competency... Read More
The Critical Success Factors Focusing on the... Read More
Information is the lifeblood of the economy. That's especially true... Read More
To visualise where you are going, is deeper and more... Read More
Nothing has changed. Your ancestors lived by faith. Some planted... Read More
If your organization has people, then interpersonal skills are needed.I... Read More
As crazy as it seems, some people spend more time... Read More
The Security Consultant's Perspective...Implementing Personnel Security Initiatives should be the... Read More
The overriding goal of ISO-14000. (History 1995)As ISO-9000 becomes a... Read More
The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in... Read More
Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More
Using all of your senses, to help you test how... Read More
Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
Leaders and Managers often ask us, 'What do you do... Read More
Doing business and meeting the needs of workers is increasingly... Read More
The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Four of SeriesNext: Complete... Read More
When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
In 1987 I sold my business, South Mountain Company, to... Read More
MSDS SHEETSMSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheets. MSDS sheets... Read More
At this time of tight budgets, the mantra of business... Read More
Office politics! It's just another way of saying: "The employees... Read More
You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More
In most industrialized nations, the average age a student graduates... Read More
Becoming a manager for the first time can be an... Read More
Being able to give effective feedback is not just a... Read More
This article relates to the Senior /Top Level Management competency,... Read More
Leaders speak 15 to 20 times daily. You speak at... Read More
Each year many people create a list of resolutions designed... Read More
I've just watched, again, an episode in the Back to... Read More
Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving... Read More
160 years ago, the newly invented electric telegraph carried the... Read More
DECIDING WHAT TO DELEGATE: Once the benefits of delegation are... Read More
Outsourcing is the delegation of a business process to an... Read More
Business Management |