I just read this great article about presenting data effectively. The idea is to include all your data so readers can self-validate, get rid of your legend and be creative in your “bars”. Normally, this wouldn’t have interested me in the least, but the author hit on a topic that’s needed deeper investigation for years… the survival rate of ‘red shirts’ on the Federation Starship Enterprise.
Early this year, my organization went through custom training from Rally on agile development (specifically, scrum). I grew up doing waterfalls in traditional SDLC methodologies. I can’t say I was resistant to the timeboxed approach, but I was skeptical. More often than not, the waterfalls I worked on followed this type of planning lifecycle:
Every project I’ve worked on starts the same… we define the ask, determine the cost and establish the timebox. No matter the process we follow, there is always a timebox, either the process dictates it (scrum) or the customer does when they don’t like our estimates. Regardless, many people I’ve encountered plan for success. They determine what steps, or tasks, need to be completed, dependencies and plot out a date the facts tell them is achievable. They often fail and are shocked. Their success plan never takes into account the unknown, inevitable issues and unaccounted risks. (more…)
Before I became a manager, I was really annoyed with 1:1’s. They were just another status meeting where my manager would give me more detailed “feedback” on how to do my job, manage my projects, interact with people… Sometimes, I would receive good advice, but it was really rare. Mostly, it was just an opportunity for my manager to criticize my performance where it differed from how they would do my job. Now, some people do need more hand’s managing, but I was a top performer. (more…)
Ok… let me start with the fact that I’m biased. I love my daughter. In full disclosure, she (and her sister) were very premature. This is only pertinent because she has emotional issues. Now that I’ve placed that on the table between us, let’s push it to the corner and ignore it.
My 5 year old daughter is a leader. It’s natural to her. She’s independent, but surrounds herself with people. She’s as comfortable with adults as she is with children. Generally, she prefers hanging with kids a few years older than herself. She’s incredibly assertive. (more…)
