Author name: Johanna

I help you identify and solve the problems that prevent you from releasing systems, hiring the right people, deciding which project to work on next. I take a pragmatic approach: what will work best for you, now? Some people call me a focuser. Some call me an accelerator. When I work with people, first we define our goal together. Typically, it's to get a better product out the door faster. I work with my clients to help managers figure out how to do the managing better, and how the technical contributors can contribute better, not to create a by-the-book system. I work with you, your staff, and your current product development practices. Together, we learn what works well for you and what doesn't. I believe in changing only what needs to be changed at the current time, to maximize your success. We work together to develop a blueprint for the future, and to build in capacity to recognize and implement change.

hiring strategy, HTP

If You’re Hiring, Answer These Questions First

Joan Lloyd has a great post that I saw at Don’t turn down the new job before asking these questions by Joan Lloyd bizjournals.com. Her questions are: * What specific results are you expecting in the first three months? Six? One year? How will you measure those results? * To whom can I go for […]

implement by feature, MPD

When You're in Chaos, Try Baby Steps

About a month ago, I spoke with a project manager who’d inherited a project in chaos. No one was making progress. He was stumped–he’d never worked on a project where the developers couldn’t do anything, the testers couldn’t do anything, and time was just slipping away. I suggested he try baby steps. What’s the first

Books, MPD

Great Review of Manage It!

Dave posted his review of Manage it! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management. A quote: Here’s what I like best about the book: it’s not theological. By this I mean Rothman doesn’t advocate one “true” way of running projects. She is very careful to be continually cognizant of context when she talks about different

Articles

Make Your Mission Possible

Janice strode down the hall and made a sharp right at a cubicle decorated with dragons. “Hey, Steve, got a minute? I need your help with a problem.” “Janice, the last time you asked me for my help, I got stuck in that installation mess. I appreciate being one of your team leads, but I

Articles

Are You Done Yet?

by, JB Rainsberger and Johanna Rothman, © 2008 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse

hiring strategy, HTP

Where Have All the Testers Gone?

I spoke with a couple of recruiters this week. They’ve been specializing in finding test people for the last 10-15 years. (I used one of them 15 years ago, the last time I was hiring testers.) They both asked a question like this, “With all this Agile stuff, where am I going to find the

defect, implement by feature, MPD

Are Your Defects Like Potholes?

It’s winter here in Massachusetts, and we’ve had lots of snow, ice, rain, snow, ice, snow, ice, rain. All that freezing and melting plays havoc with the roads. We have lots of potholes, and the local and state governments are busy doing emergency repairs all over the place. (For those of you who don’t know

MPD

Getting Status at the End of a (non-Agile) Project

Here’s a common scenario I was discussing with a colleague last night: They’re at the end of a project. They used some combination of a serial lifecycle, becoming more incremental as they proceed through the project. But they still have a ton of open defects, and a few not-quite-finished features. My colleague was complaining about

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