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.

MPD

Well-Organized and Run Retrospectives Are Not a Nuisance

Jurgen wrote Lesson Learned: Automate Project Evaluations a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been trying to find a nice way to explain that no, Jurgen is wrong. I can’t do it. Jurgen, You are WRONG. If anyone here is doing some form of agile or incremental or any kind of development, and you have not

HTP, Recruiter

Q&A with the Recruiting Animal

For the recruiter interview series, I had a conversation with the Recruiting Animal: JR: How long have you been in the recruiting field? RA: Over ten years. JR: Do you have any specialties? RA: I’m a generalist but I have done a number ofsearches for internal auditors in recent years. I have also worked on

agile, MPD

What Does Done Mean for Your Project?

One of the problems I see in projects is that there is not a sufficient definition of done. For agile teams, it’s not clear what done means for a timebox. For non-agile projects, the team may not agree on what done means for a milestone or for a release. Do you know what done means

HTP, network

Using Your Network

I found my first job with the help of an on-campus recruiter, and with a local Boston-area recruiter. I found my second job through the newspaper. I’ve found all my other jobs (all of them, including my consulting engagements) via my network, which does include recruiters. That’s about 25 years of jobs. Louise Fletcher has

MPD

Timeboxes Help Multisite Teams Posted

I publish a monthly email newsletter, the Pragmatic Manager. Last month’s topic was Timeboxes Help Multisite Teams. Let me know if you like the formatting of the page the same way I format the email newsletter, or if I should not be so fancy-dancy.

Books, MPD

Another Great Review for Manage It!

Steve Berczuk (author of Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration—I’ve only read pieces), has a great review of Manage It! One nice nugget: This book has pragmatic advice on how to make progress and issues visible, how to plan a project, and most everything else you need to help a project come to

HTP, Recruiter

How Do You Know if a Recruiter is Trustworthy?

Matt Buckland had some great comments about my post Why You Should Make Friends with Recruiters. In his post, Why you should make friends with Recruiters, Matt rebutted a couple of points (which is just fine!). He made a great point at the bottom: I’d add one major exception to the list, make friends with

Books, MPD

Two More Great Reviews of Manage It!

I discovered two more great reviews of Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management. The first is a brief explanation of the Jolt awards. Take a look at Winners of the 18th Jolt Product Excellence Awards & Recipients of the Jolt Productivity Awards. (Scroll down a bit to see what Roland Racko said

MPD, schedule

When You Don’t Need a Schedule

I’m particular about two things: calling a prose plan a project plan and calling a Gantt chart (or yellow stickies) a schedule. One of my colleagues emailed me last week, explaining he’d spent a week developing a project plan and was hoping I could take a look at it. “Sure,” I said. “Send it along.”

HTP, Recruiter

Why You Should Make Friends with Recruiters

In response to my first recruiter interview, a colleague wrote in with the reasons he stays in touch with recruiters: Some of the best jobs / candidates are rarely advertised If you refer people to your friend the recruiter, there is the possibility of a finders fee They can keep you aware of trends in

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