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.

conference, MPD

Better Speaking Naturally (Not Through Chemistry)

I work hard on my speaking skills–not just how I present myself on the platform, but also the content of what I say, and how I present that. I’ve almost converted to Keynote, but occasionally still use PowerPoint. For AYE, we don’t use any PowerPoint (or equivalent) at all. Here’s why. If you scroll down, […]

Books, MPD

Manage it! is Available

  Drum roll please… Manage It! Your Guide to Modern Pragmatic Project Management is available. (I don’t know when it will be available from Amazon. Soon, I suspect.) See the press release. I’m sooo excited. Labels: Manage It, project management

MPD

Two Good Rules

  In his recent IEEE Software column, “Ship Effortlessly” J.B. Rainsberger has a gem: I start each project with two rules: all source files must be in a version control repository, and the build must be fully automated at all times. Does your project follow these rules? If not, what would you have to do?

Articles

Exploiting—But Not Manipulating—Your Alumni Network

Harvard’s alumni network is legendary. I have colleagues over 50 who’ve never looked for a job outside their Harvard network. But how many of us managed to attend or graduate from Harvard? Not that many, I suspect. On the other hand, many of us have worked for great companies—or at least worked with great people.

HTP, interview

Is Your CxO Candidate Any Good?

I’ve been working with more and more senior managers (and executive recruiters), helping them assess their CxO candidates (CEO, CIO, CTO, Senior VPs, you name it). By the time someone’s made it to the senior management level, they know how to make themselves sound good, so you can’t ask the strength/weakness question, even if you

HTP, interview

10 More Ways to Bomb an Interview

Over at Employment Digest, there’s a post called The top 10 ways to bomb a job interview, aimed at candidates. But hiring managers and HR folks can be just as likely to bomb an interview. Here are my favorite ways: Change your toddler’s diaper while interviewing a candidate. Yes, this happened to me early in

MPD

Services to the Organization

There are several questioning comments on my post Testing is Not a Service: What do I mean by testing and how do I reconcile my statement with the context-driven school of testing? Let me clarify what I mean by service first. The way the participants were discussing testing as a service, they meant a common

HTP, interview

Make Your Phone Screens More Effective

I’m doing a webinar Thursday, May 17 for Kennedy. See Using Behavior Description Questions in Phone Screens. I am expecting to take questions and help people convert their essential technical skill, non-technical skill, and elimination questions into behavior-description questions. I hope you decide to join me. Labels: phone screen, webinar

MPD

Testing is Not a Service

  I taught a one-day workshop at StarEast yesterday with Esther. I was astonished at the number of test managers who think testing is a service. Effective testing is not a service. Effective testing is an integral part of development. When people–especially senior management–consider testing a service, there are inevitable consequences: Testers multitask between several

MPD

Problem Solving Leadership, The Legend Returns

  From 1974-2002, Jerry Weinberg, taught Problem Solving Leadership. Jerry thought he was done teaching in 2002, but is co-teaching PSL again with Esther and me June 24-29, 2007 in Albuquerque, NM. Want more information? Send me an email.  

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