When is a year of experience not a year of experience? When that experience doesn’t match your needs. Take my friend Zack for instance. A VP of Development, he recently came to me with a problem. “We hire the best people money can buy,” he said. “They have degrees and tons of experience. Why can’t […]
If you’re like most IT managers, you have a couple of open reqs. You’d like to make the most of your reqs, and you don’t want to take a long time to hire. To hire the most suitable candidate who aligns with your strategy and needs, find candidates with relevant experience and then ask them
Many of the project schedules I review contain milestone completions on Fridays and new task or phase beginnings on Mondays. With a Friday or Monday milestone, what you’re really saying is that people can work overtime all week and all weekend to make the Friday milestone, so they won’t be late for the Monday start.
by Johanna Rothman. This article was originally published in Software Development, January 2003. When the avalanche of work piles up past your eyebrows, sending for a St. Bernard won’t help. Ask yourself six crucial questions—and use the answers to dig out of trouble. Part 1 of 2. Raul, a CIO, arrives at work at 7:45. Between
by Johanna Rothman. Part 2 from Shaking off the Shoulds. Don’t take on work just because someone else thinks you should. Answer these sanity-saving questions to trim your workload, be tactical and optimize productivity. Part 2 of 2. Remember Sisyphus? That unfortunate who angered Zeus was cursed with a job that may feel all too
“I’m so busy, I barely have time to think. I don’t have enough money to hire on someone full time, but I’d like to get off the merry go-round.” “I wish I had more business.” “How can I take on jobs with more challenge?” “I’m lonely. I don’t want to keep working alone.” Consultants have
Most of us track faults (also called defects, problems, issues, bugs) during the system test part of the project. However, many project managers don’t track how many of our fixes are successful and how many fixes are bad — either introducing a new defect or not completely fixing the original defect. If you’re looking for
INTRO: We all have different attitudes and policies toward finding and fixing defects. The choice about whether and when to fix defects depends upon many factors, one of the least understood being the actual cost of fixing a defect. In this week’s column, testing expert Johanna Rothman shares a formula for calculating the system test
© 2002 Johanna Rothman. This article was originally published by Cutter, June 2002. As we come out of the economic downturn, it’s time to start planning your organizational investments. Aside from the standard capital equipment investments, what about your people investment? Maybe you’re thinking, “Hey, my people are lucky to still be employed!” But as
by Johanna Rothman. This article was originally publised in Software DevelopmentMagazine, June 2002. If you’re getting stuck counting cars in the parking lot or fetching meals to fuel your team’s overtime marathons, dump the dinners and trade in the clock for more accurate means of measuring productivity. By Johanna Rothman How do you find out who’s