InfoQ Homepage Management Content on InfoQ
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Generalists, Brush Up Your Resumes
Good news: a) in many places, it's a job-hunter's market again; b) recruiters are looking for exceptional, well-rounded, super-smart generalists - multitalented, multifaceted, multitasking problem-solvers. Have you been updating your skillset? Work-force consulting firm Foote Partners tells us which skills are in demand.
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Strategies for Remaining Focussed on Your Project's Goal
Catalysts' Christoph Steindl describes strategies for how you can stay focused on the true goal(s) which your project team is chartered to achieve via effective use of strategic objectives maps and related agile project management strategies.
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Strategies for Initiating an Agile Project
This article describes what happens during "Cycle 0" to kick off an agile project. This includes feasibility assessment, initial requirements modeling, initial architectural modeling, building the initial team, and initial estimating and planning.
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Should We Manage Both Features and Tasks?
Although it keeps people busy, managing tasks is neither interesting nor useful. Managing value created provides greater leverage and greater risk management. Jon Kern blogged last week on creating good features (rather than tasks) by focusing on value and testability. But do we sometimes need to manage tasks, too? David Anderson used the Theory of Constraints to back an unexpected answer.
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Rolling Rocks Downhill - in Installments
Clarke Ching has just published more chapters of Rolling Rocks Downhill, his "business novel" in the tradition of Goldratt and Lencioni. He's writing in an online "fishbowl", looking for reader feedback: a rather Agile thing to do. In chapter 21 Steve contemplates working iteratively from the start of the project - just like they do in product development. But he's got one niggling doubt ...
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Submissions wanted for Agile Leadership Summit 2006
Deadline is May 31 for submission of Experience Reports for the APLN Leadership Summit, to be held at the Agile2006 conference in July. This is an amazing opportunity to talk all day with Agile leaders in the setting of a small conference.
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Anderson's "Agile Management" Reviewed
Stick Minds has posted two reviews of David Anderson's "Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results", in which Anderson combines TOC and Agile approaches. The book targets senior IT executives, project managers, development managers, and team leads. Do manufacturing metrics really enhance Agile software development? Apparently the jury is out.
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Discussion: "Decide as Late as Possible"
Lean Software Development says "decide as late as possible", but this goes against the grain for new Agile managers and team leads, who used to be responsible for careful up-front planning. Can this possibly be right? A group of ScrumMasters recently discussed the topic.
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Are Traditional Project Managers De-Agilizing Projects?
David Nicolette fears that it is all too common to see agile teams have a traditional manager thrust upon them who doesn't understand agile and thereby harms the project through over control.
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Software Manager Basics Explained
Most software managers began their careers as software developers. They either had some ambition, some skill recognized as good management material, or were in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time. If you find yourself in a management position, or in a team lead position, how do you succeed?
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The Art of Performance Feedback
The Agile approach, with its emphasis on "people over process" and "face-to-face communication", requires that managers pay attention to developing their communication skills. This is particularly important when helping employees improve their performance at work. Paul B. Brown has reviewed three recent books on the subject.