I feel better, now

Oops! The whole problem started when I wanted to install a new program on the “entertainment computer” that’s connected to the TV. The existing version of Ubuntu was no longer supported, so I started what I thought would be a simple upgrade. Oops, it deleted the entire /var directory, including the contents of the second drive mounted there. That drive contained all of our photos and music. Not a problem, I thought. It’s all backed up nightly onto a USB drive. It’s just a bit of bother to copy all of that over the USB interface.

Oops! There are no photos beyond last March. I felt sick to my stomach. That’s a lot of family memories to evaporated. Whew! The program we’ve been using to download the cameras also makes a backup copy local to the machine used to download. I’ve got all the pictures back on the photo server, and now just have to sort them into directories again.

But first, I need to fix the backup script. Why didn’t it warn me when it started to fail? Read More

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Categories: Tools and Techniques Working Software

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Errors in Project Management

An article in USA Today (December 12, 2012) about highway projects in New York has the sub-head, “Design errors, planning lapses drove up costs more than 14%.” Among the things listed that “drove up costs” are

  • More asphalt than projected due to a math error
  • More temporary concrete dividers than planned, as plans called for only half what was needed
  • Unanticipated excavation costs.

It’s true that no one likes for costs to exceed estimates, Read More

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Categories: Responding to Change

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Sad Statements

I hope this will be done by then.

These are sad and scary words to me.  When I hear them in the context of a software development project, I associate them with a project unlikely to meet expectations.  Further, it’s likely that there is no good indicator of what can be delivered when.  With no hard evidence to tell them what’s possible, and to judge the effects of changes they try, people fall back on a strategy of hope. They no longer feel in control of the situation.

We’ve done our part.

This signals the underlying hopelessness. When you can’t make things come out the way you want, when you can’t even predict how they will come out, one natural response is to give up. Often the cultural expectations don’t allow saying “this project is in trouble.” The person who does so is the person who will attract all the scrutiny. Without the clear data to back up the perception of trouble, why stick your neck out? Others should be noticing the same thing; let them call attention to it. And when things don’t work out as “hoped,” if weve “done our part,” then someone else will get the blame.

You can’t solve a problem that no one wants to see. Instead, we’ve found an acceptable way to fail.

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Categories: Individuals and Interactions

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The Code of Christmas Past

When we write code, we’re often thinking about the short term. We need this code to function correctly so we can deliver within our immediate deadlines. I’ve found it important to also think of the long term. Sooner or later, we might encounter our own code, again.

I spent a chunk of my career where I often worked solo on projects that might get enhanced every year or two. This taught me a lot about the importance of code readability and what sort of things helped me quickly understand and avoid overlooking important considerations. I’ve also worked on a lot of legacy code bases, so I’m well aware of the pain and problems created by code that’s not readable, or is not organized in a helpful manner. Read More

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Categories: Tools and Techniques

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5 Minutes to Process Improvement Success

Most of my recent writing has not yet been published. That, and work on the upcoming AgileDC Conference and Agile India beyond that, have meant relatively little output on my blog. I apologize for that.

I’d like to share with you an interview conducted by Bill Fox for his 5 Minutes to Process Improvement Success project. My interview, “Measure Progress in a Way that’s Visible and Reliable,” is found on page 69 of the PDF.  You’ll also find interesting interviews with Karen Base, Kevin Schaaff, Hillel Glazer, Scott Ambler, Neil Potter, Bob Payne, Mike Bonamassa, Mario Hyland, Jeff Dalton, Paul E. McMahon, Karl Wiegers, Mary Lynn Penn, Ally Gill, Alan Shalloway, and Tom Cagley. And there are more to come in the future.

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Categories: Uncategorized

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Independent Interpretation

Many organizations segregate their programmers and testers in order to achieve independent validation of requirements.  If the system is tested according to an independent interpretation of the requirements than used for implementation, then errors in those interpretations may be detected.

This course of action is obviously prudent when the requirements are handed down to the development organization in the form of a document. Read More

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Categories: Customer Collaboration

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Invest in yourself

I write this post from Loveland Colorado, the current location of Consultants Camp. This is an international gathering of consultants who share information and lessons with each other. It’s part of my practice of self-improvement.

I invest a lot in my own professional development every year. I attend conferences such as this one. I read. I converse with colleagues.

My career has spanned a number of decades, and I expect to continue to do so indefinitely. I gave a talk at XPDay Manhattan in 2007 on Sustainable Career where I explored this topic. To do so, you not only need to continue learning, you need to learn things that have a long half-life. Learning specific technologies may be valuable, but those technologies quickly become obsolete. Be sure to also learn things with lasting value, such as the principles behind specific techniques.

You need for your career to last a lifetime. Invest in yourself.

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Categories: Responding to Change

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